How does this clown still have a job?

For the poster who doesn't blame Wang...I do. If you're hemmoraging money, sell the (frank)ing team. Plain and simple. Just like any other business decision he's made. Losing money? Sell the team. Someone will buy it. Especially now. He has the same affliction as Fred Wilpon. Swallow your stupid pride and make some money.

Lastly...Ryan Miller? He's obviously better than anything we have now, but this is the equilvant of putting lipstick on a pig.

How does this clown still have a job?

For the poster who doesn't blame Wang...I do. If you're hemmoraging money, sell the (frank)ing team. Plain and simple. Just like any other business decision he's made. Losing money? Sell the team. Someone will buy it. Especially now. He has the same affliction as Fred Wilpon. Swallow your stupid pride and make some money.

Lastly...Ryan Miller? He's obviously better than anything we have now, but this is the equilvant of putting lipstick on a pig.
- potvin05

If only he let Neil Smith pick the coach and run the team as he saw fit. Charles maybe could have gotten his new building on LI. Hard to get excited over Miller especially with the same D and coach and when Miller could walk. Maybe the pressure really is on Garth to make the playoffs if he makes a Miller deal.

Saw this on Twitter:

Matt Larkin @THNMattLarkin 2h
Time to fire up the Thomas Vanek trade rumor circus again.
- kear20

The guy from Con Air?

I wouldn't be against Miller but it, of course, depends on what we give up.

I agree with most that i would rather see a coaching change first before giving up on a guy like Grabner. Most of us would put him back with Franz to see if this will jump start him. Seems as though a better coach would not only do this and properly utilize his players but would also adjust his strategy to match his players. If this means going to a trap style system and not the left-wing-lock they played for 1 game then so be it. Part of a good coach is analyzing the team and adjusting the system that fits best. I don't see Jack doing this.

The guy from Con Air?
- LetsGoIsles

Matt Larkin (@THNMattLarkin). Associate editor at The Hockey News

I happen to disagree with all the critics of Wang and Snow.

It is true that this team is failing miserably but the players have to take ownership of the problems.

I laugh when people blame Wang for all this. Whether he has cap space or not he is still spending big time money on the under performing players he has now while losing money on the team as a whole. I bet I couldn't squeeze $20 from most of you and you are asking him to lose millions more??

It is true he owns this team and it is his responsibility to build a winner but it is still a business and they are trying to mature the assets they have now.

Snow did a phenomenal job building depth in our system and I believe the signings he made were more to fill gaps while still allowing our core to take ownership of this team. Unfortunately it hasn't happened and a trade isn't something you just do.

What are you going to trade anyway? More picks? Sabotage the future for instant gratification?

He sure as hell can't trade what he has now (Bailey, Grabner) because you will not see an equal return on your investment with the numbers they have put up to date. Ryan Miller is not the answer. Hiller is not the answer. No reason Poulin or Nilsson can't be our starter but since they have no defense in front of them they lack confidence and are forced to carry a larger load than should be expected of first year goalies. No one ever said either of them was elite.

Maybe snow would trade for a defenseman if Bailey or Grabner or both had movable numbers that a team seeking offense would consider. However, they don't.

I think they have their hands tied right now and don't wanna reverse mortgage the house they built with their own blood sweat and tears for a 4 month rental with no guarantees.

Now look at the standings. Single digits out of a playoff spot so while it is a gamble they know they aren't out of the game just yet and are probably praying one of the other guys gets a hot and creates a fair trade opportunity.

I personally did not agree with the Moulson trade and a lot is to be said about chemistry. I understand the mindset but I don't agree with breaking up your top 2 guys. You are supposed to build on that.

Buffalo is a mess right now, this year I am asking Santa to bring Moulson back. Use Bouchard or Grabner and a high pick. If Tyler Myers is available and even if you can't get them to take back some salary, grab him too. Enjoy the playoffs.
- mrock

Wang and Snow are responsible for this mess as is Cappy and the players. It's a collaborative effort.

You might want to take a break from the Kool-aid. Snow has done nothing close to a phenomenal job. He has seven seasons on the job, two 8 seeds, five bottom five finishes and no playoff series wins. He restocked a farm system devoid of prospects thanks to his predecessor and he's signed some team friendly deals, but that's about it. He went into this season with glaring holes on "D" and in goal as did absolutely s**t to address them. Then, he traded prime assets for a third line forward who's been invisible and a first line forward who can walk at the end of the year. Far from phenomenal.

Wang is the head of this rotten fish. The mindset of simy worshiping him for not moving the team has to wear off sometime. The guy doesn't hold management or the players accountable and accepts mediocrity. This team will not improve until the owner demands more of management than stemming financial losses.

I feel bad for any young goalie that plays here because they have absolutely no shot at a fair shake. Poulin has been 'decent' since being here. Not great, but not terrible. He's playing behind a friggin' catastrophe filled with odd man rushes, cross slot passes, point blank shots, tipped shots, etc. For every goaltender who comes directly into this league looking like a starter, there's 2-3 who take at least a couple of seasons to find their way in this league. Most vetern goalies in the NHL will tell you that. So a quarter of the way through the season, saying Poulin stinks could be a present evaluation if you feel that way, but by no means should be a conclusion.
- keaner17

I just don't think Poulin is going to turn out better than a decent backup. His save pct is under .900 the last 20 games he's played. It's not helping that's he's playing behind poopville but I'm not impressed at all.

The isles aren't trading for Miller...

The isles better not trade for Miller...

Please don't trade for Miller

The isles aren't trading for Miller...

The isles better not trade for Miller...

Please don't trade for Miller
- Danformo

Honestly, if the Isles get Ryan Miller they won't lose many games. Isles have only scored less than 2 goals twice all season and millers save percentage is much much higher than anyone we have. It's .918 right now on a crap team

I happen to disagree with all the critics of Wang and Snow.

It is true that this team is failing miserably but the players have to take ownership of the problems.

I laugh when people blame Wang for all this. Whether he has cap space or not he is still spending big time money on the under performing players he has now while losing money on the team as a whole. I bet I couldn't squeeze $20 from most of you and you are asking him to lose millions more??

It is true he owns this team and it is his responsibility to build a winner but it is still a business and they are trying to mature the assets they have now.

Snow did a phenomenal job building depth in our system and I believe the signings he made were more to fill gaps while still allowing our core to take ownership of this team. Unfortunately it hasn't happened and a trade isn't something you just do.

What are you going to trade anyway? More picks? Sabotage the future for instant gratification?

He sure as hell can't trade what he has now (Bailey, Grabner) because you will not see an equal return on your investment with the numbers they have put up to date. Ryan Miller is not the answer. Hiller is not the answer. No reason Poulin or Nilsson can't be our starter but since they have no defense in front of them they lack confidence and are forced to carry a larger load than should be expected of first year goalies. No one ever said either of them was elite.

Maybe snow would trade for a defenseman if Bailey or Grabner or both had movable numbers that a team seeking offense would consider. However, they don't.

I think they have their hands tied right now and don't wanna reverse mortgage the house they built with their own blood sweat and tears for a 4 month rental with no guarantees.

Now look at the standings. Single digits out of a playoff spot so while it is a gamble they know they aren't out of the game just yet and are probably praying one of the other guys gets a hot and creates a fair trade opportunity.

I personally did not agree with the Moulson trade and a lot is to be said about chemistry. I understand the mindset but I don't agree with breaking up your top 2 guys. You are supposed to build on that.

Buffalo is a mess right now, this year I am asking Santa to bring Moulson back. Use Bouchard or Grabner and a high pick. If Tyler Myers is available and even if you can't get them to take back some salary, grab him too. Enjoy the playoffs.
- mrock

First of all, MOST of the problem with this team is coaching, but if they're going to stick with this system, Moulson is too slow to be part of that. We have to get off the Moulson love, seriously.....he's not THAT good. Vanek CAN BE- that's the difference, and that's where the draft picks come in.

That said, if they are really going to wait until all of their studs are in the NHL, and they're going to continue to be overly offensively aggressive, they're going to be crap for at least three more years. In that case, the Vanek trade makes absolutely no sense. In that case, if you're going to move the assets Snow moved AT ALL, you move them for a young defenseman who can do something other than suck, not another forward when you already have 12 decent ones and a few more coming. If you trade for Vanek, then you have to trade other assets for a defenseman and probably, although I don't think this need is anywhere near as great, a goaltender...HAVE TO, otherwise it makes no sense.

That's where I think Snow is at fault- he's probably TRYING to do those things, but while he's waffling on pulling the trigger, the season is going down the crapper, because of the inane system that they sport out there on the ice. You can't be "The Flying Frenchmen", as they used to call the late '70's Canadiens, until you HAVE the flying Frenchmen on your team, which may never happen. Until then, you have to play the left wing lock, like every other team that's deficient in one way or another. Someone here needs to figure that out, or they may not win more than 15 games this year. Working hard at stupid things will not bring success, and that's most of the issue.

I saw this on NHL Trade Rumors...hope it isn't true...

Ryan Miller to the Islanders

Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres is close to being traded to the New York Islanders. The 33 year old unrestricted free agent is coming off a $6.25 million per season contract. Miller is looking to make the USA 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics team and requested a trade to a NHL contender to help showcase his abilities.

The Islanders were successful last season, making the playoffs. The success from last season has not continued and the Islanders are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Goaltending has been the team's biggest weakness, especially with the injury to starter Evgeni Nabokov.

Islander GM Garth Snow is asking Ryan Miller to waive his no-trade clause to help his team make the playoffs. The New York Islanders dealt Matt Moulson to the Buffalo Sabres in a blockbuster trade for Thomas Vanek recently. Lookout for a second blockbuster trade between these two teams involving Ryan Miller
- kear20

This part is false- this team's biggest weakness is defense...most of which has to do with the fact that they don't PLAY DEFENSE....some of which has to do with the various munchkins and losers they sport on the back end- when your biggest defenseman (who actually belongs in the NHL, which eliminates Carkner, and sadly, Martinek) is 5'11", 190, you're screwed as far as moving anyone away from the net.

As we all know, Poulin has not been good, and that's made this thing go from bad to very bad in a hurry. If you see him once or twice a month, he can probably sneak in a win for you here and there, but as an every night option, his physical deficiencies are fairly glaring. However, I think Nilsson would be solid enough, and Nabokov has been good enough, IMO, that if they had decent enough defensemen and actually played defense, they'd be able to manage without another goalie. Garth needs to get us a big-time defenseman. The problem is that one of those probably won't shake loose until the deadline, and that's going to be WAY too late for this team if it continues to play pond hockey.

How does this clown still have a job?

For the poster who doesn't blame Wang...I do. If you're hemmoraging money, sell the (frank)ing team. Plain and simple. Just like any other business decision he's made. Losing money? Sell the team. Someone will buy it. Especially now. He has the same affliction as Fred Wilpon. Swallow your stupid pride and make some money.

Lastly...Ryan Miller? He's obviously better than anything we have now, but this is the equilvant of putting lipstick on a pig.
- potvin05

Exactly....Ryan Miller isn't going to move the puck to the boards and down the ice, instead of handing it to a forward in front of his own net while trying (for whatever stupid reason) to pass it when there is no pass to be made. He's just going to end up being bombarded as the result of defensive mistakes, like all of the others. If I could trade a middling pick for Myers, that'd be about the ONLY thing I'd be interested in doing with Buffalo- I know the kid has been crap for a couple of years, but he's on a sh*te team; he does have talent, and he's the size of two of our other defensemen piled on top of one another. When you're asking Andrew MacDonald to be Mark Streit, instead of a serviceable, number 5, DEFENSIVE defenseman, you're screwed. It's time to upgrade the position.

Another criticism of Snow- if they had let Reinhart sh*t the bed like all of these other kids, he'd probably be far and away the best we have out there on the ice by now. There's nothing I hate more than seeing someone who's going to be 20 years old in junior; it's worthless. That's why they need to change that rule and let these guys play in Bridgeport, so if they prove their worth they can be shuttled back and forth with the big club. That stupid rule adds a year on to the waiting period for NO reason....NONE, whatsoever....and if you argue that one....you're wrong, sorry. Reinhart is probably bored sh*tless at this point, and that isn't productive for anyone.

How does this clown still have a job?

For the poster who doesn't blame Wang...I do. If you're hemmoraging money, sell the (frank)ing team. Plain and simple. Just like any other business decision he's made. Losing money? Sell the team. Someone will buy it. Especially now. He has the same affliction as Fred Wilpon. Swallow your stupid pride and make some money.

Lastly...Ryan Miller? He's obviously better than anything we have now, but this is the equilvant of putting lipstick on a pig.
- potvin05

In regards to Wang. I've said before there are a lot of things I don't like about Wang but his being 'thrifty' isn't one of them. Now if they go into Brooklyn and continue to field waiver wire pickups in prominent roles, I'm on board that either Garth or Wang need to stop icing a budget deal team.

Wang isn't going to sell the team because the guy WANTS to be the owner. Anyone who thinks he doesn't want to win is also fooling themselves. This isn't "The Natural" where some shady owner sits in a shade-drawn room purposly causing his own investment to fail or underachieve. From most who know Wang, his intentions with the Isles were simple. He loves the area, saw the team as one of the biggest landmarks and sustained it over a period that no other owner would have dared to invest in. This isn't as though they haven't attempted to spend in the past, they did but it failed. They realized they couldn't turn $20 million annual losses into $35 million in losses without guaranteed success so they took the internal rebuild approach.

Ultimately I don't think Wang will sell outright, though it wouldn't shock me if he found a partner as I don't think he ever wanted to be the sole owner. I think this team will be passed down to his son. Guys like Charles value their legacy over anything else and in his eyes he's saved this team from oblivion, sustained it though what most considered unsustainable circumstances, and now hopes to experience the benefits of his patience.

This isn't to say Charles is a good owner. I hate his approach on force feeding family atmosphere through the ethics of the team, but I really want to see what he does once this team hits Brooklyn. If it's the same old same old, I want him out too.

I just don't think Poulin is going to turn out better than a decent backup. His save pct is under .900 the last 20 games he's played. It's not helping that's he's playing behind poopville but I'm not impressed at all.
- Isles316

As I've said, short of nailing plywood onto the goal, you won't find any goalies that look 'good' behind this team. Poulin's save percentage for this season was near .919 until the last few games when the wheels really came off this team. The difference between a goalie playing with confidence and one whose confidence is shattered is night and day, especially for a young one like Kevin.

I'm not telling anyone that Kevin will ever be our #1 or an elite goalie. What I have said is this is the season we needed to figure out if we should continue to develop him, given his contract situation. At this point, I'd contend that the defense is in such shambles that it's almost impossible to make a fair evaluation on him. From a technical standpoint, I'd say I've seen steady improvement in his game until the last 3 games. I'd really like to see what he could do with at least an average defensive corps.

The guy from Con Air?
- LetsGoIsles

Yes

Nabokov and Strait skating this morning.
Apparently Nilsson is starting tonight. This can be taken one of two ways:

A. They're allowing Nilsson to get a start or two before being sent back down for Nabby
B. They're giving Nilsson a chance to send Poulin back down .

Should be fun.

Nabokov and Strait skating this morning.
Apparently Nilsson is starting tonight. This can be taken one of two ways:

A. They're allowing Nilsson to get a start or two before being sent back down for Nabby
B. They're giving Nilsson a chance to send Poulin back down .

Should be fun.
- keaner17

Ready to get worked over worse than Rosie's birthday cake tonight?

Ready to get worked over worse than Rosie's birthday cake tonight?
- canadianpenfan

tell your forecheckers to stand in the slot and wait for our defense to pass it to them.

tell your forecheckers to stand in the slot and wait for our defense to pass it to them.
- Isles_since_6

I'll relay the message.

You guys always play us tough, it should be a good game. Malkin has been lights out though.

Ready to get worked over worse than Rosie's birthday cake tonight?
- canadianpenfan

You're goin' down like Steven Tyler in an elevator, only you won't be livin' it up when you're goin' dow....ahhhh who am I kidding...I'm just hoping we can stay within a touchdown

You're goin' down like Steven Tyler in an elevator, only you won't be livin' it up when you're goin' dow....ahhhh who am I kidding...I'm just hoping we can stay within a touchdown
- keaner17

I'm going to be exhibiting some Sweet Emotion when the boys get Back In The Saddle tonight and show the Isles that they Don't Have What It Takes.

Oh man, you're going to be so Jaded.

In regards to Wang. I've said before there are a lot of things I don't like about Wang but his being 'thrifty' isn't one of them. Now if they go into Brooklyn and continue to field waiver wire pickups in prominent roles, I'm on board that either Garth or Wang need to stop icing a budget deal team.

Wang isn't going to sell the team because the guy WANTS to be the owner. Anyone who thinks he doesn't want to win is also fooling themselves. This isn't "The Natural" where some shady owner sits in a shade-drawn room purposly causing his own investment to fail or underachieve. From most who know Wang, his intentions with the Isles were simple. He loves the area, saw the team as one of the biggest landmarks and sustained it over a period that no other owner would have dared to invest in. This isn't as though they haven't attempted to spend in the past, they did but it failed. They realized they couldn't turn $20 million annual losses into $35 million in losses without guaranteed success so they took the internal rebuild approach.

Ultimately I don't think Wang will sell outright, though it wouldn't shock me if he found a partner as I don't think he ever wanted to be the sole owner. I think this team will be passed down to his son. Guys like Charles value their legacy over anything else and in his eyes he's saved this team from oblivion, sustained it though what most considered unsustainable circumstances, and now hopes to experience the benefits of his patience.

This isn't to say Charles is a good owner. I hate his approach on force feeding family atmosphere through the ethics of the team, but I really want to see what he does once this team hits Brooklyn. If it's the same old same old, I want him out too.
- keaner17

I put the Wilpon name in there for a reason...and I mentioned the word pride (maybe I should have put the word foolish in front of it) for a reason.
All these things you mention are nice and cozy, but if you're hemmoraging money and--most importantly--this is impacting your roster moves and front office and coaching personnel (hello Mr. Wilpon) sell the god damned team.

Swallow your stupid foolish pride, call it a day, and recoup your money.

I'm going to be exhibiting some Sweet Emotion when the boys get Back In The Saddle tonight and show the Isles that they Don't Have What It Takes.

Oh man, you're going to be so Jaded.
- canadianpenfan

Dream On, Man! We're gonna Eat the Rich tonight! So Walk This Way and prepare for a whopping cause tonight it will all Come Together. Call me 'Crazy' but I'll be tuned in because I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing!

I put the Wilpon name in there for a reason...and I mentioned the word pride (maybe I should have put the word foolish in front of it) for a reason.
All these things you mention are nice and cozy, but if you're hemmoraging money and--most importantly--this is impacting your roster moves and front office and coaching personnel (hello Mr. Wilpon) sell the god damned team.


- potvin05

Why sell the team when it's finally about to become lucrative. What would be the point of purchasinng a stock at rock bottom and selling just as it was about to take off?

Nabokov and Strait skating this morning.
Apparently Nilsson is starting tonight. This can be taken one of two ways:

A. They're allowing Nilsson to get a start or two before being sent back down for Nabby
B. They're giving Nilsson a chance to send Poulin back down .

Should be fun.
- keaner17

Or Poulin is going to the Sabres....