GDT: GDT #67 New York Islanders @ New York Rangers | March 17th | 1:00 PM | F/5-2 L

[Chockey22]

Just slightly off-topic, but it just shows what a different mentality there is between Lou/the Isles and a team like Vegas. Just think to yourself how awful this season has mostly been for us, with a few nice stretches here and there. Now look at Vegas and see they have 4 points more than us. FOUR. One team did nothing at the deadline, the other added Tomas Hertl and Noah Hanifin. Think if you took Aho and Engvall out of the lineup and put in Hertl and Hanifin. This would be a no doubt playoff team and probably 3rd in the division. It was the wrong decision to not bring in any help at the deadline.

Vegas won the cup last year, Isles were a quick out in the first round. And Hertl won't be back for a while. If Isles gave up the assets Vegas gave up to acquire Hanifin and Hertl, it would have set the Isles back another couple years. I'm hoping LL stood pat because he sees what most of us see - this team is not good enough.

 

[DerekKingSnipes]

Just slightly off-topic, but it just shows what a different mentality there is between Lou/the Isles and a team like Vegas. Just think to yourself how awful this season has mostly been for us, with a few nice stretches here and there. Now look at Vegas and see they have 4 points more than us. FOUR. One team did nothing at the deadline, the other added Tomas Hertl and Noah Hanifin. Think if you took Aho and Engvall out of the lineup and put in Hertl and Hanifin. This would be a no doubt playoff team and probably 3rd in the division. It was the wrong decision to not bring in any help at the deadline.

Yes but there are differences too, they basically are in win now at all costs and they are going to have cap issues with all this. They also have depleted their prospect pool to do it.

 

[PolishPrince21]

The organization needs to enter a new era. Start by firing Lou and let the new GM and Roy build the roster to their vision.

When the owners realize it they might avoid a 54 year curse like the rags had

 

[Chockey22]

It's not his fault but he didn't make a save he needs to make there.

Engvall f***ed up by being his soft usual self and not actually stapling the guy to the wall. Pulock made the most egregious mistake for me, going to help when there was a defenseman already on that side and covering the only player lower than the puck so he left the most valuable piece of ice. Then Sorokin lets in that shot that isn't the easiest save but one he needs to make. No traffic in front and square to the shooter.

Exactly, three players were at fault on that play - some a bit worse than others (Engvall), but there's plenty of blame to go around on that play. As bad as Engvall has been, Pulock's been just as bad latey - game after game of terrible play.

 

[Throttle]

Just slightly off-topic, but it just shows what a different mentality there is between Lou/the Isles and a team like Vegas. Just think to yourself how awful this season has mostly been for us, with a few nice stretches here and there. Now look at Vegas and see they have 4 points more than us. FOUR. One team did nothing at the deadline, the other added Tomas Hertl and Noah Hanifin. Think if you took Aho and Engvall out of the lineup and put in Hertl and Hanifin. This would be a no doubt playoff team and probably 3rd in the division. It was the wrong decision to not bring in any help at the deadline.

Also helps players want to play in Vegas.

Can’t wait for the next GM to start rainmaking players to the Isles (yeah, no).

 

[PK Cronin]

Regardless of whether there’s a low percentage of whether Panarin is going to shoot that, every goalie in the league will hug the post on that play. I’m shocked you’re blaming Sorokin on that goal. He can’t leave the post under any circumstances there.

I don't know why this is proving to be so difficult.

I'm not blaming him. The bulk of the blame is on the missed coverage. He's not faultless though and sitting on the goal line like he did after Panarin started to pass it and making no attempt to push out to the top of the crease is the mistake he made.

Again, the goal isn't his fault, but we've seen him make these saves in the past and the team needs him to continue making them now.

 

[DerekKingSnipes]

The organization needs to enter a new era. Start by firing Lou and let the new GM and Roy build the roster to their vision.

I think Roy is going to have input on roster this off-season, if he and Lou can agree I’m ok with Lou still being involved in it.

 

[Zeeker]

Yes but there are differences too, they basically are in win now at all costs and they are going to have cap issues with all this. They also have depleted their prospect pool to do it.

Good thing we aren’t win now, don’t have cap issues, and have a healthy prospect pool.

 

[DerekKingSnipes]

Good thing we aren’t win now, don’t have cap issues, and have a healthy prospect pool.

Cap issues for us are easily resolved, our deals like Lee, Pageau can be bought out as they were front loaded for cap savings. I think there are teams that would trade for a Pelech or Pulock if isles were inclined to do something like that. Three quarters of league is in cap trouble. We don’t have prospects yes but again that changes somewhat in a couple drafts.

 

[Green]

They are never full on rebuilding and sucking like hawks or sharks are right now. Horvat, Barzal, Dobson,Romano are Core skaters right now. There can be change everywhere else, I’ve posted earlier I’d Buyout or trade Lee and just change the leadership group in off-season. I’d keep Nelson, Palmieri hoping to bank on good seasons in contract years and get two LW for top two lines. I’d do what I can to get rid of Engvall and Holmstrom and get more suited wingers for a third line and hope Pageau can fill that third center role. Cizikas with Maclean and maybe Fasching can start out as your fourth line. I really think this is close to what Roy has to be thinking, he sees what we are all seeing.

there is nothing that can be done to make this team a legit cup contender, at this point given how so many eastern conference teams are likely to get better in the coming years I don't even see this team as a legit playoff contender anymore , this team is going to be stuck in the 9-12 seed until they are forced to re-build in about 3 years, it would have been better if they got a jump on it and started last year

 

[PK Cronin]

there is nothing that can be done to make this team a legit cup contender, at this point given how so many eastern conference teams are likely to get better in the coming years I don't even see this team as a legit playoff contender anymore , this team is going to be stuck in the 9-12 seed until they are forced to re-build in about 3 years, it would have been better if they got a jump on it and started last year

People have been saying this for the past 8 years and it still hasn't happened yet.

 

[DerekKingSnipes]

there is nothing that can be done to make this team a legit cup contender, at this point given how so many eastern conference teams are likely to get better in the coming years I don't even see this team as a legit playoff contender anymore , this team is going to be stuck in the 9-12 seed until they are forced to re-build in about 3 years, it would have been better if they got a jump on it and started last year

Why are so many teams in east going to get better but yet we can’t, yeah Devils, Sabres, Senators have youth but why is that some sort of guarantee they are going to become contenders. There is going to be retool, it’s coming in off-season for sure and perhaps that mimics a rebuild a bit.

 

[Nassau Revisited]

the leafs traded Engvall on the way to the playoffs for a draft pick because they knew he was soft and a floater. Lou decided to lock him up for 7 years when no other GM would probably offer even 3 years

 

[Satan'sIsland81]

Yes but there are differences too, they basically are in win now at all costs and they are going to have cap issues with all this. They also have depleted their prospect pool to do it.

All of this is true. My only point was the general consensus is that the Isles season is over and going nowhere while Vegas is still talked about like a cup contender that made two major moves at the deadline. And despite all that they are 4 points ahead of us.

 

[Zeeker]

People have been saying this for the past 8 years and it still hasn't happened yet.

Do you mean starting at the end of the 15-16 season? They certainly weren’t a legit playoff contender from 2016-2018, and then again in 21-22.

They definitely were contenders in 18-19 and 20-21.

19-20 they probably were crashing and burning until Covid struck so we don’t truly know, and 22-23 they barely squeaked in and weren’t a contender.

I guess it partly hinges on what you’re defining as a contender and if you’re including teams that squeak in. But it’s been a rollercoaster ride these last eight years, with arguably more time spent as a playoff pretender than contender.

They were definitely a playoff contender during the three year period of 18-21 during those eight years.

 

[The Real JT]

there is nothing that can be done to make this team a legit cup contender, at this point given how so many eastern conference teams are likely to get better in the coming years I don't even see this team as a legit playoff contender anymore , this team is going to be stuck in the 9-12 seed until they are forced to re-build in about 3 years, it would have been better if they got a jump on it and started last year

I never saw this team as needing a full rebuild. It may be a matter of semantics but a retool rather than a rebuild was a necessity, and that was clear to me by the TDL last year. It would have been better to have punted on the playoffs last year and traded Mayfield and Varly (assuming there was a market) and passed on Engvall in the off-season. The cap space and assets received from those hypothetical deals didn’t necessarily need to be used on futures, but could have been used on more serviceable NHL ready players.

That was my spin on things a year ago, and while I’ve been wrong on more than one occasion, it looks like that would have been a better road to take than what has been done by Lou since then.

I won’t end this post as a gloom and doom scenario. This team might still make the playoffs. The potential for a deep run just isn’t there IMO.

 

[PK Cronin]

All of this is true. My only point was the general consensus is that the Isles season is over and going nowhere while Vegas is still talked about like a cup contender that made two major moves at the deadline. And despite all that they are 4 points ahead of us.

They also have reinforcements on LTIR who are going to come save the day if they just limp in. It's a bit different.

Do you mean starting at the end of the 15-16 season? They certainly weren’t a legit playoff contender from 2016-2018, and then again in 21-22.

They definitely were contenders in 18-19 and 20-21.

19-20 they probably were crashing and burning until Covid struck so we don’t truly know, and 22-23 they barely squeaked in and weren’t a contender.

I guess it partly hinges on what you’re defining as a contender and if you’re including teams that squeak in. But it’s been a rollercoaster ride these last eight years, with arguably more time spent as a playoff pretender than contender.

They were definitely a playoff contender during the three year period of 18-21 during those eight years.

I honestly just picked an arbitrary number. Some of these teams that are supposed to be getting better have been in the same or similar position for a long ass time with no signs of actually progressing.

The Islanders are and have been a bubble team for me, even during the Trotz years. They're very consistently mediocre during the regular season.

 

[DerekKingSnipes]

All of this is true. My only point was the general consensus is that the Isles season is over and going nowhere while Vegas is still talked about like a cup contender that made two major moves at the deadline. And despite all that they are 4 points ahead of us.

Defending champs and assumption Stone comes back in playoffs also is where that consensus comes from too I think.

 

[crashthenet]

The organization needs to enter a new era. Start by firing Lou and let the new GM and Roy build the roster to their vision.

Wonder If they let him hire a coach and then bring in a different GM.

 

[periferal]

Cap issues for us are easily resolved, our deals like Lee, Pageau can be bought out as they were front loaded for cap savings. I think there are teams that would trade for a Pelech or Pulock if isles were inclined to do something like that. Three quarters of league is in cap trouble. We don’t have prospects yes but again that changes somewhat in a couple drafts.

Couple drafts = Couple of years



(*If the picks aren’t traded and are used well)

 

[ekill08x]

Team has checked out. Road trip was easy.

 

[Satan'sIsland81]

Also, I feel it was the wrong move by Roy to change the lines up. The top two lines should have stayed the same. If you want to mess with the bottom two, then fine. But Palmieri seems to work well with those two slugs on the second line but their games do not seem suited to play with Barzy. This was his most invisible performance in awhile.

Team has checked out. Road trip was easy.

How do you "check out" with 15 games to go in a playoff race? Makes no sense.

 

[Bones45]

I rarely do this….. but I did today.

Down 3-2 and third about to start…. Shut off TV and listened to third in the garage while working on car. Glad I did.

I hate when the Rangers are this much better than us.

 

[attilatheislander]

When the owners realize it they might avoid a 54 year curse like the rags had

The drought is entering my head with more frequency than it did a decade ago. As far as the forecast between now and 2037 goes, the team looks to hit bottom around 2030:

• no current prospects
• Horvat in mid 30s
• Barzal, whose game is built on speed, will be 32 and slowing. remember Jason Blake as a Leaf.
• Dobson and Romanov will turn 30
• currently too much talent to draft in top 4 for a few years

Figuring in takes about 5 years for a draft pick outside of the top 4 to pay significant dividends, the next generation of cup-contending Islanders should arrive around 2033.

 

[scottywiper]

A week ago they seemed to have worked stuff out. Pelech and Pulock appeared to have regained form. First line was buzzing.
And now this???
They're as bad if not worse than under Lambert.
In a week.
Remarkable so many players are so far off their best. Barely anyone is playing well. Almost to a man they are in woeful form. And many of them are guys we know we can really play, like Pelech and Pulock. Some guys are old but there are several who don't have that excuse.
It has been such an annoying season but this is almost the cruellest trick they could play. Giving us hope and then yanking it away.