Des mouvements audacieux : comment les décisions controversées de Mathieu Darche façonnent les perspectives des insulaires de New York

25 Comments

1. 

   @stevenbauer-l9z 4 jours ago

   -THE MAN WITH NO PLAN deserves a D+. 9 pt. improvement wasn't good enough to make playoffs so a season aging isles was wasted for what? darche had nothing to do with flukey lottery win and prospects are nice but those 2 picks plus eiserman are still tier 3 at best prospects. until darche commits to youth and gets the high end top tier guys and g scoring wingers he is a failure. a puppet for isle regime. a louzer clone who wont commit to youth movement.
   -look around darche at the playoffs. its all about the young teams. quacks, mammoth, flyers, sabres, habs all lead or are tied in their series giving vet teams oil, vgk, pens, tb all they can handle. martone, senneca-big skilled forwards making an impact. caufield, hutson, demidov. that's how you do it. thru the draft. not wasting roster spots with 11, 29, 81 types.
   -WAKE THE HELL UP darche. each season wasted 're-tooling' with old guys chasing 8th is another season wasted going nowhere. and pouty hire points exactly to that-going forward with a vet laden team
   -on the bright side k. aitchenson won ohl d man of the year award as top d man so there is that.

2. 

   @PS-vc2yz 4 jours ago

   Age in and of itself means nothing. You need to draft well and not miss on players like Wahlstrom. I'll give you some of the youngest teams: Chicago, Vancouver, Calgary, Rangers and Blues and yes there are the Sabres and Canadiens. Sabres hit the lottery on Tage Thompson when we chose Kieffer Bellows chosen 7 picks earlier. Every new GM has to deal with the disaster of the previous GM. Snow with Ladd had Lou get rid of Toews. Lou saddled Darche with Engvall and Mayfield contracts. YouTube commenters think ripping every GM makes them experts. I will give him more than one year to shape this team. I guess Darche should have looked into his crystal ball to see that a team in a playoff spot for months was going to fold in the last 2 weeks. Everyone and I mean everyone thought they could make a playoff run and Schenn and Palat were brought in for that. I blame Roy and Lee (captain and leader) for their demise. By the way, I was a seller at the deadline knowing the PP was atrocious all season. But selling being 2nd or 3rd in the Metro is hard to sell to the fans. The critics now on Monday morning ripping him.

3. 

   @jzimm1075 4 jours ago

   I can’t get passed what he gave up for Braden Schenn. I don’t mind having Schenn, but that Colorado 1st round pick really shortens my life. I think I have a new stroke every time I think about it.

4. 

   @FREEDOMFUNADVENTURE 4 jours ago

   If you are watching the playoffs you understand this group of sissy boys wpuld be destroyed. Not close to a playoff ready roster. Move on from Shabanov. Need every spot to get younger, faster, bigger, and tougher.

5. 

   @FREEDOMFUNADVENTURE 4 jours ago

   Gil, I watched a video on TSN about Brady Tkchuck & Ott. He wasn't there. He was attending the birth of his child in New Jersey. Guess he or his wife have family there, thus he may intend welcome a trade to Isles.

6. 

   @pyrielrising4338 4 jours ago

   How about a more realistic report card for Mathieu Darche

   Draft – I can't bring myself to give him any credit for Schaefer. There was absolutely no doubt who should go at #1.
   Victor Eklund – Still early but this kid looks like the real thing. Excellent pick
   Kashawn Aitechson – Looks very good against kids but was invisible in the U20. Temper problem needs to mature a year in the AHL
   should tell the story. Jury still out.
   Grade B

   Acquisitions – Jonathan Drouin. I realize that Darche was forced to make this deal due to the injury to Engvall but even so this signing is inexcusable. Tampa drafted Drouin at #3 and gave him ample opportunities to prove himself and he failed. He gets shipped to Montreal and they waste six seasons on him before shipping him to Colorado where he plays with McKinnon, impossible not to put some numbers with a superstar on your line but Colorado doesn't offer him a contract…speaks for itself.
   Grade D-
   Palat and Soucy – Lumping these two together because they both have not been useful players for years.
   Grade C-
   Schenn – Armstrong really took advantage of the rookie on this one. Given Schenn's age and the obvious decline in his skills there was no way he was worth more than a third rounder but he has to offload the Drouin contract and Armstrong knew it so….ouch!
   Grade D
   Noah Dobson – He tried to get David Reinbacher but Montreal shut that down fast. He did get a useful middle six forward. Not terrible.
   Grade B.
   Max Shabanov – Too small doesn't belong in the NHL…if he stays in this league he will spend most of his time on IR. Entry level deal.
   Grade C

   Overall grade C-

7. 

   @ottobee709 4 jours ago

   I like Darche and I gave Darche a C. We can’t change what was done but Darche can make moves that could make a better year 2. Darche has to let Lee walk and find a way to unload Palatt. Free up that 13 million! Soucy walks but his money of 3.5 will go to the cap space penalty. Pelech is likely traded at the draft giving 5.75 in cap space. Hoping Pelech can bring us draft picks or a prospect or a bit of both. Number 13 pick will give Darche another building block if he can pick a winner! Can Darche pull off another draft spectacular? I will be more critical of Darche this coming season but I do feel he has some magic up his sleeve to continue building this team for a better future! This future has to include younger, bigger, nastier, skilled players is a must ! Our whole team would have been in the hospital 🏥 if they had made the playoffs! They are simply to soft and to small.

8. 

   @christophercancel934 4 jours ago

   Yeah he got Bridgeport to the playoffs, but they got beat.

9. 

   @alexyaybar 4 jours ago

   I would grade Darche principally a C- for his acquisitions that not only made us Older and Slower but also, cost us Cap Flexibility and a 1st rd pick. I still don't see how playing for now and playing for the future works. This team needs to accept taking 2 steps back in order to build something that is sustainable . However, I just don't see this ownership group wanting to adopt that plan. Anders Lee has always been a favorite for me. However at his age and declining production it's time to cut ties. Lee no longer uses his size and frame to create space for his line or drive to the net and take and hold the position in front of the net or attempt to generate offense down low. This season was too much of a soft perimeter game. If he comes back I would assume 2 years at 4.5mm – 4.75mm do we really want that.

10. 

    @sjk5763 4 jours ago

    Love that he did not trade away our top prospects at the deadline. I'm going with he is smart enough to know Robert Thomas was not going to turn this team into a cup contender. Wish he would of sold but unfortunately was not an option being in the hunt. Would of been better in the long run if they folded 3 weeks earlier than they did.

11. 

    @joelgerolimatos7 4 jours ago

    Looking at the roster and LW in particular even at this stage of career, would rather have lee for 1season than any of them with the exception heineman . However, I wont make a strong case to keep him, because i believe the islanders already have players on the team who provide similar skills and attributes. I dont like it but thats part of the salary cap, roster construction issues the team has had.
    Looking at free agency, and roster building do you think a player like Bobby Mcmann is or should be a viable option and what would a contract look like?

12. 

    @michaelgreubel6050 4 jours ago

    Seeing a lot of crazy grades here. It has to be somewhere in the B+ to A- range. People act like every draft pick, trade or signing is of equal importance because we spend so much time talking about them. That’s obviously not true. You have extremely important decisions like the choice of last years first pick, Dobson trade… things that are in the middle like the Schenn trade involving the late 1st… and the rest of the moves that involve such middling stakes as to not really matter long term.

    80 to 90% of his grade has to be based on the Schaefer pick, Dobson trade and subsequent Eklund and Aitcheson picks. Both of which were A+ moves and are comparably just so much more significant. Let’s not forget selecting Schaefer was far from certain last year. Plenty of cars in my town had Bring Hagens Home stickers. There was plenty of discussion of Schaefer’s injury and lack of time playing the year prior. Take a second and imagine this conversation if we had to watch Schaefer do everything he did this year on the Sharks…? The Dobson trade also seems to be aging like fine wine. 3 players who are likely to be long term higher end contributors for one flawed player who didn’t want to be here.

    I’m also fine with the deadline moves for the most part. I’m happy he was willing to throw darts while being smart enough to not trade prospects or high end picks. All those moves will be off the books in the next 2 years which is when we should be looking forward to making free agent moves to match our development timeline. The Schenn trade is also fine, it’s not like we overpaid. Where I disagree is thinking it’s important enough to try and make the playoffs as to think that trade was necessary. I’m sure that was to some degree an ownership decision. If it wasn’t for that decision this would be a solid A because the rest of the deadline trades don’t matter long term and this has to be a long term outlook team right now.

13. 

    @darrellbevacqua3871 4 jours ago

    I’d grade Darche a C-. Other than the Dobber trade, his deals have left us older and slower. I especially dislike how he gave up meaningful draft picks that could’ve made this team younger and more dynamic instead of older and stagnant. LGI

14. 

    @donsmith3483 4 jours ago

    Simple: In a climate that the Isles could not win 1 series, knowing they need a rebuild, he traded away picks for players that weren't going to make a difference. We NEED picks, all the picks. The part that makes is worse, is that he KNOWS he isn't getting many picks from the players he has!

15. 

    @robertmarschall3169 4 jours ago

    Not sure how u can give Darche any grade because he’s not making any of those moves. Funny seeing senile Lou at the Bridgeport game. Eh Just an advisor my arse. Embarrassing

16. 

    @garylevine8021 4 jours ago

    I believe that is impossible and unfair to “grade” Darche’s first year…positively or negatively. Lou BURIED and HANDCUFFED an incoming GM with the absolute worst contracts imaginable. While Palat and Soucy deals didn’t pan out, Darche has to continue to shovel away Lamoriello’s manure. I believe that Schenn is a reasonable addition that brings a physical element and leadership to this team. Ownership should be held accountable for allowing Lou enough rope to hang us.

17. 

    @SusanBaczynski 4 jours ago

    Darche gets a c. He fell into Schaeffer the trade for Dobson great. After those brutal trades. I am sure management forced him to go for it, but he didn't get difference makers. If he resigns Lee yuck and doesn't trade Pelech for offense his grade plummets to a d. The Sharks have a lot of young wings with high potential Pelech for one or 2 of them makes sense.

18. 

    @SusanBaczynski 4 jours ago

    Lee's numbers are cratering and will continue to decline. Thanks for the memories but a lot of Lou's country club players need to go. I give him a c and that is because I am being generous. If he wants to come back 1 year 2 million max and trade him at the deadline if not see ya.

19. 

    @raymondsantoro7162 4 jours ago

    He didn do anything we need wingers that score and put the centers back were they belong and get rid of the centers you don't want.basiclly get rid of dead wood

20. 

    @DJIslander-g9g 4 jours ago

    Ok folks, let’s be real here. If you have been watching the NHL Playoffs and you are truly “objective”, you know this roster would have been physically mauled and swept out of the 1st Round. It is beyond obvious that this roster needs to get YOUNGER, FASTER and most definitely TOUGHER. I believe Darche sees exactly what we do and will use this draft and off-season to address the issues ( as much as he possibly can considering the contract situation we have regarding several useless roster players) plaguing this lineup from becoming that perennial Cup contender. I am absolutely CONVINCED that Pelech will be moved since he has a very favorable contract and is one of our better trade chips. That move would free up $5.7 million and free up a roster spot to allow us to give a younger Isaiah George a chance to be an everyday player. If that transpires, our LD could consist of Schaefer(18), Romanov(26) and George(22)…much needed YOUTH. On a personal level, I would absolutely LOVE to see Aitcheson make the team out of camp and give us a glut of young LD. Do not sleep on that possibility happening, Aitcheson just won Defenseman of the Year in the OHL after his 70 point (28G 42A +46) season. This kid actually is better statistically than Schaefer, so keep that in mind. Also, Aitcheson is a FEARED open ice hitter, our roster DESPERATELY needs that. This upcoming season is the one to let DeBoer play the kids and let them get established while we run the clock out one more year on the SHIT contracts that are killing us. I’d really like to see us establish ourselves as a fast, irritating team that goes back to being NASTY. We have been too soft for too long and I hope Darche addresses this problem as well. Going to be an exciting off-season…can’t wait to see how it goes.

21. 

    @Vixterminator 4 jours ago

    Here's the deal:  

    Lee never should have been resigned, to a 7 year extension, when the snake slithered up to Toronto, and scoooby lou arrived on the scene. A waste of money and a roster spot that should have been filled by a player who gives his all every season, and not just the last season of his current contract looking for a big $$$ extension like Lee. The same could be said for Nelson when he was here.

    Aitchison is a head case and needs to be moved in a package for a 2026 first round pick, preferably top ten. I would attach the head case to Mathew Barzal in a deal with Seattle or Vancouver, for their first round pick this summer. His immaturity and selfishness will lead to his a bevy of suspensions. I don't like his game, because he doesn't know how to play tough and use his body legally. He also has a mouth on him.

    Darche has been just as much of a train wreck as scooby lou in his first season on Long Island.

    Make things happen this summer, or we can expect the same results. For the past 10 years, our problem has been from the roster, not the coaches. If you want a top 5 power play and a top 5 penalty kill, then you need to coach/teach, trade for, draft, players who have the eye of the tiger. And can best be described as top 5 penalty killers and/or top 5 power play specialists. Our roster hasn't had the eye of the tiger type players since the Dynasty Years. Butchie Goring, Billy Carrol, The Sutter Brothers, Wayne Merrick, Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy, et. al.

    Eklund is too small. I would package him, with Aitchison and either Barzal or HOrvat if either would waive their NTC, for Brady Tkachuk. Unfortunately, Ottawa most likely would not make that deal. I like Tkachuk's size and energy. A much better player than Lee or Nelson when he was floundering and half @$$ing it around the ice. I swear i'd never seen anybody skate around the ice half asleep until I watched Brock Nelson's career as an Islander. And one more thing, giving up the picks he did, for Schenn, is criminal. Darche should be fired for that one move alone. A shonda!

22. 

    @cynthiastines8918 4 jours ago

    Good afternoon, Gil. How are you? Matheiu Darche deserves a B-. This was his first year as GM for the Islanders. Anders Lee. He's the Captain of the team, and he's partially responsible for the late collapse. I think he got a B-. Hear from you later, Gil, but before I go, I compared Matthew Barzal to Michael Corleone from The Godfather. He didn't want to get mixed up with the family business, but when Pajama Boy went back 🏠 to Toronto, he had no choice. As for his comparison to Kayce Dutton from Yellowstone, he too was reluctant to get mixed up with protecting the ranch, but he had no choice in the matter. They both had poise and pinpoint accuracy. Congratulations to Barzy for being selected for Team 🇨🇦. Now, LGI 🏒 🔵🟠

23. 

    @niryarden9007 4 jours ago

    Love the show, Gil! Darche started out great and then morphed into Lou Jr. at trade deadline. The reason Islanders won 9 more games this year wasn't because of anything Drache did but because of Sorokin, guy literally played on his head all season with zero support from a really soft defense. This team needs to be stripped down and built ground up with youth, speed and toughness to realistically compete. Doesn't look like Darche has that runway so expect more of same.

24. 

    @markbrian7179 4 jours ago

    They need to get younger, faster, do better on the power play (both offensively and defensively), and have more offensive punch in the lineup.

25. 

    @Another_User_Name 3 jours ago

    On the plus side, Darche got a good return on Dobson who wanted too much money. He drafted well in the 1st round, including Schaefer, when they really need a scorer and could have taken Misa. Eklund and Atchinson look promising.

    The late season acquisitions were horrible. We took on salary and gave up draft picks. The signings of Drouin, Shabanov did nothing. The resigning of Pageau keeps the team older.

    All that being said, I’d give him a C-.