Blake Comeau was claimed off waivers by the Calgary Flames, who will put him on the third line, the team announced Friday. Comeau, claimed from the New York Islanders, will take the spot of third-line left winger Paul Byron, who was sent to AHL Abbotsford.

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CALGARY - The Calgary Flames are hoping a change of scenery will help Blake Comeau pull out of a long scoring funk.

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The New York Islanders and forward Blake Comeau avoided arbitration by agreeing on a one-year deal that will pay Comeau $2.5 million, Newsday reported Tuesday, citing multiple sources. Comeau, a 25-year-old winger, had a career-high 24 goals this past season.

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UNIONDALE, N.Y. - The New York Islanders have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Blake Comeau.

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The New York Islanders have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Blake Comeau. Comeau had career highs in goals (24), assists (22) and points (46) last season during his fifth season. He finished fourth on the club in goals and fifth in points. The Islanders selected Comeau in the second round, 47th overall, of the 2004 draft.

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Blake Comeau's tip-in with 57.3 seconds left in overtime led the New York Islanders to a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night. Michael Grabner scored his 27th goal at 8:40 of the third period to give New York a 3-2 lead. But the advantage lasted for just over a minute as Nikolai Kulemin's crease-crashing score tied it with 10:12 left in regulation.

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Dwayne Roloson stopped 37 shots, and four Islanders had goals in a 4-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night that stretched New York's winning streak to three. Blake Comeau, Michael Grabner, P.A. Parenteau and James Wisniewski all scored for the Islanders, who tied their longest winning streak of the season and extended their point streak to five games (4-0-1).

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After a long string of losses, one win wasn't about to leave the New York Islanders giddy. P.A. Parenteau, Blake Comeau and Matt Moulson scored in a 99-second span and New York won for only the second time in 22 games, beating the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 on Thursday night. Rick DiPietro stopped 30 shots for the Islanders, who had lost six straight.

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If one thing was painfully obvious this season, it was that Doug Weight doesn’t like losing.

Unlike some of the other players that seemed content with their play during the season, Weight was always seen yammering on the bench and trying whatever he could in order to get his team going.

Now with the team ready to draft the number one pick in the draft in a few weeks, Weight sees the possibilities.

And boy is he excited.

“Getting the first pick in the draft certainly excites me from an organization standpoint,” Weight said. “We had 61 points this year and we had a lot of injuries and it was a tough year for us this way. I think we are going in the right direction, but nothing speeds it up like getting a great hockey player. We have some good young players that have taken some strides this year, but to get somebody like this in your organization in September or October will give us a boost and maybe it will give us some confidence. If you team that up with everyone getting healthy next year, who knows what position we are going to be in.”

You have to admit, Weight has a point. While the rest of the NHL is focused on what the Islanders did this year, no one is thinking about how much better they can be next season. Guys like Josh Bailey, Frans Neilsen, Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau should be ready to perform at a higher level and if they can keep veterans like Trent Hunter, Brendan Witt and Radek Martinek healthy, who knows what the team will be capable of.

Well, I think even if that is the case, the team will struggle to find itself in the postseason, but they will be better than this season.

At the very least, it’s a start.

While garnering the first pick has lifted the spirits of Weight, it’s been great for business as well.

“There is a lot of excitement surrounding this year’s NHL Entry Draft for the Islanders organization and its fans,” New York Islanders President Chris Dey told the team’s official website. “That enthusiasm is being felt through the increased interest in our various ticket packages.”

Teams like the Blackhawks and Penguins have proven how much a first overall pick can change play on the ice and business; hopefully this is just the beginning of something special for the Isles.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Posted under Offseason 2009

Andy Hilbert- Unless the Islanders don’t have the confidence in some of the youngsters that are due a push, guys like Blake Comeau and Jeff Tambellini, there is no reason why Hilbert should stick around. Considering the miserable season Miro Satan had for the Penguins this past seasonand Hilbert’s success there a few years ago, it makes sense that he could end up there again. However, if the Islanders fail to sign or draft a top tier forward, Hilbert, because of his grit and comfort in Scott Gordon’s system, may be one of the first players resigned to round out the depth chart.

Mike Sillinger- Two years ago, one could make the argument that Sillinger was one of the best players on the team. He scored 59 points, killed penalties and won faceoffs, seemingly at will. However, last season, Silly was injured and limited to less than 60 games. This alone played a huge part in why the team missed the playoffs. This season, Sillinger was out of the lineup for 75 games, dealing with even more injuries.

Now a UFA, Sillinger, if healthy and ready to return, could garner interest from other teams in the league. However, the question remains as to if the Islanders should take a chance on him, if that is the case. It’s hard to argue that many of the Islanders problems on the ice this season stemmed with problems with puck possession and Sillinger’s ability in the faceoff circle could have helped that, but at 37, soon to 38, the larger question is can he still be productive? If I was a betting man, I’d throw a hundred dollar bill on him hanging up his skates next season anyway, so even if the Isles decide to bring him back, it’ll be in the short term and considering the fact the team is in the middle of a youth movement, that decision doesn’t make much sense.

But this is the Isles we’re talking about.

Dean McAmmond- He showed some ability that many thought has eluded him lately in his short tenure with the Islanders, but I feel his arrival on Long Island this season had more to do with politics than the Isles wanting his services. With Richard Park and Tim Jackman signed and a host of youngsters that can be plugged into that fourth line with them, the chances of McAmmond sticking around for next season are slim to none.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Posted under Offseason 2009