Quoting: Isles777
If your best center at faceoffs is hurt (cizikas) you do not insert a player who can’t win a faceoff to save his life. That is reckless. For the record, the islanders penalty kill got better once Leo komarov was injured (someone on isles twitter posted the advanced stats and the isles have actually been more aggressive and effective since Leo went down). Also 5 v 5, when Leo komarov is on the ice the team gets peppered with shots, he is not good defensively 5v5 because of his speed and lack of puck control. He is good on the pk but like I said the pk took off once he got injured. You know who else is good in the locker room: lee, bailey, brassard , clutterbuck , boychuk. It’s a really bad excuse to use yet another plug just because of his locker room presence.
This has nothing to do with wahlstrom. If trotz wasn’t going to give him top 6 minutes (even though he deserved it) I wanted him back in Bridgeport. Playing him on the 4th line is horrible for his development.
Ok, but you're nitpicking stats to fit your narrative (again). The entire team is different now than they were the first handful of games this season. Barzal is more aggressive now, than the first 5 games. The offense is more engaged now, than the first 5 games of the season. The defense is jumping up more offensively than the first handful of games. Not to mention that if this illness/injury has kept him out this long, it likely was lingering to start the season. You're basing this entire argument on a handful of games this season when he was hurt/sick. Show me the same numbers from last season when Leo was in and out of the lineup and maybe you'll have a point.
But my point remains the same, Komarov has been a 3rd line player for us since he came here last season, which is EXACTLY what he was brought in to do. He hasn't done anything to justify sitting on the bench upon his return from injury. Now, if those numbers you cited continue and the team begins to struggle upon his return, then you may have a case.
All you are doing is feeding your negative narrative about the team because you don't like the idea that certain players are playing over ones you want to play. I've never seen someone complain about a team that has been playing so well over the last season plus as much as you do and for no good reason. Trotz and Lou are two of the best in the game at what they do. They have turned the Isles from a non playoff team to a legit playoff (and maybe SC) contender literally overnight and with the loss of one of our biggest stars... so maybe, just maybe, they actually know what they are doing when it comes to building a team.
As for the Wahlstrom thing, that was in there because for the injured guys to come back others had to be sent down and the most obvious candidates for that were Wahlstrom (needs to be playing top line minutes and, sorry, he was good in the NHL but did NOT deserve playing top line minutes there) and Bardreau (career AHLer before this season).