Monthly Archives: January 2009
3:38 pm - As per Logie, Rick DiPietro is out with swelling in his surgically repaired knee. It’s impossible to snicker when the whole thing is just real sad. Scott Gordon stressed to Greg Logan “several times that DiPietro was medically cleared to play.” Okay, whatever that means.
My concern is not about Timeouts or any other silliness. It’s just for Rick. Here’s hoping whatever it is, the right thing is done. We will continue to hear how the Islanders are being cautious, no doubt.
1:40 pm - Yann Danis has been recalled on an emergency basis. Oh my.
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Today marks Day 3 of the Islanders organization putting me in Timeout. I’ll continue to try my best to be informative, but while I’m in Timeout you’ll want to make sure you check Greg Logan’s blog regularly. You never know if I’ll consistently get updates.
Real nice gentleman/PR honcho Seth Sylvan updated me today about Yann Da-Lower Body, but some calls and texts have not been returned by others in the org since the day I was critical of the goalie “plan all along was for Joey to start/I was surprised” thing. They really didn’t like the Keystone Cops reference.
Many have said I overreacted. Quite possible – just as I may have overreacted writing the day before about an Islanders fourth round pick who looks pretty good, just as I may have overreacted letting my friends at the Canucks tell me how hard it is to play against Go-Go’s forecheck when it’s effective.
Still trying to understand how Rick is not 100% ready to start, but it’s okay to play the franchise goalie mid-way through a game if Joey gets hurt. Perhaps today’s recall of Danis is the latest example of them trying to get it right. I will always allow for the possibility that I’m simply not smart enough to understand the concept.
I don’t want our readers to miss out on news just because I was a naughty boy, so I hope Greg’s blog is on your speed dial. The Timeout could be for a week, a month, rest of the season, who knows? Does this mean I should not promote some Islanders’ off-ice events when asked? No, I still will. But there goes my Aaron Ness is the next Brian Rafalski article, LOL…
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If you missed our first Up All Night, more than 600 Comments during Islanders-San Jose, we’re going to try it again tonight as the Islanders play in Calgary.
Basically, it’s a running Commentary during the game. The Commentary should only be about the Islanders and the NHL. I doubt very much on Sooners or Gators Point Blank they’re talking about Islanders-Flames today.
If you have questions, I’ll try to get to as many as possible. Guideline limits on 4 Comments per post are off, but keep it to 10 tonight so everyone can get in the door, okay?
I’ll post a new header around 8:30 pm EST so we can get started. Let’s make it a good one.
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Freddy Meyer is the latest with a strained groin. FMIV missed practice yesterday. Whether or not he goes, looks like Radek Martinek will make his return to the lineup.
The “plan” apparently has been for Rick DiPietro to start tonight. Either way, I’m sure it will come up during Up All Night.
Congratulations to the deserving Mark Streit on making the All-Star team. Have I written enough times what a great signing it was? Besides everything else he has to pack for the tip, Mark will need to be prepared for several newspaperpeople dying to goad him into saying something critical about the Canadiens or the Islanders. He can count on it.
Just watch how Mike Keenan tries to work the refs tonight if necessary. Just watch. Mike was the coach of the Flyers when I interned for them all season during their run to the Cup Final in 1986-87. I can’t speak for how he is now, but I can tell you this – he was an amazing coach back then.
Addressing the question before it even comes up during Up All Night: Eric Nystrom spent a lot of time shuttling up and down between Calgary and the Flames’ AHL team before finally, hopefully, settling in as a regular for Keenan. My hunch is the Islanders have had chances to acquire Eric. Had.
Jarkko Ruutu, just two games for biting an opponent. I’m sure Si was thrilled to hear about the light sentence.
The Islanders’ next game is not until Tuesday – a bizarre in-season break over a weekend I’ve never seen before. It will be interesting to see how Coach Gordon plays it with the days off. The Islanders will definitely be off Friday. Would not be surprised if he dangles the carrot of a second day – and perhaps even third day of optional on-ice, mandatory off-ice – if the gritty-gutties can get two points against the Flames.
Comments.
12:16 am - This is from multiple league sources, in the midst of preparations for travel, publicity and other logistics for the NHL All-Star Teams. All signs point to this man as the Islanders’ representative at the 2009 All-Star Game in Montreal. The official announcement is at noon. (My sources asked me to hold until I woke up in the morning and I was going to oblige. But now I see B.D. Gallof has the scoop).
Glückwünsche.
Reaction?
Fascinating stuff from my pal Elliotte Friedman of CBC about John Tavares and Victor Hedman. Brian “descending rapidly” Burke tells the Toronto Star that Tavares is cemented in his mind as No. 1.
But the gold from Elli is Atlanta GM Don Waddell surprisingly stepping out and declaring his love for Tavares. “You have very few chances to get that kind of player,” says Waddell, adding Tavares would be his pick.
The heads of bleh Toronto and bad Atlanta are already openly talking Tavares. Islanders fans, be afraid. Be very afraid.
Buzz starting to circulate about the who the NHL chose as the Islanders’ all-star. Could have it confirmed tomorrow am. Comments.
My response to some of the more than 100 Comments on today’s Bill Guerin column, aka an excuse for me to try to make a few more points.
- To be certain, if the Islanders are offered a first round pick for Doug Weight, an almost 38-year old player they astutely signed last summer to a one-year deal, they will make the trade. Do I think the Islanders can get a first round pick for Weight? No. Weight plus a B player or prospect? No.
- To clarify, no one is thinking Guerin and Weight have all of a sudden become Sons of Long Island on their way to seven-season, Eddie Westfall-like runs. Bill and Doug certainly are not pretending that. I regard this as a season-by-season matter, weighing their value to the Islanders vs. their value to other teams in trades. Cold, but realistic.
- I would not get all worked up over the Islanders 2009-10 depth chart at center, with or without Weight. I know at 12-25-4 there’s not much going on right now, but I wouldn’t worry about where all the icetime is going to come from next season. If the Islanders end up with 29 centers – Weight, Bailey, Nielsen, Comrie, Thompson, little Johnny Tavares and on and on - I’m sure they’ll work it out.
- Garth Snow cannot – and I’m certain will not – factor a ping pong ball bouncing in the Islanders’ favor into his planning for ’09-10. Whether he ends up with any part of Tavheduch, he can’t even think about reserving a spot on his board for them between now and at least March 4. First time it may be safe is the night of the draft lottery.
- As much as I’ve written about Tavares, Hedman, Duchene and others, it’s way too early to think about John Tavares being an Islander. Not when the Islanders still have 41 games left this season. Not when the Islanders would have to finish the season 30th in the league and then have a lottery go their way. The Islanders lost Ilya Kovalchuk. They could lose another one. Happens all the time in the NHL. That’s why there’s a weighted lottery. It wouldn’t be bad luck. It would be the system working.
- Personally, I’d be more than okay with Vic Hedman – I feel like we can call him Vic now – or Matt (no S) Duchene. And besides, both of them might be better fits in the system (insert Andrew Dice Clay “OHHHH!”)
- The Islanders’ most valued players at the trade deadline could very well be Mike Comrie and Brendan Witt.
- To those who think the Islanders will be able to package some combo of second round picks and average players or prospects to get another selection in the top 20 of the first round, respectfully – keep on dreaming. And let’s hope nobody – especially Islanders management – gets too caught up in the value of the 25th overall pick. Call it a precious first rounder all you want. No matter how you look at it, it’s still just six picks before the 31st.
- For those readers dying to trade Guerin for a second round pick, I’ve crafted a future news story. It’s just one example of how it could turn out.
August 17, 2014: Per-Erik Halitosis, one of the Islanders’ 7 second round picks in the 2009 NHL Draft, has left the game of hockey due to lack of interest from other teams. The Islanders acquired the pick at the trade deadline in 2009 in return for captain Bill Guerin. Instead of having Guerin around for another season or two to score 25 goals, stand up for coach Scott Gordon’s controversial style of play, serve as a mentor to top prospects and make and take calls from free agents about Long Island’s NHL franchise, the Islanders got Halitosis.
All in good fun, folks. All in good fun.
Comments to my comments. And what do you say: shall we go live for Thursday’s game?
There may still be plenty of Islanders action prior to the March deadline, but it likely will not involve the status of Bill Guerin.
The captain has a no-move clause in his contract, and during the NHL season that usually means a player is not moving.
Sure, no-trade and no-move clauses have been waived before, most recently in the cases of Bryan McCabe and Dan Boyle. But those were off-season deals, giving both McCabe and Boyle plenty of time to make important life decisions and move their families.
I don’t see a trade for Guerin coming together in-season. As much as some contenders would love to have Guerin on their rosters, most teams don’t like the complicated nature of acquiring a player with an NTC. They don’t like having to woo their potential acquisition in the middle of a hockey season. They don’t like the assets they would relinguish in the deal getting out in the press, only to see the trade crater.
(The only other Islander to have a no-trade clause in the last decade was Miroslav Satan. At last year’s trade deadline, not one NHL team wanted the hassle of acquiring Miro for a draft pick and convincing him to move.)
The now 38-year old Guerin won a Stanley Cup in New Jersey at age 24 and has played for 7 NHL teams. He has worked on both coasts, at home (for the Bruins), in the heartland and in Canada. Two years ago, he had the experience of being a “rental” for the San Jose Sharks. Guerin is not done, but he has done it all.
If Peter Chiarelli came knocking on the door with an invitation to help bring the Stanley Cup back to Boston, I assume the Islanders captain would be flattered and at least listen. If the Bruins offered Snow their 2009 very late first round pick and gave Scott Gordon one player of his choice off the Providence roster, the Islanders would listen. Other than this scenario – a longshot – Guerin is probably staying in New York.
Bill Guerin earned a no-move clause in his two-year Islanders contract with an all-star body of work on the ice and impeccable reputation off it. It’s not a leap to say he pushed for it in negotiations because he was tired of moving and hoped the Islanders would match his commitment to them. The team thought so much of the player, they named him captain before Guerin ever played a game in their jersey. Guerin has done everything the organization expected of him.
Although Guerin probably did not envision a complete rebuilding program a year after he signed on, he has been a model captain. He has played well. He has been a positive influence in down times (did you see him glow like a kid last week when Jeff Tambellini and Josh Bailey scored their goals?). More importantly, he and his friend Doug Weight have been the Islanders’ biggest, most reputable advocates at a time when the last-place team can be an easy target.
Allow me to go out on a limb and predict that Guerin and Weight would gladly forego freedom on July 1 in order to re-up with the Islanders for another season. Maybe that’s not a bad idea.
The Islanders moved mountains last June so they could select 18-year olds three times in the second round and three times in the third round of the ’08 draft. For the 2009 draft, they will have one of the first 5 picks in the first round, and they already have three second round picks.
It was a primarily different scouting staff back then, but before ’08 the last time the Islanders had three second round selections was in 2003. They drafted PB favorite Jeremy Colliton and two Russians who never came close to making the NHL. One of them was out of hockey within two years.
What do the Islanders need more right now: a fourth needle in the haystack of the second round, or two former great, now very good players and superlative role models in Guerin and Weight who are fiercely loyal to Scott Gordon?
What price credibility? We’re going to find out over the next few months.
Comments. Guidelines.
Funny thing about my old friends at the Islanders. Write columns explaining, and mostly defending, their decision to build from scratch, don’t hear a word. Write a piece about how Garth Snow and Scott Gordon are going to be in charge for a while and that there’s nothing wrong with that, silence. Do a positive Q & A with a scout about one of their fourth round picks from 2008 – while the big club is on its way to losing the 15th game of its last 17 – nothing.
Don’t get me wrong: that’s all good. I just assumed everyone at the Islanders was only reading Newsday. I’m simply trying to provide for fans my perspective of a franchise attempting to get things right in the first year of an overhaul.
But, oh baby, poke them for mishandling another aspect of the Rick DiPietro saga, and the texts come fast, furious and with layers of WAHHHHHHHHH. Most of the return fire references the Keystone Cops headline, like, ”I can’t answer your question. I’m at Keystone Cop Academy.” Oh, no. I might have to go for a while without official injury updates!
I thought about texting back that the blogger doesn’t write the headlines, but they might not find that funny.
Tomorrow: a look at the status of Bill Guerin. Comments.
Two items perhaps of interest to Islanders watchers in the aftermath of Team Canada’s triumph over Sweden at the World Junior Championships in Ottawa.
1. The NHL wishes of John Tavares
With each Islanders loss, the emails of concerned fans on PB started to pile up. What if the Islanders won the Draft Lottery, took potential star John Tavares and then the kid decided he didn’t want to play for the team?
I decided to reach out yesterday to the gentleman I trust as a Hockey Insider on issues like this more than anyone in the game. Here was our exchange:
Point Blank: Is there any evidence that suggests John Tavares and his camp would ever force a trade to a preferred NHL franchise? Or, put more bluntly, force a trade away from a team he doesn’t want to play for?
Insider: “In the OHL? Maybe. There’s some buzz that when he’s traded in junior in the next few days that his camp might try to steer the deal to one team over another. In the NHL? No. John will happily play for the franchise that selects him.”
2. The ranking of Victor Hedman
Since the 6-7 defenseman from Team Sweden did not wow fans and media, the question over the last 24 hours has been if Hedman has slipped from the clear-cut 1-A and 1-B he shares with Tavares for the 2009 draft.
In a word, no.
In many words, NHL scouts still believe Hedman has the potential to be one of the best – if not the best – defenseman of his generation. Hedman’s defenders in the scouting community will point out how Team Canada in recent years made Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin look average, and Ovi and Geno turned out okay. Hedman’s biggest fans in the scouting community gushed over him stepping up his physical play when Canada took some liberties with his teammates.
So there you have it. Tavares will play for the Islanders, Atlanta, St. Louis, Toronto, whomever. Hedman is still locked in with Tavares as the cream of this year’s draft crop.
The team that finishes this season with the worst record in the NHL is guaranteed a shot at Tavares or Hedman.
For TSN, I’m Bob McKenzie.
(Sorry, I always wanted to do that).
Comments.
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