GDT: GDT #73 New York Islanders @ Tampa Bay Lightning | March 30th | 7:00 PM | F/L 4-1

[DerekKingSnipes]

For sure Bailey was done; it was frustrating to watch him play. But gotta say, Engvall's been just as frustrating, and has about the same amount of points as Bails had last year. I still think we'd have been better off keeping Bailey and having that money this offseason at the cost of Engvall and his ridiculous contract.

Engvall has ridiculous term but his cap hit isn’t high, it’s sort of LOL to say but if isles bought him out we’d have a 1 million cap hit for 12 years which is manageable. It’s not going to happen that way but just pointing it out he isn’t issue in them upgrading team tbh.

 

[Torrey Redux]

I’m well aware of that - just a thought process to weed out the coast-alongs. Which is a fool’s errand as many of them are on long term contracts.

I still don't buy any of the "it's lack of effort" bs. That is not to say that the effort is always where you'd like it to be, but It's still mainly lack of talent, not lack of effort.

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

Engvall has ridiculous term but his cap hit isn’t high, it’s sort of LOL to say but if isles bought him out we’d have a 1 million cap hit for 12 years which is manageable. It’s not going to happen that way but just pointing it out he isn’t issue in them upgrading team tbh.

If the team rebuilds as it should, who cares if he's here? They do have to find 20 people to send out on the ice for 82 games a year. If it's not Engvall, it will be some other scrub.

Besides, bad NHL players are good for a rebuilding team for what should be obvious reasons.

 

[BelovedIsles]

Turgeon or Tavares would have made those guys better. Barzal doesn’t make anyone around him better. He’s a special one, that’s for sure.

And you advocate to trade for Zegras? Is that so you can have two whipping boys.

 

[Zeeker]

Here is the crazy part, the Flyers losing to the Blackhawks is honestly more important than our result tonight. Nobody expected us to win both Florida games but the Flyers were expected to beat Chicago.
This sets up a situation where Monday is basically for us to control our own destiny. I know that sounds insane. But between Monday and Thursday the Flyers and Red Wings only play 1 game each. This is the week we have our games in hand.
If we beat the Flyers on Monday, we have two games against bottom dwellers Chicago and Columbus. If we win those three games, no matter what else happens, we would be in a playoff spot next Friday with six games to go.
It comes down to these guys, can they make that happen. Go beat the Flyers, Chicago and Columbus and you will control your own destiny with 6 games to go in the season.

The team crawling into the WC2 spot to play NYR in the first round is the worst case scenario.

 

[Chockey22]

Engvall has ridiculous term but his cap hit isn’t high, it’s sort of LOL to say but if isles bought him out we’d have a 1 million cap hit for 12 years which is manageable. It’s not going to happen that way but just pointing it out he isn’t issue in them upgrading team tbh.

True enough; I'd imagine it was why he and Mayfield got the deals they got - relatively low buyouts when the time comes. That said, I'd imagine LL hoped that time wouldn't this year. My point however, is that I'd rather have the second round pick, and 1 million more in cap space for the next twelve years

 

[SI]

The team crawling into the WC2 spot to play NYR in the first round is the worst case scenario.

Same thing was said last year about Boston and Florida beat them. Just saying.

 

[DerekKingSnipes]

If the team rebuilds as it should, who cares if he's here? They do have to find 20 people to send out on the ice for 82 games a year. If it's not Engvall, it will be some other scrub.

Besides, bad NHL players are good for a rebuilding team for what should be obvious reasons.

Retool is where this is going, Lee will be top of list to try and move out of here. All of the free agents aren’t retained although I’d think about Bortuzzo at league minimum to stick around as a 7th or 8th guy. I’d keep Nelson and Palmieri in contract years, look at Barzal and Horvat back together and spend to get a LW for them. You can use your draft picks this year to start to try and building some prospect base while still competing at nhl level.

 

[Green]

The sooner the complete rebuild starts the better this franchise will be

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

Same thing was said last year about Boston and Florida beat them. Just saying.

This was Florida last year:

This is us this year:

As you can see, the 2022-23 Panthers and the 2023-24 Islanders are nowhere close to one another.

 

[Zeeker]

Same thing was said last year about Boston and Florida beat them. Just saying.

Even though there were special circumstances there (Florida had an off year in between two juggernaut years), that’s not the reason for my hesitance.

Even if there’s a 5% chance we win the series, I’d very much like to avoid the 95% chance of complete embarrassment.

You’re from Vancouver right? It’d be like if we lost to the Canucks and you had to endure the embarrassment from every friend and random acquaintance who’s a Nucks fan

 

[Satan'sIsland81]

The team crawling into the WC2 spot to play NYR in the first round is the worst case scenario.

That is honestly the scenario I am hoping for. We have nothing to lose. Every person including Isles fans will be expecting us to get swept, 1994 all over again. But despite how up and down we have been, I would trust our guys to give the Rangers trouble more than the Flyers, Red Wings or Capitals. And if we could get that series to 6 or 7 games could you imagine the pressure that would be on the Rags?

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

Retool is where this is going, Lee will be top of list to try and move out of here. All of the free agents aren’t retained although I’d think about Bortuzzo at league minimum to stick around as a 7th or 8th guy. I’d keep Nelson and Palmieri in contract years, look at Barzal and Horvat back together and spend to get a LW for them. You can use your draft picks this year to start to try and building some prospect base while still competing at nhl level.

It might retool because management is moronic, but it SHOULD rebuild.

The team is terrible this year and only going to get older and slower next year. There's no farm system. There's no cap room. There's no realistic way to win with this core.

As previously said, a rebuild probably won't happen, but that's just delaying the inevitable and will eventually lead to an even longer rebuild.

 

[SI]

Roy is trying everything - mixing lines, D pair, except for calling someone up.
DO IT! They won't, but I cannot see Fasching out there anymore. I would like to see Holmstrom draw back in.
They need something to spark the offence.

The biggest game of the season cannot get any bigger than Monday night.

I think we will see
18-29-21 back together and possibly 14 and 13 back with 27 - maybe with 13 at C.

Even though there were special circumstances there (Florida had an off year in between two juggernaut years), that’s not the reason for my hesitance.

Even if there’s a 5% chance we win the series, I’d very much like to avoid the 95% chance of complete embarrassment.

You’re from Vancouver right? It’d be like if we lost to the Canucks and you had to endure the embarrassment from every friend and random acquaintance who’s a Nucks fan

I'm from Brooklyn - now living on Vancouver Island

I am very much aware - I was at the Coliseum the last time they met the Rangers in the playoffs - Rangers swept us and I was at game 4 and worst game I ever went to

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

Roy is trying everything - mixing lines, D pair, except for calling someone up.
DO IT! They won't, but I cannot see Fasching out there anymore. I would like to see Holmstrom draw back in.
They need something to spark the offence.

The biggest game of the season cannot get any bigger than Monday night.

I think we will see
18-29-21 back together and possibly 14 and 13 back with 27 - maybe with 13 at C.


I'm from Brooklyn - now living on Vancouver Island

Iskhakov has an explosive offensive skillset, but they refuse to call him up. Shame.

 

[SI]

Iskhakov has an explosive offensive skillset, but they refuse to call him up. Shame.

If they don't call him up, then it says more about how they feel about him as a player in their system.

 

[Throttle]

And you advocate to trade for Zegras? Is that so you can have two whipping boys.

I really want no part of him. He’s just the example of a player to be moved that the Isles could acquire.

Like I said, that would be a gong show on ice.

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

If they don't call him up, then it says more about how they feel about him as a player in their system.

Won't surprise me if Iskhakov gets a shot on one of the other 31 teams at some point in the future and succeed.

But that's just the norm for the current NYI management group. Bad decision after bad decision after bad decision. The "brain trust" here definitely isn't filled with geniuses, that's for sure.

 

[DerekKingSnipes]

It might retool because management is moronic, but it SHOULD rebuild.

The team is terrible this year and only going to get older and slower next year. There's no farm system. There's no cap room. There's no realistic way to win with this core.

As previously said, a rebuild probably won't happen, but that's just delaying the inevitable and will eventually lead to an even longer rebuild.

I’m not a rebuild fan, I think you just rebuild when it’s really last resort. There are enough players here that still have enough ability to try snd supplement. You can focus on drafting at same time try and do both.

 

[Osakahaus]

i expected nothing yet im still let down

 

[Chockey22]

Roy is trying everything - mixing lines, D pair, except for calling someone up.
DO IT! They won't, but I cannot see Fasching out there anymore. I would like to see Holmstrom draw back in.
They need something to spark the offence.

The biggest game of the season cannot get any bigger than Monday night.

I think we will see
18-29-21 back together and possibly 14 and 13 back with 27 - maybe with 13 at C.


I'm from Brooklyn - now living on Vancouver Island

I am very much aware - I was at the Coliseum the last time they met the Rangers in the playoffs - Rangers swept us and I was at game 4 and worst game I ever went to

Hey - I'm also on Vancouver Island; not a lot of Isles fans in this part of the world. I'd also like to see those lines back together - keep the Nelson/Palmieri and Horvat/Barzal combos together.

 

[Torrey Redux]

It might retool because management is moronic, but it SHOULD rebuild.

The team is terrible this year and only going to get older and slower next year. There's no farm system. There's no cap room. There's no realistic way to win with this core.

As previously said, a rebuild probably won't happen, but that's just delaying the inevitable and will eventually lead to an even longer rebuild.

I agree with most everything you've written here except that this team is not terrible. It's worse, it's middle. Just good enough to fool itself into thinking it can do something.

 

[Throttle]

Won't surprise me if Iskhakov gets a shot on one of the other 31 teams at some point in the future and succeed.

But that's just the norm for the current NYI management group. Bad decision after bad decision after bad decision. The "brain trust" here definitely isn't filled with geniuses, that's for sure.

This is the isles would have won the Cup, if Wally played argument. 3 coaches later he’s still got a press box view.

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

I’m not a rebuild fan, I think you just rebuild when it’s really last resort. There are enough players here that still have enough ability to try snd supplement. You can focus on drafting at same time try and do both.

Terrible NHL team that's aging and getting worse (1 first round exit in the past three years including this year, with THREE different coaches including one of the best in NHL history)
Basically no farm system
Basically no cap room

Man, if this isn't the appropriate time to rebuild, what is? This type of thinking is only going to delay the inevitable.

 

[Torrey Redux]

I’m not a rebuild fan, I think you just rebuild when it’s really last resort. There are enough players here that still have enough ability to try snd supplement. You can focus on drafting at same time try and do both.

The perfect recipe for staying half good into the next decade.