Roster/Rumors/Speculation/Trade Talk - 2024-25: Re-Tool, Re-Group, Re-Mix, Re-Build

[Big L]

This guy really hates Pettersson.

It's definitely the right move to trade for him.

Depends on the price, obviously.

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

Depends on the price, obviously.

I love this place.

 

[xECK29x]

I love this place.

It’s insane, EP40 is who you hope to be able to draft best case scenario. You are getting a sure thing but sure let’s worry about price.

 

[Big L]

It’s insane, EP40 is who you hope to be able to draft best case scenario. You are getting a sure thing but sure let’s worry about price.

Fvck it then, throw in Dobson, Barzal, both Nelson’s, eiserman, this year 1st, next year 1st. Whatever it takes to get it done. SMH

 

[xECK29x]

Fvck it then, throw in Dobson, Barzal, both Nelson’s, eiserman, this year 1st, next year 1st. Whatever it takes to get it done. SMH

I'm clearly not saying that either, there is a middle ground here and I think a deal to be made.

 

[Big L]

I'm clearly not saying that either, there is a middle ground here and I think a deal to be made.

So…. Depends on the price?

 

[Arsenalogist24]

You can’t spell eLIas with out LI. Bring him home

 

[xECK29x]

So…. Depends on the price?

We can’t be begging choosers and I’d give up a lot to get a lot. Both Nelsons, Dobson, any picks besides the 2025 1st, practically any player.under contract.

 

[BarzyClub]

I wouldn’t trade Dobson for Petersson because of the hole it would open up on the d. Plus Dobson’s upside is enormous.Also, top pair RD are hard to come by.

We all know EP’s stats would fall on the isles as well so I see him and Barzal as being somewhat equivalent . Barzal on Van could be a 100 pt player so I wouldn’t do the trade 1-1 either as there is really no benefit to it ( unless Barzy wants to go back home).

Let Van work their problems out , likely with the Rangers . We need fresh blood everywhere , from management to the NHL team to Bridgeport . Stay the course, trade the vets for picks / young players and reload via FA’s in the off-season.

 

[impaaaaaact]

Eiserman with a schnipe. I think he could single handedly fix our power play lolol

 

[Torrey Redux]

The last thing this team needs is another player on a long term deal.

Long term deals are a fact of life in the NHL if you want to secure elite talent. Lou's problem is that he gives long term deals to marginal talent. And overpays while doing so.

 

[impaaaaaact]

I wouldn’t trade Dobson for Petersson because of the hole it would open up on the d. Plus Dobson’s upside is enormous.Also, top pair RD are hard to come by.

We all know EP’s stats would fall on the isles as well so I see him and Barzal as being somewhat equivalent . Barzal on Van could be a 100 pt player so I wouldn’t do the trade 1-1 either as there is really no benefit to it ( unless Barzy wants to go back home).

Let Van work their problems out , likely with the Rangers . We need fresh blood everywhere , from management to the NHL team to Bridgeport . Stay the course, trade the vets for picks / young players and reload via FA’s in the off-season.

this is the best argument against it I think. Dobson might be playing his way into actually being underpaid and we don’t have any rhd prospects - no elite ones in the draft this year either. Dobson has his warts but we have 0 depth at that position - I’m sure we’ll take an RHD if we get a second first rounder this year

 

[Torrey Redux]

I wouldn’t trade Dobson for Petersson because of the hole it would open up on the d. Plus Dobson’s upside is enormous.Also, top pair RD are hard to come by.

We all know EP’s stats would fall on the isles as well so I see him and Barzal as being somewhat equivalent . Barzal on Van could be a 100 pt player so I wouldn’t do the trade 1-1 either as there is really no benefit to it ( unless Barzy wants to go back home).

Let Van work their problems out , likely with the Rangers . We need fresh blood everywhere , from management to the NHL team to Bridgeport . Stay the course, trade the vets for picks / young players and reload via FA’s in the off-season.

Setting aside the merits of such a proposed trade for a moment, can we please stop discussing Dobson as though he is recently graduated prospect who just entered the league. He is 350+ games into his NHL career and who he is as a player, while perhaps not fully formed, is coming into view; he's an offensively gifted talent and a butter-soft defensive liability.

 

[Throttle]

Setting aside the merits of such a proposed trade for a moment, can we please stop discussing Dobson as though he is recently graduated prospect who just entered the league. He is 350+ games into his NHL career and who he is as a player, while perhaps not fully formed, is coming into view; he's an offensively gifted talent and a butter-soft defensive liability.

Before you know it, the argument will be he needs a different defensive partner, coach, and forwards…hmm.

For all his offense, he’s a massive trade off defensively and a lot of times at the wrong time in a game. I don’t think that’s being nitpicked or short viewed, it’s 2 plus years of the same scenario. It’s only masked bc he scored 70 points (once).

 

[BarzyClub]

Setting aside the merits of such a proposed trade for a moment, can we please stop discussing Dobson as though he is recently graduated prospect who just entered the league. He is 350+ games into his NHL career and who he is as a player, while perhaps not fully formed, is coming into view; he's an offensively gifted talent and a butter-soft defensive liability.

I saw an over 1.00 /ppg pace last year for a long stretch on a below average Islanders offense last year . He was on pace for 80-90 pts.

This year , I see a player who has been distracted by contract negotiations (or lack of them) and pressure to make the Four Nations for Canada. So I’m willing to give him somewhat of a pass for the first half of the season.

 

[Throttle]

I saw an over 1.00 /ppg pace last year for a long stretch on a below average Islanders offense last year . He was on pace for 80-90 pts.

This year , I see a player who has been distracted by contract negotiations (or lack of them) and pressure to make the Four Nations for Canada. So I’m willing to give him somewhat of a pass for the first half of the season.

The same mistakes he’s routinely made this season were on full display in the Stadium Series game and the playoffs vs. Carolina. Like, in big game moments.

So, being distracted this season doesn’t equate - those are his known flaws, which are pretty big when he may be a $7/8M ticket (or with Lou paying him, $9M).

 

[SI]

Ok, so let's trade all our young talent for Pettersson and stay in cap hell. Our team with consist of:

Petterrson - 11.7M
Brazal - 9.15M
Horvat - 8.5M
Sorokin - 8.25M
Pulock- 6.15M
Pelech - 5.75M
Duclair - 3.5
Mayfield - 3.5
56.6M

Romanov, Holmstrom, Tysplakov needing new deals - that's what around another 18M - 5M for Romanov, 4 for the other 2? Maybe 20M all together?

Now we are at 74.6M or 76.M for 11 players of a 23 player roster. If the cap goes up to 92M, we have 17.4 or 15.4 for the remaining 12 players.

And do we get so much better? By 1 player and losing youngs, picks and Dobson? This roster still had plenty of holes to me.

Everyone (well most) of us here have been screaming about breaking down this roster and getting a bunch of young talent and picks to upgrade our system and roster. What happened? We have a pouting star player in Van who players and GMs are calling out and we are ready to hand over everything for him? Van needs to move either EP or Miller. Isn't it telling that they are more inclined to move a 26 yr old SUPERSTAR and keeping a 31 yr old player in Miller???

I can see it now, sometime next year guys here will be complaining just like we have with Tavares (when he was here) and Brazal. Same story and I'll be sure to remind you guys where it happens again.

Good organizations build through the draft and youngsters. Build a solid core throughout the system. Guess we will never be that

Your math is not correct- Romanov 5, and Holmstrom and Tsyplakov @ 4 are only 13m. I also think that Holmstrom and Tsyplakov at 4m is too high of a projection, especially Holmstrom who is further away from being a UFA.

If the Isles landed Petey—who is a completely different player than Barzal (one being a playmaker and the other a sniper—they would complement each other, playing on opposite sides of the power play with distinct roles. If the trade package included Nelson and Dobson +, here’s how the 2025-26 roster and cap could shape up:

With 18 players signed and a projected cap of $92.5 million, the Isles would have approximately $6 million to fill four 4 roster spots:

• A puck-moving defenseman (PMD) who can quarterback the power play
• A fourth-line left wing
• A fourth-line right-wing
• A 13th forward

If they sign three forwards at the league minimum ($775K each), they’d have roughly $3.65 million left for the defenseman. The best fit could be UFA Dman Ivan Provorov, but signing him may require $5.5 million or more.

To make room for Provorov, additional salary shedding might be necessary, such as moving Varlamov and Pelech.

For example:

• A Pelech-for-Lauzon trade would free up $3.75 million, allowing flexibility to pursue a player like Trent Frederic or Mathieu Olivier for a third-line role. Preds could add Michael McCarron, who makes .900 K in 25-26 and would fill that RW 4 role perfectly. BTW, he is also an effective Pker.
• Alternatively, trading Palmieri for a cost-controlled player on an entry-level contract (ELC) or league minimum could help.
  • Options might include Paul Cotter ($775K in 2025-26) or Liam Öhgren ($845K in 2025-26).
• Trading Varlamov for Parker Kelly ($825K in 2025-26) and Scott Wedgewood ($1.5M in 2025-26) could address the backup goalie role while freeing additional cap space.

Here is a breakdown -

LW		C		RW		LD		RD		G
Lee	7	Pettersson	11.6	Barzal	9.15	Provorov	6.25	Pulock	6.15	Sorokin	8.25
Tsyplakov	3	Horvat	8.5	Duclair	3.5	Romanov	5.5	Mayfield	3.5	Wedgewood	1.5
Ohgren	0.887	Pageau	5	Holmstrom	2.5	George	0.835	Lauzon	2
Kelly	0.825	Cizikas	2.5	Olivier	2			Huttton	0.775
		Maclean	0.775
Total LW	11.712	Total C	28.375	Total RW	17.15	Total LD	12.585	Total RD	12.425	Total G	9.75	Total	91.997
										92.5 m Cap	0.503

* There is also a very real possibility that the cap might be closer 95m, which means the Isles could resign Palmieri at 4.5 m and forego a player like Olivier - pushing Holmstrom or Ohgren to RW 4, and Dulcair LW 3.

 

[LeapOnOver]

For those who want to mortgage the future or move Brazal & Dobson for Pettersson. Again, are you guys really looking at the whole situation?

• His own GM called him immature and he needs to stop pouting when he things get tough in the press. WOW
• Former players are coming out saying that he is very sensitive. Strike TWO
• He has a 11.7M cap hit for the next 7 years.
• Has had issues with teammates

Strike Three

So you want trade our 2 best trading chips (if we wanted to deal them at all) and/or our 1st rounder in which we now are sitting in the 5th spot for this player? How do you think he'll handle the NY press and criticism??

Sorry guys, again. We need to ride out this year. Just move the UFAs in Nelson and Parms. Get as much as we can for them. Go into the offseason with a new GM and Coach and plan a new direction for the organization and roster.

Use this 2025 1st rounder (high pick) to get a good solid youngster. Along with prospects such as Nelson & Eiserman looking good. High hopes for guys like Finley (leading college in goals), and for Bednarik, Pulkkinen and Gidlof.

LETS STAY THE COURSE GUYS....Get younger, get better young talent in this organization. Not trade everyone for 1 guy.

​

I'll counter with actual teammates coming out and saying that guys are motivated in different ways, and JT Miller only knows one way to motivate players, by getting in their face and being aggressive. Some people shut down when that happens. I imaging especially those outside of NA because a lot of those countries are way more passive and don't have aggressive violent issues like NA. I can tell you right now you get in a Korean person's face like that they are just going to smile (as a nervous reaction) and be completely silent with no response.

So, a captain needs to find better ways to motivate someone. Lee looks tough, but he's probably smart enough to know what players need tough love and what players need to be motivated with a gentler touch. So I don't see any strikes against Pettersson, at all. I wouldn't trade Dobson and Barazl for him, but I think the stuff on Pettersson is blown way out of proportion.

Except Lou has retained every UFA-to be he traded for (including Horvat). Horvat was going into a not so great option set of teams with cap space either - may very well have been one of the reasons he signed - the other were not so great and Lou paid him before entering that world of unknown.

None of that matters. An educated guess is still a guess. No way you take that gamble and trade Barzal on the hopes and dreams that Horvat would sign.

 

[Throttle]

I'll counter with actual teammates coming out and saying that guys are motivated in different ways, and JT Miller only knows one way to motivate players, by getting in their face and being aggressive. Some people shut down when that happens. I imaging especially those outside of NA because a lot of those countries are way more passive and don't have aggressive violent issues like NA. I can tell you right now you get in a Korean person's face like that they are just going to smile (as a nervous reaction) and be completely silent with no response.

So, a captain needs to find better ways to motivate someone. Lee looks tough, but he's probably smart enough to know what players need tough love and what players need to be motivated with a gentler touch. So I don't see any strikes against Pettersson, at all. I wouldn't trade Dobson and Barazl for him, but I think the stuff on Pettersson is blown way out of proportion.


None of that matters. An educated guess is still a guess. No way you take that gamble and trade Barzal on the hopes and dreams that Horvat would sign.

You could do a sign and trade since Barzal would be the only asset going back vs the Beau, pick, prospect. Horvat has to agree to that as well. There were ways to make such a deal happen. Lou wanted to find a pet for Barzal, that’s what he did vs using a single asset to start to change the composition of the team (he was also looking to dump Beau - rightfully so).

Separately, I would agree on EP40, probably a better media and locker room environment would do wonders for him. We all know RT as a player and he would seem to line up better with a Miller vs a EP, one wonders whether EP senses, despite the ownership committing to him, the rest of the organization is favoring Miller.

Great chance to buy a premier player like EP.

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

It’s insane, EP40 is who you hope to be able to draft best case scenario. You are getting a sure thing but sure let’s worry about price.

This seems difficult.

 

[impaaaaaact]

Your math is not correct- Romanov 5, and Holmstrom and Tsyplakov @ 4 are only 13m. I also think that Holmstrom and Tsyplakov at 4m is too high of a projection, especially Holmstrom who is further away from being a UFA.

If the Isles landed Petey—who is a completely different player than Barzal (one being a playmaker and the other a sniper—they would complement each other, playing on opposite sides of the power play with distinct roles. If the trade package included Nelson and Dobson +, here’s how the 2025-26 roster and cap could shape up:

With 18 players signed and a projected cap of $92.5 million, the Isles would have approximately $6 million to fill four 4 roster spots:

• A puck-moving defenseman (PMD) who can quarterback the power play
• A fourth-line left wing
• A fourth-line right-wing
• A 13th forward

If they sign three forwards at the league minimum ($775K each), they’d have roughly $3.65 million left for the defenseman. The best fit could be UFA Dman Ivan Provorov, but signing him may require $5.5 million or more.

To make room for Provorov, additional salary shedding might be necessary, such as moving Varlamov and Pelech.

For example:

• A Pelech-for-Lauzon trade would free up $3.75 million, allowing flexibility to pursue a player like Trent Frederic or Mathieu Olivier for a third-line role. Preds could add Michael McCarron, who makes .900 K in 25-26 and would fill that RW 4 role perfectly. BTW, he is also an effective Pker.
• Alternatively, trading Palmieri for a cost-controlled player on an entry-level contract (ELC) or league minimum could help.
  • Options might include Paul Cotter ($775K in 2025-26) or Liam Öhgren ($845K in 2025-26).
• Trading Varlamov for Parker Kelly ($825K in 2025-26) and Scott Wedgewood ($1.5M in 2025-26) could address the backup goalie role while freeing additional cap space.

Here is a breakdown -

LW		C		RW		LD		RD		G
Lee	7	Pettersson	11.6	Barzal	9.15	Provorov	6.25	Pulock	6.15	Sorokin	8.25
Tsyplakov	3	Horvat	8.5	Duclair	3.5	Romanov	5.5	Mayfield	3.5	Wedgewood	1.5
Ohgren	0.887	Pageau	5	Holmstrom	2.5	George	0.835	Lauzon	2
Kelly	0.825	Cizikas	2.5	Olivier	2			Huttton	0.775
		Maclean	0.775
Total LW	11.712	Total C	28.375	Total RW	17.15	Total LD	12.585	Total RD	12.425	Total G	9.75	Total	91.997
										92.5 m Cap	0.503

* There is also a very real possibility that the cap might be closer 95m, which means the Isles could resign Palmieri at 4.5 m and forego a player like Olivier - pushing Holmstrom or Ohgren to RW 4, and Dulcair LW 3.

lol we aren’t getting Ohgren for Palmieri. This is like 5 trades… fantasy land

 

[Sparksrus3]

It’s a shame we didn’t play last night . I’m reaching for anything here .

5 - 2 at home on Saturday this season
1 - 2 on the road .

14. - 25. overall

1 win short of half our wins on Saturday this season and 8 wins and 21 losses not on Saturday .

SA. TUR. DAY. NIGHT SA. TUR. DAY. NIGHT

 

[seabass45]

“Dobson hasn’t been good bc he’s worried about making the Four Nations team” is a new one.

 

[impaaaaaact]

Dobson isn’t a #1 defenseman and shouldn’t be paid like one… more like a #3. In a rising cap world that still probably means 7M per on a long contract. Sounds like a lot, but that’s a number I can live with. He probably could have pushed for 10 with a 70 point repeat but that season is looking like the exception, not the rule. He’s currently the PPQB of the worst power play in hockey, not exactly a strong negotiating point.

Pelech and Pulock’s contracts are starting to look abysmal. Romanov will likely be overpaid because he’s been playing first pairing minutes. Totally plausible that this time next year we’re saying that Mayfield has the most palatable contract of the 5

 

[Arsenalogist24]

Pelech and Pulock’s contracts are starting to look abysmal. Romanov will likely be overpaid because he’s been playing first pairing minutes. Totally plausible that this time next year we’re saying that Mayfield has the most palatable contract of the 5

Was my biggest concern coming into the year and both have gotten worse. Way too over committed to both. 1 absolutely has to go this offseason. I think as fans we’d prefer Pelech out but I think Pulock is more appealing to the league at large.