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NYIFC Thoughts On Belmont

No punches were pulled on Barclays or Coliseum renovation in Newsday (because Dolan lost bid) we had a ton of LI bloggers who never wanted to give Barclay's any kind of a fair chance, despite the payroll/attendance improvements in year 1-2 playing on weeknights. Now we're allowed nothing but happy talk about Belmont or shut up/love it or don't support this team. Meanwhile, the green buffer zone between homes was destroyed next to LIRR and New York arena partners were given a stop work order which only appeared in tiny papers, not Newsday. Happy talk only, as many fans/blogger/media act like Kate Murray & bully people, and even Transit expert, Larry Penner, has been bullied by vote no $58, Randi Marshall, who talked these people out of voting yes for a new Coliseum in 2011 so Dolan could bid for it in 2013. In fact every all the local papers say the same thing about Belmont, it's a shady deal, but the LIBN is a tiny paper that can't compete with Newsday/News12 paywall service.
This is New York Islander Fan Central, not "stan" Central. I don't sell imitation clothing which takes money out of our owners team store, or a podcast or care who follows me, so I can always be completely honest/always have been. I don't want a job with the team, or was given someone else's message board, so that does not happen here, the truth is always written, and this is how I see it.
Belmont was a shady backroom deal the LIBN reported about (with documentation) as being done in 2016 (which is when Belmont appeared front page in Dolan's Newsday) long before any fake predetermined RFP was announced. Dolan wanted his LI arena, and owned Cuomo so this hurts Barclay's & renovated Coliseum, and gives all his friends (Leiweke/Azoff) a building to operate/book aka take acts/dates from his competition.
Flushing as fast as it was considered was called not viable in Newsday before blueprints were published, despite Jeff Wilpon saying all options especially Flushing was a viable option.
NYI as always are tenants only, the notion this is NYI arena is a flat out lie when fact is they have their least secure lease ever which is less then Alexei Yashin's contract for a buyout tomorrow, all it takes is ESD approval and they can relocate out of NY tomorrow---for free.
But the usual lazy media or bloggers with agenda's/resume sell, and you read "Islanders arena" enough times, fans who barely care either way buy it, they want to, but it's no more home then in 1972, 2015, 2018 or today.
Wang, Malkin-Ledecky-Shay all signed up for this, they are hardly blameless, and know Barclay's (of course it was flawed) increased payroll/revenue, but it was in New York City and working despite the drip of negatives from LI bloggers/Newsday, who did not even go back to the renovated Coliseum & had crowds of 11,000 announced in first place with $10.00 tickets unsold in March 2019.
The Belmont arena itself was a bad design, the Ewing-Cole blueprints were changed from retail inside arena with hotel next to the grandstand, as of today the hotel on the website is there but has parking spaces where hotel is supposed to be in another section?
That site sat empty for generations because the Cross Island Parkway, Hempstead Turnpike, and the racetrack far turn/grandstand made for a very limited footprint. The inner bowl shows a lower deck that goes out/not up like Nassau Coliseum, and most of the seats are downstairs, the sell was low roof, but again seats are far away from playing surface so forget noise/intimate settings they have been selling, it's not on top of players as before. It looks like Msg before it's renovation with seats a mile away from ice downstairs.
The Wilpon's are building this place who's company constructed painfully flawed Madoff Field, minor things like players bench not on right side, orange banners hung on right/not left, are mistakes. Every other year outfield walls/bullpens/dimensions had to be changed in Queens were major.
LIRR Elmont station (not the one for the Belmont Stakes there forever) is a long trip outdoors, and far away from arena entrance.
No tailgates are permitted at Belmont outdoors, it's a public park, wait until parking prices come out.
But every photo/tour it's all happy talk, no facts or honesty. This site wants a team here in New York in 25 years, not one which won't work at this isolated, flawed location (that's why it's this Arizona-Ottawa in suburbs) with a ton of issues already most won't talk about. And it would have opened on time if the money was spent to work a few Sunday's, as things like lanterns sat in a warehouse since July and despite Leiweke's claims evertyhing was delivered is not installed or consistent with the renderings, the 800-1000 workers were never seen that were promised.
Just happy talk, not honesty. After all these years have you not been fooled enough. At least at Barclay's they said day one no major construction changes, they did promise an ice retrenching.

Another Four Years for Ross Johnston

NYIFC Comments:
I don't know why unless it helps get him through waivers to AHL. Golyshev, Dal Colle, and a lot of younger wingers need a spot here, and he's not taking Matt Martin's job, he's not really a RW so this likely does not replace #15 next summer.
As for this site, it's more important Bossy is honored then this page has a logo, I'll find a spot on the bottom for the logo, and we finally have a new road header before the trip ends.

Bill Torrey Named To 2022 AHL Hall Of Fame

Not a formula for staying in contention

Don't like being negative, but it is what it is. A top team with speed/skill is too much for this team.
As during the 56 games, I'm not impressed. They are older, slower, less skilled without Leddy/Eberle, Palmieri does not look like a first line player, and frankly Chara looks painfully old/slow, and a conversation needs to happen soon if he wants the record for most games played before he retires, or he has to up his game. Greene looks his age. Parise looks 37, and puck has to come to him, he's been a non-factor.
Sorokin putting this team on his back is not the way, that's great in/of itself, but not how you win a championship or even stay in contention for a playoff spot. What Carolina/Florida did was not fluke, and this league is filled with younger/faster/skilled teams who's young stars will not be denied.
The powerplay looks even more lost without Leddy.
Ok, they get a break/restart, they were lucky to escape Arizona, Vegas with two points, this is not the way you win.
Me? Wahlstrom is a player, Golyshev looks like a player, and so does Robin Salo. Dal Colle did not look out of place in 56 games, and worked hard in all three zones. For 750k Parise/Chara can go on waivers or retire, those players mostly make the same.
The 82 game strategy can't be give up 40 shots, watch other teams fly around older players. This is why you keep Devon Toews over Pageau who's no big scorer, and why you have to be right if moving Leddy/Eberle for even older players.
Old players don't get younger/faster, we saw this in the 56 games against top teams on road, no regulation wins.

Mike Bossy lung cancer

#22 is stepping away from his job announcing to fight lung cancer.

NYIFC Notables

Updates continue on prospect site with Worcester twitter added, along with updated roster/radio information for Bridgeport. More updates for Belmont have been added.

Eight years for Ryan Pulock

Pulock discussed his signing on Thursday. Not the way I like things done, but beyond my control.
NYIFC Comments:
No complaints here.

Lamoriello Comments: More on my projection

Skarek will be going to Bridgeport w/Hickey, Bellows stays with Schneider.
Will fill in Lamoriello's comments later (done), he feels he has his deepest team, I disagree, but he's president/gm, and I'm thrilled he's here with Barry Trotz. His job is to win the Stanley Cup, that's why he's here doing this.
Did not come to my projection easily, but the issues/weaknesses at the end of the 68 games in 2019-20, & 2021 are not something to be fluffed away or cured by adding a 37 year old forward who was bought out or a 44 year old defender to go with Andy Greene, combined with losing Leddy's skating/Eberle's scoring streaks. You can't gut out 82 games with defense/hard work, against many fast/skilled teams, and do all this traveling, they struggled doing it 56 games on less travel.
I want to be completely wrong, but don't think I am, unlike many past years where felt anything could happen, hope they prove me wrong.
And for those scoring at home, this site has reverted back to it's normal colors, with prospect site in third jersey colors, and historial site in classic colors.
These are the colors of the New York Islanders on the Belmont scoreboard, not the uniforms.

Trotz comments as trip begins/Projection 10th seed.

NYIFC Comments:
Just don't see a top cup contender, and a best a fringe playoff contender....Sorry.
We saw a team get older, slower with less scoring depth, that did not win one regulation game during 56 games at Caps, Pens, or Boston, now they have to beat out fast/skilled Canes, Panthers, Tampa. New York finished 4th, they free fell and for a second straight year, almost fell all the way to 5th besides beating one team three times. They lost to Devils/Sabres at end which cost them home ice against Tampa. Despite taking a ton of punches before Pens/Boston wore down, getting outshot 45-19 is not how they won in 2018-19, that was a contending team.
What happened matters, not just in a best of 7 in a tournament bubble after a three month break, then one based on 56 games.
How do they change my mind? Be a top team over 82 games/score goals, Sorokin has to take the next step, squeeze one more year out of Chara/Parise.
In 56 games NYI were dead by the end of January before Buffalo had to shut down, so NY got a big fat reset. This is 82 games, last time we saw that the team free fell by March 2020 when things shut down.
Want the cup like everyone else, but have to be honest. Many only watched playoff games.
Projection: New York is 10th seed/playoff miss. Road trip/scoring issues/faster competition over 82 games too much.
Belmont road trip will be an issue, so will another long trip at the end. Section 315 for Sunday November game vs Leafs had 60 tickets available, so despite improved attendance overall for now, we are seeing people don't want to pay $115.00, and when the novelty wears off, that could be the end. Revenue must pay for the massive expenses in a suburb, that's done nothing but fail financially.

New York Roster Released *

* does not include players going through waivers or who's contracts have not been added. I don't see Skarek here long if Schneider is added with his contract. The money has to make sense to squeeze in Varlamov, Martin at some point when they come off IR.
Sebastian Aho, Josh Bailey, Mathew Barzal, Anthony Beauvillier, Zdeno Chara, Casey Cizikas, Cal Clutterbuck, Noah Dobson, Andy Greene, Thomas Hickey, Ross Johnston, Leo Komarov, Anders Lee, Scott Mayfield, Brock Nelson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Kyle Palmieri, Zach Parise, Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, Jakub Skarek, Ilya Sorokin, Oliver Wahlstrom.
Injured and/or Non-Roster: Johnny Boychuk, Matt Martin, Semyon Varlamov.

More New York changes:

Belmont-2021
The header (as always) is a work in progress, & normally would include a Robin Salo, Simon Holmstrom, Samuel Bolduc, Anatoli Golyshev, it's been a long time having a full time header here. Nystrom award winner, Pageau has been added to the historial page, and the first Belmont logo, despite my thoughts.
Robin Salo, Samuel Bolduc, Anatolii Golyshev and Jakub Skarek sent to the AHL.
Aside from maybe Golyshev, none of these players require waivers to be sent down.
That leaves Komarov (cleared waivers before) vs Johnston (would likely clear waivers) vs Aho, vs Bellows. (who likely would not clear waivers)
Michael Dal Colle apparently does have an NHL/AHL contract, and was placed on waivers.

Erik Gustafsson has been released from his PTO/Chara/Parise 750k plus bouns money

Expect more decisions as contracts are filed, while others clear waivers.
Bellows, AHO.

Bridgeport Update:

Obviously, there is the ECHL roster possible for some of the current listed players/new goalies, but with Varlamov hurting, it's likely Schneider may be hanging around.

NY Notables

Not a lot to write at this time, camp is moving along, the real work begins with practices days after preseason ends, expect virtually no surprises on roster with maybe the exception of Robin Salo, unless Varlamov can't go.
I'm going to take a Dolan break, untimately our owners past/present made decisions to be on his television network, move to an arena built for Dolan/cronies, but Scott Malkin/Jon Ledecky were not helpless here, and if they don't like owning team eventually, they will sell to new people. Belmont has some major obstacles ahead (beyond schedule/extremely late opening) but our owners signed up for this, no one forced them.
I think the new domain system renew worked so this website should be here for another year.