Isles—Back to Basics

The Islanders have not been their old selves.  Playing with rust and not interested in doing what it takes to win.  Sloppy coverage in their own zone. They are allowing easy access into their zone. It is easy to blame the defence, but the forwards are not exactly hustling to help out.  Too many times, the Isles are being outworked in the corners.

Yes, the Isles' defence has had their problems—mostly speed. But in all fairness, this is not their only problem. That might have something to do with playing the Coyotes and beaten-up Golden Knights. The Isles went back to the way they played before and started doing the things that turn losses into wins. 

So what happened? Was it basically that Sorokin turned out his game? Or is it that Sorokin is stealing the game? The defense is still a little too loose, especially in the Vegas game. Sorokin was bailing them out.  Barzal was showing some signs of coming around. I like the fact that Whalstrom is being used more and his one-timer is beginning to connect. 

The powerplay has been struggling once again. It is too predictable. Players are not moving around. We have seen this movie before! The offense is stagnant. Barzal and Whalstrom need more support. The Isles have to use Poluck's shot as a weapon to get in front of the net, making it harder for the goalies. Right now, they are making it too easy for teams to defend.  

The upcoming road trip games are winnable. Taking advantage of playing weaker teams may get the Islanders moving up in the standings. It is crucial to their success that they don't fall into the trap of playing to the level of the opposition. The Isles should move up and up in the standings after this road trip is done. 

Randy

How Valuable is Mr. Cambell?

With Mrazek's injury, the Maple Leafs' goaltending duo has been put on hold. No offense to Michael Hutchinson; Campbell's role has just become vital to the Maple Leafs success. Hutchinson is what is a third-string borderline AHL goaltender. The key is when do we give Jack Campbell a rest? As much as we may want him to, Jack cannot play every game. Sooner or later, Jack will fall down and not get up.  

With the Bruins, Lightning, and Panthers, the Maple Leafs will have a hard time keeping up. All three of those teams will get over or close to 100 points. They are putting pressure on Toronto if they want to get home ice in the playoffs to keep winning. Bottom line: Jack Campbell's stock keeps rising. 

Jack Campbell Payday

How much is money will the Maple Leafs fork out to keep Campbell for next season? I expect Jack Campbell's representatives to use several goalies with the same skill level as Campbell to establish Campbell's value. 

Juuse Saros of the Preds has a cap hit of $5,000,000. Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins signed a $5,000,000 contract. 

Both goalies are comparable to Campbell.

An example of an upper-echelon goalie a little better than Campbell is Igor Shesterkin of the Rangers. He is making a $5,666,667 annual cap hit. 

Expect Campbell's cap to hit between $4.75-5.25 million annually for four years. 

That will make it a little difficult for the Leafs to make room, but I believe the Leafs will make the adjustments to fit him in. 

Randy