BD Gallof: The Great Culture Change Training Camp Begins

i think we will be a wildcard team. The fire to show Tavares made a huge mistake in leaving, this rallying behind Lehner, the simple fact that we have Trotz is enough to think we might have a special year.

BD Gallof: The Great Culture Change Training Camp Begins
- B.D. Gallof

Great stuff DB! Love your work!

i think new coach gives us 7 to 10 more pts this year than last year. so i'm going with 88 pts. and if some how we can get to 96 pts and be a bubble team i'd be real happy.

side note...lou wants culture change, why are the coaches still in place at bridgeport?

side note...lou wants culture change, why are the coaches still in place at bridgeport?
- nyislsbossy

Good question. Allowing for assessment and perhaps lack of good candidates available this past summer???

great article BD. All the Hockeybuzz Faithful will be back. Especially there is more to write about. I dont blame you for not copy and pasting stuff thats on isles website.


Love the Bailey Pic - Im going to hear it from them on that one. Im probably in minority that thinks Bailey will product beyond everyone expectations again.
Sure was having Tavares good for him, but unlike the moulson and PAPs , Lets not forgot Tavares asked for Bailey on his line. Bailey has the skill and talent. It just took few more years for his potential to come out.

great article BD. All the Hockeybuzz Faithful will be back. Especially there is more to write about. I dont blame you for not copy and pasting stuff thats on isles website.


Love the Bailey Pic - Im going to hear it from them on that one. Im probably in minority that thinks Bailey will product beyond everyone expectations again.
Sure was having Tavares good for him, but unlike the moulson and PAPs , Lets not forgot Tavares asked for Bailey on his line. Bailey has the skill and talent. It just took few more years for his potential to come out.
- Spartiarti

Thx. August is a dead month and nothing worth talking about unless people wanted to repeat the same things (kind of like the entire "will the Isles make the playoffs thread").

God knows we ran through all the items in June and July.

Now that September has rolled around and the camp has started, we can begin to see what happens.

jacques lemaire watching isls camp from the stands today

You can look at a teams performance (the product) as a combination of the players individual ability (the potential) and how well those players work together as a group (processes)

The teams product = The teams potential +/- processes

So what is a proces? It can be the team culture. It can be defensive systems. It can be line combinations – putting players with great chemistry together. It can be anything that has a positive or negative effect on the players ability to work together.
In other words an underperforming team has negative sum of processes, while an overperforming team has a positive sum.
Last years team clearly had greater potential (with JT and DeHaan), but at the same time they clearly underperformed. In part because of the team culture, in part because of Weight’s tactical knowledge (or lack thereof) and in part because of JT’s pending UFA status steering focus away from hockey.

Overall I think the Islanders will be better. They will probably end up around 90-95 points if they keep both Eberle and Lee.

This team will be picking top 5 come draft time.
Lee and Eberle will get dealt for assets as neither will resign. Lou will look to trade Ladd and get nothing of note for him, except cap relief. It wouldn't shock me if 2 or 3 younger guys get moved too. I see a fire sale coming and a full rebuild from the draft.
75pts max.
Good news is we will be flush with picks and top prospect and have tons of cap space. (Not that any top tier Free Agent comes to the Island.)
The coaching staff will get the most out of the squad and will be considered a bright spot.

This team will be picking top 5 come draft time.
Lee and Eberle will get dealt for assets as neither will resign. Lou will look to trade Ladd and get nothing of note for him, except cap relief. It wouldn't shock me if 2 or 3 younger guys get moved too. I see a fire sale coming and a full rebuild from the draft.
75pts max.
Good news is we will be flush with picks and top prospect and have tons of cap space. (Not that any top tier Free Agent comes to the Island.)
The coaching staff will get the most out of the squad and will be considered a bright spot.
- jsFALLEN

thats a pretty dismal outlook. if you remember when Lou came over is he took the job b/c he didnt see this as a rebuild. same did Trotz. Isles arent far away from being legit. Perhaps 1-2. but expect this team to be competitive.

They lost a top asset in Tavares but Barzal may lead the way to an even higher tempo attack team. The goaltending may be fine but the d may be their biggest deficiency until they improve and lower their mistake level. Beating poor teams with offense is easy but competing against top clubs means low error hockey. Having so called average goaltending does force better overall team d. Biggest question is do they build some success to build on making games meaningful, not a five game winning streak just to reach .500. Getting over their inferiority complex as a team nobody wants to play for when they have top notch practice facility, great tradition and a future top notch arena. This is also a team that pays their players well.

I think the islanders will be battling the flyers for 3rd in the metro. the team with the better goal tending will get third and i can see the islanders or flyers finishing 2nd if one of these teams gets elite goal tending which is a long shot at this point.

If Nelson or Kovar are the 2C, I say they'll finish with 93 points. I think the defense and goaltending will be much improved but they won't have as much possession as need given the lack of an efficient 2C

Although middling, it’s nice that the Sens got a couple assets for EK, unlike the Isles who let Tavares walk for nothing. Ah well, gotta rebuild sometime as this roster couldn’t win a ring with JT, they’re def not winning one without him. Maybe you guys should trade Barzal for some picks so you at least get something before he walks too.

If Nelson or Kovar are the 2C, I say they'll finish with 93 points. I think the defense and goaltending will be much improved but they won't have as much possession as need given the lack of an efficient 2C
- bgainesDM

None of us know a thing about Kovar. Nelson consistently is a 20-25 goal guy while playing wing, when drafted as center. I realize he’s disappeared throughout seasons with lack of consistency, but i blame coach on that. Under this regime i see him take it to the next level. He’s got all the tangibles, size, stride and a great wrist shot.

Although middling, it’s nice that the Sens got a couple assets for EK, unlike the Isles who let Tavares walk for nothing. Ah well, gotta rebuild sometime as this roster couldn’t win a ring with JT, they’re def not winning one without him. Maybe you guys should trade Barzal for some picks so you at least get something before he walks too.
- jimmy mcnaulty

This is a ridiculous post.......your chirp is downright lazy. Pick it up

We all have been complaining that we needed a new coaching staff and front office. We finally have that so we are going to see how this turns into wins. I think you'll see the players with one year left on their contract will be first to go. Hopefully, Lou will keep either Lee or Eberle but wouldn't be surprised if both are traded by the deadline.
In regard's to BD's quote that Lou hasn't done anything to improve the team I don't think there are a lot of top 4 defensemen available except for Karlsson. The reason Islanders passed was he probably didn't want to sign here and the price was too much for basically a rental. While deHaan was a good defenseman when not injured, it will be interesting how many games he plays for Carolina. All in all, with the new coaching staff, front office and new system, I say 90 points...

Great to see the quotes working again, Lemaire hired as special assistant coach.

Listening to Trotz interview on Isles site he said he specifically wants the forwards to fit certain roles. Hopefully no endless shifting centers to wing especially early in the season when he wants to build four solid lines. Lou sounded impressed with Kovar. Trotz is also looking to see what these players have for a hockey IQ. The biggest take from last year to me was these guys were matured through the organization and had developed some level of game situational awareness. With a coach like Trotz they have to develop the sense of being in a division and conference race from day one. Keeping their heads in it keeps the fans and press in it.

Getting assets for JT would have been nice but most teams knew he was probably leaning TOR. SJ could have taken a gamble but knew they had a better shot at signing Kane for whom they gave up assets.

Cant agree the loss of CdH was greater than losing JT. Trading Tavares could have brought a top 4 winger or dman +prospects/picks, easily. Calvin wasnt a bad player - just inconsistant due to injury and didnt hit all that much and offense was virtually non-existenet.

Garth really made some horrible moves in the last years locking up JT’s buddies long term and unless he pulls a 180° turn, Ladd as well.

Not that we cant move on from some of it- Malkin seems like he’d be ok with some buyouts/retained salary. Leafs did dump Phanuef’s horrible contract by eating some salary so if/when it becomes an issue I expect Lou is prepared to do the same.

Am more intrigued to see what a proper group of coaches can do for our Little Lebowski Urban Achievers. If Trotz & co can get Bailey to perform close to or better than last year and get Brock to be something near to what Bertuzzi became when he went to Vancouver, I would be real excited.

Am sure improvements on PK and 5v5 defense will make some difference. Even without JT, I STILL feel better heading into a season than I have in a long time.

Go Isles Go!!!!!

Anyone going to game at Nassau today. That should be a lot of fun
I’m taken my lil guy. He is pumped

Does anyone know if most of the starters are playing

Anyone going to game at Nassau today. That should be a lot of fun
I’m taken my lil guy. He is pumped

Does anyone know if most of the starters are playing
- Spartiarti

By starters do you mean Bailey? lol