Islanders are unlikely to give up Varlamov if theyre in the playoff race. Unless they are given a return they cant refuse, and can add a backup in return via another trade, or a 3 way deal. they have no one to play behind Sorokin. deal doesnt work with them because im willing to bet Samsonov plays better out of the two and new york wont want to take Murray for Varlamov. Equation changes if the islanders bomb before the deadline which i 100% dont think will happen.

Im not familiar with any of the prospects in the other two deals other than robertson so i cant comment on those.

I don't think the Islanders have to worry about being in the playoffs race. Their collection 30 plus year old dead cap winger's is going to show their age. Especially now that Trotz and his only defence system are gone. I bet it's going to be a rough season.

Can't Nylander play the LW position? If so, there is no question I'd have him on the LW in the top 6 with JT and Kane.

People said that the years they made the playoffs too, plus you're forgetting Barzal, Dobson, Pulock/Pelech, Beauvillier, Wahlstrom being good young players. Maybe they miss but there's no way they're gonna be bottom feeders.

I disagree man I think theyre going to have a bounce back season. Yes while their team is the butt of all jokes involving age and overpayment, I really think last year was a fluke. Their roadtrip to start the season followed by their covid stretch had them falling apart. They didnt score enough last year, yes obviously. But I think everyone is quick to bash this team even tho theyre one season removed from the back to back success they had. They are definitely old but they have a lot of chemistry and heart. We will see what Lambert brings to the table. Sorokin is going to take another step this year I believe. I think Washington and the other bottom feeders in that conference are going to get off to slower than expected starts. While they have a tough schedule in 2022, I think that if they can come out at or above .500 they will be in good position for their much easier 2023 schedule. Im not dick riding saying theyll be back to the conf finals, but i think theyre definitely a team in the mix for the playoffs.

Some of those guys are okay but the team in general is old and slow. And if they change systems to something more in line with what good teams are doing (puck possession systems). Who's to say some of the those guys struggle. Is Pelech and Pullock amazing defenceman? Or did they fit Trotz's system like a glove and outside of it will they succeed? I am positive a lot of your older slow forwards are going to really struggle.

Just wanna shoutout the really respectful reply here, especially the last sentence. Great discussion. Agreed about Varlamov, really depends where they are in the standings. I think maybe if Toronto needs a goalie they could grab one of the Seattle goalies when Driedger gets back or maybe a reunion with Reimer from San Jose.

Fair enough. I've seen them beat the Flyers so much I lean towards "amazing defensemen" but thats me

Age of top 4 D

NYI

28-28
22-22

TOR

29-32
34-30


Interesting . Trotz was the worst coach in the NHL last season , removing him was addition by subtraction

It's hard to say for sure, but I think the teams that do struggle or have potential to struggle (Boston, Washington, Florida and possibly the Rangers) there are other teams likely to take a step forward (New Jersey if they are healthy, Ottawa if their defence surprises) will also push hard. In any case, the Islanders were a team that got pretty lucky with Trotz's system and got way better results than their underlying numbers said they should. A return to the medium and another year older won't make things work better. Could they make the playoffs? Maybe but it will be a wild card spot and only because Washington or Boston really struggle while they wait for their injured players to get healthy. The Islanders just aren't fast enough, or skilled enough to compete with the top teams in the east. Especially without the Trotz system

Trotz system wasn’t good, it did not alter the trajectory of any defenseman.

Pelech and Pulock would be torontos best defenseman

Yes just thought i'd try and spread it out. Scoring from outside the top 6 is always a minor issue and Nylander/Kerfoot connection has been pretty good in past years. I hope Engvall gets a look with JT at some point because I think his style of play would compliment him very well. But yea 100% an option

Isles are built around a young d core and high end goaltending. Trotz’s system isn’t the only reason the isles went to back to back ECF’s. Having young d men and good goalies usually makes up for mediocre forwards. I expect them to make it for that reason alone.

Hey man i wanna say thank you to you as well. The majority of my interactions on this site have been negative in my short tenure so far. Doesnt seem like a lot of people open to civil hockey talk. More along the lines of bashing everyones ideas.

Im not so optimistic and am not in agreement with a lot of these Leaf rationalizers. I think that this tandem could be disastrous behind their team who doesnt play defense first. Im past the point of trying to talk logic into Torontos mind because if they both dont bounce back in the manor the Dubas dreams of, maybe he will just say f it and roll with them, hoping their team can outscore their problems all the way to another first round exit.

I’m kind of rooting for Matt Murray’s Revenge tour lol. But they didn’t get enough retention for the deal to be worth it for Toronto.

yeah I think boston, washington and florida will all struggle early. but i think that teams who are expected to be better like columbus, ottawa, detroit and new jersey wont be as flaming hot as some are predicting. Im expecting a much much more balanced eastern conference this year with a lot of teams fighting late into the season. I completely agree tho. Islanders are no way in the class of being able to compete with Tampa, Carolina, Pittsburgh, Rangers or Toronto in terms of their ceiling of play. I think a wildcard is what theyll be fighting for as I have the rangers winning the division and carolina and pittsburgh at 2 and 3.

I agree with Tampa and Carolina. Toronto is hit or miss. Great offense , but an aging D core and below average goaltending could make things interesting. The NYR are mostly driven by players who are approaching the wrong side of the 30 coming off of career seasons. I don’t know who’s going to make up for Mika and Kreider regression. If Igor even regresses a little bit, they’re in trouble.

Im not so sure on that. while a lot of of credit has gone to Kreider for his 50 goals, Im not so confident in his future success given how many he scored on the powerplay. However, I think Mika is set to only go higher the next few seasons. Hes really found his role on the team and with Trocheck behind him, i think hes going to step up even more this season. I agree with the Toronto take, i just meant as far as talent and offensive capabilities go, Toronto can put up 6 on any given night against almost any team. Islanders are lucky to score 4. But its all about the style of hockey you play and weve seen where it has gotten both of those teams the last few seasons.

The Rangers aren't as good as people think. They were really bad defensively last year but Shesterkin was insane. If they don't tighten up I bet they take a step back. I doubt their scoring will be as good as last year.

I think they will be better defensively personally, offensively is questionable for me too cause they need the kid line to step up again. I think they will be playing more balanced but overall wont change much from last year.

I'm arguing that Kreider will be lucky to score 30 goals next season. He's due for some significant regression. Zibanejad will still be a great top 6 center next season, but his on ice shooting % was high last year, its unlikely it will be the same again. Trocheck is also a downgrade from strome who had incredible chemistry with panarin.

Yes Toronto has a higher offensive ceiling. The isles will be good if the Lambert is truly the next brindamour style coach (which is what has been said) who allows their young players more offensive freedom. It has been the isles biggest weakness and its the main reason they missed the playoffs last season.

Maybe but I think they will take a small step back.

I agree on the defense being better with more experience. I think the bigger question is in net; can Shest stand on his head again? If he can, and rumors are true that Kane is likely to land with the Rangers, then look out for them.

I have heard Edmonton and TO are front runners for Kane but I doubt anything happens there until closer to the deadline. And then Kane will decide which team he goes too.

Kane and Panarin back together on the same line would be unreal