"The New York Islanders might be in the NHL's most hopeless situation, and if the constant losing keeps up, there could be whispers of a potential fire sale that could make waves through Long Island, perhaps even before the league takes a break for the Olympics. It makes sense at first, considering the Isles' recent track record as a team that has been in steady decline."
"Not that the Isles shouldn't make a few trades and "sell" before the deadline. Regardless, they need to keep stockpiling their prospects pool and inject talent around youngsters and seasoned vets like Matthew Schaefer, Simon Holmstrom, Jonathan Drouin, and Mathew Barzal. That's a solid core, but the Islanders would be best off if they traded some talent away, called up more young players like Calum Ritchie, and systematically kept pushing out the vets."
"If there wasn't young talent to build around on Long Island, then yeah, dismantle the team, win the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes, and don't think twice about it. But there's no way they should trust cast-offs to help players like Schaefer reach their full potential early, especially if they have a chance with the players they have to still bottom out and possibly take the top pick again."
The New York Islanders are experiencing steady decline and face speculation about a possible fire sale amid continued losing. A full teardown could be tempting given an average roster age of 29.3, but a complete fire sale could undermine future competitiveness. The preferred strategy is selective trading of veterans, continued stockpiling of prospects, and promoting young players like Calum Ritchie while surrounding prospects with talent such as Matthew Schaefer, Simon Holmstrom, Jonathan Drouin, and Mathew Barzal. Maintaining veteran leadership and focusing on retooling rather than rebuilding can accelerate development and preserve options for high draft positioning.
Read at Eyes On Isles
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