Spittin' Chiclets Crew Rips Islanders
With the NHL in full off-season mode following the 2023 NHL Draft and opening of free agency, some teams have gotten better and others have gotten worse.
New York Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello has been realitivley quiet so far this off-season making moves to keep players in the fold. Defenseman Scott Mayfield and forward Pierre Engvall were signed to seven-year contracts and goaltender Semyon Varlamov received a four-year deal. Vezina finalist Ilya Sorokin deservingly received an eight-year extension with a cap hit of $8,250,000.
They've added a depth piece in ex-Ranger Julien Gauthier but that is where the name recognition stops. For a team that squeaked into the playoffs during the final game of the regular season, thanks in part to a late-season collapse by their rival Pittsburgh Penguins, this shouldn't get Islanders' fans too excited for next season.
Spittin' Chiclets hosts Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonnette echoed this sentiment in a not so subtle way on their podcast.
Bissonnette quipped that the veteran Lamoriello who was the GM of three Stanley Cup Devils teams might not be at his best anymore.
The team has made the postseason in all but one season since Lamoriello came to Long Island.
The Islanders appear to be one of the frontrunners in a trade for Ottawa Senators winger Alex DeBrincat. If Lamoriello is able to pull of a DeBrincat trade it would drastically change the outlook on the off-season but so far it has been an underwhelming one for Islanders' fans.
| POLL | ||
Where do you think the Islanders will finish in the 2023-2024 season? | ||
| In a Wild Card Position | 46 | 23.5 % |
| Top three in the Metro | 18 | 9.2 % |
| Just missing the playoffs | 86 | 43.9 % |
| In the Draft Lottery | 46 | 23.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
