Family
obligations have slowed me down here at Knight of Cups. My Father’s coverage
and care needs have kept me away from commenting on Isles news longer than I’d
like, but I’m hoping things get better for us soon. I’m working my ass off to
make it happen. A sincere Thank You to everyone who supports me, and my blog.
In Part 1 of my
2017-18 Isles Season Recap, I’ll be looking at the Organization, Coaching, Special Teams and the Forwards for the past season.
Part 2 will
focus on Defensemen and Goal-tending with a summary of what the summer may hold
for Isles Country.
Our New York
Islanders have missed the playoffs again, for the second straight season,
finishing 22nd in the NHL with a 35-37-0-10 record at 80 points. At home, the
once efficient Isles finished an average 20-18-4 after starting 8-0-2, then going 11-18-2 in their last 31 games at the Barclays Center. On the road, their
season numbers were even worse, finishing with a suspect 16-19-4 record away
from home. With a new arena coming in Belmont, the future should move closer to
center if the arena drama doesn’t continue to mount.
They’ve missed
the playoffs 8 out of 12 seasons with Garth Snow as the General Manager since
2006. When they made the post-season, the Isles fell to Buffalo 4 games to 1 in
‘06-07, 4-2 vs Penguins in ‘12-13 & 4-3 in a spirited series with
Washington in ‘14-15. Their only playoff series win came in ‘15-16 when they
beat the Florida Panthers in game 6 of the series off a pair of Tavares last
minute game tying, and then game winning goals in double O.T. But they went on
to lose in the second round against the Lightning, 4 games to 1. It was the
team’s first win in a playoff round since the last iconic run in ’92-93.
Snow has put a
lot of good pieces in place for the Islanders. His most recent success is
Mathew Barzal. And like Barzal, the Isles system has some good prospect talent
and even landed a few good players via trade. The latest addition of Jordan Eberle
was another win for the Isles last summer and their season started strong with
a 15-7-2 record. So strong, they were fighting for the top spot in the east for
months, had the best and among the best offense in the NHL (finished 7th
best/3.18 gpg in regular season) and were sitting pretty in what is “usually a guaranteed”
playoff spot around the “coveted” Thanksgiving mark of the season.
Since the NHL
All-Star game (Tavares and Bailey represented the Isles), the New York
Islanders have been the worst team in the NHL, going 20-30-8 and extinguishing
any hope of a playoff appearance in what could be the final year of John Tavares’
contract with New York. Injuries, horrible defense, goal-tending and several challenges
seemed to derail the team and keep them from ever getting back to winning. The
defense and goal-tending was so bad, the Isles were the worst in the NHL,
surrendering 3.57 gpg, 35.6 spg and league worst, 73.2% PK rating. These types
of obstacles are always around for NHL teams and they can affect their ability
to challenge for their division and conference and a shot to make the playoffs.
But several teams face those same injuries and challenges each and every year,
but manage to succeed or rebound the next season to make another push, learning
from the previous year’s shortcomings and galvanizing their organizational
model by adapting and making strides.
Snow should be
held accountable if John Tavares leaves the organization as should the
ownership. The ever-visible co-owner John Ledecky has gone from fan-favorite
and savior to scapegoat in the eyes of many of the faithful. I guess there is a
chance Ledecky and Isles brass are waiting until Tavares is interviewed and
comments on Snow, Weight and other factors before shaking up the organization. Per
Arthur Staple, Ledecky: “We are committed to long term success... we will be
evaluating our hockey operations and then determine the path forward... as
owners, we have failed.” Seeing the Isles only add a role-playing defenseman (Davidson
for ’19 3rd rounder) and agitator F (Wagner for Chimera) at the trade deadline
with the team fighting for points with deficits in goal and on defense has
burned the bridge for many supporters of the team. I gave the coaching staff
tons of credit at the start and it seemed Doug Weight was still riding last
season’s success after the firing of Jack Capuano into this season. Their
offensive first system got the Isles wins and they scored in bunches, but as
the season went on, the defense faltered. The once potent PK became a joke and
the PP surged and crashed at the worst possible time, even though it still managed
to finish 6th best in the league at 23.2%,
Truth is, the coaching
staff just didn’t get it done, with or without the help of their GM. I feel the
team was better than their record and something definitely went south in the
second half of the season. I remember a quote from Andre Burakovsky of the Caps
in mid-March after they handed the Isles a horrible 6-3 loss. “The Islanders
just gave us a lot of room to skate on from the beginning. I mean, my first
three shifts, I was skating around and around and around with the puck and
making plays. We didn’t really expect that out of them.” We didn’t either
Andre. Per Andrew Gross, “Newsday can confirm that both GM Garth Snow and Coach
Doug Weight have been led to believe they will be back in their roles for next
season.” Per Chris Botta, “From the texts I’ve received today from NHL and team
executives, former #Isles,
agents and others, I can tell you the reaction to Jon Ledecky retaining Garth
Snow runs from laughter and bewilderment to derision and anger.”
Let’s look at the Forwards and their performances over the past season.
2018 NHL
All-Star, John Tavares is an elite NHL Player. He is a leader and has pushed to
make the Isles the destination team we’ve always wanted. He’s given everything
that he has to the organization even if the collective goals have fallen short.
Some say he has hurt the team by not announcing if he will stay or go by the
July 1st deadline. Tavares said his goal is to stay, but his organization has
struggled to put all the blocks in place a top player in his most profitable
free agent year might desire to have at his disposal. If Tavares just moves on
or even agrees to a sign-and-trade, he should net top players and large pool of
prospects & draft equity in return. If he stays, his talks have been ongoing
and there is a plan in motion that should reveal itself in the coming months.
Tavares had 37 (team leading 2 O.T. and shg) & 47 for 84 pts leading what
was for periods of time, one of the top lines in the NHL with Lee and Bailey.
JT’s 11 O.T. gwg are the most of any Islanders player in franchise history. Only
Ovechkin (15) and Marchand (12) have more per Eric Hornick.
Anders Lee just
keeps getting better. He’s an irritating, immovable object in front of an opponent’s
net and is always around to help with the big play. This season in 82 games,
Lee became the first Islander since Jason Blake in 2006-07 to score 40 goals.
Lee had career highs in goals (40), assists (22) and points (62) - Hornick. He
was instrumental in the first line’s offensive surge early on this season. Lee
led the team in shooting percentage (19.2%) and PP goals, with 14. He is also
riding a 114-game iron-man streak. Anders Lee was given the Sid Payne Good Guy
Award this season for his valued community outreach efforts.
Per Eric Hornick,
“Anders Lee has 40 goals and John Tavares has 37. They are the first
Islander teammates with at least 37 goals since Pierre Turgeon and Steve Thomas
did so in 1993-94 and the first to combine for at least 77 goals since Thomas
(42) and Turgeon (38) had 80 in 1993-94.”
Josh Bailey had
a very good year with his 1st ever All-Star appearance along with an impressive
18 & 53 for 71 point performance in 76 games. That marks career highs in
goals, assists and points. Bailey has matured, found his game and signed a 6-year
extension in February to solidify his place in the Isles attack for the future.
Eric Hornick points out, “Barzal and Josh Bailey are the first Islander
teammates with more than 50 assists since Mike Bossy (62) and Bryan Trottier
(59) did so in 1985-86.”
Mathew Barzal
broke out and should be a shoe-in for the Calder Trophy this summer. Per Brian
Compton, “Barzal on Calder: "When we go into a game, I'm not thinking I
need to get points for the Calder Trophy. I want to help this team win. It'd be
nice to win that and be rewarded, but at the end of the day, it's a career. I
don't want to just be a one-season guy." Barzal led the team in points
with 85 and had a myriad of multipoint games this season, including 6 with 3
points and 3 games with 5. To compare, Sidney Crosby had 11 in his rookie
season. Per NHL PR, “Mathew Barzal of the @NYIslanders is the first rookie to
reach the 80-point mark in a season since Evgeni Malkin in 2006-07 (33-52—85).”
He scored 22 (5 on PP) & 63 with a +1 rating. Barzal is the third
highest-scoring rookie in Islander history; he finished with a team-leading 63
assists and a team-leading 85 points in 82 games – Hornick. Barzal is also one
of only five other NHL rookies (Juneau, Stastney, Trottier and Crosby) to reach
the 63-assist plateau in NHL history. He looks like the real-deal and should become
a major impact player and team leader as his squad heads into next season. As a
rookie, Barzal led the Isles in assists and points. He should continue to draw
penalties and make teams adjust for his dangerous cross-over speed and very silky
mits. Sorry. I had to. Per Arthur Staple, “Barzal: “We have a passionate fan
base and they have every right to be upset with the season we had.”
Anthony Beauvillier
took a demotion to Bridgeport and came back ready to show everyone what he was capable
of. He netted 21 (3 on PP) & 15 for 36 points and a +2 rating in 71 games. His
totals in goals and points are career highs and his 15 assists tie his career
high. Beauvillier and Barzal have a chemistry built up through juniors and
international play that shows they are natural line mates. He has a dynamic,
game changing energy and should only get better. Per Eric Hornick, “Mathew
Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier both reached the 21-goal mark. They are the
first duo in Islander history to each 21 games in the same season, prior to
reaching their 21st birthday. Toronto is the only team in the NHL to have
two players with 21 goals at that young of an age.” Also, Beauvillier was the
first Islander since John Tavares in 2012-13 to score in five straight games.
Jordan Eberle
came to the Islanders in exchange for Ryan Strome. He made an immediate impact,
added veteran presence and once he was put on a line with Barzal and Beauvillier,
the new second line became another 1st line for New York. Eberle was 25 &
34 for 59 points and a +5 in 81 games. In his first season with New York, he led
the team with 7 gwg. Per Brian Heyman, “Jordan Eberle 1 year left on his
contract: "With the prospect of the new arena and some of the young
players here, it's an exciting place to be right now."
Brock Nelson
had his struggles, but made a difference for the Isles this season. Nelson had
19 & 16 for 35 points in 82 games, 3 game winners and was near the top in
shooting percentage at 13.8%. Only Lee, Beauvillier and JT had higher over the 70-game
mark for the Isles.
Andrew Ladd had
his struggles, especially while getting 2nd line ice time. The six-time 20 goal
scorer rode a 25-game scoring drought and struggled to play up to his ability
at times. Ladd finished with 12 (1 sh & 2 gw goals) & 17 for 29 points
in 73 games with a +11 rating. He’s in a 7-year contract signed before the 2016
season.
Defensive
forwards, Cal Clutterbuck (18 pts) and Casey Cizikas (17 pts) brought their
energy again this season, but had their struggles in the new-look, O-First
system. Injuries are a little more prevalent with Clutterbuck missing 6 games
and Cizikas 18. Both contributed 1 shg and Clutterbuck, a game winner. Cizikas
led the Islanders in face-off wins at 53.1% (min. 300 attempts) – Hornick.
Casey Cizikas was honored with winning the Bob Nystrom Award.
Enforcer and
energy player call up, Ross Johnston may have secured a serious look for
himself in camp this summer. Johnston made a physical impact from day 1 and
even added a touch of offensive flair with 6 points in 24 games. Johnston answered
the lack of toughness for the team this season and racked up 62 pims. Chris
Wagner was added at the deadline and did help with team grit, but had only 1
goal in 15 games. Once injured, Nikolay Kulemin was severely missed on the PK. He
along with Shane Price and Alan Quine played a disappointing 38 games combined
in the lineup this season due to injury.
I just wish the
Josh Ho-Sang tenure was a little longer this season. He could have been a spark
in the last couple of weeks the Isles could have used in their attempt to pull
back into the playoff race instead of free-falling out of it. I also wish he
did what Beauvillier did. Took the time with the BST as a souring, but valuable
learning experience and earned a trip back up to show the team it can’t win
without him. He did turn the puck over, but the whole team was guilty of that
this season. I guess the summer might reveal more of the team’s plans for him. Despite
all of his skill, he still has a dicey reputation. Ho-Sang had 2 & 10 for
12 points in 22 games with a -17 rating while playing for the Islanders.
Isles Notes:
4/14, Per Cory
Wright, “Kieffer Bellows and Portland were eliminated last night in the second
round of the WHL playoffs. Bellows finished his first WHL season with 74 points
(41G, 33A) in 56 games and 13 points (3G, 10A) in 12 playoff games. #Isles
4/8, Per Arthur
Staple, “Boychuk having surgery tomorrow. Injury that nagged him all year and
kept him out in January. Should be fully healed by June.”
Mathew Barzal,
Anthony Beauvillier, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Pulock will play for Canada at the
World Championships.
Per Peter
Botte, “Make no mistake, this season goes down as an unmitigated disaster for
Snow/Islanders. Just because it might not match some of their other laughably
disastrous seasons, doesn't change that. Leave those Silver Linings playbooks
at home.”
Per Brian
Compton, “Tavares: "We got off to a pretty good start this season; the
second half of the season really hasn't been very good. We put ourselves in
this position."
"I'm not
trying to look at it as it's the end, because obviously that hasn't been
determined. I've always wanted it to work out and stay, so that's still what I
hope transpires."
Per Arthur
Staple, “#Isles
announce they've signed Swiss D Yannick Rathgeb to a two-year, two-way deal.
22-year-old had 8-20-28 in 38 GP with Fribourg in the Swiss League this season.
Spent two seasons with Plymouth of the OHL 2013-15.”
“Isles have
signed David Quenneville to a three-year ELC.”
Koivula Agrees
To Entry-Level Deal
Chris Botta: There's no way
Ledecky is this out-of-touch. The owner must be working behind the scenes.
Change must be coming soon.
A big arena in
Suffolk County makes no sense for Long Island
Sound Tigers Notes:
Holmstrom,
Cullity Recalled by Bridgeport
Sound Tigers
Agree To Terms with MacKinnon
Eansor AgreesTo Terms with Islanders
NHL Notes:
Rule change
approved regarding goaltender interference
# # #
“I don’t know
about you guys, but losing the personality and spirit of Stan Fischler on #Isles won’t be an easy
change to accept. Like the legendary Jiggs, the Maven is part of the historical
tapestry of this franchise. It just wont be the same without him. Best of luck
Stan.”
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