Who Should Go ?

[Paxon]

yeah, we lucked out so much that Sobotka was forced into the shut down defensive role. Our record was so much better after Berglund left forcing players like Sobotka and Mitts into more minutes than they should have

Berglund played a key role on the team. Contract is not everything

Berglund was only good with Girgensons and Larsson. Girgensons and Larsson could've played the same role without Berglund. It did not necessitate leaning on Sobotka. That is a coaching issue. Nevermind that the downside of losing Berglund in your mind is having to play the even worse player we got for O'Reilly.

Contract is everything when we are talking about a marginal player on a considerable contract on a team that also has Sobotka, Okposo, Pominville, and Moulson drawing paychecks. It interfered with the Reinhart negotiations, and would continue to interfere with the cap situation. This is the worst team in the NHL, period. Losing a contributor this season to get out of a bad contract is a blessing.

 

[Steddy33]

yeah, we lucked out so much that Sobotka was forced into the shut down defensive role. Our record was so much better after Berglund left forcing players like Sobotka and Mitts into more minutes than they should have

Berglund played a key role on the team. Contract is not everything

If you think Berglund was a loss you need to learn how to hockey

 

[GellMann]

anyone who can get us MULTIPLE LEGIT NHL pieces. Not a futures trade like ROR (though that became MUCH worse when Berglund left)

The trade balance didn't get any better when Berglund left. He was pacing for 14 points and 4 non-empty-net goals while he was here, and had an obnoxious cap hit for like 3 more years. He was either negative or zero value when the trade was made, and so its value stayed the same when he left. We lost a piece of a 4th line that was actually decent at defense, and were uniformly thrilled as a fan base to get away from the contract.

 

[GellMann]

yeah, we lucked out so much that Sobotka was forced into the shut down defensive role. Our record was so much better after Berglund left forcing players like Sobotka and Mitts into more minutes than they should have

Berglund played a key role on the team. Contract is not everything

We had already started our current stretch, had only won 3 of Berglund's last 10 games here. He was a regular healthy scratch and got small minutes on the wing of a fourth line that continued to hum without him for months.

 

[dortt]

We had already started our current stretch, had only won 3 of Berglund's last 10 games here. He was a regular healthy scratch and got small minutes on the wing of a fourth line that continued to hum without him for months.

As I recall, Breglund was injured before he left the team. He was a healthy scratch for 2 games. The rest was injury

Reagrdless of contract, however, he was a significant upgrade over sobtoka

 

[dortt]

If you think Berglund was a loss you need to learn how to hockey

yeah, someone who played decent defense and PK was useless...

He was overpaid. Big whoop. We are not in cap jail, so we can overpay a bit for one who fulfills a role. Not everyone needs to be a star

 

[Buffalo Norsemen]

If you watched any of the Islanders game last night you seen what a good 4th line can do. Cazikas has 20 goals this season, Larry and Girgs have 8 combined.

I'd move Girgs before Larsson for sure. Like I said, I'm not against upgrading them, but this thread is about shedding the team of problems. Those guys aren't problems. They're good 4th liners and quality PKers.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

If you watched any of the Islanders game last night you seen what a good 4th line can do. Cazikas has 20 goals this season, Larry and Girgs have 8 combined.

20 goal 4th liners are the exception, not the norm.

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

Entire coaching staff except maybe Smith

Sobotka
Hunwick
Okposo (but we're stuck with him)
Pominville
Scandella
Bogosian

And that's the "absolutely gotta go list" before you even get into the debatable ones. All except Pominville are under contract next season.

 

[Dahlin 2 Eichel]

Everyone that you possibly can. Won’t be sad to see anyone go except for Dahlin.

 

[Fearnot]

The Blues are so much worse this year without that awesome Berglund guy, he's a franchise breaking piece if you lose him!

 

[Icicle]

Housley, Allen

Pominville (thanks bud), Sobotka

Keep Scandella, but as a 7. Don’t worry if Nelson gets picked up on waivers.

Unfortunately, got to keep Okposo until compliance buyouts come to be, but his letter needs to go.

And don’t fret over Sheary it he’s beaten by youth.

 

[MrMaster]

Keep Scandella

I also believe he has a bounce-back season in him, they should wait this out.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Housley needs to be replaced (Boudreau or Vignault is fine with me)
New goalie coach

Pominville is not getting re-signed
Okposo is not getting traded or bought out, we're stuck with him for now
Skinner, Girgensons, Larsson, and O'Regan should all be re-signed
Sobotka and Wilson should be traded for a 7th or sent to Rochester
Sheary can be traded, but only if Smith, Olofsson, and Nylander all push him out
Keep Ristolainen
Trade Bogosian, Scandella, and Hunwick for anything possible

Edit - I don't expect all of Sobotka, Wilson, Bogosian, Scandella, and Hunwick to be traded in the summer. At some point next season they should all be gone though.

 

[MrMaster]

Wilson should be traded

I like Wilson, and i think he had some good sequences yesterday.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

I like Wilson, and i think he had some good sequences yesterday.

I don't hate him, but he's a duplicate 4th liner that won't be re-signed anyway. Too many better young players to keep him.

 

[Team Cozens]

If you watched any of the Islanders game last night you seen what a good 4th line can do. Cazikas has 20 goals this season, Larry and Girgs have 8 combined.

It’s not just the goals. The Islanders 4th line came with speed and energy. I don’t get the love for Girgs and Tina lesser extent- Larry. I guess people like that they are at least average.

 

[Team Cozens]

Any player not on this roster should be gone!!!

Olofsson- Eichel - XXX
Skinner - XXX - Reinhart
XXX - Mittelstadt- Nylander
CJ Smith - Asplund - XXX

 

[Chainshot]

Start with Kim as team president, step away and replace with someone who has a hockey pedigree.

Let that team president hire a GM. Botterill's two seasons on the job have been terrible.

Let the new GM hire a coach with quality experience who has shown adaptability. Hire better assistants, particularly the goalie coach like Korn, Corsi, Allaire (either one) and if you have to back the Brinks truck up for that guy, do so.

Do not retain Pominville. No. Counting stats playing with Eichel are okay, but he's useless unless he's the ballast on that line.

Find a new home for Sobotka. Offer him around the league. If no one takes him, even for mythic future considerations, find a way for him to go back to Europe.

Trade Bogosian. Enough is enough.

Trade Scandella. Enough is enough part 2.

Trade McCabe. Enough is enough part 3.

Find a way to jettison Hunwick. Enough is enough part 4.

Look for a quality trade for Ristolainen if the new coach thinks he is irredeemably broken. If the coach thinks he can work with him under reasonable parameters, staple him to Pilut.

 

[Tsujimoto]

Maybe it is time for a new Goal Song.

How would you know? You'd never get to hear it if they did change it.

 

[MagnumForce2]

How would you know? You'd never get to hear it if they did change it.

Maybe they are protesting?

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

Phil has to go. He has the team underperforming Nolan. The team using the current 4C as its 1C.

 

[The Red Helmet]

Start with Kim as team president, step away and replace with someone who has a hockey pedigree.

Her ego might be too big for this to happen.

 

[GameMisconduct]

Her ego might be too big for this to happen.

We didn't have a president of hockey ops when she stepped in to replace Brandon and basically any additional things she's picked up (that haven't been offloaded to someone else) are in that area, the business side.

People see president and act like she is president of hockey ops, running that side of stuff. The previous person in the position didn't really do that and there is zero evidence I've seen she is now. She's basically putting in the same input as an owner that she always was.

FWIW this is pretty much the dynamic I hear from the person I know who has dealings over there (on the business side). It's also true that having part of the ownership in a team exec position is not exactly uncommon in sports either.

I get that people are frustrated and all of that, but the Black widow stuff is a distraction and a boongoggle--at best.

It's completely justifiable to be down on her and Terry Pegula for ownership level decisions--the current front office hires, NOT hiring a president of hockey ops, etc. Things have clearly shown they definitely need an experienced hand there, and they haven't hit on thier hires. There is a ton of room and a clear need for improvement there. Things are bad.

But Kim Pegula as president is not some malevolent behind the scenes puppet master sabotaging the efforts of 'real hockey men' who know better (not sure who those would be, anyway).

 

[Chainshot]

We didn't have a president of hockey ops when she stepped in to replace Brandon and basically any additional things she's picked up (that haven't been offloaded to someone else) are in that area, the business side.

People see president and act like she is president of hockey ops, running that side of stuff. The previous person in the position didn't really do that and there is zero evidence I've seen she is now. She's basically putting in the same input as an owner that she always was.

FWIW this is pretty much the dynamic I hear from the person I know who has dealings over there (on the business side). It's also true that having part of the ownership in a team exec position is not exactly uncommon in sports either.

I get that people are frustrated and all of that, but the Black widow stuff is a distraction and a boongoggle--at best.

It's completely justifiable to be down on her and Terry Pegula for ownership level decisions--the current front office hires, NOT hiring a president of hockey ops, etc. Things have clearly shown they definitely need an experienced hand there, and they haven't hit on thier hires. There is a ton of room and a clear need for improvement there. Things are bad.

But Kim Pegula as president is not some malevolent behind the scenes puppet master sabotaging the efforts of 'real hockey men' who know better (not sure who those would be, anyway).

I don't want her to step up and aside from the firing stuff or any hints about ego. I want someone else with a respected voice who has experience in building a hockey team in place between them and the GM. Having more good hockey people in the organization is not a bad thing.