WHAT COLLEGE FREE AGENTS REALLY WANT
The pursuit of Matt Gilroy takes a one-week hiatus
In order of importance, here’s what most college free agents like Tyler Bozak and Matt Gilroy look for when negotiating with NHL teams:
Column A: Cash
Column B: NHL icetime
Column C: The quality of the team’s arena, average attendance, whether it’s close to home, if the team is a perennial Cup contender, uniform coolness quotient, etc.
Actually, they rarely care at all about anything in Column C.
Brian Burke, first-year Maple Leafs President and GM, inherited a depth chart that is good news/bad news. The bad news is the Leafs hardly have any prospects, and they’re not selecting in the top 5 of this year’s draft. The good news is Burke can honestly look his college recruits in the eye and say, “Sign here, boys! Lots of cash and lots of NHL icetime right away.”
Tyler Bozak and Christian Hanson - the top college free agents to sign so far - hooked up with Toronto. In reality, Burke didn’t need to sell them. College players have “representatives” (per NCAA regulations, can’t call them agents) who do the advance work for them. Bozak came to the right place.
Matt Gilroy, the defenseman from North Bellmore, could be next for the Maple Leafs. No one knows for sure. According to sources, Gilroy’s ”people” told a handful of finalists, including the Islanders, that the focus of the 24-year old Boston University defenseman is completely on next weekend’s Frozen Four.
No one should expect a hometown discount. Gilroy will be 25 when training camps open in September. This is his one shot, and he’s not bound to the Entry Level salary cap. The Long Islander needs to do what he believes is best for him.
Last year, Jack Hillen signed with Garth Snow when the Islanders’ depth chart was, like the Leafs’, a good news/bad news proposition. Bozak, who listened to the Islanders, had to think about John Tavares or Matt Duchene, Josh Bailey and Frans Nielsen at center.
The Islanders’ defense has an all-star in Mark Streit and shows some promise in Hillen and Bruno Gervais and maybe Victor Hedman, but Gilroy has less to think about. He’s waited this long. Maybe he should wait a few more days until after the Draft Lottery.
Figure on Burke reeling in another one, but don’t completely rule out the home team.
Comments.
56 Responses to “WHAT COLLEGE FREE AGENTS REALLY WANT
The pursuit of Matt Gilroy takes a one-week hiatus”
Please Wait
no problemo cb
we’ll just reel in a good prospect with Toronto’s 2nd round pick this year.
As long as Garth offers top dollar (not crazy dollars, but competitive) I think we’ll be pleasantly surprised. Just a hunch from talking to my friends who are BU season ticket holders. Either way, I hope he wins the Hobey Baker next week, he’s such a great story.
Leafs down 5-0 in first…maybe they should suit up Bozak…
Good for him. Sounds like an outstanding young character, I hope Garth gives him every opportunity to be an Islander and puts the ball in Gilroys court to chart his own path.
P.S. T.B up 1 - 0 !
geeze if he is going to win the hobey baker than maybe we don’t want him….anybody remember Jason Krog….god awful
I say pass.
I’m not that interested in a 24 year old tearing up the college ranks. If folks are skeptical on Dibo being 20 playing in juniors I don’t know why Gilroy gets such a pass.
With five picks in the top 60 of the draft I’d rather grab some D there.
How many non-drafted college FA’s actually turn out to be serious NHL players?
Let Burke and his insane money overpay for all the college FA’s rather than get in to a bidding war with the deepest pockets in hockey for a player that may or may not make much difference in the NHL.
gilroy has the size and speed. He plays a position that is an organizational weakness. We dont have any D prospects with size.
Gilroy is an outstanding “five-tool” defenseman. He’s not remotely on Hedman’s planet, but he’s in the next group and if dropped into this draft would go in the top-10. While Dibo at 20 in the OHL is an exception, college players in their mid (even late) 20’s is pretty common these days.
A side note, Penguins just signed Hobey finalist goalie Brad Thiessen out of Northeastern. Its interesting because a few years back there was big hype on MA Fleury. Clearly the Penguins are already thinking about a backup plan. I wonder if Snow has been thinking about the future depth chart for goalies…I still think DiPietro can be a top goalie in this league, just my opinion, but it would be nice to know there are other options.
Let’s just hope Gilroy grew up a lunatic Isles fan like we all did.
Tampa up 2-0. And now I see why Stamkos was highly touted. Great goal he scored.
Chico Resch is a bit of a homer, but then again I guess Billy Jaffe can be at times
wait wait wait…
Gary Glitter
fused with “you suck”
….ummmm
3-2 devs. goodnight
3-3 maybe?
Since were probably not going to sign any high priced free agents this off season, why not try to sign the kid and give him a shot.As long as the money’s not crazy what do we have to lose. Looks like Hillen might be a keeper, what the hell. By the way Tampa just tied the Devils.
4-3 devs maybe not
Score Tampa!
whoo ! Go Bolts.
By the way, Chico is un-listenable at times.
I can’t believe the people on this board talking about “Pass”ing on this kid. Is it your money they’re spending? Are the Isles anywhere near the Salary Cap max?
No and no.
So tell me how the kid, even if he doesn’t pan out, isn’t worth a flyer?
woooooooo Tampa got a point - our magic number goes down a point
If we lose to tampa tommorow it comes down to just islanders and Colorado
Can’t believe Tampa got a point. Go Bolts!!!! Get another two tomorrow.
Gilroy won’t hurt this team but what about our own kids that are up and coming? Since there is no Stanley Cup in sight why won’t we give younger and cheaper players a green light?
i’ll take 1 tonight and give up 2 tomorrow.
One point … ughh … I guess I’ll take it … they were up 2-0 … but what can ya do?
I worry more about the Avs .. I just wish I had faith in Colorado winning even one game the rest of the way … heck … even one point “might” help … I think the Isles can win out the last 5 games … they are capable of beating any team on any given night … and even Boston on the last game of the year might not play top players if their seeding is set … so the Isles have a very good shot playing a lighter Boston squad.
IslesFanInBkNY….
With all due respect, what kids do we have that we are bursting at the seams to make for on D at the NHL level?
looks like it’s colorado we really have to worry about cause if we win three of our last five games we still can’t beat tampa in the standings colorado needs to get at least two points in it’s remaining five games for my heart to start up again
Correct me if i am wrong but if we lose tomorrow in regulation we clinch no worse than the 2nd worst record in the league meaning that we will pick no worse than third meaning LONG LIVE TAVHEDUCH
28- I think We can still overtake tampa, if we win out our 5 and they lose the rest we overtake them by 2 points
27. C.J. Your point is well taken. I went through Isles depth chart and unfortunately we are very thin on a D for players 20 years old and up. So, lets see what happens.
30-only if we win 4 or 5 games will we take over tampa’s postion if we win only three of five were fine. No way we win out
all that you need to know if if we lose in regulation tomorrow night we are guaranteed bottom 2 and our magic number to clinch top seed over colorado would go down to 3
rob76 had to think about that for a sec but your right a regulation win by tampa and it’s just between colorado and us colorado absolutly sucks right now come on sakic
Of course you take Gilroy. You get as many young talented players in your system as possible.
Colorado is scary right now. They might not win another game.
I’m not worried about Tampa Bay.
Hopefully a loss tommorrow night. That will take care of Tampa.
We need six points to pass Colorado.
Which means we need to win 3 of 5 to pass them.
All we need is “1″ point from them to keep us in the bottom 2.
If we tie them in points we still get it.
Tavarses… Hedman…all good.
Bring on the Lottery.
CB…
What do you think????
Tavarses will be the King Of Queens.
nice $ in toronto plus icetime, but oh boy, bring on the ‘big dolllar college ufa’ not living up to expectations scrutiny rather quickly…
Tor can be a blessing and a burden. Walking in with these contracts in the TOR pressure cooker seems like, well, risky business to start ones NHL career.
(36) That’s why I would not recommend Toronto to Gilroy.
Bridgeport beats Hershey, 4-3 in overtime, on a goal 25 seconds in by Bentivoglio. Sound Tigers host Albany on Sundat at 1:00 pm…CB
Taylor Pyatt’s fianancee was killed in a car accident while on vacation in Jamaica. They were suppose to get married this summer. Tragic…. RIP
CB, are you going to Bridgeport Sunday? We’re going to take the ride to catch the game. If fact, I’m thinking of improving on the weekend of the 7th and 8th. We went to both those games and B’port on Sat. nite. The last weekend of the season the Sound Tigers play Friday and Saturday Evenings and the Isles finish up on Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening. Easter dinner…Coliseum Pizza, yum. We could have a PB wacky hockey weekend
Tomorrow’s night game gives new meaning to the notion of a four-point contest.
Gilroy is definitely worth snapping up. I was a senior at BU when he was a freshman (kind of funny because we’re the same age) and I’ve continued to follow the team since then. He was great that first year and has only gotten better, through not only talent but dedication. Also a very nice guy and good role model, etc. and so on. (Definitely not worthy of the Jason Krog comparison. He’s not some shifty 5′9″ forward who’s tearing it up in HockeyEast & will be smothered by NHL d-men. His size and speed are the real deal.)
Ditto to the sentiments about the Isles not being very deep on D. And yes, like the rest of us Gilroy did grow up a huge Isles fan.
I say book it.
I am sorry to announce the passing of Robert Ceparano on Friday, April 3rd, 2009. Robert finally succumbed to his lengthy battle with throat cancer surrounded peacefully by family members. His father Ciro Ceparano was notably distraught at the passing of his oldest offspring, stating in his slight european accent that a child should never pass before the parent.
Robert was widely known for his active role in securing a new ownership group for the New York Islanders NHL Hockey Team. This group was headed by then CA owner and billionaire Charles Wang. One of Robert’s most cherished moments was the times that he spent interacting with an individual of Charles Wang’s stature.
In recent times, Bob, as he was known by those closest to him worked in Farmmingdale as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist, License # 289469. He was licensed through 2011. He loved helping people and his hospital & medical facility will surely miss him.
He will be laid to rest at the James Funeral home located at 540 Broadway in Massapequa, NY 11748.
Thank you for letting me pass this information on to those individuals who touched Bob in such a unique and tender way.
His Loving Sister,
Lori
CB, I’m curious about something… I know CW has imposed the start of next hockey season as a deadline for the TOH’s commitment to the project… but what happens if, for the sake of argument, the October deadline passes without incident, but then the “review” process is somehow completed with a project getting the green light a number of months later - before definitive alterate arrangements are made (e.g., with Queens, KC, etc.)?
In other words, is CW ready to commit to an alternate arrangement as soon as the October deadline passes? Or, will he formally withdraw the proposal from consideration immediately following October 1, even if he doesn’t have a commmitment to an alternate plan? If not, then I’m not sure I understand the practical significance of the deadline…
Lori, my apologies, I didn’t see your immediately preceding post (42). My condolences to your family…
Taking a chance on a highly sought after college player is a no-brainer. If a smart hockey man like Brian Burke thinks it is worthy to do, then it is ood enough for me. There are never guarantees that the player, any player, will work out.
I was hoping last year that we would get into the bidding for former Okposo team-mate Blake Wheeler who was a FA. Boston got him and he is a regular with 20 goals in his rookie year. When only cash is the entry for talent, we should be players that are competitive.
Rest KO and Streit please.
Lori
I am very sorry for your loss. The current ownership team has been the only bright spot for islander fans in the last 15 years. All islander fans owe your brother a great deal of gratitude.
About the depth on D = The Islanders have what looks like the last pick in the 1st round, and 3 second rounders. No one is saying on here that Garth may look to shore up the D with a trade of a pick or 2 for a young 23-26 yr old quality #2 Dman. With all the picks, you just cant draft, use them to your advantage. I see Garth possibly doing this with 1 or 2 picks.
to post 20…spending 2 to 3 million on a 24 year old “prospect” is not a flyer..its a gamble..i just think he is going to cost too much
Lori…my deepest sypathy for you and your family. I new “Cep” well. I too am a Nuclear Medicine technologist and trained under him through school. We also worked together. He was one of the best Nuclear Medicine technologists I ever had the priveledge to work with. I learned much from him. He was a passionate Islander fan, Ill never forget the day I saw him on the cover of Newsday. He was a very funny guy and a very passionate Islander fan. May he rest in peace.
If you sign Gilroy, either Witt, Martinek, or Sutton has to go. Unless Gilroy signs a two-way deal and we can hide/teach him the pro game in the A for 10-25 games and trade one of those assets. Thing is that kid isn’t going to sign with anyone knowing Minor league time is in his future. Maybe the plan to move up in the draft with the second- 1st rounder maybe to trade Witt and a pick to move up….the possibilities are endless.
i think it’s wrong that an unproven,undrafted prospect can basically ask what money he wants and can pick and choose what team he wants to play for without ever lacing up the skates in the big league.Its the system i guess and it’s within the league rules but it’s still wrong HOPE HIS HEAD DOESN’T SWELL TO MUCH
You can never have enough good players, and since we need all the help we can get there’s no way we should pass on Gilroy. The roster will take care of itself, the best players will make the team and if Garth has to make some trades, so be it.
Lori,
I remember reading about your brother and other members of STICK ( Save the Islanders Coalition) back in 2000.
They never gave up,and through their perseverance, saved the Islanders.
I, along with many others, will honor him by not giving up on our current fight to save the Isles once more.
I thank him for his dedication, and will say a prayer for you and your family during this difficult time.
Nelson in Riverhead
Lori,
I also had the pleasure of meeting “Cep” and I am better because of it. A funny person, I always admired his serious passion for the Islanders.
I am sorry for your loss and my condolences to you and family.
Tim (51): Whats wrong about it??? You as an unproven,undrafted prospect can also ask for whatever money you want, and you can pick and choose what team you wants to play for without ever lacing up the skates in the big league, as well. there is nothing wrong with it… the issue is if there are teams who are willing to give that kind of money to an unproven talent. If youre worried about an undrafted hids swolen head, then does that mean the drafted kids heads are even bigger than Mr Mackeys?
We are not going to get Gilroy for the bargain basement price of $875k per year, where a younger free agent must sign. He will go for a multi-year (probably 3) at at least $1.5M per. Whoever signs him better be very very sure he is the real deal. I’ve seen him play many times this year, and I don’t think he is worth that kind of money to thre Isles when we have other proven prospects in the system.