Could the New York Islanders Bring Back an Old Friend to Solve a Big Team Need?

It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Could the solution to the Islanders need for a puck moving defenseman and involve bringing back an old friend? We've got that and a lot more on today's Lockdown Islanders Podcast. ♪♪♪ Slides it out for Ekolow. Back to Hoffman, one by Pullack at twice! Another spectacular stop! Where Sartis hit up and a save is made by Mabrovsky Nelson. Lars Elle with the Open Nettity Scars! ♪♪♪ Hi and welcome to the Lockdown Islanders Podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. I'm your host, Gil Martin. I'm an Islanders columnist and historian and I wrote the book Ice Wars, which covers the complete history of the Islanders' rivalry with the Rangers from 1972 to the modern era. ♪♪♪ And welcome everybody to the Thursday edition of the Lockdown Islanders Podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. I want to thank everyone for making Lockdown Islanders your first listen every day. Don't forget to subscribe, we're available on YouTube, wherever you get your podcast, so you can get the latest episodes as soon as they drop. Again, we are now also available on SiriusXM on the SXM app Just Search for Lockdown Islanders. Lots to get to on today's episode, but first, if there's something Islanders related on your mind. If you have a question, a comment, maybe a topic you'd like us to discuss on a future show, feel free to send us an email, the email address, locked on Islanders at gmail.com. And if you leave your first name and where you're from, we're happy to mention you on the show when we discuss whatever it is that's on your mind. You can also follow the show on Twitter at locked on isles, and you can follow me, Gil Martin on Twitter. I'm at Ice Wars, NYR, VSNYI, and I'll keep you up to date on all the latest Islanders news, news, and happenings throughout a busy off-season, whether it's hiring, firings, trade rumors, free agency, or the draft, we'll have it all for you right here on locked on Islanders. So I'm always looking around the internet, keeping up with the latest hockey news and Islanders news and what have you. And the athletic recently released its list of the top players who might be available in a trade this off-season. And so they list their top 30, and then there's a list that says, others, we're watching. And yeah, there's some names, Josh Bailey, one of the others that they're watching, and that list the others were watching is alphabetical. So it starts with Bailey and goes all the way down to Tyler Yamamoto. But one name that caught my eye on this others were watching, you know, players who could be traded this off-season, Devon Taves, former New York Islanders defense men. And look, Taves has been really, really good for the Colorado Rockies since the Islanders were forced to trade him more or less due to salary cap issues. And he's been with Colorado now for the last three seasons. His best year, statistically by far, 2021-2022, when in only 66 games, he scored a career high 13 goals, a career high 57 points, and was a plus 52 and ends up winning a Stanley Cup ring for the Colorado Avalanche. This year played in all 80 games, goals down to 7, 43 assists, so still a 50-point season, and he was a plus 39. And again, you got to remember that the Avalanche certainly, you know, due to injuries and a number of other factors, not as strong of a team as they were, you know, the previous season when they won the Stanley Cup. And I'm thinking about the fact that Taves, if Colorado was willing to trade him, there are just so many positive reasons why it would make sense to bring him back. First of all, Devon Taves is only 29 years old. He is right now in the prime of his career, and he certainly has, let's say at least three or four more years before you even start to think, oh, you know, maybe he'll slow down. He right now, according to Cap Friendly, has a cap hit of just over $4 million. And that's not cheap, but when you consider that Scott Mayfield would probably cost you three to three and a half million dollars to trade for Devon Taves, who has one year left on that contract, certainly is not super expensive. And if you either trade, if you trade Josh Bailey, you've cleared all five million of his salary off the cap, you can certainly sign Devon Taves or add Devon Taves to finish out the last year of his current contract. And the fact that he is, you know, a one year left on his contract kind of guy may reduce the price and, you know, the avalanche, if they're willing to part with Devon Taves, it certainly would benefit the Islanders. And why, you know, what other reasons would you want to add Devon Taves? Well, let's start with this. Taves, sure as heck, knows the Islanders system. He played two seasons with the Islanders under Barry Trotz. And don't underestimate that. Lane Lambert, yeah, he tweaked the Trotz system a little bit, made it a little bit more reasonable or gave the defenseman a few more opportunities to try to get involved in the offense. But you know what, guess what? That only plays into Devon Taves' strengths. Taves is also a player who is good on the power play. Devon Taves has scored, you know, a few power play goals, but the bigger thing is power play assists. He had 10 assists with the man advantage in 2021, 2022, had six power play assists last year. And again, on the avalanche, he's more of a second team guy on the Islanders. I mean, you give me a choice as to, you know, who I would want quarterbacking my power play. No adoption or Devon Taves. I think, you know, most scouts, coaches, fans, players would say, yeah, Devon Taves, better choice to quarterback my power play than right now, at least no adoption is. And he knows the system. He knows the players and he'll give you minutes. The last three seasons with the avalanche. Average ice time per game for Devon Taves, 24, 46, 25, 22, 25, 06. He is not afraid to get physical, even though that's not his game. He had 93 hits this year in 80 games. So a little more than one hit a game, blocked a career high of 138 shots. And you know, he's not afraid to attempt shots. He attempted 309 shots, which is three and a half shots per game and 165 of them. So more than half of his shot attempts getting on goal. This brings you back. And can you imagine Taves, you know, who is a left shot, teamed with Ryan Pollock. And then you can certainly, you know, break down some of your other combinations. Pelik Dobson, Romanov, and either, you know, whoever else you add or ajo if he's willing to play the opposite side. There are other possibilities out there. Okay. But to me, Taves at four, a little more than $4 million a year for one year with the chance to possibly resign him. I would do it in a heartbeat. Again, what will the avalanche ask for? That's a different question. And it's a little hard to say at this point. But would I give up a, you know, a second round pick next year for Devon Taves? Yeah, I might. Would I give up, you know, a younger play? Would I give up a Simon homestrum or, you know, throwing Josh Bailey or different ways to do this? But I think that it would not be ridiculous for the Islanders and for Lula Amorello to at least pursue the idea of bringing back a player like Devon Taves, whose skill set certainly would fit in with what the Islanders need, who is a good teammate and who really, you know, would fit in well. Okay. Ideally, I'd rather he be a right handed shot than a left handed shot. But boy am I quibbling at that point. And I think it would be a really good move for the New York Islanders if they can pull it off. We've got more to get to on this episode of the lockdown Islanders podcast. There was a survey of arenas around the league. And guess, guess where the UBS arena came up? We'll talk about that. We'll also review Casey Sizikis's season and a whole lot more still to come on this episode of the lockdown Islanders podcast. Today's episode is brought to you by Bird Dog's Attention Active Individuals. Are you tired of sacrificing comfort for style when it comes to your active wear? Well, I'm introducing Bird Dog's the game changer in athletic shorts. Their premium shorts designed for maximum performance combined with unparalleled comfort and with their unique built in liner. 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I got to say this one's kind of annoying because they went out and CanadaSportsBedding.com made a study and they ranked arenas from the best in the lead to the worst in the lead. And guess what? The UBS arena, the beautiful new home of the New York Islanders, 32nd, dead last in the rankings. And look, I got to say I'm not buying this for a minute. I am not believing that that's where UBS arena belongs. But here's the thing about the rankings. The way they brought it down and the criteria that they put together, it's a little more understandable when it comes to why UBS arena ranks so low. And I'm not agreeing with it, but it's based on the criteria that they put forth. For example, they compared the average price of beer by the ounce, so one ounce of beer. How close the arena is to public transit, how close it is to external restaurants and then the availability of dedicated on site parking. Well, guess what? Beer at the UBS arena, while you got a lot of great choices, not very cheap. Public transit, still kind of getting there. I mean, the LRRR now does go both ways, so that's at least close. Shouldn't be a bad grade for that. Is there a restaurant that's really walking distance from UBS arena where if you park your car and in the arena parking lot and then want to go walk to get a quick bite, you know, there's really nothing around UBS arena that is walking distance that really would recommend itself as a great hangout. Now if I'm wrong, I've only been to a handful of games this year at the arena as I gradually returned post-COVID to the land of the living because I do have immunocompromised issues and need to take care of myself and be a little extra cautious. But, you know, I don't know of any restaurants out there that are walking distance from the arena and then on site parking, well, we all know you got to take the shuttle bus from the parking lot to get to the arena and it's, you know, if it's really cold or really raining or snowing, that's a whole different kind of a situation. So, overall, while UBS arena is great with the sightlines, you can hear the noise, you certainly have lots of great options for food and drink but not cheap, you know, I understand why the ranking was low but I don't necessarily agree with it. If you're curious, Madison Square Garden was 27th out of 32 arenas in the league. They didn't fare much better, probably a lot of that had to do with parking and the prices of things. And then, number one, Ball Arena, the avalanche's home, that ended up in the top spot. Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, home of the Red Wings was second and then the Blue Jackets home nationwide arena was third but, you know, you first see the results of this survey and you're like, are you kidding me? How could UBS arena brand new be dead last? It's really based on these flawed criteria that doesn't take the entire fan experience into consideration and I'll say this, I have been to two games this year at UBS arena. I was impressed. I was pleased. Would I prefer a more central location on Long Island? Yeah, I would. But that ship has sailed, obviously. The sightlines are great. The atmosphere was really good. So many bathrooms, so many things. I am happy with the UBS arena and quite honestly, based on what was set up, CanadaSportsBedding.com, you can put it any way you want it. I will be very happy with the UBS arena and it's ironic. You know, you think about this. For years, the New York Islanders fans had to defend the old barn, the Nassau Coliseum, because it had great sightlines and the location was great. I bet you Nassau Coliseum would have scored higher than UBS arena on this list and that tells me how flawed the criteria they set up really is. Because I mean, the beer would have been cheaper at UBS. The parking certainly would have been better. They would have done very poorly with mass transit, but every other category, the Mausoleum or the old barn probably would have done a little better. There were external restaurants you could walk to. It was on-site parking that literally put you a few feet from the door. You could tailgate all of those things. So I think that the criteria were flawed. You're not taking into consideration the price of tickets. You're not taking into consideration the sightlines, the atmosphere of the game, the comfort of the seats, the bathroom availability, the number of different restaurants in the arena. So again. The survey is flawed, but I'm tired of seeing this New York Islanders team get no respect, no matter what they try to do from the national and in this case the international media. So I'm not buying it. I understand based on these ratings why it ended up where it was. But like I said, UBS arena, I'll take it any day over a lot of other venues and I'm proud of Long Island's new home for hockey. So to you to the CanadaSportsBedding.com and I say that with a smile on my face. All right. We have got a lot more to get to. We continue our player by player. Look at this Islanders roster with a look at Casey Szeekis. Did he meet expectations this season and what is his expected role next year? We've got that plus our Islanders birthday of the day. All that and more still to come on today's Lockdown Islanders podcast. Today's episode is brought to you by eBay Motors for a championship team. It's all about making sure every player is a perfect fit. Well, it's the same when it comes to your vehicle. Every part needs to fit just right. So the next time you need parts and accessories, head to eBay Motors with eBay guaranteed fit. You could be sure every part fits just right the first time around. Just add your ride to my garage and look for the green check to know the part will fit or your money back because just like in sports, confidence is the name of the game when you shop on eBay Motors. And with over 122 million parts to choose from, you'll be back in the game in no time. After all, it's easy to bring home a win when the right parts are guaranteed. So get the right parts, the right fit and the right prices on ebaymotors.com. Let's ride. The eBay guaranteed fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. Just as we definitely all predicted, the 8th seed Miami Heat are one win away from the NBA finals. The Heat have the urgency. They have the focus. They smell blood in the water. They punch the Celtics in the mouth and the Celtics folded. The 2023 WMBAC season is officially underway. Olia Boston made her W.A. debut against Connecticut Sun on Friday. The number one thing for me is that she's really good. And four teams are left battling for two spots in the Stanley Cup finals. The Florida Panthers in Vegas golden Knights found ways to win in overtime in dramatic fashion. For more on all these stories, check out new episodes of Locked On Heat, Locked On Women's Basketball and Locked On NHL, all free and available wherever you get podcasts. So we continue our player by player look at the Islanders roster today. We look at center Casey Sizekis. Sizekis had a little bit of a maybe disappointing season from an offensive standpoint as far as goals were concerned, but did pretty darn well in assists. I think had a solid overall season. He played in 81 games, had six goals, 21 points, that's his highest point total since his career best 2018-2019 season when he scored 20 goals and had 33 points. He was an even plus minus. And here's the thing you get with Casey Sizekis. It's not just about the offense. Casey Sizekis is a leader. He is a great penalty killer and he is also a two-short handed assist this year. He is great on face-offs, 53.4% and he is a Dodged 4 checker. He will get physical and play well in that respect. And just overall helps set the tone for the New York Islanders. And you know he has at times moved up and played the wing when needed. When injuries hit on the wing Sizekis ready willing and able to step up and do that. He can play on your third line if necessary probably only short term, but he's perfectly capable of doing it. And he just is a very good team player. Averaged 14 minutes, 32 seconds of ice time per game this year. And again, 188 hits. That was a new career high. Blocked 58 shots. His best number since 2018-2019. I am a big fan of Casey Sizekis. He is 32 years old right now. We'll turn 33 next February. I think he still has a little bit more time left before you have to start worrying about his future. Now he has a two and a half million dollar cap hit this coming season. The problem after that three more years. So he is signed with the Islanders through the 2026-2027 season. And you know that's when he starts to get a little longer in the tooth. He turns 33 next season. So he'll be 36 when the contract ends. And again, Zeke, not a guy who relies on his speed, but will that physical style of play that he gives you start to wear him down. I foresee that Casey Sizekis is likely to be back with the New York Islanders this coming season. Probably going to be in that same kind of a roll. Fourth line center. Going on the wing, one of your top penalty killing pairs and just able to get that job done. Do the little thankless things that don't always get recognized in a box score or for fans who only watch highlights, but that make a big difference toward winning hockey games. So Casey Sizekis continuing to be a great Islander and a real team player. So hopefully he'll continue to be able to do that next season. Now it's time for our Islanders birthday of the day. And we're day early on this. That Friday will be the 26th birthday of Islanders forward Matthew Barzal. First round pick back in 2015, the 16th overall pick had some really good seasons in juniors with the Seattle Thunderbirds. Big assist. I mean, think about his last year in junior 69 assists in 41 games. His career high in goals scored still remains his rookie year of 2017, 2018 when he potted 22 goals and had 85 points. 14 goals, 51 points in 58 games this year. You know, that would put him over an 82 game schedule of somewhere around 70 points, probably 68, 70, something in that range. Two goals in the playoffs and obviously his late season injury had an effect on the Islanders, although they did well down the stretch, but boy, they could have used him at full strength in the playoffs as for Barzis best game. And we know his skating ability is his biggest thing. Well, how about April 1st, 2021 at the Nassau Coliseum? 1,400 fans allowed in as the COVID restrictions started to lift, but as the Washington Capitals came into town, Matthew Barzal had a career game. He scored a hat-trick. All the goals coming at even strength and added two assists, had eight shots on goal to pace the Islanders. Basically the Islanders had 33 shots on goal and Barzi had eight of them. There were times this year where, yeah, that would probably be three to four games worth the shots, maybe even five or six, but an outstanding game for Matthew Barzal. 5.9, including the hat-trick, as the Islanders crushed the Capitals by a score of eight to four. So we're a day early, but Matthew Barzal is our Islanders birthday of the day. I want to thank everyone for making lockdown Islanders your first listen every day, every day, or every day, or every day. Tomorrow on the show, we continue our player-by-player look at the Islanders roster with goalie Iliya Sorokin. So you won't want to miss that. And by the way, I want to just take a brief minute. We did just go over 1,000 subscribers on YouTube, and I want to thank each and every one of you for that. It is a pleasure bringing you this show and the fact that so many people appreciate it and subscribe and watch and listen, wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube, greatly appreciated. So thank you to all the lockdown Islanders viewers and listeners out there and to my every dayers. We'll be back tomorrow, have a great day everybody, stay safe, and of course, let's go Islanders. Just as we definitely all predicted, the 8 seed Miami Heat are one win away from the NBA finals. The Heat have the urgency, they have the focus, they smell blood in the water, they punch the Celtics in the mouth and the Celtics folded. The 2023 WMBAC season is officially underway. Oliya Boston made her WGA debut against Connecticut Sun on Friday. The number one thing for me is that she's really good. And four teams are left battling for two spots in the Stanley Cup finals. The Florida Panthers in Vegas golden nights found ways to win in overtime in dramatic fashion. For more on all these stories, check out new episodes of Locked On Heat, Locked On Women's Basketball and Locked On NHL, all free and available wherever you get podcasts. Hello Knicks fans, I'm Gavin Shaw, host of your daily New York Knicks Podcast, Locked On Knicks, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Locked On Knicks brings you the latest Knicks news and analysis and breaks down all of the action. Locked On Knicks is everything a Knicks fan could want all in one 30 minute daily podcast. So subscribe now to Locked On Knicks wherever you get your podcasts. Search Locked On Knicks and get your daily New York Knicks Podcast. Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.