Sadly neither do I. Lou holds onto that 4th line like grim death.That would be fine as well. I don't see them moving on from Martin just yet though.
Sadly neither do I. Lou holds onto that 4th line like grim death.That would be fine as well. I don't see them moving on from Martin just yet though.
They're men who play a man's game...Sadly neither do I. Lou holds onto that 4th line like grim death.
I think Clutterbuck is more effective.....when healthy. Of course, his style of play dictates that he's usually not healthy.Martin just came off of a solid year. I would give him another shot. Clutterbuck on the other hand should be gone. Fasching, Durandeau, Gauthier, etc are already going to play half his games when he gets hurt anyway. May as well give these guys a shot to build some chemistry.
I think Clutterbuck is more effective.....when healthy. Of course, his style of play dictates that he's usually not healthy.
Just my impression but I think the team never thought they'd see the last two years of Martin's deal. Either his play would deteriorate to the point where he'd willingly get buried or he'd agree to LTIR. As it turns out, he's at the point where he's not really effective but he's just effective enough that he can expect to play. So he's taking up a roster spot that should be Ross's (which is why he was signed) but he's not really contributing. And considering we signed Fasching, we really have both replacements on the roster....just waiting for them to bow out.
I think the team just has to fight through til the end of the year and then they can gracefully say goodbye to these two stalwarts. Maybe we can recapture some cap space if either gets LTIR'd this season and use it at the deadline?
They're old men who usually end their shift pinned in their own end.,They're men who play a man's game...
Just saying what the GM said!They're old men who usually end their shift pinned in their own end.,
Kinda funny but not really. Martin actually put together a much better season than the year before. I'd be in favor of an upgrade and was pissed in game 3 but he and Czikas do what's required.They're old men who usually end their shift pinned in their own end.,
This seems like a good year to finally move past that 4th line. Clutter is the walking wounded and Martin is past his usefulness as a skater. I'd keep him around for spot duty, but it seems like a good idea to get Cizikas, who is still solid as a 4th line center, some better skaters as linemates.Sadly neither do I. Lou holds onto that 4th line like grim death.
Maybe they should pick up a stick and try NLL . . . that's also a man's gameThey're men who play a man's game...
Agreed. The more and more I look at the roster the more I think the whole hockey trades thing was more along the lines of “if something comes up we’ll consider it” rather than “we’re actively looking.” I think the roster is set.Gauthier has not played a single second on the PK in his entire NHL career, so I have a hard time thinking he’s just going to waltz in and usurp Clutterbuck.
And I don’t think they are trading Pageau, he was third in 4 on 5 icetime (behind Parise who was second & likely not returning). FWIW Bailey was 6th, so if they traded Pageau they would be losing 3 out of their 6 main penalty killers without any replacements in sight.
And that’s with Horvat being one of the three remaining, who is good at faceoffs but not necessarily someone you want blocking a ton of shots and using his energy down a man.
Agree 100%. The Debrincat trade rumor was always a pipe dream. Was never going to happen. Obviously the “sources” were wrong as usual. I even pressed Stefen Rosner on how he felt about his “source” on the subject, and he got snippy about it. Lou is so secretive, that every time I hear someone say something about their source + Islanders, I roll my eyes.Agreed. The more and more I look at the roster the more I think the whole hockey trades thing was more along the lines of “if something comes up we’ll consider it” rather than “we’re actively looking.” I think the roster is set.
Totally agree. My ideal 4th line would be CC, Fasching, and Parise(if he returns). Probably not going to happen but would be nice if Lou casted off some dead weight salary to gain cap space for the TDL for some options and flexibility. This is easier said than done, as many GM's are in the same boat.This seems like a good year to finally move past that 4th line. Clutter is the walking wounded and Martin is past his usefulness as a skater. I'd keep him around for spot duty, but it seems like a good idea to get Cizikas, who is still solid as a 4th line center, some better skaters as linemates.
The 4th line is naturally going to phase itself out by contract and/or performance this season. The good thing is that Lou is subtly backfilling it with competition.Totally agree. My ideal 4th line would be CC, Fasching, and Parise(if he returns). Probably not going to happen but would be nice if Lou casted off some dead weight salary to gain cap space for the TDL for some options and flexibility. This is easier said than done, as many GM's are in the same boat.
True. It'd be nice to have them drop away this year, but they're just gonna let them play it out, and if they're effective, great, if not, they have other options now.The 4th line is naturally going to phase itself out by contract and/or performance this season. The good thing is that Lou is subtly backfilling it with competition.
If Lou is casting off dead weight at the deadline, then it’s gonna be because the Isles are bottom 5 in the league - doubtful that happens.
Gauthier is centre depth. That's all. If there is an injury, everyone moves up and Gauthier takes 4 line duties. Kuhlman is winger depth....he will take the 4th line RW duties if there is an injury and everyone else moves up. Johnston is Left wing depth...basically, Lou made it such that we aren't stuck relying on a propspect...we would be asking too much and we have asked too much from our prospects.
Martin had a career year last year..Clutter is still good, but his body is broken and Zeeker probably has a good 4-5 years left before he falls off the face of the earth. To me, our 4th line is the least of our worries...we have depth for miles. It's our top end talent that we don't have at all.
It will never happen, and I'm not even sure it'll be a net positive with Lee moving back down to the third line... but I would love to see him with Barzal and Horvat. He's been finishing checks and causing chaos while still consistently getting solid scoring chances. I think he's a natural fit there, but everything is working pretty well right now and there's no reason to make that big of a moveAlways had the tools, nice to hear.
With Martin and Wally out of the lineup the forward group looks noticeably faster.The emergence of Gauthier on the third line allows us to play 3 lines where it's very likely we have the fastest player on the ice. A huge change from this time last year. 5 points in 9 games, not bad for a dude playing 10 minutes a game. I think he's going to stick.
do like Gauthier, dont need him to be a young Bill Guerin just bring speed, bang some bodies protect the puck and chip in 10-12 goals a yearWith Martin and Wally out of the lineup the forward group looks noticeably faster.