Honestly folks, I have nothing new from most of the entries written here about the 2015-16 New York Islanders.
If you thought last season's schedule from late-Feb to the end of the season was brutal, and stopped that teams momentum, this time it's far worse beginning 2/2.
I find it hard to see a team playing 35 games/69 days (more on the road) gaining ground, much less playing at a ten game over five hundred pace they will need to match last season where they finished nineteen games over, which only clinched a playoff spot two days before the season ended.
At best I see a five hundred team from here that's going to be exhausted from travel/lack of days off, there are also going to be injuries with that kind of schedule.
Having written this ANYTHING can happen, but if you are asking what I expect to see happen based on how the season has played to date, this is how I see things, and it does not look good.
No, I do not want to see a Milbury plan where prospects are traded for rentals. If Okposo, Nielsen, cannot be retained there are few realistic alternatives in UFA.
If you are asking me who is available in a trade start with Grabovski who has no business as a left wing, he's a career center, who's not a top six scorer at his best. There are plenty of forwards here who should be full time centers. (Nelson/Strome)
After that I would put anyone on 4th line on the table in a trade, with Bailey/Bernier/Kulemin if it lands a top six scoring forward.
So much for all that depth on defense, it went fast, with a lot of those prospects getting sent to the ECHL.
Starting on 2/2 over 69 days we will get our answer if this is a playoff team.
New York needs 45/70 available points to match years 101 point total.
The years of words from this organization, and it's players all come down to this.
