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

[SRBisles]

I’m hoping the new GM blows it up, drafts McKenna, and signs Kaprizov next offseason. Should be easy enough right?

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

I forget his name but the euro guy we have for signing pros from overseas, hope he sticks around. Still want Shabanov. Would be 950K and has potential like Tsyplakov for 35 points plus at a cheap rate.

Jim Paliafito

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

Chief among them is your regard for your own speculation.

Touché!

For the sake of oversight, I'll show where this phrase was used:
<<<
Whatever your analysis of Palmieri's weaknesses are, if a playoff-bound team determines that it (desperately) needs another 20-goal right winger with playoff experience, then that sets a certain value for Palmieri right there.

Are there 2 or 3 or 4 teams determining the same thing?

Then that raises his price once again.

Are there few options on the trade market that fit the bill?

Then his value gets boosted once again.

Is the market proving to otherwise be a sellers market across the board?

Oh goodness, now things are gettting even rosier.
<<<

There are several big deal errors that damaged the Islanders is significant ways. The biggest mistake in LL era was undoubtedly the contract shuffle that led to losing Toews. Giving up a 2026 2nd just to deal with 1 year of Bailey's contract was, in retrospect, not nearly as bad as losing Toews, but was the result of similar uneven planning.

I remember being at the draft when I heard the Bailey deal. I had to do everything I could not to explode in front of the people I was with.

I think several of us posters here (you might have been one of them) had spent weeks in advance saying that if Lou had to pay someone to take one year of Bailey off our hands, then that was just utter failure.

And yet, that's exactly what he ended up doing.

A 2nd rounder, no less!

Still disgusts me.

***
I'm never going to fault Lou for the Toews trade. This was the corona-era cap crunch. A new reality set in that many of the GMs had to deal with at once based on unexpected conditions. Some were stuck.

And it created a heavy buyer's market.

At the end of the day, each of Barzal, Toews, and Pulock had to be re-upped, but there was only room for two.

Ideally, we would have liked to see Toews kept and Leddy moved but his contract was just too big at that time. There was no getting rid of that on that market.

And moving Pulock, who was better then than now, would have been a considerably more difficult task than moving Toews (whose horizon wasn't entirely known at that time either). Actually, getting 2 seconds for him under those conditions wasn't shabby.

I was impressed.

And my Avs fan friends were a little surprised, 'cause they didn't know Toews much and that was a considerable price to pay.

In addition, we still made it to Game 7 of the next conference finals without him the next (shortened) season, so that corona-era sacrifice didn't prove to hurt the team more than it needed to. Not in the short-run.

What made me MUCH more bitter was the fact that we essentially took what we got from the Toews and Leddy trades (three 2nds and Panik's contract) and used it to move Ladd's contract (two 2nds and a 3rd).

I'll always equate the price of moving Ladd as having to sacrifice two top 5 NHL Dmen.

Absolutely disgusting.

Not dealing Palmieri for speculated upon returns isn't nearly as bad.

No, it isn't.

But it all adds up. Along with some other things not mentioned above, but in the past few years.

And now we finally don't have to wonder when the owners will have had enough.

 

[Osakahaus]

I'm late to the party but Lamoriello being let go is huge. John Collins got a huge job ahead of him. Lets see what he can do

 

[Olliemets]

***
I'm never going to fault Lou for the Toews trade. This was the corona-era cap crunch. A new reality set in that many of the GMs had to deal with at once based on unexpected conditions. Some were stuck.

And it created a heavy buyer's market.

At the end of the day, each of Barzal, Toews, and Pulock had to be re-upped, but there was only room for two.

Ideally, we would have liked to see Toews kept and Leddy moved but his contract was just too big at that time. There was no getting rid of that on that market.

And moving Pulock, who was better then than now, would have been a considerably more difficult task than moving Toews (whose horizon wasn't entirely known at that time either). Actually, getting 2 seconds for him under those conditions wasn't shabby.

Another factor that gets forgotten is that the looming expansion draft coupled with the sudden frozen cap trapped Lou in the Toews situation. Losing Toews, Eberle and Leddy over those years really crippled Isles in the dept of Puck Carriers.

I HATED losing Toews the way we did, but looking at the cap and the restrictive rules on who could be protected in the upcoming expansion dealt Lou a terrible hand.

 

[Big L]

I’m surprised the absent do-nothing owners did something. Walks like a duck.

 

[YearlyLottery]

Another factor that gets forgotten is that the looming expansion draft coupled with the sudden frozen cap trapped Lou in the Toews situation. Losing Toews, Eberle and Leddy over those years really crippled Isles in the dept of Puck Carriers.

I HATED losing Toews the way we did, but looking at the cap and the restrictive rules on who could be protected in the upcoming expansion dealt Lou a terrible hand.

Never blamed Lou for trading Toews. That offseason was so crazy that Leddy was not even tradable. The problem (and this really began a slow downfall) was losing the speed of both Leddy and Toews AND never replacing it.

That right there ended the great run the team had and it could have been longer.

 

[Strickland]

Now that Lou is gone, the pressing concern here is how ownership views this roster. Are they gonna try and compete next season? Do they force a GM they hire to do that? Because that would be a Lou like mistake.

There is no way this roster, even with perfect health, is going to compete for anything next season, barring a miracle or two. At best, this is a Caps style re-tool. At worst...

In the end, Lou leave the Isles like he left the Devils. Barren. Bleak. Just with no Cups.

 

[doublechili]

Now that Lou is gone, the pressing concern here is how ownership views this roster. Are they gonna try and compete next season? Do they force a GM they hire to do that? Because that would be a Lou like mistake.

There is no way this roster, even with perfect health, is going to compete for anything next season, barring a miracle or two. At best, this is a Caps style re-tool. At worst...

In the end, Lou leave the Isles like he left the Devils. Barren. Bleak. Just with no Cups.

I just posted something similar in the No Lou thread. Take a step back year and build the front office. Decide what kind of team they want to be - pick a style of play and build the roster accordingly. They already have 2 picks in the first round of a supposedly strong draft - aim to end up with 4 in the first 2 rounds. Focus on trimming the roster rather than acquiring players. Trade away JGP and Lee for futures. Resolve the problems like Mayfield, Pelech, etc.. While not looking to make big acquisitions, keep eyes open for bargains/reclamations (like WAS did with Strome). After one down year, get the trajectory going back up and maybe even think about the playoffs the following year. You're right though - what ownership wants to do is the big question.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

I'm late to the party but Lamoriello being let go is huge. John Collins got a huge job ahead of him. Lets see what he can do

Wait, what happened?

 

[Glory Days]

Wait, what happened?

The radio guys were fired! Didn’t you hear that?

 

[Olliemets]

Never blamed Lou for trading Toews. That offseason was so crazy that Leddy was not even tradable. The problem (and this really began a slow downfall) was losing the speed of both Leddy and Toews AND never replacing it.

That right there ended the great run the team had and it could have been longer.

Yup. That team had a nice mix on D and those 2 could get the puck up the ice quickly. Never replaced.