I notice NHL.com is running a team reset for each team — which I find amusing since the NYI are essentially the same exact team. They have done exactly nothing in a best case scenario and gotten magnificently worse in reality.
• No farm system to speak of.
• 3 really good defenders, (Pelech, Pullock, Dobson) a solid #5 (Mayfield) an OK prospect that remains unknown (Salo) and a complete question mark who is as yet unsigned that we wasted a 1st round pick on (Romanov — who might prove to be OK and could cap out as a #4 defender — maybe — but the price we paid is my problem. I find it highly suspect and hard to believe that pick could not be a part of a deal that allowed the NYI to acquire more of a sure asset — Romanov is far from a sure bet NHL player)
• Beyond that there is almost zero depth, so if one of these guys goes down with an injury (which is likely) there is no one to fill the void.
At this moment — cant see the NYI as anything more than battling it out for last place in the Metro with the Devils and Flyers. Playoffs? Not unless some serious trades are coming, and even then — I doubt it because the only thing of value the Isles have are the guys you wouldn't want to trade. No one is taking Bailey or Varly — maybe at the deadline, but not now. Beauvillier is the only guy you might be able to get a second round pick for — and Im not in the camp where I trade him just yet. Unless the rival team's GM is Mike Milbury (or at this point LL) NYI are not going to be able to make much of a trade happen.
As far as rumors of Kadri signing here? Unless we are trading one of Barzal, Nelson, Pageau or Cizikas — I don't see it. None of those 4 make sense on a shift to the wing to me. So unless Kadri is coming is as a wing (doubtful) I just cannot see it. Nelso would have good value on the trade front — but again, moving out his millions for Kadri's doesnt make us better. Just more of the same.
Saw an article out of Vancouver that suggested Dobson for JT Miller — and frankly if LL made a move like that, he should be immediately fired and sent for a check with doctors for dementia. Have to believe that is not happening.
Maybe I am alone but the NYI window is closed. Maybe it was never really there at all. Maybe a special coach — who we now fired — got a group of mediocre players to buy in and overachieve for a few years. If anyone should have been fired this year it should have been LL. He handed Trotz a team without any depth, and the push by owners to "go fo opening weekend" when the entire team was down with covid ended the season before it began.