I know I previously said I would be finishing up the Madison/Monroe race in this diary, but I had decided a couple weeks ago to extend a vacation to Florida to watch a hockey game with my cousin and I just arrived home at 10am EDT after only 4 hours of sleep last night. Therefore as we are approaching the end of the NHL season, I figured I would write a complaint about the islanders because insanity. Yes, insanity. The country seems to be going insane as are the New York Islanders. Below the fold you’ll find a few arguments on why the Islanders continue to be the worst run team in the NHL.
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There is virtually no hardcore, knowledgeable Islanders fan that hasn’t wanted our GM fired since October. Quite a few of us had hoped with the change ownership occurring last July 1, the new owners would have cleaned house on that day even though it was the opening of free agency considering it was widely known the GM was not going to fired the coach, who should have been fired in my opinion 3 seasons ago, and we were going to lose two of our best players to other teams in free agency.
One player, Kyle Okposo, wasn’t ever even offered a chance to negotiate a new contract. Okposo had been our second best forward after John Tavares. The other player, Frans Nielsen, who was our third best forward and our most versatile player, 3 days before the start of free agency after the GM’s moon shoot attempt to sign Lightning superstar Steven Stamkos fell apart when Stamkos decided to remain in Tampa. Due to changes in free agency rules, teams are now allowed to begin negotiations with players a week before free agency officials opens. Nielsen likely became convinced to move on during this period while waiting for our Gm to start negotiations. Both players had wanted to remain Islanders especially after the team finally won its first playoff series in 23 years last season. Nielsen also hinted in interviews with the media on July 1st that a coaching change was something he had wanted. Not a surprise to many of us. We also lost a 4th line forward that few fans had wanted to sign to the contract he ultimately sign for with his current team.
Of the three players signed to replace them, one was waived at the start of the season solely to keep three goaltenders on the roster. A move no competent GM would ever make especially when our starter had just had a terrific World Cup after undergoing surgery in the offseason and we already had a very competent backup who was one of the key reasons we won the first round series. The third goalie was unproven and unlikely to be worthwhile and has thus far proven to be worse then un-worthwhile.
The other two players signed took almost half the season to become contributing members of the team. Lately though they have been performing up top their usual standards. Still one of those two players was given what was considering the worst free agent contract of the summer.
As the Islanders descended into the basement of the league over the first couple of months, the GM continued to refuse to fire the coach nor did he even attempt to make any public statements. During one particularly bleak period, it was reported the owners had been spending the last year talking with people throughout the league to gain information giving the fans a hope that changes were going to be approaching soon. That didn’t happen as the team continued to perform worse.
The GM at one point, just to spite one of the goalies and his agent, apparently had the coach play this goalie seven straight games for speaking publicly about how bad having three goalies was (there is some speculation). He was finally sent to minors after another string of bad games. The team seemed to turn it around after this. It wasn’t soon after that the coach got fired. The likely final straw came after a simply miserable game in Raleigh.
This doesn’t even include the awful overpriced extensions handed out to 4th line players that will likely cripple the team’s salary cap situation going forward or the length of time it took to recall the goalie sent to the minor who posted 17-7-3 record in the minors after it became abundantly clear the current backup was killing the team and causing the new coach to over-rely on the current starter.
The Islanders went on a decent run starting almost immediately after the former starter had been demoted to go from dead last in the Eastern Conference to claiming the last playoff spot in late February. However, the GM made no attempt to improve the team at the trade deadline, not that he has ever really tried in the last 5 seasons. But it is likely too little, too late as the team has struggled lately and fallen out of the playoffs once again. The amount of talent on the team is not good enough to sustain the run they went on.
There is still a slight chance of them making the playoffs, but it has left most fans conflicted as to whether they want the team to make the playoffs. All of us still want the GM fired and worry making the playoffs could save his job. Some feel based on the fact that the owners continue to allow the GM to stay through key dates of the season and even sign another player, it won’t matter what happens the GM will remain into next season.
All I know is if he does, next season will likely be my last as a season ticket holder. I can only take so much insanity in my life.
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TOP COMMENTS FOR MARCH 28, 2017
From ursulafaw:
I like kovie’s comment because it solidly nails the hypocrisy of Trump and his followers.
Three submissions from MikeTheLiberal:
First one is from leftyguitarist, who shows just how delusional some people are: http://www.dailykos.com/comments/1647982/65964173#comment_65964173
And within the responses is this one from tsarconic: http://www.dailykos.com/comments/1647982/65964112#comment_65964112
Finally, a little further down, we learn what executive privilege can, and cannot, be used for [comment by Captain Frogbert]: http://www.dailykos.com/comments/1647982/65963062#comment_65963062
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