New York Islanders: Roster Discussion: Filppula out 4 weeks; Boychuk, Eberle day to day

[notDatsyuk]

Gionta hasn’t been a regular NHL player in 3 years. At least both Komarov and Filppula have been playing. Would much rather see Fritz over Gionta. And I still don’t like Komarov. Certainly not for another 3 years after this, that’s a bad contract.

Komarov's contract being "bad" is your opinion, and you are certainly entitled to it, but not everyone thinks so. I would obviously have preferred to get him for 1M per year, and maybe only 3 years, but that wasn't going to happen. I'm sure the Leafs would have liked to get PB for 1M per year, too.

 

[crashthenet]

Gionta just looked a bit too slow and I am sure that isn't going to change. He won a D zone draw late which of course is great but another option is obviously needed. Curious about the Fritz thing.

 

[Uncle Duke]

For the most part all the Islanders have are veteran players. We don't have any exciting young rookies or prospects on the team. We have enough grinders and fourth liners. Gionta isn't a better player than JHS and all he does is waste a roster space. MM, RJ, LEO, Casey, Clutter, Fritz,. Did I miss a few?

We have several guys that do what the former NJ Devil does and it's redundant. It's obvious the moves LL makes is redundant. Very short sighted.

What is it exactly about our early season success that you object to?

In terms of raw talent, no, Gionta is no longer a "better player" than JHS, but in terms of their relative abilities to contribute to a TEAM, well, that is an open question for us here on these boards, but is not a question in the minds of BT and LL. With all due respect to you, I think I'll defer to them.

As to short-sightedness, bringing up players who aren't ready just because they are newer and younger would pretty much define it.

 

[Uncle Duke]

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin,
That all, with one accord, praise new-born gauds
Though they are made and moulded of things past,
And give to dust, that is a little gilt,
More laud than gilt, o'er-dusted."

William Shakespeare

Preach it, Billy S. !!!

 

[Newsworthy]

You could not be more correct. I think that the impetus for the disdain for Gianta, and to your larger point, Leo and Flip, is that the fans always want the new and shiny toy.

Or it could be that free thinking Islander fans are not sheep. We are unafraid to question the moves of "Lou the Great."

 

[Uncle Duke]

Or it could be that free thinking Islander fans are not sheep. We are unafraid to question the moves of "Lou the Great."

I do not look at LL as "Lou the Great" at all. To the contrary, I was one of the many who seriously questioned whether he is too much of dinosaur to be the guy to guide us going forward and I am still not completely sold. But for the present, in terms of hockey knowledge and making judgements about moves with the roster we currently have, some of which he is responsible for to be sure, I have every confidence that he is working closely with BT on what the right call-ups should be.

The more I listen to interviews with LL, the more reassured I am becoming. He sounds like a man who knows the game has changed and is willing to change with it. Now I don't know if a 75 yr old can really do that, but the man likes to win and has won, and that too gives me some reassurance.

 

[Newsworthy]

Komarov's contract being "bad" is your opinion, and you are certainly entitled to it, but not everyone thinks so. I would obviously have preferred to get him for 1M per year, and maybe only 3 years, but that wasn't going to happen. I'm sure the Leafs would have liked to get PB for 1M per year, too.

Komarov is another of LL's buddies. Yeah we know how great he is in the locker room and all that and he's played well so far but handing him a four year deal at a salary above market is unwise.
People would have destroyed Snow for the same move.

 

[Frankie41987]

I do not look at LL as "Lou the Great" at all. To the contrary, I was one of the many who seriously questioned whether he is too much of dinosaur to be the guy to guide us going forward and I am still not completely sold. But for the present, in terms of hockey knowledge and making judgements about moves with the roster we currently have, some of which he is responsible for to be sure, I have every confidence that he is working closely with BT on what the right call-ups should be.

The more I listen to interviews with LL, the more reassured I am becoming. He sounds like a man who knows the game has changed and is willing to change with it. Now I don't know if a 75 yr old can really do that, but the man likes to win and has won, and that too gives me some reassurance.

I remember a specific interview where he recognized that today's game is all about speed. I'll be very disappointed if that aspect of the team isn't addressed over the course of this season and next off season because signing guys like Johnston and Komarov to multi year deals doesn't exactly speak to the mentality of adding speed to the line-up.

 

[seafoam]

 

[DerekKingSnipes]

Komarov is another of LL's buddies. Yeah we know how great he is in the locker room and all that and he's played well so far but handing him a four year deal at a salary above market is unwise.
People would have destroyed Snow for the same move.

They basically paid Komarov the first two years, he can be a buyout without really costing them much after that should he fall off. Honestly though he has played better than we could have expected and is on pace for 30 points and in today’s league 30-40 point wingers who kill penalties go for 2-3 million per year.

 

[IODCPiper]

Gionta also played the night before.

Rookie vs vet playing back to back i guess

 

[DerekKingSnipes]

I still don't like Komarov at his four year contract. Flip I always endorsed. But Gionta is not in the same sentence. If not for LL Gionta wouldn't be around. He certainly didn't earn the call up. And all I keep hearing about lack of production as a reason why certain players are still stuck in the Ahl. Nonsense when Gionta gets the nod. Or Trotz saying that MDC is playing so well in Bridgeport he deserves the call up only to healthy scratch him.

Trotz certainly believes in roles and Gionta can fit into that 4th line center role right now until cizikas returns. It does show our lack of depth at center for sure but gionta can kill penalties and win face offs so he is here. They also aren’t changing lineup while they have played well I’m all for when a kid gets here he plays and plays regularly which is why we haven’t seen Toews yet. I think MDC was called up thinking maybe Beau would come out and then he scores a hat trick so he isn’t coming out of lineup now.

 

[seafoam]

Looks like Pelech may start to be in Trotz’ doghouse.

I wonder if Toews gets a shot soon if they continue to scratch him.

 

[seafoam]

 

[Uncle Duke]

Nothing against Gionta, he serves many purposes being experienced and a model pro who can teach the kids, but bringing him up as first callup shows how thin this team is down the middle. That needs fixing if this team is gonna keep going through the entire season

Put it on the list.

 

[PK Cronin]

Komarov is another of LL's buddies. Yeah we know how great he is in the locker room and all that and he's played well so far but handing him a four year deal at a salary above market is unwise.
People would have destroyed Snow for the same move.

You keep wanting to compare the two, Lamoriello and Snow. You're doing yourself a disservice.

Lamoriello has his friends and buddies, just like every coach and GM has. That doesn't mean he's like Snow. If Snow signed Komarov to that deal, he would've been killed and rightfully so. Snow didn't have a good game plan when it came to the roster. He wasn't bringing in veterans to change the culture or show the young guys how to play. He brought in veterans and lesser players simply because he liked them. Lamoriello's pals all stem from him being a winning GM, so it makes sense he wants to keep guys around that he knows well and trusts to do what's necessary to win. He also didn't get a free pass from fans on that signing, though it's looking good at the moment. Time will tell how it shakes out.

Brent Sopel was just on Spittin Chiclets and talked about how horrible Wang and Snow were for a moment. Snow signed guys because he was friends with them, not for any other reason. Lamoriello signs guys because they're winners or are a part of the overall plan, and he's friends with them because of that. There's a difference.

 

[ScaredStreit]

Lou's buddies win and count their Cup rings on their finers. Snow's buddies count their days left until they need to enter a new career. Lou isn't perfect and believe me I've never been on the Snow bandwaggon (aside from their 2nd round appearance to the few weeks before July 1st of that year). Make no mistake about this: it's still early in the year...kind of...but Lou's turned this team from a bottom feeder last year to a playoff team this year. He's earned the benefit of the doubt.

 

[notDatsyuk]

Komarov is another of LL's buddies. Yeah we know how great he is in the locker room and all that and he's played well so far but handing him a four year deal at a salary above market is unwise.
People would have destroyed Snow for the same move.

Apparently there were at least three teams looking for him, so "above market" isn't a given. Also, I believe he was making 3 with the Leafs.

 

[danteipp]

I am thinking that the Isles opted for Gionta because they want to limit mistakes on the fourth line, given how Trotz uses it in matchups. It is ultimately the path of least resistance. It is the safe call. Gionta has zero upside but knows his role and is essentially a placeholder for a week or two.

But if Gionta doesn't work out or a change is needed, maybe Fritz is given a shot. I think if say Flip had gotten hurt, Fritz would have gotten the call. Or if it was Barzal or Nelson, Flip moves up and Fritz centers the third line.

 

[Hunn]

If many of you had your way, this team would feature JHS, MDC, KB and DT. It would have no veteran presence at all and would be an out of control train wreck. Lets hope that every one of those guys become core players for the Islander dynasty of the future, but right now I'm glad we have cooler heads running the show.

The opposite is also true. You can't play vets only. Especially so in evaluation year. How are you going to evaluate your players if you don't play them?

FYI, the only nominal rookie who seen non-zero playing time this season is Ross Johnston (4 games). 83 rookies across the league played at least 5 games.

 

[Uncle Duke]

The opposite is also true. You can't play vets only. Especially so in evaluation year. How are you going to evaluate your players if you don't play them?

FYI, the only nominal rookie who seen non-zero playing time this season is Ross Johnston (4 games). 83 rookies across the league played at least 5 games.

As Barry has said definitively, "this is a winning league, not a development league". That is how he is coaching, to win first.

We've got 64 games to go - not even a quarter of the way through - with more injuries, player slumps and team slumps to come; the rooks will get their chances.

 

[PK Cronin]

This quote from Clutterbuck after the Rags game says the exact reason I think Barzal is "struggling" this year, while the bottom 6 is doing so much better.

"It hurts more players than it helps,” he said. “There’s certainly players that are gifted offensively who can create and read off each other when there’s not much structure. You put those gifted guys together on a line and they can still succeed. And when they play as much as they did last year, they get a chance to feel the puck, create those chances. When you’re not out there as much, you want to make sure you’re doing the right thing, so it takes away from feeling like you want to get up there in the play and create. It’s more a ‘don’t get scored on’ feeling. Maintain my trust, my ice time and be responsible."

With Trotz's workhorses leading the way, Islanders show...

He's a -10 this year, the worst on the team, because he's learning to play with real structure where he isn't allowed to roam around doing whatever he wants.

 

[notDatsyuk]

This quote from Clutterbuck after the Rags game says the exact reason I think Barzal is "struggling" this year, while the bottom 6 is doing so much better.

"It hurts more players than it helps,” he said. “There’s certainly players that are gifted offensively who can create and read off each other when there’s not much structure. You put those gifted guys together on a line and they can still succeed. And when they play as much as they did last year, they get a chance to feel the puck, create those chances. When you’re not out there as much, you want to make sure you’re doing the right thing, so it takes away from feeling like you want to get up there in the play and create. It’s more a ‘don’t get scored on’ feeling. Maintain my trust, my ice time and be responsible."

With Trotz's workhorses leading the way, Islanders show...

He's a -10 this year, the worst on the team, because he's learning to play with real structure where he isn't allowed to roam around doing whatever he wants.

Beau hopefully learns, maybe with a few more games with Flip and Leo, that hard work is what brings success, and if he can take that back to the second line, he will be a better player. He was also a -10 a game ago. If Barzal learns that too, even better, for him and for the team.

 

[Newsworthy]

Barzal will have a good game today.

 

[MJF]

Beau hopefully learns, maybe with a few more games with Flip and Leo, that hard work is what brings success, and if he can take that back to the second line, he will be a better player. He was also a -10 a game ago. If Barzal learns that too, even better, for him and for the team.

The biggest benefit for Beau skating with Flip and Leo might be that he won’t be facing the oppositions best defenders and get more room to skate.