Another game this shitty team deserved to lose. They can’t even get shots off in the shootout. blow this roster up.
This team has reached the point where the players know they are not good enough to win the cup no matter what they say in their interviews. It’s time, Lou knows it’s time, their fate is sealed and it’s obvious to all of them. This team will not be the same next year, mark my words.
Wahlstrom, Dobson and Bellows better turn out to be all-timers because we gave up the past two seasons for them.
I don’t think it’s going to happen, I’ll tell you why. The NHL sees the islanders as a good team but they have seen enough of them to know it’s Barry system that is the reason. No other team wants our players, so the trades that could help the team are not there to be had. We can trade some of our young guys in minors but it still leaves islanders in same boat, bloated contracts for scrubs, they can’t be sent to AHL, they can only be demoted to 4th line but then where do you put Czikas, Martin and Johnson? Bailey, Eberle, Beauvillier, Lee are still going to be on the roster just a lesser role. Islanders need to cut players, eat salary and do what the Maple Leafs did, bring up all the young guys and let them play under Trotz. Not sure if that’s something they would want to do.
They are stuck with some big contracts and then there are a few guys with no trade clauses. I am still amazed that we did not take a flyer on Kovalchuk as I would have traded for that guy last year and we could have gotten him for peanuts this year and he is just as good as any of our top 5 and could have helped the PP but yeah I know he does not play defense but like that matters -----------------> did anyone watch the shootout as 2 of our shooters whiffed on the puck simply amazing
What is the difference between losing games with scrubs like Anders Lee, Bailey, Eberle, Beauvillier, or young players like Aho, Wahlstrom, Bellows, Koivula? At some point the young players need to play with the big boys. I’ll tell you this, I hope Trotz is not one of those coaches that only likes veterans even though he may have a better option with young players because he’s afraid of the mistakes they might make.
IMO ,Its not that he does not like young players its that he wants players who can play his system specifically play defense that was the argument I heard from many about trading for or signing Kovalchuk that he does not play Def or fit into Trotz system. I never heard the anyone from the Islanders say this but it has been repeated by others ad nauseam
The problem is the vets he has now don’t play defense either, Bailey, Eberle and Beauvillier are horrible and turn the puck over in their defensive zone all the time. Amazing that the guy you hated most Brock Nelson is the only one apart from Barzal that is productive in this system playing a two way game.
Barzal has also become a turnover machine and I will admit that Nelson has played much better than I thought under Trotz especially since he is not a natural center but I hate Bailey much much more. Nelson still IMO is just too streaky for my liking and disappears too many times
It’s not easy to carry out the responsibility of a center in the NHL, if Nelson had help on the wings he would probably be a 60-70 point center. He sets up his line mates all the time they just can’t finish.
Mayfield, the bane of your existence, has taken a huge step backwards this year after seemingly establishing himself last year. If there is a bad penalty taken in the third period this season, it was most likely Mayfield. Ultimately Trotz likely pulled off the greatest coaching job in the history of hockey with this group last year, and this season is more likely what they are than last year. Nobody realistically thought the 16 game point streak was truly what they were, but 26 pts in 27 games is such a regression that it’s likely not an anomaly.
I remember seeing Mayfield when he was with the Sound Tigers and always being spun around like the hockey player in the bubble table top hockey game, Barry’s system hid a lot of his weakness but like with everything else, once the opposition plays enough games against you they pick up on the shortcomings of each player. Trotz system is really good but the weakness is the talent level of the Islanders, it’s just not there. Islanders only have 1/2 of the recipe to take this team to another level. With regards to the point streak, remember they had 3 rookies in the lineup covering for injured players. They sent the rookies back and reinserted the veterans and the team went back to its former self.
A friend calls me last night and asks me if I " want to spend some time with him in the city ? " so I say whats up ? and he tells me he has tickets for Islanders vs Rangers on the glass = I thank him for thinking of me but say " no thanks " = thats where my head is at with this team. Too hard to watch on TV but at least I CAN CHANGE THE CHANNEL
I really hope we don't lose to them for a 3rd time in 9 days. I know I sound like a broken record but we really need a win tonight. Also I hope Trotz goes back to Greiss. He obviously played well Sunday(didn't see any of the game with football on) and he is 4-0-1 against the Rangers. With that record why wasn't playing the first two Ranger games. Anyway LGI.
We’ve lost to a lot of teams that didn’t have Panarin. I’m going full superstitious mode tonight; I haven’t missed a game in a while but I’m not watching or listening to this one to break the zeitgeist.
