Good morning, Islanders Country.
Hell hath no fury like an Islanders fan scorned
All afternoon there was pessimism about the Islanders’ chances of signing Johnny Gaudreau.
And why wouldn't there be? Islanders fans have seen how this movie ends. The Isles are ‘in the mix’ for a star player only to see that player choose elsewhere - often under dubious circumstances.
There was the face of the franchise John Tavares taking less money to return home to Toronto after his swim in the pool.
There was the highly coveted Artemi Panarin using the Isles as leverage to squeeze more money out of the Rangers and sign with the Blueshirts.
Then there was yesterday. Yesterday was … different.
Hoping for the best, expecting the worst
As expectations grew in recent days that the team would make a competitive and serious offer to Gaudreau, there was cautious optimism and realistic expectations that this time could be different.
Reports indicated that the 28-year-old not only wanted to be close to his hometown, but it also wasn’t about the money. Having rejected an eight-year offer from the Calgary Flames, it sure seemed that way Gaudreau didn’t have to go to the highest bidder.
The Islanders checked boxes and the team is closer to Stanley Cup contention than the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils. So maybe, just maybe there was a realistic chance Gaudreau could pick the Isles over those teams, right? If there wasn’t a chance under those circumstances, when would there be?
As 12 pm struck and the Free Agent Frenzy shows aired, players were coming off the board (Nick Leddy landed a four-year deal to stay in St. Louis where Thomas Greiss will be his teammate on a third team), trades were being made (Brent Burns and Max Pacioretty to Carolina!) and yet Johnny Gaudreau remained undecided. There was plenty of speculation, but no news.
As the hours went by, presumed free-agent targets from David Perron (Detroit) to Ilya Mikheyev (Vancouver) were signed. The Isles appeared to be all-in on Gaudreau. There were no moves or deals to make until his decision was made.
Then, we learned the Flyers, unable to move JVR and create cap space, were out. It was down to the Islanders and Devils. New Jersey was expected to make the higher offer, but the Islanders were in ‘win-now’ mode. Maybe it’s 50/50?
2 o’clock and the 3'o’clock came and went. All of a sudden, even the most pessimistic Isles fans were feeling that the longer this went, the better the Islanders' chances were given GM Lou Lamoriello’s code of silence. Perhaps no news was good news for the Islanders.
At 6:45 pm we learned that neither Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald nor Lamoriello would meet with the media. Gaudreau was going to take the night and sleep on it. Time to hang with the kids, decide what show to watch with your spouse, and enjoy dinner. Nothing more to refresh on Twitter here.
But then …
He went where!?!
At 7:01 pm TSN’s Elliotte Friedman broke the news.
There had been slight, very slight rumblings about the Blue Jackets during the day, but they had been dismissed … or so we thought.
The 115-point star had taken a deal for less money (compared to NJ offer) in a city further away from his hometown and arguably with a longer road to Stanley Cup contention than his two other suitors.
The NHL world was shook.
Islanders fans were pre-programmed to be disappointed and perhaps braced themselves for the Jersey-native to take more money from the Devils. But this stung in a different way. The Columbus Blue Jackets?
What does it say about the perception of your organization and where your team is if your hall-of-fame General Manager strikes out on the top free agent and loses to the Columbus Blue Jackets? What do they have that the Islanders don’t have? Other than a cannon which, I admit, is pretty cool.
“I think we can finally get rid of the bullshit that this is somehow a bad destination, a bad city, whatever,” Columbus GM Jarmo Kekäläinen told The Athletic. “Because it’s never been true. We got a bad rap because a couple of people decided all along that they weren’t going to be here long-term for various reasons, but it has never been about the city or the organization.
Must be nice.
Now what?
That was day one of free agency. There are still good players available and a trade market that is evolving, but no move will carry the same sizzle that signing like “Johnny Hockey” would have brought to Long Island.
And for an ownership group with a new building, but a season-ticket base that is contracting after the inaugural season at UBS Arena, this was a chance to erase much of what went wrong a season ago.
It would have energized the fan base and made things feel fresh all over again with a new head coach and a new star to market and build your team around alongside Mat Barzal. Welp.
Things have changed on the Island. Things are better. The franchise is in a much better place. Still, until they stop having days like this, it will feel like the rest of the NHL has failed to notice.
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.....so, CAN'T be the VENUE any longer - nope, problem IS Lamoriello and his utterly-LUDICROUS, feudal DICTATES - maybe Johnny just really LIKES the 'STACHE, as DIFFICULT that is to fathom for SOME fans though.....