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

[Throttle]

They also blew it by letting Holloway and Broberg leave and by trading McLeod. They've busy, but not getting anyplace.

Yeah, once the I’m gonna play with Connor to the Cup wears off - hello 2025 playoffs! They’ll be back to, yeah, I’ll play somewhere else, thanks.

 

[periferal]

 

[The Real JT]

How about a late season call up for our AHL prospects?

Let’s call it a thank you for their exceptional progress this season in Bridgeport as they beat down the door to get to the next level.

 

[Throttle]

Sears told no lies in his article. It is not a hit piece. He gave a fair representation of how Lou got us here what went wrong along the way. And you can’t give it the usual “he’s in it for the clicks” because he posted screenshots of the article.

He could have put some more depth and context to the moves and more balanced quotes.

Spending all the time talking about Toews but never raising that Trotz didn’t seem to thrilled with his defensive game at times.

He whiffed on explaining how the game changed after Covid - one that favored the Isles style to one that did not, as showing Lou losing his touch on roster construction.

Overall, his point is the team needs to move on from - he’s right on that.

 

[Throttle]

At what point does Botta realize the Islanders are not hiring him?

 

[periferal]

At what point does Botta realize the Islanders are not hiring him?

Do you REALLY believe that is what Botta is trying to do with his Tweets...Or are you just being snarky?

Regardless...The messenger (and his intentions) doesn't really matter if what he's sharing is on point - And it is.

And in fact it's Ethan Sears who is sharing his opinion.

Focus on the message being shared. Doesn't matter if it's coming from Botta, Sears, Best, Staple, or a fan on these boards.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

They also blew it by letting Holloway and Broberg leave and by trading McLeod. They've busy, but not getting anyplace.

Well, all I was saying is that they've been busy lately.

Wasn't making a statement on the state of their affairs or measuring their success rate with them.

No doubt a few fans out there see all the signings as some form of trying to make up for having lost Holloway and Broberg.

***

I would however take exception to the statement that they "let" Holloway and Broberg leave. I think they did anything but. They simply weren't an any financial position to protect themselves from seeing those two robbed off of them.

And we shouldn't laugh or snicker about that.

As unusual as the practice has been, there are bound to be a few GMs out there ready to offer sheet their way to betterment like the Blues have, seeing as how they've gotten off scott free for a practice that has generally been shunned by the GMing community.

I say this because we're entering an offseason with Dobson, Romanov, and Holmstrom all as attractive RFAs and it only takes one GM out there to look out our crazy contract structure and decide to offer say a Holmstrom an i.e. 4.5 MM per contract that our current GM isn't likely to match.

Or heck, maybe he would and then we'd be in more of a conundrum!

So, don't go casting any stones just yet, cause we're all part of one of the biggest glass houses in the league.

PS) That both Holloway and Broberg chose to go for the money instead of sticking with a team on the cusp of winning the Cup with arguably the best player in the world and perhaps the top 1-2 offensive punch in all of hockey is another thing entirely.

What prey tell would possibly prevent any of our valued RFAs from picking the state of this franchise over a handsomely padded paycheck elsewhere?

PPS) Oversaw your mentioining the McLeod trade. Yep, the initial results are very much in Buffalo's favor just now! But that too was a cap concern move and Savoie has had a very strong rookie AHL season, so there's time to see what that move leads to.

Buffalo is still loaded with prospects.

 

[Throttle]

Do you REALLY believe that is what Botta is trying to do with his Tweets...Or are you just being snarky?

Regardless...The messenger (and his intentions) doesn't really matter if what he's sharing is on point - And it is.

And in fact it's Ethan Sears who is sharing his opinion.

Focus on the message being shared. Doesn't matter if it's coming from Botta, Sears, Best, Staple, or a fan on these boards.

He’s a bit tiring of his antics. However, you are his consumer so it’s working in that sense.

 

[periferal]

He’s a bit tiring of his antics. However, you are his consumer so it’s working in that sense.

Ooooh. Good one. Another attempted zing (and once again not at all getting the point of the message) as opposed to contributing to an actual conversation.

Keep it up. You're doing the best you can.

 

[Glory Days]

Botta isn’t wrong but he comes across as someone still hurting from his Isles days. The beat writers following the team have more credibility to me. BTW I loved Sears article. My only hope is more articles like this from the beat writers and ownership takes them to heart.

 

[doublechili]

The funny thing is that if Lou is retained, I'd have to consider moving to the rebuild side of the fence. Not because I think it's the best course of action, but because I think Lou might actually be able to start that competently and then hand it over to the next GM (who you hope is the right hire). A retool requires skills and a mindset that Lou doesn't have. It will inevitably be too little done, too slowly.

Well, all I was saying is that they've been busy lately.

Wasn't making a statement on the state of their affairs or measuring their success rate with them.

No doubt a few fans out there see all the signings as some form of trying to make up for having lost Holloway and Broberg.

***

I would however take exception to the statement that they "let" Holloway and Broberg leave. I think they did anything but. They simply weren't an any financial position to protect themselves from seeing those two robbed off of them.

And we shouldn't laugh or snicker about that.

As unusual as the practice has been, there are bound to be a few GMs out there ready to offer sheet their way to betterment like the Blues have, seeing as how they've gotten off scott free for a practice that has generally been shunned by the GMing community.

I say this because we're entering an offseason with Dobson, Romanov, and Holmstrom all as attractive RFAs and it only takes one GM out there to look out our crazy contract structure and decide to offer say a Holmstrom an i.e. 4.5 MM per contract that our current GM isn't likely to match.

Or heck, maybe he would and then we'd be in more of a conundrum!

So, don't go casting any stones just yet, cause we're all part of one of the biggest glass houses in the league.

PS) That both Holloway and Broberg chose to go for the money instead of sticking with a team on the cusp of winning the Cup with arguably the best player in the world and perhaps the top 1-2 offensive punch in all of hockey is another thing entirely.

What prey tell would possibly prevent any of our valued RFAs from picking the state of this franchise over a handsomely padded paycheck elsewhere?

PPS) Oversaw your mentioining the McLeod trade. Yep, the initial results are very much in Buffalo's favor just now! But that too was a cap concern move and Savoie has had a very strong rookie AHL season, so there's time to see what that move leads to.

Buffalo is still loaded with prospects.

IDK, Holloway and Broberg were traded to/signed with StL on Aug 20, 2024. Their combined AAV is under $7M.

EDM signed:

Jeff Skinner (32) for $3M x1 year on Jul 1, 2024;
Adam Henrique (35) for $3M x2 years on Jul 1, 2024;
Viktor Arvidsson (32) for $4M x2 years on Jul 1, 2024.

Those 3 old guys have a combined 81 points. Holloway (23) has 63 points. Broberg (also 23) has 29 points on D. EDM made bad choices.

 

[MJF]

Botta isn’t wrong but he comes across as someone still hurting from his Isles days. The beat writers following the team have more credibility to me. BTW I loved Sears article. My only hope is more articles like this from the beat writers and ownership takes them to heart.

Botta’s as snarky as Throttle is. I wonder if they’re the same person.

 

[JPIsles18]

So, if you don't have the right GM and scouts and development system, even a total rebuild with high picks won't get you the Cup (see EDM), and if you do have the right GM and scouts and development system (DAL) you can retool and legitimately contend. Sounds like the key isn't rebuild vs. retool, but getting the right GM, scouts and development system.

This is exactly right. I would love to see the list of trades and moves Lou did not make over the years.

 

[doublechili]

This is exactly right. I would love to see the list of trades and moves Lou did not make over the years.

I've often thought of this and suspect we'd all be horrified if we knew some of the deals that Lou turned down.

 

[JPIsles18]

the biggest thing that makes the Stars and Islanders different is a thing called TALENT

We do not have a Miro Heiskanen: our fanbase wants to crucify Dobson for every mistake he makes while praising the shit out of mediocrity from P&P.

We do not have a Roope Hintz or Jason Robertson or even a guy like Wyatt Johnston because our best player would be a 2nd line center on any really good roster (Barzal).

Dallas absolutely values their prospect development and goes through all avenues, from Canada to America to Finland to Sweden. The Islanders limit themselves to just America, Canada and Russia. Maybe they'll draft a swede or finn here and there but it absolutely negligent how the Islanders treat Bridgeport. Lou Lamoriello is watching a hockey team set historic lows and all he can say is "I care for development". It speaks volumes to how different Jim Nill is compared to Lou Lamoriello. A good general manager values every pick he makes and finds value from anywhere. Lou Lamoriello threw shit on a wall and said "thats good" in some drafts like 2018-2021.

Even when the Isles have chances to draft they throw it away. Romanov and Horvat's prices might as well be long term parts for the Red Wings and Blackhawks in Nazar and ASP. You pay a price when you keep trading away picks for middle impact players. Lamoriello did that for Horvat. I love Horvat, he's the center this team needs but the problem is that the team around him has degraded. Romanov is a very solid player but the defense around him has degraded. You cannot keep working this team into the dust when the reality is this team is heading closer and closer to the trenches of the Metropolitan.

If the Islanders seriously wanna be good, SUCK NOW. This team would be so good for Gavin McKenna and he'd instantly become a John Tavares in a good way. I hate how this fanbase see's Tavares but there was a time when he really was a beacon of light, and the ownership treated him like garbage. We should've been mad at how Wang and Ledecky treated him rather than him wanting to go home, and I might as well be getting pitchforks my way for a take like that.

Gavin McKenna could be a generational talent. Tavares was a star player on a bad team. Unfortunately being bad doesn't actually lead to what you think it does. Unless you get Crosby/Malkin in back to back drafts or McDavid/Draisatl, what evidence is there that being horrible for multiple years pays dividends?

The idea of a rebuild is to bank hope. over an 82 game season, for multiple seasons, this gets real old. Just ask Sabres fans. And Hawks fans. And Sharks fans.

Also please look up where the Stars drafted the talent you reference. They were not top 5 picks. At all.

 

[periferal]

I've often thought of this and suspect we'd all be horrified if we knew some of the deals that Lou turned down.

...Or the list of teams that turned Lou down.

 

[doublechili]

Also please look up where the Stars drafted the talent you reference. They were not top 5 picks. At all

TBL is kind of in the same boat now. Obviously they had Stamkos who was a #1 previously, but the current team has Hedman who was #2 (behind our pick of Tavares!) and that's pretty much it for very high picks, I believe. And I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the finals this year.

I don't contest that the rebuild via multiple high picks was a good formula in the past, but I think something has changed in the past several years. The cap combined with UFA/RFA and maybe some other factors has made team building different now.

 

[seabass45]

Gavin McKenna could be a generational talent. Tavares was a star player on a bad team. Unfortunately being bad doesn't actually lead to what you think it does. Unless you get Crosby/Malkin in back to back drafts or McDavid/Draisatl, what evidence is there that being horrible for multiple years pays dividends?

The idea of a rebuild is to bank hope. over an 82 game season, for multiple seasons, this gets real old. Just ask Sabres fans. And Hawks fans. And Sharks fans.

Also please look up where the Stars drafted the talent you reference. They were not top 5 picks. At all.

Hawks fans would probably remind you that they've won three Stanley Cups this century with a rebuild.

 

[periferal]

Since we already need to start focusing on the 2026 draft...

 

[PK Cronin]

Since we already need to start focusing on the 2026 draft...

I've seen that goal a bunch and it's still just so ridiculous to pull off in a game. We're going to see more and more of these types of plays in the coming years, players are really pushing the limits and being inspired by other sports it seems.

 

[Throttle]

Botta’s as snarky as Throttle is. I wonder if they’re the same person.

Nope. I just need a big hug. That’s all.

 

[Throttle]

Ooooh. Good one. Another attempted zing (and once again not at all getting the point of the message) as opposed to contributing to an actual conversation.

Keep it up. You're doing the best you can.

Im well aware of your point. How’s the Yzerplan doing? McPhee’s Cup ring looking on his hand in Vegas?

 

[Run It Back]

Ethan Sears is the Isles beat writer for the NY Post. He provided an alternative way to read his article, which os behind a paywall.

It's a good article and on point but, and here I go again, he is yet another writer who states that the Islanders were one goal away from a trip to Cup Finals in '21. No, they weren't. They were two goals away and it may as well have been ten if you watched the game. Cooper's greatest failing as a coach is that he doesn't coach to win, he coaches to not lose, which, as I have written before to much derision, he was as much responsible for the Isles success against the Bolts as Trotz was. Don't get me wrong, he's a fine coach and players around the league want to play for him but for all of TB's success he's never won a Jack Adams for good reason.

 

[Throttle]

Hawks fans would probably remind you that they've won three Stanley Cups this century with a rebuild.

Most of these famed rebuilds have been a direct result of coming out of incompetent ownership. Chicago, Tampa, Florida, Pittsburgh.

STL was a streaker, Boston probably the only ‘normal’ build, and Vegas was build from nothing, Colorado is looking like lightning in bottle on winning before their cap crunch.

 

[LeapOnOver]

So, we've still got something to play for?

Depends, do we like CBJ or MTL more? Frankly, I've got no qualms against either organization. From a poetic justice standpoint, would be nice to see CBJ make it after the tragedy that stuck the franchise during the offseason.

However, either way the Isles could be in charge of fulfilling and crushing dreams on the same day, so yeah, that's something to play for haha.