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Darche Grade So Far? F |
New York Islander Fan Central | 3/09/2026 04:30:00 PM |
Sorry folks, I base the grade based on the decisions made, nothing else. The New York Islanders had a lot of bad contracts with term under Lou Lamoriello, Matthew Darche has only added to that list with a lot of poor-shortsighted decisions for old/limited players. This is not a fast, high-scoring or physical team, and as much as we may want to discuss the young talent waiting how is RD Isiah George, Kashawn Aitcheson going to replace Matthew Schaefer, Adam Pelech or Darche's 50 million dollar signing in Romanov?
I watched the decisions made since Darche came here, he had a year to wait with Noah Dobson, he could have qualified him or signed him, he did not have to do a long-term deal at that time. Instead we got the absolute best of Heineman until Roy made him a LW who stopped scoring. We got Drouin who looked done, and now Darche moved him (with a first/third) for another declining player in Brayden Schenn, who the Blues fans were thrilled with unloading, same as the Devils fans who want Fitzgerald gone cheered him for unloading Palat, who's now in the top six and not producing. Even worse Calum Ritchie, and Matt Barzal are permanent wingers so Pageau could bounce in a goal every month or so, as players beat him in the defensive zone. Let's not even touch for today Drouin being setup for a powerplay goal Ray Bennett could not draw up for two years. Of course we can always touch resigning awful Palmieri who's not missed, and gave this team nothing offensively, and was good for being toasted for a goal or two against a game.
Nothing personal here, if Darche got team younger, faster, more offensive with some guys who can hit/fight no problem. Now they seemed boxed in to being old/slow/soft/poor scoring that produced two goals or less in about 14/20 games now have to play for 1/1-2/1 games. The facts are hidden in all those overtime wins where the truth is you take away those games they are a mile out of contention. And the core with Sorokin, Schaefer, Pelech, Pulock, Holmstrom, Ritchie, Barzal put them in contention with nothing around them.