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

[Lek]

Arthur Staple's article in the athletic a few weeks ago hit pretty hard . Hopefully Malkin has a subscription.

I'm not in the tear it down to the studs kinda guy but the tap in moves are Nelson and Palms at the '25 deadline or sooner then Lee , Pageau at the '26 deadline or sooner .

I am not sold on moving Lee if he can keep himself in the shape he has this season. Might take a team friendly deal when this one is up....just speculation.

 

[BrockLobster]

I am I dropped cable last weekend and returned my boxes on Monday.

Fubo is great so far!

Can you get the games on Fubo?

One good game and here we go again with the unfounded optimism.

The Isles longest winning streak all season is 2 games! Only one other team in the entire league (St. Louis) hasn’t won 3 or more games in a row. Teams like San Jose, Chicago and Buffalo have had longer win streaks. We also have a grand total of 12 regulation wins in 41 games.

Cmon now.

Oh no. Fans enjoy a win! God forbid

 

[NC 1972]

The only way for any team to win the Stanley Cup is if the upper management, the coach, the players, AND the fans are in perfect alignment. If all the fans have to offer is negativity, disappointment, and a losing mentality that will wear down a team if they get wind of it. (ie. booing, billboards, or not showing up for games). The fans have to have as much a winning mentality just as much as the team. Constructive criticism is one thing, constantly complaining that the world is about to end is another.

If our team is compromised of players that are so mentally weak as to cringe and retreat into a coma from fans expressing their frustrations due to poor performance, then get rid of them now! These are professionals!

 

[NC 1972]

Understood, but I am of the belief that nothing is set in stone once you enter the playoffs. Sure there are many teams that on paper are a better team than the Isles, but you never know. The pieces are there right now that could conceivably win the Cup. 32 teams are in a battle for it every year and sometimes luck has a part of it. I think of all those teams that looked to be clear favorites but once they are in the 1st round all the pressure gets to them and they are trounced by the supposed weakest team in the playoffs. You never know so to me teams might as well go for it if they are playoff contenders which I think the Isles are but were hit early by the injury bug.

Excuse me bartender, I’ll have what he’s having.

We’re also in contention for last place in the conference Lou

And there you have it, so long as there’s a glimmer of hope to bring in additional revenue he will not be selling.

 

[periferal]

Excuse me bartender, I’ll have what he’s having.


And there you have it, so long as there’s a glimmer of hope to bring in additional revenue he will not be selling.

I have zero faith in Lou to take care of this franchise in the short or long term, but it is possible that he's just saying that to keep his options open and negotiate a bit through the media. I mean try to imagine a GM saying, "To be honest I've lost confidence in this team and will be open to trading a few players before the deadline." He might say something like that to other GM privately, but you just can't say that publicly.

So to me those quotes don't mean much. However what does mean a shitload more is how he's GM'ed this team since he's taken over. That is what should scare us a hell of a lot more then a couple of sentences spoken to the media.

 

[doublechili]

I don't put much stock in what Lou said to a reporter - knowing his history do we expect him to say he's disappointed in the team and is looking to sell? Of course, even if I don't put stock in what he says, that doesn't mean I expect him to sell.

 

[Zeeker]

I don't put much stock in what Lou said to a reporter - knowing his history do we expect him to say he's disappointed in the team and is looking to sell?

Honestly, maybe?

He’s always shockingly forthcoming to the media - a recent example being his talk about Wahlstrom before the season, saying he’d be open to finding a better fit for him since he isn’t working out here. And lo and behold, he was lost to waivers.

 

[Kevin27NYI]

Random but watching the isles alumni game I so badly wish we signed Clutter and cut Fasching

 

[duster19]

I don't put much stock in what Lou said to a reporter - knowing his history do we expect him to say he's disappointed in the team and is looking to sell? Of course, even if I don't put stock in what he says, that doesn't mean I expect him to sell.

For sure. Especially since he’s been the GM for so long. It’s his roster. His coaches. If he doesn’t like where things are at…one of Lou’s best skills is how he handles the media. He should be a politician.

 

[periferal]

For sure. Especially since he’s been the GM for so long. It’s his roster. His coaches. If he doesn’t like where things are at…one of Lou’s best skills is how he handles the media. He should be a politician.

I enthusiastically welcome a potential career change.

 

[Sparksrus3]

Random but watching the isles alumni game I so badly wish we signed Clutter and cut Fasching

With a guy like Fasching do you have to cut him or just change the locks ..
Halfway through the season and they are tied in point totals

 

[periferal]

Random but watching the isles alumni game I so badly wish we signed Clutter and cut Fasching

And that would make a difference in terms of anything how?

 

[Kevin27NYI]

And that would make a difference in terms of anything how?

Clutter had 20 points last year and Fasching is tied with you and me.

 

[periferal]

Clutter had 20 points last year and Fasching is tied with you and me.

So a player getting one point every 4 games is going to make this team a Cup contender?

 

[Kevin27NYI]

So a player getting one point every 4 games is going to make this team a Cup contender?

This is where you’re an annoying .

Was that my premise? Did I say that was the case or are you inserting a question that isn’t relevant?

Is any single one move going to turn any team in this league into a cup contender? Or is it improving here and there big and small?

Is that how every conversation should be on here? If I want to converse whether Hutton or Cholo should be our seventh dmen next year, a role that is largely unimportant in a 23 man roster, I’ll do that regardless if it moves the needle or not.

So anyway, we have a fourth line right wing that isn’t physical, isn’t a guy that you can put out to defend a lead and has no points when we had a guy that would have made more of an impact. No not a 70 goal fourth liner like Perif wants, but a more positive impact than what we have.

 

[Chockey22]

This is where you’re an annoying .

Was that my premise? Did I say that was the case or are you inserting a question that isn’t relevant?

Is any single one move going to turn any team in this league into a cup contender? Or is it improving here and there big and small?

Is that how every conversation should be on here? If I want to converse whether Hutton or Cholo should be our seventh dmen next year, a role that is largely unimportant in a 23 man roster, I’ll do that regardless if it moves the needle or not.

So anyway, we have a fourth line right wing that isn’t physical, isn’t a guy that you can put out to defend a lead and has no points when we had a guy that would have made more of an impact. No not a 70 goal fourth liner like Perif wants, but a more positive impact than what we have.

I agree that Clutter would very likely be better than Fasching, Martin and Maclean; he was last year and probably would be this year too. Yeah, it wouldn’t move the needle much, but any presence at all on that fourth line would help immensely - the current fourth line is beyond useless.

 

[impaaaaaact]

Something I think that is interesting about Barzal's progression this year is that Roy is deploying him in the defensive zone at almost an equal rate as the o zone. This is in stark contrast to Lambert and Trotz - for instance, Lambert deployed him in the O zone more than 80% of the time. Logic would dictate that that would bring his 5v5 scoring chance numbers down, but it's actually done the opposite.

If his line wins the draw, you have one of the top puck transport players in the league out there who is almost automatic in getting controlled entries back into the opposition's defensive zone. Because opposing coaches are sending out their top lines to take offensive draws, a simple face off win basically serves to both neutralize that shift by making them chase, and potentially tire them out chasing which compounds over the course of the game.

This subtle change has lead to insane defensive metrics, amongst the best in the league. His offensive underlying stats have also increased, despite the low point output for him so far this season. Considering he lead the league in takeaways last year I think it's fair to call his 2 way impact elite at this point.

The final frontier would probably be to try him on the PK, a la Marner. I bet we see it with the next PK coach.

 

[12Dog]

3 game win streak?
Lou chomping at the bit to trade that first round pick

 

[MarsTBOW]

3 game win streak?
Lou chomping at the bit to trade that first round pick

I was thinking the same thing....

 

[Tahoeblue]

Something I think that is interesting about Barzal's progression this year is that Roy is deploying him in the defensive zone at almost an equal rate as the o zone. This is in stark contrast to Lambert and Trotz - for instance, Lambert deployed him in the O zone more than 80% of the time. Logic would dictate that that would bring his 5v5 scoring chance numbers down, but it's actually done the opposite.

If his line wins the draw, you have one of the top puck transport players in the league out there who is almost automatic in getting controlled entries back into the opposition's defensive zone. Because opposing coaches are sending out their top lines to take offensive draws, a simple face off win basically serves to both neutralize that shift by making them chase, and potentially tire them out chasing which compounds over the course of the game.

This subtle change has lead to insane defensive metrics, amongst the best in the league. His offensive underlying stats have also increased, despite the low point output for him so far this season. Considering he lead the league in takeaways last year I think it's fair to call his 2 way impact elite at this point.

The final frontier would probably be to try him on the PK, a la Marner. I bet we see it with the next PK coach.

That is a solid observation and good point. I have pondered putting Barzal on the PK for a while. I certainly don't want him to be blocking shots but the opposition would certainly have to be aware when he is on the ice. Another thing about Roy is that he is starting to shorten the bench late in games and be more strategic in his match ups.

 

[SI]

I am not sold on moving Lee if he can keep himself in the shape he has this season. Might take a team friendly deal when this one is up....just speculation.

I can see Lee staying after this current deal - team-friendly and even tapping into deferred payment like we saw in Anaheim with Vatrano.

 

[impaaaaaact]

That is a solid observation and good point. I have pondered putting Barzal on the PK for a while. I certainly don't want him to be blocking shots but the opposition would certainly have to be aware when he is on the ice. Another thing about Roy is that he is starting to shorten the bench late in games and be more strategic in his match ups.

He also doesnt like starting the fourth line in the D zone, probably because they can’t break the puck out. It makes sense!



Signed another Russian goalie with some NHL experience. Is… is Varly going to Robidas island?

 

[SI]

Upcoming schedule - Isles start a 7-game Home Stretch with all very winnable games -

1. Ottawa
2. Philly
3. San Jose
4. Columbus
5. Philly
6. Carolina
7. Colorado

Word is Holmstrom and George could be back by the start of the homestretch, which would shift Casey back to the 4th line and Cholowski back to the pressbox, giving them a solid lineup.

For the believers, like Lou and Roy, this is where you'd expect to make up some ground in the standings. You are playing at home, and you're almost fully healthy. A streak and a good run are needed. Nothing short of 5-2 is acceptable, that would put them at 22-20-7 and right in the mix.

If you are hoping for the Isles to sell, you want to go 500, which is unacceptable to be contending.