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2019 off-season
http://www.offthepost.org/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=8276
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Author:  E.L. [ Mon Jul 01, 2019 8:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

Varlamov over Lehner? What a disaster.

Author:  Chris18 [ Tue Jul 02, 2019 6:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

E.L. wrote:
Varlamov over Lehner? What a disaster.


For four fucking years.

There's a lot more info coming out. Lehner said Lou held off from making an offer to him until only a few days ago, and when he gave it, he said it was the only offer Lehner would get. So Lehner wanted to take a little time to think about it, and when he went back to Lou, Lou told him the Isles had already moved on to another goalie (Varlamov). So Lehner reluctantly moved on to other offers, getting half the term Lou had offered. Poor guy. His story last year was amazing, and this certainly isn't the end, but it just feels really wrong for the plot to twist this way. Lou said yesterday he "did all he could" to keep Lehner. Doesn't sound it, because then he went on about how the Isles coaches love what they see in Varlamov and know he can be great value for the duration of the contract. Mhmm.

As for Lee, his agent wrote on Twitter that Lee NEVER left the Isles, but was waiting to see how things went. Said he took the $7 million, knowing he could have gotten more on the market, in order to allow the Isles to bring in other players. Also used all caps to say LOYALTY is the most important characteristic in a teammate, which many Isles fans feel is a shot at Tavares. I don't think so, but fans will believe what they want and love that narrative.

Rumor is the Isles are going to give an offer sheet today. Obviously, Isles fans are hoping it's Marner, which would continue the narrative I just mentioned. They'd have to shed some salary to do that, but maybe they could trade someone for a 1st round pick or 4 as recovery. :lol:

Author:  Pokecheque [ Tue Jul 02, 2019 1:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

Stellick and Simmer had a dude from Newsday on, forget his name. I listened while mowing the lawn this morning. Some interesting stuff came out.

1. According to Lou, there was never any question whether or not Anders Lee was coming back. The $7 million AAV was agreed upon for sure, it was just a question of term. The number was agreed upon to allow the Isles to pursue Artemi Panarin. Obviously that didn't work out, and I'm a bit skeptical since Lee and his agent could've just signed for eight years instead of seven before July 1st, so that may be a bit of alternative fact-making from Lamoriello. Take it for what it's worth.

2. Lou has been targeting Varlamov for a long time. A very long time. In fact, he tried to swing a deal for Varly after he learned Joe Sakic traded for Philipp Grubauer but Joe said no. So I guess this means that Lou had no intention whatsoever of keeping Robin Lehner. None.

3. There's more to it than that though. Varlamov is, of course, Russian, and he and Ilya Sorokin have the same agent. Lou wants to get Sorokin signed and brought over as soon as humanly possible, and envisions Varly serving as a mentor to the young prospect. So there was a little method to Lou's madness. Again, take it for what it's worth, since I'm very skeptical as to how well Varly's body will hold up the next four years.

That said, there's this: Varly had his very best season playing under the tutelage of the best goalie coach in the NHL at the time, Francois Allaire. Now, the holder of that title is Mitch Korn, so I could see Varly having a bounceback season. Of course...the Avs actually hired his personal favorite goalie coach last year and he still struggled (and it was clear he was hurt before they finally shut him down) so I'm just not sure what to expect, except that Thomas Greiss damn well better

Side note, I'm being told Robin Lehner has really tried to distance himself from his pro-Trumpist views he previously held. Whether he's just playing closer to vest I don't know, but doesn't Greiss hold similar views? If so, he and Varly are gonna be goooooood friends, because Varly is a big-time Vladimir Putin fan.

Author:  Chris18 [ Wed Jul 03, 2019 6:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

1. Lee said long ago that contract length was the only sticking point. The rumor all along was that Lee wanted 8 years and Lou wanted to go mid-term, not long term. But Lee said just last week that he wasn't talking with other teams. So did Lehner. I think both really wanted to be back. Lee certainly looks ecstatic to be back. Lehner looks pretty bummed to not be.

2. The 2 year offer to Lehner, who made it clear he wanted a long term deal, seems like it was a token effort. And according to Lehner, Lou gave it to him in the form as an ultimatum. Lehner took a few hours to think and when he came back to accept it, was told the Isles had moved on to signing another goalie- Varlamov. Hardball is one thing, but yeah, that sounds pretty much like Lou wanted to make just enough effort to make it seem like he wanted Lehner back, but it's pretty clear he wanted Varlamov.

3. That's all been pretty clear, and if it works out well, Lou will look very smart. I have no doubt Korn and Greco can help Varlamov perform better. My concern is him staying healthy. And, most Isles fans are furious with Lou for treating Lehner like shit after the emotional year he helped bring about. When even Ranger fans are cheering for an Islander, that's something special. We all know players are simply "assets" to teams, but Lehner deserved better treatment than what he apparently got. Lou wanted to change the Islanders culture - have all players who wanted to be Islanders, not just NHLers. Lehner loved being an Islander, loved the fans and the fans loved him. So this just seems so wrong now. Maybe in 2 years it will prove to be a brilliant move, but now it just seems colder than necessary.

Not that I want to get political (you started it!), but yes, Greiss is very right wing. He "liked" a meme that compared Hillary Clinton to Hitler on one of the social media platforms. He apologized for it later, but it showed his views. Lots of fans were pissed at him over it, but almost everyone has either forgiven or forgotten it. Having his name on the Jennings Trophy probably has a LOT to do with that.

I expect Greiss to play 30-41 regular season games next year if Varlamov stays healthy. Way more if Varlamov is on the shelf, as the Isles don't have any "great" goalie prospects in north America. Maybe they trade for Lehner if Varlamov has a season ending injury! :P


Isles are still looking for another center. Fans keep mentioning Brian Boyle. Everyone supposedly loves Boyle on their team, but he can't seem to stick anywhere for too long. He's been on 6 different teams.

Author:  Pokecheque [ Wed Jul 03, 2019 1:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

Chris18 wrote:
Isles are still looking for another center. Fans keep mentioning Brian Boyle. Everyone supposedly loves Boyle on their team, but he can't seem to stick anywhere for too long. He's been on 6 different teams.


Well, someone's gotta be the Mike Sillinger/Bryan Smolinski of this generation!

Big centers will always hold value in this league, especially if they can park their big asses in front of the net and score the occasional goal. Apparently he's also defensively sound, good on faceoffs, and well-liked in any room he goes in. But he's also old, and slow, and while he can help out a power play, he ain't gonna do much for you in terms of scoring. Kind of a perfect rental player you flip at the deadline for a pick. He turns 35 in December so this is his last shot at a multi-year deal before the CBA declares him to be akin to a toxic asset. I assume he'll only get a one-year deal, and maybe that's all he'll be looking for. I wouldn't have minded the Avs taking a look before they signed Bellemare.

Author:  Chris18 [ Thu Jul 11, 2019 6:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

Beauvillier, Dal Colle and Ho-Sang all received QOs, but haven't signed them. None filed for arbitration (no clue if they're even eligible). Still $8.6 million in cap space, with 22 players signed. Lou is being far more patient than Isles fans can handle. He hasn't done much with Bridgeport this year either. Let goalie Jeremy Smith go and brought in some AHL vet goalie Jared Coreau on a 2-way deal.

Author:  Pokecheque [ Thu Jul 11, 2019 11:54 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

According to Cap Friendly, they are not. However, in 2020 Pulock and Toews are, and in 2021 Pelech will be eligible.

Author:  Chris18 [ Thu Jul 11, 2019 4:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

Pokecheque wrote:
According to Cap Friendly, they are not. However, in 2020 Pulock and Toews are, and in 2021 Pelech will be eligible.


Ok. And the other big RFA is Barzal. I'm sure they'll treat him quite well for fear of him holding out.

Author:  Chris18 [ Sat Aug 03, 2019 8:36 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

Read in documentary voice.

Shhhhh. The Lou is hibernating. The Lou doesn't like to be woken during it's season of doing nothing useful, which so far, has been roughly 15 months. Fans of The Lou are hoping it wakes up in time for September and preys upon other GMs entering a time of year known colloquially as "Cap Hell". But there is no recent evidence of this. Skeptics think The Lou may be leading the pack known as The Islanders based solely upon past merit, and not recent successful leadership. They feel The Lou has existed in a state of torpor for a few years now, and is dreamily passing the days.
Time will tell if The Lou wakes ready to pounce, or continue another year of evaluation.

Author:  Chris18 [ Mon Aug 12, 2019 12:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

Sure he's gone, but Robin Lehner got his Masterton Trophy- says he was on the NY Rangers last year. :chairshot:

Author:  Pokecheque [ Mon Aug 12, 2019 2:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

Chris18 wrote:
Sure he's gone, but Robin Lehner got his Masterton Trophy- says he was on the NY Rangers last year. :chairshot:


Yeah, saw that. What a fucking embarrassment.

Author:  Chris18 [ Sat Aug 17, 2019 3:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

Lou said in an interview that getting Belmont is absolutely key and will keep the Isles where they belong. Excavation has begun. Woohoo!

Lou also said the Isles have agreements in place with 2/3 of their remaining RFAs, though wouldn't say which ones or why they aren't officially signed yet. Not that you'd expect him to say anything.

Ladd and Clutterbuck are both skating. Clutterbuck is expected to start the season, and Ladd expected to be out for another month or so.

Author:  Chris18 [ Mon Aug 19, 2019 6:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

Everyone who could be bothered to say anything thought for sure that Dal Colle and Beauvillier were the 2 with agreements in place, leaving Ho-Sang dangling in the wind. Today they signed Ho-Sang to a 1 year deal and Dal Colle to a 2 year deal. $ wasn't disclosed yet. Wonder if Beauvillier is holding out for more $ if they plan to use him as a center. They really need a 3C. He played C in juniors and is a better option than anyone else in the org.

Author:  Pokecheque [ Wed Aug 21, 2019 5:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

Just confirmed by Boomer Gordon on NHL Radio: Derick Brassard signs a 1-year deal with the Islanders. Likely gonna slot in at the 3rd line.

Hard to figure why exactly his game fell off a cliff after career high totals in his final season in New York. He showed flashes of his old self in his very short stint in Colorado, but for the most part was thoroughly mediocre.

Author:  E.L. [ Wed Aug 21, 2019 9:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

He's 32 and was injury prone early in his career, so he might be done. But he was also such a bad fit in Pittsburgh that maybe it threw him off. He likes New York.

Author:  Chris18 [ Wed Aug 28, 2019 5:39 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

For a 1 year, $1.2 million deal, I'll take it happily with the knowledge that this leaves no room for Brian Boyle on a Komarov style contract.
I think he can play well for a year. He gives them an option for the PP, which was useless last year. He said he was excited to go to the Isles, since they use 2 PP units, unlike someplace he played last year. :lol:

The Isles just don't have a good center in the minors. Koivula is developing well, but he only moved to C last year, so it would be unfair to him to bring him up as a C. So, a 1 year Garth Snow Special on a retread seems like a good idea at this point.

Not sure if Beauvillier is still waiting on the other RFAs to sign, or what. But also of note, it was playing alongside Beauvillier in summer league that convinced Brassard to give the Isles a look. Beauvillier told him how well the team gets along, how nice the area is, etc. Anthony Beauvillier- the Isles new recruitment chief.

And Brassard didn't get a NTC or NMC, which is good if he doesn't work out.

Author:  Chris18 [ Wed Aug 28, 2019 8:20 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

To the surprise of nobody, Scott Gomez has left the Isles org. When they thought Lane Lambert would be hired by the Ducks, they brought in Jim Hiller (from the Leafs) to replace him. Orrrrr, maybe they were going to fire Gomez and have Hiller fix the PP, and saying Gomez chose to leave just allows one of Lou's old favorites to save face.
Either way, the Isles' PP should improve. It could only get better. It was a steaming pile of shit on fire, in a fishing dock-side dumpster in August.

Author:  E.L. [ Wed Aug 28, 2019 5:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

Anthony Beauvillier's two-year deal: AAV of $2.1 million: $1.8 million in 2019-20 and $2.4 million in 2020-21.

Author:  Chris18 [ Wed Aug 28, 2019 10:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

E.L. wrote:
Anthony Beauvillier's two-year deal: AAV of $2.1 million: $1.8 million in 2019-20 and $2.4 million in 2020-21.


Seems like a good deal for both sides. That takes care of all RFAs, even on the depth chart. The only losses this year were Lehner and Filppula. Lehner vs Varlamov is pretty comparable, and if Varlamov helps bring in Sorokin, he's a bonus. Filppula vs Brassard could be a wash as well, possibly with the edge going to Brassard if he can come even close to regaining his old form. He should get PP time since that was a huge problem for the Isles last year.

Far from a great off-season, but not horrible. And I guess there's still time to pull off a trade or something to benefit the team. Still RFAs out there...

Author:  E.L. [ Wed Aug 28, 2019 10:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 2019 off-season

When does Lou turn his attention towards Barzal and Pulock extendos?

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