Monthly Archives: June 2009
Islanders Point Blank on Twitter
Garth is really taking this deception thing to a new level. The PR staff just sent out a media advisory for an Introduction to John Tavares, which will be, um, in a week. Thanks for the notice!
The lead story on the official team website is on the drafting of Tavares, which if you haven’t heard happened more than 100 hours ago. The No. 2 story on the team site is about Jeff Tambellini signing autographs at the Team Store in Sunrise Mall on Wednesday.
That seals it: the Sedins, Scott Niedermayer and the Bulin Wall are on their way to Long Island!
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Scott Clemmensen…really? Besides watching him back-stop the cautious Devils in a pinch for a few months last season on MSG Plus, has anyone really looked at what the 32-year old has done in his career? Give a look and let me know if this is the man for the Islanders.
Clemmensen, who played in only 28 NHL games before his 31st birthday? Clemmensen, who was average-at-best for the Toronto Marlies of the AHL in 2007-08?
But know this: Scott is No. 2 on Greg Logan’s Top Candidates list, which is probably not by accident. It’s true – Clemmensen does have his supporters on the Islanders’ staff. Doesn’t seem to be the way to go, but it could happen.
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If the Islanders do not acquire first-rate goaltending to ride tandem or take over for Rick DiPietro, all the joy in Tavaresville will quickly fade away by the end of October. No one knows this better than Scott Gordon, who spoke fairly passionately and candidly all last season about the importance of reliable puck-stopping.
It’s okay if the Islanders want to commit to their program and their younger, mostly home-grown players. But if the team does not have confidence in its backstop, there can be a demoralizing effect from the defense to the forwards to the coaching staff and all the way through the fanbase.
Which is why this is indeed a very important week for the Islanders.
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That said, you have to wonder if Craig Anderson is a realistic target. Oh sure, they will call Anderson’s agent – count on it – but there are other issues at play here besides mutual admiration between team and goaltender.
Anderson is going to get the best contract of his career, likely somewhere between 3-5 years. The Islanders just used the first pick in the second round of the draft to select a 6-7 goaltender from Finland who turns 21 in a few weeks. If we are to take the Islanders’ statements at face value, DiPietro is going to play hockey this season.
So when you analyze how the Islanders have approached this rebuild, can we expect them to give a long-term contract to a 1-B goaltender like Anderson?
That would surprise me. Not that I nor most anyone would complain.
I think the Islanders should try to sign the best NHL goaltender they can to the shortest contract they can. The dollars for 2009-10, considering the Islanders are currently below the floor and way below the cap, are not the issue.
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Goalies in play for possible short-term deals: Dwayne Roloson (at age 40 and with his experience he could join the Snowy-Gordo-Dunny-Sudsie goalie think tank), Martin Gerber (he’s Swiss and knows Streit!), Scott Clemmensen.
Longer-term goalies: Craig Anderson, Ty Conklin (wants to settle down with this deal), Martin Biron.
“Tries”: Drew McIntyre (can’t be the only signing), Andrew Raycroft (Gordo likey), Mathieu Garon, the oft-injured and off-center Manny Fernandez.
Intriguing: Antero Niittymaki.
Yawns: Waiver wire veterans Brian Boucher, Dany Sabourin, Yann Danis, Jason LaBarbera, Curtis Sandford, Wade Dubielewicz.
Heavens, No: Manny Legace. Also, the aforementioned Clemmensen, LaBarbera and Raycroft.
Best goaltender available if they want to push for a playoff spot: Nikolai Khabibulin. Probably won’t happen, but if the Islanders want to play meaningful games in March and April…
Comments.
UPDATED at 5:50 pm - The Islanders have not, but Rich Chere reports a swap between the Islanders and Devils: Ben Walter to New Jersey for the rights to Tony Romano, a Devils’ 178th overall pick from 2006. Tony is a 5-11 center from Smithtown. The run of Long Islanders coming to Long Island begins!
Romano was 36-33-69 in 65 games with Peterborough. Walter wasn’t being brought back by the Islanders. Lou Lamoriello doesn’t have much of a history of trading young players who turn into NHLers. Even swap.
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4:00 pm - First off, a note about today’s UFA Prep stories. I want to be clear: I haven’t written, nor will I waste anyone’s time, about what I would do. The stories on the Ds and the Fs and the next one on the goalies, they are about what the Islanders are thinking, what the Islanders likely will and will not do. I’m well aware that just because the Islanders have 12 and 7 under contract, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try to get better forwards and defensemen. I’m well aware that Jay Bouwmeester is better than The Fantastic IVth, that Marian Hossa might help the Islanders win more games than Tamby.
More than unrestricted free agency, the Islanders might be in position to make themselves much better in the short and long-term by utilizing their tremendous salary cap space in deals. That’s on Garth Snow to figure it out over the next few weeks. My hunch is he has been strategizing for it.
And finally, a word about UFA scoops. Like the actual day of the trade deadline, I strongly recommend you rely on TSN (simulcast on the NHL Network), Sportsnet, Greg Logan and the message boards on July 1 and 2. To be blunt, I’m not interested in being the first to type “Islanders Sign Zanon”! a minute or two before everyone else. You guys are the hunters tomorrow. I’ll probably learn about who the Islanders have signed first by reading about it in my own Comments section. No problem with that. And by the way, I still think the Islanders are taking Tavares.
Islanders Point Blank on Twitter
UPDATED at 3:55 pm - As Twittered by the great James Mirtle, Mike Komisarek’s agent has announced that his client will test the UFA waters.
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If you really believe – or just want to believe – the Islanders are going to sign some stud free agents over the next week, then I guess you can call me an enabler. For Garth Snow, that is. Earlier today, at the risk of losing mega PB site visits during the UFA period, we warned against expectations of a major free agent forward signing.
Now it’s on to the defense! Don’t shoot the messenger.
Qualifying offers (1): The Islanders have QOed restricted free agent defenseman Jack Hillen.
Signed and Set (6): Under one-way contracts for next season and on the team are Bruno Gervais, Radek Martinek, Freddy Meyer, Mark Streit, Andy Sutton and Brendan Witt.
And There’s…(0): Just kidding. If 12th overall pick Calvin de Haan believes he probably needs another two full years of junior hockey, who are we to argue with him?
All But Gone: Thomas Pock is off to Europe – wipe away those tears, little buddies – while depth dman Joe Callahan will test the UFA waters.
July 1: With 6 defensemen on one-way contracts, Scott Gordon’s relative faith in puck-mover Jack Hillen and decent blueline prospects in Andrew McDonald and Dustin Kohn, the Islanders have their excuse reason to not sign a stud UFA defenseman.
Still, they are on a 1-for-1 hot streak with the value inking of Mark Streit last summer, prompting management to float whispers they’re looking at “another Streit-type move.” They might want to take the confidence down a notch, considering where the team finished last season with Streit.
Too bad Suffolk County’s own Mike Komisarek is not an unrestricted free agent next season. With rugged stay-at-homers Sutton (one year) and Witt (two years) still on the rolls, it’s tough to picture the rugged stay-at-homer Komisarek coming home. Oh well. Michael will just have to settle for the crazy $5 million a year long-term somewhere else.
Syosset’s Rob Scuderi would be a better value than Komisarek. Then again, the entire league watched Rob’s wonderful play on their TV screens in May and June. He’s going to get calls from at least 20 teams.
Considering the style Scott Gordon wants to play, Anaheim’s Francois Beauchemin is worth a call and an offer. He’s coming off an injury, but is also coming into his own. He’s a rare commodity in that he can move it and shoot it, and he has some bulk. Beauchemin is 29, so he wouldn’t mess up the Islanders’ rebuilding plans.
If they successfully woo Beauchemin – or surprise us with one of the top UFAs – being forced to move one of their original six like Martinek, Meyer or Sutton would not be a bad problem to have.
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My friend John Kreiser has put together an excellent top-50 UFA list for nhl.com. Sure, there are others out there beyond John’s chart, but hardly anyone who will make a significant impact. Johnny Oduya would have been nice, but Mr. Lamoriello was not going to let him get away. Oduya signed a few hours ago.
Kyle Okposo gets an invitation to U.S. Olympic summer camp.
The constant Comments harping on solid depth center Nate Thompson? Priceless. Really now, just not where the focus should be.
Comment Guidelines. UFA goalie preview up next.
Now that John Tavares is aboard, will the Islanders stay with their rebuild and development program and maintain their commitment to suckulence?
The Penguins did it for five years, whether they knew they were or not. (Boy, did Ray Shero step in it). Washington management knew darn well what they were doing. Since the Islanders or any team could never match the Penguins glorious pain of picking in the top 2 four years in a row, the Capitals are a more realistic model.
The commitment to this tear-down/rebuild should not be difficult for the Islanders, as the last few weeks would seem to illustrate. All you have to do is be one of the worst teams in the league, keep your obvious first round pick a secret, and then revel in the praise as TSN, ESPN, most of the print media and a large percentage of your fanbase hails your brilliance. Honestly, has a sports team ever received so many hosannas for coming in last and for the no-brainer drafting of a franchise player? I have been brought to my knees in awe.
So what does this all mean for the Islanders and unrestricted free agency when the doors to the store open tomorrow? Let’s take a look, starting with the men and boys up front.
FORWARDS
Qualifying offers (2): The Islanders will QO restricted free agents Blake Comeau and Nate Thompson. With no leverage, both will eventually sign two-way deals. Both will likely make the team out of camp. (Jack Hillen is the one D of note to be QOed).
Signed and Set (9, maybe 10): Under one-way contracts for next season and on the team are Sean Bergenheim, Trent Hunter, Tim Jackman, Frans Nielsen, Richard Park, Jeff Tambellini and Doug Weight. Under a one-way contract for next season and not set is Jon Sim, who it doesn’t appear will be bought out – although I can’t find Jon on the Islanders or the NHLPA websites. Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey have two years left on their Entry Level deals.
And There’s…(1): John Tavares will be signed to an Entry Level 3-year deal. He is a lock to play for the Islanders from beginning to end this season.
All But Gone: Andy Hilbert, Dean McAmmond, Mike Sillinger (take care, young friend). Jeremy Colliton and Kurtis McLean off to Europe, Mike Iggulden supposedly right behind them. Ben Walter and Mitch Fritz will be looking elsewhere.
July 1: With 13 forwards under contract - 9 on one-way deals, plus Tavares, Okposo, Comeau and Thompson - by the opening of camp and a few kids (Trevor Smith, Jesse Joenssu) knocking on the door, Garth Snow has kept expectations low for a big free agent haul. I believe him.
He’ll take a serious look at a fulltime enforcer, because it’s the right move and so he doesn’t have to hear about it anymore.
He’ll make a run at a B-level free agent with untapped upside and say his pro scouts think the new guy can develop into a top-6 forward in the right situation. If the agent for a big-time talent – Alex Tanguay and Maxim Afinogenov come to mind – want to go short-term in the hopes of a career turnaround (a la Victor Kozlov and Tom Poti), Snow would have to listen. Maybe Brian Gionta, if Lou Lamoriello walks away from him.
The best opportunity for an Islanders surprise comes if a Mike Cammalleri (39 goals) falls through the cracks in July and the Islanders are one of the few teams with the cap space and interest to sign him.
But will there be a big splash at forward? Feel free to hit this blog as much as you can on Wednesday and Thursday. However, it would be disingenous for me to lead you to believe a star forward is about to join Tavares. With another high draft pick, several contracts expiring and possibly a Lighthouse shovel in the ground, next summer would be a better time for some headline-grabbing signings.
Comments on forwards and this story only. Goaltending and defense are up next.
(Thanks, Rich from RVC)
Islanders Point Blank on Twitter
7:20 pm - How do you get 10,000 fans to watch the NHL draft on the scoreboard of a rusty arena? Three ways:
1. JOHN TA-VA-RES
2. Have C. W. Snojanks keep it a secret
3. Watch the Islanders webolution do the rest
Make no mistake Islanders fans, there were two stories coming out of Friday night: Tavares and you.
The Islanders did not spend a dime on mainstream media advertising for the Draft Party, and they didn’t have to. No, they did not plan on coming in last and winning the lottery, but they have been planning for a crescendo like Friday night for the last two years…
NYI Blog Box: The Islanders now have 17 fan-bloggers providing editorial content all for the cost of cooperation, a press pass and a link to the official team site.
Islandermania as official team message board: At last check, 6,207 registered users.
Yup, Islanders Point Blank: Friday’s stats: 1,469,880 hits. 147,710 page views. 38,831 unique visitors.
Executive accessibility via smart customer service: Countless times since this blog began, I have received emails from fans looking for direction on who to speak with at the Islanders if they had a complaint, wanted to vent or even needed a favor. As far as I can tell, they have been 100% satisfied. Good on the NYI.
Of course, it does not end there. There are several outstanding places to talk about the team on the www, such as the HF boards and Islanders Country. Feel free to promote your message board of choice in the Comments section of this post.
There are many strong bloggers outside of the NYI Blog Box, including Islanders Independent and Lighthouse Hockey. NHL-wide bloggers like Puck Daddy and SB Nation have taken notice of the intense passion on the web for Islanders content and have increased their coverage. And by now it should go without saying that Greg Logan and only Greg Logan of Newsday blogs on the team 24/7 from wherever the Islanders lace their skates.
(thanks, Joe D)
The Islanders-affiliated programs were put in place starting two years ago under the direction of team president Chris Dey, who had the crazy idea to have the former media VP cover the team is his own unique way. In the wake of the exhilarating success of the Draft Party and subsequent John-anza, I asked him if the franchise plans to stay connected to its fans at such innovative and extensive lengths.
“The one thing I keep coming back to is, we are a team named after our fans,” said Dey. “We understand what our team means to them, how emotional a connection there is between the fans and the Islanders. We’re going to continue to give the fans outlets through the digital media. But above all else, we want to continue to be friendly, responsible and accessible to our fans at all levels.”
Comments on this story only. Scott Gordon, the enforcer issue and plenty of hockey talk below. More on UFAs coming in next post.
3:50 pm - Like our draft wrapup with Garth Snow, here’s a brief phone conversation with Scott Gordon from today on some storylines surrounding John Tavares. Many of you will be happy to know that Scott told me, “Contrary to what you might believe, I’m a big proponent of that aspect of the game.” He was talking about the role of enforcer.
Did you speak with John Tavares at the draft?
Not too much, just mostly said hello. He had so many media demands in Montreal. I’ll speak to him soon, I’m sure.
I would think your personalities would be a good fit. You’re a good teacher for young players, you both seem like you keep it close to the vest but can also wise-ass. Do you have a feel for him yet?
Not yet, but I plan on talking to Ryan Jankowski and the scouts about John and all the players we drafted. I want to know about their strengths and weeknesses, their personalities. It’s important I have as much information on them as possible before they come in for development camp. Of course, John is a particularly important prospect for us so that relationship is key.
Greg Logan quoted an NHL source saying that you give “a little leeway,” but you’re “not going to let John do what he wants.” Can you respond to that?
There are different expectations for different players. For me, it all comes down to success rate. If you have the success rate making a move, or doing something that’s unique to you, you will have leeway. John is a special talent. It goes without saying that he and Mark Streit and Doug Weight are going to get more leeway being creative than maybe some others would.
Last season I spoke with Kyle Okposo about playing the off-wing. He was all for it, I gave it a try and it didn’t work out. Then I talked to him about playing the point on the power play. He told me he played it in Minnesota and wanted the opportunity. I laughed and joked, “Yeah, you said the same thing about the off-wing.” But we gave it a shot and Kyle was so good, I sometimes had him at the point on 4-on-4. So it’s all up to the player, our communication, and his success rate. I’m looking forward to working with John. He’s such a gifted and smart offensive player that I’m sure he can teach me a few things.
Do you know where you’d like to play him, and with who?
Everyone wants to know that, but it’s too early. I’ve watched 160 clips from 9 of John’s games. Watching those clips and seeing John in person are totally different views. The development camp allows us to get a better feel. Even then it will be a work-in-progress. A few people have asked me about line combinations and have run a bunch of them by me. I told them I liked those combinations because they assume everyone is healthy. Sometimes lines have a way of working themselves out.
There’s been the notion that maybe John is better off moving to wing for his first season or two. I’m not smart enough to understand the merits of coming off center. Are there any?
Garth and Ryan and I have not met about that yet, and we don’t have a meeting scheduled on that subject. Again, I would talk to John about that first before sharing our plans anywhere else.
Whether you have a fighter play on John’s line or not, would you like to have an enforcer in the lineup most nights?
Contrary to what you might believe, I’m a big proponent of that aspect of the game. I still remember a great conversation I had with Mike O’Connell when I was in Providence about the merits of toughness. We always had that element in the Boston system. Sometimes it’s about finding the right guy.
He needs some time to work on other areas, but I really liked what Joel Rechlicz brought to our team last season. In that win in Detroit, Joel went 90 miles per hour across the rink to get Henrik Zetterberg. If a whistle hadn’t blown, he was about to get Pavel Datsyuk. That makes a huge difference.
But there are players like Colton Orr who are heavyweights but their coaches trust them for 10 minutes or more. I saw Tom Renney put Orr on the ice protecting one-goal leads a lot the last two years.
Sometimes it just comes down to finding the right guy. He can’t be a liability. For the right player, I would not discourage it at all.
Comments.
12:04 pm - As we forecasted thanks to this photo, Scott Gordon gets the nod as one of Ron Wilson’s assistant coaches for Team USA at the 2010 Olympics in Canada. John Tortorella of the Rangers is the other assistant. Congratulations to Scott. Kudos to Dave Sandford of Getty Images for some quick thinking on draft weekend.
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10:00 am - USA Hockey names Ron Wilson’s assistants for the 2010 Olympics at noon today at this site. Granted, head coaches don’t have anything to do on draft weekend except shake hands. But from this shot at draft weekend, it would appear Scott Gordon has the gig. Either that, or they’re watching Brian Burke’s predictions of Duchene and Lecavalier for the Islanders.
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