I am beyond disappointed that we did not make a single move today--it sickens me that Barzal has to play with Kuhnackl . The message I take away is " we are just happy to be here and where we are in the standings " -----> I understand that Lou and Trottz have a plan but many teams chasing us in the standings got MUCH BETTER this past week and the Islanders literally did nothing to improve. If you want to say that the prices were possibly too high and that you wanted to keep Dobson I agree and get all that but in the next breath with prices being high and potential FA s on our roster we should have been SELLERS today. I would have understood that so much more than standing pat and doing jack shit about improving the power play or top 6. I would have tried to trade Lee ,Eberle, and Nelson had I known for a nano second we were standing pat and not making one single move to improve ! Again I understand that this is a process but if you DO NOT WIN playoff games and your home arena is a question mark I do not care who the coach is , players will not want to come here,,,,,I could rant for an hour but I am really disappointed that we did jack shit today this really really sucks.
But trading our guys would have been giving up on the season while being in first place; that's not the solution just because we didn't look to improve his year. I would have like to see us get Simmonds or Toffoli, but I'm okay seeing this team finish the season. This is only a terrible deadline if we aren't able to land a Panarin and/or Duchene in the offseason with all of our cap space, and go into next season with the same type of patchwork team as we are this year. Or if all of our prized prospects simply bust out and we could have moved them for Stone and Duchene. But both of those are going to be hindsight problems.
Blue,,,,I understand all of this BUT---------> as I said to you in a previous post = IMO I take the proven guy over the picks in this case as much as I look forward to seeing Dobson play, he won't be playing here for 2 possibly 3 years and Stone is going to sign = that is not a rental. You put Stone on this Islander team right now and they are CUP CONTENDERS. ---> IF they did not want to do that and I really can't understand it unless Stone said he would not sign, then the least they could have done was to sign 1 single body to help the top 6, as adding Ladd does not do it for me. When this team gets knocked out of the first or second round because they can't score or the power play just blows I will come back in April and reread this post 100 times so I can feel worse . I am really disappointed they stood still as it makes zero sense to me that they did not reward or help the team for its effort thru 60 games. They really are "just happy to be here " and view this season as a throw away which in my opinion is a mistake as you don't often get the opportunity to win your division and compete for the Stanley Cup, you have to get lucky and stay healthy and be good.
I would have absolutely given up two prospects and a first for Stone plus extension. The extension is the worst part because that’s one less player we were saving money for that we won’t get. At this point we are in first with the playoffs realistically ahead of us. It’s easy to focus on the negative but imagine if we beat the Jackets in the playoffs; you could all but guarantee Panarin’s name on the line that is dotted if he truly wants to come to NY, unless he has been harboring a lifelong desire to be a Ranger who can also pay him. And Duchene may very well be our first target in free agency.
Blue -----who was the last free agent that we signed ? The last guy who came here not via trade ? Granted the team has sucked for almost 3 decades but I just don't know who we are going to sign this summer. I see this as a lost opportunity I don't think they would have had to unload the farm to improve in fact the team easily could have been improved with just one lower tier move. The Stone thing just pisses me off more because we easily could have offered more------Im trying my best to be objective here and think with my head and not my heart but bottom line is you don't know what the future will bring but you know where you are right now. I am beyond shocked that Ladd is our only addition and he was already here and made of glass------Im pissed . I understand the process but I think they blew this
I’m thinking Lou is going to re-sign Anders Lee and use the money that will free up with Brock and Eberle leaving in FA to make a run at Panarin in off season. If Ladd can stay healthy for rest of season he gives Isles the veteran they need on PP and winger to play with Barzal. I can live with this decision by Lou, taking pieces away from a first place team can hurt the depth and chemistry of a team.
Things are a changing for us. What player in their right mind would have wanted to play for us for the last two decades. Stadium debacles, awful GM’s, losing culture. All that is different now.
I hope Lee is resigned; Eberle is certainly gone unless he chooses to stay for less money. I’m confident Panarin is Lou’s target but the price was too steep to trade for. I’m going to enjoy whatever this season brings with the expectation that we could potentially be loaded next year.
I just do not see anyone rushing to come here in July. If this team does NOT win playoff games and is done in round 2 or dare I say it round 1 why would they come here ? Lets put this another way = its July 1st and Free Agency is here you are a big name FA and you have a choice between the Lightning, Panthers, Flames, Vegas ,Capitals, (even the Rangers will have cap space and they at least play at MSG ) or the Islanders where are you going to sign ? Im sorry, I know that no one expected us to be in this position ( 1st place after 60 games ) but we ARE in this position and I REALLY think they blew an opportunity here and I think they owed it to those guys in the locker room to at least upgrade the top 6 for the effort they have put in. Hard work only gets you so far in the playoffs and talent will show we will be outclassed and it will be very frustrating to watch.
I wonder if the arena situation factors into it as far as players not wanting to come here. We have all heard for the longest time about Belmont and that they will break ground this coming May/June. But until shovels are actually in the ground their are no guarantees. Look at Amazon-Queens as an example. As for no moves today I was a little disappointed in that I wanted them to improve the offense both 5 on 5 and the PP. If I am Trotz I tell the team before tomorrow's game against Calgary that both he and Lou are confident in the team they have and to go out there and prove us right going forward. Big week as their are 3 tough games coming up all at Nassau. Tomorrow the Flames, Thursday vs team pajamas, and the biggest one of the week Friday against the Caps. If they can get 4 out of 6 points I would be thrilled. The next four after that are easier. Sunday home vs Philly then a home and home with Ottawa on Tues/Thurs followed by a Saturday home game against the Flyers again.
I understand your disappointment, but I'm OK with the lack of moves. We do have a good roster, not a great one to be sure, but this team is playing as a unit and playing well. There was no reason to break up a good team for picks this year, we already have a ton of good young guys and still have the playoffs to compete for and in this season. I also did not want to move guys like Bellows, Wahlstrom, Dobson, or Wilde for what in essence is a rental player. Building a good team is not a year to year thing but a long term thing in the NHL. NFL rosters have huge turnover and players jump from the draft to the league making an impact right away. In the NHL things take much longer to come to fruition. Our best player is very young and we have a pipeline of guys who have extremely high upside that should be ready to join him soon. We have the off season to try and get one of these big name guys to come over and re-sign some of our own big names. This is a team on the rise and being run correctly by true NHL people for the first time since I was a kid, which is a hell of a long time ago. Continue to enjoy this turnaround season and look forward to what is to come because we are setting the table to be a very good and very deep team in the next few years.
We have $$ available and that is a big factor to any player. As long as Belmont gets through the protest phase and the finally break ground we are going to have a state or the art arena soon. We also have Trotz and Lou who can convince guys we are going to win and that is a big factor as well. This is not the Garth snow/Mike Milbury Islanders. I for one am hopeful for the first time in a long time.
yes, i would have given up 2 prospects(even dobson) for a signed stone. but the rumors were both that lou didn't want to give up dobson, which is the only way to up vegas' offer with brannstrom, also that stone wasn't willing to talk extension with the isles but would with vegas.
My opinion is that Panarin was/is our top target. He wasn’t available so get him in the off-season and keep our prospects.
gotta admit, i was hoping stone would be their #1 target going into the offseason as most people were expecting him to get <$10 mil on the open market and he's a great 2-way player who would fit trotz's system like a glove and probably still has some untapped offensive upside. panarin will get minimum 10-11, possibly 11+ if there's a bidding war.
So Lou has now gone public asking the fans to treat Tavares with respect at the game on Thursday. https://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/john-tavares-islanders-fans-reaction-1.27784754 Pretty strange strategy to go up against massive public opinion this way, especially after disappointing many fans by standing pat at the trade deadline. I have to say that I think that it's a mistake - he's acting like he's built up this massive amount of good will, and has become the beloved leader, and it's just not the case. If the Isles get eliminated in the first round and don't make a big splash in free agency the fans will turn on his administration in a heartbeat. Maybe he thinks this will help him in re-signing any of the team's free agents he'd like to keep, but I think he should have kept his mouth shut.
StatJeff --> Lou is batting a thousand with me in the past 24 hours and I agree with you = it was best to keep his mouth shut!!!!!! Let me give Islander management some REAL ADVICE = I hope they do not show a tribute video because IF THEY DO they clearly do not have a clue on how MOST of the fan base will feel Thursday nite. A video will only infuriate the crowd as Most fans are hoping JT gets leveled THRU the boards so Lou and Islander management had better brace for that rather than ask the fans to play nice and cheer this assclown ! Jerseys will be burning outside and possibly inside and the Islander GM wants fans to play nice ? Think again
