DAY 2: THAT’S ALL, FOLKS
3 AHLers and that should be it for now today
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Yep, that day went as expected. Our understanding is that the Islanders do not have any serious negotiations at this point with any NHL players. They could get in the mix for a UFA slipper or two, but we wouldn’t change those 4th of July weekend plans.
I’d love to tease you with some info that might drive hits between now and the Tavares press conference, but that would be deceitful. Count on seeing a few more fringe players in Transactions. You’ll have to excuse my use of the phrase “depth player” in earlier posts. In the old PR job, that was a euphemism for “AHL player who could get in a few games when the groin pulls and hip flexors pile up.”
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UPDATED at 1:46 pm: As we figured this morning, here comes the depth.
Islanders just sent out a press release announcing one-year, two-way contracts for the below-mentioned Scott Munroe, left wing Jeremy Reich and defenseman Brett Westgarth.
In our UFA previews we said the Islanders would sign a fringe player their pro scouts or Scott Gordon might personally believe in. Fitting that category would be Reich, the team captain in Providence last season who played 90 games for the Bruins between 2006-08. Reich is 6-1, 200 pounds and 30 years old, but get this: last season he had 21 goals and 161 penalty minutes. So there.
Westgarth is a tough stay-at-home defenseman who played for Worcester (AHL) last season.
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11:48 am: As predicted, the depth signings begin. We have confirmed a report by the reliable Andy Strickland that the Islanders have signed AHL Philadelphia goaltender Scott Munroe to a one-year contract.
We listed Munroe as a top 3-2 candidate in a post two months ago. If Rick DiPietro can’t play, Munroe is a capable backup to Dwayne Roloson. He played 56 games for the Phantoms last season, with a 31-19-4 record, 2.46 GAA and .926 save percentage. Kudos to Strickland for the scoop.
If DiPietro can play, Munroe is a lock for Bridgeport. That leaves potentially one spot for Nathan Lawson and 2009 second round pick Mikko Koskinen. This is not a problem, certainly not a problem worth thinking about on July 2.
Then again, it’s becoming more and more impossible not to see the arrivals of Roloson, Munroe and drafting of Koskinen and Anders Nilsson as a sign of how much the Islanders are counting on DiPietro.
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Islanders: Most likely candidate to be this year’s “Mark Streit signing,” whether he lands with the Islanders or not - Francois Beauchemin. He even fights a little.
Also available: Defensemen Paul Mara, Rob Scuderi and Jordan Leopold. Plus some top-end forwards the Islanders will not sign (Saku Koivu, Alexei Kovalev), one they could look at to get the puck to the kids (Alex Tanguay) and a whole bunch of gritty-gutty role players (Chad Larose, Travis Moen, Mike Grier). There could even be another depth goalie.
Eric Godard may be available in Pittsburgh. Consider it future considerations for Billy G.
If the Islanders didn’t sign an impact forward or defenseman on day one, as expected, I wouldn’t expect them to sign one on July 2. If you’re one of the folks holding out hope for a free agent goal scorer or top-4 dman, your best bet may be to see who falls through the cracks of July and into August. (Remember the summer of 2007 and the great Andy Sutton vs Dani Markov debate?).
Again, you have been warned.
A Word on the Wrecker: Love Joel Rechlicz. Big heart, great energy. Had a long talk with him after a game in April. Sincere, determined, proud. But let’s slow down a bit. The Wrecker played half last season in the ECHL and sat in the stands in Bridgeport as a healthy AHL scratch almost as many times as he suited up for the Islanders (17 games). At one point, Scott Gordon even told the press some Bridgeport depth players were up for a few meaningless end-of-Islanders season games because he wanted to respect the Sound Tigers’ run for the playoffs.
I have no doubt Rechlicz will continue to develop under his mentor, the outstanding former heavyweight Eric Cairns. But remember: he was signed last May 5 as a project, a very worthy one. Just as you would hope the Islanders would not rush the development of a goal scorer or a puck-moving defenseman, I don’t see why they would force a fighter-agitator into the lineup ahead of schedule.
Sound Tigers: The inevitable “I can’t believe they signed those guys with Tanguay still on the board” should arrive in the next day or two. That’s when the great Mike Fornabaio of the Connecticut Post will break the news that the Islanders have signed an American Leaguer or three for Bridgeport.
For Jack Capuano’s crew to win a few games next season, the Islanders are going to have to start adding pieces. One or two will be in the category of NHL “tries,” while others will be AHLers. So far, the Sound Tigers have lost their best two-way center (Jeremy Colliton, off to Europe), one of their top defensemen (Joe Callahan), their third and fourth-leading scorers (Kurtis McLean and Ben Walter) and are likely saying bon voyage to No. 1 (Mike Iggulden). They have added Tony Romano, the Long Islander by way of Peterborough and Jason Dale, a 43-point forward with Brampton as a 20-year old last season.
Expect some AHLers in the Transactions over the next week. Yup, I hear ya. No one cares. You want NHLers. Got it. Understood.
With the Day One Free Agent Frenzy over, Comment Guidelines are back on. No more than 3 posts per reader per thread, and the rest of the usual rules. Thank you.
270 Responses to “DAY 2: THAT’S ALL, FOLKS
3 AHLers and that should be it for now today”
Please Wait
Agree 1000% on Rechlicz CB. Great heart and energy but just not ready yet. Let’s get Goddard back from Pitt!
please trade or get a good fighter! and if we get Francois Beauchemin i will be very very happy
FB is a better overall player than Komi, hits, scores, PP time, positionally sound, and a SC winner.
4 Mil might be too much, but that’s the marketplace. It would be wise for GS to sign him on a 4-5 deal.
If NYI need to offset the salary, then possibly move Sutton and his attractive one year remaining on his contract.
Mara is another nice option at a cheaper price…
PS - thank you for all your time/energy on this site. much appreciated by the hockey world.
I do want to see who gets signed for the Sound Tigers. it’s important as a fan of both teams.
chris, what would be going the other way if we trade for a fighter? im guessing a 4th round pick. if we get beauchemin and trade andy sutton like speculated, in the deal is it possible we get a fighter and maybe garth is leaning on this?
I never liked Komi - he is overrated, and he really struggled in last year’s playoffs.
I would love to see Beauchemin or another gritty defender like Scuderi, plus the addition of a fighter (like Godard) and a tough, physical winger (like Moen, Grier). We don’t need Nate Thompson, he is useless and awful, and Tambellini is starting to look like a bust…
Patience is a virtue, we will see what Snow does.
Get Beauchemin and Goods and it will be a good offseason that advances the rebuild.
Gods is a legit feared heavyweight who throws down (and wins) with the best.
FB is only 29 and a very good #4 on very good teams. He would be a solid #2/3 with NYI for 5 years.
Id like to see them sign FB butI just dont see it happening. Streit was a miracle last year….I dont see another miracle happening.
I would also like to see them bring in Tanguay. He is crafty and a solid playmaker. He would sit nice on JT’s wing dishing him the puck.
Either signing would be a huge suprise. I cant imagine either of these players “falling thru the cracks”. Especially FB. Would be nice though….
This team needs some players - don’t just think Tavares is going to come in and score 40 goals…they need people that could put the puck in the net. If they picked up 1 gritty veteran forward & Defenseman…and a bargain top 6 winger…this line-up would be more respectable:
RW - Kotalik - 1 year for 1.8
(not going to break the bank)
RW/LW - Grier - 1 year for 1.3
D - Seidenberg 3 years for 3.3 per
antropov signs in atlanta
Just to throw this out there: The Flyers have In Laperierre, Dan Carcillo, Aaron Asham and Riley Cote. The Rangers now have Donald Brashear. Those are a couple of our rivals that we will see a lot of. A trade for Godard would definitely be ideal. Even picking up Derek Boogaard or someone. I really hope Garth does the right thing.
its unfair to thrust JT into this #1 center role, w/o a credible veteran goal scoring winger on his side.
Isles just signed a goalie named Scott Munroe. Whoever he is?
Kurtis Foster is another inexpensive big FA defenseman who thros the pbody moves the puck and can chip in a little offense. More importantly, will not shy away from goalmouth skirmishes.
Mara, Beauchemin or Foster would be great additions for us.
Just to add one more thing, we’ll get first crack at anyone who gets waived and with the money being tossed around lately it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s some decent players falling through.
They need to add some toughness. Thats a necessity. Another goal scorer would have been nice its going to be too easy to shut down the isles top line next year..
I really like Foster when he is healthy
If there’s a market for Sutton, I think you have to look at moving him. Beauchamin would be an upgrade to the D as he’s more complete player than Sutton is. Love Andy Sutton, but he’s just been injured too much in his tenure here.
Hopefully either Alex Tanguay or Kovalev is on the radar, the former being more likely to sign if any. I understand the whole building from within and I am behind it 100%. I do not think you will see the Isles near the playoffs once again this year and expect a top 5 pick performance from this club since they have made no changes from the regular skaters aside from dumping Andy Hilbert (thank god) and replacing him with John Tavares. An upgrade for sure, but that’s not going to make this team 20-30 points better. Even adding Roloson to the goaltending mix maybe improves the club 10-16 points. Not sniffing the playoffs.
My problem is the core of forwards. You’re set at center with Weight, Tavares, Nielsen, Bailey and Thompson. The rest? Okposo, Hunter, Bergenheim, Park, Comeau, Thompson, and Tambellini. On the fringe you have Joensuu and Trevor Smith. Who in that lineup is going to score 20 goals next year? Okposo and Hunter are the only two possibilities to sniff that number. John T will be good for 25 tops. He needs a setup man or at least someone to compliment his offensive abilities. Another offensive winger is needed, but I understand if Garth chooses to pass.
Just stay the course. It is what it is.
big signing
The Isles just signed of free agency Ted Williams cryogenically frozen head. I’m told they feel if they thaw it out it might spread the essence of perserverance and dedication throughout the isles organization..
no, but seriously im happy where we are at and didnt expect anything more than we did….if anyone else did you are just kidding yourselves
saying garth is a dope and why didnt he make an offer blah blah blah.. they have a plan and in all honesty if you were a big name free agent would you come here? i doubt it, at least not for a few years (time to grow as a team and get a shovel hopefully in the ground).
lets get a couple tougher, grittier guys and let the kids develope chemistry.
to #12 that is true that is how we got osgood. it is very possibly some good young names as well as tough D or enforcers could be pu ton waivers and we get first crack. Does anyone know when the waiver deadline is?
We should sign Peter and Chris Ferraro. Wade Flahrety is available too.. Andy Hilbert and Joe Vasicek would fit in well…
CB — Agreed … FB would be a good signing … depending on the terms of course … it seems that traditionally the market gets driven up the first day into the first week … then when the dust settles after the first week and into August the players who didn’t get what they wanted start lowering their price and terms.
I just hope that the Isles get someone who can play and ride shot gun.
CB - Ya think with some roster space now cleared in Bridgeport that the Isles will want to now take on Matt Martin and develop him under their watch?
KP, you forgot about bergenheim. he missed a bunch of games last year and still almost had 20. i estimate he’ll have 25 or more this season.
aucoin signed one year with the coyotes guess scratch him off the list.
Hey, Vasicek played pretty decently for the Isles in 07-08. Was one of our very few plus players that season. I agree that Snow shouldn’t bring him back but I’m glad for what he did do when he was here.
Beauchamin would be a fine signing, and wouldn’t take playing time away from any of the great young forwards the Isles are beginning to develop. In fact I think it would help them immensely - it’s easier to learn proper play up front when you can trust that the back line is playing properly behind you.
In all seriousness, the best Front Office Move this offseason should be to force DP to retire. The writing is on the wall…
I personally don’t believe that the Isles think DP is NOT going to play this year. But they learned last year that even though he is signed through 2050 it doesn’t mean they can’t be prepared for the worse. I am still confident he will be ready to play 50 games this year.
The Sound Tigers have Kevin Poulin listed on their roster. CB, do you know the plans for him?
Updated with Munroe to NYI/Bridgeport. Yup, Aucoin to Phx, Antropov to Atlanta, Recchi stays in Boston. Next!
Actually, I wouldn’t expect anything more than depth from the Islanders this week…CB
CB … what about the waivers issue when does the waiver wire start and what potential players would be on it. The isles have first crack at anyone.
All we need now is a couple tough guys. I would be fine if we don’t get anything else. We will still be terrible next year, and so be it. I can wait another year. Heck we’ve waited this long. Just right now I’m scared to play the Flyers with our lineup. We are going to get beat up and will not be able to stop it. We need a goon or 3.
This is going to be an awful, awful team again. And to be honest, I don’t see how so many people are happy with this rebuild job so far. I know we need to wait and see (as opposed to the wait and see over the last 15 years), but I don’t see how the talent level at the end of this rebuild is going to be so great. JT was a great, albeit obvious, choice, but where is the great talent that will culminate in a successful rebuild?? Maybe its me, but it seems a ton of this youth isn’t turning out to be top notch talent. There is most likely no goalie on this roster for the future, there are no few defensemen in the system, there are maybe 2 legit scorers in the organization, the coaching is inexperienced and unconventional, and the management, if nothing else, has proven to be unconservative and unsuccessful. When will they go outside of the organization to attain talent that is already polished?? All these draft picks and whatever are great, but there’s no guarantees, and for all the sitting and waiting Islander fans have done, I’d like to know this thing isn’t going to tank in 3 years and start over.
Volek - until you know what you have, it’s pointless to start filling holes and block the prospects from developing. I said it once, and it bears repeating - the Penguins were near the bottom of the league their first season with Crosby, that just happens. Being impatient and trading now is the same mentality that got us Yashin, and it’s pointless to hang Snow for the Milbury years. He actually has a plan, he’s actually sticking to it, and he actually has the patience to not look for quick fixes. That’s more than we’ve had in quite a long time.
Nick - you are spot on! But it’d be nice if we can get Beaucheamin. :o)
Does anyone have or know of a good place to find out who is a UFA next year?
“Depth” is certainly a very nice way to put it.
Billy G was “depth” for Pittsburgh. He was our captain and leading goal scorer.
I have to agree with Volekrules. I’m tired of getting stepped on in the games and now during these signings. Jesus Christ!!! We have the cap space and all we do is turn this team into a goalie team. Why don’t we get 3 more. Look at the freakin Rangers, everyone said oh the y can’t do anything they do not have the space. Yea right they got rid of worthless Gomez and picked up 3 good players that will improve them big time, not to say that we are going to get our buts kicked all over the ice and in the seats. I know we got our man in JT, but if we do not do something quick he will be out on injury just like the whole team last year. Come on already!!!
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Isles take a salary dump player from the flyers like a Gagne.
Well lets tally the score up since the draft.
Goalies - 4
Toughness - 0
Way to go Snowy-get all the youngsters killed all year-maybe we can break our own record for MAN GAMES LOST–Why not let Tavares get run at every game ,,,great idea there Garth-Your the best Garth!!!!
Well boys dont expect to see the best from Tavaes this year because he will have nagging injuries from cheapshots-trying to avoid cheapshots-not wanting to get blindsided …etc…you know the deal ISlANDER FANS—ask Bossy & Trots if Gillies & Nystrom made life easier.
Hey even Lafontaine had Vukota & Baumgartner ready to take someones head off if something happened to patty (Ask the Rangers what happened when Lafontaine was carried out of the garden & into a ambulance in the playoffs) If you dont know i suggest you youtube it!!!
Put it like this Al Arbour & Torrey knew how to protect there SUPERSTARS!
HOW many goalies are we drafting or signing..lol it’s kind of funny..let’s not worry about possibly scoring this year..nah that isn’t important..
Does anyone not see the handwriting? 4 goalies were picked up by the Isles in aas many days. That def spells DP is done like an overcooked nY strip steak at Ruth Chris!
Nick - I realize what happened in Pittsburgh, but it didn’t hurt to draft Malkin and Staal the next year. Maybe Taylor Hall will be that guy. I disagree with the premise that they can’t start filling holes. There are guys, that if signed today, will help you culminate this rebuild. I see no reason to let these guys sit out there and get blasted by NHL teams for another 2 seasons without at least trying to make them more competitive. That would make it almost 4 seasons of losing for KO and 3 for Bailey. That doesn’t help their development, it impedes it. They will have no idea what it takes to win at this level when they actually have the talent to accomplish something
None of the top teams in the league improved by making big name splashes at the opening of duck season. There’s a reason for that, they have built depth through the draft and solid development in the AHL. Let the mediocre teams with a lot of money make a splash on July 1 and then watch them remain in the 6-10 spots year after year with one and done playofss year after year.
The Islanders are not going to be a contender next year so it makes no sense to block player development with stop gap measures. This is a re-build from the bottom up and anything less will be a repeat of the last 15 years.
Bye bye Rick. We hardly knew ya. I hope I’m wrong because Ricky is an above average goalie when he’s on his game and he’s always a fierce competitor. I still hope he’ll play 30 - 40 games this year. I’m ok with the Isles not signing any big time free agents. We still have too many holes to plug to start filling them with high priced pieces. However, I really do hope Snow & Co. add a heavyweight to the lineup. These kids need someone watching their backs. Please not Mitch Fritz - I can’t take him anymore!
You guys in here act like its still the 1970’s NHL out there. Most of the vicious hits now are made by people that are not goons. Players need to learn to keep their heads up more and there would be fewer and fewer injuries. The only thing goons do nowadays is fight other goons in premeditated fights. They aren’t going around taking runs at top players anymore. Cause they would get long suspensions if they did. We have more then enough toughness on this team. Only the Nielson injury last year was due to a dirty play. And I wouldn’t call motteau a heavyweight that we need to add a player to counteract. Most injuries were groin pulls and injuries from blocking shots.
How many goalies does this team need?
I would be extremely happy if we could sign Beauchemin or Scuderi. I agree and think Beauchemin is this years Streit signing. Hopefully lightning strikes twice for Garth. If they can sign either defenseman that means we could move Sutton for some kind of enforcer and in the process really help our blue line. Sutton is decent when healthy but does not fit in with this youth movement.
38- you bring up the rangers signing guys every year- what does that get them? early playoff exits, which is not the goal.
the goal in my mind is a team capable of contending for a cup year in and out and it is obvious we are a few years away from that.
and 43-i doubt there is any correlation between a player experiencing losing and hindrance of their development as a hockey player.
and as for fb, id give him a three year deal(and overpay by 500k to get there), with a team option for a 4th
If you added a young forward, who your scouts like for the next 5-6 years, who’s development will they be impeding?? And are they impeding or contributing more to the rebuild?? Some of these kids we have won’t be learning in the NHL. We barely have enough kids that belong in the league to put a team on the ice, I don’t think signing one or two guys for the future is going to impede anything. Especially if you add goals, which we know there aren’t any of in this organization
Fig the lines to look something like this..
Tavares - Weight - Hunter
Okposo - Bailey - Comeau
Bergenheim - Nielson - Tamby/Jonessu
Jackman - Thompson/Smith - Park
As you can see, makes no sense to go out an get UFA fowards.
Witt - Martinek
Streit - Gervais
Beauchemin - Sutton/Meyer/MacDonald
that D looks solid to me
they will get toughness because from a biz standpoint, they have to protect their only real assets. in case of a sale, that’s what JT and KO will be. if they get their shoulder wrecked by some clown blasting them through the dasher because he knows there’ll be no price to pay, then snow and wang would be incredibly negligent. snow seems pretty savvy to me. he will protect his assets.
If its all about getting the younger players playing time. And its not necessary to sign free agents can someone tell me why the Blackhawks signed Hossa and Madden???? They have a great young team…
Garth, please sign one more goalie just in case
#51 like you line up but Tavares wont by playing Wing to start. He will get his chance to show what he made of. I can see Weight playing the wing before he does.
Can someone remind me why we let go of Goddard in the first place?
Why not add FB? hes a solid top 4 defender, and defenders get hurt. plus, defenders with expiring contracts can be moved at seasons end for “depth” to teams in the playoffs. sutton has 1 year left on his deal. he will be reigned or replaced. Fb is younger, and healthy. Sutton is older and has been hurt, alot. not blaming anybody, nobody wants to get hurt. Is there anybody that would be blocked if we sign FB? of course, this only makes sense to reach cap floor. thats our neighborhood until the NVMC gets redone. accept it.
51 You make sense, the only thing I would add is another D-man the one thing we know for sure is that at some point Martinek will be out 20+ games this year and Sutton will most likely be hurt as well so I would add Beauchemin and another stay at home D
51 — You don’t think Tavares is going to play with Okposo? Really?
And the Isles are NUTS to all of a sudden think Tavares is a wing. Let him play center for crying out loud.
They let Godard go because he was too big and tough for this team.
#56 They let Godard go because Nolan had to have his boy Simon. Simon you might remember didn’t want to do his job much and you know the rest. Big plunder dumping Goddy (A guy Snow played with) to appease Nolan.
CB, you make a really good point that with all the goalies that have been signed/drafted in the past 2 years, it does put up a big red flag for DP’s health.
One or the other or the other and no sense in seeing they all are important.
YYou draft well (Maloney, right?) and trade lousily (Maloney, certainly!) and sign scrubs as well (Garth?). ALL ASPECTS of team building are vital. And since when does a losing environment help kids? It doesn’t. Crosby got Palffy, Gonchar, Leclair, Whitney, etc. to help him win. It worked. They replaced old vets to help with young guys to stay. Eddie Westfall helped our kids. Veterans come in to show kids how to win and how not to lose. Vital stuff…..and difficult to show when you’re always losing.
So 4 goalies to replace eachother when our division crashes the net unimpeded…..maybe we can get replacements for our forewards and D now in the latter days of free agency. Better than trying to get some tough guys that might not be able to OVERspeed. We’ll just have to OVERheal.
Lots of hope being placed on guys like Bergenheim, Nielson, Comeau, Tambellini, Jonesuu. Tambellini and Bergenheim are like 25 already. Where’s all the defensemen for the future?? I don’t mind letting guys like Gervais get ice time, but when guys like Witt and Martinek are some of your top D-men, and you are preaching youth yet have none, then getting a big guy like Komisarek wrapped up for 5 years can’t hurt
I’m cool with not adding pick priced guys, but to not address the Enforcer issue is beyond me. It might be the one spot that we CAN afford to fix? Bring back GODARD!!!!
over priced, not pick priced????
I watch every Islanders game and Eric Godard, god bless his effort, was for the Isles, and is still, a classic 3-4 minute a game guy (that’s what he played for Pittsburgh - oh yeah he did NOT play in the playoffs). I don’t think there is much of a place for that anymore. I though CB agreed and wanted more out of the position (i.e. 10 solid minutes with ability to fight), but then he made that comment about adding Godard in his previous post - Did I miss your intent on that one Chris?
Best of luck to Scott Munroe! He was a solid backstop for the Phantoms, and we’ll miss him.
Hey CB, how come DiPietro is never heard from in the press or any webisites? No interviews? Is he the invisible man? Why was Bruno Gervais at the draft table for Tavares drafting and not our “star” goalie?
64 - Bruno lives in the area anyway. I imagine that had to do more with him wanting to be there.
I understand why they don’t have DiPietro talking to the media or out in public much. It’s a potential PR disaster, even if he really is on schedule to come back.
How is there no more room for a guy like godard anymore in the nhl when just about every team in the league has one??? That doesn’t make much sense…
Pittsburgh won’t part with Godard. He played 71 games last year, racked up 171 mins, and has two more years at $750K apiece. For what he is, that’s a bargain, considering they signed him over re-signing Laraque last year.
Rebuilding is fine but you have to pick up some young experienced players at the same time (Cammaleri, Gaborik, Havlat, etc..)and fill them in with your prospects. This is what happens when you hire your backup goalie to be your GM. You trade up to #12 and pass on plenty of excellent prospects (KASSIAN etc.) and then you draft not only 1 but 2 goalies in the 2nd round. Now free agencey starts and your only 2 signings are goalies. This is a smart rebuild here????
Yes, if that is not a telling sign of what they know and are not telling us, nothing is.
That’s just crazy how DP broke down like this. He is not an old guy. Not even 30 (when goalies start to enter into their prime) and he is done.
what a bummer for him and us.
just another set back that helped put us in this hole. BUT! start to look forward and never look back.
Maybe since Snow and Gordon are goalies they plan on putting 6 goalies on the ice each night.
Why doesnt the Islanders Organization take their sweet time bringing Dipietro back? Whats the rush? The Islanders are going no where this year. With a 15 yr contract he should be considered more of an investment right now.
I think they should slow down his rehab and bring him back in March (at best)if he is ready. If not the Isles have him ready for the 2010-2011 season. It would be like signing a stud FA goalie.
i believe that chris is hinting that snow and shero had a handshake agreement that nyi would receive something in addition to the 3rd round pick if guerin played a major role in a pens championship, which he did. so we could get godard for nothing or almost nothing. i’m ok with that. there’s your enforcer. looks like dp is done going by how nyi are signing goalies left and right.
The Isles did not give offers to Danis, Mannino and MacDonald. So… they HAVE to sign/draft more goalies. I understand there are question marks about DP, but either way, I dont think it’s an alarm going off looking to fill DP’s role… we HAD to fill some holes.
“I think they should slow down his rehab and bring him back in March (at best)if he is ready.”
My guess… that is exactly what they are going to do. If DP skates and can’t say without 100% certainty he is ready to go, I think they will shelf him and wait it out. If he can’t skate at the start of this season I would just pack him away until next year and forget March. As you said, no reason to rush him.
Anyway… we have like what??? 20 goalies?!?! ; )
The goalies, Roloson, Munroe are Koskinen are being brought in not only because the DiPietro situation is up in the air… but also because there’s no Danis, MacDonald or Mannino.
Someone has to play goal for the Islanders and Bridgeport.
DOC
Why does signing a career AHL goalie have anything to do with DP?
Mannino, Joey Mac and Danis are gone. This is depth for B-Port.
Who is everyone expecting them to sign? There are still plenty of enforcer/protectors out there. Relax, jeez. Does anyone really expect this team to contend for the cup this year? Be happy that there seems to be some sort of orginizational plan and they are sticking to it.
They just drafted Tavares for chrissakes. Okposo is there. Look at Pittsburg to be the model. They did not go out and spend on every FA. The isles will be skating 3 top 10 picks all under 22 yrs old. Give it a rest and lets see what we got. A enforcer can me signed or traded for withing the next few day/weeks. RELLLAXXXX
Is it possible that the Islanders do not expect DiPietro to play at all this season, and that Koskinen is being viewed as an NHL backup?
It all goes back to draft day 2000. The beginning of the end. I was a lot younger then….
I know Garth said the Isles wouldn’t be active in free agency, but he did say that what the Isles did last year is unacceptable and won’t happen again. How is he planning on helping this team improve to meet those expectations??
ah yes joey303, how things could have been different. but now is not the time for flimsy nostalgia.
really, we’re still looking at 3 needs that must be addressed before the start of the season. we need 1 dman, 1 enforcer, and 1 skilled winger. can Snow pull off all 3. so far, looks like no. but we’ll have to wait and see.
i was never really expecting any big FA signing from the Isles. but they MUST add some size to this lineup. They are already the smallest lineup in the NHL and they’re also probably the youngest. this team will get pushed around all year if they remain this tiny. and I believe that is a big reason why they have been so injured the last few years. it’s because they have no one who can stand up for themselves outside of Jackman.
Aucoin just signed with the Coyotes for 1 year deal. Was Garth asleep?
I have a serious question. I thought that when Wang said in jest that a “sumo wrestler would make a great goalie”, was actually a great idea.
CB, would it be possible and legal even tho its not gonna happen?
It would be hilarious but a great idea nontheless.
Would Garth be up to sharing his plan with the fans? If we understood what he’s doing and what his vision is, maybe we would have a little more positive feedback here.
Think about it, is this a 3 year plan? Can’t be if we’re not adding the pieces now to compete for the 2011 season. We’re not going to magically get all the people in place we need to win at the end of next spring.
Some young Vets are needed, we’re losing AHL prospects to Europe - (that’s not good for a youth movement) - and there’s no way that the first draft choice in next year’s draft will be the guy that makes this all work. Even if they have him labeled now, he can get hurt - career over and the Isles are still re-building…I’m pissed that we didn’t bring back Aucoin - quality guy.
GARTH, JUST LET US KNOW HOW LONG THIS IS GOING TO TAKE BEFORE WE TRY AND WIN. OR ARE WE GOING TO JUST TRUDGE ALONG FOR NEXT YEAR’S LOTTERY! (AND A FEW AFTER THAT)
Isles sign f Jeremy Reich and right-handed defenseman Brett Westgarth.
Get me in no order on defense Mara/Alberts/Beachemin/Leopold/Scuderi/ Foster. Up front trade for Godard or Asham for tougness. For scoring Tanguay or Kotalik for some size and toughness Moen/Greir/Malhotra/Larose to displace waster of space Tambellini and Thompson. I can’t believe Tambellini is even still on this team. All we heard last year was this was his year he’d gonna get all the time he needs to play and he did absolutley nothing with it. Probelm is he’s so small if he doesn’t score which is doesn’t he is useless. Doesn’t hit can’t take faceoffs. As for Thompson please another guy who can’t stay healty add him to list of the Martinek/Sutton/Meyer who can’t stay healthy.
But Garthy boy won’t do anything then when the kids start going down with injuries him and Flash will wake up and adress the toughness issue and I’m sorry like Botta pointed out Rechlicz isn’t the answer at this point in time.
so there’s our enforcer and dman. that’s it i guess.
Why would a big time free agent sign with the Isles? Nobody even knows where they will be playing, until that is settled no big free agent in his prime will sign with the Isles. Garth knows this, so, the draft and fringe players til then.
Reich and Westgarth = The Future
Now he’s signing players because his name is part of theirs. WestGARTH.. I see the plan!
Oh well.. another lottery finish. We won’t be complaining in a year or two when Cam Fowler is ripping up our blueline while Tavares/Okposo comebine for over 180 points on the season.
Islesfan999- thanks for the info on the signings…now I can start saving for 2010 playoff tickets.
the repeated theme on here (comments) seems to be ” why so many goalies? ”
we had 0 goalie prospects people - several ranking sites have printed for a while that no on in our system really had #1 nhl’er written on them.
no one knows whats up with either!
so now we have rollie, MAYBE DP, a depth goalie, and 2 prospects… whats so bad about that? you can’t fill every need in 1 draft + 1 FA season
we’ll finish around the 80 point mark, any higher will be a VERY GOOD year for us… it will get us a top 10 pick, and the rebuild will continue
I like Reich just based on the picture you posted! Great find.
Yup im proud to break a huge signing. Jk anyways maybe if were lucky we can get a true heavyweight, a forward like Kotalik and a dmen. We will see..
Guys we all knew nothing would happen during UFA day. Rollie was a nice pickup so we should be pleased with that. I do however believe we need a guy like Laraque in here. Who the hell is Westgarth and Reich?? castaways! Enough with these providence bums. get Nate thompson and Tambellini out of here already. What does management see in them??
How is this team going to be 20 pts better in the standing next year??
Why are we always shopping at K-mart while everyone else is off to the mall? yeah there’s always good deals on paper towels and such, but do you ever buy a suit there? Come on Garth…….we might as weel just make the Soundtigers jersey our primary for next season.
All AHL guys, the enforcer problem at the NHL level is still there.
they have their goons now - that topic is done.
What about scoring & another D ?
yeah Garth has a vision for this team all right … its a vision from the basement looking up at every other team.
Post 81: Pittsburg drafted Sidney, then got Palffy, Gonchar, Leclair, Recchi…….they signed players to help Crosby succeed.
They then infused younger talent that was able to supplant the vets. We’re foing it the opposite way, the Florida Panther way.
Until the young core on this team shows concrete proof they are competetive, no big name free agents are coming to the Isles anyway. Garth is doing the right thing.
CB, encouraged by the Laich signing for some fringe toughness, but I’m not sure he should be the only grit we sign. BTW, nice Laich photo. There should be a site dedicated to pics of Hollweg getting punched right in the kisser.
theres goes Aucion to the Coyotes. OH WELL
Reich, not Laich…would rather have had Laich, who is not a FA. Either way, we can’t be done with acquiring more sandpaper.
I think CB is by far the best Isles man out there.. But I am just a bit confused,
The headline is don’t expect more than depth !! I didn’t realize the Isles were in a position to sign depth… I thought depth is when you can roll two top lines, and depth would be the support that goes with the top lines… Last I looked, we have no real goal scorer on this team.. Alot of the forwards signed yesterday are good young players, And don’t look at JT as the man, remember fans, we didn’t sign him as an established NHL player, he fell into our laps because we were so bad last year… Really, we haven’t gotten any better then what we were last year… NOT AT ALL….. JT will be a rookie, and he will have no supporting cast… And if your looking for depth, we should have drafted depth, goalies come and go, and not many make the big leagues anyway, but now we can decide that on our own, we have 6 !!!! Just not sure what Garth is thinking when drafting and signing goalies the first two days of FA….. We need to score goals !
Why is everything the “Always Save” brand for the Islanders? They have no trouble advertising ticket plans and gladly taking our money but when it comes to getting the players we want, no chance. This is why other organizations and their fans mock us! Go all out for once.
Drafting Tavares is a step in the right direction but also doesnt mean we forget the Mickey Mouse bologna we have put up for many years. Every other team signs NHL players and we sign AHL players. Why?
Why is that we have to watch Gaborik score 50 goals on the NYR when he could have done so here with John Tavares. The guy is 28, healthy, and settled for a 5 year deal. Id would have been like having Palffy again.
What are we saving this cap room for? Does anyone know? CB?
Reich, Munroe, Westgarth, Thompson, and every other AHL castaway doesn’t cut it. We deserve more!
With the first pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Islanders select……
You guys seriously want Aucoin back? He’s a shadow of his former self.
The lack of another top-6 forward and a top-4 d-man is really making people grasp at strings.
to post 106…um besides gonchar none of those players worked out at all it was malkin, staal etc…..
hey guys, i didn’t know the season starts tomorrow……..
Reich played a few games in the NHL….everyone…if they has scored some goals in the AHL and put up some penalty minutes….I think we should be happy…all the fans need to keep in mind…u cant go out and get a hossa or havlet…u gotta let the young guys play…i do still think they need to add a little veteran depth…maybe a grier up front and maybe greg de vries or another good 4 or 5 dman
(69,70) I was thinking Bruno may have been there because he speaks French and that would be helpful? Just a guess but I think its possible.
And more people are now upset about signings for Bpt. What do you want them to do, not have any players to ice? Fact is, the Isles didnt keep like a third of their team- and our recent draft picks are mostly still in college!
#104 they don’t have their goons by any measure. Bridgeport is a lot tougher today but if either of these guys are playing for the Isles other then on an emergency basis we might as well start the Taylor Hall watch now. Anyone know if there is a defensemen who’s going to challenge him for #1 overall? LOL I am giving Snow credit for his manuevers in addressing the goalie situation, the position is beyond secure now especially if Ricky returns to health. These depth signings are fine for Bridgeport now lets see the toughness and new defense on the Island.
Sorry guys this isn’t your fantasy draft on NHL 09. Garth stated pretty clearly that he wasn’t making a splash on numerous occasions, what else were you expecting.
Everyone has to relax a bit. I too would love to be active in the free agent market but with the situation Milbury left us in he set the organization back a good 10-12 years. The jury is still on out Snow but in his behalf he is still trying to dig his way out of that and the only way is to build from the ground up. We have some nice young players and still need several more. The reality is we would best be served by seeing some nice improvements from our young guys but still getting a high draft pick. Why do you want guys like Havlat and Aucoin when they would just help us finist bottom ten instead of bottom 5. The next couple of years are going to be lean but we can only hope that after that they will have built up enough young guys to start being competative on a consistant basis. You cannot put our situation on Snow when the blame falls 99% on Milbury. Let’s back the team enjoy the development of the future stars (JT, Okposo, Bailey, Bergie, Hillen, Franz) and be patient. We have waited this long we can wait another 2-3 years.
I understand the need for depth in any farm system, but what good does signing joruneymen in their late 20’s do? These guys will never make any significant contribution to the Islanders. They will fill spots in the event of injury, just as Iggulden, McLean, Colliton, etc. have done in years past, and will most likely be gone in the near future. Why is any FA over 25 considered not an option for “the future” Someone like Alex Tanguay (I’m still crossing my fingers for him) or Cammalleri would be a great addition to the “rebuild” long term. They are young enough, have significant experience, and most importantly, have the talent necessary to help the team take a step in the right direction. I know it’s been noted that this is year 2 of the rebuild, and that no significant FA activity will take place until next year, but this really seems like it will be a repeat of last year, injuries being the wildcard. All we have done is trade Guerin, Hilbert, Comrie, and Campoli for Roloson and Tavares. I don’t see how we can finish much better than 5th from last, although I do have faith like any Isles fan, and I love watching the young kids develop. Hopefully the kids will come into camp in much better shape, stronger, more polished, and will surprise us all. If we don’t sign any FA forwards, pleeeaaasssee bring Joensuu up full time. And what’s with Comeau getting a two-way contract? Hasn’t he proved that he is an efficient NHLer?
Gordon needs to chill with the Providence players
one thing to keep in mind: the longer we wait the more cap space around the league shrinks. some good players will be left on the outside looking in b/c of this. who can benefit from this? we can b/c we’ll be one of the few teams left with cap space. imo, nyi will sign a couple of good players later on the summer.
Hilarious! Princeton has turned into the enforcement factory, eh? Home to George “The Stache” Parros, and bros Brett and Kevin Westgarth. Kevin’s riding the bench on LA.
I DO understand the philosphy of waiting until some of the “core” (JT KO JB) reach potential to sign or trade for some actual players. Until then………its very very frustrating. 16 years and counting……..
This is becoming a joke.I agree 100 percent with Alex #112. The Islanders would have been served well by sighning a guy like Cammaleri. I understand building through the draft but if thats the only way by the time we draft enough players to contend Tavares will be entering free agency and will probably have enough of losing. Out side of Okposo, and Bergenhiem, and hopefully Baily who the hell is gonna put the puck in the net? Ok so we tank another season and get Taylor Hall or some other up and coming star. Wait more for him to develop all the while wallowing around in last place. But hey we will have bodies in Bridgport. Sooner or later you have to start instilling a winning culture. For our sake I really hope JT embraces Long Island because when it comes time to sign he is a goner. Rebuild derailed.
Seriously, I agree with 111 & 112. What has Snow done to deserve all this praise?? Anybody on this board could have drafted Tavares. The real skill in the re-build is moving players, evaluating talent and creating cap space. Snow did nothing!We sign a 40 year old goalie and everybody is saying what a great move it is!!Well then tell me why it was so important to draft a goalie at pick 31, passing on tremendous needs at other positions, when great affordable goaltending is available in the FA market? What’s not available in the FA market are cheap goal scorers, players with size, top pair D ,and strong wingers! Oh you can get them, but it will cost you plenty! That’s why it is crazy to pass on players like Kassian , Budish and Ferraro ! You can rebuild the goalie position anytime, how we doing at the rest of the positions? Next years team is this years, worst team in the league plus Tavares, who will not need a number, he will be easily identifiable by the Bullseye on his back!!
i just hope someone else is dumb enough to sign hilbert
as I said yesterday - “they will sign a couple of “no names”"
To bossy4president: We continue to shop at Kmart because Snow can’t justify shopping at Bloomies or Nordstrom’s yet. Besides, this team is not ready to wear suits yet. The Isles are like a young kid out of college going into the business world. Until we get experienced and move up the ladder (i.e. make more money), we shouldn’t be shopping at Bloomies because it won’t go with our Kmart wardrobe. The Rags shop at Bloomies all the time, and where has that gotten them?
Go root for someone else that, I am tired of the fans whining no matter what
CB you have a great column, the best around, too many negative Isles fans around that dont seem to know what it takes to rebuild a franchise, they want the quick fix. We did the quick fix in the last 15 years every single year, and it only worked once.
People in Chicago had patience, people in Pittsburgh had patience. both teams had similar track records the previous 10 years as the Isles have had. Only difference is their fans were patient, ours arent.
Is DP the new Joba (or vice-versa)? Exactly how long do you want to hold him out, and when do you deem he’s ready to go? Stockpiling goalies is a sign of playing it safe given the track record.
To VanVoorhees:
You asked: “Would Garth be up to sharing his plan with the fans? If we understood what he’s doing and what his vision is, maybe we would have a little more positive feedback here.”
Given what just happened with the draft, you have to expect him not to tell us what’s going through his head. Once he tells us, he tells OUR competition and he doesn’t want to do that.
CB has been on the mark so far about how Snow will act. As of 3pm today, Snow has done almost exactly as CB has predicted since we won the lottery. Its not Snow’s job to make us happy, his job is to build a Stanley Cup winning team, and right now he’s taking the Pens approach to it.
Its painful right now, but so is the Rags approach. How would you feel about 7M a year each on a bunch of guys who don’t deliver?
I do not understand why some people are upset at Snow right now. Can you name one player that you wanted at the price that was given? Gaborik and Havlat are huge risks, and Hossa wanted to play for a 100 point team. For a guy that can barely clear the zone, Komi is vastly overpaid in dollars and years. Colton Orr and Neil on 4 year contracts? That is a joke. We need to stay patient as this team continues its rebuild, and then sign/trade for quality, impact players when we are ready to compete. Patience is the key to a successful rebuild. Always remember: the reason we have not won a playoff round in 15 years is because Milbury had ZERO patience with our young core. Let’s add quality players only if it doesn’t handcuff us when it matters most (in 2-3 years).
StevieL:
Kassian, Buddish and Ferraro(Tambellini - same thing), were not going to make this team this year. And how do you know that they’ll amount to anything anyhow?
This team is a work in progress.
Hopefully 2 years from now, we’ll be saying… Garth was so smart for moving up to take de Haan and drafting Koskinen at #31 and passing on Kassian.
DOC
The Penguins got solid talent to help mentor their youth. If you repeat the Sidney played alone myth, does it work? Mario, Gonchar, Palffy, Leclair, Recchi……the Pens MADE SURE they had talent to make the road to success easier.
And if you’re a young kid out of college, you dress smart and show you want success. You don’t dress K-Mart because you’ll come off K-Mart. Success breeds success.
Logan says, “Islanders may have something else in the works today.” It is on his blog.
what i don’t get is that we still have at least 5 or 6 mil of cap space to use up to get to the floor… who is left that he can use that money for
Reich has played in a total of 99 NHL games scoring two goals and four assists while compiling 161 penalty minutes - here goes our offense. Our team will be the scoring machine next season
How many goalies does this team need?!?!lol
I like the Munroe signing. I have seen him play. An upgrade over Danis and Joey Mac I believe.
Why do people keep saying you cant have a player that ONLY plays 3-4 minutes a game? EVERY TEAM other than maybe Detroit has one? Good depth signings but two MORE players that lose more fights than they win. Nate Thompson all over again, good AHL middleweights but BAD NHL lightweights?
Year 1 of this rebuild is in the books. We are on to year 2 now. A successful rebuild is going to take at least 5 years in the bottom 5 to 10 of the league. Look at the Kings and Panthers as real examples of a rebuild not Pittsburgh and Washington who got blessed with generational talent to speed things up a bit. Both the Kings and Panthers are in like year 4 or 5 and are just now knocking on the door of making the playoffs. I like the direction the Isles are going with this rebuild.
Three more, to dress as forewards who can score and hit because Snow ain’t getting any.
Good to see the depth……..
Gotta love anyone giving Ryan Hollweg a knuckle sandwich!
Fighting isn’t always the answer. We need a few guys to just play with some more grit and toughness. I would rather play four lines that pressure and pound a defence than a fourth line which plays 3 minutes.
I don’t think its fair to the media and the fans to keep us all in the dark about DP…After signing 100 goalies this year they are giving us the impression DP can’t be counted on…
This sucks but I guess I should’ve seen this coming….
Isles close to making a move says the team’s only beat writer
127 - I’m sorry. If it takes 4-5 years to knock on the door to the playoffs, things aint working right.
This is the NHL. HALF the league makes the playoffs.
If this team is in the lottery next year - so be it.
If the Isles are still in the lottery mix for the 2011 draft - that’s a problem.
attn: whinelander fans (the amount of b**ching and moaning has become unbearable)
lesson # 1 - UFA
what part of “free agent” dont you understand? bashing snow for signing or not signing this player or that player is pure ignorance…..are you sitting in his office? do you know what offers he has made? have you spoken to any of the FA players or their agents? no, no, and no.
so remember and this is the most important part - free agents are “free” to sign w/ a team that the player feels is their best option. unfortunately, we were a last place team and this does have an impact among other factors.
lesson # 2 (tomorrow) - rebuild and what part of “rebuild” do you not understand?
Thompson, Reich…who’s next, Mr.Gordon?
check the blog of logey….something might be up
dum dum dum another one bites the dust oh another one gone and another one bites the dust.
scuderi to LA.
ZZzzzzzz….Snow is an awful GM.
I’m fine with rebuilding but they need “filler” players, guys like Guerin Weight and Rolo. Not just for mentoring but also so that they don’t rush the development of their promising young players like Joensuu. He isn’t ready to be in the NHL yet, and definitely doesn’t need to be thrown into the role of protector for Tavares. Wrecker shouldnt be brought up yet either, fighting guys like Orr and Brashear to defend Bailey and Tavares could ruin his career, he needs more time and mentoring from Cairns before he can handle it.
I think Tanguay would be a fantastic addition to the team. Can score, and provide leadership to the young players. He is also young enough to be part of the future. I also like Eminger as a possibility for the defense. could be good value.
Westgarth, good signing. Tough kid and decent defensemen.
Reich is Nate Thompson pretty much, same player.
Still no heavyweight between the two.
BoringBoringBoringBoring…thats what these signings are!!Yeh like we need another nate thompson…im so excited! He Sucks
Yeah, but now Gordon, Snow and Thompson have carpool buddies on Thanksgiving! Isn’t that one of Snow’s PLAN’s?
Pathetic signing. Neither a true heavyweight or a guy who can put up points. Another one of the usual islander journymen who would never make any other team. Do we not have enough of these?? Let me guess we will hear about grit and character etc etc, code for a below average player. This team to me looks worse than last year even with JT
Come on, sign a decent player already jesus,do we have blow that much again…or are we gona be stuck w/ Hilbert again?That will make everyone so happy watchin the the same team struggle to score a goal again this year!
THE WHITE FLAG IS UP.
Might as well tell all those people who called in for season tickets last week, “Hey, thanks, please make sure you tune into VS on June 1 2010 for the draft lottery. that will be your next exciting moment as an islander fan”
Listen Isles fans, superstars aren’t signing here until the team shows promise but more importantly, a promise of a new state of the art arena…
So for now we need to take what we can get, patience, Isles fans…I know thats all we’ve had is patience but this is a totally different era…
We need to leave the past in the past and look forward…
TO Secmaster420: i hear you, if we had anyone that we competed with. Are we trying to keep our glorious plan from the Litghtning, Avs and Yotes? That’s our competition, and they’re looking in better shape than us.
Chris is on top of it, still doesn’t make me happy. If Garth is saying that we’re shooting for a playoff run in 5 years, what makes him think he can keep his young core together on the Island that long? By the time these guys are hitting their stride, they will be out of contract and ready to bolt for a place where they can win.
5 years is too long of a plan. That’s all I’m saying.
To IslesHostage: Its how you look, not how much you spend. You can’t shop at Bloomies on a Kmart salary, but you can make yourself look good with cloths from Kmart if you don’t get caught up in thinking that you have to shop at Bloomies to look good.
I’m really hoping Garth makes a move on Beauchemin.
Scuderi to the Kings.WOW, We will find a way to be worse than last year.
Shawn Bates had over a point per game in the finnish league last season. How long until we sign him again?
5 years is waaaay too long to wait to fight for a playoff spot. A cup should be challenged for in 5 years.
Tanguay and a tough guy should be a priority.
He and Doug Weight would do WONDERS for the young forwards.
hey Chelios is without a team. Why not him?
ok… havent heard of these guys. if i was a fighter on another team i dont think i would be afraid of him.
And CB, maybe you could make a blog entry clarifying the cap floor thing for some of the fans? I keep reading different people saying how the Islanders need 5,6 million dollars more worth of player to hit the floor but I do not believe that is the case. I mean, Tavares alone is going to get nearly 4M!
Jesus is it too much to ask for a decent wing that scores 20-25 goals?? or a solid #4 dman or something like that?I don’t see how completely sucking again will help the young guys on this team,u want to improve every year and they have done enough yet,this team is still probably a last place team or around there again…tavares will not be able to overhaul the team by himself,i hoe I’m wrong tho
Where did you find the Tanguay reference, Doug? Thanks for the insight.
Scuderi - Kings - 4 years over 3 mil a year
it’s a sad day for your franchise when the LA Kings are in a better position to sign established players.
Alex Tanguay is softer than Charmin! He is an unbelievable talent, but he is oft-injured and soft.
We do sign good players like Weight and Striet…Calm down guys! Sheesh!!!!!
#118 Were not shopping at KMart we are buying at flea markets. Cast-off clothing and stuff people throw out. Yesterday I felt like I was sitting on a blanket eating stale peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while fans from other cities were downing steaks and imported beer. And then other posters tell me to be patient and get ready for another picnic again next year with more koolaide and maybe in 3 years I’ll eat with the big boys well guess what a lot of us are getting tired of eating others leftovers!
I wouldnt believe any rumors people post here, guys… fans of other teams might say things just to see the reaction and hope to disappoint you.
As far as the Islanders “never” getting any goodf players, remind me- what team signed the two smartest FA signings in the NHL last season with the best value for their money? Oh yeah, the Isles.
Bring back Tank!
Thank you KO21. We aren’t out there signing the Marian Hossa’s of the world and you know what? I am OKAY with that! We already have one life-long stupid contract and we don’t need another one! This is a rebuild and signing a stud for millions/annum doesn’t guarantee anything. If anything, we get a “lower” draft pick, removing us even further from our long-awaited run to the Cup. I am all for signing a forward and a defensemen who are character hockey players who will help KO and JT and Bailey develop into strong hockey players and good people. A stud doesn’t fix anything….. keep playing it smart Garth and just wait. Talent is always hiding, and you can always get it for less when you’re patient.
Take Scuderi off the board. FB are you still out there!?!?!?
Things Islander fans have to look forward to in 2009-10.
1. John Tavares’ first goal.
2. Who will be picked for the All-star game.
3. The trade deadline.
4. the first win in their division.
5. Bridgeport call-ups.
6. “Dumping” games for draft position.
7. New coach speculation.
8. The draft lottery.
9. The draft.
10. 2010 UFA period.
Cheers
C’mon people! Rebuilds don’t take 5 years in the bottom 5 to 10 of the league if done right.
And I certainly wouldn’t be modeling my team after the Kings and Panthers.
Blackhawks and Penguins are more like it. They started to get it right in years 2 and 3… becoming very competitive during those years of the re-build.
Get a grip.
The NYI are simply sticking to the plan announced last summer that they would rebuild from within and not go for quick fixes. This years results are only a piece of the rebuilding puzzle. There are a lot of holes to fill in for this team, including toughness, butwe all need to be more patient and let the process work. It still going to take some time.
Last post…
Fellas, you’re acting like you didn’t know what was gonna happen… This is a rebuild from within…In order to sign someone here Garth would have to pay them at a premium because of where we are and what we are right now…Remember Ryan Smyth, who signed in CO for less money???
If you’re following whats going on you wouldn’t be so surprised and disappointed…I didn’t expect anything to happen because I understand the current situation where in…I think this was all a forgone conclusion…
We will sign someone, I think its gonna be a better team than next season…Have some faith fellas…I understand your pain…
Ok but why wouldnt u want to be a little more competitive and put a better product on the ice for people to actually want to watch.I dont think anyones expecting the isles to get a guy like hossa but 2nd tier guys should be doable
So the plan is to finish last in the league for the next 4 years??God i hope not
if you youtube some of reich’s fights they are pretty filthy. dude looks real tough, definitely something the islanders needed, however since he’s a career minor leaguer after being drafted in 1997 i guess we shouldn’t get overly excited. i’d like to see him beat avery up none-the-less.
164 - agreed, lets all take a deep breath, enjoy the fact we have John Tavares and stay the course. Anyone who thinks this team is going to be a playoff contender in the upcoming season is clearly not paying attention.
StevieL on Jul 2nd, 2009 14:47:00 said: #115
Excellent post. You are one of the few out there that actually gets it. Best post of the day because its the truth. We have been hearing the same nonsense for 20+ years.Time for management to start bringing in guys that dont need an explanation along with their resume!
Agreed. We’re not asking for Hossa or Gaborik here, people. We’re asking for an enforcer and Alex Tanguay.
Is this really too much for the precious “rebuild” to take?
Come off it. You don’t rebuild with ONLY young guys in your lineup.
Either people aren’t paying attention or they just like to hear themselves talk and complain. Garth Snow warned Islander fans months ago not to expect any major signings or roster moves this free agent period. So far he has been true to his word. This team was at absolute ground zero as far as organizational talent goes only 2 years ago. We are not as far along in a rebuild as Phoenix, Florida, LA and some of the other low end teams are, which is why they are adding higher end free agents and we are not. When the Ryan Smyth thing happened and we lost our best players to free agency Snow had to commit to this course of action. Its only the second full year and it is NOT going to happen overnight people. You can argue the whole enforcer subject but going by how he’s done so far, personally I’m willing to give Snow the benefit of the doubt for now.
it amazes me, with how profitable this franchise has been over the last 5-10 years, that we didnt plunk down 90 million for hossa, it’s inexcuseable! explain yourselves charles and garth!
(what the diff if you lose 25 or 30 mil when you’re losing 15-20 already right?)
What the RUSH. All the talk about who the Isles should go after is a little silly. The Isles are entering into year two of a rebuild that could take 3 or four years. Signing someone this year is only going to slow down the rebuild. Moving them down in the 2010 draft from a lottery pick to middle of the pack and still out of the playoffs.
The goalie signings are just proof that Snow realizes he blew it last year by not having enough back up for DP.
Why worry about who will be on the team next year? Why worry about Tambellini or Thompson or Sutton. Most likely once the rebuild is almost completed they will be gone. What’s the RUSH.
Last year was fun to watch because we got to see Okposo and Bailey grow. This year we get to watch Tavares. Hopefully in 2010/11 we can watch these guys play with Taylor Hall or another high draft choice. It took Pittsburgh four years of losing before they turned it around. What’s the RUSH.
I got it off the Internet boards…the guy that is doing twittering for TSN…I think his name is Draeger…I’m sure it’s only a rumor…4 years/13.6 is what it will cost to get Beauchemin to play for us…
167 and 115 agree with you guys! Snow is clueless thinks he is some type of mastermind with all the secreacy and with this rebuilding plan. Can’t we at least get another young FA that can accelerate the rebuild? Nope we get Jeremy Reich and Westgate… Snow the mastermind of 10 straight #1 picks! We have have waited 15 yrs why wait another 15.
Any chance that something else we are working on is Tanguay?
Also with regard to the rebuild why is it necessary to “suck” for another 4 or 5 years? Why would it be the worst thing in the world to bring in a player or 2 via free agency so the kids can get used to winning a little bit rather then being on a celler dweller all the time?
relax guys. Our AHL team needs players too. Garth needs to fill both spots. We still have plenty of money we need to spend to get to the cap floor. Either we will give all the money to Andy Hilbert or sign some decent players. I’m sure Garth will do the latter. We are not getting any superstars so chill.
i know we’re rebuilding but that doesn’t mean we can’t sign anyone….one guy im seriously advocating for is alex tanguay…this guy is a lock for 25 goals and 40 assists in any season…considering we can get him for about 4-4.5 mill for 4 years and the fact thats he’s only 29 makes perfect sense for us….we need wingers and talent to surround bailey, okposo,tavares….tanguay fits the bill….bouchemin wants too much for what he is…a solid d-man…if there is a mark streit signing to be made, its alex tanguay considering he will get 1st line minutes with our team…..also garth should sign brian mcgratton or trade for the boogeyman, derek boogard….i hope youre listening garth cause these moves will not hurt the rebuild and will cost you very little
So far, this UFA thing has been what I predicted. Goalie and AHLers and that’s it. I liked the Roloson move a lot but would like to see a Beauchemin and/or skilled forward.
But as I just posted, Greg Logan thinks something’s coming. So I guess we’ll wait and see. Thanks, everyone…CB
Doesnt make sense…hows bailey gonna get better at makin plays when nobody can finish,at least on a consistant level on this team !!
202. Garth checks the comments section on a daily basis, so you should expect Boogard any day.
I hear ya,Garths not gonna do what fans say because we say it but it would be nice to c him do something and b a little more active!
what is with all you guys complaining about too many goalies? we picked up 4, including one pure stop gap for 2 years, and lost Danis, Macdonald, and Mannino. We got ONE more goalie than we had last year!
CB, isn’t there a cap floor that they have to hit? If so what happens if they don’t? And wouldn’t this mean that they have to sign someone of significance to reach the cap floor?
#197….I think it comes from the Isles losing for 16 years, people want to start winning again. Hopefully we CAN stay patient…I trust Snow will do whats right. Its out only hope Obi 1 Kenobi…..its out only hope…
Logan still thinks the Isles are selecting Duchene
#195 Pete, don’t waste your breath. I’ve been saying the same thing for days now. We were told a long time ago this was exactly what was going to happen and no one said a word about it then. It seems that people want to sign their favorite free agents so we can compete for the 8th spot in the playoffs, lose in the first round, and then get a middle of the road draft pick so he can develop forever in the minors. People got so used to Milbury and Garth (in his first year) doing it this way that they don’t seem to know it’s the wrong thing to do if the team wants to be a yearly contender for the cup. I guess some people would be happier if we were to wallow in mediocrity for another 15 years.
stay with the rebuild. build smart through the draft. when the islanders have a core, that is when you sign free agents.
We all know that this is frustrating, but this rebuild has to be done like this if we want a winning, exciting team in 2-3 years. Nobody likes to wait, and we all know that we have waited a long time, but in hockey, you usually have to have a couple of true star players surrounded by the right role players and good goaltending. If Garth is to be faulted, it should be directed at the way the draft was handled. NEVER draft goalies too high, they can always be had later in a draft or through FA signings. If you play it out logically, they probably could have picked every player they ended up with on draft day, plus at least 3 other solid prospects without doing all of the silly maneuvering and picking goalies too high. But that aside, we can’t fall into the trap of signing FA’s that will make us fall into the middle of the pack again without the chance to grab franchise type players in the draft. Even with all of that said, we do need more size to protect those types of players on the way up.
Logan also thought Filatov an Duchene were coming too.
The one thing we needed more than anything was a goalie. We got one. Had we not gotten one I’d be jumping off bridges and buildings like everybody else. But you guys need to realize that this isn’t even close to being the end of the world. Makes no sense to sign big name UFAs right now.
I understand the rebuilding process. But wouldnt it be a good idea to hook up JT with a little bit of talent. Make no mistake he shouldnt be coddeled. But wouldnt helping him achieve success be a good idea? Becuase its looking like he has KO and thats about it. Not to mention no beef to take care of buisness when some dirtbag Ranger takes a run at him. I do not think Snow is doing a good job. Unless he is under orders from Wang to keep it at the floor. We certainly want JT to feel welcome, but we also dont want to scare the hell out of him so he doesnt resign.
Chad Larose, a favorite of some readers based on my emails, stays in Carolina. Next!
well sed 216
Blizz its a LOCK; mark it down; JT is SEE YA after his entry level contract. On July 1 2012(3); JT signs a 12yr/88m contract with TOR. No worries as Garth Snow stays the course and says rebuild is in year 5. Isles win 20 in 09-10; 22 in 10-11; 28 in 11-12… “That is significant improvement” according to Garth.
some questions that apply to lots of you:
if this is a rebuild, why did we sign a 40 year old goalie to help us finish 28th instead of 30th…if this is a rebuild, does it not make sense to accumulate very high draft picks?
Hey, pretty sure Logan was talking trade and not FA. Should be interesting.
I like the not so subtle digs CB.
Thanks for the entertainment over the last several months.
DOC
What is it with you people? This is a rebuild. The reason Roloson was signed, even at 40 - is that he is a bridge between now and when, potentially, some rookies are ready - 2 years. A solid vet who knows his place and is friendly with Ricky D - if they are partners, who knows? As for other players - it is not the time to spend for a Gaborik or a Sedin Twins, that is the final touch. Plus, why would they come here now. There are still plenty of bargains left. A Beauchamin (sp?), Leopold, Mara - are still all out there and many are capped out. Same holds true for some forwards. They can add a few vets there two who can help and then be traded come March. Let the kids play. Lets see who is here for the long term and those who can’t cut it. I just want to see some progress. Like the 2nd half of last year. Get competative, add players, get better etcetc …. the time will come. Just not now.
fwb please realize that roloson may cost us a chance at the lottery. another interesting item of note is that on tsn, komisarek said he wanted to go to a “traditional hockey market”. not so subtle dig at the islanders. i hope we light his overrated ***
Leopold is gone to Florida
Every team is actively trying to improve itself except the islanders. Very discouraging stuff. Rebuild or no, its impossible to justify not upgrading a line up which is basically a mid level AHL team right now. Losing and getting your butt kicked in every night is just horrible for the kids development.
CB,
You are always top notch and it seems like you are right on top of everything and accurate. What separates you from the other “reliable” sources such as Jaffe and Logan? Is it simply all the years of inside PR experience and knowing how they operate? While I know you are buddies with Logan and Jaffe, it seems as of late you are the ONLY reliable source of Isles info! Not trying to knock on the other guys so much but we have really seen in the last number of weeks how on the ball you are compared to the rest.
I’m fine with what Snow has done so far. While I would like to see FB and an enforcer, there may be some quality players available over the summer via trade, UFA, or waiver. The Isles will also get a good look at who they have. Some guys will have improved or grown since last season.
My guess as far as Logan’s upcoming announcement is a trade for Godard. The Pens signed Rupp and made Godard insignificant for their needs.
I’m tired of the apologists…the sheep in the media (and on this blog — sorry CB) who use the word “rebuilding” as an excuse.
Plenty of franchises with innovative ownership and smart management have sped up the process and TRIED to win — especially if they’ve established a young foundation like we have (KO, jt, bailey, bergs, comeau, streit et al) and cap room (we do).
Others flounder for years rotating in the “next young star” (Raffi Torres, Robert Nilsson, Tim Connolly anyone?) and fill-in vets (Vasicek, Poti, Fedotenko, Kozlov et al).
Bottom line — we are a sorry organization who has an owner who cares more about real estate than putting together a winning program.
Time to call them what they are — a mess. I am ashamed to say, The Islanders belong in the same breath as the other sports doormats — the Clippers, Pirates and Raiders. Once proud teams with great fans that are now simply bad franchises with frustrated fans, bad management and bad owners.
No reason for not going after established talent when you have cap space. If the team does not start winning soon Tavares will leave. Talent should’ve been added but just have to see how the youngsters do. I do like having Rolo, though. I’d like to see some guys who’ll protect the young kids. Jackman, Witt, Thompson & Sutton are useless for that (Sutton got beat by a much shorter 41 yr old last year, for crying out loud). Wrecker did not impress but better than the others (bulldozer like steve webb but not so much a human punching bag like webb). Reich is more of a MW but I’d like to see Haley given that role. There might be a chance to get Godard. A line of Godard, Reich and Haley would be nice on the nights we play Phi & NYR.
The plan looks to be one more draft lottery, have the shovel in the ground for the Lighthouse, and then sign the UFAs needed to complete a winner. Good luck Garth! Besides John Tavares you blew this draft. Don’t do it again! Dwayne Roloson is 40, ask Omar & the Mets about 40 year olds. JT & next years lottery pick are our best hope. Learn from past mistakes Garth, lets get this thing right & LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!!!!!!!!
Logan never said it would be a signing. There are a lot of teams who might need to make some cap room and the Islanders could certainly oblige them if the right situation comes up.
I understand that it’s not my money. I understand that they are in a rebuild. Call it what ever you want, but that roster just isn’t being fair to the fans or the players.
Bailey needs a year in the AHL. It was clear last year that he was overmatched. He hasn’t even grown into his body yet.
Joensuu should get another year in the AHL.
Hillen is where Gervais was last year, he needs a full year of AHL experience to build his confidence.
Sure these players are functional, but they are not NHL caliber players, YET.
It’s fine if you rush one player, but they are rushing the development of 6 players and a coach. It’s the blind leading the blind.
this rebuild will last forever… and they are putting way too much pressure on Tavares. His initials are JT, not JC!
219. It maybe true but what a killjoy you are. He hasn’t even suited up yet for practice. Cant we enjoy JT for one game before we worry about him leaving. How about bertuzzi one or two year deal. Put him on JT’s wing, he can score and will sucker punch anyone that goes after the franchise.
Andre Roy might be more suited for the Gordon system as an enforcer.He has the size toughness and skating ability to handle the up tempo style.
Trading for Ben Eager might be something to look at aswell.Not your prototypical enforcer but can handle his own and can very well earn a regular shift in this system .
Lets get some depth players,some grinders…..oh yea we have been doing that for 15 years. FIRE SNOW immediately, he is a drunk.
Are we at the cap floor yet? Wow, I gotta say, I’m shocked we are just going to pick the apples from the ground.
This sends quite the message.
P.S. Logan is about as reliable as a weatherman.
THAT being said, I look forward to seeing JT play
Cmon guys, I think that garth is attacking our opportunities very well. I believe that garth will successfully rebuild the new york islanders.(I still don’t see how a backup goalie of the islanders becomes gm…)
I dont get it if we are like 4-5 million below the cap floor how will we reach it?
I like what Snow’s done so far, its all part of the rebuild. I do hope they sign someone to play with JT, and Godard to keep Brashear in check. CB, great coverage over the last couple weeks.
So, last year was for stocking up, this year its depth, next year we start to build the team. Finish it up the following year and maybe one last year for tweaking.
If thats it, I’m in.
DPS (226) golden words - you are right on target
I know why we will need four goalies. With our anemic offense and oft injured defense m the action is going to be mainly in our defensive zone. So the few fans who can afford to come to games will have the best seats at that end of the rink. We are the laughing stock of the league. I love the team but fear they will end up in KC or Cananda. The best news next season can only be a deal for the Light House. Then we can all cheer and those preaching patience will have found the true religion until then I’m an athiest but looking for the hockey savior, let’s all pray
We go from getting JT and now the sky is falling and all hope is lost. That was a short honeymoon.
Anyone who said on draft night “im just so happy the islanders got JT. everything else is gravy” and then went to “the islanders screwed up the rest of the draft. im very disappointed” to “the islanders arent signing enough free agents, garth snow needs to address this teams needs more” all need to just stop posting. Im tired of hearing you whine.
Be happy that the Islanders will be better next year than they were last (barring injuries). Stop thinking that its so easy to pluck good players out of the sky and rebuild a team from nothing into a powerhouse in an offseason.
I would’ve liked to see one of Komisarek or Camilleri (sp? on both of those by the way). On the other hand, I guess it would be wishful thinking to believe that the team would sign up too many players, even young skilled ones, and of course, we can’t know if they tried or not. I would like to see a Mike Grier, Travis Moen, Eric Godard, or two of the three added to the team. I would also love to see DP not play this season and Munro never to go down to the A unless someone’s coming up so the AHL goalies get play time. CB, out of the players remaining, who would be the big surprise signing? You can never stoke the fires enough.
It seems some fans though we have JT the rebuild is over. Now we can sign all the top free agents and turn into the Rags. The rebuild has just begun. JT is a huge help but there is more work to do and I’m sorry to say it cannot be done in one offseason. We need to make sure we are not taking up roster spaces for guys like Fedotenko and Kozlov. We need to see what guys like Jesse J Comeau and Trevor Smith and Robin Figren have to offer . No need to sign average free agents when a better answer possibly can be found within your own organization.
i cant wait to watch tavares make henrik look like nothing. I think we have a fun team to watch we need a tough guy and a 3rg line player but we are going to be alot better then everyone thinks. our kids are going to be good players they have grown up alot. tavares okposo and weight is going to be a great line
We are in year 2 of a rebuild. We will have 3 young forwards with quite a bit of offensive upside who will get a ton of playing time this year. We should have a goalie every night who can keep us in games. We have some promising dmen who are 1-3 years away. We also have guys like Comeau, Neilsen, and Joensuu who will continue to get a chance to make a mark. And we have veterans like Witt and Weight to help the young guys. We are exactly where we should be right now. Everyone understood that rebuilding from the ground up was the only way for us to go about it. But that takes time. You don’t rebuild in 2 years. We should be better than last year and not as good as we will be next year…enjoy the process.
Quick: name the big free agent signings the Penguins and Caps made in the first few years of their respective re-builds…
enough with the “6 million under the cap floor” once we sign tavares to the rookie cap max deal of 3.75 comeau and hillen to 1 million each we will be at the cap floor then i expect a tanguay for 4-5 mill per year and beauchemin or mara for 2-3 million per year but not longer than 2 to 3 year deals which is not what everyone got on the first 2 days of free agency. the last thing we need is to give out a 7 year 7.5 million dollar deal today to only lose one of okposo and bailey in 2 years because the cap went down and we are up against the cap . as far as wash or pitt making free agency moves in the first few years of the rebuild i can only think of one on washington that would be nylander who is a healthy scratch most of the time and was the reason washington did not get guerin via trade last year and if they have guerin instead of pitt you never know washington might have been the stanley cup champs. so there is no reason to throw 7 year deals around right now because there is a very could chance it could come back to bite you.
db (239) exactly my point: PIT and WSH essentially made no big moves in free agency the first few years. If the Isles [and fans] are truly committed to a re-build, then brace yourself for an underwhelming free agent season, and– like it or not– and underwhelming 2009-10 season.
The Isles are finally pointed in the right direction. That’s the important thing. Growth isn’t gonna happen overnight.
P.S. Was there ever a better nickname in all of sports than ‘The Grim Reaper’?
The Pens signed Palffy, Gonchar, LeClair, and Recchi at the start of their rebuild after the lockout…..
(251) - and what makes you think those players you named are going to be with us?
We still have a cap floor to hit and to be honest, if Snow is aiming to just be above cap floor … we need a new topic.
I am all with the rebuild and patience, Snowy is doing a great job. You have to think that they Isles will sign a free agent or two once the true bargains come calling. I love how Doug Weight has taken the reigns as a veteran leader who, really, has some skills left. I have always loved Brendan Shanahan, wonder if he would want to stay in the area and help the kids out? Wonder if a player like Todd Bertuzzi has anything left? Why not drive yourself crazy and sign both Afinagenov and Kovalev and watch those two stickhandle all over? Seriously, there are some good ones out there for the Isles situation. Just lets keep the ice open for the kids to see how can play and who can’t.
Chris Mc (245): Our names might be just one letter off, but we are thinking the exact same thoughts on this one!
WOW…other than Tavares,we are such a boring team when it comes to signing free agents or making trades…and Tavares fell into our laps for being so crappy !This blows other rebuilding teams are adding pieces to the puzzle and we add minor leaguers.
254 The Pens signed Palffy, Gonchar, LeClair, and Recchi at the start of their rebuild after the lockout….. and still finished in last place that year (crosbys first year).
last friday all islander fans were happy and excited. one week later after two days without a big transfer coup the most fans are whining unbeleavble. i keep the faith in our management and have trust what they do. snow has warning all fans for no big expectation when the fa/ufa markt is open. i have patience and can live with another season in the near of the bottem.for me it doesn’t matter to wait 15 or a couple of years longer for a cup contender team. sorry for my bad english…
I agree that we’ll probably finish towards the bottom of the pack again this year. I also have not problem with Garth’s moves thus far in free agency. He did prepare us for this months ago so I can’t see why people are getting upset that no big names have signed here. However we rally do need a full time heavyweight and I thing Garth dropped the ball on that one. This “enforcer as needed” stuff just isn’t going to cut it in the East this season.
how about a group 2 offer sheet to dubinski? that would screw the ranjerks cause they thought being he has no arb. rights he’ll sign the qualifier which is 700K. i think a 3 or 4 year offer worth 2.5 mil to him is fair and when and i say WHEN the ranjerks cant match we get him and only have to give them a 2nd round pick. its worth it and certainly fits our rebuilding model, plus ADDS A TIB IF SPICE TO THE RIVALRY. DO IT GARTH
sounds good to me, glen savior needs to be taught a lesson. do it in a sec. right now he is a top 6 forward for this team. as it stands, barring injury and a healthy DP with rolo back up, we got solid goaltending, when all D is healthy our D is fine, got the off d man in striet, 2 rugged stay at homes in witt and sutton, gervais picked his game up quite a bit jumping into the play more, marty, meyer, and 1 more i am forgetting.
UP FRONT IF THEY CAN GET DUBINSKI. poss lines.
okposo tavares weight
bergie dubinski hunter
comeau bailey neilson
jackman park tamby
i predict a huge increase of goals from KO and BERGIE, look what bergie did at the end of the year with good ice time. LIKE I SAID barring injury on the roster as is i feel we have 7 players capable of 20 goals. Streit, KO, BERGIE, JT, weight, dubinski,and hunter. sleepers comeau and neilson. LIKE I SAID WITH LIMITED INJURY, THEY MAY JUST TAKE A BIG JUMP THIS YEAR AND NEXT YEAR IF THE LIGHTHOUSE IS APPROVED WE MAY SEE GARTH THEN GO FOR THE UFA’S THAT MAKE SENSE. YEAR 3 OF REBUILDING IS ALWAYS THE CRITICAL ONE.
without those injuries last year and real poor goaltending we woulnt have gotten JT, i think it was a sign to give us what everyone needs. JT91.
off topic but funny, comrie and guerin jerseys on sale at modells for 50 bucks any1 interested?????? lol
I love how many think that the Islanders have done ‘nothing’ in free agency. What have the Sharks done? The Blues? The Bruins? The list can go on and on - and they are alot closer to a cup than the Isles. Let’s be like the Canadiens and overpay a bunch of players to just be competative - and cap strung out for years. Good thinking. Be patience, overreacting can get you in trouble.
Blind faith is dangerous. Picking JT was a no brainer for Snow. Moving from 26 to 12 and picking DeHaan was a bogus move. The Islanders would have been well served adding a beefy forward with that pick. Snow stockpiled picks to burn them moving up which we all hoped for then blew it with that pick IMO.
Now he is blowing it in free agancy. I didnt expect them to sign Hossa, but I mean sheesh dont we want to at least be competetive next year? Maybe start a winning culture? Its not impatience. 16 years and counting. Tavares is just a peace, and at this rate we are going to lose him. I would have went strong for at least one forward.
I am losing confidence in Snow fast.
Instant satisfaction…that’s all everyone wants. The organization has a plan, you may not like it, but there is obviously a plan. It has to couple the finances, facilities, and the team. Seriously, what free agent (at a reasonable price) wants to come to LI right now? Everyone here thinks they are lining up and just waiting for Garth to call. As Islanders fans, we think everyone wants to come to the team…not reality. The team’s future rests w/a new building and a talented, deep team not bloated w/Rags-like contract players. There is a ton of uncertainty over the plan for sure, but playing amateur GM will only drive you nuts. Patience (despite 15 years of patience) is the only thing we have. Next year or 2011 may be the big splash 1 Jul year.
#256….No one here cares what those other teams have done. Snow is terrible.
Rebuild is code for plug the roster with short term contracts for C level players until the lighthouse is decided. Anyone who doesnt know that is kidding themselves. Even Snow is smart enough to see how badly we need scoring help and another Dman.
Tanguay about to sign with Colorado…Unreal..everyone talks about being patient with the rebuild, answer this, outside of Tavares and Okposo who do we have that is going to develop into a good player??? I dont see it. What, in 3 years Hilbert will become a 50 goal scorer?!? THATS WHY THE RIGHT WAY TO GO ABOUT A REBUILD IS ADDING GOOD YOUNG PLAYERS (CAMMALERI, GABORIK, HEATLEY, ETC )SNOW IS CLUELESS!!