2023-2024 Around The League thread

[NJDfan1711]

6 minutes ago, Lateralous said:

I can't imagine how sick to their stomach Islanders fans must be walking out of MetLife having to listen to all the chirps from Rangers fans on their way out.  What a collapse

Last night I went out to the bar and watched our game and a buddy of mine who is an Islanders fan went with me. Obviously we have something in common with our mutual hatred of the rangers, and we made a deal that we would watch our stadium games with one another. So today I went to the bar with him and things were looking pretty good obviously for a while. He also happened to have 700 bucks on the Islanders and I'm not sure if he's more upset about losing the money or the fact that they pissed away a pretty good lead, and against their arch rivals of all teams. 

Edited February 18 by NJDfan1711

[Have Another Donut]

And what about all those "fire balls"???  Those are fossil fueled greenhouse gases!!!

The NHL is destroying the planet!!!!   Where's John Kerry???? 

[devlman]

The Islanders are pathetic. Lou has them in mediocrity.

Before any dumbass rag fans boasts about the higher crowd number- We would’ve hit 75k had the concert sections not been closed off. 

[MrBreeze]

50 minutes ago, Have Another Donut said:

And what about all those "fire balls"???  Those are fossil fueled greenhouse gases!!!

The NHL is destroying the planet!!!!   Where's John Kerry???? 

[Have Another Donut]

4 minutes ago, MrBreeze said:

Haha-Maybe she can glue herself to Buttman's gas guzzling limo...

[Have Another Donut]

Kings with a late shorty to beat Pit 2-1, as the spoiled, entitled Pens "fans" booed them (Pit) off the ice...

[ButlerBulldog]

5 minutes ago, Have Another Donut said:

Kings with a late shorty to beat Pit 2-1, as the spoiled, entitled Pens "fans" booed them (Pit) off the ice...

Penguins fans think that it’s still 1992 and that Super Mario will magically appear and save them.

[Have Another Donut]

42 minutes ago, ButlerBulldog said:

Penguins fans think that it’s still 1992 and that Super Mario will magically appear and save them.

Yup-but the reality is-the window is closing.

[Lateralous]

It's over for the Pens.  I know it's hard parting ways with guys who have brought a team so much success and you only ever want to wear one jersey, but they should trade Crosby for a kings ransom while he's still really really good.  Geno too.    I know they have trade protection but I'm sure they're not oblivious to the fact that their ship is sinking.    

[ButlerBulldog]

16 minutes ago, Lateralous said:

It's over for the Pens.  I know it's hard parting ways with guys who have brought a team so much success and you only ever want to wear one jersey, but they should trade Crosby for a kings ransom while he's still really really good.  Geno too.    I know they have trade protection but I'm sure they're not oblivious to the fact that their ship is sinking.    

Given their recent track-record, I’m sure the Rangers would be interested 🤪.

[Lateralous]

11 minutes ago, ButlerBulldog said:

Given their recent track-record, I’m sure the Rangers would be interested 🤪.

They usually like their big name former super stars to be a little more worn down and closer to retirement when they acquire them.   Crosby would still be the best player on their team by a mile, so we’re not quite there yet.   

[ButlerBulldog]

23 minutes ago, Lateralous said:

They usually like their big name former super stars to be a little more worn down and closer to retirement when they acquire them.   Crosby would still be the best player on their team by a mile, so we’re not quite there yet.   

You’re right.  Alex Ovechkin makes much more sense, as they can milk his scoring-record chase to distract from the mediocrity of the rest of the group.

[Max20Characters]

12 hours ago, devlman said:

The Islanders are pathetic. Lou has them in mediocrity.

Before any dumbass rag fans boasts about the higher crowd number- We would’ve hit 75k had the concert sections not been closed off. 

I couldn't believe the nhl was willing to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars not selling those seats just for a bit of Pyro and lights. Smh

[Lateralous]

5 minutes ago, Max20Characters said:

I couldn't believe the nhl was willing to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars not selling those seats just for a bit of Pyro and lights. Smh

I thought the NHL did a good job of making Saturday night feel like a huge event instead of a simple money grab.  The stage, music and pyros were a big part of the atmosphere.   

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

11 hours ago, Lateralous said:

It's over for the Pens.  I know it's hard parting ways with guys who have brought a team so much success and you only ever want to wear one jersey, but they should trade Crosby for a kings ransom while he's still really really good.  Geno too.    I know they have trade protection but I'm sure they're not oblivious to the fact that their ship is sinking.    

These kinds of situations are always tricky.

Re:  Crosby, the only way that he EVER gets dealt is if he goes to the front office and asks them to move him, or is allowed to leave as a UFA after next season.  He's at the absolute top of Penguin royalty, a true generational talent who fully lived up to his billing, right up there with Mario.  This latest run of success for that organization started with him; none of this happens without him.  He's that rare player who's earned an insane amount of power and will get to call the shots; yes, that may ultimately be detrimental to the on-ice product, but for the three Cups and the memories that he helped create, the organization will live that part of it.

Sure, in theory you would think that Crosby still holds some nice trade value, but he'll be 37 before the start of next season, and will only have one year left on his deal...how much is a team really going to be willing to cough up for that, even if it's Crosby?  The return probably won't ever be enough to satisfy the Penguin faithful...at this point, they'll fondly remember the Cups that he helped win, and they'll almost happily deal with not winning, in exchange for getting to see Crosby hopefully finish out his career in a Penguin jersey.  Of course, you could very well see a situation where Crosby plays out his final season next year, and then winds up signing elsewhere as a UFA.  That won't be easy for Pens fans to see, but it all comes down to the same thing, really; Sidney is going to call the shots here.  I'm not saying that it makes total sense (I'd want to try to get some assets back too, as the Pens are clearly headed towards an extended rebuild in the next couple of years), but with certain very special players who win multiple championships and are among the very best to wear their franchise's jersey, there's often a different set of rules.  And I'm guessing if Crosby ever did leave the Penguins for another team, there will eventually be some "One-day contract, retire as a Penguin" scenario that will help to wash any remaining bad tastes out of the mouths of everyone involved.  And of course, the inevitable jersey retirement will leave everyone with nothing with good and warm feels.

Malkin is a special player too...but clearly NOT Crosby.  He has a couple of seasons left after this one; his cap hit isn't awful, but I don't think many teams would want to take on Malkin's Age 38 and 39 seasons (that's how old he'll be in 2024-25 and 2025-26), unless the Pens retain close to half the cap hit.  Maybe he gets dealt with one year left, or as a deadline rental in 2026...but obviously it's not going to be for any killer return, at this stage in Malkin's career.  I don't think Malkin wields the same kind of power or enjoys as much prestige as Sidney (and I don't think you'd see the same level of fan outcry if he were dealt), so I don't think the front office would be nearly as shy in approaching Malkin with any potential trade scenarios.  I'm just not sure that there be would tons of interest right now, given his age and the amount of time left on his deal (not to mention that his numbers are down).     

Edited February 19 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Predators GM discloses right price to trade Juuse Saros as goaltender market heats up (msn.com)

Looks like Trotz is looking to hit a big-time home run, if he moves Saros.  Guessing it would probably take Nemec, if Fitz wanted to land Saros right now.  And no I can't bring myself to do that.  

[ButlerBulldog]

8 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Predators GM discloses right price to trade Juuse Saros as goaltender market heats up (msn.com)

Looks like Trotz is looking to hit a big-time home run, if he moves Saros.  Guessing it would probably take Nemec, if Fitz wanted to land Saros right now.  And no I can't bring myself to do that.  

Yeah, at that price, I’d rather give Daws an extended look.  As good as Soros is, I wouldn’t want the Devils to trade a potential cornerstone for him.

[Nicomo]

 

[ButlerBulldog]

1 minute ago, Nicomo said:

 

Appropriate that a certain player is lurking near the “Wasted Offense” category.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Just now, ButlerBulldog said:

Yeah, at that price, I’d rather give Daws an extended look.  As good as Soros is, I wouldn’t want the Devils to trade a potential cornerstone for him.

And I fully expect that Trotz will have no other choice but to either re-sign Saros (that could still happen) or simply accept that given the situation, he's never going to get the kind of upfront trade return that he'd like.  The rest of the NHL isn't stupid...they know that Saros will go UFA after next season, and it will turn into a "Take our best offer or you can lose him for nothing" kind of scenario.  He's also not having one of his best seasons this year.

It's fine to say that you need to be bowled over to move him right this second.  Doesn't mean that anyone's stepping up to do it.

re:  Daws, said it elsewhere, but I'm not going to pretend to know if he's going to be the guy or not...he's stepped up recently when no one else really has, so for now I'll take that.  But what I DO like is that his brief little surge could hopefully take Fitz out of the Markstrom market...I really REALLY don't want to see the Devils take on his hit (and cough up considerable loot) for what might be not THAT much of an upgrade, once he settles in.  I know he's been very hot lately (had a .934 save over 17 GP before Detroit lit him up), but not like he's been consistently good.  Since 2020-21 he's been up and down.  Get the 2022-23 version of him and it's going to feel like "What was the point?"

[MadDog2020]

34 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Guessing it would probably take Nemec,

GM’s need to learn something: Nemec is a NON-STARTER. You mention his name, I laugh like a hyena for five minutes, and then I hang up. It’s not even a conversation.

Edited February 19 by MadDog2020

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

1 minute ago, MadDog2020 said:

GM’s need to learn something: Nemec is a NON-STARTER. You mention his name, I hang up. It’s not even a conversation.

Oh I'm with ya, Luke and Nemec are untouchables and I find it hard to believe that Fitz doesn't feel the same.  I'm thinking this is what Trotz is thinking (or at least that kind of return from whoever wants Saros).  Maybe if Saros was four or five years younger with a few years left on his deal, Trotz could begin to envision that kind of return.  

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

15 hours ago, devlman said:

The Islanders are pathetic. Lou has them in mediocrity.

It's really gotten to the point where people have to stop blindly giving Lou the benefit of the doubt for everything that he does, based on the success that he had a LOOOOOONG time ago.  

He fired Barry Trotz after one meh season and replaced him with Lane Lambert, who lasted for all of a season-and-a-half...and then brings in Roy, which has led to the Isles going 3-3-3 since coming aboard...yeah, it's only nine games, but the idea of changing the coach is hoping for a spark and improved performance.  Where is it?  Maybe the team that Lou's currently put together just isn't all that good no matter who's coaching it?

Somewhere along the way, Lou's become a GM who seems to throw sh!t against the wall with the hope that it some of it might stick.  There just doesn't seem to be much of a plan or any consideration for cap concerns.  The guy that once seemed to have all of the answers no longer does.  And this has been the case for several years now.      

[ButlerBulldog]

41 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

It's really gotten to the point where people have to stop blindly giving Lou the benefit of the doubt for everything that he does, based on the success that he had a LOOOOOONG time ago.  

He fired Barry Trotz after one meh season and replaced him with Lane Lambert, who lasted for all of a season-and-a-half...and then brings in Roy, which has led to the Isles going 3-3-3 since coming aboard...yeah, it's only nine games, but the idea of changing the coach is hoping for a spark and improved performance.  Where is it?  Maybe the team that Lou's currently put together just isn't all that good no matter who's coaching it?

Somewhere along the way, Lou's become a GM who seems to throw sh!t against the wall with the hope that it some of it might stick.  There just doesn't seem to be much of a plan or any consideration for cap concerns.  The guy that once seemed to have all of the answers no longer does.  And this has been the case for several years now.      

There’s no question that Lou is one of the all-time great executives in NHL history, but even for someone of his accomplishments and reputation, there comes a point when a person has outlived his usefulness.  I appreciate that Lou’s trying to instill a winning culture in the Islanders organization, but his methods are so antiquated that they’re almost laughable.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

46 minutes ago, ButlerBulldog said:

There’s no question that Lou is one of the all-time great executives in NHL history, but even for someone of his accomplishments and reputation, there comes a point when a person has outlived his usefulness.  I appreciate that Lou’s trying to instill a winning culture in the Islanders organization, but his methods are so antiquated that they’re almost laughable.

I take no joy out of Lou looking so ancient and out of touch...once upon a time the guy was absolutely cutting edge in his own way, had that way of knowing exactly what he needed and finding a way to get it.  It's sad to see what he is now, and that there's just no compromise.  I get why he remained set in his ways with the Devils, because even when the Cup wins dried up, his teams were still often competitive and they even reached another Cup final in 2012.  When your team makes the playoffs damned near every season from 1987-88 through 2011-12, and makes it to five Finals and wins three, sure, easy to think you've forever got this thing figured out.     

I give credit to Lou for not fvcking around and snatching up Trotz immediately once he became available, but if not for that hiring, do the Isles reach the Conference Finals two years in a row?  It's almost like people saw Lou was in charge and because of that, any Islander success must be completely due to him, but really, it's not like he had all that much to do with it, especially compared to how much he helped to build the Devils.  And then just one meh Trotz season after those back-to-back Conference Final appearances, Lou just had to jettison Trotz for...friggin' Lane Lambert?!  And now Patrick Roy is the answer?  

It feels like it's truly time for him to call it a career...I can't see how the Islanders ever figure out how to win anything more with him in the fold...if anything, the GM that follows him will have a bit of a mess to clean up.  Too much age and too many guys making too much money...right now they have less than $7 million in cap space to work with in 2024-25.  That can change of course with trades, but hardly an ideal spot to be in, especially for a team that is very clearly NOT a legit Cup contender.

I really hope that he steps down.  I'd much rather that, than to see him get fired.