Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonnette weren’t shy about giving their opinions about the Islanders — and they weren’t exactly kind.
The former NHL players and “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast hosts were discussing the team on the show and ripped into the organization and the direction they’re headed in.
Ultimately, Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello and the players themselves will get the final say as to which way it goes.
But with the 2023 NHL Draft complete and free agency underway, the podcast hosts aren’t buying the idea that the Islanders will be competitive next season.
“I think the Islanders are going to be f–king horrible,” Whitney predicted during the latest episode of Barstool Sports’ hockey podcast.
The Islanders are coming off a year where they squeaked into the playoffs during the final game of the regular season, thanks in part to a late-season collapse by the Metropolitan Division rival Pittsburgh Penguins.
So far, Lamoriello has largely made moves to keep players in the fold — like the long contract for Ilya Sorokin — and added some depth pieces like ex-Ranger Julien Gauthier.
Whitney, who played nine years in the NHL with stops in Pittsburgh, Edmonton, Anaheim and Florida, mentioned the seven-year contracts handed to defenseman Scott Mayfield and Pierre Engvall.
Bissonnette quipped that the veteran Lamoriello — who was the GM of three Stanley Cup Devils teams — might not be at his best anymore.
“I feel like Lou has just given up,” said Bissonnette, who played parts of six seasons in the NHL and has blossomed into a hockey media star.
“They just gave Butch Goring a five times five,” Bissonette joked, referring to the MSG analyst and member of the Islanders teams that won four straight Stanley Cups from 1980-83.
The two continued to rag on Lamoriello, who joined the organization in 2018 and lured Barry Trotz to coach on Long Island just after Trotz had won a cup with Washington.
The team has made the postseason in all but one season since Lamoriello came to Long Island.
“He has checked the f–k out,” Bissonnette added. “The Islanders are going to get relegated after this season, that’s how bad they’re going to be.”
The crew from “Spittin’ Chiclets” have taken their fair share of shots at the Islanders over the years and Bissonnette, who is also an analyst for the NHL on TNT, even went as far as to call the Isles “the most boring team in the NHL” during a broadcast in February.
Though the words of the ex-NHLers may not sit well on Long Island, it isn’t hard to understand why the two don’t have much faith in the Islanders making it far this season.
Though Lamoriello managed to lock up star goaltender Sorokin to a contract extension that will kick in next year, the Hall-of-Fame general manager has focused on re-signing players that already have played with the organization rather than infusing new talent.
The Islanders’ cap situation has made signing free agents a tough task, and any offseason additions likely would have to come via trade rather than the open market, like when they acquired Bo Horvat last season from Vancouver.
The Islanders have been linked to disgruntled Ottawa Senators winger Alex DeBrincat, which would be a significant addition to the offensive unit.
But reports indicate DeBrincat has a desire to pay with the Detroit Red Wings.
If the Islanders end up floundering, it’s all but certain the podcast duo will make sure to be loud about it.
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