Bellows Leaves College For WHL/Dolan Newsday Follies

New York Islander Fan Central | 5/31/2017 01:08:00 PM |
Portlandtribune: Kieffer Bellows explains why he left college to play with Portland in WHL this fall.

NYIFC Comments:
See former pick Blake Kessel, who did the same after his junior season long ago. This means his time table is no longer four years to be signed by NY to an ELC, he likely has to be signed by next summer 5/31/18 as all CHL drafted prospects would be.
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Short version, Dolan is using the family paper to play their games again, and the usual gullible fans are buying in because they get an article from a newspaper that's not even allowed to write the name Dolan.

Is Doug Weight Part Of The "Culture" Problem?

New York Islander Fan Central | 5/19/2017 01:45:00 AM | | |
So if the culture needs a change, what is Doug Weight still doing here, whether it be as assistant coach, head coach or assistant general manager?

I understand he's a good quote, and the fans desperately need that kind of communication, but whatever role he had as an assistant in terms of special teams, or closing out games he was also responsible as part of Snow/Capuano's staff.

He's a big part of creating the past culture, as he recruited Andrew Ladd, and reportedly got on the phone with many free agents as assistant gm.

This is a man who was behind the bench as an assistant since 2011-12 season, and was very animated when seen on television.

I get he likely is a mentor to Tavares since day one, and that may be a big factor in his resigning.

Having written this in terms of head coaching experience, until Weight was given the interim tag, he had none at any level after he retired here as a player. And it also has to be noted he rarely had time to practice much less ever with a team on full rest.

When this team needed a left wing in elimination games, 5th overall pick (LW) Michael Dal Colle, stayed in Bridgeport for Thomas Hickey?

Ok, he's getting his own staff which started with Richardson + on 5/18.

Capuano never seemingly had his own staff besides people from Bridgeport, Scott Gordon holdovers or the return of Greg Cronin. (before Capuano was behind the Islanders bench in 2005 under Steve Stirling)

For me Doug Weight talking about a culture change is a surprise, he's a big part of the past culture here, some good, but some not so good.

As an interim coach (even with an awful schedule/no rest/never home) more than a few decisions were terrible, which led to blow out losses rarely seen in the first half.

Also, as I wrote on twitter many times, I'm still not past Snow's comment, Capuano, was not someone they were going to bring back regardless after this season.

So if Capuano's team finished with the exact same record as Nashville in a 14 team conference, and was still playing right now, he would not have been back?
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So did Dolan approve a Bridgeport game (who's the home team in NYI AHL operated arena?) in exchange for Ledecky-Malkin surrendering via paperwork approval for a Buffalo home game in Queens, or did he threaten pulling all television, joke Newsday coverage with the awful beat-writer?

Is he putting back in more player post-game interviews, instead of the new twenty minute post-game?

Why is Staple writing on twitter what's in Thomas Greiss locker? Whatever happens in the room stays in the room, the other German player Seidenberg never got an article all season at +25 from him. 
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Are the Islander fans who like the fisherman logo, the same people who really think Dolan is a friend  of this franchise?

So the Dolan family, that fought the team over 50,000 for the Metro Ice Challenge, and hides them 24/7 really wants to pay them over 300 million dollars through 2031?

If you believe that, you likely think if Dolan won the 2013 bid for the Coliseum he would move his AHL team out of Nassau for an Islanders return, & that his tax exemption means nothing to him which was only reported in a Rochester newspaper as to why Buffalo is hosting a game inside the NYI territorial rights so Dolan can keep getting close to 40-50 million dollars a year from NYC taxpayers.

Watchdog Newsday sure wanted no part of Dolan's tax exemption, the NHL, had no comment, but we get false headlines about 30 day notices (not in lease paperwork) & first steps to opt outs, when half way down the page it's buried both sides could keep the same lease.  

Funny Dolan's Newspaper writers can put up documents to everything related to Barclay's or the Islanders lease, but when it comes to Dolan's television contract with the Islanders, Devils, Sabres, Red Bulls, Cosmos or NHL territorial rights agreements, they cannot get anything from their own employer much less anything that happens inside the Chase Garden besides throwing out Oakley with a pro-Dolan spin of events? 

Maybe next some of our fans next will agree with Jim Baumbach, Al Arbour's 1500th win should not have counted in 2007?

Randi Marshall was never shy about demanding financial information or political contributions from Wang or Ratner when she was not posting 3/4 articles to defeat the 2011 referendum or play watchdog on Ratner when Dolan lost the Coliseum bid, same as Robert Brodsky. 

New York Signs Linus Soderstrom

New York Islander Fan Central | 5/11/2017 04:05:00 PM |
NYIFC Comments:
Now we see if he comes to North America this fall or remains in Europe under contract. The answers to these questions will be more clear when we see if  restricted free agents, Chris Gibson/Stephon Williams are given qualifying offers by the Islanders in June.  

McAdam is already signed for next season. Snow is never shy about carrying a third goalie at the NHL/AHL level & it's been justified given goaltenders who came into seasons off injuries.  

Sorokin is under contract in the KHL next season, the rumors/gossip on an extension for a player already signed really mean nothing with no transfer agreement.  

As we learned with Anders Nilsson/Mikko Koskinen even going back to Europe/KHL does not translate to NHL success, nor did it when these kids signed here as prospects. 

Why New York Was Best Dynasty/Team Ever

New York Islander Fan Central | 5/06/2017 06:50:00 PM |
Sure two of the NYI teams that won the cup would not qualify for the playoffs in this shootout/overtime format, and sixteen of twenty one teams used to qualify for the playoffs vs today where a NYI team with 94 points did not.

Yes, Peter Laviolette's, 83 point, one game over five hundred  NYI qualified in 2002-03.

Still, the NYI as a western conference team could have gone to 10 straight finals in that era (including all the preceding teams that went to the semi-finals) but what makes them the greatest is four straight cups, nineteen straight playoff series wins in this conference, with a franchise built with no drafting or playoff format advantages like Montreal/Edmonton.

I understand the younger folks will not agree, you tell them how bad the western conference was in 1967 when the Bowman-Arbour Blues went to three straight finals & went 0-12 so the playoff format had to be changed to 1-16, and the west was a non-cup factor, and it does not register.

I think Bobby Orr's fake/scripted dive into the air was the final act of that format. Derek Sanderson in his book flat out said being the first team to lose a single game to the west would have ruined winning the Stanley Cup. 

Some will recall the Islanders defeated Edmonton in 1981 with the 1-16 format before the league went back to conference playoff despite the west still being awful, and the Islanders faced three superior teams before playing sub-five hundred Vancouver in the finals. 

Try having a conversation with a Canadians fan, and remind them their territorial rights benefits to prospects was the only reason they had a dynasty, and when the final generation of those players retired, their ability to win cups ended.

Gook luck reminding an Oilers fan their road to the finals basically went through Eastern transplant Atlanta, who moved to Calgary, and because of that became an immediate contender, who went to a final, and won their own cup.

After the 83 finals, Kevin Lowe was not lying, they were able to prepare all season, and playoffs for a rematch with the Islanders, who did not have that luxury. (and only scored two goals at Coliseum in those two games by enforcers)

Edmonton even had the brand new 2-3-2. (after the Islanders did not have home ice against the Habs, who had far less points in the semi-finals, and fell behind 2-0 before sweeping the next four games)

Edmonton also used the 2-3-2 again the next year to defeat Philadelphia in five games before the league changed the rules.

Basically that format failed the NHL (even giving Edmonton another home cup win when the lights went out in Boston)  when Calgary was not getting past them in the playoffs.

And we all know another Vancouver team with no business in the playoffs at all made a final at 35-34-11 in 1994 when the transplanted/purchased Oilers/Hawks limped to a cup in seven games.

Finally by 1995-1996 the 1967 weaknesses were cured with transplanted Quebec to Colorado, Detroit, Dallas, St Louis, and the fans had a coference playoff format where two good teams would compete for a cup in the finals.

For myself, the New York Islanders won with no advantages, with the most playoff series wins, and that's why they were the best ever.

Bill Torrey did not have the luxury of Sam Pollock to keep his dynasty going by having tons of prospects to offer for the #1 overall pick, his teams did not play in a conference of weak teams when the playoffs started.