If John Tavares Leaves... Does Garth Snow get fired?

[NeedleInTheHay]

Yes he is leaving, no he won’t get fired.

 

[LordNeverLose]

He should be fired regardless, but the f***up that would be this TDL if JT leaves wouldn't be his fault. JT held him hostage.

 

[hooverdam]

I'm pretty sure that when the sun's heat death swallows the earth whole, Garth Snow will still be GM of the Islanders. I don't know how he does it.

 

[Voight]

Probably -- Tavares leaving will signal the start of the Barzal-Era. Clean house, minus Doug Weight.

 

[Danrs112]

Garth Snow sounds like the name of a villain in a bad parody movie

 

[Canada4Gold]

I would say no, if only because firing a GM on July 1st seems really dumb, the next guy comes in right away and suddenly has to make a bunch of decisions, or Snow already has made a bunch of decisions for him on his way out. Even if Tavares leaves I think they'll wait until mid season next year. July 1st is a bad date to fire a GM. Do it in June or do it later.

 

[hockeyguy1967]

Yeah should have traded him at trade deadline and got something. He is not going to pass up 13+ millions that Montreal will offer him.

 

[JT Kreider]

I would say no, if only because firing a GM on July 1st seems really dumb, the next guy comes in right away and suddenly has to make a bunch of decisions, or Snow already has made a bunch of decisions for him on his way out. Even if Tavares leaves I think they'll wait until mid season next year. July 1st is a bad date to fire a GM. Do it in June or do it later.

And then the next GM is going to have to come in with two (likely) bust lotto picks that he wouldn't have in his plan to rebuild in the post JT era.

These next few months are crucial for the Islanders. It will send them on a trajectory one way or the other. The worst possible thing would be a change in direction shortly thereafter

 

[thegoldenyear]

I dream, sometimes, that Ledecky's already promised the job(s) to his prospective president and GM and that they've been watching this team for months, taking notes and identifying flotsam. There's a lotttttttta flotsam.

That's the dream, anyway.

I think Tavares is ailing, either physically or mentally, and that once the playoffs are a mathematical impossibility he shuts 'er down.

 

[Newsworthy]

I don't think Snow will get fired. The Isles have four picks in the first two rounds. Let's see how the draft goes.

 

[Isles1966]

Hope it goes like this, May 1st Snow is given the job to oversee the new building with regards to hockey operations. Owners hire Holland or equivalent to be President and Director of hockey operations. Fresh look might lure JT to resign.

 

[CamPopplestone]

Barzal has made this interesting. Tavares is a great player. But you have to be careful that Tavares doesn't become the next Toews. A really good player whose contract is handcuffing the team

 

[CupsOverCash]

Don't know why they can't get this done. The team finally has a real threat besides him and they let him go? I'd riot if I was a isles fan.

 

[CupsOverCash]

Barzal has made this interesting. Tavares is a great player. But you have to be careful that Tavares doesn't become the next Toews. A really good player whose contract is handcuffing the team

That's not a good enough reason to let him go. You have an opportunity here to have a 1-2 down the middle that can dominate. You can build around that if you know what you are doing. Even if they somehow screwed that up they would at least have two guys who can dominate and that at least puts you at contender for playoffs status. Anything can happen from there.

 

[sabremike]

Yeah should have traded him at trade deadline and got something. He is not going to pass up 13+ millions that Montreal will offer him.

Because clearly the Isles can't match that offer and give him the 8th year to boot or anything. Also Darren Dreger is dogcrap in human form and about as trustworthy as the most godawful rumorz site you can think of.

 

[Deen]

Tavares is going to love playing with Dahlin when the Flames win the lottery.

 

[sabremike]

Tavares is going to love playing with Dahlin when the Flames win the lottery.

Ha, I see what you did there!

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

That's not a good enough reason to let him go. You have an opportunity here to have a 1-2 down the middle that can dominate. You can build around that if you know what you are doing. Even if they somehow screwed that up they would at least have two guys who can dominate and that at least puts you at contender for playoffs status. Anything can happen from there.

Depends on how much Tavares costs though. There comes a price where his salary limits what you can spend on filling the rest of the holes on your team.

Islanders currently have a really crappy defense. If Tavares is making $15 million per year, there's practically nothing left to spend upgrading the defense. So the Isles will look just like they do this year. High end offense with a pathetic defense that results in a .500 record.

That's why I don't think you can just throw a blank check at him. No single player is good enough to offset having to get by with big holes elsewhere in the lineup.

 

[sabremike]

Depends on how much Tavares costs though. There comes a price where his salary limits what you can spend on filling the rest of the holes on your team.

Islanders currently have a really crappy defense. If Tavares is making $15 million per year, there's practically nothing left to spend upgrading the defense. So the Isles will look just like they do this year. High end offense with a pathetic defense that results in a .500 record.

That's why I don't think you can just throw a blank check at him. No single player is good enough to offset having to get by with big holes elsewhere in the lineup.

The team doesn't have great talent at D but I really think you are selling short how much the horrific defensive anti-system Weight has implemented has to do with those results.

 

[Tavares to Marner]

Why would he be fired for that?

NYI is better moving on and building around Barzal

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

The team doesn't have great talent at D but I really think you are selling short how much the horrific defensive anti-system Weight has implemented has to do with those results.

Leddy-Boychuk
Pelech - Pulock
Davidson - Mayfield
Toews - Aho

With De Haan (and Hickey) a UFA, that's what the Isles have returning next season. No #1D, a couple of second pairing guys (Boychuk and Leddy), and a host of bottom pairing defenders.
That's well within the bottom five in hockey.

Weight's not helping matters, by any means. But even with a good coach there, defense is still clearly a weak spot for the Isles if they're ever going to become a legitimate contender.

Which goes back to my point. If you throw a blank check at Tavares, you can't even replace De Haan's departure with an equal or better defender. So the defense will get even worse than it is this year, because the money spent on Tavares is no longer available to replace/upgrade De Haan.

 

[JT Kreider]

Why would he be fired for that?

NYI is better moving on and building around Barzal

If that's the plan then he should have been traded at the deadline. Even if it was for a bit of an underwhelming return like Howden and a 1st from Tampa

 

[sabremike]

Leddy-Boychuk
Pelech - Pulock
Davidson - Mayfield
Toews - Aho

With De Haan (and Hickey) a UFA, that's what the Isles have returning next season. No #1D, a couple of second pairing guys (Boychuk and Leddy), and a host of bottom pairing defenders.
That's well within the bottom five in hockey.

Weight's not helping matters, by any means. But even with a good coach there, defense is still clearly a weak spot for the Isles if they're ever going to become a legitimate contender.

Which goes back to my point. If you throw a blank check at Tavares, you can't even replace De Haan's departure with an equal or better defender. So the defense will get even worse than it is this year, because the money spent on Tavares is no longer available to replace/upgrade De Haan.

Here's the flaw in that logic: JT walks out the door. You have $13 million, but there's a slight problem: even if good defensemen magically hit the market they are going to have options. When the Isles call them they are going to laugh at Garth, ask why anyone in their right mind would voluntarily go to a tire fire of an organization that just let a franchise player walk and then hang up the phone. The only guys your money will get are players with no other options or guys who aren't very good and you have to make a stupid overpayment to get. And again I think you can get a passable effort out of the guys you have now if you implement an actual defensive system. If this current team even had that they'd be in a playoff spot right now, and probably comfortably so.