New Vision for Walleye?

Just over two years after dynamiting his farm team's roster in the midst of a disappointing season in Bridgeport, Islanders GM Kyle Phillips is putting on a repeat performance in Toledo.

In two AHL blockbusters with the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers over the weekend, the Walleye bid farewell to No.1 defenseman Marcus Bjork, No. 1 center Mikhail Maltsev, 1st-line forward Mackenzie Entwistle, and big-ticket bust Dryden Hunt.

The shakeup comes on the heels of a four-game showdown with the division rival Portland Pirates which saw the Walleye go 1-3-0 while falling to 17th in the AHL standings by points percentage. 

Apparently that was the last straw in what has been an up-and-down season that currently sees Toledo clinging to the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.

"From ownership down, we invested a lot during the off-season to make the Walleye a team that would compete for the Calder Cup," said Phillips in a telephone interview shortly after the deals were finalized.  

"What we saw over the first four months made it clear that wasn't going to happen with the group as constituted, so we're heading in a different direction while also strengthening our stable of young players."

To that end, Phillips managed to add five prospects to the Islanders organization, all of them 22 or younger: forwards William Strömgren (taken 54th overall in the 2021 EHE Draft), Evan Vierling (110th in '20), and Haakon Hänelt (196th in '20), along with defensemen Simon Forsmark (104th in '20) and Joni Jurmo (106th in '20).

"We're certainly looking at a bit of a youth movement down on the farm," Phillips elaborated, "because as it stands we have seven prospects who will be transitioning to the AHL in 2024-25, so at some point we needed to clear some roster spots.

"And besides that, something just wasn't clicking with the team overall, so we felt this was the proper time to make these moves.

"Having said that, our players and fans should know that we're not giving up on a playoff spot. Yes, we've moved out a lot of talent in the last 24 hours, but over the last month we've also brought in guys who can help us, guys like Justin Barron, Michael Mersch, and Kale Clague.

"We still have lots of good players, and at least one goaltender who keeps us in it almost every night. And on top of that, the trade deadline is still at least a month away.

"What I'm saying is: there's still lots to play for."