Eklund: Big Z signs with the Isles

Like the isles needed to get nastier to play against…

The east is going to be brutal this year…

This is a sneaky good move.

Lou with the wait and snag! Big Z is old and on the slower side, but he is still a female dog to play against, will make playing the Isles that much tougher. Will fit well in Trotz' system. And now Boomer's daughter doesn't have to worry about Martin fighting Chara.

The isles were a goal away from game 7 ot vs a great tampa team that won back to back cups and has significantly weakened. They are older but mostly the same team and even if palmeri is a push with eberle (I prefer palmerie) Parise is and upgrade on the 3rd line. Add in Chara and they have to be a favorite in the east this year. Chara played 18 minutes a night for the caps I can't see him getting that much here in fact he's gotta be a bottom pair guy. If he's your number 6 dman thats pretty good

If the NHL keeps the current alignment in the eastern conference, they're a joke. All 8 teams in the metro are far superior to 4 of the atlantic teams. Tampa, Toronto, Boston and Florida have already qualified for the playoffs and the season hasn't even started. If I was a player in that metro division, I would be mad as hell.

If the NHL keeps the current alignment in the eastern conference, they're a joke. All 8 teams in the metro are far superior to 4 of the atlantic teams. Tampa, Toronto, Boston and Florida have already qualified for the playoffs and the season hasn't even started. If I was a player in that metro division, I would be mad as hell.
- CGYFlames13

Back to the old format - top 3 in each division, then two wildcards per conference.

Back to the old format - top 3 in each division, then two wildcards per conference.
- Atomic Wedgie

You don't get it.

When you get to play 4 of the worst 5 teams in the league so often, you accumulate a lot of points. Toronto, Tampa, Florida and Boston have a playoff spot secured.

You don't get it.

When you get to play 4 of the worst 5 teams in the league so often, you accumulate a lot of points. Toronto, Tampa, Florida and Boston have a playoff spot secured.
- CGYFlames13

Montreal is a decent team. Ottawa and Detroit are improving. It's the Pacific that is awful...Seattle, San Jose, Anaheim, LA. That's awful!

Montreal is a decent team. Ottawa and Detroit are improving. It's the Pacific that is awful...Seattle, San Jose, Anaheim, LA. That's awful!
- HockeyBuzzed

According to whom? By far, the worst defense in the league. I would argue their defense is the worst ever in the modern era. Goaltending is suspect and they don't have one single legit top six forward. Not one. They are hot garbage.

According to whom? By far, the worst defense in the league. I would argue their defense is the worst ever in the modern era. Goaltending is suspect and they don't have one single legit top six forward. Not one. They are hot garbage.
- CGYFlames13

And how bout those Flames, they should be a treat again this year.

You don't get it.

When you get to play 4 of the worst 5 teams in the league so often, you accumulate a lot of points. Toronto, Tampa, Florida and Boston have a playoff spot secured.
- CGYFlames13

You don't get it.



No they don't.

According to whom? By far, the worst defense in the league. I would argue their defense is the worst ever in the modern era. Goaltending is suspect and they don't have one single legit top six forward. Not one. They are hot garbage.
- CGYFlames13

I'm not a Habs fan. I don't think they make the playoffs. But they aren't a doormat. Guys like Gallagher, Toffoli, Anderson, Suzuki would be top 6 players on a number of teams. To claim they don't have a single top 6 forward is pretty revealing...

According to whom? By far, the worst defense in the league. I would argue their defense is the worst ever in the modern era. Goaltending is suspect and they don't have one single legit top six forward. Not one. They are hot garbage.
- CGYFlames13

This take is hot garbage, and I hate the Habs

I mean, Suzuki would be the number one center on the FFames, just as an example.I

This is a sneaky good move.
- HockeyBuzzed

Depends on how they play him and what kind of ice-time they promised him.

At the end of the season he doesn't have much gas left in the tank. He wasn't exactly stellar for Was in post season.

According to whom? By far, the worst defense in the league. I would argue their defense is the worst ever in the modern era. Goaltending is suspect and they don't have one single legit top six forward. Not one. They are hot garbage.
- CGYFlames13

show me where the bad habs fan touched you.




JFC

show me where the bad habs fan touched you.




JFC
- Pat1993

I got banned for a day for that joke. Good luck.

I got banned for a day for that joke. Good luck.

- Nasty_Duck

really eh..? that's kind of silly, it's not like it was that explicit or whatever. anyhow I'm usually a very reasonable poster, so if there is an issue about that I would hope I'd just be given a heads up. I don't even remember the last time I was banned lol

Depends on how they play him and what kind of ice-time they promised him.

At the end of the season he doesn't have much gas left in the tank. He wasn't exactly stellar for Was in post season.
- Nasty_Duck

You would think Chara would get limited and protected minutes. Promising ice time doesn’t seem likely.

He brings physicality and isn’t a stiff defensively. Lou can protect himself by not letting a divisional rival pick him up.

Very difficult division and all they have done is add chara and parise?

I get they had a great yr last year and are a contender, but their offseason has not exactly been a juggernaut.

Very difficult division and all they have done is add chara and parise?

I get they had a great yr last year and are a contender, but their offseason has not exactly been a juggernaut.
- Joe Nardone

Betting against Trotz and Lou is fools gold. Lou knows playoff hockey and builds the team towards that style of play...

Just enough offense to get to 3 or 4 and then the stick'm comes out that would make Lester Hayes proud and the whistles go away.

Imagine Chara and Martin pinning someone in the corner, scary thought.

True, but this is not the same league it once was when you could literally tackle the first forechecker and thus get a free out going the other way.

That devil team would not have been as successful today. The Isles are in a really tough division.

Sure Martin and Chara would be tough in the corner whenever a winger finds himself down low…. But it’s kinda more of the same for them.

True, but this is not the same league it once was when you could literally tackle the first forechecker and thus get a free out going the other way.

That devil team would not have been as successful today. The Isles are in a really tough division.

Sure Martin and Chara would be tough in the corner whenever a winger finds himself down low…. But it’s kinda more of the same for them.
- Joe Nardone

Exactly ... don't mess with what works. That is one thing I really like about Lou - never tries to reinvent the wheel.

Lamorillo loves to lie in the weeds, but make no mistake, the Islanders are one of the favorites to win the cup this year. Lou will add more scoring sometime between now and the deadline. Tampa has lost a lot of key players and the Islanders got to the conference Finals the past two years. Any writer or pundit who treats the Islanders as an outsider or some kind of dark horse is either foolish or giving Lamorillo the cover he wants.