I don't get all the hate on Pandolfo. I get it for Rolston, Reasoner, and Mottau. Pandolfo is a 4th line guy who doesn't do anything special in the first place. He doesn't help necessarily but he also doesn't hurt.
- BringBackBalky

If you aint helpin your team then your hurtin your team. Should have never been signed. He's no longer an NHL player. Hasnt been for awhile. Could Pandolfo's signing had something to do with the Rolston, Snow connection.

Konopka talk?

That's my cue to exit. Enjoy your day folks.

Sure you can. Snow let ZK walk. ZK supplied more of what the Isles needed then Reasoner could ever dream of providing. Again, Snow as GM should know these things. Snow signed Reasoner for the 4th line. Why? To add 8 or 10 goals? Thats the only possible reason Snow could have had. I'd rather have the grit and the winning FO %. Look no further then our GM if you want to know who Fudged up this season.
- SCLI

They're F/O% was almost the same last year so there was no reason to think he would suck as much as he did this year. I would've loved to resign ZK but if Reasoner was anything like he was last year and years before, this wouldn't be a conversation. Use the hindsight rule here.

The way I see it Rolston is currently taking Ullstrums spot.
- mighty13duck

I don't think you can pin specific roster spots to specific players...especially with the Isles, where players are constantly finding themselves in strange roles that we debate here endlessly. Ullstrom was sent down and Pandolfo was activated off of IR. If Pandolfo was still hurt, Ullstrom would be in the lineup is how I see it.

Basically, we could be watching:

Moulson-Tavares-Okposo
Grabner-Bailey-PA
Ullstrom-Nielsen-Nino
Rolston/Pandolfo/Wallace/Reasoner-Haley-Martin

Or however you want to do up the lines, I'm not very good at stuff like that. But the point is, those four guys at fourth-line left wing should be fighting it out for one spot, not guaranteed four different spots when they're healthy. So regardless of which ones are in the lineup, they're taking roster spots of people who have more to offer.

Ullstrom should be on the 2nd or 3rd line. I don't disagree that Haley could be playing but it's not that big of a deal IMO.
- BringBackBalky

Why? He's not a second or third-line player on many NHL teams. Where is it carved in stone that your fourth line has to be made up of bad players? If we had players who were good enough to fill the top-three lines, why couldn't we run a fourth line of, say, Ullstrom-Nielsen-Martin? You'd have a defensively responsible fourth line that can bring the energy and physicality...and above all...can play the game of hockey.

Edit -- not to mention, Ullstrom would be on the second or third line. Rolston slides to the fourth line where the entire universe knows he belongs, and Pandolfo is scratched.

Why? He's not a second or third-line player on many NHL teams. Where is it carved in stone that your fourth line has to be made up of bad players? If we had players who were good enough to fill the top-three lines, why couldn't we run a fourth line of, say, Ullstrom-Nielsen-Martin? You'd have a defensively responsible fourth line that can bring the energy and physicality...and above all...can play the game of hockey.

Edit -- not to mention, Ullstrom would be on the second or third line. Rolston slides to the fourth line where the entire universe knows he belongs, and Pandolfo is scratched.
- UIF

I agree with you 100% that lines shouldn't be defined the way they are but I'm just basing it on the "traditional" gathering of players to lines. And based on this team I think Ullstrom would fit well on the 2nd or 3rd line.

I don't get all the hate on Pandolfo. I get it for Rolston, Reasoner, and Mottau. Pandolfo is a 4th line guy who doesn't do anything special in the first place. He doesn't help necessarily but he also doesn't hurt.
- BringBackBalky

how is this possible?

how is this possible?
- LetsGoIsles

He's just kind of there. He's better than having Reasoner but not as good as having Ullstrom (for example).

They're F/O% was almost the same last year so there was no reason to think he would suck as much as he did this year. I would've loved to resign ZK but if Reasoner was anything like he was last year and years before, this wouldn't be a conversation. Use the hindsight rule here.
- BringBackBalky

I'll keep ZK out of the topic. Chief is getting a migraine over all this Konopka talk.


Well since every other GM passed on Reasoner. Seems they knew something Snow didnt. Snow's moves and lack of moves this summer have stagnated the Isles progress. IMO costing them any opportunity to make the PO's. Until Snow does something earth shaking. I'm not giving him a pass for screwing up this past off season.