NFT: Islanders (And NHL Playoffs) Discussion

LOLLeafs

In the West it is almost better to be the 3 or 4 seed. That being said, I am not 100% confident in Arizona's goaltending holding up and that could be a deciding factor.

Beat those damn Bruins.

In comment 14947209 Jints in Carolina said:

Quote:

Beat those damn Bruins.

I think that's gonna be a great series. Rooting for the Canes.

on TV than I thought. The players are clearly all-in and playing with max effort, so the product is really. I think this will be the "truest" Stanley Cup playoff since all the games are neutral site and there's no travel.

Isles are underdogs vs the Caps but certainly have a solid shot at taking the series. The Caps can defend but have their own issues scoring lately as well. I think the Isles D is a bit better and they can play all of their lines while the Caps top-end talent is better. Should be fun to watch.

IMO, Tampa is going to win the cup. I think they'll steamroll Columbus and make up for last year. So much depth and talent and they've tightened up their system since last year too.

Finally, LOL at Tavares and the Leafs. He could've been a part of something fun on LI and opened up what's looking like a slam dunk to be the best arena in the sport. Instead he's in a capped out pressure cooker of an underachieving Toronto team as he enters into his decline years.

that adds a little extra edge. Plus a bunch of the current group played Washington Trotz' first year there and gave them a good series despite being very shorthanded. If they can stay out of the penalty box they can win this series.

it's taken a little bit for each sport to get momentum upon their returns but honestly all of them feel pretty normal at this point.

Those noon games were fun!

Islanders can match up against the Caps. Their fourth line needs to have more of an impact vs. Wash then they did vs. Florida.

However, Trotz sure had them suffocating the Florida attack especially with the lead.

Can't wait.....Looking forward to this series!

In comment 14947211 Danny Kanell said:

Quote:

In comment 14947209 Jints in Carolina said: Quote: Beat those damn Bruins. I think that's gonna be a great series. Rooting for the Canes.

Thanks...I hope for a great series too.

In comment 14947243 Eric on Li said:

Quote:

it's taken a little bit for each sport to get momentum upon their returns but honestly all of them feel pretty normal at this point.

Golf and hockey have been pretty normal to me. Baseball is still a little weird. I really hope football can pull it off. As much as the digital fans Fox uses in baseball is weird and unnecessary, I actually think it will help the NFL broadcast visually.

Should beat the Caps, losing would shock me, they have coach that knows them and play the style that should fare well against them. The teams with the simplest game should do best, the counter puncher style is great for the playoffs. I like them for this round.

so many games are half empty as it is and you really only see the fans on foul balls or odd camera angles (with the exception of people behind home plate). But as a met fan we are used to those seats being empty because nobody wanted to buy them for so long in the new stadium.

... But I think this is their best match up.

One of the wingers has to play over his head scoring wise to win. There just isn't enough high end skill.

Also, the outcome will be affected by which islander player receives a career altering injury from noted shitbag.

(i'm hoping for reverse jinx here)

Hard to shake the ghosts of playoffs past like Turgeon, Jonsson, Peca, and Viznovsky

In comment 14947301 Diversify yo bonds said:

Quote:

Also, the outcome will be affected by which islander player receives a career altering injury from noted shitbag. (i'm hoping for reverse jinx here) Hard to shake the ghosts of playoffs past like Turgeon, Jonsson, Peca, and Viznovsky

hickey suits up instead of leo and bullies wilson per usual 😂😂

In comment 14947298 Diversify yo bonds said:

Quote:

... But I think this is their best match up. One of the wingers has to play over his head scoring wise to win. There just isn't enough high end skill.

Completely agree. Perfectly said. Any opponent is an uphill battle, but Washington is the most doable of the 4.

the more I read and think about. Excited to have playoff hockey to watch tomorrow. All those year's with Snow and the draft lottery, being in the action most years now is a lot more fun.

Most of the Isles top point producers and best d-men are all young, so don't buy the hype you might read about the team being "old."

In comment 14947778 Metnut said:

Quote:

the more I read and think about. Excited to have playoff hockey to watch tomorrow. All those year's with Snow and the draft lottery, being in the action most years now is a lot more fun. Most of the Isles top point producers and best d-men are all young, so don't buy the hype you might read about the team being "old."

I agree for sure that the majority of talent are young. I do think it's problematic that there are a handful of older players, who aren't producing, who have contracts that extend beyond even next year. That's the bigger issue, especially since we'll have to pay guys like Barzal soon.

Contracts after this season ends.

Leo Komarov: 2 years, 6 million remaining.
Thomas Hickey: 2 years, 5 million remaining.
Andrew Ladd: 3 years, 16.5 million remaining.
Johnny Boychuk: 2 years, 12 million reamining.

Semyon Varlamov: 3 year, 15 million remaining (he's performing, but still a large deal since the goal is to start the white whale soon).

I'm not including guys like Lee, Bailey, and Eberle who have large and long contracts, but they're part of the projected future... the guys above? Not so much.

Eastern Conference
Flyers
Lightning
Capitals
Hurricanes

Western Conference
Golden Knights
Avalanche
Flames
Blues

.

In comment 14947820 Mike in Long Beach said:

Quote:

In comment 14947778 Metnut said: Quote: the more I read and think about. Excited to have playoff hockey to watch tomorrow. All those year's with Snow and the draft lottery, being in the action most years now is a lot more fun. Most of the Isles top point producers and best d-men are all young, so don't buy the hype you might read about the team being "old." I agree for sure that the majority of talent are young. I do think it's problematic that there are a handful of older players, who aren't producing, who have contracts that extend beyond even next year. That's the bigger issue, especially since we'll have to pay guys like Barzal soon.

Barry Trotz's offensive system does not lend itself to over the top point production, but Florida was completely neutralized 5 on 5. The biggest issue is the lack of someone like Panarin on Barzal's wing. Eberle is great in spurts, but when the shot is not going in it really limits our offense because Lee is also not a natural goal scorer and Barzal can't do it all himself.

In comment 14947825 Mike in Long Beach said:

Quote:

Contracts after this season ends. Leo Komarov: 2 years, 6 million remaining. Thomas Hickey: 2 years, 5 million remaining. Andrew Ladd: 3 years, 16.5 million remaining. Johnny Boychuk: 2 years, 12 million reamining. Semyon Varlamov: 3 year, 15 million remaining (he's performing, but still a large deal since the goal is to start the white whale soon). I'm not including guys like Lee, Bailey, and Eberle who have large and long contracts, but they're part of the projected future... the guys above? Not so much.

Ladd they can bury in Bridgeport and obtain some cap relief. Komarov I can see them trying to convince Seattle with a deal like a 1st and Bode Wilde if they take Leo Komarov in the Expansion Draft.

In comment 14947825 Mike in Long Beach said:

Quote:

Contracts after this season ends. Leo Komarov: 2 years, 6 million remaining. Thomas Hickey: 2 years, 5 million remaining. Andrew Ladd: 3 years, 16.5 million remaining. Johnny Boychuk: 2 years, 12 million reamining. Semyon Varlamov: 3 year, 15 million remaining (he's performing, but still a large deal since the goal is to start the white whale soon). I'm not including guys like Lee, Bailey, and Eberle who have large and long contracts, but they're part of the projected future... the guys above? Not so much.

There's absolutely going to be some pain (likely this offseason) due to the flat cap and the number of bad/mediocre contracts on the Islanders books. Prepare to see a "good" player or two (and maybe an additional asset or two) shipped off this offseason to make the cap work out.

A lot of Isles fans think that we'll get some nice asset for Leddy, but we'd be lucky to have another team take his contract at full cap hit. The same is with Bailey. Both useful players, especially Bailey, but Isles would be better off shedding the cap hits. Varlamov would be a nice guy to deal maybe after next year if Sorokin looks the real deal. Varlamov's contract with only 2 years left is a lot easier for other teams to swallow.

The contracts you listed above are even worse and are complete dead weight. You'd have to pair an asset to dump those contracts and it won't be easy with the flap cap.

Either way, Lou will get it done, and the Isles are going to be "good" for at least for a while but this offseason will be a challenge. Hopefully we can enjoy a nice playoff run here before really getting into it.

to having owners willing to spend to the cap and operate in that mode.

After the season I'd predict they take the cheapest possible option with Barzal (bridge deal) and Pulock gets the more long term extension, both combining for somewhere are $13m on the cap the next few years.

They have $8m free as is, so finding a home for Nick Leddy's 5.5m gets you pretty close. He's likely gone for whatever draft picks they can get.

The rest is manageable from there - you can save another $3m just by putting Ladd, Hickey and Komarov in the AHL. Komarov is probably movable to a team close to the floor if you attach a draft pick or they can just buy him out. Banishing Ladd on LTIR is the ultimate prize. If that's possible they may even be able to add 1 mid-tier FA. Bailey or Eberle could be on the block too since they will probably won't be able to protect both in the expansion draft. Barzal's bridge deal should end right around the time Boychuk, Clutterbuck, etc come off the books.

They are definitely locked in with this core group though. Any improvement over how they do this year will likely need to come from Barzal, Beau, Wahlstrom, Dobson, and Sorokin stepping up.

What a fucking win boys.

that was proven false today. If the Isles can stay out of the box, Caps are really going to have their hands full this series.

Shit looked bleak. Dominated after Pageau nearly scored short handed. Good for Lee. The guy had a fight early and scored the tying goal. That is being a captain.