Good Morning, Islanders Country.
We hope you had a productive Presidents’ Day.
Next week is the State of the Union. Almost all Presidents, regardless of party affiliation will begin by saying “the state of our nation is strong.”
For the Islanders, the state of their franchise is strong, perhaps stronger than it’s been in over three decades. Committed ownership, a new state-of-the-art building, smart business partnerships, and engaged alumni. But while the foundation is strong, cracks in the on-ice product have been exposed and will require executive action. There are no mid-terms, but there is a trade deadline and an off-season to bring up favorability numbers and have supporters believe the team is still headed in the right direction.
Coming up: Varly is a ‘yes’ and Wally a ‘maybe’ for tonight in Seattle, and one columnist envisions Cal Clutterbuck in a Rangers uniform. Plus, Presidential quotes that pack a meaning for the Isles, and two years ago, the original ‘JT’ had his number retired.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: Goaltender Semyon Varlamov has been activated from the COVID non-roster list and is out of protocol. Cory Schneider has been loaned back to Bridgeport in a corresponding move. “We got to see where he's at, said Barry Trotz of Varlamov. “With COVID, everyone has been hit a little differently. When he's ready, he’s ready, we'll probably put him in next...he'll back up tomorrow but he will not start." It’ll be the seventh straight start for Ilya Sorokin in Seattle.
🔙 WALLY RETURN?: Forward Oliver Wahlstrom (upper body) is likely to return to the lineup tonight after missing the prior two games. "He skated today and he seemed okay,” said Trotz. “We had a long flight and we'll see how he feels later today and tomorrow before I can give you a definite answer."
↔️ CROSSTOWN FIT? In the New York Post, Larry Brooks pens some trade speculation that won’t sit well with Islanders fans. In search of a third-line identity, the columnist suggests that Blueshirts inquire about a player instrumental to the Islanders’ identity line - Cal Clutterbuck.
Brooks is quick to acknowledge that GM Lou Lamoriello didn’t make a trade with the Rangers in 28 years with the Devils and of course, hasn’t made one with the cross-town rivals during his four years with the Islanders making this trade proposal likely dead on arrival. But, nevertheless, he makes his case.
Why would Lamoriello want to help the Rangers? Well, why wouldn’t he consider it if such a move would help the Islanders in the future? One of Lamoriello’s key precepts is, “Doing the right thing for the right reason.” Refusing to engage the Rangers just because of the rivalry would be doing the wrong thing for the wrong reason.
As for the return, Brooks points out that the Rangers have an extra second-and fourth-round pick this season while the Islanders don’t own their own pick in either round. (Their second is from Colorado and figures to be a very late pick in that round.)
While unlikely to happen, if the Rangers gave the clear-cut best offer, would or should the Islanders brass and their fanbase be opposed to the move?
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders are visiting the expansion Seattle Kraken for the first time, looking to avenge the 3-0 defeat suffered in the final game before the All-Star Break. Face-off is scheduled for 10:00 pm.
📊 STANDINGS:
🇺🇸 HAIL TO THE CHIEFS: 🏒For Presidents’ Day, we looked at notable quotes from past commanders-in-chief and put them context for this Islanders team.
"99% of failures come from people who make excuses." - George Washington
The Islanders are guilty of many things this season - making excuses is not one of them. That doesn’t mean they don’t have them, they just aren’t making them - at least publicly. A lot went wrong out of their control which put the entire season on tilt from the early going. Barry Trotz has spoken about the team “chasing it” in games, playing from behind in games, something they have done in 11 of their last 12 contests.
That same theme can be applied to the entire season. They have been ‘chasing it’ - it being the standings since late November. As much as they wanted to ignore the steep hill they had to climb, you do wonder if it contributed to their inability to find their game night in and night out. Having to treat each game like a playoff game for three-quarters of a season is no small task, one that is taxing emotionally as self-doubt creeps on with every loss. If that’s been a contributor, don’t expect the players to let you know about it.
“It's amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit."- Harry S. Truman
This represents the Islanders’ identity under Barry Trotz and Lou Lamoriello. They have emphasized the team over the individual from day one. Its been Lamoriello’s mantra his whole career - individuals, even talented ones, win games, but teams win championships.
You may recall one of Lou’s first statements after John Tavares left for Toronto was that he had “achieved great individual success on the ice.” At the time, many thought it was a subtle dig at Tavares on the way out, but in reality, it was just Lou emphasizing the team. Everything is about the team, from lack of facial hair to low numbers to no individual-inspired drinks at the new Offside Tavern.
The Islanders under Barry Trotz have been a team greater than the sum of its parts. Success is found when the entire team is giving max effort, at the top of the game, and trusting the system and each other. The team culture that breeds that type of commitment is easy to embrace when success follows. It’s seasons like this where that belief system is tested.
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time." - Barack Obama
Change is coming, but the extent of it will be decided over the next several months. Lou Lamoriello hasn’t been opposed to change, just not at the expense of his roster’s core. At the two previous trade deadlines, he acquired JG Pageau, Andy Greene, Kyle Palmieri, and Travis Zajac. While those players changed the composition of the team, in none of those deals did Lamoriello relinquish a player making a contribution.
This time around it’s different. Not only does trading any expiring contract like Cal Clutterbuck make sense, but the Islanders will also have to take a good hard look at their roster, and see if they should or could move on with other veterans that have term left on the contracts. From Anthony Beauvillier and Seymon Varlamov to Scott Mayfield and Josh Bailey, the next six months will show how much faith the organization has in its players and coach or if this season was viewed as a harbinger of things to come if significant change doesn’t follow.
🏒 BELLOWS BELIEVERS: With 37 games left, the attention (if it hasn’t already) will turn towards learning more about players that can be part of the solution next season. The Islanders are devoid of top prospects awaiting their first taste of the NHL but do have younger players that need a longer look. Over at The Athletic, Kevin Kurz wrote about how Barry Trotz has signaled that the time is now for Kieffer Bellows to transition to a full-time contributor and prove he can stick at the NHL level.
Here are some quotes from teammates on Bellows’ game:
Mat Barzal: “He’s a good player, he’s a big body, he’s tough. Any time you can get him into those shooting areas it’s going to be a dangerous chance. That’s what he did on my goal — just let it fly and went to the net and the puck was sitting there. I thought he had a really solid game.”
Brock Nelson: “He’s a strong kid down low with a strong stick, he can win some battles. Obviously, everybody knows about his shot. You try to get him some space and he can create space himself to get that off.”
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in Sunday’s “The Skinny,” Brock Nelson is the third player in club history to score five goals against Montreal in a single season and has a shot at scoring the most goals ever by an Islanders versus the Habs in a season.
• Mike Bossy 6 (1983-84, 3 games)
• Brock Nelson 5 (2021-22, 2 games, with one to play)
• Alexei Yashin 5 (2001-02, 4 games)
🗓 ISLE REMEMBER: On February 21, 2020, the Islanders retired No. 27 of John Tonelli. A fan-favorite whose grit and determination symbolized the never-say-die attitude of the Islanders dynasty, Tonelli totaled 544 points (206, 338A)in 594 career games on Long Island and came up clutch when the team needed it most.
As Tonelli's No. 27 was sent to the rafters, he granted permission for captain Anders Lee to continue wearing the number for the remainder of his career with the Isles. "Ever since he put on 27, I've been watching him like a hawk, but I am so impressed," Tonelli said. "I'm so honored that he'll continue to wear our number. He's got character, he's a great leader and I want him to wear that and hopefully one day we'll be up there together."
🔗 Rangers could really use someone like Cal Clutterbuck by Larry Brooks, New York Post “You know who the Rangers could use? You know who the Rangers could have used for at least five years? A player just like Cal Clutterbuck. There’s a player just like Clutterbuck who will become available at the deadline. It is, of course, Clutterbuck himself.”
🔗 While Kieffer Bellows takes steps in his development, Islanders fall flat once again by Kevin Kurz, The Athletic “It was somewhat of an odd time for Barry Trotz to make the proclamation. Prior to the Islanders’ game with the Bruins last Thursday, in which Kieffer Bellows was set to play on the second line with Brock Nelson and Anthony Beauvillier, the coach clearly indicated that now was the time for the 23-year-old forward to stake his claim to a bigger role on the team.”
And we leave you with this…a Presidents’ Day-themed drawing from Lightning Bolt Designs. You can check out all of their designs and merchandise HERE
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