The head coach of the Islanders has compared a recent signing to an all-time great, which is problematic.
The last game the New York Islanders played was just over three weeks ago. We’ve been dying for some Islanders content ever since the team lost in a shootout, 5-4, on March 10.
When Barry Trotz appeared on Hockey Central to discuss the Islanders, the coronavirus, and his coaching career, he gave us a little lift. He shares some insightful information about the Islanders 2019–2020 season in this 18-minute interview.
I would strongly advise you to listen to the entire thing, but one question about coaching superstars versus a team with more depth players (like the Islanders) really stood out to me.
“I would adore celebrities,” he utters after giving it some thought. What coach wouldn’t, really? Naturally, he has performed admirably with the Isles, who feature a single star and a good group of reliable NHL players. He had multiple stars in his last stop before the Islanders.
It is fairly evident that Barry Trotz does a good job of getting the most out of his players. Braden Holtby, for instance, went from mediocre to outstanding during a three-year stretch run in Washington, with Trotz starting in goal.
During that three-year period, he had the lowest save percentage (.922) and the highest goals against (2.22). Trotz’s “method” is intended to extract the maximum performance from his goalie; just take a look at Robin Lehner from last season. It’s just simpler with players like Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin.
This is not to argue that he hasn’t gotten enough from the Islanders—quite the contrary—he has contributed more than his fair share to this group. Rather, it should not be shocking given that at the end of the previous season, he requested more “pop up front.”
They made a big push to sign Artemi Panarin, and if he had signed here, the Islanders would have been among the best teams in the Eastern Conference, in my opinion. Sadly for Trotz, there is no midseason remedy here.
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Do they have space for a Mike Hoffman or a Taylor Hall in free agency? They are the best players available in free agency, despite the fact that neither is as talented as Panarin. Nevertheless, Trotz probably needs another star, and it’s acceptable to acknowledge that if he wants to make this team a real contender.
