At any rate, it’s been a while since I posted in this space with the
whirlwind of stuff going on between game 6 and now the start of free agency. I
have all intentions of posting about the Isles draft day, but I feel we need to
see how the beginning of this signing period goes to correctly identify
organizational needs and how the rest of the roster falls into place.
So what forwards will the Isles have their eyes on? Here are a few
names to keep in mind:
Brad Boyes: We’ve been there
and done that. But with the familiarity, there’s always a chance the Isles
could fall back to him. He did put up plenty of points but other areas of his
game were lacking, most notably any physical play whatsoever. That part of his
game did go up a few notches once the playoffs started however. He’s looking
for a multi-year deal with a raise over the $1 million he made for the Isles
last season and some middling team with a need may bring him in as the 6th
option on a top 2 line somewhere.
Michael Ryder: The Islanders
have liked the player for a while, going as far to court him three years ago
when he found himself in this position. He ended up with the Dallas Stars that
year, and played pretty well in his time there notching 35 goals in his first
year before being shipped back to Montreal after 14 games this past season.
Ryder can still score, and is a definite upgrade over Boyes but the difference
is not very big. If he were being brought in to play with Tavares, it’d be
interesting to see how the team would do that as he and Matt Moulson are similar
players in style and speed and we’ve seen how ineffective Moulson is when on
the 2nd line. He’ll make close to the $3.5 million per year that he
made on his last contract and will get multiple years.
Mason Raymond: This guy has
been in trade rumors for the last three years it seems and yet the Canucks were
never able to find a taker for him. The former 2nd round pick has
been a decent player but always left people wanting more. He had one good
season in Vancouver (25-28-53 in 2008-2009) but aside from that he’s always been
more of a checking line guy. He’s only 27 so there’s always talk of the
offensive game developing later than people expected, which isn’t an uncommon
thing as we’ve seen from current members on this Isles squad. He’ll get plenty
of interest on the open market from teams with a 3rd line spot to
fill and could probably do an admirable job in the Isles system. He’ll get a
deal worth around $2.5 million from someone.
Jack Skille: Another player
who hasn’t lived up to his potential, the 7th overall pick from 2005
is still just 26 years old. He had some promising performances in the AHL in
his time with the Blackhawks before getting the call in 2009 but found himself
bounced out of town quickly once Chicago took their next steps. A solid grinder
who throws his fair share of hits, he doesn’t seem to have much of an offensive
game at the NHL level but is a guy I can see the Isles liking because of the
style he plays. This would be a short term, pretty cheap deal.
Clarke MacArthur: He’s only
a couple of years removed from some strong seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs
but has seemingly fallen off considerably. There was a time when people were
comparing him, Rich Peverly and Moulson because of how they bounced around
before becoming regular contributors at the NHL level. If we chalk up a slow
season due to the lockout then he can still pump in 20 goals, perhaps more
depending on who he plays with. The $3.25 million figure he made last season is
likely around what he’ll get from teams looking for secondary scoring.
Jaromir Jagr: Right I know –
he’s old, he’s slow, he didn’t score in the playoffs, blah, blah, blah. That’s
all well and good but if you watched these playoffs you would have seen some phenomenal
shifts from him. Just in the Cup Finals alone I found myself impressed that at
age 41 he was still able to hold on to a puck in the corner and behind the net
like he was in his prime. That is something that could be an asset for an
Islander team that relies a lot upon puck possession, where they can have a
more effective dump and chase with Jagr going into corners and likely emerging
with the puck. If he’s kept to reasonable minutes – he’s no longer the 25 minutes
a night guy he once was - he could be quite a get not only for his offense but
for the experience he’d bring to an Islander roster that currently doesn’t have
anyone who’s been to a Conference Final or a Cup Final in this century. Would
he come here though? Who knows. That’s the beauty of Jagr. No one knows what he
feels like doing next. No one saw the deal with Dallas coming from him. There’s
talk he’ll be retiring, but if he’s open to playing another year, the Isles
would have just as good a chance as any in signing him. It’ll be a one year
commitment for some solid money ($4 to $5 million).
Vinny Prospal: Here’s
another forward the Islanders have liked for a while. He’s older now but proved
the last couple of seasons in Columbus that he can still play. He’s been more
of a winger in his later years but has experience at center as well and playoff
experience the Isles would undoubtedly like to add. He’s proved the last two
seasons he can still put up 50-60 points and has been a valuable leader for the
Jackets. He’s likely to get a short term deal around the $2.5 million he earned
last season.
Matt Cullen: Once again, a
player the Isles have liked and been linked to in the past. Teams love his
versatility and with the holes at center and wing this might be a great option
for the Isles. If they determine that Brock Nelson is not ready for prime time,
then Cullen would be a great choice for 3rd line pivot until he is.
Can still contribute around 40 points and would provide leadership that, as pointed
out numerous times, the Isles lack. He’s had some great playoff runs as well.
That’s a long list of forwards that I could only make longer and with
the guys they will likely be talking to, but when it comes to actually making
the signings these guys are all realistic for a team that doesn’t usually have
the best of luck in UFA. With two spots they sound like they’d prefer to
address through UFA there are plenty of options out there to do so. None of
these guys are superstars or and not many are 100% ideal fits for what the
Islanders need but in UFA not many are. These are all character guys I think a
young Islander team can play well with. We’ll see what directions then go in up
front.
But the important issue for the Islanders is goaltending. They can add
as many forwards as they want, but without a solid tandem in net they aren’t
going to get much accomplished.
The options are pretty thin out there. I’m inclined to say the Isles
need to add two of these guys to make it work. If they were trading for one of
the bigger names out there it wouldn’t be as much of an issue, but if a couple
of these guys are being brought in to take over the nets then a better option
than Kevin Poulin would likely be needed. In a sense, I’m advocating the
three-headed monster similar to what St. Louis and Ottawa did this past season
when due to injury they had called up Jake Allen and Robin Lehner respectively
and could not send them down due to their play. Ottawa addressed their issue by
dealing Ben Bishop at the deadline, so it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the
world to carry an extra in case someone gets hurt. And when you see some of
these names and take into account Poulin’s history with injuries, it seems like
it’ll be likely someone would go down with something.
Evgeni Nabokov: We don’t
need to say much here. We saw what this guy has done for us the past two seasons.
We also learned the hard way that at 38 he can’t be relied on to play 85% of a team’s
games anymore. A regular 82-game schedule will help him next year with games
not coming in quick succession but the point still remains. In his first year
with the Isles he had some leg issues and that concern only increases with age
and workload. A fine choice in a 1A-1B scenario, He’ll likely get a slight
raise over the $2.75 million he got last season. But will the Isles be willing
to pay him that? It’s the reason why he’s on this list in the first place.
Ray Emery: This option is
one that everyone is torn on for sure. In a past life, Ray Emery was a solid
but flawed starter, and when you combined that with his off-ice issues and his
penchant for being a hot head you’ll understand why Ottawa was quick to buy him
out. He was scooped up by the Flyers after that and suffered an awful hip
injury that put his career in danger, but he was committed to coming back and
was successfully able to do so. Now 30, his life experiences the past four
years have put things in perspective and last season in Chicago he played in 21
games, dropping only one decision while winning 17. After considering a deal to
return to the Hawks, Emery realizes that his health being the best it’s been in
years, he has a chance to sign on somewhere in a 1A-1B scenario and will be
coveted. The Flyers and Oilers also have a need for goaltending, and right now
all signs point to Emery going for another tour in Philly. He’ll get a definite
raise over the $1.15 million he made last season behind Corey Crawford. Will he
get a multi-year deal though? It’s doubtful but might be what it takes.
Anton Khudobin: The wildcard
if there ever was one. Khudobin spent several years in the Minnesota Wild
organization before getting traded to the Bruins a couple of years ago. There
have been rumors of going to the KHL for him but with interest from Edmonton
and the Isles he’ll check those out first. He’s had a fine AHL career
(68-62-11, 2.53 GAA, .912 SV %) but when you try and translate that into NHL
numbers it doesn’t appear to be the best. However, in his limited time in the
NHL (21 games, 14 this past season with the Bruins) he’s been outstanding. A
team might be intrigued to see more in a 1A-1B scenario. And he might be
willing to take a team friendly deal to show what he has. He’d be an ideal add
along with Emery, Nabokov or maybe even...
Ilya Bryzgalov: Yes, I went
there. Bryzgalov went from being a coveted goaltender that was outstanding in
Phoenix to a mess in Philly and earned himself a buyout on the remaining seven
years on his deal. The universe loving Russian is most likely going back to the
KHL, but you can see the Islanders possibly being desperate enough to the point
where they want to give him a cheap 1-year deal in a situation where he can
split time with someone and play with something to prove in this league.
Tim Thomas: It would be an
ironic twist if one of the league’s most controversial figures re-signed with
the team he was acquired by last season in one of the leagues more
controversial trades. Thomas sounds like he wants to play again and his agent
is poking around the teams looking for any goaltending. No one knows what shape
he’s in, or what his workout regimen has been like in his year off so this is
the only bigger wildcard out there than Khudobin.
Johan Hedberg: Hedberg’s
contract was bought out by the Devils, and the 41 year old is looking for work
as his career winds down. A solid back-up for the Devils for a long time, he
had a difficult last couple of months last season once Martin Brodeur went
down. He can’t carry a huge workload like that anymore but could probably still
be useful in the back-up role, as he was early on in the season (as Isles fans
will remember well from those early season performances). If the Isles sign him
with the expectation that he’s starting more than 15-20 games we are in
trouble. He’s not a good option here really unless a true number one is added,
and that would only come through trade.
The options in net on the UFA market are thin. A trade would really be
ideal here with Ryan Miller and Jaroslav Halak’s names being thrown around.
Jonas Hiller could be available from Anaheim but he won’t come cheap.
Meanwhile, the Roberto Luongo saga continues in Vancouver even in the life
after Cory Schneider. How will he play this year after basically putting his
mind in a different city for the last year and change? Will the Canucks really
keep that contract past this year knowing about the cap recapture penalties in
the future? The Isles may decide that with plenty available on the open market
next year in goal (as of right now at least) it’s best they go for a short term
fix for now before addressing this for good next offseason. All but Luongo are
entering the final years on their contracts.
Newsday’s Art Staple points out that it’s unlikely the Islanders will
add anything in the form of veteran defensemen this offseason, which has pretty
much been the status quo even after Mark Streit’s rights were sent to Philly.
But should the Islanders change their mind and a good deal pop up I think they
would undoubtedly look at it. But it would have to be a really cheap deal or
even a camp try-out.
So having said that, if they were so inclined here are some options:
Mike Komisarek: We can file
this one under the 'yikes' category. It’s hard to find anyone who thinks he
still has anything left or can play at this level, and there’s a strong chance
many NHL GMs would agree seeing as how he couldn’t be traded even with Toronto
picking up part of the contract. Someone will give him a deal like Wade Redden
got back in January, or he’ll get a camp invite. He’s been pretty vocal about
being upset it didn’t work for him in Toronto and how he has a lot to prove and
is poised to do so.
Tom Gilbert: Another buyout
casualty, Gilbert was always thought of as a solid defenseman back to his days
in Edmonton. He has his warts and his salary didn’t give Minnesota any
justification for keeping him because of them but he’d be a solid get for a
team like the Isles. He can still play top-4 minutes and is mobile. He’ll have
lots of suitors.
Jonathan Blum: This would be
a similar kind of low risk move that the Islanders have become known for. Blum
was passed by on the depth chart in Nashville a few times over now and was not
qualified. He’s only 24 years old and has shown flashes of solid play but with
an already strong core of young guys that just added Seth Jones was part of the
numbers game. I’d suspect he’ll have a few teams after him with a need for
depth on their blueline.
Ryan Whitney: Overall, his
time in Edmonton was miserable and he was all but erased from the team even
before the season ended. Injuries have derailed any progress he was going to
make as a defenseman after a couple of good years with Pittsburgh and even at
the beginning of his tenure with the Oilers. He won’t be back in Edmonton, and
no one even traded for his expiring contract when the deadline came. How much
interest he’ll get on the open market remains to be seen, but one of his better
chances at getting a look in a top-4 scenario would be with the Islanders.
There are a lot of names out there that although unspectacular, could
help the Isles in certain areas. It was good to address one issue with a solid
young forward in Cal Clutterbuck, but they’ll look to add to him in order to
push the depth chart around and move on from the Keith Aucoins and Marty
Reasoners of the world.
The Islanders will be active in the sense that they’ll be talking to
many players and would ideally like to hammer down a forward and goaltending
spot, leaving the rest of the summer to get another forward and a defenseman if
they change their mind on that front. But we’ll have to see what gets
accomplished here on day one.
The names here aren’t the top guys, because realistically and historically
the chances are remote the Isles will meet their prices. We’d all like to wish
things are different now with Brooklyn on the horizon and a young team on the
rise but this team needs to show more than a six game round one loss before the
top guys seriously consider them on Snow’s terms.
Happy hunting, and to you dreamers out there…don’t dream too big! You might hurt yourself.
- Chris
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