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After an offseason where the Islanders lost Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo and Matt Martin, there are some “experts” that think the team got worse by signing Andrew Ladd, Jason Chimera and P.A. Parenteau as replacements. But did they really slip to the seventh best squad out of eight in the metro? According to ESPN’s Scott Burnside they did.
Yet another preview article mentions John Tavares potentially leaving the Islanders in two seasons when he becomes a free agent. I guess most national reporters are completely ignoring his comments in August stating that Tavares has “no desire” to leave New York.
This season preview goes on to ignore the P.A. Parenteau signing in favor of putting down the Dennis Seidenberg deal. “There was a reason why Seidenberg didn’t fit with the Boston Bruins, who were looking to get younger and more mobile on defense,” according to Burnside. He did not take into account that Seidenberg will almost certainly be the seventh defenseman for the Isles. Brock Nelson and Anders Lee were also not mentioned at all in this article. But, apparently it is a key for the Islanders that Josh Bailey, Shane Prince and Alan Quine step up. When in reality, those three may be fighting for a spot on the roster at different points this season.
This Islanders preview ends saying that this team will finish seventh in the Metropolitan division. I guess if you completely ignore two young power forwards with 50 point potential, a guy who scored 120 points in two prior years playing to the right of Tavares, and the top six defenseman, then yes the Islanders are the seventh best team in the Metro. But, when you actually look at the moves the Isles made, and the improvements that all of the young players presumably made this off-season, the Islanders are once again a playoff team. And in no way are they worse than teams like the Hurricanes or Devils.
Islanders Links:
Isles top line should be set
The Islanders won the Griffin Reinhart Trade
Can the Isles learn from the Mets?
NHL Links:
Panthers will name captain this week
Vegas hosts first NHL game
Former NHL enforcer shot in Canadian Prison
Off-Season moves you may have forgotten about
The post Islanders Insight’s Top Shelf: Seventh In The Metro? Really? appeared first on Islanders Insight.
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