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NHL FanPulse Results: The Islanders should be buyers, but of what?

But there is a subset who say “Sell!”

By Dominik

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New York Islanders v New Jersey Devils
Yes but “buyer” can mean so, so, so many different things.
Photo by Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images

Last week we tee’d up the weekly FanPulse question — Will your team be buyers or sellers? — with an assumption that just about all of you would say buyer.

While my own attachment to reality is debatable, it’s good to know that at least in this case I had that “pulse” right. Ninety-five percent of our respondents said, “BUY!” Granted, there is a subtle but not insignificant difference between “will” and “should,” but for discussion’s sake it’s all in the same pot.

Which reminds me, the question led to a really enjoyable, deep, on-topic(!) discussion in the comments, so I thank you for that. (And for the Arnold quotes/memes. Excellent. Way to get to dat choppah. Ice Man is now Dead Man.)

I guess 5% of you find life to be a futile exercise now don’t you.

Despite what some grumble about, we try to avoid hockey groupthink here and create conditions for people to share differing views on the Islanders. (And it generally works, even if you think Everyone Here hates Leo/Bailey/Ross/Whoever and overrates Dobson/Toews/Lee/All Prospects Ever. Why, someone recently informed me that there is even one reader who does not carry a laminated picture of Frans Nielsen on their person at all times. Even THAT person is welcome here!...provided I never learn who they are.)

But sometimes that difference of opinion is necessarily nuanced, or by degrees. This may be one of those cases. While I’d like to hear from the 5% who say the Islanders should be in sell mode, the comments in that post showed there is a wide range of views within that 95% who believe the Islanders should or will be buyers.

To generalize for a moment, I noticed a few clusters on what the Islanders should or will do:

  • Buy, but only along the edges for Trotzian depth
  • Go big, because they need a bigger boost to enter the true contending tier
  • Be willing to part with a first-round pick, life is short
  • HANG ON to their first-round pick, think of tomorrow
  • Aim for a pricey but young addition such as Sam Bennett or Kyle Connor

There were other views, of course — including the “They’re not that good, and there’s not a piece out there that can put them over the top” so don’t buy stance — but that generally captures the spirit, er pulse, of the thing.

Thanks for weighing in! If you want to participate in these weekly, one-question surveys, sign up here.

Elsewhere around the League

You’ll be able to find other fanbases’ views of their teams as posts populate in the NHL FanPulse section. But Winging It in Motown — where they unanimously have the Wings as sellers, obviously — already has a nice rundown. Including: half the Pacific is 100% a buyer! Because that division is crazy.

There are a few teams that are at a perfect 50/50 split of opinions on buying vs. selling, including the Blackhawks and Jets in the Central.

And then there is this sadness:

Man, how many false restarts has Buffalo gone through?

Anyway, thanks again for participating and/or elaborating in comments. If you want to receive the weekly poll, sign up here.