New York Islanders: It's time to end the JF Bérubé experiment 2
Mar 5, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; New York Islanders goalie Jean-Francois Berube (30) during the second period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

The Jean François-Bérubé experiment hasn’t worked out. It’s time for the New York Islanders to correct the mistake.

It’s time to take off the blinders.

For months, the Isles’ fan base has been wondering what Garth Snow and his staff have been seeing in Jean François-Bérubé.

In the words of Lighthouse Hockey’s Dan Saraceni, “The Islanders [are] treating putting Bérubé on waivers like they’d be leaving a brown bag full of cash on a bench at the Port Authority.”

Well, it seems safe to say that the Bérubé experiment hasn’t panned out.

For that reason alone, it’s time for a changing of the guard.

Bérubé, 25, surrendered four goals on Monday night. He’s been pretty terrible this season, recording a league-worst 3.13 goals-against average (amongst goalies with ten or more games).

Sure, he’s not nearly as inept as Joey MacDonald or Nathan Lawson. But keep in mind that the Isles’ merry-go-round of backup netminders was supposed to be ancient history.

Instead, the Islanders have squandered much-needed points because of Bérubé’s well-documented struggles. It would be disrespectful to everybody—from Thomas Greiss down to Jaroslav Hálak to even Bérubé himself—if Garth Snow doesn’t make a move.

NOTES

  • Let’s make something abundantly clear: Thomas Greiss hasn’t been too special, either. But that’s partly because he’s been starting nearly every game. Why? Well… maybe it’s because Bérubé isn’t exactly reliable.
  • It’s also important to acknowledge that Bérubé has been placed in an unfavorable spot. He’s received meager playing time this season, starting the campaign as the last leg of the team’s triumvirate of goalies, and continuing as the often forgotten backup netminder.
  • While we’re at it, we might as well address the elephant in the room: Travis Hamonic’s struggles. Honestly, I’m at a loss for words. When healthy, he’s usually a top-flight blueliner—physically tough, positionally sound and mentally aware. But for whatever reason, he’s been off recently, and it’s hampering the team.
  • I’m enough of a Joshua Ho-Sang fan to have written a 2,000-word profile on him. So far, he hasn’t disappointed. The budding forward has showcased his immense talent (most notably his superhuman vision) while managing to escape any off-ice troubles.
  • I’m going to revisit a point I made a couple of weeks ago, not because I’m looking to brag or anything, but because it should serve as a sort of guideline for future reference: Cal Clutterbuck is an awesome grinder. He’s a fan favorite who was one of the league’s best fourth liners over the past couple of seasons. But that’s exactly the point: it’s foolish when a team awards a long term deal for past performances. As much as I’ve supported Clutterbuck over the past couple of seasons, he’s just never been worth the contract he just secured. Why he was suddenly worth the big dough at age twenty-nine is beyond me.
Justin Weiss is a staff editor at Elite Sports New York, where he covers the New York Islanders and Brooklyn Cyclones. In 2016, he received a Quill Award for Freelance Journalism. He has written for the Long Island Herald, FanSided and YardBarker.