we miss leo k
Joined: Feb. 2018
Posts: 5,973
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Isles before the Horvat trade: 25-22-5 - an 87 point pace over a full season.
Isles after the Horvat trade: 17-9-4 - up to a 104 point pace over 82 games.
Do I think they're a 104 point team over a full season? Not without -everything- going right; you're obviously hoping Horvat & Barzal can mesh well together, and you're hoping that the Engvall-Nelson-Palmieri line continues driving play the way they did once they started skating together after the deadline, and you're hoping for good health up and down the lineup because there's not a ton of guys ready to step up if a Barzal or a Pelech misses significant time again this season.
But you're talking about returning the core of a team that had a legit shot of making it out of the first round against the Hurricanes and will always be a pain in the ass to play against in the playoffs. I personally don't buy the Penguins as leapfrogging them (the upgrade from Petry -> Karlsson is good but doesn't paper over the fact that Tristan Jarry is still the goaltender), and I think we're all going to be surprised to see one of the 100+ point teams from last season fall apart. Does this mean the Isles are a slam dunk for the playoffs? No, but I think they've got enough of a track record over the past few years to not write them off at this point.