Roster/Rumors/Speculation/Trade Talk - 2025-26: Welcome to the Darche Side

[Throttle]

Because, for the way picks are being thrown around, unloading some of our vets would bring back a haul. The Isles are not going anywhere in the next couple of years, so we should be trading guys for prospects and picks right now.

Barzy
Cizikas
Pelech
Duclair
Palms
Mayfield
The rights to Lee
Horvat - if an incredible offer came

It's possible there is no market for a couple of these guys, but the fact that nothing at all has happened means Darche is likely running it back. Barzy and Pelech's value is higher now than it ever will be. We haven't gone anywhere with them, so sell now.

Here’s the issue. All of these players have limited to minimal to zero trade value.

Most have some form of trade protection.

Who is taking these players? The Isles floated a trial balloon on Barzal and it went nowhere (so far). Darche should have known this, hence, trade JGP and don’t trade for Schenn. Not add more restrictions.

The only hope is that some team see Duclair as a 20G scorer on a two year contract that’s looking for some additional scoring. That’s about it.

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

If this wasn't a place for people to vent, float their own trade ideas, etc, they could just shut the board down from mid-April to September when training camp opens.

Maybe we should have a Positive Roster Construction Thread and a Negative Roster Construction Thread for old time’s sake!

 

[doublechili]

Probably until the Koolaid drinkers stop defending it, I imagine. A person is known for their biggest blunder. This is Darche's biggest blunder.

I know. All those dozens of posts every day, day in day out, defending the Schenn trade....

As for a person being known for their biggest blunder, I remember when McPhee worked for the Isles and people didn't want him as our GM because of the Erat trade, and then he got the job in VGK and won a Cup and made them into perennial contenders. But that Erat trade - man, we dodged a bullet there.

 

[Throttle]

I know. All those dozens of posts every day, day in day out, defending the Schenn trade....

As for a person being known for their biggest blunder, I remember when McPhee worked for the Isles and people didn't want him as our GM because of the Erat trade, and then he got the job in VGK and won a Cup and made them into perennial contenders. But that Erat trade - man, we dodged a bullet there.

Still love that one. That person still contends today, despite McPhee being the GM or President of a team in the Finals 3x with a Cup win is ‘horrible’ and hung up on that one trade. Btw, Forsberg is nice player, but his team ain’t won Jack crap.

 

[doublechili]

Check any teams' boards and you'll basically see all the same thing.

Believe me - Very few of us want to be critical about ownership/management, but if they keep putting basically the same team on the ice season after season, then you're going to see the same kind of posts here season after season.

In other words....Once management stops "running it back," I promise most posters will stop as well.

Including, I'm sure, Carolina's board just a few months ago.

 

[periferal]

I wonder if we traded away Vancouver’s 2nd, instead of Colorado’s 1st—nearly the same value—what the reaction here would be.

Signing a fading 34 year old to a 6.5M deal for 2-3 seasons as a UFA would simple be a waste of cap space since this team isn't winning a Cup in that time. Trading anything for him makes it worse.

Philosophically if we want to win a Cup, we need to get YOUNGER. Period. To waste any picks or prospects not following that build process is terrible - It's just a question of how terrible.

So the Schenn deal was terrible whether it was pick 29 or pick 35.

 

[periferal]

Well they certainly were not a "mess" like you stated.

Ah well now we're switching things. Let's first agree that they weren't in an "amazing position" right after the Dobson trade that was originally claimed.

 

[Strummergas]

I have to say the Trevor Linden deal for me is the worst . Bertuzzi - 1100 games ,
McCabe 1100 games as well . We also gave a pick and they drafted a plug Ruutu but he played 600 games .. Linden played 10 years on Van then 100 games for us.
2 years later he was back in Van for 5 more years or so… big Yukk

2nd worst I hated the Pierre Turgeon and Malakhov to Montreal for loser Muller and Schneider. Malakhov was very good and Turgeon was a freaken machine over 300 points in a little over 200 games

I also hated hated hated trading Kasparaitis. He used to punish everyone especially Lemieux. So we fn trade him to the Pens …. . Smolinski had 1 nice season and 2 years later was gone …

Lastly the trade we didn’t make was a horrible non trade
TR91TOR

Yashin - while needed at the time and helped bring the excitement with the add of Peca in the early 2000s in the look back was a lose . Spezza - 1200 games as well,1000 points , and of course Chara . Yashin did give us 300 points in about 350 games so it can’t be seen as a total loss trade

Parrish was a nice player with 130 goals in 350 games so it wasn’t a total loss.. Kvasha wound up being Milburys choefer.. . If we drafted Gaborik or Heatley like we were supposed to instead of trying to be the smartest team and take DP with Luongo finally getting a few nhl games under his belt our entire future would have been different from that point …

All terrible, and all far worse than Darche's deadline deal for Schenn. I mean, it's not even close!

 

[doublechili]

Based on everything Darche has said and done, I'm fairly confident that his outline in his interview was to remain in the playoff hunt every year while retooling the roster to get younger and become a true cup competitor in Schaefer's timeline. His outline was never a full blown rebuild, even if many of us thought/think that's the correct path.

I think he also emphasized strengthening the organization internally, its prospect development side (Bridgeport/Hamilton) and fan engagement. That's where he differs from Lou, not in terms of how he views the current roster of players - in my view.

He may yet pull off a big move at the draft this weekend, but I have my doubts. I think he honestly believes this team can make the playoffs next year, while he adds prospects for the future.

If we end up moving Duclair and a LD, that's about the most I'd expect.

That is a lucid, intelligent, well thought-out post.

Seriously though, I think you summarized things pretty well, and I would expect a similar outcome this weekend. Move out some salary and pick up an extra pick or two is about the most I'm expecting as well.

 

[periferal]

Including, I'm sure, Carolina's board just a few months ago.

Sometimes we have to twist things and take low-hanging just to argue, or play "gotcha."

...Or do I have to explain when a team is stagnant for years on end fans will grow inpatient - Whether you're the Blackhawks going nowhere on a rebuild, the Red Wings constantly missing the playoffs, or the Hurricanes being hyped up as a Cup favorite but never getting over the hump.

Congrats to the Hurricanes who finally did it. Had they stalled once again in the playoffs, fans would be totally justified to question the team and what it's going to take to win a Cup.

But alas...You got me - Emoji and all.

 

[doublechili]

Yeah, I’m not seeing how you can be so dismissive on one of the worst trades in Islander’s history. Schenn was maybe worth a 3rd and MAYBE give them the goalie as well, but even that would’ve been an overpay. To give away something as valuable as a 1st round pick in addition to the 3rd and a prospect, for a 35 year old player way past their prime, is Milbury-esque.

For those who think Lou is still in charge, even HE wouldn’t have made a trade THAT bad.

At the risk of this being seen as a kool-aid inspired, trade-defending post, I'll just say that while it's obviously a valid objection that the Schenn trade was the wrong move for the Isles to be making at the time, I think it's objectively true that the price was not an overpayment. A (very) late 1st round pick, a 3rd and a middling prospect for Schenn, with salary going the other way, is about what teams pay at a TDL for that kind of player.

 

[SayItAintSoJohnny]

I wonder if we traded away Vancouver’s 2nd, instead of Colorado’s 1st—nearly the same value—what the reaction here would be.

for me it would depend on whether we resigned Pageau at the same time or not. That is what made it absolutely horrible for me, especially when we already added a year of Palat in an earlier trade (though we did get a couple of assets).

When you look at our roster and see our franchise player SURROUNDED by a bunch of 33+ players- many of which have multiple years on their contracts; it is not a good roster to build around him....period.

Before Darche's moves we already had a year left on Palmieri AND Cizikas's deal (both will turn 36 during next season in February), FOUR MORE YEARS of soon-to-be-34-year old Mayfield (October) and a final year of our 38-year-old backup goalie who has barely been in net in two years.

Couple that with your nucleus (Barzal, Horvat, Pelech and Pulock) having already turned the 30-something page or are damn close into doing so...

The absolute last thing a GM should do is add SIX more years (aside from the playoff-hoped season of acquiring) to three more 33+ year olds.

Bottom line it is a trade you make WHEN YOU ALREADY ARE A CONTENDER, not one that you think (which turned out to be way wrong) will foolishly make you one....

 

[periferal]

I have to say the Trevor Linden deal for me is the worst . Bertuzzi - 1100 games ,
McCabe 1100 games as well . We also gave a pick and they drafted a plug Ruutu but he played 600 games .. Linden played 10 years on Van then 100 games for us.
2 years later he was back in Van for 5 more years or so… big Yukk

2nd worst I hated the Pierre Turgeon and Malakhov to Montreal for loser Muller and Schneider. Malakhov was very good and Turgeon was a freaken machine over 300 points in a little over 200 games

I also hated hated hated trading Kasparaitis. He used to punish everyone especially Lemieux. So we fn trade him to the Pens …. . Smolinski had 1 nice season and 2 years later was gone …

Lastly the trade we didn’t make was a horrible non trade
TR91TOR

Yashin - while needed at the time and helped bring the excitement with the add of Peca in the early 2000s in the look back was a lose . Spezza - 1200 games as well,1000 points , and of course Chara . Yashin did give us 300 points in about 350 games so it can’t be seen as a total loss trade

Parrish was a nice player with 130 goals in 350 games so it wasn’t a total loss.. Kvasha wound up being Milburys choefer.. . If we drafted Gaborik or Heatley like we were supposed to instead of trying to be the smartest team and take DP with Luongo finally getting a few nhl games under his belt our entire future would have been different from that point …

Amazing post. Great work!

Without question the worst deal we never did was the Tavares non-trade. f***ing maddening beyond belief.

When he didn't resign on July 1, 2017 I knew it was over. Then I had to wait one year for the truth to smack Islanderland upside the head....All the while reading fan boards who put up quotes (f***ING WORDS) of why he was going to stay - When all his ACTIONS said he wasn't.

And what's even worse...The assets we got back from trading Tavares could've put us over the top vs Tampa Bay just 2 years later....And could still be helping us today.

It's why unless you're a Cup favorite, if you don't have a contract in place with any pending UFA on day 1 of their last contract season, much less the trade deadline that year, they should be out the door.

 

[doublechili]

For "worst trade in Islander history" I nominate...

Luongo & Jokinen for Kvasha & Parrish

I really think that's the winner. Not sure how it could be beat.

That was terrible, but IDK. I still think trading for Yashin and giving up Chara, the 2nd overall pick that became Jason Spezza, and Bill Mukalt (okay, whatever) was the worst. At least, I hate it more.

 

[periferal]

That is a lucid, intelligent, well thought-out post.

"...Overruled."

 

[MJF]

A lot of owners looked at that WAS re-tool 2 years ago and said, can we do that instead of what Chicago is doing?

Washington can get away with it because a Hall of Famer like Ovechkin can get out of bed at 41 years old and score 25-30 goals. Same goes for Crosby and the Penguins.

 

[periferal]

That was terrible, but IDK. I still think trading for Yashin and giving up Chara, the 2nd overall pick that became Jason Spezza, and Bill Mukalt (okay, whatever) was the worst. At least, I hate it more.

When it comes to the Wang/Milbury/Snow years we really don't need to split hairs.

It was all a cesspool going straight to hell.

 

[doublechili]

In the context of the "rinse and repeat" discussion, the thing that I might have found most worrisome about Darche's first year was that he thought he was helping the Isles' defense by trading for Carson Soucy to pair with Mayfield to form the least mobile, worst puck-handling defense pair in NHL history. So, people can talk about that instead.

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

Washington can get away with it because a Hall of Famer like Ovechkin can get out of bed at 41 years old and score 25-30 goals. Same goes for Crosby and the Penguins.

And from a business perspective try to win as much as you can with those HOF meal tickets. The longer they go, the long the teams get to milk "maybe Ovi/Sid's last season, don't miss it!"

 

[Lek]

In the context of the "rinse and repeat" discussion, the thing that I might have found most worrisome about Darche's first year was that he thought he was helping the Isles' defense by trading for Carson Soucy to pair with Mayfield to form the least mobile, worst puck-handling defense pair in NHL history. So, people can talk about that instead.

or then too, the actual opinion held on our d-men prospects.

 

[doublechili]

Sometimes we have to twist things and take low-hanging just to argue, or play "gotcha."

I actually wasn't trying to play gotcha. I mean, you did say the complaining happens on every board, so I was just following the logic.

But yeah, a couple of years ago when VGK won the Cup for kicks I went to their board and checked out their TDL thread from a couple of months earlier and it was full of posts saying they should be selling.

 

[MikeyMike01]

If this wasn't a place for people to vent, float their own trade ideas, etc, they could just shut the board down from mid-April to September when training camp opens.

I think that would be beneficial for quite a few posters’ mental wellbeing.

 

[beach]

For the record, I’m not against trading any of these guys in the right deal and I do think most of them should be moved at some point within the next year.

Having said that, lets say half of those guys are traded. That now leaves us with four or five empty spots on the roster and we still have to ice a team for the upcoming season and the free agent market is thin. Maybe some would be fine with that and want to tank that much, but that is in no way good for the development of guys like Schaefer, Ritchie, Holmstrom, or Eklund, Eiserman, and Aitcheson should they get some time this season.

This isn’t an argument for trying to compete or even for trying to have it both ways in terms of building for the future and winning now. Like I said, I think most of those guys should be traded within the next year or so. But there is still plenty of time to move players and feel things out. This upcoming season doesn’t have to be the one where every single move happens. It’s most likely going to be a two or three year process of roster turnover.

There's a ton of lower tier FAs to be had to fill the roster; and maybe a couple of our prospects as well. I agree with your concerns about the potential impact on the development of Schaefer and the other young guys, but at this point, the coming season is going to be a sh*tshow anyway, and there will still be a few vets to play leadership roles. I'm not necessarily averse to waiting for the trade deadline, but I'd rather sell guys like Barzy and Pelech now. Waiting until the deadline risks injury or a decline in their performance.

 

[Throttle]

Yeah, Werenski is gonna get traded. Thats an odd one there Waddell.

 

[Taswell]

Nichushkin to the Blue Jackets, he should be able to stay out of trouble there lol