GM DOES ONLY THING HE CAN DO
Snow tells Newsday he believes in his players
Excellent work by Katie Strang getting Garth Snow to talk about his winless team. As for the GM, what else is he supposed to say? If he’s ever going to start improving his team, he can’t forecast his moves for the rest of the league. All he said is, “I believe in the players in that room.” He didn’t say, “I believe we’re a playoff team.” Snow is obligated to take the call from Newsday, and that’s all he can say.
On a related issue, we all know the Maple Leafs are bad right now. But can we stop using their misery as consolation for the Islanders? Can we stop using their failure as an excuse for the Islanders? Yes, they signed some free agents and they’re also winless. The Leafs’ disaster has nothing to do with the Islanders’ specific set of circumstances.
In a league where everyone wins, only the Maple Leafs and Islanders have not two weeks in. That’s the only thing the two teams have in common.
106 Responses to “GM DOES ONLY THING HE CAN DO
Snow tells Newsday he believes in his players”
Please Wait
I didn’t see this team as a playoff team even if the Isles signed free agents like Tanguay in the off-season. The best thing for the Islanders is to tank one more year, get a high draft pick and keep moving in the right direction. When is the last time we had young players form a real #1 line? We are heading in the right direction here, I’m not sure if anyone thought JT would make us a playoff team overnight but lets all wake up here.
We’ve been taking joy in the failures of the Rangers for years. Taking solace in the problems of others is embedded into the personality of Islanders fans. We can’t help ourselves.
Snow is like a kid with an allowance. Wang, his dad allowed enough to buy a bank {goalies] to save pucks. But the bank is not saving pucks and it cost so much that there was nothing left for anything else. {Sorry for this tiresome analogy] Lets just say that its going to be a long difficult season but we will all win if the LH is approved!
Katie didn’t do that good of a job.
Another fluffy article that is politically correct. Garth wasn’t asked any tough questions.
Do you think this team is in good shape physically when they wear down in the 2nd and third periods? Are you tanking the season? How can you possibly be satisfied with the lack of progress from anyone not named Okposo? Streit and Tavares are as advertised, but why isn’t anyone showing improvment under Gordo? Can this system win games???
why not use the maple laughs as a consolation for the the isles misery?
i’m canadian and theres one thing your taught if you dont live in ontario and that’s to hate the leafs!!!! im not even kidding. Theres no middle ground, u are either a fan or you hate the team. haha
as for our team, why not rotate in tambs, martin, joensuu. we have nothing to lose. i also think we should utilize park’s speed and creativity with some more offensive forwards, he always cooks something up but then its wrecker or jackman screwing it up.
go see a game in the air canada centre and you will not compare us to the leafs..please as bad as they are they are never irrelevant in their home market like the isles..plus they spend money and just traded for a great young talent….the isles suck in their own very special way….
In my opionion the Islander’s will not be a playoff team until over 3 year’s. In that time JT 3 year contract will be over. Will the isalnder’s pay the $$$. DP should give up some of his $$$
CB,
With all due respect I think Islander fans are used to being the laughing stock or the punching bag. This offseason the Leafs signed big free agents and traded first round draft picks for Phil Kessel.
Now the Leafs are threatening (Extremely Early 2 weeks in) to forfit the #1 overall pick for Kessel.
Islander fans never get the opportunity to poke fun back and I think they are just jumping at the one rare opportunity.
Other than that I agree 100% the Islanders and Leafs have nothing to do with one another.
I don’t understand all the complaining. The Isles are doing the right thing. The only way to get good is to be bad … real bad. Just look at the Penguins. If they’re not real bad they don’t get Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury. The problem in the past was that when the Isles were bad and drafted well Mad Mike got impatient and traded away the young guys for proven mediocre veterans. If he had kept the young guys they would have been a Cup contender for many years. All you people who booed Bertuzzi and wanted him traded should think about that now. We’ve waited this long so we can certainly wait a little longer. I would much rather have another shot at the number one pick this year than sign enough mediocre veterans to make the team good enough to fight for the eighth spot and then continue to tread water. If they draft properly eventually the team can be a consistent contender fighting for the number seed instead of a playoff spot. Be patient people.
Hey Garth, What do you think about the fact that our coach, who thinks we play lazy hockey at times, gives our boys the day off after such inconsistant efforts?
Please Garth, please get us a real coach.
As much as it pains me to lose (and I’m sick and tired of having to continually say “Wait until next year”), this is the best thing for the team and GMG is being required to handle it in this manner.
“Why?” you ask?
Off the Ice:
There’s no assurance for the LHP - Thus, there’s no money to be spend. As long as there remains no certainty or assurance that Wang can build what he needs to, he’s going to continue to run this thing ‘lean and mean’. He needs to. No prospective buyer wants to inherit a 20M higher payroll for a team that is going to be moved.
Even the worst team in the league, when moved would likely sell-out the first one or two years in a new place based on novelty alone… even if they were putrid.
Thus, no need to invest immediately and this helps to keep the Isles more appealing to prospective buyers.
This is WANG$$$$$ mandate… and not surprising.
On the ice:
The Isles aren’t an attractive place for UFA’s. The Isles don’t have the organizational depth to trade. Unless the Isles fleece someone (unlikely in this day and age), no deal makes them significantly better.
The Isles are forced to develop their youth and talent. GMG is stockpiling assets via the draft and making low-risk, low-cost moves to try and land a diamond in the rough (e.g., Schremp).
Given the lack of budget, this element completes “The Plan”, which, in short, is to begin spending money on the on-ice product at the point when the LHP becomes a reality and when the youth of this team (Tavares, deHaan, Petrov, Trivino, Bailey, Hamonic, Ness, Koskinen, Hall/Fowler?) emerges.
Expect to suck royally for another season beyond this one (at minimum).
garth got the non threatening boy he wanted as coach….
Sorry, CB, but I take great joy in watching the Leafs slide into oblivion.
After we won the draft lottery, that blowhard Burke acted like we were an AHL franchise that was supposed to just hand over the Tavares pick to the Leafs because, well, they were the Leafs.
We now have a player who looks like an elite talent, and have all our own 1st round picks, while the serial tamperer Burke has iced a horrific team and doesn’t even have 1st round picks this year and next to ease the pain.
My response? With all due respect to loyal Leafs fans, this is for your GM:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Fair Weather Friends, Need I say more!?!
We are and will continue to be the laughing stock of the NHL. Garth can say whatever he wants, he knows down deep that he has the hardest job the NHL has to offer. Putting an NHL team loaded with AHL (at best) talent, on the ice nightly, to fail yet again. Misery loves company, and its gettin’ crowded around here!
Snow should have made more moves in the summer to balance the team but next summer is where he should finally take the next step and make trades and sign free agents. If not this team will just keep going in circles and end up being a farm team for the rest of the league. Players are not going to want to stay on a team that isn’t trying to be more competitive or trying hard enough to win. If Snow thinks that he can build a Stanley Cup winner through the draft without making trades and signing free agents, he’ll be in for a rude awakening. Wang’s wallet is obviously closed until the arena issue is settled. I just hope our prized players don’t bolt before we turn the corner.
I’m not really surprised with how this season started, but they are definitely headed in the right direction. Okposo and Tavares both look like they’ll be legit top line players.
And it’s early in their seasons but De Haan, Hamonic, Ullstrom, Rakhshani, Toews and Kessel have all started the season very well.
I wonder why it is that nobody ever asks Charles Wang why the Islanders never hire personnel with NHL experience, and, dare I add, acquaintance with NHL success. Rebuilds are tricky things, an I can’t imagine the probability of success is any more certain with NHL unknown quantities at both GM and Coach.
As far as being completely defeated goes…it’s a drag, but hardly surprising given the fact that Islanders defense hardly NHL caliber, and not suited to The Gordon Plan at all.
If Snow seriously thought the Islanders were/are a playoff team…we’ve got problems.
I could take joy in other teams problems if the Isles were doing better. That said, there is zero to look forward to at the current time - no wins, marginal talent and unproven players and a defense that so far looks like they have forgotten how to play the game.
My issue continues to be that regardless of how little Wang is spending, and it’s his right to do so, the team still has been poorly constructed. They need to get better or this will be an even longer season than last one. Jeez, they need to at least compete, there are so many plumbers on this squad it’s sickening.
On a daft note, does anyone know anything about Kirill Kabanov? Unfortunately I am already reading the 2010 prospects and THN has him 4th but he seems quite the player…
Garth is now in his fourth year as GM. In year one, he got a Neil Smith team to the playoffs. In year two, he started to put his own stamp on the team and they missed the playoffs, then he made a headscratching move with a top 5 draft pick. By year three, they were clearly the worst team in the league – by design, apparently – and made some more headscratching draft moves after the season (excluding, thankfully, the number one overall). Year four is looking like the decline is only getting worse. I don’t know, is it time yet to at least start judging GM Garth Snow? If not, when can he start to be held accountable for these teams he is putting on the ice?
I already feel dirty having rooted for a tank job last season. I don’t have it in me for another, especially with the likelihood of future Islanders teams playing on Long Island in jeopardy. This is the NHL, you don’t even have to win more than you lose to make the playoffs, perennial losers shouldn’t exist. All this rebuilding nonsense is ridiculous. I can’t imagine Bill Guerin or Doug Weight couldn’t have convinced a competent hockey player/friend to come play here if the Isles would pony up a reasonable salary. Players were willing to sign on to the mess in Toronto so clearly money was the issue. How about paying people. Every other team survives without owning everything around the arena. I don’t see why we think we’re special.
On the other hand, look how well the Rangers are doing under Tortorella…
Envy is ugly, but natural.
The Maple Leafs look great on paper… not so much on the ice. The Islanders don’t look great anywhere (except maybe in the 1st period of most games so far). Where did this Moulson kid come from? I don’t remember hearing about him at all last season.
…he didn’t get the opportunity to finish his thoughts. What he wanted to say was that he believed in those guys to lead us to Taylor Hall. That is not necessarily a bad thing I just hope it doesn’t hurt the development of the youth. There has to be a point where the management looks at the dead weight (not to be confused with Doug Weight) and tells themselves that their lack of effort/response to Gordon’s system is hurting the development of the up and coming youth.
The difficulty with all of this is that it seems the effort as a team overall has decreased, the systme seems to break down more often (after we were told that the familalarity would breed improved implementation), and there is an overall regression not progression.
DOC
Neil SMITH???? WHAT? He was here for 40 days and did NOTHING! That was NOT Neil Smiths team. Drop it already. The guy hasn’t had a job in the NHL in what 12 years? There’s a reason he only lasted 40 days.
How many millions of dollars are we BELOW the cap? Gotta spend a little to be better!
All he said is, “I believe in the players in that room.”
Boy, that is from the book of Milbury!
Snow must stop it! It is to early in the season for that. We are already hearing the nonsense about “The answer is in the locker room” “We must play 60 minutes of Haockey” “Lossing is unexceptable”
How about adding some real Talent and experience to help this club and its kids.
It is insulting to us Fans to hear the same “BS” year in year out. Wait until the allstar break and the excuse’s will be the same. Why cant fans see this?
From a coaching standpoint, the problem I have is that Gordon seems to be unable to adjust to the realities of his roster, in that he’s going with a system that they’re clearly not capable of executing for 60 miunutes. Whether it was the rash of 3rd period collapses last year, or the gradual disintegration of the team from opening night ’til today…it’s the same plan from game to game…with the same result.
CB - If Gordon wants his system to work, he needs to roll 4 lines…not play the Wrecker for 2 min…Sim doesn’t need to play every game…And even the worst team in the league should not have Richard Park on the Powerplay unit…time to start mixing up the lines to get some other guys going.
Moulson Tavares Weight
Bergenheim Bailey Okposo
Tambellini Neilsen Comeau
Park Thompson Jackman
Streit Gervais
Martinek Witt
Sutton Hillen
Scratches: Sim, Meyer, Hunter (IR)
Wang knew how much the Islanders were losing each year when he bought the team in 2000. He didn’t have the protection of a league-wide salary cap then, which now prevents big market teams from outspending him. Yet he refusese to take advantage of this protection by continually underfunding the team.
No team can spend more than $56 million on payroll. The Rangers & Detroit used to regularly spend more than that. Now Wang can be on a level playing field with them, but he chooses to only spend $42 million on payroll.
Wang is the Islanders #1 problem, and until he gets his way with his real estate issues, this problem won’t end.
Alan, you misread or skimmed badly.
LImbaugh….Of course, we just made him captian!!!!
doc I don’t get your head explosion. 06-07 certainly wasn’t “Garth’s team”…
If it’s semantics, then OK, we can call it “a team largely comprised of Milbury holdovers, some Neil Smith FA signings, with a couple of Garth signings”.
The larger point remains unchanged.
I second Brian G’s idea….makes sense to me. I welcome the return of Frans. Maybe he can get some of the secondary guys going.
i never read the article, JD. Im just stating an opinion. This team was claiming youth movement 2 years ago, and besides KO (a Neil Smith draftee), JT (a #1 overall pick) and Mark Streit (a FA pickup) and maybe Matt Moulson, what does this team have. Their defense is a joke, and I hate comparing them to the Rangers, but you look at Staal, Griradi, Del Zotto and Gilrow - all under the age of 25 - enough said. JD, be realistic!!!
Chris, I must respectfully disagree with your premise regarding the Leafs…If in the off season, someone (like yourself) was up willing to lavish praise on Burke for being so aggressive and having the right idea about team building (including lauding the Kessel trade, the signing of Komisarik/Beauchemin etc.), then it stands to reason that their struggles are a valid source of comparison, for if in fact they continue to struggle and either do not make the playoffs (or just make the playoffs), then it can be validly argued that the Isles approach has significantly greater long term value and places us in a much better position going forward.
How quickly we lose perspective. This was not a playoff team, is not a playoff team. I am not sure even looking back that there was any obvious means of making this a playoff team.
I believe Garth is going in the right direction. He has to give this first wave a chance beyond the emotional response of fans to the 1st two weeks. There is a whole other group gaining experience at Bridgeport and the minors.
Let’s face this organization has been badly run for years, but is headed in the right direction and it will take a few years more.
I am always amazed at how quickly we lose context of time and events once the season starts. Am I dissapointed, yes, but this is what I expected. I am in for the long haul. It just shows how off base or fickle we as fans and often writers are once the games begin
Some truth to Snow statements. We really arent playing bad, We just not putting together at 60min effort. Roloson really not helping either.
Isles need a win and with that come some confidence.
While it tough its only 6 games. plenty more hockey to play.
I still enjoy watching this team more than watching Nolan’s 90pt islanders team.
Everyone forgets how bad Pitt was year the drafted Crosby. few years later they are stanley cup champs. All in time.
Neil Smith drafted Okposo, signed Tom Poti and Mike Sillinger. Smith did alot in 40 days. Those moves had more impact than anything Snow has done. A monkey could have drafted John Tavares.
it doesn’t matter how many games they lose. more and more this year reminds me of 1972-73. 3 or 4 guys on this roster matter and a few more in the system. that’s it. as #11 up there points out, there is no reason for the team spend money, makes moves etc., and no reason for us to expect better, unless and until there’s an arena deal. in the meantime it would be nice to see a win here and there, but really it matters not at all. this is basically an expansion team in limbo right now.
And he traded 5 players and picks for Calvin Dehaan, when they couldve stood pat and drafted John Moore and Landon Ferraro. I will judge Garth Snow on two draft picks - Josh Bailey and Calvin Dehaan. As beatlebailey wrote, a monkey couldve drafted Tavares
Seriously, Snow believes in the players in that room to do what? Get the first overall pick for next year?? This is his fourth year, I think it is very fair to start questioning his moves.The big re-build seems to be still stuck at the beginning,He has had 2 very questionable drafts in a row. He has won nothing more or built anymore teams than anyone that posts on this board. He has 1 legit young player that he has drafted in JT ( which was a no-brainer). Every other pick is a question mark. we need to see improvement and growth this year, or I’m afraid both the coach and GM have got to go!!
it is sad to watch a 1/2 empty building at the coliseum on a saturday night. should not happen!!!
Some changes need to be made. Fire Gordon his system and emotions seem bad .Play the guys who are the future and see what they can do. LETS LOOK TO THE FUTURE
Im done making “rebuild” excuses. This team looks worse than last years team which was last in the NHL. I know its early but really, winless at this stage is unacceptable. I have no faith in Gordon and his system. Even though CB feels some of us are making more out of it then needed. The bottom line is its the second year of the overspeed system and so far it sucks.
It might be early to be calling for Gordons head but the time is coming rapidly as we go winless. Drafting JT was a no brainer for Snow. After that we are all scratching our heads. Not to mention last years draft where we traded down for a “Character” guy. We will be building through the draft. Really? Doing a bang up job so far IMO. And as for Neil Smith, he drafted KO if Im not mistaken.
agreed. We should not take solace in the fact that the Leafs blow. But hell it does help so……ha ha to the Leafs and their fans who think we are the joke of the NHL.
It always looks darkest before the dawn. If it takes Gordon 20 games to figure this season out (like last season’s December and January) then he’s done as coach. Gordon needs to light a fire under this team. He needs to find someway to get them playing better. No system says stop skating in the third period, so it’s not all system to blame. Garth may need to look for a new coach soon. If Gordon continues to fail, then that may be a reality. Wang doesn’t want to spend until he gets his lighthouse deal, but you have to still spend a little to keep your business operational — which is about all the Islanders are at the moment. Rotating in more AHL players isn’t the answer on a team laden with AHL talent. Richard Park definitely does not need to be out there on the PP. I love Park, but he’s not a scoring talent and he never has been. Keep him on the PK where he’s effective. The team stickhandles way too much right now. They stickhandle and make poor passes to teammates surrounded by 3 defenders. Except for KO and JT, none of them are going to get those shots off.
To the guys who want to fire Gordon - Tell us who you want instead? I don’t think he should be fired, but I am curious who you want instead.
Re: Rangers young defense compared to ours - seriously, if you were a 20 something kid in the NHL, why would you NOT want to play for the Rangers? As much as we loathe them, their building is full every game (regardless of why) and they get major exposure. The Isles, as much as we hate to admit, are on the lowest rung of the ladder of all sports. Maybe the Clippers, Pirates and Browns are worse but hey, we’re right there as a downtrodden franchise. Can’t blame people for wanting to sign elsewhere.
What could Snow have said? Well, if he was honest…
1. I made a mistake. Scott Gordon is out of his depth and I have aleady started to search for a new coach.
2. I wasn’t given a budget over the summer. I was limited to $45M even though $8M was already dead (Yashin/DiPietro).
3. I must have been smoking crack when I signed 3 goaltenders, and drafted two more, while releasing two capable backups. All that, while we had a prospect in the AHL, one in Europe and a first overall pick and 4 year starter on the mend.
4. Josh Bailey is going to be a solid NHL center one day, but he needs to be getting development time. As soon as Nielson is back I’m sending him down to work with Jack and get first line minutes with the Sound Tigers.
5. I can pat myself on the back for essentially trading Andy Hilbert for Matt Moulson. Also, he may have fallen in our laps, but Rob Schremp may be able to help this team. It’s just too bad nobody was throwing away a 6′3″ 230 lb defenseman that can skate… because the only place I can look for players on my budget is behind the NHL Dumpster.
6. Isn’t expectations management GREAT. I tell everybody that we’re rebuilding and I become unaccountable for the miserable failure this team has become under my watch. I can blame it on Mike Milbury, Charles Wang, SMG, Kate Murray and the Easter Bunny… But I’m just doing what I can…
Guys, a monkey would probably have passed on Bailey and taken Luke Schenn or traded down to pick up Tyler Myers, then would have taken Victor Hedman, thereby accomplishing the rebuild of the D in two bold strokes. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a monkey, we had a backup goalie and that’s going to be his final legacy unless Calvin deHaan turns into the next coming of Bobby Orr. Bottom line is I don’t see any hope for the future here, no matter how well they do in Bridgeport. We need new GM and coach.
As an Islander fan, I’m absolutely in no position to poke fun at any other team. As an NHL hockey fan, however, I find it more than okay to poke fun at both the Maple Leafs and even the Canadiens. Does it really look like Montreal ever has a “real plan” going into a season? All those two teams do is sign “big free agents” and think “pow!” - we’ll get into the Cup finals on arrogance alone! They think the hockey world should lay down and let them win just because they are storied franchises. They don’t have any excuses that the Islanders have had throughout the years. Leafs and Habs have $$$ and support, but it seems like they could use new plans and lose the arrogance.
The one thing that could come of all of this is the fact that Toronto could become a trade partner for us. We have an extra goalie if DP is truely ontrack to get back in the lineup. Plus, we may be the only team that would take Jason Blake back in a trade if taking his salary gets us something nice in return. Maybe we could send some fat to Toronto like Sutton and Witt. Komisarek could be an option. He is overpaid but our D needs help today and long term. Plus, its a good story with him being from the island. I look at his as being like sutton, except he has a set.
Everyone is freaking out way too much. What did we expect? I’m looking for a bottom 5 finish and a top winger for JT (Whoops, should’ve been FILATOV) But anyway, he needs a little help, we have a bunch of contracts ending this year and will hopefully have an idea where we are gonna play so Charles will open up the purse strings. RELAX everyone, the same people wanting Snow to throw money at people are the same people complaining about Ricky D. and Yashins contracts. Think about the Rangers early in this decade they couldn’t make the playoffs with the highest league payroll, they started to when they refocused on home grown talent.
I like to pick on the leafs because unlike them we will have a top 5 pick if we keep getting these results. The leafs dont have a 1st round pick for the next two years. gets me a little warm knowing a team is in a worse spot then us.
I don’t make fun of the leafs. I don’t like them & I’m glad they are struggling, but the Leafs can turn it around. The Isles on the other hand? They’ll be sitting in this dirty diaper for a long, long time.
I was at the game on Saturday night, and was impressed to see over 11,000 fans there. Considering the factors of the Yankees playoff game, the first week of cold weather, and the Isles terrible winless record, they still managed to find that 11,000 people willing to spend their entertainment dollars at the Coliseum.
If only the owner was as committed to this team as the fans are, we’d be in a lot better shape.
In hockey besides scoring, the forwards by good fore and back checking keep the offense tied up and not scoring, which helps the defense and the goalie. In the case of the Isles the forwards with exceptions have not done this-resulting in making a mediocre at best defense look worse and of course let a very average goalie situation seem no better than last season. The net result is a disorganized losing mess that ultimately is the fault of the owner, GM, and coach. The finished product will get better with time with piks, ufa’s, and trades. An approved Light House is the only way its going to happen.
This is a team that has been gutted pretty badly in the 90’s folks — I’m sorry to say it, but rebuilding is a process that works in stages. I give Garth and the scouting team credit for the positive work they’ve done. The play in the Boston game (through the first 45 minutes) was sharp and dominating and is the reason why I’m optimistic that this team can and will get better. The only immediate change that has to be made though is rolling 4 lines relatively consistently–it’s not a matter of conditioning at this point. Gordo reminds me of Laviolette in that respect, playing the shortened bench to the detriment of the overall game.
we have some good kids but need a top d-man and forward—plus some clutch goaltending which we havent got yet, especially from the older guy who i thought would steal a few games
The team and the rebuild seem a bit stagnant. I think that is why alot of fans, including myself, are a bit skeptical lately. Adding Tavares was no stroke of genius. I thought Snow did a nice job upgrading the goaltending in FA but his drafting was weird and if you are going to upgrade your goaltending to help win games why not add a couple of forwards and/or defensemen? If you are going to upgrade don’t do it half-ass. Go all the way and do it right. Our young guys aren’t surrounded with enough quality veterans or skill. Too many pluggers, grinders, and AHL forwards. Personally, I’d like to see a new coach as well. I hope that if we continue to be terrible, that Snow does the right thing next summer so we don’t have yet another year of this. And draft the best player available next year, not 7 goalies!
Make fun of Toronto all you want, but they are a puzzle with most of the pieces in the box. They have a young core defense and an offense that will need time to gel when Kessel comes back.
We, on the other hand, have Mark Streit, Radek Martinek and two guys on life support. Who is our future blue line? Hamonic? Two years away, minimum. Katic, deHaan, Ness … Are we going to ice the Lollipop Guild on defense?
If that’s Garth Snow’s vision, I’m not buying it. He has made some nice moves, and has restocked a bare cupboard, but there should be more pieces at the NHL level at this point. He has two draft picks that are successful in the NHL right now, and one of them wasn’t even his. None on D. He bought himself five years as soon as he said “REBUILD”, but in year two I’d like to see his plan on “D”. Unless he’s planning on dressing 5 goaltenders he hasn’t done much.
CB your thought on the Kabasew trade? tamby, one of our little prospect D-men & a third round pick might have gotten it done. Considering the Isles 3rd pick might only be 10 spots from Minny’s 2nd pick.
Heck what about Kessel? we already have his brother.
I’ve been a snow supporter, but when young guys who can score are being traded by a team with an overabundance of riches shouldn’t guys like snow be the first to talk?
We are in year 2 of the rebuild, and the remaking of the defense has not even begun. I think we need to keep that in perspective. Gordon can only do so much with the D he has. We need to give management the opportunity to rebuild the D. We have two relics (Sutton and Witt) of the Ted Nolan days who are traffic cones at this point in their careers. Snow made a mistake in extending Witt, but I do not think anybody could have foreseen he would deteriorate this quickly. Our owner is too cheap/broke to buy those guys out, so we are stuck with them for a little while longer. Hillen may have some upside, Martinek is too soft, and Gervais is mediocre. Garth needs to move some assets to get 3 mobile and SMART dmen on this team next year. If we have this same group on the blueline a year from now, then Snow should be fired.
CB- have to take issue. the leafs did sign some top pair and second pair defenders. it was written as a point of comparision. now, the comparision doesn’t hold because the leafs are terrible, have money, and spent it poorly. they remind me of yankees of old. or, it recent years the rangers, who spent max money poorly (what a gift the habs gave them. i nthe off season) at this time, the isles are the smallest of small market teams. tiny payroll, huge losses. the isles tried the stop gap approach aka ryan smyth. it gets you a season, not 2 or 3 seasons, 1 season.
draft picks take a handful of years to pan out. across pro sports, monkeys could have made high picks, many correctly. its the ones that flop that kill the franchise.( ryan leaf, patrick stefan, most Jets picks). among our 6 games so far, the cup champs, last seasons 2 #1 seeds.
Ditch Sim and Schremp, call up Smith and let Tambellini play his way into a trade, or at least getting picked up off waivers - the Island is clearly not the place for him. Enough with Rechlicz! This organization is the laughingstock of the league and is doing very little to try to fix it.
The ones that are using the Leafs as a crutch for the Islanders misery’s are the fans that cannot deal with the reality that this years team could very possibly be worse than last years team.
I’m sorry but what was everyone expecting this year? Did anyone expect us to be a lot better than last year? This is the second year of the rebuild. Look how long Pittsburgh, Washington and St. Louis were bad. We are going to be bad this year and next year. Next draft, they focus on the D. One step at a time people.
what Toronto and the isles have in common are that 8 years ago they both had strong teams, were exciting to watch and then after questionable hits and refereeing… and 8 years later… they both stink… but at least the isles are in mid pittsburgh style rebuild… (like cb said all last year so why the surprise?)… are the leafs rebuilding or just bad?
If Rechlicz cannot play at Bridgeport, why is he on an NHL roster playing only 1:08 of a game - that is a waste of a roster spot. I like Jackman’s Hustle but when you only get a few shifts a game, what is the point - he doesn’t need to play every game. Sim should have been bought out over the summer - Wang would have saved 333,000 (more money toward Lighthouse enviornmental studies - instead of the product on the ice??)& would have an open roster spot for a guy like Trevor Smith. They are going with a full rebuild right, so why not let the young guys just play.
So what haven’t we complained about yet?
Oh and Minnesota has had a worse start than us too. Hey, it could be worse
Dump Witt!!
For those who think the drafting of Bailey was a mistake…Scenn is NOT wehat you all seem to think he is…an average defensive defenseman (hyped by the Toronto media last year…minutes are going down steadily)…NOT worth a #5 pick!! Filatov?? we’ll see, right now he can’t get into a game and everything being said out of Columbus is that he is soft and small. Hodgson? Still in juniors. Wilson? Struggling the same way Bailey is…
I like what 49 said. His points make sense and are probably true.
This whole thing goes back to Neil Smith. Smith was a big step in the right direction, and because Wang couldn’t control him like he can with Snow, Smith was fired. Now it has happened once again with Snow hiring his puppet in Gordon. Start hiring people with proven NHL success and that is what you will get. Not one puppet talking about gritty, “character” players with 0 skill.
I think when you start from scratch, like this team has done, you to look for stages of improvement. Last year there was nothing except ice time for kids. This year, you take a number one draft pick and build around. One thing I am taking so far is we are starting to see the emergence of a number one line, with some power play punch. Hopefully it continues and then you continue to build out. The defense is definitely a concern with no foreseable answers (de Haan is still a question and there is no size in the ranks), but one thing at a time. Not concerned in goal, clearly a slow start but these are established pros (Roloson, Biron and dar I say DiPietro) who will come around. I think if we can establish a #1 line that would be a great year and bode well. Now if we can only get Bailey going…
Stagnant is the exact word to use to describe this team. We all knew this team wasnt a playoff team, but there should still have been progression from last year. I knew its early, but its the SAME as last year. There is never a complete 60 minute effort. So its either the system or the players themselves that are the cause. I dont think these guys are doing it on purpose, I just dont think they can play this system for 60. It doesnt help either when you are playing it without rolling 4 lines. We keep saying that we wont play “enforcers” who cant contribute elsewhere. Yet, Rechlitz has been up here for every game it seems. Doesnt makes sense. Know what else doesnt make sense, the days off instead of practicing. Ive never seen a team miss the net, get stripped of the puck, etc. more then this team. We havent won, we NEED to practice, bottom line.
Short memory CB, Burke acted all high and mighty all summer talking about how he would get Tavares and the Toronto media was talking about how Tavares wouldn’t even want to play for the Islanders…Now Toronto sucks and we should be able to poke a little fun its not about excusing the Islanders mediocrity its about not letting Toronto act like they are any better.
Oh yeah, some interview, blah-blah-blah.
Like CB stated, what’s Snow supposed to say??? “Uhh, we blow, I blow, Gordon blows, and we are taking Dey with us on an across the board resignation”. Hmmm, now that sounded REAL nice..
We/Isles have a head coach that is slowly losing his team…Gordon is not working out, you can see his lost expressions and body language behind the bench. Gonna be another terrible year, and it has nothing to do with the “rebuilding” but more with “regression”, man this sucks!
How’s this for a redone front office?:
President: Chris Botta
GM: Brian Trottier/Pat LaFontaine-Asst
Player Development: Mike Bossy/Eric Cairns
Goaltending Coach: Billy Smith
Head Coach: Dean Chynoweth
Promote: Steve Webb
Luke Schenn is in the same boat Josh bailey is in…rushed to the NHL and lost an important year of development, and now is struggling because of it. Both have upside and shouldn’t be judged yet. I know the argument is that the NHL development was great for both players, but they’d have been better served refining and developing their games in juniors, imo, rather than surviving on bottom of the barrel hockey clubs. The proof is in the performance of both players in the early stages of this season. If they both turn it around this year without being sent to the AHL, I’ll eat my words and admit I’m wrong.
Burke mouthed off about moving heaven and earth to get JT, then the Leafs started throwing money around and trading for Kessel and Burke did some more yapping. I’m loving whats happening with the Leafs right now. That said, they’re probably a little better than the Isles are, it just hasn’t shown yet.
You guys really need to stop complaining about Gordon’s system. It’s the same system 80% of the league is playing.
Its funny how most of us are giving a pass to Snow… The Pens at least were fun to watch when they rebuilt the team. Look at Philly one horrible year and now serious contender. I cannot stand Garth Snow at all! Garth Must Go! He won’t same with Gordon unless Wang sells to the Brooklyn Russian guy…
The Isles approach, build from within through the draft (supplemented by free agents as and when appropriate), is the right approach to building a sustainable winning team (ex. Wings, Devils). Attempting to build your team via free agency has hardly ever worked (ex. Rags, Leafs, Flyers). In fact, has it ever?
This is a long process and the Isles started pretty empty. I also am not totaly convinced of the draft gurus the Isles currently have (Jersey -David Conte and Detroit -the two Jims and Ken Holland, have their guys). The Isles need to stick with this rebuild and in three to four years will be a good on-ice team ready to challenge for playoff success.
I respectfully disagree with you CB. The Isles and TML have more than one thing in common this year. It appears that our 2nd year coach is part of the coaching staff that Burke selected for the US Olympic team and I don’t know if any of the Wilson’s influence is part of the style that Gordon is trying to implement with the Isles. Clearly both teams look disjointed at this point. Another issue with Gordon appears to be his personal family living arrangements, is this the reason for that many days off for the team so he can commute to Atlanta?
A note on unsigned FA over the summer. Many of the players people were suggesting to sign appear to be not performing that great thus far (i.e. Tanguay, Komasrek, Bouchemin). How can we bash Snow for not enough quality singnings? Draft results remain to be seen.
Let’s hope for entertaining hockey from our team, and that it’s still here when it becomes significantly better.
I cannot blame the Isles for not sending Bailey to juniors last year. He had very little to prove in Juniors. I have no problem poking fun at Toronto. There were many bloggers saying Burke did a great job. There is no way I give up two first rounders for Kessel. Especially possible lottery picks. Regarding the Isles, I would like to see what Kohn and McDonald can do for the defense. Also if the LH passes I think we can fairly judge Wang with other owners.I.e spending money. I will be the first to be critical if Charles is not willing to spend.
CB-Your blog is getting better by the day! Keep up the great objective work. There is a big difference between the Islanders and the Leafs however. While both have terrible records, the Leafs ownership is at least trying to win and is heavily investing in the team (albeit unsuccessfully) with the second highest NHL payroll of $60,853,333 while the Islanders have the lowest NHL payroll reported at only $37,919,000. The Leafs may be terrible now, but at least their owner is investing in the team whereas there is no similar effort made by the Islanders owner who doesn’t appear to be interested in making any investment in the team other than the absolute minimum that the NHL legally mandates despite the fact that the team has come in dead last and appears headed for the same result this year.
that’s great i wait 4 more years to challenge for playoff success..excuse me..just threw up in my mourth reading that Garth..er I mean Doug….if the Isles will charge AHL ticket prices for the next 4 years I am all for it…
i think if you looked back at ‘pointblank’
comments from a year ago, even 2 years, they’d read exactly the same as what is being said now. big lack of talent upfront, not enough size and skill on defense, too little toughness all over the place. now there are 2 kid forwards with legitimate big upsides, but aside from that, nothing has changed. even streit is 32 and likely will be past his prime before this team is a real contender. is it snow’s fault? not all his moves (or lack of them) have panned out, but the man’s options are more than a little limited right now. is it the coach’s fault? a second-year coach with a specific system but with no players to implement it. this is sports for criner’s sakes, what wins is good players, and this team doesn’t have them yet. even i can see that. when they get up a goal or two or even three and then blow the lead, is it really because they stopped skating or because they don’t stick to the their system? or could it be that the opponent decides to wake up and use it’s superior talent and ability to beat an undermanned and weaker opponent? all the talk about blame and firings, i don’t get it. i like the comment of whoever up there said that ‘it’s always darkest just before dawn.’ if the LH (arena at least) goes through, the team will get better. but only then.
The Islanders could have used a couple of more decent free agents this year aside from the goaltenders. We have too much filler on the current roster regardless of injuries. I’ll say it again, if Snow doesn’t add free agents or make a couple of trades for next season, his rebuild becomes a charade for the team not being willing to spend anything until its future is certain. I know Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it wasn’t built at a snail’s pace either.
And no matter who is on the roster or what he has to work with, Scott ‘Mangini’ Gordon isn’t the right coach for this team. There is too much about him, his style, his system, his decisions, etc. that leaves me scratching my head. And I honestly don’t think his players really believe in him either.
And that’s my 3rd post. Have a great day!
I don’t think this franchise is a laughing stock or punching bag as some indicate. I think what the rest of the league thinks is also irrelevant.
The team is off to an inconsistent start but I am still seeing improvements in key areas. We have the beginnings of a notable and solid first unit for the first time in decades. Tavares and Okposo are looking like future NHL stars. And Moulsen is not stopping his goal scoring. Striet is his usual excellent self, and Biron and Roloson (though Rolo had a bad one the other night) are big upgrades from this time last year. These are still the growing pains that come from a ground up rebuild. Snow said what he had to, I agree with CB. But I also agree that he is keeping his eyes open as other teams look to either shed salary, or make a move or two.
I did not honestly expect us to be a playoff team this year, but I hoped and expected two things: (1) that this would be a team that competes for 60 minutes and (2) that our young guys would continue to develop. Thus far, we’ve been largely inconsistent in terms of in-game team effort/performance and, while Tavares and KO have been solid, some young guys have not showed improvement as hoped (e.g., Bailey, Nielson, the latter due to another injury). While the season is not yet a failure, there is cause for some concern even with expectations fairly low.
I could care less about the Leafs. We have our own problems. It’s early to judge the drafts, but Bailey is taking a big step back so far, but I thought deHaan was the second best D man on the team in training camp. This year, I am just having fun watching JT and KO. Nothing much else to get excited about. Either Witt or Gordon must go. Gordon’s “system” does not work with the slow footed Witt. Then again, based on our record, it does not seem to work with many of the other players too.
I think everyone is frustrated because on paper this year’s team should be better than last years and they are clearly not. Guys that showed promise last season are regressing this year and the guys that stunk last year stink again this year.
The only place the team is better is in goal. The defense is putrid and much worse than last year, even with the “regulars” healthy. Streit is the only d-man playing well. The offense is non-existent after Tavares/Okposo/ Moulson. The other forwards have done nothing this year, including Bailey and Weight, guys that the team need to produce.
I think Isles fans felt, for the most part, that this “rebuild” was further along than it really was and that this year some progress and improvement would be made. They’re realizing now that the rebuild is only in its early stages and that our “prospects” and “young talent” are either in their teens and too young to make a difference now or just overrated by the Isles’ propaganda machine.
This team showed promise the last month of the year last season when they were way out of it.(the season was over before Xmas last year) They need to show promise while it still counts…not in 3 months. As of now they are looking at a bottom 5 finish again…they need to show they are somewhat competitive before no one shows up to games.
You’ve got to support these kids! Two days before we take on the Carolina Hurricanes.
There’s been a lot of talk about our defense (and in some aspects our offense) not being suited to Overspeed. Why don’t we adapt the system to the players on hand (perhaps a Semi-Overspeed system). Then keep tweaking the system as we obtain additional faster, bigger, more skilled players. It doesn’t make sense to me why the organization is forcing a system that only a portion of the team can play adequately.
Why be made at Garth for getting goaltenders. we have 2 goalies with 3yrs total of contracts and one that if I had to bet will never play at a high level again. So on a 5 yr plan we got a prospect -5yr- goalie and an older on that should be able to step up in a yr or 2. Good job Garth. Lets get some goal scoring next. Sim is not needed. Nor is the wrecker.
Neil Smith & Ted Nolan, great coach & Great manager?? Must be why neither are currently working in the NHL… Remember Nolan was Wang’s pick & Snow fired him.
My only question for Snow is, are you at least involved in talks for trades for guys like Kobasew? or does he really think the Wrecker is going to get it done?
Okposo gets nailed in a preseason game and a few guys answered the bell, I’d bet they would get more that 1:08 of ice time. Why is it that regaurdless of who the Owner/GM/Coach of this team is, even when they do the right thing, It’s still not quite right?
I wonder if Snow could have made the same deal for Hunter w/ Minn? Does he try and improve the future or just pay lip service that he likes his players. I think that gives him an excuse to stand pat.
It’s real early to be looking at wins and loses. So give this team a little time. They have only played six games and against some of the better teams.
Who thought that starting off the season Col and Phx would get off to such great starts? I had them as the only two teams worse than the Islanders. Look at the poor starts for Boston, Carolina, Vancouver, Detroit, Nashville.
I would think the Isles can win one of the games coming up with Montreal. And who knows Carolina isn’t playing great and it’s at home so maybe they can win 2 or 3 out of the next 4. You never know.
Here are the realities:
- John Tavares was not going to make this team a playoff contender this year.
- Josh Bailey should have been sent to Junior last year. Can’t send him anywhere this year, he would have to clear waivers.
- I’d be shocked if we finished better than 29th. So is it Hall or Fowler? Fowler may be what this team “needs” defensiviely, but Hall is what this team needs electrically. I want Hall. Yes, we are headed in that direction.
We should feel no solace having the company of additional misery in the Leafs. Their ineptitude does nothing to reduce the perception of our futility. The only thing two poor souls have in common while sinking together in quicksand is they both are going to die! I also am disenchanted with Scott Gordon and his one dimensional coaching ability. It is almost a hackneyed expression when saying you don’t play to your strength,but rather your personnel’s!! It is so true,however. If you are that inflexible and cannot adjust it may be time to find a new vocation. Even the great Oilers teams that played ‘overspeed’ in the early ’80’s(And it is safe to say,Gordon doesn’t have that level of personnel) didn’t find ultimate success until they learned from the Islanders that slowing down abit allows you to fulfill your responsibility in your own zone. It may still be early,but how many odd man rushes,giveaways,and losses on the wall must we endure before realizing your team is unwatchable and not worth the price of admission? Also,lets stop with this Small Market nonsense. These are the NY Islanders,who have plenty of fans throughout the 5 boros(Two of which are actually part of LI–Brooklyn/Queens) and happen to play in apart of NY that is larger than some states.For years now this Organization has limited its marketing and used the Small Market perception as a means to spend like one. Hopefully once Charles gets his certainty,whether it is in Kings,Queens,Nassau or Suffolk County,he will begin to behave like the Big Market Franchise that his entity is.
Wow. Only 7 games in and already the Isles need reassurance from Snow. Could this year be worse than last? To me, it really doesnt matter…I’ll take another #1 overall pick in 2010. I was/am ready for a long season anyway.
Lets go Islanders!
Wang and snow and islander fans all deserve each other. Add Scot Gordon to that mix also. The saddest part of all is a year from nothing new will be different. Sure a new coach will be here and 2 new defensmen. But it will still be the lowest paid team with lowest paid coach and a fanbase who will likely be saying “remember the good old days of the yashin years when we used to make the playoffs and laugh at the sad sack franchises like the panthers and tampas”
Can we please stop with the argument “well what did you expect?” You don’t go into your boss’ office Jan 1 and say “Look I’m going to suck at my job this year” and think its ok. The buck stops with Wang. No point criticizing snow or gordon. They have absolutely nothing to work with. Its not like they think Shrimp is better than Tangury, its just Wang won’t let Snow pull the trigger. What upsets me most is that most of the readers of this blog have been conned by Wang into thinking we can only have a good team if we have the lighthouse. What about for the 5 years it takes to build Wanger? Are we still going to be at the cap floor?
dose, hit it right on the head…”This is basically an expansion team in limbo”
Snow blows. He could’ve picked C Andersen who’s great in Colorado. Instead of Roloson/Biron losers. Wang blows - could’ve spent for Tanguay, Kotalik, Prospal, God forbid Gaborik, SOMEONE. ANYONE on offense. Instead of closing the wallet at the cap minimum.
Saw this, very good -
All of you guys saying that Wang is great for hockey and loves the Islanders so much, why does the league allow teams to spend up to $56 million on payroll, yet the Islanders are spending barely $42 million?
Meanwhile, 16 other teams are spending the maximum $56 million on their payroll. The Islanders could have the same amount of talent on the ice as Pittsburgh or the Detroit.
The salary cap was supposed to make the league an even playing field for all teams, yet Wang is handicapping his own team by not taking advantage of the salary cap situation.
For a man looking at a $4 BILLION dollar project, are you trying to say that saving $14 million a year will make any difference to him?