Islanders Unveil new look Jerseys

Yesterday the Islanders unveiled their new look for 2007-2008, introducing the new RBK Edge jerseys that all 30 teams will be using this year. The jerseys are supposed to be more form fitting, which helps cut down on the ability to grab other skaters jerseys and take penalties. Also, the jerseys are supposed to keep the players cooler over a 60 minute game as the fabric is also made to whisk away the sweat.


The way the jerseys are made is by using 5 different kinds of fabrics that are all attached together. Most of the jerseys than have been released so far have the thin piping at the top, as you can see from the picture here. Some teams did not make the piping a different color, but many did, just like the Isles have done.


More of what the Isles have done to the jerseys is obviously change the color scheme. The colors are still navy blue, orange and white, but the look of the jersey is different. The sleeves on both the home and away jerseys are orange with a blue stripe in the middle. On the body of the jersey, there is a number in the top right corner of the jersey. This idea was used by the sabres last year, and some teams might catch on to that. It appears the Isles are the second team to do that thought. Also on the front of the jersey is the classic Islander's logo, but a bit larger than it used to be. On the neck is the official NHL logo that will be on all jerseys this season. The Isles also chose to go with a bit of an old school look by adding in the ties. On the home jersey, they are orange and on the away jersey, blue. On the back of the jersey, the numbers are a lot larger and look like the ones that were on the Isles jerseys from the dynasty days. On the blue home jerseys, the numbers are white with an orange border on them; the numbers on the sleeves are white as well but with a blue border around them. On the white away jerseys, the numbers will be blue with an orange lining and the sleeves will have the same blue numbers with white lining.


The opinions yesterday were mixed among fans, but after a day of looking at them and letting it sink in some have warmed up to them. Personally, I thought they were pretty neat looking when I saw them yesterday morning and can't wait to see the whole uniform on the ice this September in the pre-season. I think by that point fans will really be able to make a judgement on them. Here are some more pictures of the jerseys being modeled by Brendan Witt and Rick DiPietro:

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.