After a crazy week last week, things have slowed down on the Islanders front. Despite the signing of Chris Simon, the Isles haven’t made any moves and at this point in the season, it’s really just wait and see time.

I remember last year around this time and even later, the Isles picked up Viktor Kozlov, Richard Park and Mike Dunham. If they can pick up two players that can manage to play as big a part in the Isles success as Kozlov and Park did last year, I’ll be a happy camper and this team will have enough depth to challenge for a playoff spot.

The only question is, who are they going to pick up?

I keep hearing and seeing all of these rumors online about the Isles wanting to sign both Danny Markov and Andy Sutton. Personally, I think we only need one of them, as I feel Freddy Meyer would be better suited to be the team’s seventh D-man and both Bruno Gervais and Chris Campoli need an opportunity at this point in their careers to show the organization and the league what they are really capable of. Enough of the slow-maturing and 10 minutes a game nonsense. These guys need playing time and signing mature players that aren’t homegrown will only yield short-term results.

Having both Gervais and Campoli earn their stripes by playing 17 minutes a game in all situations will make them NHL defensemen and will provide the backbone of our defense for years to come. I really hope the Isles make the right decision on this. The fact that it’s homegrown will also make fans connect with these guys more.

Always a good thing if you ask me.

Also, I keep rumors of Bryan Berard or David Tanabe coming to the Isles. While these two would add some depth offensively on the D much faster than Campo or Bruno, how long do you really see these two staying here? They’ll sign one-year contracts, capture our hearts like Tom Poti and go make some money somewhere else. Unless they can lock one of the four defensemen I’ve mentioned for two years, I say let them go sign somewhere else and let the Isles make due with what they have.

It may be tough through the first stretch of the season, but if Campoli and Gervais step up their collective games and the Radek Martinek of last season returns, the Isles defense will be much better than most people think.

We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks…

Posted under Isles Rumors 2007, Isles Thoughts 2007

Wow, things have been busy in Islander-land as of late.

First the re-signing of Campoli, then the announcement that Al Arbour would be back to coach the team’s 1,500^th game and now, the subsequent return of both Trent Hunter & Chris Simon. However despite all these happenings, there’s still no mention of the team signing another center to anchor the third line and no mention of either Danny Markov or Bryan Berard heading to the Island to give the defense a little more depth.

Regardless of all of that however, you have to like the fact that both Simon and Hunter will be back and anyone that doesn’t love the fact that Al Arbour will be back to coach, even if it’s only for one game, is absolutely out of their minds.

But first things first…

I’m really happy that they locked up Campo for a few years, mainly because we saw first hand last season that he was willing to do whatever it took to stay in the lineup. Sure, his offensive numbers went down quite a bit from his rookie year, but I think the guy has plenty of talent and if he can manage to somehow combine his newly developed physical game with the offensive prowess he’s showed his entire career, I think the Isles could look back on this deal as a very important one.

Next on the hit list…

No one knows what the deal is with either Hunter or Simon, because no news has been officially broken, but two days ago, both were added to the Islanders roster on the team’s official website, alongside Sean Bergenheim and if that’s not proof enough, then I don’t know what is. Between the both of them, the Islanders get much more grit and toughness and on top of it all, two guys that can contribute offensively.

After a streaky season last year, I think Hunter may be ready to score 25 goals again this season for the Islanders and if he continues to take the body and be the team leader everyone knows he can be, I think this can be his best season in the blue and orange ever.

As far as Simon goes, the guy was playing the best hockey I’ve seen him play in over two years last year before he had a moment of temporary insanity and nearly decapitated Ryan Hollweg. Like I said a thousand times last season, I absolutely love what Simon brings to the team and if he can control himself, he can still be an extremely useful player. Offensively, I still think Simon is capable of a 15-goal, 35 point season at this point in his career and if he does that and protects the guys that need protecting, I think he’ll be even better than he was last season.

Now, the Arbour situation…

My respect for Ted Nolan before this move was already huge, but after inviting Arbour back to coach the team’s 1,500^th game, he’s in a class by himself.

Aside from Arbour, Nolan has to be my favorite Isles coach, just because he gets the most out of every single player on the ice. Arbour was a little different when it came to his coaching style [anyone ever hear the egg story that involved the Potvin’s, or the Bill Berg story?] but he was still an amazing coach and dare I say the best coach in NHL history. I still remember seeing him by the bench in 92-93 and having my dad tell me how much he meant to the championship teams and that he was a living legend. For all the younger guys [damn I’m 24 and now I’m an old hockey fan] to have an opportunity to watch this guy behind the bench and for the young Isles to be able to say they shared a bench with the guy for 60 minutes is a classy move by the team.

If they can manage to spank Sidney and the Penguins that night, the move will go down as one of the sweetest in Islanders history. Let’s hope it does.

Aside from all of that, I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that the Isles will sign another defenseman and a center that can play decent two-way hockey. If they don’t, the season may be much tougher for them and they may not have enough depth on offense.

Let’s hope that they make a few more moves in the next few weeks.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2007

I’m sure some of you guys are wondering how I feel about Bill Guerin being captain of the Isles this year. Well to be honest, while it’s obvious that I would have been happy if Dale Hunter was captain of the Islanders, after two years of Yashin with the C, but all jokes aside, I think Guerin will be just fine.

Not only is the guy tougher than Ryan Smyth, he’s a better offensive player and gives the team more flexibility economically. Looking back, Smyth was out of his mind wanting that much money and while I still could have given it to him, the Isles basically got Guerin and Comrie for what they would have paid Smyth.

Not too shabby if you ask me.

Guerin gives the team the kind of attitude and winning mentality that not even Ryan Smyth could have added [How many rings does Smyth have?]. The guy has a ring and has always been a leader on and off the ice his entire career. The same way that Comrie needed a shot with the Isles to become a number one center again, Guerin needed this opportunity to show the rest of the NHL what a capable leader he is. Again, the same way guys like Kozlov, Poti and Park surprised a lot of people on the Island with their moxie on the ice, Guerin will do the same thing and add 30 goals to an Isles team starving for more offense.

Speaking of adding offense, the sources in rumor land say that Chris Simon is coming back to the Island. While I was absolutely disgusted by his actions last season, it was obvious that the Isles needed more toughness and character against the Sabres and Simon could have easily provided that. Add in the fact that the guy is going to add about a dozen goals and a dozen more helpers on whatever line he plays on in addition to beating up people, it’s easy to see that he is a welcomed addition to the 2007-2008 team. As long has he stops swinging his stick like a light saber.

However, despite all the new additions as of late, the Isles still need a third line center than can score 15 goals and a D-man who can join Bergeron at the point on the power play. Without those things added to this team, people like Chris Campoli, Shawn Bates, Sean Bergenheim [if he makes the team out of camp] and Radek Martinek are going to put the puck in the net a little more if this team is going to continue to move in the right direction.

We’ll see if any more moves are made in the next couple of weeks that can really put this team where it needs to be.

Now, I must bid my beautiful and intelligent reading populous adieu, for today is my birthday and aside from having two more articles to write, I’m hanging out with about 20 of my friends for my first night off in a very, very long time. Have a great one guys and Lets go Islanders!

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2007

Last night was a crazy night. Last season in the press box at Keyspan, the Isles news that came my way usually wasn’t good, as I remember finding out that Snow was the new GM and I thought it was a joke by the Rangers fans there. Aside from that, there really wasn’t too much hockey news emanating out of there. But this year, or at least the past two days for that matter, the hockey fans have been going crazy considering all of the deals going down. Right after I posted the Guerin update last night, the game at Keyspan started and soon enough the Isles signed Comrie. I wish I could have posted again my friends, but I was too busy writing the recap for the Cyclones game.

Anyway, for the time being, my question is answered. Comrie will pass to Guerin and while some people have pegged Comrie as an under achiever, I think the guy has been stricken with Eddie Mathews syndrome throughout his career. I mean c’mon, the guy has been in the shadow of so many solid NHL players wherever he’s gone and has still managed to put up pretty good numbers, what else do you want from him? Now on the Isles, make no mistakes about it, he will be the first line center on the team and will score 65 points or more.

Bold prediction? Maybe so, but I’ve seen the little dude score some nasty goals over the past few years and he’s got the hands and overall makeup of a point a game center. I know some of you guys are thinking I’m out of my mind right now, but with this hearty helping of Whopper Jr’s yesterday [read my last post for more on this silly analogy] I’m starting to feel much better about this team.

Sure Fedotenko and Guerin have been inconsistent in the past and Comrie has yet to live up to his potential but that’s where I think the Isles X-factor comes in, Ted Nolan. This guy worked wonders with so many of the players last season and if not for injuries, the Isles could have changed their destiny entirely. What you have right here is a coach that is so solid that he brings the absolute best out in his players and gets them to rise above adversity. Not many coaches in the NHL can do that. That’s the main reason why I have faith that these guys will have good years on the Island.

On another note however, I still think the team need one more two-way center to man the third line before I’m completely comfy with the offense. Right now I have Shawn Bates penciled in as the third line center and in all honesty, while I think the guy can still be a serviceable NHLer, it’s not going to be centering the third line. It’s going to be either playing wing on the fourth and killing penalties or doing that somewhere else. Simply put, the younger guys like Tambellini, Nokalainen and Bergenheim need a chance to show what they have now and Bates either needs to cement his role or get out of the way.

As far as that two-way center goes, I’d go with either Scatchard or Peca. I think both of them can be had rather inexpensively and would both be well suited for the Isles gritty and two-dimensional game; hopefully more on that in my next post.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2007

The past week has been insane for Islander fans. First they lose Smyth, Kozlov, Blake and Poti and then they sign Sim, Fedotenko and Bill Guerin. While those signings still don’t make up for the losses of the players I’ve just mentioned, it’s still a start.

Sitting in the press box at Keyspan Park in the middle of a rain delay, I find out the news that Guerin is an Islander and I feel like I just had a Whopper JR. at Burger King. I’m not completely full by any stretch of the imagination, but I know if I have a few more, I’ll be on my way.

With a few solid players still available that the Isles can take a chance on, I’m confident that the team that gets put on the ice this season will be competitive.

However, while I love the deal and I think the Isles are looking better and better as each day passes, I still think they need to make a few more deals before they can get closer to calling themselves a playoff contender. If Guerin is healthy, he’ll score anywhere from 55-75 points, which takes care of making up for Jason Blake’s offense, but the real question is who passes to him?

Mike Sillinger right now is really the only option the team has and while I think he’s arguably the best all-around player the team has right now, he’s better suited to be on the second line with Hunter and Hilbert. If they can find someone the likes of Comrie or someone else that can put up anywhere from 55-65 points a season, then I think the team may be looking much better. As well, I’d love to see the Isles take a chance on someone like Jeff Friesen or Dave Scatchard who are both in desperate need of a change of scenery and a place where they can get some minutes on the powerplay and contribute more.

If these guys can get some ice time, I don’t see any reason why they can’t put up 15-20 goal, 35-40 point seasons and add some depth to the third and fourth lines. I don’t know how you guys feel about Friesen, but I think Scatchard would be a perfect hit on the team and if the Isles bring back Asham and Simon, how’s that for a checking line?

Uh huh, that would be nuts my friends, nuts indeed.

Alright, this game is about to start and I need to get started on my recap for NYSportsday.

Let’s go Islanders.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2007

For days I’ve seen Islander fans bug out on every message board imaginable because the team hasn’t made any moves. In all honesty, it’s driven me absolutely crazy. People, there are three months until the season starts and just because of two days of inactivity, everyone thinks all is lost.

Calm down people.

Hopefully, now with the team close to a deal for Steven Reinprecht [according to hockeybuzz.com] and the signing of Ruslan Fedotenko, Isles fans will see that things are going to get done, even though it may be a bit too slow for some.

However, like the most ardent cry babies in Islander Country right now, I also feel your pain and still feel that much more needs to be done before this team can be considered playoff contenders.

Personally, I’ve never been a huge fan of Fedotenko, because like many European players, he just doesn’t seem to bring enough intensity and passion to his game on a consistent basis. After watching guys like Yashin, Czerkawski, Jokinen and Kvasha pull the same type of crap when they were here, I hope Nolan can work some magic with “Tank” and turn him into the 30-goal scorer the Flyers expected him to be when they signed him in 1999.

In addition, while I’m not too enthralled by the amount of dough they gave him either, it’s obvious the team needs more offense and Fedotenko has enough upside that he can still be a bargain at that price. After paying Yashin all that cash to score 50 points last season, signing Tank for almost three million to score 35 points at the very least doesn’t seem like too big of a blunder if he doesn’t come through.

With Fedotenko now in the fold, the Isles do have a little bit more scoring, but I feel that they need at least three more guys that can put up 45 points a season before I’ll be comfortable with the offense. With the potential of the Isles signing a primary scorer looking very slim now, they’ll have to stockpile solid and dependable gritty players on all four lines to make up for it.

In my opinion, what this deal basically just did was replace Viktor Kozlov. If you don’t believe me, look at Kozlov’s situation last year before he signed with the Isles. A talented player coming off of a bad season in need of a change of scenery, I predict Fedotenko stays here one season, scores 25 goals and goes somewhere else. Scoring 12 goals last season with the Lightning, Fedotenko had a similar season to what Kozlov had two years ago with the Devils.

The only real differences between the two is that Fedotenko has a ring, has proven to be a clutch performer when the chips are down and doesn’t mind getting dirty in front of the net, something that could have turned Kozlov into a superstar if he did it a few times a season. If the Isles can find a way of harnessing his ability, say by putting him on a line with a high energy winger line Bergenheim and find a center somewhere that can pass him the puck, Fedotenko may be able to have the best year of his career. If not, he’ll score 15 goals and add 20 helpers and provide depth on the second and third lines.

Not a bad signing, the Isles just need about three or four more before I’m completely happy.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2007

Well, that was interesting.

Ryan Smyth, Tom Poti, Viktor Kozlov, Jason Blake and Richard Zednik…gone.

Jon Sim… welcome to the Island.

Your toughness and grit will help the Isles and you may even be able to score more than the 17 goals you did last season, but something more needs to be done before I’m happy about the progress of this team.

Rather than flip out like the dozens of other Islander fans on the message boards that have either renounced their fan status or moaned about their season tickets being worthless, I’m going to be brutally honest and assess what was done yesterday.

Obviously, he with the most money doesn’t win.

Wang offered both Scott Hannan and Ryan Smyth more dough and instead they both went to Colorado. Not good signs if you’re the owner of this team that wishes to maintain a winning pedigree. While Hannan had no intention of leaving the Western conference, Smyth’s decision to leave kind of sends a shiver down my spine. While conference rivals like the Rangers and Devils managed to stock pile their teams, the Isles right now look like their near the bottom of the conference offensively. If they want to challenge for a playoff spot, something needs to get done and soon at that.

While I have the utmost confidence in our defense, with up and coming guys like Campoli and Gervais being ready to have more minutes in clutch situations and feel that Martinek, Bergeron and Witt are steady D-men, I still feel we still need one more experienced guy back there [maybe Andy Sutton, Sheldon Souray or Teppo Numminen?] before I can be completely comfortable with our defensive situation.

Again, while it would have been nice to pick up a guy like Brian Rafalski or Mathieu Schneider, there are still plenty of unrestricted free agents out there the Isles can snatch up that fit into what Ted Nolan is trying to do with this team. Who you ask? For all you upset and miserable Isles fans out there that don’t have the same unshakable patience [maybe my worst enemy] as I do, here are just of few.

I’ve already mentioned Sutton, Souray and Numminen, but there’s also Roman Hamrlik, Brad Ference, Brad Stuart, Patrice Brisebois, Bryan Berard, Aaron Miller, Brad Lukowich, Sandis Ozolinsh, Karel Rachunek, Josef Melichar, Brent Sopel, Janne Ninimaa, Jon Klemm and that’s just the unrestricted guys. Like I said, I’m not worried about the defense and as far as I’m concerned, the Isles have one of the best goaltending tandems in the league.

With that being said, right now however, the Isles also need a primary scorer worse than a hippy needs his daily fix of Bob Dylan and marijuana.

Rather than go out and sign someone older that is going to give us 30 goals for two seasons and then leave, I think the Isles should take their chances on some guys in the need of a change of scenery that can be bought cheaper than others. Guys like Jeff Friesen, Mike Peca [do you give him another shot?] Kyle Calder [I think he’d be a great fit here] Nils Ekman, Ville Nieminen [who’s never developed into the offensive player many thought he’d be, but could still score a dozen goals and be a solid two-way player] Denis Arkhipov, and Ladislav Nagy, who looked absolutely out of place with Dallas last season immediately come to mind and I can see all of these guys contributing somewhere between 35- 45 points or more on the Isles.

Also, there are a host of other intriguing possibilities, such as Mike Comrie, who the Isles were interested in during the season, Martin Gelinas, Darren McCarty, Brendan Shanahan, Todd Bertuzzi, Jeff O’Neill, Bryan Smolinski and Slava Kozlov, who could all ad the scoring depth the Isles need in order to be competitive.

Having not even mentioned the restricted free agents, it’s obvious that things still have room to change, Isles fans just need to be patient.

Within the next few weeks, I guarantee the Isles make some moves and this team starts to take shape more. They’ve done too many things right the past few months to let this team go down the drain for next season.

We’ll see how it goes. Hopefully Isles fans won’t have to play the waiting game for too long, because chances are many of these guys won’t be on the market for too long.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2007