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Colorado Rockies 1976

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1 hour ago, RunninWithTheDevil said:

 

 

Doubt that ages well, but should get at least four solid Horvat years out of that deal.

Lou sure didn’t fvck around with this…the loot he surrendered doesn’t seem that bad, in that he at least kept him.  

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3 minutes ago, Nicomo said:

They better hope this season wasn’t a total outlier for him. Dude’s career high before this season was 61 points. $8.5 seems a tad high to me for a 0.67 PPG player who’s already in his prime. 

Yeah and that’s exactly what I mean by “Horvat Years”….I think you realistically hope for 60-70 points per 82 GP.  Not killer production for $8.5 million AAV but as long as he stays healthy and doesn’t decline early, contract isn’t too too bad.

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3 minutes ago, Nicomo said:

They better hope this season wasn’t a total outlier for him. Dude’s career high before this season was 61 points. $8.5 seems a tad high to me for a 0.67 PPG player who’s already in his prime. 

I think it will be difficult for Horvat to maintain the same production going into a defensive system anyway.

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Isles only have a little less than $7 million to spend on players next season, according to Capfriendly.  Their flexibility is just about toast.

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That is a good contract, the Islanders are old, but they now have 2 top centers locked up, not many teams have that and as we all know here, it's a very good thing.

I don't think Bratt should expect more, he's not a better player than Horvat, he does not play center, to me if the Devils can trade for Meier and get him and Bratt at the exact deal the Islanders did, it will be a job well done.

Of course if we can get them for 8 even or just under even better, but contracts are going to go up, we have to expect that and hope Bratt understands he is not going to get 9 a year.

I think if Bratt and his agent overvalues his bargaining power you get Meier and you let Bratt know he can be part of a dynasty or traded in the offseason.

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Barzal and Horvat are plenty solid but I wouldn’t consider them top centers…especially if Horvat goes being back to what he was before fattening up his shooting% this season.  The Isles are paying a lot for “good”.

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5 minutes ago, NJDevils1214 said:

The crazy thing about the Islanders is that they are so old. All these big contracts for guys going into their early-mid 30s and now Horvat's will run until he is like 35.

Yeah for a team that’s as expensive as it is, I don’t think it’s really all that good…even with Horvat now in the fold. The irony is that the coach who could’ve squeezed as much out of this team as anyone is the one that Lou canned after last year.  

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39 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Barzal and Horvat are plenty solid but I wouldn’t consider them top centers…especially if Horvat goes being back to what he was before fattening up his shooting% this season.  The Isles are paying a lot for “good”.

They are in the top half of the league,  I like our top 2 much more, but go look around the NHL, you won't find many teams who have 2 under 30 centers like they now do.

I think the Isles are in a very weird space where they probably have the best goalie in the world who is young, some really good other pieces but don't have anything in the farm, have no stars on the wing, yet if I told you in the next 3 years they made a cup final, would you really be stunned?

You have the best goalie in the world and a decent core of defenseman, and you get a couple of forwards who get hot, you can even win a cup.

They could also miss the playoffs if they have injuries, a very weird, not what I would want to be space.

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Yeah I’d be stunned if the Isles made a Cup final at this point.  I just don’t think they have enough pieces, and are limited in what they can do to improve beyond having added Horvat.  Like I said, expensive team that’s not really that good.  

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I don’t watch a lot of Canucks games, but from what I’ve heard Horvat has had an abnormal amount of tips and deflection goals this season. If I’m an Isles fan I’d be pretty worried about that 21.7 shooting % being an obvious outlier. 

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4 minutes ago, Nicomo said:

I don’t watch a lot of Canucks games, but from what I’ve heard Horvat has had an abnormal amount of tips and deflection goals this season. If I’m an Isles fan I’d be pretty worried about that 21.7 shooting % being an obvious outlier. 

Yeah I’ve brought up the shooting% too…he screams “big-time regression candidate”.  Not saying he’s not good, but he’s definitely not great by any stretch.  What the Isles really have is a couple of solid 2Cs being a bit overpaid in both cases.  

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2 hours ago, Patrick Sundstrom Ghost said:

That is a good contract, the Islanders are old, but they now have 2 top centers locked up, not many teams have that and as we all know here, it's a very good thing.

I don't think Bratt should expect more, he's not a better player than Horvat, he does not play center, to me if the Devils can trade for Meier and get him and Bratt at the exact deal the Islanders did, it will be a job well done.

Of course if we can get them for 8 even or just under even better, but contracts are going to go up, we have to expect that and hope Bratt understands he is not going to get 9 a year.

I think if Bratt and his agent overvalues his bargaining power you get Meier and you let Bratt know he can be part of a dynasty or traded in the offseason.

I think you are right.  Fitz might have to make a tough decision.  

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13 hours ago, Patrick Sundstrom Ghost said:

They are in the top half of the league,  I like our top 2 much more, but go look around the NHL, you won't find many teams who have 2 under 30 centers like they now do.

I think the Isles are in a very weird space where they probably have the best goalie in the world who is young, some really good other pieces but don't have anything in the farm, have no stars on the wing, yet if I told you in the next 3 years they made a cup final, would you really be stunned?

You have the best goalie in the world and a decent core of defenseman, and you get a couple of forwards who get hot, you can even win a cup.

They could also miss the playoffs if they have injuries, a very weird, not what I would want to be space.

Some final thoughts...

As far as trying to land one of the better younger centers goes, Lou did do a pretty good job, all things considered...for one, he didn't give up a king's ransom to get Horvat.  He coughed up a meh-ish NHLer, a very young kid who looks like he's going to need some time (which doesn't fit the Isles timeline at the moment...Horvat does), and a first-rounder that doesn't figure to be anything more than mid-rounder.  Lou also didn't fvck around, in locking up Horvat immediately...there was absolutely no way he could lose him in the offseason and not have it be a disaster.  We know there's a good chance that Horvat's contract won't age well, but unless you have a big-time "somewhat expendable" prospect playing in a position where you have depth and can afford to actually move him in a deal for an early-to-mid-20s center (assuming one's available), bringing in a guy like Horvat is usually as good as it's ever going to get.  The Isles simply aren't in a position to draft one of their own anytime soon...you are right PSG, in that the Isles seem like they're firmly stuck in that "Not necessarily good enough to win a Cup, but not bad to enough to draft those 2-3 young studs that could help to put them over the edge" territory.

As for these Isles, they remind me of the post Cup-winning Devils (say from 2004-2012) that were still making the playoffs and still putting up good records, but everything seemed like such a chore...they simply had SUCH little room for error in grinding out those 2-1, 3-2 wins...and then so often come playoff time, they just seemed like they had so little left, and would instantly morph into the "two-steps-slower" Devils that simply couldn't keep up (from 2003-04 through 2010-11 they won just two playoff rounds).   2011-12 was obviously a notable exception, but they were damned close to going out in an early round AGAIN, needing double OT to knock off the Panthers in the first round...basically, sure, sometimes it all comes together and you get some breaks and manage to make a deep playoff run, but I don't see this Islander team being good enough to ever consistently make noise in the playoffs.  And I think they're built in a way that doesn't fly in today's NHL.  These two under-30 centers are good for what combined...maybe 50 goals and 80 assists?  Where are the wingers to make those two more productive?  Where does Lou have the money to go out and sign any?  This is a team that is going to have to rely heavily on systemic defense and Vezina-level goaltending...they appear to have a fine netminder in Sorokin, but will he be enough to overcome a team that looks like it will be stuck in middle-of-the-pack level offensively at absolute best?  I think it's a team that's built to make the playoffs and maybe win a round, but not much more.  And given their cap situation and lack of prospects, I'm not how Lou can improve the team beyond what it is.  Really feels like they're maxed out.  

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On 2/5/2023 at 3:09 PM, Crisis said:

It's 8x8.5 so you have to imagine that at least sets the floor for Bratt.  He's going to get paid at least $8.5

EDIT: Horvat is $8.5

 

Classic fvcking Lou.

It's over, time to rebuild.  You tried your hardest, but it wasn't meant to be.  Time to rebuilt.

Lou: "nah"

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23 hours ago, NJDevils1214 said:

The crazy thing about the Islanders is that they are so old. All these big contracts for guys going into their early-mid 30s and now Horvat's will run until he is like 35.

Sadly for Lou, untradeable as well.  

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15 hours ago, Bonginator11 said:

Dang Rangers won in OT too

Trouba was dropping bodies like it was the 90s.  I wouldn’t want Jack to take a hit like that.  Rangers could very well be the Devils first round match.  Yes, I’m all in emotionally.  Playoffs or bust.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/flames-tanev-scraps-with-rangers-trouba-after-hit-on-dube/

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/rangers-trouba-lays-out-flames-kadri-with-massive-hit-before-fighting-dube/

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