With all quiet on the Islander I have done my “due diligence… to update you on some of the rumors circling around the team. I was told that the brass did their “due diligence… and kicked the tires on Mike Babcock. They decided that it was not a good fit. I can’t get into great detail about the process but let’s just say there is a reason only a few teams actively courted Babcock.
You also don’t need secret meetings and phone calls to know that there was no way the Islanders were going to spend that kind of money on a head coach. My source went on to say that the entire staff will be on a short leash next season and a repeat performance of this year will not be acceptable. I don’t know if that is any comfort or not. It is what it is at this point, for better or worse we are stuck with Cappy and friends come October.
The entire staff will be under the microscope though and that includes Islanders General Manager Garth Snow. This is why I’m buying into another active offseason for this team. Everyone I have spoken with back up this up. The Islanders will be shopping.
The Bruins will be on Garth Snow’s speed dial again and Milan Lucic’s name is in the mix. I’m not sure if he is a perfect fit on the first line but I do know there is interest depending on the price. The Bruins are in cap hell yet again and Lucic could be had for a reasonable cost. Another name that continues to come up is James van Riemsdyk. Now, with the signing of Babcock in Toronto might change their offseason plans, but I can report that there is interest there as well. The price to acquire him will be steeper as his contract is manageable and he isn’t old. What keeps coming up is the Isles desire to find a winger for John Tavares that can score without his help. They don’t want someone who Tavares can make better, they want someone who has an established scoring resume.
Finally it wouldn’t be a trip through my western Canada sources if Griffin Reinhart to Edmonton did not surface again. At this point I’m not sure if it is just wishful thinking from my friends in Canada but I trust there information and the Oilers are trade partners that simply make sense for the Isles. I keep hearing that the Oilers are going to move a forward and the Islanders have shown interest in their young crop of wingers.
I expect we will see some action during the draft. With impact players simply not available via free agency if the Islanders are going to find that impact winger, it will have to be through the trade route. Obviously a lot can happen between now and opening night but this was the time of the offseason last year that we started to hear about Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk. I don’t know how this will end up but I do think the Isles will be active and busy this offseason. As always for more on all things hockey please follow me on twitter at @DanDanNoodles78.