OffThePost.org

Unless not hearing the phone ring after his Colorado stint humbled him (which I think it did a little), Paddy is always going to want some input on personnel. He's got a specific type of gamer he wants to work with.

Mark Hunter will load up the team with London alums, but then again, with the architects of the Knights and Remparts in the fold, you're talking about two of the most successful player development factories in junior. Hunter might also tag along with Rick Nash in Columbus, so I think this is the offseason he finally gets his chance in the show.

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And that's fine, I think every successful NHL organization has a GM who listens to the coach. In Colorado he had actual managerial power built into his contract, and that was doomed from the start. I agree he's been humbled a bit, but I'd add that he's no dummy, he knows Lou might be receptive, but he will never, ever cede any actual authority.

If Paddy was anything like he was in Colorado, he's going to want as much size and skill as Lamoriello can muster. He likes speed but he loooooooves size (cue that one guy on the HF Avs board posting "Size Queen!"), and he's going to want a skilled, mobile blueline. One bad thing that happened under his watch was that the Avs got way, way too slow, and it ain't like the Isles are a fast team to begin with.

Fast Islanders: Barzal, Engvall, Pageau, crickets. Although supposedly Anders Lee hit 23.1 MPH during a loose puck race in Game 4. He's looked a lot quicker than he did the year prior. But he was never fast and I wonder about the accuracy of the receiver saying he'd hit 23.1.

Oh, and the Isles have Julien "but he's really fast and was a 1st round pick!" Gauthier in the minors. They tried to give him a shot. It worked out the same here as elsewhere. He showed he's a speedy 4th liner who doesn't really like to hit. Maybe stick him on the 4th line with MacLean and see what happens. He's cheap.

Iskhakov has some speed and skill but at 5'7" or whatever, he'd better be able to dodge trucks like a winning round of Frogger.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Horvat's got some good wheels too. I'm kinda surprised the Isles didn't find a way to chip some pucks up ice and get him behind the vaunted Carolina defense, which doesn't look like a particularly fast blueline to me. Bowie took full advantage of the slow-ass defense (probably slowed a bit by Covid at the time) of the Blues in the Bubble playoffs. He had quite a few breakaways in that series.

And it's not really just about skating either, it's the ability to play with pace, which Roy to his credit got the Isles to do a bit. IMO a LOT of a team's ability to create high-tempo offense is from the blueline. You have to have some dynamic puckmovers, Winnipeg (and even though they're still alive, Toronto) proved you can only go so far with one offensive defensemen. So, Dobson is a good start, Pulock has some offensive ability, but beyond that I don't think they got much.

They have Barzal and Cizikas (above average speed but not "fast") on that line for the potential breakaways, but Horvat is used for his defense. Barzal isn't a great defender.

Mike Reilly is a good puck mover and better than I thought in the d-zone. Pelech is okay in the o-zone and used to be great in the d-zone. Romanov is good in the d-zone and okay in the o-zone. I hope they bring Reilly back and let go of Bortuzzo, who isn't good in any zone (maybe Auto Zone?).

This just in- Lou confirms in press conference that he's staying on as GM, and Roy staying on as HC. Glad about Roy. Not at all happy about Lou. People freaking out on Isles boards, saying they're not renewing season tickets for the same bullshit. Fun day!

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Ehhhhhhhh...you and the Canuckleheads have seen a hell of a lot more of Bowie than I have, but IMHO, his defense is wildly overrated. I don't think he's the two-way player everyone bills him as. He should be getting softer minutes, not harder ones. Problem is, I don't think there's a center there who can take those tougher matchups. Nelson is just about as bad defensively, and Pageau has hit Ye Olde Decline pretty hard the last 2-3 years.

Not sure what Lamoriello does going forward. Way too many guys with too much term, a quick retool is almost impossible. He gets one more year and if things don't radically improve I would think Ledecky & Co. finally get the gumption to show him the door. Lou has never technically been fired, so I would guess he bows out gracefully, at which point I'd expect Palmieri to show up to work the next day looking like a roadie for ZZ Top.