So, uh, was Incarcerated Bob like, right?
Are we gonna give him credit for this one?
Excuse me, I suggested on October 8th that I thought the Isles would use LTIR to build cap credit on players like Boychuk and Ladd - as opposed to the call from some here that the Isles were absolutely going to have to mortgage the future to just get by.
It always made sense, since it would give the players with a legitimate injury history extra time to recover and build stamina for the stretch run next year, while also helping the team with respect to the cap. It just made sense for everyone involved vs. depleting cost-controlled assets.
One of the big open questions (Besides is Lou going to send/persuade/coerce Ladd to LTIR for this coming season, maybe with the promise to revisit finding him an opportunity elsewhere when Seattle joins the league and trades might be more palatable?) is how is Cizikas doing?
Given his eye injury, I believe it is typically a 90% recovery rate after initial treatment and the timeline to know if it is successful tends to be 10-14 days. So they should have some idea where he stands. Otherwise, more procedures might be required and/or Cizikas might also need to start on LTIR, depending on when the season begins.
If that is the case, then Lou has a call to make.
Does he go with what he has internally at center, with a competition in training camp among players like Uncle Leo, Czarnik (who is interesting to me), Koivula, Bardreau, Jobst or other AHL types, maybe even a PTO closer to camp, etc.?
If he goes cheap at 4C, then maybe the Isles can bring in another quality, offensive forward, which would definitely help.
Otherwise, maybe Lou prefers to augment the team down the middle, and maintain some flexibility to rotate p;ayers around, which will either cost some $$$ or assets via trade.
The good news is that the Isles have options, but they have to make a call on Ladd and determine where Cizikas will be when the season starts.
For the record, I am really hoping Cizikas is OK, since he drives that fourth line and the Isles need him.