Isles Think Big on D, add Andy Sutton

On Friday, the Islanders announced the signing of defenseman Andy Sutton to a 3 year deal worth a total of $9 million. Sutton is an 8 year NHL veteran who has always been known for his shot blocking and his size. At 6 foot 6, 245 pounds, there aren't going to be too many people willing to step foot near DiPietro with him and Witt on the ice. Sutton is a definite upgrade over Sean Hill, who left for the Minnesota Wild last month. The fact the Isles were able to sign Sutton for only $3 million per year is a very good deal. On the eve of free-agency, Sutton claimed he was looking for a 4 year deal at $4 million per. As teams passed on that idea, Sutton found himself still available. Although he was easily the best defenseman left on the market, he needed to lower his salary demands and the Isles bit. And it is a good thing too.

The Isles were believed to be very interested in defenseman Danny Markov, however recent sources suggest his asking price might have been far too high. Red Wings GM Ken Holland stated that he wanted Markov back, but not at the $4-5 million per year he is seeking. My guess is Markov only wanted a 1 year deal for that money. The Isles made the better decision in signing Sutton for 3 years at a lesser price per year than Markov.

Last season, injuries limited Sutton to just 55 games, where he had 2 goals and 16 points and had a +6 rating. Even with all those games missed, Sutton still managed to finish 19th overall in the NHL in blocked shots with 162. In 76 games in 05-06, Sutton had 8 goals and 17 assists and finished 4th in the league with 195 blocked shots. This is definitely a shot in the arm for the club, and takes a lot of the burden off of Brendan Witt knowing that there is another stay at home type on the blueline. Sutton might even see some power play time if the Isles don't add a defenseman to replace Tom Poti, as he has always put up decent offensive numbers for a stay at home defenseman.

The Isles are expecting to add another center very soon, but who that center is remains a mystery. The most likely options appear to be Josef Vasicek or Jason Allison, both who are free agents. Vasicek is a very good 2 way forward, but hasn't really realized his scoring potential yet. Allison has only played in 1 of the 4 seasons, missing time for injuries, the lockout and a messy divorce. Still, in 05-06 Allison put up 60 points in 66 games for the Maple Leafs after missing the previous 2 seasons. Even with all the missed time, I think Allison might be a good option. But, the best, and very unlikely option out there is superstar Peter Forsberg. Throughout his entire career, Forsberg has been the ultimate playmaker and has the hardware to prove it with 2 Olympic gold medals and 2 Stanley Cups. Last season he put up 55 points in 57 games and in 05-06 put up 75 points in just 60 games. While battling through injuries and for the most part playing on just one leg, he was still able to put up spectacular numbers the last 2 seasons. This shows just how much of a franchise center he really is. At 34 years old, he still has a lot left in the tank, and if he proves he's healthy by training camp (which may or may not be the case) then I can see Snow making a pitch for him with all the cap space left over. As I said, this is a bit of a fantasy if anything, so I'd rather look at the trade market before I turn to Allison or Vasicek.

Stay tuned over the next week or so as Snow will most likely be adding a center very soon.

Hunter Award Coming Friday

Today, the Isles and Trent Hunter went to arbitration to determine his salary for next season. The Isles had hoped to sign Hunter long term before the hearing, but both sides were unable to agree. Both sides were fine going to the arbitrator, however, and the decision is expected to be out sometime Friday. Most of the time, arbitrators rule based on stats and not intangibles, so Hunter will most likely get a good salary in terms of his production. Last year, Hunter had 20 goals and 35 pts. Earlier today, Rangers forward Sean Avery was awarded $1.9 by an arbitrator. Avery had 48 points in 84 games for the Rangers and the Kings last year. Some see the Avery award as a comparable figure, and based on the stats Hunter should get below $1.9-probably around $1.2-1.3 million.

Recently, Hunter and his agent have talked through the media about the thought of possibly testing the market after next season. If that is the case, then the Isles might want to look at shopping him for some defensive help. I like Hunter very much and still have hopes of seeing him here for many years, but if he is unwilling to show a commitment to the Isles (though there is no evidence of this) then it would be in the best interest of the club to trade him. As the months and the season goes by, we should be able to get a better read on what Hunter's feelings are. Right now he seems intent on testing the market next July. That doesn't mean he can't come back, but 29 other teams will be bidding on him, making the chances not too good. He could also be traded at the deadline if the Isles can figure out his intentions by that time. But as of right now, i expect to see what comes Friday. Hopefully we don't have another case of Mike York on our hands here.

There have been no recent rumors for the Isles in terms of adding players. They sound like they are going to still be adding, the real question is when. The latest rumors came about a week ago, when some websites claimed that Snow called LA about Mike Cammalleri and were close to signing defenseman Danny Markov. But since all that news came out, all has been quiet here in Islander country. With arbitration awards being handed out now, and seeing the Edmonton Oilers make some really outrageous offers to RFA's, one has to wonder which route Snow plans on going. My guess is he'll wait till we get closer to training camp, and see which players are the odd men out on other rosters. A move can come at any time.

Earlier today, Mike Sillinger was on XM radio and said that the Isles are not done yet, and specifically spoke about the defense. That is good news because the current defensive corps, overall just isn't very good. Sillinger would not say if the move would come by trade or FA signing, but Snow does have some things he is working on.

One last note: recently there have been many talks about the Isles new jersey and what it looks like. The word right now is they are waiting until September to release the new designs, but some pictures have been leaked and there are a few different versions of what it will look like. In the near future, we will create a post with links to some of the photos and give you a general idea of what is going on with that.

Whats up with the Defense?

The answer to that question is not know right now, but it seems that it could be solved pretty quickly. It's just a little past 8 PM, and there is no noise coming out of the Isles camp. There have been rumors floating around about who the Isles are targeting, and there are many names out there that make it difficult to peg who the front runner is for the Isle's vacant defense position.

Garth Snow seems to have an increased interest in top free agent defenseman Sheldon Souray. It was originally rumored that Snow lost interest because of the price, but Greg Logan reports that Snow is now interested because Souray's asking price has gone down due to the fact that he is still on the market a week after it opened. Souray might not be the fleetest of foot, but he would definitely help the Islander's blueline out a great deal after they lost both Tom Poti and Sean Hill to Washington and Minnesota, respectively. In my opinion, I would welcome Souray and his shot to the Island if his price has decreased. I would be very interested in seeing how Ted Nolan would work with him and if he could turn Souray from an average defender into a very good defender with a booming shot from the point. Souray could add that star power that Long Island is lacking, and along with Mike Comrie, Bill Guerin, Ruslan Fedotenko and Jon Sim could help the Islanders become a true Ted Nolan team.

Other names tied to the Islanders are Danny Markov, Andy Sutton, Vitaly Vishnevski, Ossi Vaananen, Bryan Berard and David Tanabe. Markov plays a very intense style and could be one of the front runners to come to LI. His intense style does lead to some injuries, and last season he only played 66 games. He is very good defensively and would help the islanders out. Markov made $2.5 million last season, and he is looking for a raise over that amount. I think thats why no one has picked him up yet. Vishnevski and Vaananen are both very young, defensive defenseman. They are both very good options for Snow to choose from. Last season, Snow tried to acquire Vishnevski from Anaheim when they decided his arbitration award was much more than they could afford. He spent time with Atlanta and Nashville last year, and is known for his hard hitting. Vaananen is in the same mold as Vishnevski, and for the same reasons would also make for a good addition. Tanabe could make up for what the Islanders lost in Poti, although Tanabe has traveled around a lot in his young career. He could be an option is the islanders are looking for some sort of power play QB, but he is not that strong in his own zone. If I'm Snow, I stay as far away from Bryan Berard as I possibly can.

Free agency options haven't been the only thing discussed by the isles brass. There have been many discussions on going the trade route if they feel so inclined to do so. There were trade rumors surrounding the Coyotes' Ed Jovanovski, but those died down. It has not been ruled out though, especially with the recent additions of Bill Guerin and Mike Comrie. Another option could be Toronto's Bryan McCabe.

Right now, the Islander's defensive situation is very cloudy. But rumors always seem to include most of the players mentioned above. If I had my choice, I would probably go the free agent route and sign not 1, but 2 defensemen: Sheldon Souray and one of Vishnevski or Vaananen. The I would try and package one or more of Martinek/Campoli/Meyer along with an extra forward to see if we could get some help at center, because the options in the free agent market are lacking at the position. I have a feeling that the Islanders will sign one of Sheldon Souray or Danny Markov. My choice: Souray.

Regardless of who they decide to sign, many people are wondering when are they going to be signed. The Isles have a press conference scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 12:30PM. You would think that they would want the latest addition to be included in that as well, but as I said earlier it's already after 8 and there is no news. The quiet before the storm? Maybe. maybe its possible that someone is already signed, and it is being kept very quiet because they want to surprise everyone tomorrow. That would mean someone like Souray was signed or that McCabe/Jovo was acquired. If someone like Markov/Vishnevski/Vaananen was signed, I think something would have been leaked by now. I suppose anything is possible between now and the presser tomorrow, but it seems like we are still in murky waters when trying to figure out what the defense will look like next year.

Where there is smoke...

There certainly seems to be a fire burning. Rumors are circling the web today, saying that the Isles will add another piece to their puzzle. Supposedly, it will be a defenseman. Keep in mind that Sheldon Souray, a long shot for sure, is still out there. Vishnevski, Vannanen, and Danny Markov are all still available. My money says that one of them inks here today. The information is limited indeed, but keep in mind that Snow has been active over the last new dyas, and my gut tells me he will continue to rebuild this team.

Keep it here for updates as they come in.