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

[Throttle]

Do we think it's a good thing or a bad thing that they scored the tying goal literally half a second later Mr. Dolan? I'll take all the bait lmao

Good play to drive to the net, good play to follow on for the rebound and score. See what happens when you go to the net, even when you don’t score yourself?

If there was someone in passing distance, he ain’t shooting on the net.

 

[MJF]

You took the bait good sir…. But I’m convinced we have a number of fans who aren’t that far off from Lou in age, and prefer the instant gratification wins over the time it might take to retool/rebuild/re-whatever

I’m probably one of the oldest posters on this board. BLOW IT UP. REBUILD. RETOOL. RESET.

One and done isn’t giving me my kicks anymore.

 

[impaaaaaact]

Good play to drive to the net, good play to follow on for the rebound and score. See what happens when you go to the net, even when you don’t score yourself?

If there was someone in passing distance, he ain’t shooting on the net.

it's a breakaway mr Dolan that's what happens on breakaways. enjoy the 0 pucks on net so far tonight without him

 

[periferal]

it's a breakaway mr Dolan that's what happens on breakaways. enjoy the 0 pucks on net so far tonight without him

What exactly are you talking about?

 

[attilatheislander]

It’s just bait, it’s just bait, it’s just bait .

It’s just bait, it’s just bait, it’s jus

While I don't think that was bait, regardless it's not time to joke.

The time between now and the March 7th trade deadline, and then between then and the draft (when Malkin needs to replace Lou), are the most crucial times thie franchise has seen in years. What Lou/Malkin do in the coming weeks/months will determine how soon we can get back to contention....Or honestly be in hockey Siberia for 5-10 years.

Indeed. I know little about our Bridgeport roster; therefore, I was hoping a more knowledgeable fan would inform me who would be called up. Curiosity > pushing an agenda.

 

[Arsenalogist24]

Detroit wins again. Another 1 of these teams that I really don’t think are any good but gonna be an absolute battle to get ahead of. They’ve had a run that’s just as good as ours as of late

Shame we gave them 6 points this year

 

[IslesNorway]

Love the effort they put in against the Panthers but the game shows just how far off the Islanders reallly are. Got a bit worried in the 2nd they might actually win, but another couple of losses and Lou might just do the right thing and realise it too. Selling should be back on the agenda.

 

[Lek]

Love the effort they put in against the Panthers but the game shows just how far off the Islanders reallly are. Got a bit worried in the 2nd they might actually win, but another couple of losses and Lou might just do the right thing and realise it too. Selling should be back on the agenda.

Not sure there was much of a team on the ice, lol....

Lou should sell no matter. I really do not see how moving Nelson will really make that much of a difference. I would keep Pags , unless a ransom is paid, if we are still in the running and Palms?....not sure moving him would make that much of a difference either. So, really no reason to at least move on from one player who could have a good return.

 

[impaaaaaact]

What exactly are you talking about?

At the time I was talking about the 0 shots on goal through the first 10 minutes of the game yesterday. I call him Mr. Dolan because he’s always posting like Barzal f***ed his daughter.

 

[saintunspecified]

Lou should sell no matter. I really do not see how moving Nelson will really make that much of a difference. I would keep Pags , unless a ransom is paid, if we are still in the running and Palms?....not sure moving him would make that much of a difference either. So, really no reason to at least move on from one player who could have a good return.

NYI need bodies. I agree that Palmieri isn't worth more than a 2nd in futures, but you might be able to get a relatively cost-controlled bottom 6 forward who can PK, and is under contract next year.

Here's what I hope LL does: If Barzal is out long-term, sell now. If he isn't, make the decision based on the next 3 games. 4 or more points? Stand pat. Less than 4?

It's not that I don't want him to sell regardless. But that's not what LL is going to do.

 

[impaaaaaact]

Well, the streak was fun. The fruits of our labor?

- 4 points out of the wildcard with 1 game in hand. However, we’re 3 points behind TBL and they actually have a game in hand on us. By points% they are 7th.

- 1 point in front of the Rangers and 2 points in front of MTL. Essentially putting 6 teams in contention for the 2nd wild card spot.

- We went from pacing for the 6th overall pick to the 13th. Thanks Ilya!

- We lost Dobson, Pulock, Hogberg and what seems like Barzal and Mayfield long term. Tony D has looked amazing and Perunovich and Boqvist have been totally fine, but expect that new car smell to wear off sooner or later. Gatcomb will be fine as long as he keeps hitting everything that moves - let’s hope he doesn’t run out of gas.

- Lost a trading partner in Dallas. I’m sure they called on Nelson, but how could Lou trade him during the streak? Who’s left? Colorado, Jersey, Washington… maybe the Kings.

But Lou HAS to trade Nelson at this point. To gain the 5-ish points needed to squeak into the playoffs we’ll basically need another 7-1 run, and this time without another 4 starters. It’s over, time to throw in the towel.

 

[seafoam]

Well, the streak was fun. The fruits of our labor?

- 4 points out of the wildcard with 1 game in hand. However, we’re 3 points behind TBL and they actually have a game in hand on us. By points% they are 7th.

- 1 point in front of the Rangers and 2 points in front of MTL. Essentially putting 6 teams in contention for the 2nd wild card spot.

- We went from pacing for the 6th overall pick to the 13th. Thanks Ilya!

- We lost Dobson, Pulock, Hogberg and what seems like Barzal and Mayfield long term. Tony D has looked amazing and Perunovich and Boqvist have been totally fine, but expect that new car smell to wear off sooner or later. Gatcomb will be fine as long as he keeps hitting everything that moves - let’s hope he doesn’t run out of gas.

- Lost a trading partner in Dallas. I’m sure they called on Nelson, but how could Lou trade him during the streak? Who’s left? Colorado, Jersey, Washington… maybe the Kings.

But Lou HAS to trade Nelson at this point. To gain the 5-ish points needed to squeak into the playoffs we’ll basically need another 7-1 run, and this time without another 4 starters. It’s over, time to throw in the towel.

The fact of the matter is, this team outside of the last seven games have not gotten the job done. There's no reason to think that bringing back Nelson and Palmieri next year will yield different results, especially considering they will be another year older.

They can still continue to play the games and try to win, but Lou has the potential to quickly turn this roster over during the summer if he can parlay expiring assets.

I'm curious to see how he finishes the season, but other than size what can Dobson do better than DeAngelo?

 

[IslesNorway]

Another couple of losses and we will be fine. The recent bout of injuries will eventually take their toll. We might scrape some wins here and there but with that makeshift defence it will be more losses than wins from here on out. The win streak was an anomaly and was brought about by some new blood injecting som life into the lineup as well as a run of weak opponents. It was never gonna last, and we are better off losing from now on and try to restock the team.

 

[impaaaaaact]

I'm curious to see how he finishes the season, but other than size what can Dobson do better than DeAngelo?

In the five games we’ve seen vs. Dobson this year? Nothing.

In Dobson’s last season vs the rest of Tony Deangelo’s career? Everything.

I’m going to need to see TDA keep it up for the rest of the season before thinking of him as a Dobson replacement, especially with his tendency to flame out of organizations. Still, early returns are encouraging.

 

[impaaaaaact]

Another couple of losses and we will be fine. The recent bout of injuries will eventually take their toll. We might scrape some wins here and there but with that makeshift defence it will be more losses than wins from here on out. The win streak was an anomaly and was brought about by some new blood injecting som life into the lineup as well as a run of weak opponents. It was never gonna last, and we are better off losing from now on and try to restock the team.

I actually think the win streak was mostly Ilya making saves on the PK. Him and Hogberg had something like a .950 save % over an entire month.

Thats not sustainable, but is .925? If the answer is yes they’re going to win games. That’s how we got into the playoffs in the previous seasons despite being a bottom scoring team. Thats why we paid him all that money.

 

[LeapOnOver]

A good losing streak right now will not only satisfy the "we want to sell and get moar draft picks" perpetual draft party HFBoard OGs, but will also satisfy the folks that scoff at the preposterous notion that we are better without Barzal. So I guess it is just the right thing to do.

 

[SayItAintSoJohnny]

They absolutely have to sell, sell, sell and get whatever they can for much of their roster.

This is just a lost season, especially with all of the injuries that have happened. Time to clear the books as much as possible.

You are stuck with Engvall and Mayfield's deals (4 more damn years) and Varlamov's (2) which just emphasizes the need to sell any and all 30+ guys you can at this deadline.

Yes, NELSON is an absolute must and should get you a 1st round pick in return- missing out on that would be inexcusable.

PALMIERI should also be moved for whatever you can get for him- my guess is a 2nd round pick.

And yes, you take calls and listen to just about everyone not named Sorokin. Two guys they should try to move and see what cap relief you can get for next year is indeed Lee and Pageau.

This is a team that is too damn old, lacking badly in talent and needs to start the retool/rebuild NOW and Lou needs to be gone to boot.

It is past time

 

[MJF]

A good losing streak right now will not only satisfy the "we want to sell and get moar draft picks" perpetual draft party HFBoard OGs, but will also satisfy the folks that scoff at the preposterous notion that we are better without Barzal. So I guess it is just the right thing to do.

How about the not so preposterous notion that we can fix a lot of holes by trading Barzal?

 

[Zeeker]

How about the not so preposterous notion that we can fix a lot of holes by trading Barzal?

How about the insinuation that those who want to sell are the crazy ones, not the people who want to run it back for the umpteenth time with the same decaying roster?

 

[Tahoeblue]

Another couple of losses and we will be fine. The recent bout of injuries will eventually take their toll. We might scrape some wins here and there but with that makeshift defence it will be more losses than wins from here on out. The win streak was an anomaly and was brought about by some new blood injecting som life into the lineup as well as a run of weak opponents. It was never gonna last, and we are better off losing from now on and try to restock the team.

Agreed. Continue to evaluate the roster with an eye on the future and do what needs to be done by March 7. I can't root for losses but it doesn't sting as much. Certainly some positives even during this year. Hogberg could be a backup, Tysp, Gatcomb, big step forward for Holmstrom, George is capable of being an nhler, TDA has value, Romanov improved some, and get others to train with Lee and Adam Oates over the summer.

Also, I believe our prospect pool is better than advertised and should get another shot in the arm at the draft.

 

[leeroggy]

You are stuck with Engvall and Mayfield's deals (4 more damn years) and Varlamov's (2) which just emphasizes the need to sell any and all 30+ guys you can at this deadline.

Oh yeah . . . with the cap soaring, we can't afford their buyouts? Less than $2,200,000 TOTAL per year for the both of them. Somehow Minnesota is having a great year with those hefty buyouts on the roster.

I swear, if I put up a post with ONLY TWO options:

1) A guaranteed Cup Win and both Nelson and Palms walking away
2) Trade them now

#2 wins going away here.

As for the 'bait' comments directed towards me . . . go to hell.

Perif and I have corresponded over the years via message here and we are both 'wear our Isles love on our sleeves' guys for many years. I'm 66 and have been here since the beginning of the team. I love his passion, but I do disagree with him about how far or near we are to winning a Cup. How that is turned into 'baiting' those here is just a bunch of you reading what you want into your fixed 'hate Lou' positions.

If this team gets healthy and gets in, this will be a dangerous team to play.

The complaints I've heard:

1. Not fast enough - we are retooling that on the fly
2. PK is awful - #1 in the league in January and too many here still ignore the improvement
3. 4th line not contributing a thing - also starting to turn around. Gatcomb is a LEGIT NHL player. And when we are healthy, he might well be a healthy scratch.
4. PP still struggles - guilty as charged
5. Youth improvement - Holmstrom has gone from 15G/10A in 75 games to 13G/16A in 45 games, mostly playing on the 3rd line . . . Gatcomb 2G/40 hits in 9 games . . . George showing great promise . . .
6. Romanov has taken a leap forward, is on pace for about 30 points, and will be here for years, while others keeping bemoaning the trade. Nazar should be a pretty good player but is only at 3G/5A in 28 games and is already 21.

ALL while missing a tremendous amount of KEY personnel to injuries. The replacements were asked to step up and many of them HAVE.

This organization has rapidly brought in depth on RD, our weakest organizational position. The two 2024 drafted goalies are looking like steals right now. Eiserman, Nelson, Finley ALL looking like they are for real as NHL prospects. The possibility of a Dobson trade for a stud forward is there, which was unthinkable before, because of that RD depth. And if it doesn't happen and we buy out Mayfield, here's the depth chart for now:

Dobson
Pulock
DeAngelo
Boqvist
Perunovich
There's nothing wrong with that.

Hogberg has been a marvelous addition. Tsyp is also a very nice piece. Neither cost us an asset, not even a draft pick.

Even if Nelson and Palms walk, the cap space will allow us to fill in, even with some RFA extensions coming. Palms is easier to replace production-wise. If he walks, it's not the end of the world. Eiserman is taking that spot in 2026-27 in all likelihood anyhow.

For all the complaints, it's certainly looking like Horvat basically only cost a first and we saved Beau's salary too. Raty is looking like AHL tweener material. Damn good trade by Lou that too many here won't acknowledge enough because the 'old guy' made it.

Nelson is the only tough call. He plays a style that holds up pretty well with age, since he has a smooth skating style and doesn't have to go to the dirty areas to score, nor does he hit or get hit much. We don't have the natural fit to replace him from within the organization right now, regardless of moving Barzal back to center. Trading him for futures will not solve that for a number of years. But with the salary cap rising, could we re-sign him for 3 more years while letting Palms go? I have no problem right now with that given the Cap rise. It gives us time to rebuild that position. And if Dobson is traded, it would well be for a 2C. St Louis RD is aging rapidly . . . Jordan Kyrou or Robert Thomas anyone (St Louis is below .500)? There are options here.

I cannot believe all the rooting against the group of players here as they give us a run, not allowing easy excuses to play. Even on the road, in back-to-back games of a nature we have always struggled with, we could easily have called it a day last night but didn't. I CELEBRATE that. Too many here let their LouDS hatred call the shots.

So, once again, to the 'bait' comments. Go to hell.

 

[Arsenalogist24]

Marchenko and Fabbro out injured for CBJ
Norris out injured of OTT

2 teams we’re chasing down in wild card

 

[seafoam]

Marchenko and Fabbro out injured for CBJ
Norris out injured of OTT

2 teams we’re chasing down in wild card

Ottawa is getting Ullmark back however. And they are well equipped to handle a Norris injury, he's made of glass.

 

[impaaaaaact]

Oh yeah . . . with the cap soaring, we can't afford their buyouts? Less than $2,200,000 TOTAL per year for the both of them. Somehow Minnesota is having a great year with those hefty buyouts on the roster.

I swear, if I put up a post with ONLY TWO options:

1) A guaranteed Cup Win and both Nelson and Palms walking away
2) Trade them now

#2 wins going away here.

As for the 'bait' comments directed towards me . . . go to hell.

Perif and I have corresponded over the years via message here and we are both 'wear our Isles love on our sleeves' guys for many years. I'm 66 and have been here since the beginning of the team. I love his passion, but I do disagree with him about how far or near we are to winning a Cup. How that is turned into 'baiting' those here is just a bunch of you reading what you want into your fixed 'hate Lou' positions.

If this team gets healthy and gets in, this will be a dangerous team to play.

The complaints I've heard:

1. Not fast enough - we are retooling that on the fly
2. PK is awful - #1 in the league in January and too many here still ignore the improvement
3. 4th line not contributing a thing - also starting to turn around. Gatcomb is a LEGIT NHL player. And when we are healthy, he might well be a healthy scratch.
4. PP still struggles - guilty as charged
5. Youth improvement - Holmstrom has gone from 15G/10A in 75 games to 13G/16A in 45 games, mostly playing on the 3rd line . . . Gatcomb 2G/40 hits in 9 games . . . George showing great promise . . .
6. Romanov has taken a leap forward, is on pace for about 30 points, and will be here for years, while others keeping bemoaning the trade. Nazar should be a pretty good player but is only at 3G/5A in 28 games and is already 21.

ALL while missing a tremendous amount of KEY personnel to injuries. The replacements were asked to step up and many of them HAVE.

This organization has rapidly brought in depth on RD, our weakest organizational position. The two 2024 drafted goalies are looking like steals right now. Eiserman, Nelson, Finley ALL looking like they are for real as NHL prospects. The possibility of a Dobson trade for a stud forward is there, which was unthinkable before, because of that RD depth. And if it doesn't happen and we buy out Mayfield, here's the depth chart for now:

Dobson
Pulock
DeAngelo
Boqvist
Perunovich
There's nothing wrong with that.

Hogberg has been a marvelous addition. Tsyp is also a very nice piece. Neither cost us an asset, not even a draft pick.

Even if Nelson and Palms walk, the cap space will allow us to fill in, even with some RFA extensions coming. Palms is easier to replace production-wise. If he walks, it's not the end of the world. Eiserman is taking that spot in 2026-27 in all likelihood anyhow.

For all the complaints, it's certainly looking like Horvat basically only cost a first and we saved Beau's salary too. Raty is looking like AHL tweener material. Damn good trade by Lou that too many here won't acknowledge enough because the 'old guy' made it.

Nelson is the only tough call. He plays a style that holds up pretty well with age, since he has a smooth skating style and doesn't have to go to the dirty areas to score, nor does he hit or get hit much. We don't have the natural fit to replace him from within the organization right now, regardless of moving Barzal back to center. Trading him for futures will not solve that for a number of years. But with the salary cap rising, could we re-sign him for 3 more years while letting Palms go? I have no problem right now with that given the Cap rise. It gives us time to rebuild that position. And if Dobson is traded, it would well be for a 2C. St Louis RD is aging rapidly . . . Jordan Kyrou or Robert Thomas anyone (St Louis is below .500)? There are options here.

I cannot believe all the rooting against the group of players here as they give us a run, not allowing easy excuses to play. Even on the road, in back-to-back games of a nature we have always struggled with, we could easily have called it a day last night but didn't. I CELEBRATE that. Too many here let their LouDS hatred call the shots.

So, once again, to the 'bait' comments. Go to hell.

There are a couple of points here that I'd contest:

- The RHD Depth is almost exactly the same unless they make a trade - they've gained a 7D at best. Tony D would rather go to Russia than the AHL, and Perunovich and Boqvist won't make it through waivers once Dobson and Pulock are back. I'm at the point where I'd maybe even take a subpar return on Pulock to clear his salary rather than lose these guys for nothing... but until a move is made that's exactly what will happen.

- I don't think Nelson's style holds up with age, and we saw him falter at the end of last season into the whole of this one. He's slowing down a little already, and it's showing up on his stat line. Trading him for futures isn't about replacing him immediately, it's about not losing value out of the organization for nothing - seems like most of the league thinks he's leaving for Minnesota anyway, which frankly makes a ton of sense. A team like Anaheim might not be interested in Nelson, but they might be interested in the pieces we get for him for a player like McTavish who eventually could replace his roster spot.

- The key to the winning streak hasn't been Romanov and Gatcomb hitting guys more or Holmstrom turning from a 25 point player to a 45 point one. It's been the goaltending. Sorokin plays bad, we lose. Sorokin plays well, we win. This makes a ton of sense given that our forward and d corps are clearly not cup caliber. He's our most important player by a mile, and it's insane that they decided to run him into the ground again this year. At least it seems like they learned their lesson playing Skarek last night. A healthy and focused Sorokin is our key to contention from now until the end of his contract.

If you think we're winning a cup this year, more power to you. As it stands we're on pace for 86 points, and set to play a few games without Barzal, Pulock, Dobson, Mayfield, and Hogberg or Varlamov. This simply is not the year. As long as we have a healthy Sorokin we'll have a shot at the playoffs going into each season. No reason to force this one.

 

[doublechili]

How about the insinuation that those who want to sell are the crazy ones, not the people who want to run it back for the umpteenth time with the same decaying roster?

But didn't you just insinuate that the ones who don't want to sell are the crazy ones?

Seriously, I think the insinuating goes both ways around here. I do also think that sometimes a person being happy about a win can be confused with being crazy.