Are the Islanders Built TOO Much for the Playoffs?

[Sod16]

Last season, they were on the playoff bubble after 70 games when the season was suspended.

 

This year, they took the last spot, and that would have been iffy without the Rangers weird travails and Philly's unexpected disintegration.

 

What happens next year when Bailey, Nelson, Bouvillier, and Pageau go into their typical lengthy regular season hibernations and the Rangers (and perhaps others) are improved?

 

They may be a hair away from winning the cup, but they may be even closer to missing the playoffs.

 

They obviously need more offensive sizzle to get over the top, but that's hard to come by with their cap situation, absence of top prospects to trade for it, and the potential to upset the chemistry if they trade roster players.

 

I'm feeling better all around about the Islanders tonight.

[siddious]

I hope so. Fuck em.

 

 

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[4EverRangerFrank]

^LOL

[Drew a Penalty]

They’re bound to be fucked by their cap situation and the number of UFAs and RFAs between this off-season and next. They’re right up against the cap as is with Beauvillier, Cizikas, Green, Palmieri, Pelech, and Green expiring this summer. Then the other half of their defense is up next season with Pulock being a UFA at 27. Clutterbuck is also a UFA next season. Plus they’re bound to lose someone fairly important through the expansion draft. The Islanders might take some big hits to their defense and fourth line which form their backbone.

[Sod16]

Look at how long that "built for the playoffs" machine lasted in St. Louis. I'm looking forward to watching this.

 

And now they can't stop waxing about that "barn" that they complained about for decades. It was an inferior and sterile early seventies generic arena thrown up on the cheap. It was loud due to all of the exposed cement that they were too cheap to paint. I remember my first impression in 1972, thinking how chincy it was compared to MSG.

 

The Detroit Olympia, Maple Leaf Gardens and Chicago Stadium were barns. There are no barns on Hempstead Turnpike in the middle of a community college.

[Keirik]

God I hope so.

Nine teen eighty three

Last cup you’ll ever see

[Sharpshooter]

Look at how long that "built for the playoffs" machine lasted in St. Louis. I'm looking forward to watching this.

 

And now they can't stop waxing about that "barn" that they complained about for decades. It was an inferior and sterile early seventies generic arena thrown up on the cheap. It was loud due to all of the exposed cement that they were too cheap to paint. I remember my first impression in 1972, thinking how chincy it was compared to MSG.

 

The Detroit Olympia, Maple Leaf Gardens and Chicago Stadium were barns. There are no barns on Hempstead Turnpike in the middle of a community college.

 

Maybe you can clear this up for me, but I think I remember reading in one of my Rangers books that the Rangers basically either helped fund the Nassau Coliseum, or actually helped with finances so the Islanders could actually exist. The memory is really fuzzy because I read it a long time ago and I don't recall what book it was from. I just remember something along the lines of the Rangers financing something with the Islanders.

[ThirtyONE]

I consider almost every one of their contracts a bad one and yet they stomp on my brain every time the playoffs come around.

 

Let's be honest, the regular season doesn't really matter. As long as you make it - which isn't really that hard when you have to imagine there will be 3-4 dumpster fires in your division per year - that's all that really matters.

 

The teams that are built for the regular season generally get rocked come playoff time. If I were an Isle's fan, I'd rather sneak into the playoffs and get to game 7 of the conference finals then flash at all in season.

[Phil]

I consider almost every one of their contracts a bad one and yet they stomp on my brain every time the playoffs come around.

 

Let's be honest, the regular season doesn't really matter. As long as you make it - which isn't really that hard when you have to imagine there will be 3-4 dumpster fires in your division per year - that's all that really matters.

 

The teams that are built for the regular season generally get rocked come playoff time. If I were an Isle's fan, I'd rather sneak into the playoffs and get to game 7 of the conference finals then flash at all in season.

 

This. I'm also struggling with the phrase "built too much for the playoffs." How can one build too well for when the games matter most? This seems nonsensical to me.

 

They badly missed Anders Lee. They still made the Conference Final (again) without him. They're fine. If they can add another offensive weapon up top, great. If not, run it back. They'll be fine. All the pieces they need are there and under contract for at least next season. 1G? Check. 1C? Check. 1 and 2D? Check and check.

 

They'll just need to find a way to manage their cap, which is ugly, but probably entirely fixable when you remember NHL GMs aren't Twitter users and actually value hockey intangibles. If you don't think they can find a taker for a year of Nick Leddy ($5.5 million) or a year of Leo Komarov ($3.0 million), you aren't paying attention.

[Sod16]

I agree that it doesn't matter that much if you barely make it as long as you make it, although being the 7th or 8th seed and getting the Bolts in the first round will not help your Stanley Cup quest. The point is, however, you don't want to be in danger of not making it, and I think they Islanders are in that danger (unlike say, Tampa, which could mothball its superstar for the regular season, basically safe in the knowledge that they would make it). I can see the Islanders getting off to a bad start next season with a month long road trip, which they will be on because they don't want dates at the Coliseum while they wait for the new arena in November. They don't want to lose revenue by having any of their 41 home games at the Coliseum.

 

The Coliseum was built totally by Nassau County, which is why it was done on the cheap. The Rangers actually got a significant territorial indemnity payment from the Islanders, but the Rangers cooperated in putting the team there because the NHL desperately wanted to keep the WHA out of the building. The Rangers refused to let the WHA team play at MSG, but were successfully sued. They then hit the Raiders with such high rent that they team quickly had to move.

 

I'll never forgive Dolan for bailing out the Islanders and helping fund the new arena this time around. We were so close to being done with this scourge of a team in NY.

[siddious]

I'll never forgive Dolan for bailing out the Islanders and helping fund the new arena this time around. We were so close to being done with this scourge of a team in NY.

 

Bit harsh lol

 

I hate the piles because I am a ranger fan but at the same time two thriving teams in NY can only be good for hockey.

 

Every Batman needs his joker.

[Phil]

I agree that it doesn't matter that much if you barely make it as long as you make it, although being the 7th or 8th seed and getting the Bolts in the first round will not help your Stanley Cup quest. The point is, however, you don't want to be in danger of not making it, and I think they Islanders are in that danger (unlike say, Tampa, which could mothball its superstar for the regular season, basically safe in the knowledge that they would make it). I can see the Islanders getting off to a bad start next season with a month long road trip, which they will be on because they don't want dates at the Coliseum while they wait for the new arena in November. They don't want to lose revenue by having any of their 41 home games at the Coliseum.

 

The Coliseum was built totally by Nassau County, which is why it was done on the cheap. The Rangers actually got a significant territorial indemnity payment from the Islanders, but the Rangers cooperated in putting the team there because the NHL desperately wanted to keep the WHA out of the building. The Rangers refused to let the WHA team play at MSG, but were successfully sued. They then hit the Raiders with such high rent that they team quickly had to move.

 

I'll never forgive Dolan for bailing out the Islanders and helping fund the new arena this time around. We were so close to being done with this scourge of a team in NY.

 

Why, because they're going to lose Palmieri and Zajac to free agency? I think we're, again, completely underestimating this team. What they have is 100% a greater-than-the-sum-of-their-parts method. That continues to apply even if you chip away a solider here and there, because the core of what they are doesn't appear at risk of changing. Especially if they manage to move a body or two to make room to re-sign Cizikas, which is entirely plausible.

 

They'll be different, but in a more things change the more they stay the same kinda way.

[Sod16]

Why, because they're going to lose Palmieri and Zajac to free agency?

 

No, simply because they have been so much better in the playoffs than the regular season, which clearly leaves open the possibility of missing the playoffs, more so than is the case with a number of the other contenders.

[Phil]

No, simply because they have been so much better in the playoffs than the regular season, which clearly leaves open the possibility of missing the playoffs, more so than is the case with a number of the other contenders.

 

I mean, they were still the fourth-best team in the division and managed that despite losing Lee — arguably their best goal-scorer — for basically half their season.

 

Anything is possible, I suppose, but I don't really buy the idea that their in grave danger of being on the outside looking in. The core pieces are still there and they'll be getting back a healthy Lee. They'll be fine.

[Sod16]

In the regular season, they were 24-17-15 in regulation and finished 12th overall -- not a powerhouse or a shoo in for the playoffs. If they had finished 5th overall, I wouldn't have started this thread

 

Half the teams in the league had some issue greater than the loss of Lee (I know we did), who under Trotz had 28 goals in 82 games, 20 in 60 and 12 in 27. He's a good player but not that great, and 31 year old power forwards who have lost a step, especially after surgery, tend to decline in effectiveness a lot faster than smaller quicker players.