[GDT] 2020 EC Play-In Round: NY Islanders(7) vs Florida Panthers(10) Islanders win 3-1

[Wastedyouth]

Originally Posted by Saqe

Nope. After they won the division title in 2015-16 they removed Tallon from power, brought in the computer boys and about 20 games into the season fired Gallant. The result was a disaster as they finished 23rd in the league that year. It's been pretty much downhill since that point. Bringing in the computer boys was one of the biggest mistakes the franchise has made (in a long list of big mistakes).

You may be right, I am probably misremembering.

[Roof-Daddy]

Yeah the Panthers are horribly run. Looked like their rebuild would bear fruit and then they removed Tallon, fired Gallant, made several questionable player moves and then made Tallon GM again. If I was Ekblad and Barkov I'd want out of there ASAP. Lucky for Barkov he's a UFA in two more seasons.

[SuperMatt18]

Computer boys were the ones that fired Gallant.

Tallon was the one that made the questionable roster moves to rid the team of anybody the Computer Boys brought in.

-Trading Smith and Marchessault to Vegas to protect Petrovic in the expansion draft
-Traded Jason Demers (who has been good in Arizona) for Jamie McGinn
- Traded McCann and Bjugstad to Pittsburgh for nothing really

Rowe and the "Computer Boys" actually made some good moves in their 10 months in charge, with the only real black mark being firing Gallant.

Trades:
McCann, 2nd, 4th for Gudbranson, 5th
Packaged Bolland and Crouse for 2nd & 3rd to get rid of Bolland's contract

Signings:
Ekblad - 8 x $7.5M
Yandle - 7 x $6.4M
Huberdeau - 6 x $5.9M
Smith - 5 x $5M
Trocheck - 6 x $4.75M
Demers - 5 x $4.5M
Reimer 5 x $3.4M

Those contracts are all actually decent. Ekblad, Huberdeau, Trocheck were core players locked up at good RFA prices. Yandle has been a 50 pt top pairing guy for the Panthers, Smith put up 50 points in year 1, had a down year in year two and then Tallon lost his mind in the expanson draft.

Demers is a bit overpaid but he's been good for Arizona as a top 4 dman averaging 20 minutes a game. Even the Reimer deal wasn't that bad, he went .920 and .913 his first two seasons in Florida, then had a down year at .900 and Tallon decided to trade him for Scott Darling so they could sign Bobrovsky.

[Sylvanfan]

The Panthers are a team with too much money tied up on Defence and Goaltending that is not performing anywhere near elite level.

I don't really watch them ever, so I don't know the team all that well, but is Mike Matheson really a player who is worth 4.875 million a season? Possibly his counting stats look similar to Anderson or Hanifan, but to have 3 guys ahead of him making more has him as one of the most expensive #4 D men in the league. Than account for Ekblad and Yandle being pretty high paid as the top 2 and a 10 million dollar guy in net. You better be in the mix for the Jennings trophy with a roster like that. Especially with Florida being a no tax state where the salary's should be lower than in many other markets.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Computer boys were the ones that fired Gallant.

Tallon was the one that made the questionable roster moves (Trading Smith and Marchessault to Vegas to protect Petrovic in the expansion draft)

Yeah it's just a mess all around really.

When they won the division they had 19 year old Barkov, 22 year old Trochek and a 23 year old Bjugstadt as their top 3 centers plus they had Huberdeau, Smith, Matheson kicking around too. Looked like they were just getting going really.

Hopefully they keep doing stupid things, because the Flames could really use either of Barkov or Ekblad.

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

Yeah the Panthers are horribly run. Looked like their rebuild would bear fruit and then they removed Tallon, fired Gallant, made several questionable player moves and then made Tallon GM again. If I was Ekblad and Barkov I'd want out of there ASAP. Lucky for Barkov he's a UFA in two more seasons.

I enjoyed the experience of going to a Panthers game a few years ago. Its like being at a Hitmen game with the 6000 total attendance. The people who work at the stadium who asked what jersey I was wearing (hint it was a Flames jersey who was the opponent that night). The rando stuff like the Ric Flair Woo after a goal. I asked myself if I was a hockey player would I want to play here?

Then I realized you get to play hockey basically in a Canadian summer. You can be in the Caribbean in a few hours by boat. If you are single, well Miami enough said.

I think there will always be players like Luongo that are great and want to live there in the winter. Then home for the summer. Sure you never win, but you get paid well and Winnipeg it ain't.

[agulati]

Isles and Panthers tied at 1 goal a piece at the end of the second period.

[Canada 02]

Isles score 1 with the EN; now 3-2 with 90 sec remaining

[agulati]

Panthers hold on to 3-2 to stay alive in the play-in

[Wood]

What a mistake that Mike Matheson contract was

Tallon gave him 8y/$4.875M after playing less than 20 NHL games IIRC. 2 seasons in it's a disaster

Matheson was on the ice for all 5 goals against in the 5-0 blowout exhibition game vs Tampa

He was to blame for a couple of goals in game 1 after bad line changes and poor play. In game 2 he was out of position multiple times, Matheson even hit his own player (Boyle I believe) and allowed the Islanders to score, after already putting up 6 PIM in the first period

Matheson also injured Boychuk with a questionable hitand has been fined for a vicious high stick

Not surprisingly Quenville healthy scratched Matheson for the game 3 victory

There's still 6 years left in the deal and I believe there's a NTC kicking in

[agulati]

Islanders defeat the panthers 5-1 to move on to the playoffs. Panthers join the Jets, and Rangers for the Lafreniere draft lottery.