First the hard facts.
It would not be honest of me to not preface my writings here to make clear, it's not fun writing about the New York Islanders at this time. The team plays at a location unfit for professional sports that again hangs as a black cloud over the franchise. As usual, most of the building is empty win or lose, and clearly the marketing changed to hide the team again in Nassau/Suffolk despite the building being on the Queens border with a large percentage of the fans inside New York City, and has zero association with the failed gang of four 1995 marketing that almost bankrupted the team being cramed down everyone's throat's non-stop, which also is an insult to the dynasty/alumni.
Folks who read my account here, and on social media know I felt Barclay's worked as the correct location (I don't care about Barclay's flaws when the seats are empty at Belmont) for a team that must be fully vested in New York City to survive, as they approach double digit owners with massive cash calls coming. My projection is they will move by 2028-29 after keeping quiet with NHL awarding them an all-star game for this season, same as Bridgeport moved for the same reasons with the television contract expiring by 2031. I also expect Scott Malkin will sell the team, and be left to his empty retail village as ESD/NYRA deals with empty Belmont racetrack that should have closed in 2023 for good.
On the ice, I do not like Mathieu Darche's decisions, who doubled down with middling veterans who can't score, and clearly there is a huge push to make Matthew Schaefer a RD because he drafted far too many LD when the organization needs scoring, speed, skill, and physical fowards players who can fight when needed. He's done the impossible and made a cap ceiling team less talented then the past cap floor teams which also goes on Lou Lamoriello's bad deals. I do not think this is Peter Deboer's doing but his not-negotiables immedately went from saying Isaiah George is an NHL player after one game, to again him being in the AHL/injured again as joureyman in Logan Stanley/Matthew Kessel are here. It does not make much sense on the ice, which does not make watching this team a fun experience as clearly they entered that group of teams that live outside the playoffs long-term after last seasons awful collapse which ended all doubt about Belmont working as a location with 10/12 games down the stretch being 1/2 filled in a playoff spot.
Ok, New York, put up a solid effort vs mediocre Toronto, who did beat New York on opening night with Schaefer carrying the puck the entire game down RD, as Sorokin made several big saves with few rebounds. Palat is working hard winning pucks, he can't score which goes for the usual suspects. Pageau found Duclair for a goal, Horvat found Holmstrom for a big goal, but losing two of their skilled forwards in Ritchie/Maccelli is likely going to be long-term. Eklund looks like a player so this may force a commitment beyond the nine games which is tomorrrow vs Anaheim.
