Something occurred to me as I spoke to Butch Goring soon after confirming my fears that the Islanders’ would go for flexibility over pure talent with their opening roster: Barry Trotz is still figuring out what he has on the roster, and he probably appreciates as much flexibility as possible in that quest to figure out where all the pieces will best fit his scheme.
Goring wasn’t talking about the roster when he said this, but it applies: “Having been a coach, I know, it simply takes a while,” Goring said. “New team, new GM, it takes a while for a coach to understand what each of his players is capable of, and it takes a while for the players to understand what a new coach’s expectations are.