Team: 2021-22 New York Islanders

Initial Creation Date: Nov. 23, 2021

Published: Nov. 23, 2021

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

The year's started off horribly, and there's really no concrete reason to believe it'll improve other than "we've improved before". Just not really enough to like about this team. So here's what I'd do:

-Trade Palmieri and/or Bailey for whatever we can get. It's early enough in the season where this can all be chalked up to them being off to slow starts or just bad fits. A bubble team might take them for a 3rd rounder or something. Either way, room needs to be made for them.
- Keep Varly for now, but let Sorokin slowly transition into being the starter. Deal Varly at the TDL to a team that wants a deep run; Varly's shown he can do that. Starter quality goaltenders are rarely available at the TDL, he could easily yield a 1st rounder.
- Let the kids play this year, this whole season is now an extended audition for next year's roster.
- Draft the most NHL ready guy we can next year with a relatively high pick (we're likely missing the playoffs this year). If no one NHL ready is available at our spot, move the pick for a sniper.

The worst thing we can do at this point is try to make the playoffs for the sake of making the playoffs. No way we make a deep run this year, might as well dive for the best pick we can get, make some clever UFA signings and come back with a team full of young but practiced players.

NOTE: Certain players here, mainly Hutton, Holmstrom and Andreoff are getting looks here only because Lee, Pulock and Bellows are on COVID recovery. They'll take their spots once they're healthy, unless one of them impresses enough to stick around over Bellows.

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