Before we get into what Islanders General Manager Garth Snow said yesterday on the state of the New York Islanders, it was announced today that forward Sebastian Collberg has been placed on unconditional waivers. Collberg will be heading back to Europe. The Islanders had acquired Sebastian and a second round pick from Montreal in exchange for Thomas Vanek. While Collberg never made it in North America, Garth Snow was able to parlay that second rounder to move up and select Josh Ho-Sang. Hopefully Ho-Sang is the jewel of this deal. Only time will tell.
There was an actual Garth Snow sighting yesterday, well sort of. Snow and the Isles held a conference call to go over the state of the team. Did you expect him to appear in public and have an actual press conference? Why would he leave the fortress of solitude when the mini-bar is always stocked and the wi-fi is free?
If you were expecting to hear anything tangible about this team this was not the conference call for you. Snow said that no stone will be left unturned to improve the roster. Granted nobody on the call followed up with how the team will improve this offseason but I don’t want to tell anyone how to do their job. Some people don’t like that.
Snow said that Tampa was the better team. Tampa was the better team without Steven Stamkos and Anton Stralman. That tells you all you need to know about the current state of this Islander roster. He praised impending free agents Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen and Matt Martin for their continued services to the organization. He also said that in a salary cap league, it may not be possible to bring all three players back even though he would love to. Snow added, “We need to devise a way to keep all three. Whether that can happen, I can’t answer that right now.… What? You have all season to “devise a plan.… Are we going to come up with one right now? This is like a kid slacking off all semester only to be studying like mad on the school bus on the way to their final exam.
That is exactly what this offseason is for the general manager. A final exam. No more excuses. This team has to improve by any means necessary. If this offseason is handled poorly the Isles will be back in the Stone Age. There has to be a plan.
Snow caught a break with Travis Hamonic deciding to stay but his job also got harder. There has to be a shakeup within the top nine forwards and their needs to be a massive upgrade in talent. Once again, by any means necessary. Nobody should be untouchable for the right player. Garth Snow is like the gambler who is having a great night at the black jack table. He has spent years acquiring all these chips. Well, if you have to cash some out now to improve this roster then do it. We simply cannot go into next season with more “ifs.…
I’m simply tired of that word. If Ryan Strome rebounds. If Brock Nelson matures. If Anders Lee stays healthy. ENOUGH! I want a couple players with proven resumes. You owe that to John Tavares at least. Get him some talent that is on par with his own skills and this team will be fine.
I’m tired of winning the draft. The Islanders have plenty of blue chip prospects in their stables. Win draft day by adding proven players that can grow this team. Other teams will improve this offseason. It simply cannot be another year of hoping for solutions. Go out there and find these solutions.