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It’s deja-vu again (again).
Free Agency throughout the National Hockey League kicked off Wednesday afternoon. When reports surfaced that the Islanders would be ‘serious players’ in the Johnny Gaudreau sweepstakes, most of the orange and blue fanbase was excited. Rightfully so, of course, because after all, when a 115-point, 40-goal scorer hits the open market, how couldn’t you get excited? Though the Islanders were expected to be active, it was still a question mark as to what general manager Lou Lamoriello was looking for in the market.
And players the Islanders were. Over seven hours went by before Johnny Gaudreau would make his decision.
The Islanders were such heavy players on Johnny Hockey that Lamoriello was willing to watch dozens of unrestricted free agents fly off the board to sign him.
Johnny Gaudreau chose the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The. Columbus. Blue. Jackets.
What.
The megastar winger had it narrowed down to two locations—one with the Islanders and the other with the New Jersey Devils. And then Columbus swoops in out of the blue.
The rumored offers from the Islanders and Devils sat at the maximum seven-year tenure, with the Isles reportedly offering $9 million AAV and the Devils offering in the $9 million to over $10 million AAV range. Gaudreau would agree to a contract to see him get seven years and $9.8 million annually.
If you are a Devils fan, I’m sure there are questions to ask. But if you’re an Islander fan, the list of questions doubles and probably even triples.
When former Islanders owner Charles Wang sold the team to current-day owners Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin, every Islander fan on the planet would have told you about the times changing and how the team was headed to the top. And to be fair, they were right. In the first few years, we saw the front office additions of Hall of Fame General Manager Lou Lamoriello added, as well as head coach Barry Trotz, who at the time was finishing up his Stanley Cup run with the Washington Capitals, and the supporting cast of Lane Lambert, Jon Gruden, and goaltending coach Piero Greco. Though the new regime would not give the best initial impression, letting former first overall pick, captain, and undisputed face of the franchise center John Tavares go to the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency, the blame couldn’t be thrown all to them; as former general manager, Garth Snow shouldn’t have even let Tavares sniff the open market in the first place (or at least traded him when they got the chance). But the Islander fans got treated to a first-round sweep of the Penguins that spring, making a run for the playoffs deemed as improbable as possible.
Fast forward to the next season, and the Islanders would again find themselves in the playoffs. Still, this time in a playoff bubble caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (a playoff that, if not altered, the Islanders would not have qualified for, let us not forget) but still found ways into success. After losing Adam Pelech, Johnny Boychuk, and Casey Cizikas to what seemed to be season-ending injuries, they were ready to go for the August return to play. They helped the Islanders push to a Game 6 loss to the eventual champion Tampa Bay Lightning. With the Isles now driving to the second and third rounds of the playoffs, the next stop had to be a Cup victory? Or at least a finals appearance?
Nope, it was a Game 7 loss to the soon-repeating champion Lightning again. Though it didn’t seem like much improvement, the Islanders had been the only team to push the Lightning to the limit, so next year was the year: the Cup Finals appearance, even the Stanley Cup itself. With the new arena that fans had clamored for, it was a recipe for success. The Islanders would have nearly an outright abysmal season, missing the playoffs and parting ways with their Hall of Fame coach.
The question that needs to be answered. What more can you possibly have to do?
The Islanders have missed out on some colossal free agents in the tenure of Lou Lamoriello. Starting with their own in Tavares, the Isles would lose out on New York Ranger Artemi Panarin, didn’t make an offer to Taylor Hall, and now have swung and missed on Johnny Gaudreau. The narrative for the longest time surrounding the Islanders was straightforward: lousy ownership, bad management, and an arena situation in limbo. And all of those factors are legitimate; who would want to play hockey for a circus?
In 2022, Islanders fans sit here, with great owners, Hall of Fame management, a brand new, not even one-year-old UBS Arena, and yet the same question.
What do the New York Islanders need to do to land “the big one?”
