OffThePost.org

Well, maybe Lou thinks he's got a baseball team now, because he sent down Holmstrom in favor of keeping Johnston and others not as good as Holmstrom. I didn't realize but Holmstrom has spent quite a bit of time in Bridgeport already.

I know you need Johnston now and then but with 3 years and $3.3M on his deal, nobody would have claimed him. He should have been sent down.

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Okaaaaay. A few hours later I’m reading they’ve waived a Johnston and are keeping Holmstrom up. Isles site showed Johnston on the final roster, not Holmstrom. Guess they didn’t ask Lou.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

I keep reading that the Isles are running back the same lineup they had all last year. Not entirely true.

From the start of last year, guys who are gone: Josh Bailey, Anthony Beauviller, Kieffer Bellows, Zach Parise, Nikita Soshnikov, and Robin Salo. And now Ross Johnston.

Players added since the start of last year: Horvat, Engvall, Hudson Fasching, Julian Gauthier, Samuel Bolduc and Holmstrom. After the Horvat & Engvall trades the Isles went 17-9-4 to finish the regular season, jumping from out of a playoff spot into one (albeit a WC). And 23 of those 30 games with Horvat & Engvall were without Barzal. So, maybe they can play up from where people expect them to be. Hopefully. Maybe?

Bailey is a decent player, but the cost was way too high. Engvall is better and cheaper. Beauvillier is also good, but Horvat is better. Bellows was not an NHL player and the Flyers found that out too. Parise would be welcomed back, but if he returns it'll be mid-season after injuries and he's well rested for a playoff run. Soshnikov- not an NHL player. Salo may be an NHL player one day, but that day didn't really happen last year.

Fasching was far better than expected. As Butch Goring says, his stickhandling is ugly but it works. He's tough to knock off the puck. Gautier will likely turn out to be a 4th liner/PK guy, but they need that since Clutterbuck and Martin break down a bit more each year. Bolduc is better defensively than Salo. He made some great plays last year, and some rookie mistakes. Good for a 7th d-man. Holmstrom has shown he is an NHL player. He'll likely start on the first line with Horvat and Barzal. Make those games count, kid! It likely won't be a long opportunity if you're not taking advantage.

All that positivity said, I'm really not that excited for the start of the season.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Johnston actually claimed by the Ducks. Lou suddenly gets a bit of cap wiggle room.

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I just replied about Johnston's claim in the general waiver thread. Thompson coached Johnston in Bridgeport. One of his guys.

I wish Johnston good luck. He was a loyal soldier for the Isles when called upon. Being an enforcer isn't easy.

Capfriendly shows the Isles having a hair under $1.4M in space, but that doesn't take Holmstrom into account ($863k). He was sent down on paper but is practicing with the Isles. I don't know how teams get away with that. Seems shady as hell. Isles can save a little cumulative cap space since they don't play til Saturday and officially call him up then, even though he's already there. Nice loop hole you can drive a bus through...

I'm actually surprised Trotz didn't sign Josh Bailey. He's got about $7.8M in space and has several kids on ELCs. Trotz loved Bailey when he coached him.

_________________
Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

My season outlook, based on nothing really.

Goalies: No real depth, but if Sorokin and Varlamov can remain healthy the Isles have one of, if not the top tandem in the league.
Defense: One of the top D-corps in the league, lead by Pelech and Pulock. Dobson is coming along well and Romanov hits anyone. The 6/7 spot is a bit questionable, as Aho is small and gets pushed around.
Offense: Much better 5v5 than they get credit for, the Isles forward group could still use a legit sniper. If Wahlstrom could ever figure out positioning, he could be that guy. Trotz once said of Wahlstrom that he got to the NHL based solely on skill as he was never taught the game. I keep hoping he learned it during his knee recovery time, but in pre-season games he still looked to have the hockey IQ of a potato.
PK: Like the D, it's very good.
PP: Stir fried dog shit. Still. After all this time. If they could get it to league average they'd be in a good playoff position. As it is, I think they'll be struggling to get a WC spot. I don't understand how MacLean is still allowed to run the same bullshit system and how the players don't revolt and go to something that works.

Since I don't see PP changes coming, I think they'll finish somewhere between 7 and 10 in the east.

_________________
Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.