Confirmed with Link: Palms and Zajac traded to Isles for 2021 1st, AJ Greer, Mason Jobst, 2022 conditional 4th

[OmNomNom]

Good post KFP. I view the Isles as our cousins who help us beat of the real enemy - the Rangers. We might fight them from time to time but we have a common bond of playing in the shadows of the team that plays in the world's most famous toilet.

they're like the cousin that we like, until they're over at our house bragging about beating us in a video game

then we remember how obnoxious they are

 

[Richer's Ghost]

remember 80s night?

 

[Call Me Al]

isles are sort of rivals because they are around here but we've never been good at the same time and i could be wrong but i don't think we've ever even played them in the playoffs. unlike the rangers, flyers, hurricanes, lightning, senators, sabres, bruins, maple leafs, canadiens and panthers.

it's annoying to see the islanders fans around here celebrating, but they've had a really rough go of things the past 35 years so whatever. i hope they lose just because our draft pick will be higher and still hold a grudge for lou leaving the franchise in shambles and walking into nice situations after but oh well.

i don't understand people thinking that the islanders can't possibly win because they're the islanders. they have as good of a chance as anyone else.

 

[Call Me Al]

ok correction you have to go back to 1988 we played them in the patrick semifinals, oops. (i was 5)

 

[Maine Fan]

So now I will follow the Islanders into the playoffs and to the conference final.

Go Isles

 

[MartyOwns]

Good post KFP. I view the Isles as our cousins who help us beat of the real enemy - the Rangers. We might fight them from time to time but we have a common bond of playing in the shadows of the team that plays in the world's most famous toilet.

 

[Unknown Caller]

isles are sort of rivals because they are around here but we've never been good at the same time and i could be wrong but i don't think we've ever even played them in the playoffs. unlike the rangers, flyers, hurricanes, lightning, senators, sabres, bruins, maple leafs, canadiens and panthers.

it's annoying to see the islanders fans around here celebrating, but they've had a really rough go of things the past 35 years so whatever. i hope they lose just because our draft pick will be higher and still hold a grudge for lou leaving the franchise in shambles and walking into nice situations after but oh well.

i don't understand people thinking that the islanders can't possibly win because they're the islanders. they have as good of a chance as anyone else.

I don't think anyone said the Islanders can't win "because they're the Islanders." The Islanders are very unlikely to win the Cup because of their personnel and roster construction. When you look at true Stanley Cup champions, except for very rare outlier years, those teams all have components in common. A collection of true, high-end, elite talent is one of them. Outside of Barzal who is elite, Stanley Cup champions almost never look like Jordan Eberle, Brock Nelson, Kyle Palmieri and Anthony Beauvilier.

They look like MacKinnon, Landeskog, Rantanen and Makar. They look like Kucherov, Stamkos, Point and Hedman. They look like Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Tavares. That's a very short explanation without getting into depth players and underlying analytics, which also aren't very favorable for the Islanders beating the truly elite teams.

At the end of the day, they have to hang their hat on the 5% chance that they can get red hot and have certain matchups and game 7 bounces fall their way.

 

[Satans Hockey]

Wait, what?!?!? You'll root for them in the SCF???? That would push our pick back from 31 to 32 if they win!

Screw Zajac, Greene and Palmieri - I want that higher pick!!!

/s

Personally I dislike the Islanders fan base more than I like any of those 3 players so yes I would. I have no desire to attend several games a year with that already obnoxious fan base being even worse if they won a cup.

 

[NJDevils7]

So now I will follow the Islanders into the playoffs and to the conference final.

Go Isles

Wow didn't know Fitz posted on these boards.

 

[Satans Hockey]

Seems like this board will turn into a battle of those that view the Islanders as a rival vs those that don't.

I just want those of you that have hatred towards the Isles to understand that there are many of us that don't. Don't make us look bad on the main board.

I do wonder how many of the ones who don't mind the Islanders fan base and are rooting for them have attended a game against them at the rock in the last bunch of seasons. I've found them to be worse than the Flyers fans who show up lately(I've found Flyers fans to have mellowed out a lot over the past bunch of years, maybe cause the Eagles finally won a superbowl or older age but who knows, they were worse back at the Meadowlands)

To me the Islanders fan base that shows up to our home games have become just as annoying as Rangers fans, it's just a different shade of awful blue to me.

 

[Whaddagoal]

I do wonder how many of the ones who don't mind the Islanders fan base and are rooting for them have attended a game against them at the rock in the last bunch of seasons. I've found them to be worse than the Flyers fans who show up lately(I've found Flyers fans to have mellowed out a lot over the past bunch of years, maybe cause the Eagles finally won a superbowl or older age but who knows, they were worse back at the Meadowlands)

To me the Islanders fan base that shows up to our home games have become just as annoying as Rangers fan, it's just a different shade of awful blue to me.

I was going to post something similar, haha.

Maybe on HFboards its all good, but they certainly come in our arena in droves and can quite obnoxious during the games. I know most of it is all good sports banter, but sure as hell is annoying as a resident fan.

Even with the small crowd 10/20%, the last OT one we lost to them (Toronto called back the Subban goal)... it was really annoying. We need to get more of our fans there so the split isn't close to 70/30 or maybe it was even closer that game 65%

 

[hidek91]

I was thinking that as well, but with Arizona being forced to forfeit their first rounder he's correct...Buffalo is probably getting that 32nd pick.

Oh, forgot about that. So the joke is on me at the end of the day

 

[TheDuke93]

What? Los Angeles and Chicago didn’t have the “generational” player. Tampa doesn’t have a “generational” player. They stacked elite (but not generational) talent through high picks and volume of picks. They have insane depth, not “plugs around a generational player.” How is this even debatable?

TBF you could make a VERY strong case that Kane is a generational player. But your statement is 100% agree with. They were extremely strong teams were the 4th and 5th best players were still elite.

 

[Hisch13r]

TBF you could make a VERY strong case that Kane is a generational player. But your statement is 100% agree with. They were extremely strong teams were the 4th and 5th best players were still elite.

I see no argument for that. He isn't even a top 3 player of the generation

 

[Unknown Caller]

TBF you could make a VERY strong case that Kane is a generational player. But your statement is 100% agree with. They were extremely strong teams were the 4th and 5th best players were still elite.

Agreed that Kane could maybe be borderline generational, but I usually consider that to be just Crosby/Ovechkin/McDavid. Either way, these teams stacked elite players (and great depth pieces) through high picks and a large volume of picks.

 

[TheDuke93]

Los Angeles is an example of a team on a run with a goaltende certainly nowhere near "the most talented team" at any point in time. Chicago is kane and toews and like I pointed out, their window opened and closed long before those guys were even out of their prime.

Tampa is really your only case where "the most talented team" won. You are right in that there isn't anything to debate here.

If you even have a shot, take it.

That Kings team had elite goaltending in Quick, Doughty playing in his prime and a three headed monster down the middle in Kopitar, Carter and Richards. That doesn't even factor in Brown and Williams who still were great 50pt players or the fact that they had Martinez, Mitchel and a very good Voynon. That team was f***ing stacked. Quick going on a run just cemented them winning the whole thing.

 

[TheDuke93]

I see no argument for that. He isn't even a top 3 player of the generation

That's fair I suppose, he is one of six active players who are over a 1.0ppg and have played min. 500 games. The other five are McDavid, Crosby, Ovechkin, Malkin and Stamkos. You could realistically argue that Crosby, Ovechkin and McDavid (baring some weird unfortunate future incident) will all be top 10 players in the leagues history. I personally feel its nitpicking to say someone like Kane who will go down as one of the greatest to ever play the game isn't a generational player because he happens to play during the same time as those three. Based on your criteria sure he isn't, I however would not be surprised if he didn't climb the all times point list and work his way into a position were he is one of the best ever.

 

[Hisch13r]

That's fair I suppose, he is one of six active players who are over a 1.0ppg and have played min. 500 games. The other five are McDavid, Crosby, Ovechkin, Malkin and Stamkos. You could realistically argue that Crosby, Ovechkin and McDavid (baring some weird unfortunate future incident) will all be top 10 players in the leagues history. I personally feel its nitpicking to say someone like Kane who will go down as one of the greatest to ever play the game isn't a generational player because he happens to play during the same time as those three. Based on your criteria sure he isn't, I however would not be surprised if he didn't climb the all times point list and work his way into a position were he is one of the best ever.

I wasn't even including McDavid. McDavid I see in the next gen with guys like Matthews, Draisaitl, Kucherov, MacKinnon. I was talking about Malkin over Kane. I think Malkin is much much closer to Ovi for the 2nd best player than Kane is to Malkin for the 3rd best. I think even the gap between Malkin and Crosby might be smaller than the gap between Malkin and Kane

 

[TheDuke93]

I wasn't even including McDavid. McDavid I see in the next gen with guys like Matthews, Draisaitl, Kucherov, MacKinnon. I was talking about Malkin over Kane. I think Malkin is much much closer to Ovi for the 2nd best player than Kane is to Malkin for the 3rd best. I think even the gap between Malkin and Crosby might be smaller than the gap between Malkin and Kane

That is also a totally fair and reasonable opinion to have. I just don't get why the difference in including a fourth guy makes any sort of difference is all.

 

[Hisch13r]

That is also a totally fair and reasonable opinion to have. I just don't get why the difference in including a fourth guy makes any sort of difference is all.

Because I just don't really think he's all that close to them. PPG wise Sid is at 1.28, Malkin is at 1.18, Ovi is at 1.11 as the best goal scorer ever and Kane is at 1.06. I don't think he's on their level

 

[KovalchukFistPump]

I don’t think that’s a bad quote by Fitz. It shows he cares for his players on an individual level.

With that said, I will certainly not be actively rooting for the Islanders at least at the start of the playoffs. I want the pick to be as beneficial as possible to the Devils. If the Islanders end up making it to the finals, I’ll root for them then.

Let's view another angle of this. I feel like Fitz wants to resign both Palms and Zajac in the off-season. Trading them to the Island has the following benefits

1. They are going to be capstrapped and likely won't re-sign either.
2. The players don't need to move houses. They can drive once in awhile, rent a temporary pad, or hell rent some sort of helicopter service for the next few months.
3. If they were traded to a different team that could re-sign them, they might actually like it there and choose to stay.

Palms still probably looks for the most money, but trading him somewhere local instead of say Winnipeg probably kept us in his good graces. With Zajac, the risk is that he likes it too much at NYI and misses the culture that Lou built and decides to stick around there for less money.

Either way, this return is pretty fair considering we had no leverage with Zajac. It's actually a victory in itself that he was willing to waive. Otherwise, we'd just be getting a 2nd for Palms.

 

[OmNomNom]

i wont' root for the isles strictly bc their division rivals - nothing personal. but if they win, i'll be happy for the boys

 

[HBK27]

Some comments from Lebrun regarding the trade - goes along with what I've been speculating about a 1st rounder not being available from Boston or Toronto...

LeBrun: Inside how the NHL trade deadline is shaping up as deals begin to go down

The deal is also reflective of what is shaping up to be a buyer’s market. There are some who criticized the Devils for not getting more for Palmieri and Zajac.

Could the Devils be the only team to net a first-round pick at this deadline? Or at least one that’s not conditional. I could be wrong, and yes the Buffalo Sabres hope to net a first-rounder for Taylor Hall, and if the Columbus Blue Jackets decide to move Foligno, maybe they do as well.

But are we sure?

The sellers outnumber the buyers right now as far as I can tell. I’ve got this weird feeling that prices may crater come Monday and some decent players may be available for cheaper prices.

I strongly believe if Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald had waited until Monday on Palmieri, the return drops to a second-round pick. He was wise to act now. I don’t think the deal gets any better. And remember that Palmieri had a partial no-trade which limits the market to some degree.

While teams like Boston and Toronto had shown interest in Palmieri, I’m not convinced a first-round pick was attainable from either of those teams.

What will fascinate me now is the fallout for Buffalo on Hall. In losing the Islanders as a potential trade partner (I mean, we assume Lamoriello is out on Hall now, right?), the Sabres likely missed out on the one buyer that had ample cap room to take on Hall’s $8 million AAV or at least half. Now, whatever teams try to step up on Hall either need a third party broker or have to send Buffalo a contract or two to make it all work. All the other buyers on the market now are close to the cap.

One team executive I spoke with Thursday said if Hall was still sitting there Monday he could see a team get him for a second- or third-round pick plus send Buffalo a contract to make it work. No question the Sabres want to do better than that. But remember that Hall has a full no-move, he gets to say yes or no to any deal.

 

[Mr Bojanglez]

Zajac looks like Paul Rudd if Paul Rudd would actually age.

 

[Auto Pilot]

We weren't getting a better return

Doesn’t change the fact the return still sucks