I thought Bellows was pretty good? Is he just not getting the chance on the Islanders?

if you're a young forward and have one bad game, you won't play another game for a while. He was good in his first 7 games this season, didn't play for 3 weeks and then played two nights ago. He made a mistake in the defensive zone and trotz called him out after the game.

Ah got it. I hope he rebounds. I’ve always liked him. I think in the right situation he could be a 15-20 goal guy. Not sure if that would come with the Isles though.

bellows needs someone to get him the puck. He cannot generate his own scoring chances, he's a pure goal scorer. The isles haven't put him in a position to succeed. Wahlstrom has done well because he can drive his own line and generate on his own, it doesn't matter who you put him with. Obviously to maximize his skillset you put him with skilled players..

he has the worst underlying metrics on the team. that's not a joke. he didn't just make "mistakes" it was lack of effort on goal 1 and 3. literally collides with the boards on goal 1, its in the clip. he didnt play for 3 weeks cause hes bad. Wahlstrom is a regular now too so to say trotz just hates the young kids is a complete lie. I can already see it, bellows is gonna become a ho-sang type false idol to the dumb fans. bad hockey player who somehow everyone loves. I dont get it.

let the team down with a PED suspension during the bubble. even at the AHL had 16 assists in 125 games (!!!!) and every scout says he skates like hes in mud. hes just bad.

If history repeats itself, Johnston will be in the line up tonight to deal with Matheson and his dirty antics. Sure Martin could do it, but Matheson showed the other night he don't have the balls to drop the gloves with him and if Johnston gets the boot who will really miss him?

Bellows was awful again Pitt, but the first 7 games he played mostly with Ross Johnston and pageau, two players who don't have good playmaking skills. When bellows was with wahlstrom his underlying numbers were good.

This is from Scott Wheeler (head scout at the athletic)

"I suspect Bellows’ NHL outcomes are directly tied to his even-strength linemates and his power-play usage. If he ends up playing with plug-and-play guys on a third line, I’m just not sure he’s aware enough, nor quick enough, to create his own opportunities. But it’s not hard to imagine him thriving while playing within himself as the third-best player on a top-six line who scores regularly on one of the two PPs and holds his own at evens with a passing center."

It's almost as if putting him in a checking role doesn't maximize his skillset ....

Johnston will probably be in, but czarnik or even komarov (can't believe im saying this) are huge upgrades to Johnston. The isles get outplayed almost every time Johnston is on the ice.

this is simply not true. bellows has a 41 xG%. one game with Brock Nelson and eberle would not just alter success he had with wahlstrom. his worst game of the season was as the third best player on the line. Nelson maybe isn't "pass-first" per say but he records his fair share of assists and if you stick bellows with barzal you're only hurting barzal. bellows is a bust. busts happen. Dal Colle is better than him.

I'm not in favor of Johnston the player either, it's Johnston the enforcer I want in the line up tonight. Matheson has some pay back coming, for both Boychuk and that cheap shot to Barzal.

Bellows and wahlstrom had only 12:30 ice time together - 60 xGF% . More than half of bellows ice time this season has been spent with Ross johnston, a player that wouldn’t make Ottawa’s AHL team.

No doubt he had a bad game against Pitt, but it was his first game in a month...no PP time.

Bellows isn’t a bust - he’ll get taken by Seattle and end up doing well there - I’m all for anything that makes Lou + trotz look bad.

Ok let me just ask - what about Bellows game do you genuinely like? What has he put on the ice that makes you say the Isles are ruining him? I suppose it’s possible you might bring up the 2017 world juniors, but surely you see the issue with keeping faith in a player based on a 4 year old sample size. Otherwise, it’s been a struggle literally since that moment.

Bellows is literally the new ho-sang. Fans are going to be CANCER about him based on almost nothing.

And for the record, if you can’t produce without a superstar, you’re not a good hockey player. A worse Matt moulson at absolute best. He’s a bust.