New York Islanders Looking For An Offensive Boost
Maybe Cal Clutterbuck isn’t a good enough winger for John Tavares — who knew? In a piece for Newsday, Arthur Staple reports that the New York Islanders are looking for an upgrade on offense, and have been scouring the league for possible options. Staple mentions the Colorado Avalanche as a possible trade partner, as their struggles mirror those found in New York. While Matt Duchene‘s name is bandied about, the possibility of that kind of a blockbuster still seems far-fetched.
The Islanders sit last in the Metropolitan Division and have scored just 2.5 goals per game, a big drop from the 2.83 they scored last season. While that drop-off could have been partially expected after the departures of Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen to free agency, big ticket signing Andrew Ladd has been a disaster for the Isles, relegated to the fourth line at times. His three points in 16 games lends credence to the idea that he was always more of a secondary-scoring type playing in excellent situations.
While no one is questioning Ladd’s work ethic or leadership qualities, it’s quite telling that Clutterbuck and Josh Bailey have been skating with Tavares over him. It’s not clear where the next wave of offense is expected to come from though, as youngsters Ryan Strome and Anthony Beauvillier have each scored just five points through the first part of the season. In Staple’s article, he mentions Josh Ho-Sang and Michael Dal Colle as potential additions; both are skating with Bridgeport of the AHL at the moment and finding varying degrees of success. Ho-Sang though has apparently caught whatever Ladd has, and has seen his playing time reduced and was even a healthy scratch on Friday night.
If Garth Snow, who is in Toronto at the annual GM meetings, decides to look elsewhere he’ll need to be careful not to mortgage the team’s future in pursuit of something that may not be able to be found. A single player, while clearly helpful, may not be able to turn around what has been a disaster of a season so far. If one were to listen to Islanders’ fans, it’s a problem with the head coach Jack Capuano and not the players. Staple reiterates what many others have said however, that Capuano is in no danger of losing his job – for now.
Duchene, while an interesting option, would surely cost a huge haul coming off his first 30 goal season in the NHL. The speedy forward is only 25 still despite having over 500 games of experience and is under contract for two seasons after this at a $6MM AAV. After signing Ladd to a seven year, $38.5MM deal this summer the Islanders are right up against the cap and although they do have some flexibility with LTIR they would likely need to move out some money to bring in an impact forward.
To add a little bit of insult to injury, P.A. Parenteau, the winger New York waived prior to the season is off to a hot start in New Jersey. His five goals would tie him for the lead on the Islanders with Tavares and costs just $1.25MM.
Snapshots: Blues, Ho-Sang, Hartman, Rooney
In recent years, the St. Louis Blues have had a veteran-laden lineup but that won’t be the case as much in 2016-17. The departures of David Backes (to Boston), Troy Brouwer and Brian Elliott (to Calgary), and Steve Ott (to Detroit) have created openings for some of their younger players to take on a larger role. As GM Doug Armstrong told Lou Korac of NHL.com, the shift towards a younger, quicker team is by design:
“We’re one of 30 teams that is seeing this phenomenon take place right now of the evolution of the game. I think we’re as current or ahead of the curve in a lot of different areas. I think puck-moving defensemen, we’ve put a premium on, the last little while. I think the game’s gone to a less physical, more puck-oriented game from your back-end players. … It’s just staying current with the game.”
Between the pipes, 26 year old Jake Allen will take over as the new number one netminder while six of the Blues’ projected top nine forwards are aged 28 or younger. The same can be said for four of their top six defensemen. Between that and the planned coaching change to Mike Yeo for 2017-18, it’s going to be a season of transition for St. Louis.
More from around the league:
- After unceremoniously being cut from training camp after the first day as a result of arriving late, Islanders prospect Josh Ho-Sang is looking forward to the chance to redeem himself, writes Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. The 20 year old was a first rounder of New York (30th overall) in 2014 and put up 19 goals and 63 assists in 66 OHL games last year while adding another 26 points in 17 postseason contests. As a waiver exempt player that is now AHL eligible, there’s a strong chance Ho-Sang will wind up starting the season with their minor league affiliate in Bridgeport.
- Chicago assistant GM Norm MacIver believes prospect Ryan Hartman is knocking on the door for a full-time roster spot with the Blackhawks, writes Scott Powers of The Athletic. Hartman has spent the last two years with Chicago’s AHL affiliate in Rockford, picking up 72 points but a whopping 249 PIMS in 130 games. For his part, Hartman acknowledges his over aggression and has taken strides off the ice towards improving that this summer, including working with a mental skills coach. He has also dropped ten pounds this offseason in an effort to become a faster skater.
- Long-time NHL referee Chris Rooney ruptured his Achilles tendon and will not only miss the World Cup of Hockey but the first 3-5 months of the regular season, reports ESPN’s John Buccigross. Rooney has been an NHL official since 2000 and has worked in a pair of Stanley Cup Finals.