Isles invite an old Friend to Camp

After 7 seasons, Bryan Berard is back with the Islanders-maybe.

On Monday, Berard's agent confirmed what was already reported in Edmonton newspapers, saying his client accepted an invite to come to Isles training camp. Berard has been having hard luck finding a job, mostly because of his back injuries. Last season, he had 2 surgeries to repair the back and only played in 11 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

This is a good move in my opinion. In a way, it feels good to see someone who was involved in one of Milbury's worst trades as GM come back, even if it is only on a try out basis. If he's healthy, Berard could make the Islander power play that much, well, powerful. Throughout his entire career, he has put up great offensive numbers.

Some have wondered if Berard's eye injury is what created some of the problems for him defensively. But ever since he recovered from that eye injury, even with 20-400 vision in his right eye, Berard has been able to put up some good offensive numbers. I think his bad +/- rating is more attributed to being on bad teams than anything.

Of course it is not a given that Berard will make the Isles blueline, one which already includes regulars Brendan Witt, newcomer Andy Sutton, Radek Martinek, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Chris Campoli and Bruno Gervais. Other defensemen in the system who are NHL capable are Aaron Johnson, Freddy Meyer and Matt Spiller. Now add Berard to that, and it could make for a very interesting camp. Add a healthy Berard to that, and he could make this team. Many people are high on both Campoli and Gervais, and even though they both played in 51 games last season one could be sent down for more seasoning. The other could either make the team, be sent down to Bridgeport, or be traded for some help up front. Unless the Isles were getting a good offensive player who is under contract for more than 1 year, I hold on to them. Also keep in mind that Campoli now has a 1 way deal and would have to pass through waivers to get sent down. Gervais is still on his 2-way deal, so he would be a more likely candidate to be sent down.

Even with Bergeron on the team, I would see no issue if he were to make it. He would be a perfect QB on the PP, and could dish the puck to Bergeron for the 100+MPH slapshot. Or, Berard could shoot the puck himself, and really keep the opposing teams guessing. After Bergeron arrived last year, even though he put up a point per game with the team, Tom Poti would pass to him more often than not and after a while it became redundant. The Isles have plenty of defensively responsible defenseman where they could pair Bergeron with one and Berard with another for 5 on 5 play.

Training camp starts in only 17 days!

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:

Center Hole Filled as Isles sign Vasicek

On Wednesday the Islanders announced the signed 26 year old center Josef Vasicek to a 1 year, $750,000 contract. There have been rumors since Friday that the Isle's had Vasicek high on their list, even higher than Jason Allison. Vasicek is very happy to be coming to the Island and playing along side his friend Radek Martinek. The 2 are from the same town in the Czech Republic and work out with each other every summer. There has been a glaring need for depth at center and Vasicek definitely helps fill that need. In 63 games last season, Vasicek had 6 goals and 22 points with Carolina and Nashville.

With the signing, it appears the team is done adding players. While I have no problem with the contract for Vasicek by any means, I really feel that Allison would have been the much better option. It remains unclear right now weather Vasicek or Sillinger will center the second line come October. I really hope that Vasicek is just here to replace Bates as Josef is an ideal third or fourth line center, but that does not seem likely. I'd still like to make a run at Forsberg if the opportunity arises. If not, well then I'd still like to go after Allison. Either way, we'll have to see if there are any more moves in store for the team. They honestly need another defenseman and a playmaking first or second line center, but the chances of them adding either one of those, if anything at all are slim.

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 gets $1.55 Million

Trent Hunter was awarded $1.55 million on a one year deal today by the arbitrator that heard his case, and the Islanders have accepted the award. Hunter was looking for something around $1.9 million. It is unclear what the Isles felt he was worth or what they offered him on a long term contract. Either way, Trent will be here for next season at a very fair price for a player who scored 35 points in each of the last 2 seasons. Trent had 20 goals last year, and many hope he is starting to return to the scorer that he was in 03-04 when he seemed to be developing into a 25-25-50 man. I'm very happy to have Trent on the team next season at that price.

It is unclear whether the Isles are in danger of losing Hunter to unrestricted free agency next season, but the Isles will worry about that when the time comes. Trent wishes to remain an Islander, so we'll see if something can possibly be worked out in the middle of the season.

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.

Isles re-sign Chris Simon, and Various Other Tidbits

Today the Islanders announced they have re-signed winger Chris Simon to a 1 year contract worth $475,000 with incentives that make the deal worth $800,000. The cap hit will only be for the 475K. At first, I didn't really want Simon back but at this deal you can't go wrong, even though he will miss the first 5 games of the season because of the suspension from the Hollweg incident. He had 10 goals and 17 assists in 67 games last season, along with a +17 rating. He appears more valuable than I thought he was to the team last year. This now gives the Isles 13 forwards, and it seems like they might try and work out a deal or 2 to add some skill. There are no rumors about that right now, but there were in the past and Snow might revisit some trade talk he has had with teams in the last few months.

As for the defense, the Isles are looking to add one of the free agents, most likely Danny Markov. Markov would be a perfect fit here in Ted Nolan's system and would become a fan favorite because of the style he plays. He wanted a multi-year deal, but since he hasn't recieved an offer like that rumors began circulating on Friday that Markov was close to a 1 year deal with the team. There has been no more news on this today, but it seems the Isles search for a defensman is indeed heating up and could be announced shortly, most likely with Markov.

In my opinion, I still feel that the team should add 2 defenseman and trade for a 1st or 2nd line forward, wither a LW or a center. The Isles still need an offensive defenseman, and the only options on the free agent market for that are David Tanabe or Bryan Berard. So if the Isles really want to get a defenseman who can contribute offensively, they may have to make a trade for one. It seems they are set on only signing 1 defenseman, but who knows what is really up with the team. Simon was listed on the NHLPA website as signed for 475K since Saturday, and the team only announced this today. Everything is tight lipped there, and we'll see in the coming weeks how the defense shapes up and maybe see if there is a change on offense. Still lots of time remaining to improve the team, and it seems Snow will use up as much of it as he can.

AL ARBOUR WILL RETURN TO THE ISLES BENCH FOR ONE NIGHT!

The New York Islanders have announced the return of head coach Al Arbour.

Well, sort of.

Al Arbour will sign a one day contract on November 2nd, and will be behind the bench for the Isles on November 3rd against the Pittsburg Penguins. It will be on this night that Arbour will have coached his 1,500th NHL game with the Islanders. Ted Nolan made the discovery recently that Arbour had coached 1,499 games with the Islanders, and thought it would be fitting to have the Hall Of Fame coach step behind the bench one more time, in order to get his 1,5ooth game with the team.

Nolan will be with Arbour behind the bench that night. This will certainly be a special day in Islanders Country. I for one plan to be in attendance. It gives the younger Islander fans the opportunity to step into the past, if only for a few hours, and experience a piece of New York Islanders history.

Arbour wants a win. If he gets it, I guess that banner at the Coliseum will need to be updated. Personally, I believe that they should have a banner made up just in case he gets the win. At the end of the game, bring the team out, thank Al for coming out and congratulate him over the P.A. system and unravel the new banner over the old one. I think it would be a nice touch.

-Sean

Isles re-sign Campoli

The Islanders today announced that they re-signed 23 year old defenseman Chris Campoli to a 3 year contract worth $600,000 per year. As of right now, it seems that Campoli is in the Islanders plans and will not be dealt. Right now, I think it's fine to have Camps around and that price. The Isles need to definitely acquire 1 new defenseman either by trade or signing. In a perfect world, they would try to get 2 of them but that will most likely not happen. The only way that could happen is if the Isles get rid of Radek Martinek. As good as Martinek has been defensively in his time on the Island, it might be best to explore dealing the oft-injured defenseman. The Islanders can sign a banger in Danny Markov or Ossi Vaananen to replace him, and possibly acquire someone like Derek Morris to round out the defense. That would put this years defense way ahead of what the Isles started last year with. As I posted yesterday, everyone in the organization has been preaching patience and has said that Garth is working very hard. So it should be a relief to most of the fans who have been saying that the team is done adding. If we learned one thing from Garth last year, it's that you can't always believe what you hear. I remember after the Isles traded Zhitnik last year, Snow specifically said no other deals were on the horizon. Meanwhile, just 4 days later Mike York was shipped to the Flyers (same team Zhitnik was shipped to). Snow said nothing was brewing around trade deadline day, and the Isles ended up with Richard Zednik and Ryan Smyth when all was said and done. We also learned that you can trust Garth when he says he is doing something too. A few days before bringing in Marc-Andre Bergeron, Snow said to Greg Logan of Newsday that fans should expect a depth defenseman to be coming in the next few days, or something to that effect. OK, so maybe Snow lied on that one if you consider a depth defenseman as a 7th or 8th type. Bergeron helped spark the power play and put up some awesome numbers for the Isles last season. They will look to Bergeron for his offensive output once again in the upcoming season.

Right now, the best power play quaterback on the team is Campoli, and in 05-06 he proved that he was developing into a nice offensive defenseman. He had some injuries last year and had to work his way back into the lineup, but all signs point to him being in the top 6 in 07-08.

As of now, there are no new rumors to report. But there is certainly going to be news in Islander Country, it's just a matter of when. Be sure to check back here for updates and opinions when news breaks.

Chris

Taking His Time

With free agency 2 weeks old, the frenzy appears to have concluded. The last big signing was Sheldon Souray to the Oilers for 5 years, $27 million. The Islanders were not willing to go more than 3 years with Souray, and he wanted to cash in on the career year he had with Montreal last season. At any rate, there are still some decent defenseman out there on the market. It is unclear right now what direction Snow plans to go with the defense.

Danny Markov, Ossi Vaananen, Andy Sutton and Bryan Berard all are available and have been linked in rumors with the Isles. One Isles target, Vitaly Vishnevski, was snatched up by the rival Devils and signed on for 3 years. Markov plays a very intense style which might be cause for concern if the Isles plan on keeping the oft injured Radek Martinek around. Markov can move the puck well for a defensive defenseman, and could still be on Snows radar. Right now, Markov is looking for a 3 year deal worth more than the $2.5 million he made last season in Detroit. Ossi Vaananen is a very hard hitting defenseman who was the odd man out in Colorado after the season ended. He could be a very nice addition for the Isles and the price might not be very high this late into free agency. Sutton has a huge frame, and was hoping to get a huge pay day as well. That seems to have subsided and he could be had for a reasonable price. I'm very interested in him for his defensive skills that would greatly help the team and Brendan Witt out. Berard could be a potential replacement for Tom Poti if he can prove he's healthy. If he is able to, then I would not mind taking the chance on him. In 05-06, he out up some very good offensive numbers (12-20-32) in a limited amount of games (44) for the Blue Jackets. His -29 was not something to be proud of, but the Blue Jackets aren't something to be proud of defensively overall either.

Trade options could be Vancouver's Mathias Ohlund, the Coyotes' Derek Morris and Ed Jovanovski or Toronto's Pavel Kubina. All of them would help the Isles out in some way or another. Ohlund would probable be the best option as he is a very good 2 way defenseman and a definite 1st pairing defenseman. Pavel Kubina would look very good on Brendan Witt's side and would do well on the power play. Jovanovski is a stretch and would need to prove he can stay healthy and he would be quite and addition for the team. He plays an aggressive style and is a good quaterback on the PP. Morris is a decent offensive blueliner who never really blossomed in the NHL yet, but might in Ted Nolan's system.

Right now, the Isles appear to be set on forwards except for the fact that they might have a couple too many. This leads many to believe that Snow does intend to trade some to upgrade the defense or maybe even add some offense to the club. The team still needs a 2nd line center capable of 50-60 points and a scoring left winger would be perfect too, however I doubt that the Isles will fill every need by training camp. What seems likely though is that Snow fixes the defense and adds a center, but the wingers we have now are the ones we start with.

Right now, the team looks like most teams usually look like in the middle of the summer- a work in progress. It is most definitely not a time to panic yet. I think Snow has a good grasp on what he is doing. The players he has added so far are very good, and I think might surprise some fans. Snow has added some very good depth to the club as well, adding goalie Joey MacDonald, defensemen Aaron Johnson and Matt Spiller, and winger Tim Jackman. The depth defensemen who were signed are ones to be happy about, as they are much needed upgrades over Drew Fata or Allan Rourke. Things are going in the right direction, and Snow and Nolan are trying to build their team. I'm willing to give them the time to do that. I'm not worried right now. If we look the same in September, then I will be worried.

Chris

Guerin Is Captain Coliseum

Bill Guerin has just been announced as the new Captain for the New York Islanders. After hearing him speak today as I watched the Press Conference live, there is no doubt in my mind that this man was the absolute correct choice to be our Captain. The man has leadership, skills, and class. He acknowledged that they will play as a team, they will do it together. He said that they all wanted to be Islanders.

*Comrie and Guerin will each be bringing 50 children suffering from cancer to every Islanders home game this season. A true move of class.

Guerin said he will not take the Captaincy lightly, and was surprised to receive it. After watching this PC, I am once again feeling confident.

We're All Islanders.

-Sean

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.