*PMing keener to send me the eye-rolling emoticon once he finds it*

(and no there werent)
- LetsGoIsles

I clearly remember jethro, myself, ses111, scli, saying wtf is snow thinking during the offseason and that's just off the top of my head.

Sort of like Roloson?
- ses111

Exactly like roloson. These guys hear something negative about the islanders and they pick it apart. Hysterical same old shat. Roloson became enemy number one then too

Strang saying Sniw didn't do anything in the offseason and Capuano is a sub par coach and Wang is a controlling owner is spot on. You don't want to belueve it that's fine. Dont get pissed bcs other people do. Like I said most people didn't need Strang to point it out.
- Cptmjl

Sheesh Cpt..I like ya man,you're one of the best folks to carry on with here but you can be thick as hell sometimes. No one is disputing any of this. Your last line is exactly what I'm saying...none of what she said was an epiphany...we all KNEW this.

What I dispute with Katie is that she has any clue where things go from here. Not what has led us to this point. She's functioning off of one to two sources, but most people close to this organization will tell you that the only people that know anything about the future inner workings of this team are Snow and Wang. So when she throws out there that none of this will change until ownership changes, I tune her out. Not because I think it's impossible things will continue this way, but because I don't think she has any concrete info to go off of.

I clearly remember jethro, myself, ses111, scli, saying wtf is snow thinking during the offseason and that's just off the top of my head.
- Cptmjl

you dont ever remember saying something along the lines of (IE: NOT VERBATIM) "garth has bought himself some time with me with his team making the playoffs?"

But what revalation did she offer? Is there anything she said that most here didn't assume already? Is this some great discovery that people needed confirmation of? Wang has operated on a limited budget...uh..yeah.. The team has lost $16-20 million per season...we've all known they were bottom lining it since the rebuild started...
Snow is limited by said budget...again
Now the idea that none of this will change until ownership changes is strictly opinionated on her part and no more valid than anything anyone here writes. Many of us feel there's a potential for the loosening of purse strings once we hit Barclays. I think there's decent enough reason to believe that will happen. I also think they've decided to operate as minimalists up until that point.

Wang is a business man, first and foremost. He's self made. I have serious doubts that his plans are anything less than to make this business as lucrative as possible. If the foundation of that business improves and offers a climate to strike while the iron is hot, I think he'll do so. Until then, we get more of the same.

Strang offered nothing that everyone didn't know already. It's nothing more than messageboard fodder.
- keaner17

I don't think she was obligated to. She responded to a question from a fan and did it more directly and more honestly than many others in the media have to date. Most in the media have given this owner and GM the benefit of the doubt and been very careful not to be so damningin their description of this owner. Its a refreshing change.

I clearly remember jethro, myself, ses111, scli, saying wtf is snow thinking during the offseason and that's just off the top of my head.
- Cptmjl

I don't think anyone could have been content with PMB and Regin. I know I wasn't. I thought PMB could be a nice surprise since he had the talent but this wasn't what any of us were hoping for coming into the offseason. That said, I don't think the reason we only came away with them was because we were cheap or ownership didn't care about winning.

I don't think she was obligated to. She responded to a question from a fan and did it more directly and more honestly than many others in the media have to date. Most in the media have given this owner and GM the benefit of the doubt and been very careful not to be so damningin their description of this owner. Its a refreshing change.
- Jethro09

It doesn't matter whether she was obligated to or not. She's removed from the team at this point. She likely has no inside information and is merely offering her perspective on a job she did a couple of years ago. Her take on Cappy offers just how little she knows from an on ice standpoint. Her take on Wang and Snow is valid since she was connected to the team but it didn't provide anyting new...that was my point. She can tell you about the Isles from 2007-2011, but anything beyond that?

But what revalation did she offer? Is there anything she said that most here didn't assume already? Is this some great discovery that people needed confirmation of? Wang has operated on a limited budget...uh..yeah.. The team has lost $16-20 million per season...we've all known they were bottom lining it since the rebuild started...
Snow is limited by said budget...again
Now the idea that none of this will change until ownership changes is strictly opinionated on her part and no more valid than anything anyone here writes. Many of us feel there's a potential for the loosening of purse strings once we hit Barclays. I think there's decent enough reason to believe that will happen. I also think they've decided to operate as minimalists up until that point.

Wang is a business man, first and foremost. He's self made. I have serious doubts that his plans are anything less than to make this business as lucrative as possible. If the foundation of that business improves and offers a climate to strike while the iron is hot, I think he'll do so. Until then, we get more of the same.

Strang offered nothing that everyone didn't know already. It's nothing more than messageboard fodder.
- keaner17

But last year they made the playoffs and only lost $1.2 million per Forbes. If they got to the second round, the Islanders would be in the black last year...

"A few more wins" has the team right in the race for a playoff spot...not hopelessly adrift. Bailey, Grabs and Nielsen provided their share of secondary scoring last season. There's no reason to believe they all just forgot how to play this game.

Heck, Grabs put 16 goals in the net in a shortened season from the third line getting like 8 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time a game. You all were ready to anoint Bailey as Tavares' first-line winger at the beginning of this season. Now they're garbage and incapable of playing hockey?

There's a common denominator here when we talk about how horribly inconsistent a number of key players have been.
- UIF

True, but eventually you need to look at the entire body of work and honestly assess what these guys are. Grabs has had good spirts and bad ones, hell never change. Bailey has had far more bad stretches than good. Ive never annointed him a first line player. its hard to say that these guys are the players they showed themselves to be during the abbreviated season and not what they've been at all other times and that a new coach and that alone will change things. Eventually the anvil needs to fall on Snow for assembling this roster and faiking to address obvious deficiencies and on Wang for going cheap and handcuffing his GM. Sometimes, the players simply aren't as good as management evaluates them.

But last year they made the playoffs and only lost 41.2 million per Forbes. If they got to the second round, the Islanders would be in the black...
- kear20

i assume this is a typo...IF my aunt had balls shed be my uncle. they didnt go to the playoffs

Exactly...the bottom line is if you feed the malcontents what they want during the darkest hour, it becomes gospel. Red meat.
- keaner17

Are you calling me a malcontent?

i assume this is a typo...IF my aunt had balls shed be my uncle. they didnt go to the playoffs
- LetsGoIsles

I changed my initial post...meant $1.2 million

But last year they made the playoffs and only lost 41.2 million per Forbes. If they got to the second round, the Islanders would be in the black...
- kear20

I don't think they lost $41.2 million last year
I'm also not sure if they would have been in the black by going to round 2. In addition, you have to believe that last year was as much of a surprise to mgmt as it was to us. I'm not sure what anyone wanted them to do differently last year. I know the offseason was a disappointment to us all.

whats so great is that going into the season id say 9 out of 10 guys here were ALSO more than happy with it (as im sure hell point out, cptn counts for that 10th obviously). its pretty easy to knock something once the results are finalized...so many tuesday morning quarterbacks over here
- LetsGoIsles

But were not paid to assemble a comoetitive NHL team. Snow is. I liked the forwards going into je season too. But that was based on what these guys did last year. None of them are doing it now.

But were not paid to assemble a comoetitive NHL team. Snow is. I liked the forwards going into je season too. But that was based on what these guys did last year. None of them are doing it now.
- Jethro09

Me: What is the definition of hindsight?
Trebek: Correct

I don't think they lost $41.2 million last year
I'm also not sure if they would have been in the black by going to round 2. In addition, you have to believe that last year was as much of a surprise to mgmt as it was to us. I'm not sure what anyone wanted them to do differently last year. I know the offseason was a disappointment to us all.
- keaner17

I found the Forbes article...here is info as it pretains to the Islanders:

Current Value: $195,000,000
1 year change: 26%
Debt/Value: 51%
Revenue: $61,000,000
Operating Income: -$1,200,000

It doesn't matter whether she was obligated to or not. She's removed from the team at this point. She likely has no inside information and is merely offering her perspective on a job she did a couple of years ago. Her take on Cappy offers just how little she knows from an on ice standpoint. Her take on Wang and Snow is valid since she was connected to the team but it didn't provide anyting new...that was my point. She can tell you about the Isles from 2007-2011, but anything beyond that?
- keaner17

i think what strang said is refreshing for isles fans because i don't remember the last time a media member publicly called out wang and snow like that. they all seem to beat around the bush and talk about injuries or too high expectations/pressure or inexperience or whatever. nobody has ever said "one of the main reasons this team isn't successful is because snow has made terrible moves and wang gives him zero resources to work with and cappy sucks too".

i didn't see strang predict once what's going to happen in the future and she doesn't claim to know what's going on or what will go on. all she said in that quote was that she PERSONALLY believes that the islanders will never be a top-tier team until ownership changes hands, which is what many you guys believe, and what NO mainstream media has ever printed before.

THAT'S why strang is getting praised right now. no one is praising her X's and O's like you say or her "well-connected sources".

maybe with more pressure from the media, wang might be eventually forced to fire snow.

i think what strang said is refreshing for isles fans because i don't remember the last time a media member publicly called out wang and snow like that. they all seem to beat around the bush and talk about injuries or too high expectations/pressure or inexperience or whatever. nobody has ever said "one of the main reasons this team isn't successful is because snow has made terrible moves and wang gives him zero resources to work with and cappy sucks too".

i didn't see strang predict once what's going to happen in the future and she doesn't claim to know what's going on or what will go on. all she said in that quote was that she PERSONALLY believes that the islanders will never be a top-tier team until ownership changes hands, which is what many you guys believe, and what NO mainstream media has ever printed before.

THAT'S why strang is getting praised right now. no one is praising her X's and O's like you say or her "well-connected sources".
- rangerdanger94

how many times do i have to tell you, Lifetime is not the best channel to get your hockey news!!!

i think what strang said is refreshing for isles fans because i don't remember the last time a media member publicly called out wang and snow like that. they all seem to beat around the bush and talk about injuries or too high expectations/pressure or inexperience or whatever. nobody has ever said "one of the main reasons this team isn't successful is because snow has made terrible moves and wang gives him zero resources to work with and cappy sucks too".

i didn't see strang predict once what's going to happen in the future and she doesn't claim to know what's going on or what will go on. all she said in that quote was that she PERSONALLY believes that the islanders will never be a top-tier team until ownership changes hands, which is what many you guys believe, and what NO mainstream media has ever printed before.

THAT'S why strang is getting praised right now. no one is praising her X's and O's like you say or her "well-connected sources".
- rangerdanger94

You see the irony here right?

Strang getting praised for saying this now would be like Staple getting praised 5 years down the line for doing the same once he's no longer dependent on the club. It wasn't said when it needed to be and she's too far removed for anyone to care. Again...nothing new was disclosed. We have heard others say it, it's just not come from the people many want to hear it from.

You see the irony here right?

Strang getting praised for saying this now would be like Staple getting praised 5 years down the line for doing the same once he's no longer dependent on the club. It wasn't said when it needed to be and she's too far removed for anyone to care. Again...nothing new was disclosed. We have heard others say it, it's just not come from the people many want to hear it from.
- keaner17

didn't the last press writer dependent on the islanders get their press pass taken away or something for writing something negative about them? i don't blame strang for not saying anything before when it could mean she loses her job and potentially ruin her career.

I found the Forbes article...here is info as it pretains to the Islanders:

Current Value: $195,000,000
1 year change: 26%
Debt/Value: 51%
Revenue: $61,000,000
Operating Income: -$1,200,000
- kear20

Yeah, saw that too. So they could have gone two rounds deep and come near breaking even....think about that..the team needs to get to the semifinals to turn a minimal profit. Yet many are shocked he's not all in adding 10-$12 million in payroll to once again..Break even in a best case scenario...

Now if they get to Barclay and that regular season line turns say a $10-$12 million profit...then he has reason to push forward..that's been the arguement all along for those who say 2015 should (hopefully) bring change.

didn't the last press writer dependent on the islanders get their press pass taken away or something for writing something negative about them? i don't blame strang for not saying anything before when it could mean she loses her job and potentially ruin her career.
- rangerdanger94

Chris Botta? I think there was more to it than that.

Me: What is the definition of hindsight?
Trebek: Correct
- LetsGoIsles

It sounds as if you're trying to make the argument that Snow did a good job this off season because a lot of people liked the forward group going into the season. That doesn't address the multiple complsints about the defense and goaltending that all of us "experts" expressed all summer. It also ignores the fact that we aren't paid to be the GM, Snow is. Of course we all have the benefit of hindsight. But the defenseand goaltending (and coaching) deficiencies have been complained about and obvious to all for months.

Chris Botta? I think there was more to it than that.
- keaner17

maybe. i don't really know, but i thought that was the jist of it

i'm curious to see if barclays really helps the islanders make more money. you're going to a much more densely populated area in a very nice arena, but there are less seats which means less tickets and also, everyone in that area might be rangers or devils fans already and just not bother going to the islanders game? or you could end up selling out every night. should be interesting.

True, but eventually you need to look at the entire body of work and honestly assess what these guys are. Grabs has had good spirts and bad ones, hell never change. Bailey has had far more bad stretches than good. Ive never annointed him a first line player. its hard to say that these guys are the players they showed themselves to be during the abbreviated season and not what they've been at all other times and that a new coach and that alone will change things. Eventually the anvil needs to fall on Snow for assembling this roster and faiking to address obvious deficiencies and on Wang for going cheap and handcuffing his GM. Sometimes, the players simply aren't as good as management evaluates them.
- Jethro09

And when our skilled prospects fail to develop properly because they get benched/put in limited roles and their confidence gets crushed, it'll be because those players never really had the talent and not because the coach is a buffoon, right? There's more to get out of the players we have. Not a doubt in my mind about that. They got it out of Nielsen and Bailey last year when they actually...coached them. They didn't simply flip a switch. They were told to simplify their game and their role, and to worry about defense and only defense, and let the rest flow from there. They excelled in that role, but then got put in essentially pure offensive roles this season and struggled again, while Cizikas' line got shifted from pure energy role to the team's top shutdown line...that is when Cappy can figure out how to even get the matchup he wants (that he fails at this even when he's home and there's a stoppage of play is a whole other issue entirely). This reduced the effectiveness of both lines.