Confirmed with Link: Islanders Acquire Robert Bortuzzo for a 2024 7th Round Pick

[PWJunior]

Saw this comment on LighthouseHockey and it cracked me up and had to share here...

i just hope he takes the ice and whispers to the rest of the D something akin to “i have no idea what that coaching staff is asking me to do, but how about we ignore it and play positionally sound defense?”. and the rest of the islanders blue line snaps out of this funk they are in and agrees with him. no more blown third period leads. no more 30th in the league pk unit. then we put some pressure on the smurfs

credit to that poster #35jersey

 

[doublechili]

Happens when your GM doesnt build any depth into the organization

Yeah, it's GM Malpractice that the Isles don't have a plethora of top 4 D in the AHL like the rest of the teams do.

And now we had to give up a single 7th round pick to get both Reilly and Bortuzzo!! We'll never be able to get that back if we have to move them later.

 

[miscs75]

Another guy I don’t know what he looks like when clean shaven. Lou, let the guys grow beards.

 

[Strummergas]

View attachment 780308 Another guy I don’t know what he looks like when clean shaven. Lou, let the guys grow beards.

Being able to grow beards is their reward for making the playoffs.

 

[miscs75]

Being able to grow beards is their reward for making the playoffs.

Thankfully they’ve been doing that. At this rate, they should be able to wind up in the 2 spot come April with a blue line filled with bargain bin pickups and Dobson.

 

[Galician Islanders]

Being able to grow beards is their reward for making the playoffs.

This is true ?

 

[MarsTBOW]

This is true ?

120%!

 

[Strummergas]

This is true ?

Probably not. But they ARE allowed to grow beards during the playoffs, so I just connected the two things for comedic purposes.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

Over the years, when I've watched Bortuzzo, my chief thought has been, "Wow, this guy is quite the cheap bastard."

He doesn't have the accumulated PMs to verify it, but I often saw less toughness and more of a lack of respect for his fellow players in the game.

Haven't watched him much though.

 

[leeroggy]

Over the years, when I've watched Bortuzzo, my chief thought has been, "Wow, this guy is quite the cheap bastard."

He doesn't have the accumulated PMs to verify it, but I often saw less toughness and more of a lack of respect for his fellow players in the game.

Haven't watched him much though.

Kind of like Mr Dennit saying we could use a little more stupid cowboy
A little fear from the opposing forwards might not be a bad thing right now . . .

 

[doublechili]

Over the years, when I've watched Bortuzzo, my chief thought has been, "Wow, this guy is quite the cheap bastard."

He doesn't have the accumulated PMs to verify it, but I often saw less toughness and more of a lack of respect for his fellow players in the game.

Haven't watched him much though.

He could be our new Brian Curran!

 

[Tres Peleches]

On the train to the game, Bortuzzo in tonight?

 

[steveat]

If we give the boot to Aho, then will @steveat leave HF Isles? He's gotta side with his son, ya know.

The club has invested too much into him! NEVER!

 

[Galician Islanders]

Probably not. But they ARE allowed to grow beards during the playoffs, so I just connected the two things for comedic purposes.

It makes sense.

 

[Goombha]

He's been a healthy scratch. That's a bit worrisome.

 

[Isles72]

not a bad first game all things considered .

still has decent wheels which was something I was afraid might be of concern but looks alright

 

[PWJunior]

not a bad first game all things considered .

still has decent wheels which was something I was afraid might be of concern but looks alright

Bortuzzo could be a good influence on Bolduc too, the kid had a good game.

 

[miscs75]

Bortuzzo could be a good influence on Bolduc too, the kid had a good game.

He plays a very simple game from what I saw outside of the obvious physicality. Nothing fancy or flashy. This will help Bolduc immensely. Gives him a partner who realizes he doesn’t need to attempt the offensive game at all leaving Samuel to do what he does best.

 

[Nassau Revisited]

He plays a very simple game from what I saw outside of the obvious physicality. Nothing fancy or flashy. This will help Bolduc immensely. Gives him a partner who realizes he doesn’t need to attempt the offensive game at all leaving Samuel to do what he does best.

What does Samuel do best exactly? He was never a point a game guy in the Q like most offensive dmen are and he is poor in the d zone

 

[miscs75]

What does Samuel do best exactly? He was never a point a game guy in the Q like most offensive dmen are and he is poor in the d zone

He’s more of an offensive guy like you stated but it seems as if Bortuzzo will stay back more than Mayfield does. Mayfield seems to think he’s Bobby Orr atleast 1-3x a game leading to him getting caught down deep.

 

[PWJunior]

He’s more of an offensive guy like you stated but it seems as if Bortuzzo will stay back more than Mayfield does. Mayfield seems to think he’s Bobby Orr atleast 1-3x a game leading to him getting caught down deep.

As down as everyone has been on Bolduc, I certainly think he's worth being patient with. The tools are certainly there and he has flashed some offensive ability, he's just starting his NHL career. I can understand why the Isles are hesitant to expose him on waivers because he will certainly be claimed.

Bortuzzo is lauded for his character by his teammates, he could be a nice mentor to Bolduc. Dobson had a slew of sick mentors in Boychuk, Greene, and Chara that had to have accelerated his development to his now beastly form. Bolduc is certainly not in Dobson's league, but he could develop into a nice #4D man. If you use the Costanza Squint, you can see a poor man's left handed Dobson type of player.

 

[MJF]

Bortuzzo could be a good influence on Bolduc too, the kid had a good game.

Bolduc's previous game against Columbus was solid too. Being paired with another tree on defense like Bortuzzo makes this a physically formidable combo. As for Bolduc, finally getting the minutes and being shown confidence from the coach will go a long way towards building his own confidence. Notice who was on the ice in the last minute of this game? 4 and 41.

Let Bolduc play. It will serve him and the rest of our D corps well if we can spread out the minutes more evenly instead of leaning on two or three guys for 25 minutes a game.

 

[miscs75]

As down as everyone has been on Bolduc, I certainly think he's worth being patient with. The tools are certainly there and he has flashed some offensive ability, he's just starting his NHL career. I can understand why the Isles are hesitant to expose him on waivers because he will certainly be claimed.

Bortuzzo is lauded for his character by his teammates, he could be a nice mentor to Bolduc. Dobson had a slew of sick mentors in Boychuk, Greene, and Chara that had to have accelerated his development to his now beastly form. Bolduc is certainly not in Dobson's league, but he could develop into a nice #4D man. If you use the Costanza Squint, you can see a poor man's left handed Dobson type of player.

Thats exactly where I was going with it. Aho is too small and it shows when he gets physically outmatched by most players. I’d personally send him down when he’s healthy and keep the additions. Martin isn’t going anywhere until the end of the year so he’s the extra forward whether we like it or not. Wallyworld gets moved for whatever Lou can recoup and the team is set. I’ve been saying if for quite some time that Gauthier needs to play over Wahlstrom, he’s smarter defensively and actually puts effort in away from the puck.

 

[PWJunior]

Bolduc's previous game against Columbus was solid too. Being paired with another tree on defense like Bortuzzo makes this a physically formidable combo. As for Bolduc, finally getting the minutes and being shown confidence from the coach will go a long way towards building his own confidence. Notice who was on the ice in the last minute of this game? 4 and 41.

Let Bolduc play. It will serve him and the rest of our D corps well if we can spread out the minutes more evenly instead of leaning on two or three guys for 25 minutes a game.

The silver lining is that it's Dobson and Romanov who are the ones carrying the defense with the 25+ minute games, thrusting them into elevated roles. It's obvious with Dobson becoming the clear #1D now, but I think Romanov has really shown me a lot and impressed me with his recent play.

I think Romanov is still a bit hesitant to go full bore with his surgically repaired shoulder, but it has made him tone down the physicality and focus more on positioning that has actually helped his overall game. He's quietly carrying the LD side like Dobson has been carrying the RD side, a very nice development. He's clearly got flaws with an inconsistent outlet pass and limited offensive ability, but he's been a stalwart out there and playing big and important minutes.

It's not ideal, but getting Bolduc experience will benefit the group later. I love his size, mobility, and range as a defender so he's worth the investment. He has a big shot and could contribute offensively, big boys take time to develop.

 

[MattMartin]

Saw this comment on LighthouseHockey and it cracked me up and had to share here...

i just hope he takes the ice and whispers to the rest of the D something akin to “i have no idea what that coaching staff is asking me to do, but how about we ignore it and play positionally sound defense?”. and the rest of the islanders blue line snaps out of this funk they are in and agrees with him. no more blown third period leads. no more 30th in the league pk unit. then we put some pressure on the smurfs

credit to that poster #35jersey

Hopefully he can throw some punches with Lambert during practice to light a fire under the team = )