#JPinVA

[islesblogger]

Lou Avoids Another Isles Exodus

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Lou Lamoriello showed his expertise through June and on day one of the NHL free agency period.

History

There have been several free agent exodus situations in the Islanders recent history. The first was a sort of a mutually agreed upon house cleaning in 2007. That basically led to the turning point drafts of 2008 and 2009. It had a decent ending, but it was definitely two years of pain, with more to follow.

The second of note was in 2015. After their first playoff series win in over two decades the Isles let key players walk. In that July the Islanders lost Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen and Matt Martin. It took awhile for the team to figure out how to kill penalties without Nielsen and they fell too far to recover. That Fall, like the 2007 exodus cost a coach his job.

The third was last year when the team lost their captain, John Tavares, and Calvin deHaan to free agency. The only saving grace was that they were able to acquire GM Lou Lamoriello, coach Barry Trotz and the core of Barry’s staff. If not it surely would have been back to the drawing board for ownership.

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Present

This year had all the earmarks of 2015. The Islanders could have easily lost their captain [again!], their most experienced center, their Vezina candidate goaltender, their top right handed shot wing, their third line center and some depth pieces that were instrumental in their playoff push.

Lou did not let that happen. He took care of business with the two most likely to leave in June. He got Nelson and Eberle done relatively early. He then made sure his roster had solid flexibility by signing Fritz, then Kuhnhackl. This was key to the future management of likely IR candidates Andrew Ladd and Cal Clutterbuck.

Casey Cizikas clearly showed he was ready to take on more responsibility, so it was easy to see why they let Val Filppula walk. He had a very good year, but the Isles were clearly looking to add more offence.

A Very Strange Path To Continuity

Lou held off on signing his captain, and his number one goaltender. It was my assumption that he wanted to keep some cap space available for bigger fish. If he landed the fish (Artemi Panarin), then he’d have to move some players to create space to sign those two. The team doesn’t want to announce that, but in the aftermath that seems to have been the plan.

Lou missed on Panarin. But even though Panarin accepted less to play for the Rangers, he was offered more than if the Isles weren’t in the fishing hole.

This all comes full circle when Lou signs Lee for more term and AAV than anybody thought was possible. He also let’s Robin Lehner walk to sign another client of Panarin’s agent, Semyon Varlamov. Paul Theofanous represents July 1st targets; Sergei Bobrovsky, Arteri Panarin and Semyon Varlamov. He also represents Islander prospect Ilya Sorokin.

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Stability

Some will say the team is no better today, than it was yesterday. On paper maybe that’s true. Here’s what the roster looks like with none of the key RFA’s signed.

John Palmieri | Islesblogger

This roster plus Anthony Beauvillier, Michael Dal Colle and Josh Ho-Sang is certainly capable of continuing the Islanders’ successful run of 2018-19. That is something that wasn’t available to the teams in 2007 and 2015. There won’t be a dramatic coaching change in 2019, like there was in 2018.

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The Future

In the immediate future there are more fish to fry. As of me writing this there are some UFA forwards available that could easily fit in the ~$8M of cap space retained on July 1st.

Brian Boyle is a possible target for a team looking for a bottom six center that can kill penalties and help with the power play.

If this is the last deal this summer the Islanders are still in very good shape. They have two 2018 draftees that may make their NHL debuts this year. Oliver Wahlstrom is headed to Bridgeport. Ollie can play 9 games in the NHL without having his first ELC year counting. We can count on those games being used to evaluate his readiness if he has a good camp.

Noah Dobson is in a similar “ELC Slide” situation. He has dominated the QMJHL, but at 19 he can’t go to the AHL. I can see the Islanders using his 9 games as well. They should have enough flexibility to utilize both early in the season if Andrew Ladd and Cal Clutterbuck are both still healing in October.

The best way to improve the roster might be through a series of trades. The exceptional play of Devon Toews and Adam Pelech have made Nick Leddy and/or Thomas Hickey expendable. Thomas Greiss, as a pending UFA is also expendable. In turn there are several teams that are scraping or above the cap ceiling that should be willing to shed some salary.

John Palmieri | Islesblogger Courtesy of @CapFriendly

The possibilities for a roster upgrade are many. The best part of this is that we have a HOF GM running the show. He also should have confidence in the fact that his future HOF coach will be able to take the ingredients he provides and once again challenge for the Metro division. This because the New York Islanders did not take a step backwards today.

Lou Avoids Another Isles Exodus was originally published on islesblogger.com

[islesblogger]

Engage The Blog Switch! JPinVA Welcome Aboard!

It’s no secret. I’ve not given Islesblogger the love and attention that it deserves, especially after giving me 11 years of a venue to write great stuff and create amazing memories thanks to the NHL and New York Islanders.

I’ve written about life and everything else in this space and how everything changes. That’s just a part of growing up – much like Tavares leaving the Island (parts one two and three) in free-agency, right?

Theres one more change here though – and I tried this several months ago though it didn’t work out. I am welcoming in a writer, someone else who’s voice and opinion I’ve come to know and respect. That man is JPinVA.

As you already know, I created The Isles Faithful Podcast back in late July and it’s been a pretty wild ride so far. In 23 episodes we’re approaching 7000 downloads and the guests and feedback have been amazing. My goal is to make the podcast and extension of Islesblogger in a sense, which is why I asked JP to provide some content over here.

The funny part is JP was very active in commenting here on Islesblogger back in the day – so I am happy it’s come full circle. The other part, he’s been a frequent guest on the podcast – something I am sure will continue into the future.

So, please join me in welcoming JP here to Islesblogger – a place that will see continued updates as we head into the future. It’s too exciting of a time in Isles Nation not to write and enjoy the outlets available to me!

Engage The Blog Switch! JPinVA Welcome Aboard! was originally published on islesblogger.com

[islesblogger]

Lou Avoids Another Isles Exodus

Lou Avoids Another Isles Exodus

http://gty.im/543010230

Lou Lamoriello showed his expertise through June and on day one of the NHL free agency period.

History

There have been several free agent exodus situations in the Islanders recent history. The first was a sort of a mutually agreed upon house cleaning in 2007. That basically led to the turning point drafts of 2008 and 2009. It had a decent ending, but it was…

[islesblogger]

Engage The Blog Switch! JPinVA Welcome Aboard!

Engage The Blog Switch! JPinVA Welcome Aboard! #isles @JPinVA

It’s no secret. I’ve not given Islesblogger the love and attention that it deserves, especially after giving me 11 years of a venue to write great stuff and create amazing memories thanks to the NHL and New York Islanders.

I’ve written about life and everything else in this space and how everything changes. That’s just a part of growing up – much like Tavares leaving the Island (parts one two…

[islesblogger]

5 Questions For The Islanders as 2019-20 Camp Opens

5 Questions For The Islanders as 2019-20 Camp Opens @JPinVA @IslesBlogger @FaithfulIsles #Isles

1. How ready are Cal Clutterbuck and Andrew Ladd?

According to reportsboth Clutterbuck and Ladd are skating and should be ready to go at some point early in the season. Their health, and ability to contribute will answer a multitude of underlying questions. The Islanders’ roster of forwards are a series of question marks as a whole, but these two will go a long way to answer most of them. They…

[islesblogger]

Isles Summer Shopping Tips

Isles Summer Shopping Tips #Isles @IslesBlogger @JPinVA @FaithfulIsles

As the free agent frenzy slows down I just wanted to take a look at what the Islanders need to contend. Do they really need as much as they think.

Where Are We

It’s July 12th and things have quieted to a whisper on the Islander rumor front. There doesn’t seem to be an offer sheet in the works for Mitch Marner. It looks like Lou will be content with his 2018-19 roster with a few upgrades here…

[islesblogger]

Why Offer Sheeting Marner Is Not A Good Idea For the Islanders

Why Offer Sheeting Marner Is The Worst Idea Ever! #Isles #LeafsForever @IslesBlogger @FaithfulIsles @JPinVA

Rumors of Lou Lamoriello tendering an offer sheet to Mitch Marner have been circling on #Isles twitter recently. I’m not saying it won’t, or it can’t happen. I am saying that it will not be a good plan in the very near future.

The Cost The Salary

Mitch Marneris rumored to want somewhere in the neighborhood of $12M per year for his remaining Restricted Free Agent years. Those numbers are…

[islesblogger]

2019 Islander Inventory

2019 Islander Inventory A look at the NY Islanders summer needs and strategy. @Islesblogger @FaithfulIsles @JPinVA #Isles

On Friday May 3rd 2019 the Islanders’ season officially ended. The Islanders need to work on putting the team back together. This is how I see it happening

2018-19

I’ve assembled a roster whiteboard to better understand the roster construction of the Islanders. This will break down the team by its 23 roster spots and their on-ice roles. This is what the 2018-19 Islanders looked like under…

[islesblogger]

Islanders 5 Keys to Beating the Canes

Islanders 5 Keys to Beating the Canes #Isles #IsleFaithfulPodcast #IslesBlogger @JPinVA

For the NY Islanders the game plan will be the same. The keys will be in the execution. They will need to stress these points. Here’s what I see.

1 Line Matchups

For the Islanders the matchups will be driven by zone start as they have all year. Casey Cizikas and Val Filppula will take the bulk of defensive zone faceoffs, and Brock Nelson and Mat Barzal will handle the offensive zone starts.

[islesblogger]

Islanders vs Penguins Matchups

Islanders vs Penguins Matchups #Isles #IslesBlogger #IslesFaithfulPodcast @JPinVA

The New York Islanders are the least favored two seed in the NHL playoff matchups this year. This is based on one thing, Sidney Crosby. Let’s break this down and see if this is truly the case.

The Rosters

When you look at the rosters as a whole the Penguins have a huge advantage based on playoff experience, and their top six forwards. There are an awful lot of Stanley Cup rings over there,…

[islesblogger]

5 Reasons Why Jordan Eberle Should be a NY Islander Next Year

5 Reasons Why Jordan Eberle Should be a NY Islander Next Year #Isles #IslesBlogger #IslesFaithful @JPinVA

Jordan Eberle is a pending unrestricted free agent. He can walk away from the organization on July 1st 2019. The Islanders will have to make some tough decisions before then. Since October my opinion on this subject has definitely evolved. I thought for sure Jordan Eberle would be ex-Isled by the trade deadline. Here’s why I think both parties would be better off if he stayed.

http://gty.im/109…

[islesblogger]

10 Reasons Islander Fans Shouldn't Panic

10 Reasons #Isles Fans Shouldn't Panic @IslesBlogger @JPinVA @FaithfulIsles

Here are my top 10 reasons why NY Islanders fans shouldn’t panic with five games left. There is plenty of good news to go around.

1. The Standings

The Islanders are currently tied for second place with Pittsburgh in the Metro division. They are three points behind first place Washington, and four points ahead of Carolina who has a firm grip on the top wild card spot in the Eastern…

[islesblogger]

Playoff Prep

#Isles Playoff Prep #IslesBlogger @JPinVA

The Islanders have 15 regular season games remaining before the playoffs. The Metro, and the Eastern conference are too tight to really narrow down an opponent at this point. So let’s look at how the team might best improve themselves for the road ahead.

http://gty.im/1085109714 The Power Play

This has been the achilles heel of the team all year. They are currently operating at 15.63%.…

[islesblogger]

Game Review 20190301 VS WAS: Dead Leg Isles Fall to Caps 1-3

Game Review 20190301 VS WAS: Dead Leg Isles Fall to Caps 1-3 #Isles @IslesBlogger @JPinVA #Caps

The most important game to date for both the Islanders and Capitals. The Islanders finally played the back end of a back to back like you’re supposed to… tired. Washington finally break the Isles’ D, and Greiss in the third. A PP goal, a fluke fowl (Emblem joke) tip, and an own goal empty netter by Bailey.

The IslesBlogger.com game reviews are being done in restaurant review form based on this…

[islesblogger]

Post Game 20190228 VS TOR: We Don't Need You

Post Game 20190228 VS TOR: We Don't Need You #Isles @JPinVA @IslesBlogger @FaithfulIsles

The return of John Tavares to Fort Neverlose was something special. A 6-1 Victory that was nothing short of spectacular.

The Staff (Lineup…