'Eye' Carumba: Another Splashy Change in Islanders Organization

In a surprising move, the New York Islanders today announced a significant change within the organization: the relocation of their AHL team from Bridgeport to Toledo.

As part of the move, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers have been re-branded as the Toledo Walleye.

The new partnership was made possible in the wake of the Walleyes' former parent club, the Seattle Kraken, relocating their affiliate to Coachella Valley in the AHL's Pacific Division. The Walleye, meanwhile, will migrate from the Western Conference's Central Division to join the North Division of the Eastern Conference.

Both franchises finished dead last in their respective divisions in 2021-22.

The change comes at least in part as a result of the major internal review undertaken by the Islanders this offseason. Explaining the decision, however, Isles GM Kyle Phillips suggested there were multiple factors at play.

"First off, on behalf of the Islanders organization I'd like to extend my thanks to the city of Bridgeport and the Sound Tigers fans for their support over the last eight years.

"This wasn't a decision we took lightly, but it is one we ultimately felt was in the best interests of everyone involved.

"A lot of market research went into this. We looked at the numbers, we talked to the fans, and we concluded that support for the Sound Tigers was driven almost exclusively by interest in the Islanders.

"We're certainly happy that our supporters wanted to see the up-and-coming players in the system, but that meant a significant limitation on the size of the market available to us in Bridgeport. We believe having a single team in the Long Island-Bridgeport area provides more value for Islanders fans.

"Secondly, we've done our homework on Toledo, and there's tremendous support there for the Walleye. Fans there really care about their team, and attendance is strong year after year. That's a financial consideration we couldn't ignore, but at the same time we're excited to represent the community of Toledo.

"Ohio is a wonderful hockey state, and we think that with moving the Walleye into the Eastern conference there's a great opportunity to forge a rivalry with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.

"And finally, there was some element here of change for the sake of change. The Sound Tigers' performance in the standings was even more disappointing than the Islanders' last year, and we think a fresh start will do some good for the players, coaches, and staff."

Mark this down as yet another of the myriad changes for the Islanders organization since Phillips took over.

Only time will tell if this one is more successful than the many others spearheaded by the energetic GM in his seven months at the helm.