Chicago needs some cap to reach the floor. Send Bailey there for a 7th round pick in 2075. Seems like a fair trade to me. Also just looked at the roster. They dont have 1 forward signed past next season. Also only 2 dmen signed past then. Talk about cap space.

Chicago needs some cap to reach the floor. Send Bailey there for a 7th round pick in 2075. Seems like a fair trade to me. Also just looked at the roster. They dont have 1 forward signed past next season. Also only 2 dmen signed past then. Talk about cap space.
- chazpet

Bailey can be Bedard’s teacher for everything cerebral.

Bailey can be Bedard’s teacher for everything cerebral.
- Cptmjl

Bedard: "You mean, I'm not supposed to move my legs and get to the dirty areas?"

Bailey: "I know! It sounds crazy, and the fans will be all over you for it at first. But trust me, give it 10 years and they'll be singing songs about you in the stands."

Do not hammer me on this one. If Nylander is available via trade, do the Islanders make the leafs an offer? Is he worth pursuing in your opinion.

Bailey can be Bedard’s teacher for everything cerebral.
- Cptmjl

Look into my chains !!!!

Original NY Islander Gerry Hart passes away at age 75. RIP Gerry, thank you for the memories and the Rinx Ice Rinks... Spent many a day there with my son through his early hockey career.

never got the bailey hate. he was a serviceable player who lasted 1000+ games in the league, he had some awesome moments. consistency was never his thing but he always stepped it up for the playoffs and i kinda wanted to see what he had left this year, there was just nobody worth taking out this last stretch

Bedard: "You mean, I'm not supposed to move my legs and get to the dirty areas?"

Bailey: "I know! It sounds crazy, and the fans will be all over you for it at first. But trust me, give it 10 years and they'll be singing songs about you in the stands."
- UIF

I relish the thought of never having to hear that stupid song again. Problem is I know they’ll keep singing it after he’s gone.

Look into my chains !!!!

- Nfdbulldawg

I believe its more about frustration with Bailey than hate. He has or had the skills. He just looked so half assed out there sometimes that we all just got tired of it.
He is just a 5 million cap hit , that they don't need right now . So its time to move on.

never got the bailey hate. he was a serviceable player who lasted 1000+ games in the league, he had some awesome moments. consistency was never his thing but he always stepped it up for the playoffs and i kinda wanted to see what he had left this year, there was just nobody worth taking out this last stretch
- batteryjackson

It's sorta a broken record at this stage but I'll spin it one more time
The biggest problem with Bailey has typically been exactly what some of his pre-draft detractors highlighted. He was seen as a very skilled prospect who lacked intensity.
I will say that Bailey has been one of the most skilled players the Isles have had over the last 20 years. The problem is he has no intensity/aggression to his game. Floating around playing the patient man's game when fans have seen you pull off elite stick-handling and shots makes it seem like you don't care. I've said before, if thw guy had a greedy Ovechkin-like approach mentally, he could have probably been a 40 goal 100pt guy. Instead, he plays a laid back game always overthinking ways to get someone else the puck, even when scoring chances present themselves. That totally frustrates people.
Overall, Bailey has been a good Islander, but fans will always know that he was capable of so much more, but just refused to push the envelope

It's sorta a broken record at this stage but I'll spin it one more time
The biggest problem with Bailey has typically been exactly what some of his pre-draft detractors highlighted. He was seen as a very skilled prospect who lacked intensity.
I will say that Bailey has been one of the most skilled players the Isles have had over the last 20 years. The problem is he has no intensity/aggression to his game. Floating around playing the patient man's game when fans have seen you pull off elite stick-handling and shots makes it seem like you don't care. I've said before, if thw guy had a greedy Ovechkin-like approach mentally, he could have probably been a 40 goal 100pt guy. Instead, he plays a laid back game always overthinking ways to get someone else the puck, even when scoring chances present themselves. That totally frustrates people.
Overall, Bailey has been a good Islander, but fans will always know that he was capable of so much more, but just refused to push the envelope
- keaner17

It's amazing how accurate those scouting reports were.

never got the bailey hate. he was a serviceable player who lasted 1000+ games in the league, he had some awesome moments. consistency was never his thing but he always stepped it up for the playoffs and i kinda wanted to see what he had left this year, there was just nobody worth taking out this last stretch
- batteryjackson

I think the two bold parts are the question and the answer.

Everyone probably recognizes that he has skill and that he's had some really good moments, but it's easy to get frustrated with a player who looks like a top six winger sometimes, and looks like a decent two-way forward other times...but then stops producing when you put him in the top six and stops skating hard on the backcheck when you put him on the third line. It doesn't surprise me that a coach finally got tired of playing the "where does he really belong" guessing game and went with other options.

my biggest bailey problem is "shoot the (frank)ing puck bro"

Do not hammer me on this one. If Nylander is available via trade, do the Islanders make the leafs an offer? Is he worth pursuing in your opinion.
- Nfdbulldawg

Well you'll probably avoid being hammered simply because they don't have close to the assets that it would take to acquire him, so it's not even a possibility. Short of moving Sorokin, I can't think of anything the Leafs would desire so much that they'd trade him.

He's a great player. Softer than hell, but loads of talent.

We all agree that Sorokin is fantastic...one of the better goalies in the league who may have been the biggest factor in the Isles even getting to the playoffs. If he's seeking a monster payday though, what's the ceiling for you guys on how much you'd be willing to spend on a goalie, given all the Isles' other commitments and needs?

We all agree that Sorokin is fantastic...one of the better goalies in the league who may have been the biggest factor in the Isles even getting to the playoffs. If he's seeking a monster payday though, what's the ceiling for you guys on how much you'd be willing to spend on a goalie, given all the Isles' other commitments and needs?
- UIF

I think he's going to clear $8M/yr easily. Could be $9M. Isles will be able to make the case that even Vasy is "only" making $9.5M and has two Cups, a Conn Smythe, and a Vezina in his trophy case.

Sorokin will have a lot of leverage though.

I think he's going to clear $8M/yr easily. Could be $9M. Isles will be able to make the case that even Vasy is "only" making $9.5M and has two Cups, a Conn Smythe, and a Vezina in his trophy case.
- eichiefs9

Would you pay him $9m or over? I feel like that's a lot for goaltending, but I also think the prevailing sentiment will be, "Are you crazy? Pay him what he wants!" Maybe it's worth it, and I do think Sorokin's one of the best, no doubt. But I wonder what that translates to as far as team success. An amazing goalie can carry a mediocre team with poor defense much further than it would otherwise go. But, just looking back the past several years for the Isles, I think they had solid goaltending with Lehner and Greiss (they won a Jennings Trophy), and with Varlomov, and with Sorokin. I think Sorokin's easily the best out of that group, but I don't think goaltending sunk the Isles with any of those other guys in net either.

Basically, I think it comes down to, is the premium paid worth it to go from an affordable "good enough" goalie to a well-paid elite one in today's NHL? I don't know where I stand on that. I think there's definitely a ceiling for me with goaltending, I'm just not sure what that ceiling is and if $9m is above it. If it's not, it's close.

Would you pay him $9m or over? I feel like that's a lot for goaltending, but I also think the prevailing sentiment will be, "Are you crazy? Pay him what he wants!" Maybe it's worth it, and I do think Sorokin's one of the best, no doubt. But I wonder what that translates to as far as team success. An amazing goalie can carry a mediocre team with poor defense much further than it would otherwise go. But, just looking back the past several years for the Isles, I think they had solid goaltending with Lehner and Greiss (they won a Jennings Trophy), and with Varlomov, and with Sorokin. I think Sorokin's easily the best out of that group, but I don't think goaltending sunk the Isles with any of those other guys in net either.

Basically, I think it comes down to, is the premium paid worth it to go from an affordable "good enough" goalie to a well-paid elite one in today's NHL? I don't know where I stand on that. I think there's definitely a ceiling for me with goaltending, I'm just not sure what that ceiling is and if $9m is above it. If it's not, it's close.
- UIF

I'm not sure there's a "right" answer to the question, honestly.

I think it's a gross oversimplification to just say "he's one of the best goalies in the league, pay him whatever he wants". I've been probably one of the most excited fans to see him come over and justify what I thought of him prior to arriving...but paying a goaltender that kind of money does not always work out to be the best decision.

Carey Price was the best goalie in the league for years and Bobrovsky one of the best and they both received massive contracts that aged like milk. It's a fickle position and committing a ton of both term and dollars to a goaltender carries a lot of risk.

The Isles are also in a precarious cap situation that would see his new deal eat up a ton of space that they don't really have if they're serious about continuing to compete. The cap jumping up significantly after next season will help ease the blow for sure, but they still have a lot of money tied up in average-or-worse players.

It's a bit of a cop-out right now, but my honest answer is that I don't know what I'd be comfortable up to or what I think the best course of action is. I don't know that the Isles have the horses to truly be a contender, even with him. I know they don't without him. But keeping him at a premium price will make it even more difficult to bring in any talent.

Lou really whiffed big time on bringing it some good talent on what could have been very affordable (or better) prices. I don't recall the waiver order at the time, but Eeli Tolvanen went 16g-27pts in 48gp (and is sitting at 3-5-8pts in 13gp in the playoffs) for Seattle after he was waived by NSH. They also signed Burakovsky for $5M and he posted 39pts in 49gp before his injury. Jakub Vrana was traded for nothing to St. Louis, where he went and posted 10g 14pts in 20gp.

Instead, we gave up a lot for Horvat and then paid him $8.5M for the next 8 years. He's not as bad as he was most of the time with us, but he's not nearly as good as he was in Vancouver this year.

I'm not sure there's a "right" answer to the question, honestly.

I think it's a gross oversimplification to just say "he's one of the best goalies in the league, pay him whatever he wants". I've been probably one of the most excited fans to see him come over and justify what I thought of him prior to arriving...but paying a goaltender that kind of money does not always work out to be the best decision.

Carey Price was the best goalie in the league for years and Bobrovsky one of the best and they both received massive contracts that aged like milk. It's a fickle position and committing a ton of both term and dollars to a goaltender carries a lot of risk.

The Isles are also in a precarious cap situation that would see his new deal eat up a ton of space that they don't really have if they're serious about continuing to compete. The cap jumping up significantly after next season will help ease the blow for sure, but they still have a lot of money tied up in average-or-worse players.

It's a bit of a cop-out right now, but my honest answer is that I don't know what I'd be comfortable up to or what I think the best course of action is. I don't know that the Isles have the horses to truly be a contender, even with him. I know they don't without him. But keeping him at a premium price will make it even more difficult to bring in any talent.

Lou really whiffed big time on bringing it some good talent on what could have been very affordable (or better) prices. I don't recall the waiver order at the time, but Eeli Tolvanen went 16g-27pts in 48gp (and is sitting at 3-5-8pts in 13gp in the playoffs) for Seattle after he was waived by NSH. They also signed Burakovsky for $5M and he posted 39pts in 49gp before his injury. Jakub Vrana was traded for nothing to St. Louis, where he went and posted 10g 14pts in 20gp.

Instead, we gave up a lot for Horvat and then paid him $8.5M for the next 8 years. He's not as bad as he was most of the time with us, but he's not nearly as good as he was in Vancouver this year.
- eichiefs9

Diff topic, but does Dubas and or Shanny stay or go?

luke fox @lukefoxjukebox
11s
John Tavares asked about idea of waving his no-move clause: “I love it here… I want to be here.” Open to more time on the wing. Wants to be captain.


Lance Hornby 🇺🇦 @sunhornby
29s
Tavares on what he’d do if approached about his no move clause. “I made a commitment here for seven years.”

Things are going well in Toronto

Diff topic, but does Dubas and or Shanny stay or go?
- kindlyrick

I think Toronto would be making a mistake losing Dubas. He's a dweeb and he has his flaws, but it's not like there's a horde of high-end GM's out there waiting in the wings to take over. Not to mention a lot of teams would want to snatch him up in an instant if he was leaving Toronto.

I have no idea about Shanny. I think Keefe is toast though, he's terrible.

I'm not sure there's a "right" answer to the question, honestly.

I think it's a gross oversimplification to just say "he's one of the best goalies in the league, pay him whatever he wants". I've been probably one of the most excited fans to see him come over and justify what I thought of him prior to arriving...but paying a goaltender that kind of money does not always work out to be the best decision.

Carey Price was the best goalie in the league for years and Bobrovsky one of the best and they both received massive contracts that aged like milk. It's a fickle position and committing a ton of both term and dollars to a goaltender carries a lot of risk.

The Isles are also in a precarious cap situation that would see his new deal eat up a ton of space that they don't really have if they're serious about continuing to compete. The cap jumping up significantly after next season will help ease the blow for sure, but they still have a lot of money tied up in average-or-worse players.

It's a bit of a cop-out right now, but my honest answer is that I don't know what I'd be comfortable up to or what I think the best course of action is. I don't know that the Isles have the horses to truly be a contender, even with him. I know they don't without him. But keeping him at a premium price will make it even more difficult to bring in any talent.

Lou really whiffed big time on bringing it some good talent on what could have been very affordable (or better) prices. I don't recall the waiver order at the time, but Eeli Tolvanen went 16g-27pts in 48gp (and is sitting at 3-5-8pts in 13gp in the playoffs) for Seattle after he was waived by NSH. They also signed Burakovsky for $5M and he posted 39pts in 49gp before his injury. Jakub Vrana was traded for nothing to St. Louis, where he went and posted 10g 14pts in 20gp.

Instead, we gave up a lot for Horvat and then paid him $8.5M for the next 8 years. He's not as bad as he was most of the time with us, but he's not nearly as good as he was in Vancouver this year.
- eichiefs9

I agree it's a tough call and I'm not crazy about giving a gigantic contract to a goalie. Maybe Sorokin is the goalie to do that for, but, well, maybe not. There will be mayhem no matter what they decide, I think. Imagine the freakout if they decide to trade him this offseason or at the deadline because he wants too much, but also imagine if they massively overpay in $$ and years or if they keep him to the end of next season for a run but then don't re-sign him and lose him for nothing.

I feel like it's best to make the decision asap. If they keep him, then at least they know what the number will be. If they need to part ways because he asks a king's ransom, it's better to use him as a valuable trade chip now and go into next season with your goaltending set rather than facing that decision at the deadline possibly with the season on the line.

luke fox @lukefoxjukebox
11s
John Tavares asked about idea of waving his no-move clause: “I love it here… I want to be here.” Open to more time on the wing. Wants to be captain.


Lance Hornby 🇺🇦 @sunhornby
29s
Tavares on what he’d do if approached about his no move clause. “I made a commitment here for seven years.”

Things are going well in Toronto
- eichiefs9

Yeah, I saw "Tavares" trending on Twitter and figured it wasn't because Toronto was happily declaring another John Tavares Day

I agree it's a tough call and I'm not crazy about giving a gigantic contract to a goalie. Maybe Sorokin is the goalie to do that for, but, well, maybe not. There will be mayhem no matter what they decide, I think. Imagine the freakout if they decide to trade him this offseason or at the deadline because he wants too much, but also imagine if they massively overpay in $$ and years or if they keep him to the end of next season for a run but then don't re-sign him and lose him for nothing.

I feel like it's best to make the decision asap. If they keep him, then at least they know what the number will be. If they need to part ways because he asks a king's ransom, it's better to use him as a valuable trade chip now and go into next season with your goaltending set rather than facing that decision at the deadline possibly with the season on the line.
- UIF

Yeah it's a terrible decision to have to make. And one that will set the course for this franchise for a long time. If they keep him and the team just falls apart, he's the exact kind of player that could keep you from getting a high lottery pick and landing a big talent.

I don't think we have to worry about losing him for nothing. I'm sure ownership is adamant that a situation like Tavares never, ever happens again while they're at the helm.

I do recall reading that Sorokin said, maybe on break-up day, that he wasn't in a rush to sign a contract and wasn't thinking about it. So I'm not entirely sure that we see him extended this summer, even if the team is motivated. Sorokin may very well want to bet on himself for another season and see if he can up his price. But they should at least have a good idea of the neighborhood he'll be in...unless him and Milstein are entirely unwilling to even begin talking about it.