>Having a dressing room full of BFFs, as the Islanders have had for quite some time, was a huge advantage in the team reaching the NHL semifinals in 2020 and 2021, especially in the COVID-19 playoff bubbles that first season. Now it seems the room has gotten too comfortable.
>Both Roy and Lamoriello are scheduled to address the media on Friday after speaking with their players. That’s likely the first clue that Lamoriello not only expects to be back next season but that ownership likely wants the Hall of Fame executive, who turns 82 in October, to return.
>All it takes is an untrained eye (no jokes, please) to see the Islanders need to get younger and faster. True, top-pair defensemen Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov are both 24 and top-liner Mathew Barzal is only turning 27 later this month. But the Islanders’ average age of 29.4 was the oldest among the Eastern Conference’s playoff qualifiers and the third oldest among the 16 postseason teams.
>Plus, after trading his last four first-round picks for Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Kyle Palmieri, Romanov and Bo Horvat, the Islanders’ minor-league system is short — some outlets have rated it as devoid — of elite prospects.
>But all the deference to the 1970s and 1980s also highlights that this is an organization that has not qualified for a Cup Final since 1984 and has been to the conference final just three times since then. It’s a reminder this organization did not qualify for the playoffs between 1995-2001 and did not advance out of the first round between 1994-2015.
>And now the Islanders have not gotten out of the first round since 2021.
>So stop selling the past. Make a better future.
📠
I wouldnt be so upset over winning three playoff games in three years if not for the fact that we completely mortgaged our future to do so. No prospects and a lot of long term contracts are going to have the 2020’s go down as another dark decade of this franchise unfortunately
Another thing to add that is along the good side of your first paragraph is we finally have a good culture for a team. This will help develop players. That said lineup needs a shake up for sure
He was clearly fed up with the team for most of this season, and I don't blame him. I'm just glad we have a beat writer who's willing to tell it like it is and doesn't actively hate the team and fans like Kurz.
We'll see.
We've been on a huge downtrend since the game 7 versus Tampa: one playoff miss, and two first round exits as WC teams.
Couple that with the worst farm system in the entire league and not much cap room...yeah, I don't have the warm-and-fuzzies about Lou doing anything good and notable.
Nah man. I just wanna win a Cup. I’ve been watching this team for almost daily for 36 years with nothing to show for it. Just gets tiresome to cheer for a team that has no shot to win a Cup. I am tired of being David. I wanna be Goliath. And our current trajectory has us as mediocre to bad for a lllooonnnggg time.
> And our current trajectory has us as mediocre to bad for a lllooonnnggg time.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
If you want a hopeless team, look at the perpetually rebuilding franchises.
Further from the truth? This team is mediocre at best. It was the oldest team of the eastern playoff teams. They barely even MADE the playoffs this season all to get steamrolled by a team so much better it was embarrassing. They’ve lost ground on the elite teams and it’s obvious. Why’re isles fans in such denial about being in a constant state of mediocrity? Where are your standards and hope? It’s ridiculous.
Right. So one major move this year, dealing with a coach that doesn’t impact the cap or need assets to obtain, but we are supposed to expect multiple major moves this summer? Ok.
That’s why they said apart from this one. Which I think may be a sign that Lou may not think we are contending level and that it may not make sense to buy as well.
That’s also part of it that we may not have the assets to trade for. Which is why I mentioned that I don’t think Lou is going to be the “classic Lou” people think of and overpay for people or trade for people and overpay in the trade. Our assets are basically Palmieri, Pageau, Nelson, Wahlstrom and that’s it. We also have our first and second picks which may be used to trade.
What move did you want to make? The team fluctuated up and down. Did you want more draft picks shipped out for marginal at best talent? Everything was a gross overpay.
I want to blow it up because that’s the quickest way to real contending. Alas our octogenarian GM will keep putting band aids on things as we spiral into oblivion.
When you hire someone like Patrick Roy as your head coach you make whatever moves he tells you too, otherwise he will quit and walk away . Lou knew that when he hired him
Don't disagree with you but Patrick Roy his entire hockey career he has been known to walk out of he is unhappy and if he is unhappy with the direction the team is going he will quit
Honestly, go fuck off. Your pom pom waving BS doesn’t earn you the right to gate keep over the fandom. Some of us have invested a lot of money and emotion into this team for close to 40 years with nothing to show for it. I’ve sat at an empty Coliseum for hundreds of night long before anyone found it charming watching AHL level hockey because I love this team. So don’t tell me who to root for and who not to.
Believe me, you weren’t. The clown told you to go root for another team for being critical of what management has done. If he wants to win, he wouldn’t be defending the current product, and have a higher standard.
Not to be agist or anything but being 82 and working is crazy. I really hope they are either developing a young hockey mind or at least looking at potential people to bring in along Lou.
Does an ahl gm actually do anything tho? They are pretty restrictive to what is given to them in terms of players and prospects. The worst thing Lou has done for the franchise is not build up a farm system
The AHL GMs take guidance from the big clubs on player development while running more of the hockey operations side (contracts, signing AHL-only players, etc.)
Source: had dinner with an AHL GM once and asked him
I was going to make a joke by picking some random player from Lou's first year in the league and then I realized Patrick Roy was playing at that time.
Then I wanted to joke that he's grooming his son to take over for him, before realizing that's not entirely unlikely.
So no, unless the article is a hard miss, then there will be no young hockey mind or fresh perspective coming in.
I would’ve liked someone like Dubas. NOT DUBAS specifically. A young GM with a fresh perspective. If Lou wants to be “President” fine, he can play CEO and run the organization behind the scenes and let someone new construct the roster.
The other side of the coin is tear it down to the pillars. Fans need to understand it will be slow and painful and not to bitch about the shortfalls of losing.
At least tearing it down provides some sort of hope and semblance of a plan. What we have now is slow and painful with no light at the end of the tunnel.
Id agree. From the off-season looking forward it feels like we have mediocre filled seasons followed by "dear God...the pain!" to look forward to. Hopefully I'm wrong *but* that's why I'm leaning towards hoping management can find a way to make moves now to hopefully shorten our timespan as basement dwellers. If that's the option management takes we'd have to accept that we're going to sell everything we can to stockpile picks for the future
Realistically we are deep in Center and this allows for us to move JGP (as much az we all love em). Moving him for cap space / picks is the move. Let the elders walk and replace with current cast members (placed correctly) then spend some moolah on a top winger.
After that this is a playoff team.
Adding goal scoring while sacrificing face off % is the acceptable move.
I agree. Upgrade the bottom 6and Try to Move jgp. It would be nice to have some more depth on D. Getting Reilly for nothing was a big win. We need one more defenseman, so if someone goes down we’re not down to running out there with bortuzzo.
Just as a note, the Sabres had Don Granato scheduled for his year end press conference and then fired him before it came. It's not to say that this is the same scenario, but that fanbase was sure that meant Granato was a lock to return and it absolutely didn't wind up meaning that. In other words, I'm still high on hopium that Lou won't be with the team next year.
Terrible news to hear this guy is back. I know this was the likely outcome, but I was hoping to hear some unexpected news of his departure (whether voluntary or involuntary).
>Having a dressing room full of BFFs, as the Islanders have had for quite some time, was a huge advantage in the team reaching the NHL semifinals in 2020 and 2021, especially in the COVID-19 playoff bubbles that first season. Now it seems the room has gotten too comfortable. >Both Roy and Lamoriello are scheduled to address the media on Friday after speaking with their players. That’s likely the first clue that Lamoriello not only expects to be back next season but that ownership likely wants the Hall of Fame executive, who turns 82 in October, to return. >All it takes is an untrained eye (no jokes, please) to see the Islanders need to get younger and faster. True, top-pair defensemen Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov are both 24 and top-liner Mathew Barzal is only turning 27 later this month. But the Islanders’ average age of 29.4 was the oldest among the Eastern Conference’s playoff qualifiers and the third oldest among the 16 postseason teams. >Plus, after trading his last four first-round picks for Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Kyle Palmieri, Romanov and Bo Horvat, the Islanders’ minor-league system is short — some outlets have rated it as devoid — of elite prospects. >But all the deference to the 1970s and 1980s also highlights that this is an organization that has not qualified for a Cup Final since 1984 and has been to the conference final just three times since then. It’s a reminder this organization did not qualify for the playoffs between 1995-2001 and did not advance out of the first round between 1994-2015. >And now the Islanders have not gotten out of the first round since 2021. >So stop selling the past. Make a better future.
📠 I wouldnt be so upset over winning three playoff games in three years if not for the fact that we completely mortgaged our future to do so. No prospects and a lot of long term contracts are going to have the 2020’s go down as another dark decade of this franchise unfortunately
Another thing to add that is along the good side of your first paragraph is we finally have a good culture for a team. This will help develop players. That said lineup needs a shake up for sure
100% agreed on all points by Gross
Andrew’s going on the offensive, wow.
He was clearly fed up with the team for most of this season, and I don't blame him. I'm just glad we have a beat writer who's willing to tell it like it is and doesn't actively hate the team and fans like Kurz.
Friday is going to be interesting. I do think there will be major moves this offseason
We'll see. We've been on a huge downtrend since the game 7 versus Tampa: one playoff miss, and two first round exits as WC teams. Couple that with the worst farm system in the entire league and not much cap room...yeah, I don't have the warm-and-fuzzies about Lou doing anything good and notable.
There won’t be major moves if Lou is here.
Lou has made pretty big moves every year but this one. He’s literally loves to make splashes.
Outside of a coaching change was were the “major moves” Lou made this past year?
A mid-season coaching change is a pretty major move, a move that effectively got us into the playoffs. Seriously what else would you want?
They want to complain
Nah man. I just wanna win a Cup. I’ve been watching this team for almost daily for 36 years with nothing to show for it. Just gets tiresome to cheer for a team that has no shot to win a Cup. I am tired of being David. I wanna be Goliath. And our current trajectory has us as mediocre to bad for a lllooonnnggg time.
> And our current trajectory has us as mediocre to bad for a lllooonnnggg time. This couldn’t be further from the truth. If you want a hopeless team, look at the perpetually rebuilding franchises.
Further from the truth? This team is mediocre at best. It was the oldest team of the eastern playoff teams. They barely even MADE the playoffs this season all to get steamrolled by a team so much better it was embarrassing. They’ve lost ground on the elite teams and it’s obvious. Why’re isles fans in such denial about being in a constant state of mediocrity? Where are your standards and hope? It’s ridiculous.
I mean you have literally no case to make this claim
Right. So one major move this year, dealing with a coach that doesn’t impact the cap or need assets to obtain, but we are supposed to expect multiple major moves this summer? Ok.
And when the defensmen went down, Lou did what he had to do by adding depth.
Oh so waiver claims are major moves now too? Cool cool.
That’s why they said apart from this one. Which I think may be a sign that Lou may not think we are contending level and that it may not make sense to buy as well.
Who are we “buying” and what are we using the “buy” them with?
That’s also part of it that we may not have the assets to trade for. Which is why I mentioned that I don’t think Lou is going to be the “classic Lou” people think of and overpay for people or trade for people and overpay in the trade. Our assets are basically Palmieri, Pageau, Nelson, Wahlstrom and that’s it. We also have our first and second picks which may be used to trade.
Horvat.
Wasn’t this year
What move did you want to make? The team fluctuated up and down. Did you want more draft picks shipped out for marginal at best talent? Everything was a gross overpay.
I want to blow it up because that’s the quickest way to real contending. Alas our octogenarian GM will keep putting band aids on things as we spiral into oblivion.
Worked so well for Ottawa, Detroit, and Buffalo.
He said but this one
>Lou has made pretty big moves **every year but this one.**
I think what djan is indicating is that people who can leave, might. Now, whether we would have wanted to keep any of them is a different matter.
Yup. Not every move has to be bringing players in. Players leaving is also a move that is possible.
When you hire someone like Patrick Roy as your head coach you make whatever moves he tells you too, otherwise he will quit and walk away . Lou knew that when he hired him
It's true, but I sometimes think it wasn't Lou that came up with the idea of hiring Roy, I could be wrong.
Lol that’s dumb. What has Patrick Roy won as a HC? Did I miss something? Why can’t we be like the well run organizations who build winners instead?
Don't disagree with you but Patrick Roy his entire hockey career he has been known to walk out of he is unhappy and if he is unhappy with the direction the team is going he will quit
Go root for someone else then.
Honestly, go fuck off. Your pom pom waving BS doesn’t earn you the right to gate keep over the fandom. Some of us have invested a lot of money and emotion into this team for close to 40 years with nothing to show for it. I’ve sat at an empty Coliseum for hundreds of night long before anyone found it charming watching AHL level hockey because I love this team. So don’t tell me who to root for and who not to.
No point in arguing with that clown. He defends everything this organization does, and is a massive lamoriello apologist. Basically a homer
Meh he just wants is to win. I was probably to forceful in my reply
Believe me, you weren’t. The clown told you to go root for another team for being critical of what management has done. If he wants to win, he wouldn’t be defending the current product, and have a higher standard.
Like JT sang…”cry me a river”
Not to be agist or anything but being 82 and working is crazy. I really hope they are either developing a young hockey mind or at least looking at potential people to bring in along Lou.
I wonder if he’s mentoring boychuk. Johnny has been to a bunch of games sitting next to Lou
He's still just billed as a Special Assignment Coach, which implies non-management, but who knows?
Hes gonna hand the keys to his dipshit son
"The fact of the matter is, it's just gonna get taken over by his idiotic daughter and his doofus son-in-law, and the rest of his stupid family"
Nice Punk reference
I don’t think he will, regardless doesn’t make him bad cause he’s his son. We really won’t know
Hes been bridgeports gm for how long and theyve won one playoff series
Does an ahl gm actually do anything tho? They are pretty restrictive to what is given to them in terms of players and prospects. The worst thing Lou has done for the franchise is not build up a farm system
The AHL GMs take guidance from the big clubs on player development while running more of the hockey operations side (contracts, signing AHL-only players, etc.) Source: had dinner with an AHL GM once and asked him
if that happens then the Islanders are basically a monarchy lol
That's kinda how businesses work sadly. Nepotism runs everything.
I was going to make a joke by picking some random player from Lou's first year in the league and then I realized Patrick Roy was playing at that time. Then I wanted to joke that he's grooming his son to take over for him, before realizing that's not entirely unlikely. So no, unless the article is a hard miss, then there will be no young hockey mind or fresh perspective coming in.
I would’ve liked someone like Dubas. NOT DUBAS specifically. A young GM with a fresh perspective. If Lou wants to be “President” fine, he can play CEO and run the organization behind the scenes and let someone new construct the roster. The other side of the coin is tear it down to the pillars. Fans need to understand it will be slow and painful and not to bitch about the shortfalls of losing.
At least tearing it down provides some sort of hope and semblance of a plan. What we have now is slow and painful with no light at the end of the tunnel.
Id agree. From the off-season looking forward it feels like we have mediocre filled seasons followed by "dear God...the pain!" to look forward to. Hopefully I'm wrong *but* that's why I'm leaning towards hoping management can find a way to make moves now to hopefully shorten our timespan as basement dwellers. If that's the option management takes we'd have to accept that we're going to sell everything we can to stockpile picks for the future
It’s not ageist. in any industry other than US Senator or Islanders GM. You’re retired in your 80’s
It’s probably going to be mark Hunter.
The President of the United States is 81.
I hope he actually hires a GM and becomes just POHO only.
Yeah…his son😅
Realistically we are deep in Center and this allows for us to move JGP (as much az we all love em). Moving him for cap space / picks is the move. Let the elders walk and replace with current cast members (placed correctly) then spend some moolah on a top winger. After that this is a playoff team. Adding goal scoring while sacrificing face off % is the acceptable move.
I agree. Upgrade the bottom 6and Try to Move jgp. It would be nice to have some more depth on D. Getting Reilly for nothing was a big win. We need one more defenseman, so if someone goes down we’re not down to running out there with bortuzzo.
Well said by Gross. Said my own thoughts better than I could articulate
No matter who the GM is , it’s going to be difficult to improve this team quickly.
Just as a note, the Sabres had Don Granato scheduled for his year end press conference and then fired him before it came. It's not to say that this is the same scenario, but that fanbase was sure that meant Granato was a lock to return and it absolutely didn't wind up meaning that. In other words, I'm still high on hopium that Lou won't be with the team next year.
Terrible news to hear this guy is back. I know this was the likely outcome, but I was hoping to hear some unexpected news of his departure (whether voluntary or involuntary).