Good morning everyone and welcome to July 1st! The day many hockey fans look forward to in general.
A lot of guys have elected to re-sign with their respective teams, while a few realized that they could cash in on a weak market. Some had their rights traded, and they cashed in big time (Steve Montador). Christian Ehrhoff said no to the Islanders and before I could get a post up about it, and signed a deal that blatantly circumvents the cap with Buffalo (10 years, $40 million with $18 million in the first to years).
As hockey fans, we love days that have player movement. It's hard to judge what the Islanders will do now after losing out on Ehrhoff, but they have plenty of time to make their team. There are some solid pieces out there though for teams looking to improve, and a few players that if signed by the Isles will only help them in getting out of lottery territory.
As is the case every year, we'll be doing our live show today from 12 - 4 PM. We're going back to our roots at WCWP. You can listen to us through the WCWP sports website.
Special guests today include Kevin Allen, Andy Strickland, Pat Hickey and Ted Wyman.
We'll give you details about how to submit your questions be it through AIM, chat rooms or by calling in to the show. Be sure to listen to what we say for details.
Enjoy the day everyone!
Showing posts with label Kevin Allen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kevin Allen. Show all posts
September 4, 2010
Weight Signs; Other End of August Tidbits
Since a number of items have happened over the past couple of weeks that we didn't get a chance to cover, I wanted to address them all in one long quick hit update. So, here goes:
DOUG WEIGHT RE-SIGNS: The Islanders and captain Doug Weight finally closed the deal, as the center agreed to a one-year contract for $875K. There are $300K in bonuses in the contract that can bring the total up to as much as $1.15 million.
Many people had their doubts about wanting Weight back, but when he ended his season early in order to get the much needed surgery on the torn labrum and rotator cuff that he injured in November you should have known that he was thinking about continuing to play. Doug still has some left in the tank, so why not? He has said that he is recovering very well and should be able to participate in training camp, and has also said he is feeling the best he has since he came to the Islanders in 2008.
What I find interesting is that he says the shoulder has been nagging him over the last few seasons, especially since he joined the team. In that first season here, while battling groin issues as well, Weight was still able to go 10-28-38 in just 53 games, and was pretty effective as a powerplay quarterback. We already know about all the intangibles he provides, but I'm curious to see what a much healthier Weight can provide offensively this year.
Some folks seem to think that Weight will get the benefit of the doubt, and get ice time that he may not deserve. Last season, there were various players who had their ice time cut in favor of younger players when it was warranted. Scott Gordon isn't afraid to do what he has to in order to make this team perform at it's best. He is in his contract year, and the goal for this season is playoffs. Doug won't be among the leaders in 5-on-5 ice time, but you can bet he'll be near the top when it comes to powerplay time.
SIM AND HILBERT RETURN: The Islanders brought back a couple of former Islanders when they inked Jon Sim and Andy Hilbert to one-year deals. Sim just finished the final year of the three year contract that he signed with the Islanders prior to the 2007-08 season. After having a rather tumultuous first two seasons, Sim was actually not too bad in his agitator role last season, and it isn't even a guarantee that he makes the roster this year seeing as he has a two-way contract. When he had his AHL stint in 2009 after being waived by the big club, he got 23 points in 18 games. The Sound Tigers have lost some fire power and leadership down there, so it is a welcome addition for them. He is not a terrible option to have when players go down with injury or if a game requires the Isles to add a last minute "pest."
Hilbert left the Isles after the 2008-09 season, signing with the Minnesota Wild. Hilbert, who only saw four games in the NHL last season, signed a two-way contract as well. Hilbert was a guy who always did fairly well on the penalty kill, and is another guy who isn't a terrible option on the fourth line. As is the case with Sim, this is another welcome addition to Bridgeport as he had 25 points in 33 games with the Houston Aeros last season.
Many people panicked when these contracts were announced. However, the fact that they have both signed two-way deals shows that they aren't guaranteed a roster spot. They are two guys who know the system, liked playing here, and never complained about their roles. Both are willing to go down to Bridgeport and provide some offense and leadership that the Tigers are sorely lacking after the loss of guys like Trevor Smith and Greg Mauldin. The Islanders young players have been coming around nicely, and with that their ice times will increase as well, which would mean guys like Sim and Hilbert would be more likely to play in roles that suit them better. Either way, glad to have both back in this situation for depth to the club and to make for some healthy competition at training camp. Speaking of which...
TRAINING CAMP INVITES: As we rapidly approach the start of training camp, we have not yet received any word on the Islanders having any confirmed players for training camp yet. A couple of weeks ago, USA Today's Kevin Allen reported that the Islanders had reached out to agents with UFA's and said that they would welcome players for try outs. This is not a bad strategy, especially for a team at this point in the rebuild. The pickings are extremely slim now, and some of the only decent options that are out there have opted to go overseas. But there could still be some good finds, such as Fredrik Modin (Edit: Modin is reportedly signing with the Atlanta Thrashers) or Marek Svatos. Whether or not those two would be willing to accept invites is another story.
Many people seem to think there is an excellent chance we'll see one or more of Mark Parrish, Miroslav Satan or Ruslan Fedotenko in camp this year. All three former Islanders enjoyed their time here, and Parrish and Satan were training at Iceworks in Syosset as recently as last season, when there were on and off rumors of the Islanders signing them. The Islanders did end up bringing Parrish back on a minor league deal a couple of seasons ago, but that didn't last long as he was signed by the Dallas Stars for the remainder of that season. Satan ended up signing mid way through last season with the Boston Bruins.
The Islanders are no strangers to training camp invites, and actually signed most of the guys they brought in. In 2006-07, both Mike Dunham and Richard Park found their way onto the club through invites, while the 2007-08 squad picked up Bryan Berard. We are at the point now where we start to hear about guys attending camps on invites, so we'll definitely keep our eyes open for any news.
BERGIE AND MEYER MOVE ON: A couple of weeks back there was a run on teams signing former Islander fan favorites, with Sean Bergenheim signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Freddy Meyer signing with the Atlanta Thrashers.
Bergenheim got a 1-year deal at $700K, and gets to join a team that is much improved this offseason. He and the Islanders were at a crossroads after last season, and the team felt that it was best to part ways with the often inconsistent winger. Many people expected better offensive production out of Bergenheim, but he was generally solid defensively. However, there were times he would get into ruts where he would struggle in all aspects of the game and take some bad penalties on top of that. There were points where it seemed that he was over thinking the game and what he was doing. Now, he walks into a situation in Tampa that is probably better suited for him since he will not be looked at to be a primary source of offense.
Freddy Meyer got a 1-year, 2-way deal from the Thrashers. After loosing Andy Sutton at the trade deadline last season, Meyer became one of the Islanders better defensemen. He would often throw some punishing hits and blocked a lot of shots too. He was a guy who I was hoping would return for some depth, but with the Isles bringing in 3 new defensemen it sort of spelled the end for Meyer. He'll provide some good depth for Atlanta.
We'd like to wish these two fan favorites the best, and look forward to seeing them with their new teams this season.
GORING REPLACES JAFFE: MSG Network announced that current in-game analyst Butch Goring will be sliding into Billy Jaffe's old role along side Howie Rose as color commentator. This should come as no surprise. In the post I made a couple of weeks back about Jaffe leaving, I mentioned that Goring was going to be a top candidate. I'm very curious to see how Goring does in his new role. Jaffe did an excellent job, and provided some great insight into games. He was frequently on the national TV broadcasts, and I would imagine he still will be.
Jaffe has not said what he plans to do next, but someone is going to get one hell of a broadcasting talent. I hope to be able to watch many of the national games and have Jaffe there, breaking down the plays like a coach just like he did for the past four years during Islanders games. Good luck to him in whatever he decides to do next.
Those are the updates that I have been wanting to give you guys for the last little while. Most of the important stuff is now covered. Right now, I'm working on a couple of pieces talking about the Kovalchuk decision and the new amendment to the CBA, as well as some posts on the makeup of the Isles as we head to camp. As I said, I'm going to start pumping out these posts so be sure to look for them.
-Chris
nyifyi@gmail.com
DOUG WEIGHT RE-SIGNS: The Islanders and captain Doug Weight finally closed the deal, as the center agreed to a one-year contract for $875K. There are $300K in bonuses in the contract that can bring the total up to as much as $1.15 million.
What I find interesting is that he says the shoulder has been nagging him over the last few seasons, especially since he joined the team. In that first season here, while battling groin issues as well, Weight was still able to go 10-28-38 in just 53 games, and was pretty effective as a powerplay quarterback. We already know about all the intangibles he provides, but I'm curious to see what a much healthier Weight can provide offensively this year.
Some folks seem to think that Weight will get the benefit of the doubt, and get ice time that he may not deserve. Last season, there were various players who had their ice time cut in favor of younger players when it was warranted. Scott Gordon isn't afraid to do what he has to in order to make this team perform at it's best. He is in his contract year, and the goal for this season is playoffs. Doug won't be among the leaders in 5-on-5 ice time, but you can bet he'll be near the top when it comes to powerplay time.
SIM AND HILBERT RETURN: The Islanders brought back a couple of former Islanders when they inked Jon Sim and Andy Hilbert to one-year deals. Sim just finished the final year of the three year contract that he signed with the Islanders prior to the 2007-08 season. After having a rather tumultuous first two seasons, Sim was actually not too bad in his agitator role last season, and it isn't even a guarantee that he makes the roster this year seeing as he has a two-way contract. When he had his AHL stint in 2009 after being waived by the big club, he got 23 points in 18 games. The Sound Tigers have lost some fire power and leadership down there, so it is a welcome addition for them. He is not a terrible option to have when players go down with injury or if a game requires the Isles to add a last minute "pest."
Hilbert left the Isles after the 2008-09 season, signing with the Minnesota Wild. Hilbert, who only saw four games in the NHL last season, signed a two-way contract as well. Hilbert was a guy who always did fairly well on the penalty kill, and is another guy who isn't a terrible option on the fourth line. As is the case with Sim, this is another welcome addition to Bridgeport as he had 25 points in 33 games with the Houston Aeros last season.
Many people panicked when these contracts were announced. However, the fact that they have both signed two-way deals shows that they aren't guaranteed a roster spot. They are two guys who know the system, liked playing here, and never complained about their roles. Both are willing to go down to Bridgeport and provide some offense and leadership that the Tigers are sorely lacking after the loss of guys like Trevor Smith and Greg Mauldin. The Islanders young players have been coming around nicely, and with that their ice times will increase as well, which would mean guys like Sim and Hilbert would be more likely to play in roles that suit them better. Either way, glad to have both back in this situation for depth to the club and to make for some healthy competition at training camp. Speaking of which...
TRAINING CAMP INVITES: As we rapidly approach the start of training camp, we have not yet received any word on the Islanders having any confirmed players for training camp yet. A couple of weeks ago, USA Today's Kevin Allen reported that the Islanders had reached out to agents with UFA's and said that they would welcome players for try outs. This is not a bad strategy, especially for a team at this point in the rebuild. The pickings are extremely slim now, and some of the only decent options that are out there have opted to go overseas. But there could still be some good finds, such as Fredrik Modin (Edit: Modin is reportedly signing with the Atlanta Thrashers) or Marek Svatos. Whether or not those two would be willing to accept invites is another story.
Many people seem to think there is an excellent chance we'll see one or more of Mark Parrish, Miroslav Satan or Ruslan Fedotenko in camp this year. All three former Islanders enjoyed their time here, and Parrish and Satan were training at Iceworks in Syosset as recently as last season, when there were on and off rumors of the Islanders signing them. The Islanders did end up bringing Parrish back on a minor league deal a couple of seasons ago, but that didn't last long as he was signed by the Dallas Stars for the remainder of that season. Satan ended up signing mid way through last season with the Boston Bruins.
The Islanders are no strangers to training camp invites, and actually signed most of the guys they brought in. In 2006-07, both Mike Dunham and Richard Park found their way onto the club through invites, while the 2007-08 squad picked up Bryan Berard. We are at the point now where we start to hear about guys attending camps on invites, so we'll definitely keep our eyes open for any news.
BERGIE AND MEYER MOVE ON: A couple of weeks back there was a run on teams signing former Islander fan favorites, with Sean Bergenheim signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Freddy Meyer signing with the Atlanta Thrashers.
Bergenheim got a 1-year deal at $700K, and gets to join a team that is much improved this offseason. He and the Islanders were at a crossroads after last season, and the team felt that it was best to part ways with the often inconsistent winger. Many people expected better offensive production out of Bergenheim, but he was generally solid defensively. However, there were times he would get into ruts where he would struggle in all aspects of the game and take some bad penalties on top of that. There were points where it seemed that he was over thinking the game and what he was doing. Now, he walks into a situation in Tampa that is probably better suited for him since he will not be looked at to be a primary source of offense.
Freddy Meyer got a 1-year, 2-way deal from the Thrashers. After loosing Andy Sutton at the trade deadline last season, Meyer became one of the Islanders better defensemen. He would often throw some punishing hits and blocked a lot of shots too. He was a guy who I was hoping would return for some depth, but with the Isles bringing in 3 new defensemen it sort of spelled the end for Meyer. He'll provide some good depth for Atlanta.
We'd like to wish these two fan favorites the best, and look forward to seeing them with their new teams this season.
GORING REPLACES JAFFE: MSG Network announced that current in-game analyst Butch Goring will be sliding into Billy Jaffe's old role along side Howie Rose as color commentator. This should come as no surprise. In the post I made a couple of weeks back about Jaffe leaving, I mentioned that Goring was going to be a top candidate. I'm very curious to see how Goring does in his new role. Jaffe did an excellent job, and provided some great insight into games. He was frequently on the national TV broadcasts, and I would imagine he still will be.
Jaffe has not said what he plans to do next, but someone is going to get one hell of a broadcasting talent. I hope to be able to watch many of the national games and have Jaffe there, breaking down the plays like a coach just like he did for the past four years during Islanders games. Good luck to him in whatever he decides to do next.
Those are the updates that I have been wanting to give you guys for the last little while. Most of the important stuff is now covered. Right now, I'm working on a couple of pieces talking about the Kovalchuk decision and the new amendment to the CBA, as well as some posts on the makeup of the Isles as we head to camp. As I said, I'm going to start pumping out these posts so be sure to look for them.
-Chris
nyifyi@gmail.com
September 3, 2010
A Dream Come True - NYI FYI joins the Blog Box
Well, I know that it's been a while since the last post here. However, much has gone on, especially over the past two weeks or so. I figure given these recent events, now is a good time to give you guys a post with a special announcement to catch up since things are moving along fast and furious with training camps just around the corner.
I am proud to tell you all that I have been selected to be an official member of the New York Islanders Blog Box for the upcoming season (yes, I know my name is spelled wrong in the article but we'll ignore that for now). Needless to say, this is a dream come true.
Just to give you all some background, Sean and I have been wanting to become re-affiliated with the team in some capacity. As some of you may remember, we used to have our podcasts taken and put up on IslandersTV for everyone around the world to see back during the 2007-2008 season. In June, the Islanders presented the opportunity for new bloggers to try out, and I decided to throw my hat in the ring on behalf of NYI FYI. The audition was to go to the draft party on June 25th and use every resource available and paint a picture for the readers. For those of you who might have missed it, this was what I was able to come up with.
When the Islanders first announced their plans to have a Blog Box back in 2007, I created this blog with the idea of trying to join that. But at the same time, Sean approached me about doing the radio show, and all the time and resources we had went to planning and preparing for the shows. The blog had been put on the back burner for a bit.
When I started blogging again, I never thought that I would be able to take it this far. The show has been pretty good for us, as we gained our own little cult of followers and were able to get some big name people come on the air with us over the last few seasons such as Steve Mears, Chris Botta and Kevin Allen.
One thing that I have always been grateful for was the support and help I've had from people along the way. Obviously, a key person in all of this is Sean. He fully supported trying to get NYI FYI re-affiliated with the Islanders and has really helped to make things successful so far. When he created the idea for a show way back when, I bet he didn't expect to go through what we have so far.
Obviously, I appreciate the fact that Katrina Doell and the New York Islanders thought enough of my audition and interview to select me for this opportunity. I hope to be able to provide some extended coverage for a sport that gets some unfair treatment.
One thing I understand is that many people don't seem to have the best feelings about bloggers, and some go as far as to constantly voice their displeasure in how they get grouped along with writers. Well, this is a sport that much of the main-stream media fails to recognize, which honestly is their loss. Over time, the Islanders have been able to shape the Blog Box into something reputable, something that I am proud to be a part of.
I was able to develop my writing skills over the last couple of years, which is something that I feel will be valuable when trying to provide the best coverage possible. A friend from school, Michael Kelly (who now writes for the Amsterdam Recorder), got me into journalism, which is something that has quickly become a hobby of mine. He encouraged me to write for the Stony Brook Independent, which is an on-campus news organization (they do an excellent job and still have some very good talent running the show there, so I encourage you to look them up). It was there where I learned most of what I know now as I was able to dabble in general campus news and sports. Mike will help me out with this blog from time to time, taking care of some editing and helping out with some html things since I can get a bit technologically challenged. So a big shout out to him for the help and support.
So where to from here? Well, there have been some recent news stories that I haven't covered, and my next post plans to touch upon all of that. We are just coming to end of the slow point in the offseason and players are now starting to gear up for training camp. The Islanders are going to have camp back on Long Island this season, so of course I'm sure there will be plenty of items to discuss as the camp rolls along. It's very exciting to have camp back here for the first time in many years, and some of the practices are going to be open to the public and for those of you who can check some of them out, I recommend you do. There is going to be some great competition for some spots on the team this year.
In the meantime, I encourage you guys to take a look around at some of the links that we have on the blog. For those of you who are new, please be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook. If you have anything questions or comments, you can e-mail us.
So there is a little update for you guys. I'm currently working on that post with the quick hit of updates from the past couple of weeks. As I said, now that we're at the beginning of September you can expect the amount of coverage to pick up again so please be sure to visit often and feel free to leave your comments.
-Chris
I am proud to tell you all that I have been selected to be an official member of the New York Islanders Blog Box for the upcoming season (yes, I know my name is spelled wrong in the article but we'll ignore that for now). Needless to say, this is a dream come true.
Just to give you all some background, Sean and I have been wanting to become re-affiliated with the team in some capacity. As some of you may remember, we used to have our podcasts taken and put up on IslandersTV for everyone around the world to see back during the 2007-2008 season. In June, the Islanders presented the opportunity for new bloggers to try out, and I decided to throw my hat in the ring on behalf of NYI FYI. The audition was to go to the draft party on June 25th and use every resource available and paint a picture for the readers. For those of you who might have missed it, this was what I was able to come up with.
When the Islanders first announced their plans to have a Blog Box back in 2007, I created this blog with the idea of trying to join that. But at the same time, Sean approached me about doing the radio show, and all the time and resources we had went to planning and preparing for the shows. The blog had been put on the back burner for a bit.
When I started blogging again, I never thought that I would be able to take it this far. The show has been pretty good for us, as we gained our own little cult of followers and were able to get some big name people come on the air with us over the last few seasons such as Steve Mears, Chris Botta and Kevin Allen.
One thing that I have always been grateful for was the support and help I've had from people along the way. Obviously, a key person in all of this is Sean. He fully supported trying to get NYI FYI re-affiliated with the Islanders and has really helped to make things successful so far. When he created the idea for a show way back when, I bet he didn't expect to go through what we have so far.
Obviously, I appreciate the fact that Katrina Doell and the New York Islanders thought enough of my audition and interview to select me for this opportunity. I hope to be able to provide some extended coverage for a sport that gets some unfair treatment.
One thing I understand is that many people don't seem to have the best feelings about bloggers, and some go as far as to constantly voice their displeasure in how they get grouped along with writers. Well, this is a sport that much of the main-stream media fails to recognize, which honestly is their loss. Over time, the Islanders have been able to shape the Blog Box into something reputable, something that I am proud to be a part of.
I was able to develop my writing skills over the last couple of years, which is something that I feel will be valuable when trying to provide the best coverage possible. A friend from school, Michael Kelly (who now writes for the Amsterdam Recorder), got me into journalism, which is something that has quickly become a hobby of mine. He encouraged me to write for the Stony Brook Independent, which is an on-campus news organization (they do an excellent job and still have some very good talent running the show there, so I encourage you to look them up). It was there where I learned most of what I know now as I was able to dabble in general campus news and sports. Mike will help me out with this blog from time to time, taking care of some editing and helping out with some html things since I can get a bit technologically challenged. So a big shout out to him for the help and support.
So where to from here? Well, there have been some recent news stories that I haven't covered, and my next post plans to touch upon all of that. We are just coming to end of the slow point in the offseason and players are now starting to gear up for training camp. The Islanders are going to have camp back on Long Island this season, so of course I'm sure there will be plenty of items to discuss as the camp rolls along. It's very exciting to have camp back here for the first time in many years, and some of the practices are going to be open to the public and for those of you who can check some of them out, I recommend you do. There is going to be some great competition for some spots on the team this year.
In the meantime, I encourage you guys to take a look around at some of the links that we have on the blog. For those of you who are new, please be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook. If you have anything questions or comments, you can e-mail us.
So there is a little update for you guys. I'm currently working on that post with the quick hit of updates from the past couple of weeks. As I said, now that we're at the beginning of September you can expect the amount of coverage to pick up again so please be sure to visit often and feel free to leave your comments.
-Chris
July 1, 2010
It's July 1st! Details About Free Agency Show and who Isles Should Call
Happy free agency day hockey fans! Ah yes, it’s Christmas in July. Many fans will be tuned to their TV’s, cell phones or computers to see where the players from this year’s free agent crop will land.
First off, let me remind you that we have our special episode of NYI FYI today, from 12-4PM! You can find us at http://wcwpsports.com/ as we will be going out of the sports studio over at C.W. Post.
We’re very excited about our special guests, which includes:
Chris Botta of Islanders Point Blank and AOL FanHouse
Kevin Allen of USA Today
Dennis Vaske, Islanders defenseman 1990-1998
Ted Nolan, VP of Hockey Operations for the Rochester Americans and former Islanders Head Coach
Curtis Zupke of the Orange County Register
Michael Boone of the Montreal Gazette
Andy Strickland of HockeyBuzz and 1380 ESPN Radio in St Louis
Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
We’re really excited to have them on the show and do hope that they all have the time to come on with us (barring something crazy happens where they have other obligations, of course). For those of you who have specific questions you want us to ask them, please do not hesitate to e-mail us at nyifyi@gmail.com. Sean will also have a Cover it Live chat room posted here on the blog for you guys to check out too. If that isn't for you, then we'll be giving you the AIM screen name and phone number to reach us at. We want you guys to take part in the show, so please do not be shy!
Now that the reminders are out of the way, let’s take a look at some players. Obviously, the biggest name on the market is by far Ilya Kovalchuk. It’s going to be interesting to see if a team out there meets his demands, if he takes a lesser deal for some championships, or just decides to go for the KHL. Aside from him, there are no real special players this year. There are however plenty of solid, serviceable veterans that many teams will covet as they try and fill various holes.
From an Islander standpoint, the opinions are all over as to what we should expect. What we do know is that the salary cap has gone up, and the Islanders are more than $10 million below the cap floor. They have let loose all of their UFA’s except for Doug Weight, and let Jeff Tambellini and Sean Bergenheim walk as well.
On Wednesday night, when speaking with Katie Strang of Newsday, Garth Snow re-iterated his stance on what he would like to do, explaining he would like to bring in “some size and a defenseman to move the puck.” So looking at that description, as well as thinking a little outside the box, there are a few free agents out there that I think can be realistic for us and within our price range.
-Pavel Kubina is a guy who is on the market and one I would like to see the Islanders add. He is big and puts up points, and is good at blocking shots too. He had a $5 million price tag in Toronto and Atlanta, but now understands that he won’t get the same amount on this contract. Atlanta is letting him walk away after exchanging offers, and Kubina explains that it has nothing to do with Atlanta but more that he is looking for a fair deal. If he considers fair 4-4.5 million, I would be all over this if I were Snow.
-Paul Martin is a guy I know many fans have their eye on. Despite his injuries last season, many teams know what they are getting in a guy like Martin. He likes being in the tri-state area, and both New York teams are said to have some interest. It is also believed that the devils are trying to keep Martin in the fold. I feel that his demands will ultimately be outside of what Snow considers sensible when all is said and done.
-Carlo Colaiacovo’s name has been thrown around a ton for many different teams. He has a decent size for a defenseman and plays with a little bit of an edge. Along with that comes a decent offensive game, but nothing to set the world on fire. He is more than capable at moving the puck though. This issue here is injuries. They have plagued him for a decent part of his career, much like Radek Martinek. As much as I like Colaiacovo’s game, I’m weary of adding him to the roster when Martinek is on it at this time. That is just too many possible unreliable defensemen. But he will be very affordable because of that.
-Zbynek Michalek could be one of the best defensemen you’ve never heard of. He has been very good for Phoenix the last couple of years, and was their top defensive defenseman. At 27, he would be a great guy to invest in long term and lock in at a decent price, while being a very good fit with Mark Streit on the top pairing. Unfortunately, most of the league has heard of him and took notice of him during the Coyotes rebirth this past season. There will be some fierce competition for him as he is no longer under the radar. One of the favorites is believed to be the Ottawa Senators, where Michalek’s brother Milan plays.
Those are the defensemen I would target right off the bat. Granted they may not be the best available, however they are very solid, top-4 defensemen who could skate on the Islanders top-pairing. Should they prove to be out of our price range or have other ideas in their mind, then there are some decent fall back options.
-Jordan Leopold is a very slick offensive defenseman. He doesn’t bring a ton to the table offensively and has had a bit of an up and down career. He can put up a decent amount of points though, and would fit the Islanders high octane system very well.
-Shaone Morissonn has not been talked about at all during the last couple of weeks, but he is out there. I noticed him only a couple of weeks ago and after running his name by a couple of fans on Islander Mania, the feeling was only luke-warm and generally indifferent. I suppose that fits in with Morissonn’s career. A few years back he was Washington’s answer to Mike Green’s defensive deficiencies on the fist pairing. Over the past few season’s however, he has seen his ice time drop by almost 5 minutes per game, and this past season he averaged about 15 minutes a game. He has his flaws, but would not be the worst option in the world for a physical defenseman.
-Andy Sutton hit his way into the hearts of many Islanders fans, and he could have that chance again. Ottawa is desperately trying to re-sign him with the certain departure of Anton Volchenkov, but he has stated a desire to come back to the Islanders.
So what about the forwards? At one point Snow did say he wanted to add someone with the potential to net about 20 goals. After Kovalchuk, there is a significant drop off in terms of scoring but there are some serviceable players that if put in the right positions could succeed here. He’s also stated a desire to add a little toughness, so I’ll include some players for that as well.
-Alex Frolov, for whatever reason, is a guy I’ve had a gut feeling about since the Islanders played the Kings a few months back. He had a lackluster contract year, and isn’t quite ready to flee to Russia just yet. He has proved that he can put up points in this league, and had done so fairly consistently. He could be ideal for the Islanders if they are looking for some cheap, short term alternative scoring.
-Matthew Lombardi is the apple of many fans’ eyes, and for good reason. He is very versatile as he can play all 3 forward positions and can even net 50-60 points. His defensive game isn’t the worst thing in the world, and he’s decent at face-offs if he has to take them. I personally don’t see the Islanders signing him given their confidence in Rob Schremp, Josh Bailey and Blake Comeau, but he is an option that is out there.
-Lee Stempniak is a solid 2-way player whose offensive game seems to be all or nothing. A deadline day trade that sent him to the Coyotes from the Toronto maple leafs seemed to rejuvenate him as he went on to score 14 goals in the last 18 regular season games, matching the total he had in 62 games with Toronto. He would be a solid addition and leader for this Islanders squad and can slot in on a few different lines when needed.
-Chris Higgins’ name has been tossed around, and it has been in connection with the Islanders. I’m not sure if that is because there is genuine interest there, or if it is just because he is from Smithtown. I’ll go with the later though, as I don’t think he is the type of player the Islanders will look to sign to a contract seeing as he has had a multitude of problems and doesn’t provide much if he doesn’t score anymore. If he is still out there in August, a training camp invite might be more reasonable.
-Eric Nystrom is another name that has been tossed around, this one for obvious reasons. However, he actually would be a useful player as he brings some size and aggressiveness to the lineup. There would obviously be a pride factor here as well. That’s not to say he doesn’t bust his butt no matter where he’s playing, but playing in his home town for the team he grew up watching and loving might have that effect on him. Regardless, he would be a good player to replace the Jon Sim/Tim Jackman void.
-Vinny Prospal rejuvenated his career with the Rangers this past season after being bought out by the Tampa Bay Lightning. He and Snow are friends from their Flyers days, and Prospal proved that he can still be useful with skilled players around him. Tavares, Okposo and Moulson will benefit from his playmaking skills. The Islanders have had interest in Prospal in years past, too.
-Paul Kariya is a mystery thus far. Injuries seem to have finally caught up to him, but still had a respectable season for the St. Louis Blues last year with 18 goals and 25 assists. He could come over on a low risk, high reward deal and play the left side on one of the top two lines. It wouldn’t be the first time the Islanders tried something like that. However, something tells me Kariya stays in the Western Conference.
-Arron Asham’s name popped up in Strang’s Wednesday afternoon chat and Chris Botta followed that with quotes from Asham, saying he would love to return of the Islanders gave him a call. He said he’d love to stick up for the young players on the team and be a veteran leader since he himself is now older. He’s 32, and can still contribute in an agitator role. He did well with that the last few years for the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers. I wouldn’t mind seeing him back, but I think that Flyers coach Peter Laviolette will try and petition the front office to keep him.
Goaltending will be interesting to see, because I think the Islanders plan on going with Nathan Lawson at this point in time. I personally would rather them base it on which kind of defensemen they sign as you have to be careful with a guy like Dwayne Roloson at his current age. I wouldn’t mind if the Islanders went after guys who were sitting out for a while, similar to what they did with Marty Biron last season. There are only so many goalie spots in the NHL, so one or a couple of Chris Mason, Jose Theodore, Marty Turco, Dan Ellis and Antero Nittymaki could be sitting around for some time. If they are still out there in a week or two or 5, it doesn’t hurt to call them up. But goaltending is not a priority at this time.
This list isn’t necessarily the players that I would target, but more so the players that I think the Islanders could go after based upon hearsay and what they are looking for. Snow maintains that he has no restrictions on spending money, but prefers to spend it wisely on player they identify as good deals as they did with Streit 2 years ago and Roloson and Moulson last season. In general, Snow has done a good job in free agency. With the team trying to make it back to the playoffs as the next step in the rebuild, they have to go after some of the player on this list at the very least, as well as cast some lines in the trade waters as there are going to be plenty of solid players on the block with not much required in return due to contract issues.
It should be a fun next few days/months, not only from an Islanders standpoint but for hockey fans in general!
-Chris
June 23, 2010
We're back! Summer Notes
It’s been a while, but we have decided to bring this back now that we have all of the radio show/podcast things working and running smoothly. We didn’t neglect the blog, we were just trying to find the right time to incorporate it back into our plan and now that we have some down time after our first few months in our new studio with our own (working!) equipment, it has saved us a lot more time. We’re hoping this time around will be much better and easier. I know I’ve personally written for a college newspaper for a year, which can also go a long way in making this blog much more bearable for you guys.
Sean and I recently made a podcast that can be found here. In our latest recording we cover two hours worth of Islanders related news and rumors such as the Doug Weight re-signing, Garth Snow’s comments from his recent NHL Live appearance and address some of the rumors surrounding an Islanders partnership with Queens. We also discussed the Stanley Cup Finals, as well as rumors on some big name players who might be on the move and draft related news. It’s worth a listen (figures we’d say that). Be sure to download both parts as we had to split the show up.
Here’s what else we got in the works for you:
Next up: Obviously, the next big thing that we are planning to cover is the draft. We do plan on making a draft recap show as we have always done once everything is done this weekend. We’re planning to do a recording early next week. We’ll have more on that when we get closer to that time. Tomorrow, you can expect a little preview that I plan on writing with my predictions for the weekend (hint – Sean was surprised at how strongly I felt that Brett Connolly would be drafted 3rd overall by Florida, and yesterday’s trade of Nathan Horton to Boston helps my case, not that I’m getting my head in the clouds or anything, despite what Sean would say).
Free Agency Special: As we have done the last few years, we’ll also be doing our free agency special. This year, however, will be even better. We’ve extended the show by one hour as it will now run from 12PM-4PM to hopefully cover a good part of the rush of rumors and signings. For those of you who are able to, we really hope that you’ll be able to join us as we have a great group of guests for you to enjoy. So far, we have:
Chris Botta, of Islanders Point Blank and senior NHL writer for FanHouse
Kevin Allen, NHL writer for USA Today
Curtis Zupke, Anaheim Ducks beat writer for the Orange County Register
Michael Boone, writer for Habs Inside/Out for the Montreal Gazette
Dennis Vaske, former New York Islanders defenseman, 1990-1998
Andy Strickland, hockey analyst on 1380 ESPN in St. Louis and blogger for Hockey Buzz
Pretty good list, and we’re excited about speaking with all of them. We’ll be able to cover a couple of different angles here, such as free agency from a player’s perspective after a lengthy stay with one team, as well as professional views and rumors from around the league.
Notice that we’ve changed some of the links on the sidebar since you have last seen us. We’ll continue to do so over the next couple of weeks as we find sites that fans would be interested in.
Finally, if you wish to provide some input on anything, feel free to leave a comment here on the blog or send an e-mail to nyifyi@gmail.com (note that we did away with the separate e-mail addresses for each of us). We check that e-mail address frequently, so do not hesitate to send us anything. Also, for those of you with Facebook, please make sure you become a fan of ours, and for those of you on Twitter, follow us here.
That’s all for now, but remember to come back tomorrow as I will post my draft preview!
-Chris
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