Hunter's Tenure Ends, Isles Acquire Brian Rolston from Devils

Who would have thought a late July trade for Brian Rolston would have created as much buzz and talk as it has?

Everyone seems to be making more comments than they probably should be on the Islanders acquisition of the overpaid 38 year old forward who they got in return for the 31 year old oft-injured and painfully slow Trent Hunter.

Many people right away were able to jump to the conclusion that a big motivating factor in the swap was money, and I'm sure it was - no matter how much Garth Snow tries to play it down.

However, some thought that this couldn't possibly be all Snow was working on and that it had to be a part of a bigger deal. As we sit here on Thursday night, it appears that is the case.

It appears now that Rolston comes in to replace one of the current forwards, at least one of which could presumably be moved to bring in a top defenseman.

Photo by C. Hessel

At any rate, the Hunter for Rolston swap by itself is still a good one. It's not earth shattering, but it's a slight upgrade. Hunter had trouble staying on the ice and went through some prolonged scoring slumps. Rolston is far from the player he once was, but can still contribute 15-20 goals in a checking line role while playing all three forward positions and still be solid enough defensively to get tome PK time. He's also still got that powerful slap shot that will be useful on the power-play.

At the very least, it's better than Alexei Yashin! (Note: I'm not completely against the idea of Yashin back on a one-year deal, but understand what his buyout represents. I'm not going to go into much detail about the rumors on him since I truly think it's helping out a friend to get a better deal in Russia).

I'm noticing a lot of people reading too much into the deal, saying you can do better for the money. Yes, you absolutely can - but when you look at how far behind this team is in overall salary, you can't think about it. Its irrelevant. Snow has maintained all off-season that he wants a top defenseman. There is no reason why picking up $3 million should cause him to deviate from that. If it does, then shame on him.

As far as "helping the Devils out," who cares? If you honestly thought that the Devils were going to have a problem signing Zach Parise to a long-term deal, then you clearly have not been paying attention to the way this league operates. Just look at the New York Rangers. If the Devils want someone signed, they'll get them signed.

As mentioned earlier, this appears to be a precursor of some kind to another move with Rolston replacing a body. Good. It's nice to finally be a part of some exciting rumors now.

Who would move in a trade? Josh Bailey? Blake Comeau? Both? It would all depend on who is coming back. You can safely assume though that the player coming in return would be a defenseman.

Things just got a little more interesting around here. At least it's something to track for a bit to take our minds off of the referendum stuff.

More to come after the possible move. Also look for a referendum related post in the next day or so with my thoughts - those of a 23 year old Long Island kid.

-Chris

nyifyi@gmail.com

Isles Fall to Blue Jackets in OT; Happy Thanksgiving!

Despite their best efforts to win it twice in OT, the Islanders gave up a goal on a break the other way and lost 4-3.

Just some quick thoughts about this one so I don't take up too much time, on Thanksgiving no less!

Travis Hamonic looked really good. He deserved every second of the 20 minutes he got, and was the Islanders best defenseman on the ice all night. That says a lot when you compare his age and experience to all of the other guys. Sure, there are a lot of people injured and I was skeptical about having him come up this soon, but he certainly proved me wrong. Hopefully he can keep up this play since Mika Mottau will be out for 4-6 weeks. Even when Andrew MacDonald comes back, if Hamonic is playing well then he should stick around for a bit.

Trent Hunter had his best game of the year, as Howie Rose felt the need to tell us many times. He seemed to be involved in the play more than I can remember for quite some time. Unfortunately for him, he suffered an injury in the 3rd period and did not return. The Islanders are only saying he has a lower body injury, but will be evaluated more after the holiday.

Rick DiPietro looked fine again to me, and the goals that he gave up were due to some unfortunate break downs. His reaction time was excellent once again. I hope that we're seeing the play of someone who is turning the corner and not a goalie who is just fresh after having not played for 18 days prior to Sunday.

Michael Grabner played well, and got his 5th goal of the season. He still has some more work to do as far as his game goes, but it is coming along. I would really like to see him start to get more power-play time because I think he can help us there. Lets face it, the power-play hasn't lit up much of anything in the past eight games. Shaking it up would not hurt.

This game was one of the toughest ones to take throughout the 14 game losing streak. The game was literally in the Islanders hands. The players were very frustrated after, as you can see from Grabner's tweet last night. It was an encouraging effort.

The Isles get the Devils next in a Friday matinee.

Petr Prucha on Waivers: The Coyotes announced that they have put Petr Prucha on waivers. The Islanders have been interested in him in the past, and Brian Compton of NHL.com wonders if the Isles would have any interest.

I think there is a better chance they would pick him up than I thought there was for Patrick O'Sullivan. having said that, I don't think the Isles will pick him up. I don't think it's really a move they need to make. They need a known entity in there, not another project.

I am still working on that little Bailey piece I mentioned yesterday with my thoughts on him being sent down. Look for that in the next couple of days.

I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy!

-CH

nyifyi@gmail.com

Isles Win Home Opener

The Islanders came to Uniondale fresh off a tough 2-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils the previous night. Their goal was to come out flying for their fans in the first home game of the year. Fortunately for the Islanders, that is exactly what happened.

The Isles scored four first period goals and added an empty net goal in the 3rd period to defeat the St. Louis Blues 5-2. The Isles goals came from Mike Comrie, Trent Hunter, Sean Bergenheim, Andy Hilbert and Bill Guerin.

A last minute change saw me actually attend the game. I sat in Section 324 and had a great time. I liked the presentation of the game much better than other home openers I've been to in past years. The team had a band play live, Seven Mary Three, and I didn't think they were all that bad. The elevating stage they played on was a pretty cool sight. I also liked the player intros this year. For some reason every time they tried to use the flame throwers it wouldn't work right. I liked all the flashing lights and the smoke. I guess I'm a sucker for special effects like that but to me it was really cool.

It was great to see Scott Gordon's system work so well last night. You could see how the team used the two-man forecheck to try and cause turnovers. When the Isles did force turnovers, the transition was much quicker than anything I can recall seeing last season. Two games in, it seems Bergenheim may have been the biggest beneficiary of the new system. His style is excellent for the system, and I was shocked to see he only got 10 minutes of ice time last night. I noticed him so much that I thought for sure it was more than that. Good for him.

I also realized just how much we missed Jon Sim last year. Wow. He was really all over the place, standing in front of the net, calling for fast break passes, mucking it up along the boards, and even chirping to get under the Blues' skin. We sorely lacked that last year. Its only a matter of time before we see the fans love for Sim come out. He has been excellent these first two games.

One more player I want to acknowledge at this time is backup goalie Joey MacDonald. Facing a lot of criticism from skeptical fans, MacDonald has not let it phase him one bit. He has stepped in for Rick DiPietro and has really done a fantastic job. I couldn't have been more pleased with his efforts this weekend. His reaction time is amazing and he moves very well for a bigger goaltender. Some of the saves he's been making have made me drop my jaw. It certainly has made me feel a ton better about loosing Dubie to Russia. Hopefully he can continue like this all season, but in the early going I have come away impressed with him.

Radek Martinek left the ice with an apparent shoulder injury late in the first period. All i could do was groan as once again the Isles best defenseman might have to miss some extended time. I will obviously hope for the best but given Martinek's track record, I won't hold my breath. We'll see what happens though.

For anyone who isn't aware, the team changed their goal song this season and the reaction so far from the fans has been largely negative. The team had been using Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part 1" since the 1993 season, with the exception of one season where they tried something else. The new custom song was difficult to hear, and I thought it was...OK. The part that bothered me was the "Lets go Islanders" part of it. Not that I don't want it in there, but it didn't come out the best that it could have. As someone who really likes the Rangers custom song, it left a little to be desired. The "Lets go Rangers" chant fits in very well with their song. So for the most part it was OK. I would like to hear it alone, on the teams website available for download. It sounded like there was more of a guitar part than most could hear, and some sort of sing along "woooahhh" part that no one could hear. Which brings me to one part. Although I was impressed with the presentation, there was one thing that did bother me - the sound system. It was brutal at times. It was difficult to hear some of the music playing, especially the goal song. I suppose that will be the next upgrade in the future at some point down the line, just like the team has upgraded their video board.

Overall, a fun home opener to attend. I'm curious to see how DiPietro feels and when he will be ready to start. I won't be surprised to see MacDonald in net again tomorrow afternoon at the Coliseum against the Sabres. Keep Rick out as long as he needs to. I'm glad DiPietro agrees that they shouldn't be taking any chances. We need him for the long haul for obvious reasons.

NYIFYI ON-AIR TONIGHT!
That's right, Sean and I will be back at it again tonight at 10 PM at MYWCWP. As always, we'll be taking calls and IM's via AIM throughout the show. Hope to hear your feedback on the opening weekend and all things Islanders!

nyifyichris@yahoo.com

Islanders Claim Thomas Pock and Other News

This afternoon the Islanders announced that they have claimed defenseman Thomas Pock off waivers from the New York Rangers.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise because as Chris Botta reported this is a one-way contract which ensures Pock will be with the team for the year. One has to wonder about who other than Chris Campoli has sustained some kind of injury. Pock, 26, has been know as an offensive defenseman for much of his career. The 6'1", 210 lb. blueliner has amassed seven goals and seven assists in 59 career NHL games with the Rangers, while going 23-89-112 in 195 games with the Rangers AHL affiliate the Hartford Wolf Pack.

The biggest looser of this could possibly be Bruno Gervais. While many have assumed he would have a spot on the depth chart on this team, Scott Gordon has had him as the 7th defenseman all camp. Freddy Meyer has been playing in the 6th spot, one that many thought Gervais would have for sure. The fact that Campoli is hurt and the Islanders had been rumored to be in on the Schneider sweepstakes before he was sent to Atlanta and have now actually claimed an offensive defenseman really makes you question exactly what the team feels Gervais's role on the team is.

Isles-Devils at Coliseum: The Islanders will play their 4th preseason game on Wednesday Oct. 1 at the Coliseum. The Isles are 2-1 so far after splitting their last two games, loosing 4-0 to the Flyers and then beating the Panthers 4-2. The teams scoring problems proved to still be a problem for the game against the Flyers, and rookie Josh Bailey only had two shots in his first game. Going back to the OHL might be the best thing for him at this juncture, but it was only one game and there is still time for the team to work out some of these kinks. Two Islanders the team is putting a lot of faith in, Trent Hunter and Frans Nielsen scored 2 goals apiece to beat the Flyers. With Mike Sillinger out, many feel that Frans Nielsen will be the guy who will see a bulk of the playing time as the 3rd line center between Jeff Tambellini and Hunter. Many people are hoping that Hunter can regain his scoring touch from his earlier years, and this was a good start for him.

Botta Returns: Chris Botta has returned to blogging for the team. After going on hiatus July 7, Botta has a new site and a new format. His site is frequently updated every day. As usual, he has provided some great insight and has let readers know some information that wasn't out in the open before. He's even broke the story about Pock's one-way status. The link has been updated under our links section on the side of the page, and you should definitely check it out.

NYI FYI Radio Show Returns 10/5: Sean and I will be back for our second season of NYI FYI this Sunday at 10 PM at MYWCWP. We're very excited to get our new season underway and return to talking Islanders hockey!

nyifyichris@yahoo.com

Isles beat Lightning 4-0; Al Arbour Night Tonight!

On Thursday, the Islanders defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0. Bill Guerin, Josef Vasicek, Ruslan Fedotenko and Trent Hunter all scored for the Isles. Rick DiPietro came up huge and bailed the team out on a couple of occasions to get the shut out.

The team played a much better game then they did the previous Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes. They came out a bit slow in the first period, but by the end of the period they began to play like we all know they can. That carried over into the 2nd and 3rd periods.

Team defense overall was very good. Chris Campoli had 4 blocked shots. he has really come around this year and looks like he has improved on his rookie form of 2 years ago. Very excited to see him develop even more over the next few years.

All 4 Islander goals were scored at even strength, which is good to see being that the team had struggled with 5 on 5 play so far this year. The absence of Bryan Berard has been noticeable, especially on the power play. But he has been skating in practice and could return on another week or two.

Tonight is a very special night in Islanders country as Al Arbour returns to coach the team for 1 game. Radar will be coaching in his 1500th game for the team when the puck drops at 7 PM against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. I am going to the game and cannot wait! Hopefully the team helps Arbour get his 740th win as a coach. With big events like this, the team has played well over the last few seasons. Being that this is a big event, I would expect your typical blue collar Islander effort. The Penguins are a very tough team to beat, but the team could very well pull it off. We shall see.

Absent tonight from the lineup is Sean Bergenheim. Ted Nolan said Bergie is sore, and now reports say it's his shoulder that is giving him some problems. Right now it looks like it's a day-to-day thing, but at least for tonight, Bergie is out and Ben Walter is in. The team called him up from Bridgeport this morning and it looks like he will make his Islander debut tonight. Good luck to him on that, I'll try and take notice of him while at the game.

Sean will also be at the game. We could be more excited for this one. Should be a packed house and a playoff atmosphere!

Chris

New Podcast Posted and Some More Line Shuffling

Looking to spark some more offense out of the team, head coach Ted Nolan decided to switch up some of the lines at Wednesdays practice. Bill Guerin was moved to the line with Andy Hilbert and Mike Sillinger, while Trent Hunter was moved to the line with Mike Comrie and Ruslan Fedotenko on it. The Islanders first line did a great job the first couple of games, however they have cooled off since then. Time will tell if the new lines will work, but it does come as a bit of a surprise this early in the season, especially since the Fedotenko-Comrie-Guerin line looked great in preseason and the beginning of the regular season together. Hunter and Sillinger have been relatively quiet in terms of offence, so Nolan hopes the changes benefit both of them as well as the others.

Also spotted at practice was Shawn Bates. He is very close to returning, but has been cleared to play. On the teams website, Nolan said he will put Bates through rigorous practices over the next week and if he hold up well there he will return. Hopefully Bates can come in and chip in the way he once was able to before his groin issues.

Marc-Andre Bergeron appears to be the odd man out once again going into Thursday's game with Washington. Nolan said that he has to work his way back into the lineup, and Bergeron understands that. I know he is a small guy and I don't expect him to constantly hit people off the puck, but as a defenseman he should be able to poke check the puck off an opposing players stick or at the very least be able to control the puck very well on offence. Both of those aspects have been tough for Bergeron, but I do feel that he could turn it around. We'll see though.

As Sean and I said, it is interesting to think what could happen if Bergeron is unable to make the lineup again. With the recent appearance of Jeff Tambellini, one that didn't last very long, you have to wonder if there is something going on with Jeff. I know the Isles respect him and feel he is one of their top prospects, but he has been unable to stick even after Jon Sim went down with injury. If a deal came up where both Tambellini and Bergeron could be packaged, I would imagine Snow would look into it. It's no secret the team needs help offensively, not to mention a really good top pairing defenseman, but I think they can get by on what they have right now as far as defense goes. If Bergeron has a hard time making the lineup, I think this might be something worth watching more closely as time goes on because if the team continues to score goals, something could go down. Snow has already proven that he's not afraid to pull the trigger to fix his team, and that wouldn't be any different this early in the season.

Our podcast from this past Sunday is up at http://www.nyifyi.mypodcast.com/. It was our first live show and it went very well. We tried to do as much analyzing of the games that were in the past week and picked apart some specific things we noticed. Unfortunately, no one called in but hopefully as time goes by people will. For now, enjoy it and don't forget that we will have recaps of the games this week right here.

Chris

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.