New York 11th-12th Lottery Picks

New York Islander Fan Central | 4/28/2018 07:48:00 PM |
12th from Calgary 11th their own pick

Lottery Update

New York Islander Fan Central | 4/27/2018 12:10:00 PM |

Should New York Move On From Tavares? Yes

New York Islander Fan Central | 4/17/2018 08:01:00 AM |
Corrections from below....
Recently I wrote here could live with Tavares signing/not signing either way & it's only eight years, but there is so much downside to these kind of signings.

Cannot recall any that end up with a Stanley Cup, and the later years are usually not good.

I do look at Tavares down the road (three years if no injuries) and see what we are getting from Andrew Ladd right now when he was healthy a year ago. 

I know the ownership/management/players/fans want him back regardless,  but honestly for myself it's time to save the money for faster players, and who they will need to resign like Lee, Barzal moving forward for the money they are going to want.

Tavares has plenty of downside already. He was a good team player and embraced the penalty kill role when Capuano put him on it last season, it's not about the kind of person he is, because only he can speak to that with everyone who knows how bad he wants to win.

But lets not pull punches, other teams have dominating players you see be the best player for their teams almost every game. John Tavares was invisible (beyond overtime) almost every game despite his point totals, and it's fair to write he was not the best player on his own team over sixty minutes.

His skating was terrible all season, he was on the ice 113 goals allowed (121 was the most) in the NHL, and often he was seen getting beat in front of his own goalie, and his skating is not going to improve, he has scoring hands, and play-making skills, he will have those moving forward, it will be painful to see him elsewhere because he's going to get his numbers.

Perhaps being a captain is also too much for him (it was for Clark Gillies) he clearly did not look very happy this season or he was playing hurt, or the constant contract drumbeat was too much. He made clear on 2/26 he could sign by the end of the season with or without playoffs. This team has no real media like 29 other teams (with Devils) the attendance beat many Coliseum seasons and still an undefeated team at home living on 5-4, 4-3, 6-5 wins were last in attendance during the regular season with Tavares into December.

But I do see letting him go as the correct decision for someone who's going to want 10-12+ million to be on the ice for far too many goals against, who's skating is not going to improve.

Yashin on one leg his final season made the playoffs with 50 points in 58 games, and was on a 90 point pace with Jason Blake/Chris Simon as his wingers when he got hurt. 

Of course I think the coaching here was a big part of his problems last season but he was either too slow, or whatever system, strategy Weight employed (and he looked miserable at end when Weight wanted to make Barzal his center) did not work for him or his team as they kept facing more & more shots against & were so easy to play against.

Weight is all he's ever known here from the day he was drafted.

Colorado is surviving without Duchene, he got his wish to be sent to a playoff team, but that did not work out, so he's watching his old team participate instead. No one is laughing at Joe Sakic today, his team seemed to grow from that trade.

Maybe this is not the right team for him or he needs two Barzal-like players on his wings, who can open the ice for him despite Lee/Bailey numbers. It's not the right coaching for him (or anyone) for him to be on the ice for 113 goals, which would be my one reason for giving him another chance with an experienced coach who can improve his overall game.

We know owners/management want him back at all cost, I do not get a vote, but for myself given last season I would let him go elsewhere based on how he played.

I want Snow gone and did after last season because he had a fair amount of time to produce a winner, and his team took a step back after last season. Based on Snow's comments he wants to resign Tavares but as always if he has his final number he knows when to let the player go elsewhere. 

For myself I agreed with Snow every time he let a player walk or they signed elsewhere. Those players to date have not lived up to the contracts they signed.  Okposo, Nielsen, Parenteau I, Moulson, Vanek I-II who turned him down, Boyes, MacDonald.

But this is not about Snow, this is my call. This is not a 10-12 million dollar player who dominates games, his skating is not going to improve. We saw Parise walk from Devils, signed with Suter and for 200 million they have not won a thing or come close, this seems to be the trend.

I like what they have in Barzal, Beauvillier, Eberle, Lee, Bailey hopefully Bellows, Toews, Pulock, and maybe Dal Colle, or Ho-Sang give them something. Ladd/Nelson may do better with an experienced coach. They have two first rounders coming.

A few years ago this team received praise for being one of the toughest to play against, now they are mocked for being one of the easiest to play against, who set records for goals allowed, shots against, penalty killing, who's goaltender gave them a career season and kept 35-37-10 from being with or below Buffalo.

It may or may not start with Tavares but he was responsible as captain.

I want to know why Tavares did not carry his team like Hall does for New Jersey, why he's not giving them what Crosby or Ovechkin does. For the money he will want he must be a visible, impact player who puts a team on his back every game.

The best player on the ice. 

Instead he was invisible most games, don't tell me about one overtime highlight vs Flyers, who's best players carry that team between their long winning/losing streaks.

Who saw that from Tavares last season, who saw it at his absolute best when they were one minute from losing game six vs Florida, where was he vs Tampa to extend those 3rd period leads?

10-12 million, someone better ask some very hard questions. Those two lefts and a right to practice produced nine regulation wins at Coliseum in 2013-14.

My Thoughts on 2017-18 NY Islanders

New York Islander Fan Central | 4/11/2018 09:38:00 AM |
The New York Islanders yielded 293 goals, the most by any team since the 2006-07 season. Their penalty-killing unit had a 73.2- percent success rate, the lowest by any team since the 1988-89 season. Close to 20 year records for shots against & all time 50 shot games against. A powerplay that allowed 10 goals, who hired someone with no experience to run it.

Why is this general manager and inexperienced coach here unless for Tavares they stay or he goes?

My thoughts on Snow is he is a very good gm, he had back luck but after 11 years he should have been sent packing along with his interim coach, now at year 12 unless for Tavares they go, he goes, what's left to write?

Tavares set records for being on the ice for goals against that go back a decade, Leddy was over -40. Tavares was not an impact player in games like his counterparts, he rarely was the best player on the ice for his own team. He disappeared most of the games, despite his 80 points which reads odd but is true. Go find a highlight beyond those goals vs Flyers, he looked unhappy the final month, but also made clear on 2/26 he may resign by the end of the season playoffs or not, he made clear this is the only place he wanted to play too many times to be let off the hook if he does not resign.

Meanwhile you have cup winner Boychuk say they have a good team but allowed too many goals, while Clutterbuck did not provide brutal honesty and say the problems began opening night, as the 4-3, 5-4, 6-5 wins masked the very obvious problem long before deHaan got hurt, as Halak rarely let up a bad goal. They could not win the low scoring/low shot games even some awful Islander teams did.

35-37-10 without goal scoring and Halak having a career year (who they should bring back) this team is 20-52-10.

All the players endorsed the gm/coach for some reason on breakup day, and wanted to return. Tavares who completely trust Snow/Weight seems for him, it's this gm/and Weight who's been his mentor since day one or why sign up for unknown replacements when he can pick his own gm/coach elsewhere?

It was a terrible season (despite incredible career years by Lee, Barzal, Bailey) from opening night, no point to repeat all my entries. Pulock's finish makes me think he's a star, and Toews could well be for openers. Who knows what Bellows/draft brings.

Ledecky did a good job the first day, it looked sincere like Snow/Weight are no lock to be back.

Day two he acted like Cuomo giving Dolan an arena to be our landlord was ownership's victory, leaving NYC/Barclay's is the biggest loss this franchise has ever had. 30 teams want to play inside a city to survive financially.

Dolan's newspaper/media will do nothing but sell Dolan's arena as our home we run, nothing could be a bigger lie, this is just payback for Dolan losing Coliseum in 2013.

Now this fragile team is going to be the only one really in my life time to have 2 home arena's, and have success? Not seeing that, and Lee is a huge signing next summer.

Ledecky Letter #2 Step Backwards

New York Islander Fan Central | 4/10/2018 03:08:00 PM |
Last thing we needed was another letter with him selling us being Dolan's 41 day tenant in a 16,500 seat joke as some kind of accomplishment, best thing they can do is stay in NYC and demand a NYC arena without Dolan. I was very satisfied with his admission of failure, and walking out on Snow/Weight, and I don't think they are safe or their fates decided, despite any players endorsement, including Tavares.

Still working on my comments......have written plenty on twitter.

Jon Ledecky Speaks/Statement

New York Islander Fan Central | 4/09/2018 04:20:00 PM | | | |
NYIFC Comments: Despite strong player endorsements from Tavares on down fully "trusting Snow/Weight moving forward" and loving being here, nothing from Ledecky which is exactly as it should be. Sorry gang, but this was not Wang going on television the final game to tell us Snow's absolutely coming back.

Snow/Weight:

Tavares

Season Over/Clean Out Day: Sunday/Monday

New York Islander Fan Central | 4/08/2018 01:46:00 PM |
Ledecky,Snow,Weight,Tavares/remaining players on Monday. Opened twitter account recently with season reduced to garbage time. Had a lot to write. Will be doing much more here going forward.

New York Signs D Yannick Rathgeb: 2 year/2 way

New York Islander Fan Central | 4/06/2018 02:03:00 PM |
Yannick Rathgeb profile.

New York signs David Quenneville ELC

New York Islander Fan Central | 4/06/2018 12:04:00 PM |
Quenneville agrees to entry level deal.

NYIFC Comments: 
He needed to be resigned by 5/31, as we know from past 7th rounders don't have many options beyond re-entering the draft, many are not selected when they do.

Great numbers, we'll see. Toews, Aho, prospects in system, Pulock. A roster filled with defenders signed.