1/8/2024 0 Comments The archive bridgeportPotential is a tough word to talk about because it means nothing unless you utilize it. "A couple of our younger players have to come forward with growing into the potential they have. "We need our players to grow," Lamoriello said. Lamoriello said the growth and development of the Bridgeport Islanders during their playoff run last spring was another reason for optimism. The General Manager's enthusiasm extended down to the team's prospects as Lamoriello praised the World Junior efforts of William Dufour, who won gold with Canada, as well as Aatu Raty, Eetu Liukas and Matias Rajaniemi, who took home silver medals with Finland. And I think that he'll make that next jump this year." "Each and every year he's become a better player, in my opinion, and I feel that he has the ability to lead us in different categories. "I have tremendous confidence in Mat's development," Lamoriello said. Lamoriello expanded a bit on Barzal, who will be a restricted free agent after the season and is eligible to sign an extension. Nelson is coming off a career-high 37 goals last season, while Barzal's 226 points (69G, 157A) in 278 games since the start of the 2018-19 season leads the Islanders. Lamoriello also cited the team's depth at center, with Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson, JG Pageau and Casey Cizikas returning down the middle. Lamoriello confirmed that Andy Greene and Zdeno Chara are not returning next season and that the team intends to fill in the sixth defenseman internally. The Islanders head into the season with "five quality NHL defensemen" in Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield, Dobson and Romanov. Lamoriello highlighted the tandem of Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin as one of the Islanders' main strengths, as well as the team's defensive unit. It starts with our goaltending goes through our defense and goes through our forwards." And I think we will be a little more offensive," Lamoriello said of Lambert taking over. Notably the Isles offense averaged 3.19 goals per game after the all-star break, compared to 2.36 before. After a rocky start to the season - punctuated by an 0-8-3 stretch - the Islanders showed improvement in the second half. While the roster remains largely intact, Lamoriello sees the coaching change as a way to get more out of his team. Tweet from Listen to President and GM Lou Lamoriello's availability ������ /JEcersdXSn ![]() If the pluses and minus don't work out, you're really downgrading your whole team." That's no different than throughout the season, but it's the price you have to pay to do something to upgrade in one position. If we could have gotten better, we would have done that. "I'm actually really excited about team that we have right now going into the season," President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello said. The Islanders, who went to the third round of the playoffs in 20, feel they are still in a good spot heading into the 2022-23 season despite not breaking the bank, or breaking up the team, to accommodate high-priced free agents.
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