As the days pass, the silence surrounding the New York Islanders and their managerial situation leads to more questions than answers. Stefen Rosner will be 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 will be 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 gave a few sentences -- I wanted to do these a bit differently.
What I will be doing is answering three questions a night, with much longer responses, so with that, enjoy, and please feel free to argue or agree with anything said below.
That is what makes sports fun.
Regardless of who the GM or coach is, I don't see the roster and the results changing much. (@palffynyi16)
The New York Islanders have salary cap issues like many teams. If the Islanders want to improve their roster, certain players need to leave Long Island.
That's not up for debate.
It will be tough to move contracts, and there's a chance that the roster stays very similar, which means the play style likely stays the same if Lamoriello remains.
However, I'm afraid I have to disagree that change won't happen if a new general manager is brought in.
Since Lamoriello has been a general manager, the one thing you always hear is how loyal he is.
You see it with contracts to aging veterans or the signing free agents that Lamoriello has had before.
Most of the Islanders' current group has been together since before Lamoriello took over.
It's also a group that Lamoriello had a chance to break up and decided in back-to-back years not to do so.
Loyalty to a fault.
A new general manager won't have that loyalty.
A new general manager hiring would send shock waves through this group because job security would change.
Players that thought they would finish their career on Long Island may not have that luxury.
Players who had played such a key part for the organization over the last few years may no longer be on the roster come October.
It depends on who is hired, but changes will happen if the new general manager is keen on youthful speed and skill.
Do you think the Isles commit to a retool if a new GM is brought in? If so, do you think that would affect the thoughts on bringing back our UFAs (@NoMoreLouIsland)
I think the Islanders have no choice but to commit to a retool.
The Islanders made the playoffs after missing last year, an improvement on the surface.
But the Islanders got in because the Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in the final week of the season.
Yes, of course, the Islanders played better down the stretch, but ultimately that result got the Islanders in.
Looking at the team through that lens, there's a need for change.
For the people screaming for a rebuild, that's not happening.
Yes, teams have rebuilt around rising stars, but the Islanders have too many core players committed long-term for a rebuild to even be on the table.
Not to mention, Ilya Sorokin (a pending UFA following next season) ruins any chance of a rebuild.
Look around the NHL, specifically the Metropolitan Division, the Islanders are kind of in no-mans land.
They aren't bad enough to go that rebuild route but are still a few pieces away from being a Stanley Cup contender, despite playing to an 100-point pace the final 30 minutes or so.
If only the power play came through, the Islanders might still be playing.
We saw the rise of the New Jersey Devils this past season and the continued dominance of the Carolina Hurricanes.
The New York Rangers are in cap hell. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals are flawed beyond belief, as both missed the postseason.
The Philadelphia Flyers will have a handful of tough years ahead of them.
The Columbus Blue Jackets should be better than they were this past season.
The only choice for the Islanders is to retool if they want to take advantage of other teams' collapses, as well as other teams still trying to figure things out.
If the Islanders go the retool route, that does impact UFA decisions.
If Scott Mayfield and Semyon Varlamov don't want to take team-friendly deals to come back, the Islanders need to use that money to fill other areas such as a puck-moving defenseman, a young top-six winger, as well as depth pieces.
Given the Islanders need for speed, bringing Pierre Engvall back makes sense, but again, only if he is willing to come back at a reasonable price.
Who's the one player that can help the Islanders out the most? (@WillChiarucci)
This question was something I thought about for a while.
You can navigate through the potential free agents like the Vladimir Tarasenko's of the world, or you can look at possible trades like acquiring Nikolaj Ehlers from the Winnipeg Jets.
But I settled on an internal piece, and that's Oliver Wahlstrom.
Through four years at the NHL level, I know that Wahlstrom has yet to prove that he could be the elite sniper this organization desperately needs.
He came into camp ahead of the 2021-22 season in incredible shape and showed a more defined overall game before going down with a season-ending injury at the end of December.
Once Wahlstrom could get back on his feet after surgery, he's focused heavily on building up his muscle, has focused heavily on his nutrition, and has a big summer ahead of him to strengthen his leg and get back in time for training camp.
Wahlstrom is a restricted free agent this summer, and there's no question that a deal will get done.
But with the lack of financial space, the Islanders do have to see a player on a team-friendly RFA deal shine and fill a role that the Islanders have been longing for since...yeah, that long...that changes everything for this franchise.
Like franchise netminders, elite snipers don’t become available very often which is why prospect growth, an area the Islanders have failed at too often in the past, has been so detrimental to the franchise.
After a few seasons in the league, is it safe to say that Wahlstrom likely will never become a superstar sniper?
Sure, but the Islanders don't need Wahlstrom to be a superstar. They need him to become a force on the ice and complement other stars, whether on Barzal's wing, Bo Horvat's, or whoever he is playing with.
When Wahlstrom hits the ice, he should be a feared player, which starts with Wahlstrom becoming a more consistent player.