nhl

New York Islanders: Adam Pelech must be re-signed now

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Adam Pelech, New York Islanders

The New York Islanders have to resign key players like Anthony Beauvillier and Adam Pelech next year. Adam Pelech must be resigned right now, and there’s no debate about it. The Islanders with Pelech is like Barry Bonds with steroids.

Already a great team made even better by an outside force that’s underappreciated. The Islanders were 25-10-3 when Adam Pelech was healthy. And the second Pelech tore his Achilles, the Islanders dropped basically every game. They went 10-13-7 and were going to miss the playoffs until COVID. Let’s see what his contract would look like.

Length

If the Islanders can sign Pelech long term, there is no way they won’t. But, the salary cap is tight on the Island, so this might end up being a bridge deal. For the sake of argument, I’m just going to say that he gets signed long term. Now, how many years does this contract entail? 6 years seems perfect for the poke check master. It’s not a short deal, and it isn’t the maximum amount. It gives flexibility for both sides if things go sour. Hopefully, it won’t. Pelech deserves some big money, but how much?

Money

This contract is not going to be cheap at all. Adam Pelech is a top 20 defenseman in the league to people who actually know Hockey. I would even go as far as saying he would be in the Norris trophy contention if the offensive game wasn’t so heavily praised in a defenseman. Adam Pelech should earn $6-6.5 million a year for his efforts. This is a pretty generous deal for the Islanders. Pelech will take a slight pay cut to stay on the Island and win here. It’s the same thing Ryan Pulock did. Pelech will take the pay cut so the Isles can resign Beauvillier and Casey Cizikas, and others. These players aren’t greedy, that’s why they’re here.

New York Islanders: Jordan Eberle must have a bounce-back season

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New York islanders, Jordan Eberle

New York Islanders‘ forward Jordan Eberle had a down year in 2019. Another disappointing season after acquiring the top 6 forward. The Islanders traded for Eberle back in 2017, sending Ryan Strome back the other way.

For the first couple of years, this looked like one of the best trades of the decade for the Isles. Eberle has been slowly declining throughout his time on the Island. In his first year, he recorded 59 points, then 37 points, then 40 points. Eberle is paid a top 6 forward but doesn’t put up the numbers to back it up. Jordan Eberle must improve in these 2 categories to make sure he doesn’t go to Seattle.

Off the Puck Skating

How can you get open without moving your feet? Jordan Eberle occasionally forgets this idea and stands flat-footed in the offensive zone. I don’t know why he does this, though. I mean, his best goals are when he’s moving towards the net. His top-shelf backhand is always set up by him, slashing towards the net.

Once Eberle gets his feet moving, it creates amazing opportunities for the first line. Remember, the first line is geared towards Barzal dishing to Eberle, Ebs shooting, and Lee tapping in the rebound. That’s the first line’s dynamic, but this doesn’t work if Eberle doesn’t move his feet.

Cashing-In Opportunities

Jordan Eberle could’ve won game 6 against the Flyers maybe 7 times. One of his shots was a wide-open tap in to win the series, and he still missed the net. I don’t care about his goal in game 5 against the Lightning, he needs to convert on 80% of his chances. Eberle gets the best opportunities on the team, and yet he never leads the Islanders in goals. It’s almost like he chokes up and overthinks his shot. Eberle needs to stop thinking and start getting the puck on the net. If he can do this, he can stay for another year or two.

New York Islanders: Is Mike Hoffman Holding out for the island?

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New York Islanders, Mike Hoffman

It’s been way too quiet in the NHL right now. New York Islanders‘ general manager Lou Lamoriello works in silence. You could almost say it’s been Lou Quiet. There’s one huge superstar that hasn’t signed anywhere yet. Mike Hoffman is still a free agent after about a month of free agency. This has everyone wondering, what is he waiting for? Is it possible that Lou Lamoriello has something in the works?

When?

Hypothetically let’s say I’m right, and Lamoriello has told Hoffman to hold out for a bit. When will this deal actually happen? This deal will happen when Mat Barzal and Ryan Pulock get resigned.

Now, when is that going to happen? Either Johnny Boychuk gets traded, or it happens before training camp. There comes a point where both sides must meet in the middle; this is happening right before training camp. No one is trading for an old veteran during training camp, and I can guarantee you that. This deal will happen later in the season.

Contract Terms

Mike Hoffman’s agent has said that they’re seeking a one year deal. This is due to the flat salary cap and the fact that it’s pretty late in the offseason. The fact that this is only a one year deal means there isn’t a ton of money involved.

I believe that his contract will look like one year, $3.5 million. Hoffman is worth a lot more than $3.5 million, but Lamoriello made him hold out till training camp. I mean, let’s be real, who’s turning down a deal to play with the best coach and one of the best teams in Hockey. It’s not like Hoffman had amazing team success in Florida. The Islanders won more rounds this year than Hoffman has ever won in his entire life. Hard to see why Hoffman wouldn’t sign here.

New York Islanders: Why haven’t any signings been made official yet?

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Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders

The New York Islanders have not made an official signing in a really long time. There was speculation about signing Cory Schneider and resigning Andy Greene and Matt Martin. But that was about a month ago. It’s been a full month, and none of those signings are official. Why is that? Well, it’s a simple reason, really, the Islanders are saving cap space.

$8.9 Million

This is the number, the one number every Islander fan has heard of every day since free agency started. Your top two players need contracts, and you only have $8.9 million to spend. Lou Lamoriello obviously knows this, and that’s a reason why he hasn’t been able to sign anyone else.

Mat Barzal is taking at least $8 million of the available cap space, and 900k isn’t going to reason Ryan Pulock. Now, I know that teams can spend 10% over the cap until training camp rolls around. The Islanders cannot use this method at all. The Isles do not have the trade bait that other teams have. No one is taking Andrew Ladd’s contract. There has to be a different way.

Burying Contracts

The Islanders have to bury their bigger contracts in the AHL. If you bury Thomas Hickey, Leo Komarov, and Johnny Boychuk, the Isles get a little under $4 million in cap space to work with. This $4 million will be used to sign Matt Martin, Andy Greene, and Cory Schneider. And possibly another couple of guys. Now, Andrew Ladd gets put on LTIR, this frees up another $5.5 million.

The Islanders would have over $14 million to sign 2 players. Barzal takes up $8 million, Pulock gets $6 million, everyone is happy. This scenario is ideal for the Islanders if they can’t trade any of their big contracts away. But, the first method of trading is far and away, the best way to save cap.

Rangers’ Alexis Lafreniere may play for team Canada at WJC

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New York Rangers‘ first-round draft pick Alexis Lafreniere may be invited to Hockey Canada’s national junior team selection camp.

In a report written by Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com on Thursday, Lafreniere is still eligible to participate in the World Junior Championships. The 2021 WJC, will be held Dec. 25 to Jan. 5, 2021 entirely at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.

Tom Renney, a former head coach of the Rangers and the Hockey Canada chief executive officer said he has spoken with Jeff Gorton about the opportunity of having Lafreniere play with them for the tournament.

“With respect to the Rangers, [general manager] Jeff Gorton and I had a good chat. It gave Jeff the opportunity to understand our timetable of what might be coming up with respect to this camp, for example, and well beyond that.”

Team Canada will be holding their selection camp Westerner Park Centrium in Red Deer, Alberta from Nov. 16-Dec. 13.

Lafreniere was the number one overall selection in this year’s NHL Draft. The 19 year -old will be attending Rangers training camp, but with the start of the 2020-2021 season undetermined, the Blueshirts may want to get the rookie some ice time. It is believed that if the NHL season should begin earlier than the completion of the WJC tournament he would return to the Rangers to prepare for the start of the season.

“[Gorton] was certainly open-minded to the idea but hoping that his player would have the opportunity to join the NHL team in New York, as of now actually, to begin skating with the club,” Renney said. “I’ve indicated to him that I would circle back within about 10 days to see how things are sitting and what things look like for [Lafreniere] joining this camp and beyond.”

The WJC would be held in a bubble similar to what the NHL conducted for the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year in both Toronto and Edmonton. Should Lafreniere skip the invitation camp, he would still be allowed into the Edmonton bubble and after quarantining for four days be ready for the first of two exhibition games prior to their first game of the tournament.

New York Islanders: Even more minor signings for Bridgeport

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New York Islanders

The New York Islanders have continued to sign all their free agents, and none of them are named Mat Barzal or Ryan Pulock. Most recently, the Islanders have been resigning all their guys in the minors. Seth Hegelson, Jeff Kubiak, Erik Brown, and Nick Pastujov have all signed minor deals. I’m actually a fan of building up the Soundtigers. I mean, Brent Thompson can’t ruin every player if he can’t keep track of all of them. In all seriousness, though, these are moves that are important to roster building. And some of these guys do have potential.

Seth Helgeson

Seth Helgeson will never make the NHL. That is not a knock at his playing ability, the real reason why is because he’s 30 years old. But that doesn’t mean he can’t make a big impact in Bridgeport. Helgeson was one of the assistant captains last year for Bridgeport, a role he’s served well for 3 years. Helgeson recorded 10 points and a team-high 95 penalty minutes. You could call him a goon, but that’s a bit of a disservice. Helgeson will help the younger defenseman develop, and that’s really all he’s there for.

Jeff Kubiak

Jeff Kubiak does have a shot at cracking an NHL roster with a good AHL season, it just won’t be for the Islanders. Kubiak is 26 years old and is not what the Islanders need. I look at Kubiak as an off-brand version of Leo Komarov. And the Isles need goal scorers, not more bottom 6 forwards who can only grind. Kubiak could make an NHL roster, but not on the Island.

Erik Brown

I actually do have a lot of hope for Erik Brown. If given the chance, Brown could light the lamps every other night in the AHL. I was a big fan of him when he was playing for RIT, and it’s because of his goal-scoring abilities. Every time he had the puck in the offensive zone, I truly believe he was going to score. Brent Thompson better develop Brown correctly, a possible diamond in the rough.

Nick Pastujov

A 7th round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Pastujov has found his way to Bridgeport. Even if Pastujov plays well enough to be traded for some return value, the organization would’ve hit on this late pick. Pastujov has a lot of unrealized potentials, and he needs to start grinding right now. No one wants to be buried in an AHL roster, but this may end up being the case. Coming into his final year at Michigan, he guaranteed a breakout year. And then continued to regress in his development. I don’t know what Pastujov has to fix, but he has to fix his game now.

New York Islanders: Can Thomas Hickey revive his career?

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New York Islanders, Thomas Hickey

New York Islanders‘ defenseman Thomas Hickey has been on the Islanders for a long time. And by a long time, I mean 7 full years. Thomas Hickey has produced many memorable moments in his 7-year tenure with the Isles.

No Islander fan can forget his overtime winner against the Washington Capitals to clinch their spot in the 2015 Playoffs. Nowadays, Hickey is the 8th defenseman on the Islanders and an AHL mainstay. With the trade of Devon Toews and possibly Johnny Boychuk, can Thomas Hickey make the NHL roster?

No, He Can’t

I’ll be making a case for both sides here because this is a really good argument. Thomas Hickey hasn’t played an NHL game since 2018. And it’s not like Johnny Boychuk or the young Noah Dobson was lightyears ahead of him. Hell, even Sebastian Aho, is ahead of him in the depth chart.

Thomas Hickey won’t play in an Islanders uniform again unless 3 defenders all go down at once. Hickey was terrible in the AHL, as he only recorded 3 points against bad competition. Hickey is an offensive defenseman, 3 points against B-level talent in 14 games his unacceptable. Thomas Hickey is done on the Island. But, no one is taking his $2.5 million dollar cap hit.

Yes, He Can

Thomas Hickey’s time to shine is right now. God has sent down a blessing for Hickey. I mean, Sebastian Aho will never be NHL ready, and who is going to take Boychuk’s spot? Andy Greene is going to be with Nick Leddy. Adam Pelech will obviously be with Ryan Pulock. And Scott Mayfield will be with Noah Dobson. The 7th defenseman, the one who will have to be ready to play every night. Thomas Hickey can get some serious minutes even if a defender doesn’t get hurt. Thomas Hickey’s career can be revived by being a solid 7th defender.

New York Islanders: Is Casey Cizikas a cap casualty?

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New York Islanders, Casey Cizikas

Casey Cizikas has been a New York Islander for over nine years now. Cizikas has been a fan favorite since the day he started because of his hard-hitting, brash style. Cizikas has made the MC^2 line one of the best in Hockey. But, now his spot is in danger due to Garth Snow’s terrible contract making decisions.

It’s crazy to think that Andrew Ladd may be the reason a true Islander has to leave the Island. Does any Islander fan want to see this? Definitely not, but that isn’t a choice, Cizikas’ spot is in danger.

Cap Issues

The Islanders have even less cap space to spend next year, but have the same amount of key players to resign. Adam Pelech and Anthony Beauvillier are obviously the priority in the 2021 offseason. Where does that put Cizikas? It puts him in the Devon Toews boat. The 3rd key guy, the Isles, must re-sign, but there’s no money to re-sign him. The Islanders must do everything in their power to move cap space in order to keep Cizikas. Andrew Ladd to Seattle and Johnny Boychuk to Ottawa.

The problem is, this isn’t NHL 21, you can’t just move players because you want them gone.

Injuries

Don’t get me wrong, I love Casey Cizikas as a player, but he does get hurt way too often. Cizikas has never once played a full 82 game season. It’s awesome having a great 4th line center, but it doesn’t mean much if he can’t get on the ice every night.

There are other younger guys like Mason Jobst and Otto Koviula who are ready to take a spot. I wouldn’t be surprised that if Cizikas got hurt this year, and one of the younger guys does well, that Cizikas gets traded. No Islander fan wants to see that happen, but the NHL is a business. Players come and go all the time.

Could the New York Rangers play in a new division in 2020-21?

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New York Rangers, Brett Howden, Filip Chytil

Among the many unknowns for the New York Rangers coming in the 2020-21 season is what their division may look like with COVID-19 still prevalent around North America. This is due to the fact that one of the proposals that the NHL may have to adopt is having an all Canadian division, as border crossings between the US and Canada remained closed.

Travis Yost of TSN was among the first to mention this as a serious possibility last week when he reported on a passing comment from Las Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley.

Foley, addressing a question about the risk of trading defenseman Nate Schmidt to a division rival in Vancouver, suggested to Sportsbook Radio and Vegas Hockey Hotline host Brian Blessing that the risk would be minimized for at least next season because of the all-Canadian division.

“I think they’re going to play in a Canadian division,” said Foley. “I don’t think they’re going to cross the border.”

Then, Pierre LeBrun wrote in the Athletic that the NHL could ” start the season in geographical hubs but end the season in all 31 markets”, something that could be discussed when the NHL GM’s have their first meeting in quite some time on Friday.

While the Metropolitan does not have Canadian teams in their division, the ripple effect from other divisions would lead to a change for the other U.S.-based teams.

In addition, the NHL would try to set these and schedule games based on geographic location, similar to what MLB did in their current season.

This would seem to be the best option, as he NHL has little interest in losing another $75-90 million every two months with massive three-games-a-day Hub City play like they did to produce the Stanley Cup playoffs in Toronto and Edmonton. The players are likely not in much rush to go back to life in a bubble either.

While of course, nothing is set in stone, here is one proposal of how to align teams based on geographic regions:

EAST DIVISION: New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins

WEST DIVISION: San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, Minnesota Wild

CENTRAL DIVISION: Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Carolina Hurricane, Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers

These divisions would allow for some type of bubble, whether it be like a mini-bubble for short periods of time, or just play within your division, much like MLB did for their regular season.

There is one thing we should all remember over the next few months as we try and guess what next season might look like: That is whatever form the season starts with, it may not be the same at the end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York Islanders: Comparisons for the 2020 NHL draft class

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The New York Islanders had 5 draft picks during the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. None of these picks were in the 1st or 2nd round. This doesn’t mean that the Islanders didn’t select some potentially good players. But, since NHL analysts don’t make comparisons past the first and early second round, regular fans don’t know what to expect. Here are the player comparisons for all 5 players. Also, keep in mind that I’m only using current active NHL players.

Alexander Ljungkrantz

I know for a fact that Brendan Burke will have a hell of a time saying his name every other night. I was skeptical of this pick for one reason, the production wasn’t there. Ljungkrantz played in 42 games in J20 SuperElit, and there wasn’t much I saw. Only 15 goals and 12 assists is not great production. But, he’s proved me wrong as of late. Just 2 days ago, Ljungkrantz had a hattrick with more than 14 minutes remaining in the third. In just 11 games, he has 7 goals and 3 assists. The SHL is not an easy league, but Ljungkrantz is dominating right now. He’s a grinder, and that’s why the Islanders picked him in the 3rd round—my comparison: Jesper Fast, but without that offensive output.

Alex Jefferies

Alex Jefferies’ production is absolutely outstanding. I’ve never pointed to a late-round prospect and said: “the production speaks for itself.” The best is yet to come for this young winger. I am so high on this kid—his most recent stats record as 33 goals and 36 assists in 32 games. Jefferies was over 2 points per game in the USHS-Prep. Jefferies is more of a sniper than a grinder but still plays a 200-foot game. For the sake of optimism, my comparison: Alex DeBrincat.

William Dufour

I’ve seen a lot of buzz around William Dufour. I’m not so sure I believe in it. But, there is a lot to like in his game. I see Dufour as a top-six power forward. Dufour can drive to the net effectively and has some wicked tip-ins. His goalie screens are always effective. Dufour has a nice slapshot and a good wrister. Dufour is not afraid to get dirty and will lay the body. He can definitely be a nice penalty killer for the Isles. My comparison: Jake Debrusk/Anders Lee hybrid.

Matias Rajaniemi

I really have no clue how to pronounce this name, but that’s not my job is it? Top 4 upside for Matias Rajaniemi. All over the world, Hockey analysts have raved about his skating abilities. Almost every beat writer wanted their team to draft Rajaniemi late. Lucky for the Islanders, they stole him in the 6th round. Rajaniemi recorded 2 goals and 15 assists in 39 games last year. His puck skills aren’t there just yet, but they will be. My comparison, just off size alone: Nikita Zadorov.

Henrik Tikkanen

Yes, the Islanders drafted a goalie who is 6’8. How can an NHLer go top shelf on a goalie who covers the whole net and more? Sadly, Tikkanen will not reach the NHL level. His sub .900 save percentage in the second-highest Finnish HL is not going to cut it. He’s just a really tall goalie, hopefully, he makes a difference in Bridgeport one day. My Comparison: Ben Bishop without any of the talent.