{ "blocks": [ { "type": "video", "data": { "url": "https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/video-migration/dMtPSc15.mp4", "streached": true, "controls": true, "caption": "Play It Forward B-Roll", "image": { "url": "https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/video-migration/dMtPSc15-poster.jpg" }, "cdn": { "service": "jwplayer", "playlistUrl": "https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/dMtPSc15.m3u8", "sources": [ { "file": "https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/dMtPSc15.m3u8", "type": "application/vnd.apple.mpegurl" }, { "file": "https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/dMtPSc15-KyKUfvSA.mp4", "type": "video/mp4", "height": 180, "width": 320, "label": "180p", "bitrate": 430336, "filesize": 3119942, "framerate": 30 }, { "file": "https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/dMtPSc15-rVxHCS6o.mp4", "type": "video/mp4", "height": 270, "width": 480, "label": "270p", "bitrate": 617508, "filesize": 4476937, "framerate": 30 }, { "file": "https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/dMtPSc15-Ok2KDRCK.mp4", "type": "video/mp4", "height": 720, "width": 1280, "label": "720p", "bitrate": 1705283, "filesize": 12363304, "framerate": 30 }, { "file": "https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/dMtPSc15-XtftnkI5.m4a", "type": "audio/mp4", "label": "AAC Audio", "bitrate": 113969, "filesize": 826278 }, { "file": "https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/dMtPSc15-73J2wuh8.mp4", "type": "video/mp4", "height": 1080, "width": 1920, "label": "1080p", "bitrate": 3696878, "filesize": 26802371, "framerate": 30 }, { "file": "https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/dMtPSc15-8wczJJH0.mp4", "type": "video/mp4", "height": 360, "width": 640, "label": "360p", "bitrate": 684769, "filesize": 4964582, "framerate": 30 }, { "file": "https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/dMtPSc15-bYs8wplI.mp4", "type": "video/mp4", "height": 540, "width": 960, "label": "540p", "bitrate": 1129926, "filesize": 8191969, "framerate": 30 } ] } } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Listen." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Unless the New York Islanders find a way to clear a tremendous amount of salary-cap space, getting superstar forward Jake Guentzel isn't happening." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on his '32 Thoughts' podcast, the Carolina Hurricanes are willing to trade the pending UFA's rights for a mid-round pick." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "That tells every NHL general manager that Guentzel plans to test the market instead of signing an extension in Carolina. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The biggest question that announcement brought was, \"Why would teams give up an asset if they could just sign him in free agency for cash?\"" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The only benefit—and a big one—is that by acquiring Guentzel's rights, a team can offer him an eighth year on his deal, whereas free-agent teams can only offer him seven." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Either way, a team will have to pay, at minimum, $9 million per season for his skillset." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "While a mid-round pick means that all 31 teams are in play, it has to be a realistic landing spot for an extension. " } }, { "id": "0vejiuch-jlzdumvo", "type": "embed", "data": { "service": "twitter", "source": "https://twitter.com/BenHankinson/status/1787992129593078093", "embed": "https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?id=1787992129593078093", "caption": "" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "It sounds like the Chicago Blackhawks, who have around $33.79 million in available cap space, are really interested, as Guentzel would become Connor Bedard's mentor and running mate for years to come as that franchise tries to accelerate its rebuild." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "If you think about it, there can't be a general manager better than Lou Lamoriello at convincing trade acquisitions to sign long-term." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Whether you agreed with any of these signings or not, at the time, pending unrestricted free agents Jean-Gabriel Pageau (acquired in 2020) and Kyle Palmieri (acquired in 2021) both signed five-year extensions upon stepping foot on Long Island. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Then in 2023, Lamoriello acquired Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat, one of the league's top pending unrestricted agents, inking him to that eighth year at $8.5 million annually immediately. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Not for eight years and a contract that caused a lot of head-scratching around the league, but Lamoriello also acquired Pierre Engvall from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline and signed him to a seven-year deal worth $3 million annually on July 1. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Guentzel is likely about to sign the final long-term contract of his career, with the cap rising exponentially (going from $83.5 to $87.7 M)." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "It's a big decision. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Guentzel would be the perfect fit for the Islanders' top line, given that, despite being 5'11 and 180 lbs, he is one of the best net-front forwards in the NHL." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "If you are reading and thinking that Horvat is that kind of player, he isn't." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "While he isn't a perimeter shooter, the second-year Islander is a slot guy, where he can use that quick release, whether at 5-on-5 or on the power play in the bumper position. " } }, { "id": "jmgx9th5-pl6r9mwq", "type": "embed", "data": { "service": "twitter", "source": "https://twitter.com/NYIslanders/status/1644163993538293761", "embed": "https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?id=1644163993538293761", "caption": "" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "This past season, the Islanders tried to find the right winger to play along Mathew Barzal and Horvat." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Anders Lee struggled this season when on the top line and was moved to the third line, where he looked much better playing alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Engvall. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "In his spot, the Islanders tried the following: Lee, Engvall, Oliver Wahlstrom, Hudson Fasching, Kyle Palmieri, Casey Cizikas, Brock Nelson, and Simon Holmstrom. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Cizikas ended up winning the job because he had the foot speed and ability to win battles and get to the front quickly." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The problem is that line needs a player with more offensive skill -- not a knock on Cizikas, but he's an energizing, defensive-minded forechecker who's been a bottom-six player his entire career. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The Islanders' dynamic duo needs a Guentzel-type player, a Mathew Tkachuk-type player, and a Zach Hyman-Sam Reinhart (pending UFA) player. " } }, { "id": "auoc5hgf-61umejhv", "type": "embed", "data": { "service": "twitter", "source": "https://twitter.com/espn/status/1794813949226967469", "embed": "https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?id=1794813949226967469", "caption": "" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "They're limited." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "However, the cost for Guentzel and Reinhart (who could also get $10 M) is likely too high for New York, so that means they have to \"settle,\" for lack of a better word." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Our Matthew Page recently wrote on how Tyler Toffoli could be a strong option for New York:" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "With $6.15 million in available cap space as of now, if the Islanders want to bolster their lineup, they either have to move at least one contract or take low-risk, high-reward players, like they just did with Maxim Tsyplakov." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "According to Ethan Sears of the New York Post, who spoke with Tsyplakov through his translator, his expected NHL role is as a middle-six forward. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "He could prove to be a top-line guy, or he could be more of a bottom-six player or not work at all at the NHL after playing in the KHL." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "But for $950,000, it's a risk worth taking." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The Islanders still need a bonafide top-line player -- less of a question mark -- heading into the 2024-25 season if they want to be a true Stanley Cup contender. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "That doesn't mean that's who they'll be able to get because most teams are interested in that kind of player. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "So, they may need to sign a \"second-line\" player in that spot and hope for production to translate into timeline minutes." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "That's the reality of the situation. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Although the Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to retain Tyler Bertuzzi, who signed a one-year, $5.5 million deal last summer, could be in the hunt for a two-to-four-year deal north of $5 million." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "He scored 21 goals with 22 assists in 80 regular season games before a goal and three assists in seven playoff games." } }, { "id": "kh1aqn4m-g6k7pckp", "type": "embed", "data": { "service": "twitter", "source": "https://twitter.com/TicTacTOmar/status/1722423008235532479", "embed": "https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?id=1722423008235532479", "caption": "" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Bertuzzi is certainly a fit for New York and has played on a top-line before, scoring 30 goals with the Detroit Red Wings alongside Dylan Larki back in 2021-22. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Vancouver Canucks forward Dakota Joshua is an intriguing player, a former fifth-round pick in 2014 by the Toronto Maple Leafs who made his NHL debut during the 2020-21 season with the St. Louis Blues." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "This past season, the pending unrestricted free agent set career highs across the board with 18 goals and 14 assists for 32 points in 63 games. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "He finished second in the league in hits with 245, adding 40 blocks as well. " } }, { "id": "74sqbxyd-q2ytb4qc", "type": "embed", "data": { "service": "twitter", "source": "https://twitter.com/LachInTheCrease/status/1774540100917215458", "embed": "https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?id=1774540100917215458", "caption": "" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Joshua played on the Canucks' third line for most of the regular season, but when a blood clot was found in Brock Boeser's leg, the 28-year-old forward moved up to the second line. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "On the open market, the belief is that Joshua will be getting north of $3 million:" } }, { "id": "077rgehu-tbyp7pf5", "type": "embed", "data": { "service": "twitter", "source": "https://twitter.com/DonnieandDhali/status/1775227223395664278", "embed": "https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?id=1775227223395664278", "caption": "" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Joshua would be a strong fit for the Islanders' bottom six but doesn't solve their top-line problem. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The same can be said about Hurricanes forward Stefan Noesen, who played a bottom-six role incredibly well." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "If the Islanders could get a sniper/finisher who's not a power forward or a strong net-front player, there's talent out there in the likes of Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault (Quebec native, like Patrick Roy)." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Anthony Duclair, who was our Islanders' top get at this past trade deadline, is a pending UFA after being moved by the San Jose Sharks to the Tampa Bay Lightning. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers would be a great fit on the trade front. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "So would Martin Necas, a \"budding superstar and pending RFA who may be on his way out due to wanting more of a top-six role." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "There are possibilities for New York this summer to bolster their top line. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Horvat and Barzal play a certain game, and a net-front, high-IQ player is the best fit for them." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "With them on the books for another seven seasons, time certainly is of the essence to find a long-term answer to get the most out of them while they're in their prime. " } }, { "type": "header", "data": { "text": "TOP STORIES", "level": 2 } } ] }

Islanders & Potential Player Additions

Jake Guentzel's Status, Islanders Landing 'That Type' Of Scorer