Good Morning, Islanders Country.
The Islanders’ sub-par start may force them to make decisions that seemed improbable given this season’s expectations. The team that was clearing cap-space to be buyers, could pivot to sellers depending on the results of the next stretch of games.
This could go either way. There are some intriguing names to target if they vault themselves back into the playoff picture. But if not, what should be done in this “lost” season to ensure it’s only a one-year misstep?
Coming up, NHL teams are seeing a wave of positive Covid cases (including tonight’s opponent), social media says so long to a long-time follow, and the final piece of the puzzle returns to the TV booth. Plus, an updated mask policy at UBS Arena and the future meets the past at the Islanders team store.
Let’s dive in.
The New York Islanders are bottom dwellers in the Metropolitan Division, Eastern Conference, and NHL. An unlikely statement of fact for a trendy Stanley Cup pick that becomes harder to dismiss with each regulation loss. As the calendar inches closer towards Christmas break, thoughts understandably turn towards whether the Isles will be in a position to salvage their season or become sellers in the new year.
This season has all the makings of a lost year - injuries to key players, underperforming veterans, a stagnant offense, frustrating defeats, and just bad luck. Even so, a rebuild is neither realistic nor likely. This is still a team with a ‘win now’ battle-tested core that isn’t about to be torn down. Retooling and reshaping the roster will be the goal whether it’s done to salvage the season or with an eye towards 2022-23.
Some of the team’s needs today are the same as they were before the season. The Fourth Period’s, James Nichols, reported last week that the Islanders checked in on the Arizona Coyotes, Jakob Chychrun over the summer. In yesterday’s edition of Elliot Friedmans 32 Thoughts blog, Friedman confirmed the report that the Coyotes are taking calls on the 23-year old defenseman, but the price is “massive.”
A move for a player such as Chychrun, who has term left on his contract, fills a glaring need this year and beyond. The question remains whether the Islanders have the assets to retrieve the All-Star defenseman or another player of his caliber.
If Lou Lamoriello decides to go in a different direction they could sell off veterans and evaluate young players the rest of the way. Barry Trotz openly indicated it’s now Ilya Sorokin’s net and that the second-year goaltender may receive three starts to every one for Semyon Varlamov who has struggled to find his game since missing training camp. One wonders what “Varly” could return from a team like the Edmonton Oilers or Varlamov’s former club, the Colorado Avalanche, that have playoff/Stanley Cup aspirations and would surely come knocking if it meant solidifying their goaltending situation.
If the Islanders aren’t looking to break up the Sorokin/Varlamov tandem, some of their older, expiring assets could be enough to retrieve draft picks of some kind. Lou Lamoriello could look to sell off the likes of Zach Parise, Andy Greene, Cal Clutterbuck, and maybe even Zdeno Chara for draft capital. A player such as Scott Mayfield with a playoff pedigree and one year left on a very team-friendly contract could be worth a high cost for a playoff team without much cap flexibility looking to strengthen their blue line.
It’s reasonable to believe the Islanders just need a “retool” rather than a “rebuild” with the way their core is constructed. That could start sooner rather than later if the Isles are willing to pay for a high-end return or they could play the long game, accruing assets to take into the offseason to later trade, and build their future with a bit of a different look.
⏭ NEXT UP:
📊 STANDINGS:
🔺 CASES UP: The Islanders aren’t the only team dealing with COVID. The Boston Bruins make their way to UBS Arena for the first time tonight and will do so without their captain, Patrice Bergeron who was entered COVID protocol on Wednesday. He is the third forward placed in the protocol by the team this week. Brad Marchand and Craig Smith were added to the list on Tuesday.
😷 MASK UP: With the number of COVID cases on the rise and the new mask mandate for the state of New York, UBS Arena is asking its guests to one again take extra precaution when visiting the arena.
Here are the new guidelines:
😔 SO LONG, OLD FRIEND: The Athletic has undergone a series of changes including now-former Islanders beat writer, Arthur Staple. He had one last message to Islanders fans before bidding adieu and passing the torch to Kevin Kurz:
💻 PRESS BOX SHAKEUP: Stape will be missed as will Christian Arnold of NYIHockeyNow who announced that he is leaving the Islanders beat for amNewYork where he will be covering the Brooklyn Nets.
🤗 BUTCH IS BACK: Butch Goring returns to the broadcast tonight when the Islanders take on the Bruins. Goring missed seven games after successful shoulder surgery. Joe Micheletti and AJ Mleczko filled in alongside Brendan Burke while Goring was absent.
👩🏫 SOUND SMART: Via JFresh, Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock are still seeing success on the majority of their 5v5 shifts this season, despite the Islanders’ poor play as a whole. Each defender is sitting around 55% in Expected Goals-for percent.
🔗 Islanders News: This team has a decision to make, by Steven E. Smith, Lighthouse Hockey: “On one hand, we’d all love a playoff run, obviously. But after last night’s regulation loss to the Detroit Red Wings, it’s getting to the point that even a ten-game win streak would only just put us back in the race. If this team gets back in the race, like the New York Lottery says, hey, ya never know.”
🔗 Isles try to push forward with Barzal and upcoming opponents in COVID-19 protocols, by Andrew Gross, Newsday: “The Islanders have Mathew Barzal in COVID-19 protocol. The Bruins, whom the Islanders are scheduled to host on Thursday night at UBS Arena, added their top-line center, Patrice Bergeron, to the COVID-19 list on Wednesday after teammates Brad Marchand and Craig Smith joined the NHL’s expanding list of players in COVID-19 protocol on Tuesday.”
🔗 Butch Goring returns to Isles broadcast on Thursday, by Neil Best, Newsday: “The longtime analyst had missed the previous seven games while recovering from shoulder surgery, with Joe Micheletti and AJ Mleczko filling in for him alongside play-by-play man Brendan Burke.”
🎧 Nassaumen Hockey Podcast Episode 90: Last Straw for the Islanders? The New York Islanders fall to the Detroit Red Wings in what was a pretty uninterested game by the Islanders. Is this the straw that breaks the camel's back? Are changes afoot, and if so, do they come from outside the organization, to within? Did Anthony Beauvillier respond to his benching? Did Oliver Wahlstrom get more minutes? Is Kieffer Bellows playing like an NHLer? Has the torch been passed by Semyon Varlamov to Ilya Sorokin? All this, and more, in episode 90.
And we leave you with this… The Islanders team store is selling the throwback 1996-97 wave jersey and offering customizations including current roster players.
Would you buy an Ilya Sorokin retro jersey?
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