As the days pass, the silence surrounding the New York Islanders and their managerial situation leads to more questions than answers. Stefen Rosner continues answering a few questions a night, in more detail, than previous mailbags.
As the days pass, the silence surrounding the New York Islanders and their managerial situation leads to more questions than answers. Stefen Rosner continues answering a few questions a night, in more detail, than previous mailbags.
As the days pass, the silence surrounding the New York Islanders and their managerial situation leads to more questions than answers.
But that means there's more room to answer questions from the fan base, and that's what I intend to do each night until the silence is broken.
Unlike my usual mailbag -- where I got through eight to 10 questions and give a few sentences -- I wanted to do these a bit differently.
Here's part two of the Islanders LLLLong Wait mailbags:
When is enough, enough with the silence? It's just a slap in the face to every Isles fan. (@Louis_Onofrio)
Silence is nothing new for the New York Islandes under Lou Lamoriello. It's always been that way, and Islanders fans have dealt with it since 2018.
Offseason signings are usually not announced until September, while injuries -- minor and major -- are never shared, with speculation taking over.
This past year, Islanders fans were never told if and when franchise player Mathew Barzal would return from his long-term injury while the Islanders fought hard for the final playoff spot.
There was never an announcement regarding Oliver Wahlstrom's season-ending injury until April 1, which occurred at the end of December.
And since the season has ended, Lamoriello has not talked to the media.
Fans are getting fed up with the silence, and rightfully so.
"At some level, Lou's bizarre secrecy is insulting to fans of the team," Twitter user @Kjisles7 said. "People who pay money to go to games, support the team, etc, don't deserve to be left out in the dark."
Here's a thread:
I think the finances play a huge part in the frustrations.
Tickets aren't cheap, especially if you are someone who is dropping the money to be a season-ticket member.
Myself, along with co-host of Hockey Night in New York Sean Cuthbert, discussed this at the end of our latest show (117:00 mark):
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtQCYoR8CYg[/embed]
I'm not saying fans should be privy to injury information, but at some point, especially for a team fighting for a playoff spot, knowing if their top player would be back during the regular season should be known.
If Lamoriello is back, the silence will remain, regardless of how fans ultimately feel.
Who do you see as a dark horse not to be here next year? (@knightvine)
Outside of Josh Bailey, this is an interesting question.
You have your pending unrestricted free agents, in Scott Mayfield, Semyon Varlamov, and Pierre Engvall, who could all not be back.
You look at players under contract, the likes of Jean-Gabriel Pageau and his $5 million annual value, as a player who could be out the door to help save some money.
He would be a perfect fit for a team like the Carolina Hurricanes, which were rumored to be interested in his skill set as we neared the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline.
But if you are looking for a true dark horse not to be back next season, I choose Brock Nelson.
The 31-year-old scored 35-plus goals in each of the last two seasons when his career-high prior was 26.
He led the Islanders with 37 goals in 2021-22 and was second on the team to Bo Horvat, scoring 36.
It's clear that Nelson is in his prime right now despite being on the other side of 30, and with three years left at $6 million annually, he could be the final piece to a Stanley Cup contender.
With the Colorado Avalanche announcing Tuesday that captain Gabriel Landeskog will miss the entirety of the 2023-24 season due to knee surgery, they now will have $20.35 million to play with this offseason.
They only have five forwards under contract for next season.
If the Islanders don't necessarily view Mathew Barzal as a winger long-term, the Islanders could move him back to center, with three more under contract to fill out the lineup.
If Nelson is traded, the Islanders can get a high draft pick or a few picks, but they could also get a proven NHL player -- like a winger or a puck-moving defenseman-- to fill their needs.
I don't think Nelson will get moved, but he fits the dark horse pick to a tee.
Any notable plans for better deploying Bo/helping him return to elite scorer status? (@ZLambs)
There's no question Bo Horvat had more to give after leaving the Vancouver Canucks.
After 31 goals in 49 games with Vancouver, Horvat scored just seven in 30 games with New York, scoring just once during postseason play.
We spoke with Horvat after the season as he discussed the mental toll the trade took on him. He now has the offseason to finish the move and should feel better about all of that when the 2023-24 season begins.
READ MORE: Islanders Bo Horvat Opens Up About The Mental Toll Trade Took On Him
The Islanders gave him an eight-year deal with a $8.5 million AAV. They need him to produce.
Having Barzal healthy on his side will lead to much more success.
Horvat had support in Vancouver, like Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser.
With the Islanders, Horvat was without Barzal for 24 games before failing to rekindle their chemistry in six postseason games.
Barzal is the first key to the equation.
The second is who plays on the other side if those two are kept together.
Anders Lee showed that he might not be the right fit with Horvat, as they play a similar role, winning puck battles and providing a solid net-front presence.
The Islanders do need an elite finisher on that line, a bonafide sniper.
Despite the need for more support, that doesn't take away from the fact that Horvat has to bury the chances he creates.
Even without Barzal, Horvat generated 66 shots, 67 individual scoring chances, and 28 high-danger chances, but just four goals to show for it, courtesy of NaturalStatrick.com.
Despite the likelihood that Horvat does bounce back, people need to be realistic in what his production will look like, as he's never scored over 40 goals in a season in his nine-year NHL career.
He's likely around a 30-goal scorer who provides the intangibles that this Islanders team needs.