DAY 1 RECAP: ROLO 10, TOUGHNESS 0
One need filled perfectly, the other not…yet
So that everyone gets in, this is a ONE-COMMENT-PER-READER thread. Please show respect to your fellow fans.
As I tried to prepare you yesterday morning, the Islanders did not sign any forwards at the grand opening of the free agent store. As predicted later in the day, they didn’t sign any defensemen either.
We all knew the Islanders would sign a goaltender. In Dwayne Roloson, they signed a No. 1 goaltender who has played more than 60 games in two of the last three seasons and led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final. Two years of Roloson - even at 40 - is better than Craig Anderson, Ty Conklin, Scott Clemmensen and some of the other options. The difference: those guys strive to be No. 1 goalies. Roloson is one. As we await the latest update on Rick DiPietro, the Islanders at least have security for two years and a bridge to their super-sized European goalie prospects.
Today opened with a post about the annual tradition of media and fans freaking about the teams that didn’t do anything, and the ritual continued today. It’s always a bummer to see so many good hockey players go elsewhere, but I will say this: there wasn’t a single contract done today where I thought the Islanders were dumb to not bid more. Not four years at a mill each for Colton Orr, who would have been good for the NYI. Certainly not four years at two mill per for Chris Neil, who would not have been. The Islanders need a fighter who could play a bit, not a guy who doesn’t fight much and thinks he’s a player.
Still, the lack of size and intimidation on the current version of the Islanders’ roster is alarming. Actually, it’s a joke. With the increase of enforcers and bullies on just about every team in the East except the Islanders, the hole in the team’s heart, psyche and collective cojones is so gaping…well, Garth Snow must be doing something about it. There’s no way he and Scott Gordon send this lineup chockful of kids, finesse playmakers, veteran welterweight Doug Weight and 18-year old franchise player John Tavares on the ice as is.
Joel Rechlicz could become a Steve Webb agitator/folk hero, but he is not a heavyweight. Even Travis Moen, who Logie says the Islanders have not contacted, does not fully get the job done. I don’t know when Snow makes his move for protection - would probably have to be a trade now - but he will. He has to.
This is a one-comment-per-reader thread. Those looking to still mix it up with more than one can continue in the next thread.
157 Responses to “DAY 1 RECAP: ROLO 10, TOUGHNESS 0
One need filled perfectly, the other not…yet”
Please Wait
I hope they do something….
What about Laraque? I know he isnt happy with his current situation in MTL.
i REALLY hope we sign someone and not moen someone big i hope we trade for two enforcers cuz we seriously need it now the east just got scary looking except for the poodle called the islanders i feel bad for jackman lol
They have to do something…CB maes a great point by saying you CANNOT put all these young developing forwards out there without any protection…something will happen…just a matter of time
It’s one thing to rebuild and have hope. It’s another to get physically beaten down and lose your will to win. Let’s hope something gets done to add some needed size and toughness
If you are going to get one, make it a monster. Snow was willing to throw picks around to move up in the draft, use a future pick and get Boogard from Minnesota. Can’t think of any better protection for Tavares
DP is the best fighter on the roster as of now.
Sign McGrattan guy was a beast on Ottawa
either get mcgratton or trade for the boogeyman. what i prefer? definitley the boogeyman.
Snow was a combative player. He knows the value. Rest assured something will get done….SiR William
Of all things wrong with this tea the lack of size and toughness while other teams in the East is the biggest problem. I’m glad Cb and other are putting these probelms out in articles. Hopefully Snow or someone in the Mgmt. realize these problems must addressed or Tavares and some other kids will get run night in and night out. Make a call to Pitt. maybe you can get Godard not the greatest but something and withthe addition of Rupp maybe he’s avaiable. Also check in with Minn. about Boogard, Philly about Asham atleast he can keep the middleweights in line.
I don’t think a heavyweight is coming. Snow does not get it.
Trade for the Boogyman!!!!
OK, one comment per reader… but Im not sure what you wanted the comment would be on. Did you want us to say who we hoped the Isles would go for after this, or just comment about the whole situation? Ill try and do a bit of both:
Thank GOD they signed a goalie- and a respectable accomplished one at that. Im happy with that. I agree the Isles really do need to address size… but that is not a slight against Jackman or the Wrecker, I really like them both, it is in addition to them. And as far as the whole situation goes, everyone doesnt have to get signed immediately on July 1st, thats not how it works. Im sure the Isles are looking into things, we have to be patient and not be such products of our quick-fix, instant oatmeal, google-searching, refresh-button-pushing type of society. The truth is that contenders are NOT built through big flashy FA signings. Havent we learned that by watching the team over on the Short Island?
If we’re not looking to spend a ton on an enforcer, why not Andrew Peters..
CB: I just thought of something. The Pens picked up Mike Rupp. They probably won’t need Eric Godard’s services. Do you think there is any chance the Islanders pick him up in a trade?
#10: Peters is the worst enforcer in the league.
I really dont understand why people are freaking out here, Rechlicz is an enforcer, he is a HEAVYWEIGHT, thats why they signed him to a 3 year deal because he is a HEAVYWEIGHT, just because he got demolished by GEORGE LARAQUE doesnt mean he is not a HEAVYWEIGHT, lol… Some of the best in the business get destroyed by Laraque… Heavyweights fight Heavyweights some heavyweights like rechlicz fight anyone and everyone, he is not a steve webb.. They have an Enforcer in rechlicz, and he was 21 when he was taking on the best of the business, every year you get better, lets see what he has to offer before all you people jump the gun here?!?!
CB, I agree with what you wrote in that Snow needs to address this issue but based on past history between him and Gordon they seem to think the game is played like the year after the lockout “the new NHL” and not the reality that fighting is on the increase. If they can’t see where they are at with their roster in terms of size and toughness and what the rest of the NHL is doing then it is a cause for concern. I have recently heard talk from them about adding size and toughness but I’ll believe it when I see it.
I disagree with you on your assesment of Riechlecz. He is 6′4″ 231 and is learning the skills of a heavy weight. Cairns and Godard had a learning curve as well. Riechelcz will develop into a top heavyweight in time. However, one guy is not enough. Witt and Jackman can’t fight their way out of a paper bag. I’d prefer to see both traded.
Sutton can help out but not a heavyweight.
Derek Boogard is on the trade market but unsure how well he can skate.
Fritz needs to be resigned and kept in Bridgeport.
Byron Bitz is a heavyweight with skill and skating. He was an RFA until Bos resigned him. There is a guy the Isles could get at a reasonable price. He could skate on the third line while Riechlecz plays on the 4th. The two of them would be very formidable.
The Isles should then trade for O’Byrne, who hits, size, skill, skating,fighting on defense.
Then they need to trade with Van for Bieksa and Kesler. Two more skilled guys who can fight and play the game.
I’d check with Cal now they signed Bouwmeester. They have a ton of money invested in three d-men and lots of needs. You’d have to figure Regher of Phaneuf are available and both would be a huge swoon for the Isles and a great partner for Streit.
Here is a skilled, VERY tough line up who can play and not mess up the rebuild. Notice a talented fighter on every line and much greater size then exist on the team now. Gordon says he wants to roll 4 lines and he can with this.
Joensuu Tavares Okposo
Bergenheim Bailey Kesler or Byfuglen
Comeau Nielsen Bitz
Reichlecz Weight Hunter
Phaneuf/Regher Streit
Sutton Bieksa
Hillen or ? O’Bryne
De Haan Harmonic
Ness Neimi
DiPietro
Roloson
I am begging Garth Snow to do the right thing and get us tough and skilled players.Islander hockey has always been (until recent years) really tough, dynamic, and skilled hockey and it is what it should be. The last few years were brutal watching this team get pushed around and intimidated and the coaches and GM trying to explain it away.
How about Bertuzzi…at least he scores some goals…I think they need another power forward…
CB, what do you think will get a deal for a guy like Boogaard here? Also, I know this is a little off topic in regards to this post but do you firmly believe the Isles will try to make a big splash come next year at this time and sign a few bigger names? I don’t know who is a UFA next year because nhlnumbers.com is down but it would be pretty interesting to speculate.
Folks: You have Sutton, Jackman, Rechlicz, Witt & Thompson that are all willing & able to drop the gloves. You really want to add more muscle & grit at the price tag of the players signer today? The Islanders should not invest in trying to protect weakness, but they should try and teach toughness. Okposo, Comeou & Bergenheim are more than capable of defending themselves. And there is enough in the lineup (if healthy) to protect the kids. Add a guy like Beuchemin on “D” and spend on a guy on the wing that fits the system to a short term deal (free agency or more likely trade). They filled the biggest hole today and early on. They still have time and money and Garth is a patient man (ie. Tavares draft pick)
I mentioned this earlier in one of the other threads..how about giving an offer sheet to RFA Ben Eager - he is energetic and a good fighter - he played important mins for chicago last yr in the playoffs and would probably only cost a 4th if he comes here.
If not - we need to go the trade route - getting boogard, jared boll, steve ott, or zack stortini. i dont think these guys would cost too much either - maybe a 3rd round pick.
Love the Roloson signing. Perfect fit for what we need. I would’ve paid more for Neil, but the only player that comes to mind. There may be one of two others that I think should’ve gotten more, but not from the Islanders.
trade with philly and get asham back
Peters was 5-4-2 this year against some true heavyweights,not horrible…throwing this out there he’s a little bit long in the tooth but he can play…Brad May.
Just cant imagine Snow lets JT, Okie, and Josh Bailey get pushed around. Brashear, Avery (especially), Pronger and Lucic among others will be gunning for JT. They all want to give him his “welcome” to the NHL. C’mon Snowy show us that fire u had in net has not gone out.
Witt, Sutton, Jackman, Hunter, Okposo, Bergy…it’s not like we don’t have guys that will drop the gloves and stand up for their teammates, folks.
I love fighting and all, but signing a goon just ain’t worth the damage to rebuild plan it can cause, and I’m not going to get caught up in this “we need a brusier who can play, too” argument, either (everyone can use one, especially if they can score 15+ goals and play wicked two-way hockey). We have enough muscle on board to protect JT…assuming he even needs it in the “new” NHL.
We should stock up on depth at the Bridgeport lineup in case we run into trouble with injuries or goons, but not sign anyone to NHL contracts for that role. I think we just need to wait for the fighter/player to emerge - on the market or in the system - and not just chase the leftovers this summer.
With that said, I’d sign Webb or Cairns in a second if they could still lace ‘em up.
At 6 feet 4 inches and 220 pounds, Joel Rechlicz is the size of almost all of the other NHL enforcers. He is 22. He can develop the skill to fight with some time. I feel that he can be the Isles’ #1 enforcer. Colton Orr is 6 foot 3 and 222 pounds and a top enforcer. Rechlicz won the fight against Riley Cote who is the same weight as him. If Rechlicz puts on another 5 pounds or so, he can become a top enforcer in the league.
I know its a complete waste to speculate who on earth Garth Snow could trade for, or even a team he may have a trade partner in, but the Flyers seem to be overflowing with guys who’ll throw the hands. They just signed Ian Laperriere and picked up the dirty Chris Pronger. They have Riley Cote and Daniel Carcillo from last year.
Carcillo looks like he could have some kind of upside, 254 pms, 22 majors, and managed to rack up 14 points last year. That wouldve been good for a second line winger on the Isles.
Either way though, Im relieved they filled the goalie position. That was my biggest worry coming into the season.
A good power forward is really tough to find. So tough, that there have actually been very few good ones in the history of the game. I want to see on ice improvement from this team. I know that there is not a lot to work with, but I really don’t want to see the Islanders be country-mile frontrunners for Taylor Hall. I only want Taylor Hall if the Islanders finish 26th overall and win the lottery.
First, hats off to Snowy for staying away from impulse buying and sticking with a building plan. Hopefully, a few ‘bargains’ will come the Isles way. This is not the stage of the rebuild to buy players, just a few vets around the kids to help them and become trade bait themselves (i.e. Guerin). Let the kids play and see who is worth it and not. A few years from now, hopefully, the Isles can do what the Blackhawks did and buy a star to add to theirs (Hossa to Toews/Kane etc.)….
As for the enforcer thing … I have remember the Isles and hockey from 79 on. I still love the brand of tough/high scoring hockey of the 80’s - the best time. BUT, I think everyone is overreacting to this lack of enforcer thing. Today, most fights break out for one stupid reason - a good player gets LEGALY checked and, for some reason, that team finds that offensive and a fight breaks out. Why? Who knows? Years ago, an enforcer would make sure that someone wasn’t acting all crazy with his stick etcetc. AND, generally, an enforcer would only fight another teams enforcer. No bullies. Today, rather than fight back over a legal check, why doesn’t a team just go out and hit someone on the other team legally? BUT, I would agree that the Isles could use more size across the board to be more combative. But, being small isn’t a big a factor as it was years ago. Really, other than a Brashear or a Larague, who many teams have a true heavyweight anyway? Years ago, teams had at least one, often the whole last line. Snowy will find a way.
I like Jackman.
For a fourth-line energy guy, he does a solid job on the forecheck, and even though he’s not huge, he is not at all afraid to throw down. He’s fought the enforcers for other teams, and he’s more than a 5-minute-a-game player. Look, 12 points isn’t great, but I think he could be a nice 10 goal, 25 point player next year or so. For someone who never backs down, that’s not bad at all.
Supposedly Neil took less money to resign with Ottawa. The Rangers and another team threw a lot of coin his way, so the Islanders never had a chance. Not that Im disappointed. He’s really not all that good as a player or a fighter.
godard,scueri,mcgattan,and beauchemin would all be good pickup.
There is a little toughness there and they should teach and emphasize toughness like coral@13 said. But Bergy, KO, and Comeau as well as Bailey and Tavares will need some help in that dept. I really hope that Garth has a plan here. Just because he picked the obvious #1 in the draft doesn’t mean he earns my approval yet. Fritz and the Wrecker were comical at best. The Wrecker has a future in my opinion…just not right now
Here is my take on the first day of free agency, maybe you agree…
The signing of Dwayne Roloson is intriguing. It is certainly a position that needed to be filled, and by all accounts Roloson is capable. However, this team, as is and probably will be by the start of the season, is nowhere close to being a playoff contender. If we are not going to be playoff contenders, then why do we want to be good enough to not be within the first 3 draft picks in 2010? Personally, I would have preferred sticking with Joey McDonald (over Danis) as the backup (or starter if DP is not healthy). He has a lot more potential, whereas this is probably the last hoorah for Roloson. I know this probably is not the popular opinion, but to me it makes more sense.
I agree with everyone that this team needs their heavyweight. Desperately. I wont mind growing pains next season, but I cant take the site of other players taking runs at us. We need someone to stand up for Bailey, Tavares, Streit and company. Rechlicz is a nice start, Mitch Fritz is not a good enough hockey player to take a roster spot.
So to all of those, like myself, who see all the other teams out there grabbing the great free agents, we will just have to wait our turn and one day it will happen. Until then, hopefully the Islanders will be entertaining and continue to get high draft picks.
I think the enforcer issue has increased in importance given the moves of the last few days. Otherwise, Snow plugged the one big hole he had, even if Roloson seemed a little hurt by how Edmonton treated him.
That said, you don’t build a dynasty by finishing last just once.
Bertuzzi is still available. Sign him for 1 year and see who is available next season.
I can’t believe with the toughness in our division alone…that Tavares will be thrown to the wolves. This is not how you introduce your franchise player to the NHL. UNBELIEVABLE!!
Georges Laraque. Unhappy in Montreal, little to no playing time, and a true heavyweight. Although it’s the Island, and he might not waive his NTC for us, its worth a shot. I dont really think it would cost us that much in terms of assets to get him.
Snow should call Gainey to see if Laraque is available. I’m sure Bossy and Trottier felt much more comfortable with Gillies riding shotgun. Not that Laraque is anywhere near the talent of Gillies. But it never hurts to have the best enforcer on your team to keep the opponents honest.
Why wasn’t Orr signed? I hate Brian Burke and the Leafs. 1967 forever! I hope they never win another cup.
Neil wanted to go back to Ottawa. Thank God. He was almost a Ranger.
Isles have to sign Travis Moen. He would help this team so much.
The “Wrecker” can’t be are only answer. He is only 23. Jackman gets pummeled every fight. We need a someone!
roloson is and will be the only pick up for the islanders..they are done with fa’s..there team is set..Lets get over this already.
So far this off season the Ilses have not done a terrible job of addressing needs.
1. the draft was OK. (not great, but we did get our man in Taveres, traded up to 12 but passed on Kassian??? Time will tell on this but not anywhere near Parise or other boneheaded mistakes by Mad Mike)
2. Got a starting Goalie with decent experience from Edmonton and didn’t overpay or over extend. (good signing)
3.As for getting bigger?…………..no size…………..nothing…………
…not even in the draft………….Get the picture??…………we need size Garth,….and a little toughness wouldn’t hurt either………don’t blow it now……you NEEEED one or two players with size and toughness to protect your other investments on the ice……This team is just not going to scare anyone in the East this year….. Look at what the Rags and the Flyers have done.
Snowball had a chance to make our team better today. He failed. Why not spend when we have to in order to hit the cap floor? why not throw a ton of money at Gaborik and Komi or even some at Gionta. They all would have made us better. I am left frustrated and wanting to punch every rags fan in the face. Terrible job Garth, anyone can run this team better than you. You are a joke.
Two wasted roster spots in Tambellini and Thompson. Let’s trade or release and add some size and talent. Please, no Andy Hilbert again.
Just wait until our first game against the Rangers and Brashear lines up Tavares. And we counter with Joel Rechlicz, who will in turn get KO’ed like he did last year against Brashear.
Don’t confuse toughness with protection. Okposo, Comeau, Bergy, Jackman, Witt, etc are all tough, but they do not serve the same purpose as Webb, Cairns, Asham, or a Vukota did.
We also need the size to protect DP/Rolo. Besides, how many combined games will Witt and Sutton miss this year? Who will get nasty there?
This roster as is will be decimated night in and night out. I just don’t want to see as many players get hurt this year as last season.
How do we know that Snow didnt try for some of these guys mentioned. Garth was very smart to be patient, the bargains will be coming up and FA is nowhere near over yet
Have patience, Snow didnt fail us, those who think he did just have a permanently pessimistic attitude about this team. Be patient please
I am disgusted that we couldnt overpay for Komisarek - $5Mil for 5 years would have been fine with me - for just what we needed - Toughness, an all-star.
This was the right player - he would have fit perfectly - no reason not to commit longterm and overpay.
Don’t we have Andy Sutton? He fought if I remember, yeah he might not be a true ‘enforcer’ he could still throw some punches if necessary
Isles don’t need a “fighter” per se
they need a tough guy winger who can take a regular shift with Tavaras to start the season, and play maybe the first 40-50 games there…somebody who’ll ride shotgun for JT
if the plan is to break JT in slow, behind Weight, Bailey and Nielsen, then maybe Isles think Rechlicz can take a regular shift there until JT is ready to move up the depth chart…it looked to me that Wrecker has the skating ability (unlike Fritz) and it’s the toughness and willingness to fight that counts, not whether he can win them all
Its not the idea that the Isles have guys willing to drop the gloves. Hell, Mike Comrie was always willing to drop the gloves. Do you think other teams gave a crap about possible repurcussions from a hit b/c mike comrie would want to fight them? The Isles need a guy like Laraque or Boogards caliber so if a team decides to take liberties with any of our younger guys they know they will have to answer to someone they dont want to. Nobdody on the other teams are worried that they might have to fight Rechliz, Jackman, Sutton, Witt….We need a top bout heavyweight!
I say the best option is to give the wrecker another year at the bridge for development. Call him up for games against philly and the rags, they both got real scary this off season. For our enforcer I would inquire about bertuzzi even though he is not a true enforcer we can get him with out giving any assets. If he is unavailable then make a call to gainey and see what it takes to get larauque here. After watching gainey today snow could probably pull a fast one on him lol.
I dont know why everyone seems to think that Tim Jackman cant fill this role. I mean, the guy maybe isnt the best fighter. He may not win the majority of his fights but the point is that he is willing to drop the gloves and take out some rage opponents who mess with his teammates. Plus with Wrecker around I dont see the need to really go out and spend decent cash on an enforcer when we have a decent fighter signed for next to nothing who can be called up from the AHL at whim. Save your money for next year Garth!!!
It’s silly to be thinking that this “fighter” is such a priority. It’s 2009, not 1979. As far as the needs go, it was a job well done in acquiring Roloson. If there is a plan and you deviate from it, then your faith in that plan is pathetic. Patience is a virtue.
It looks like Laraque wasn’t playing much towards the end of last season. Maybe the Islanders can address the glaring need for toughness via the trade front? How about trying to get BGL out of Montreal or make a play at some other enforcers, such as Boogard or Parros? Whatever they do, it better be addressed before September or this team is going to get throttled all over the ice each night.
bring back chris simon! haha are you guys sick and tired of seeing the rangers and others grab superstar ufa’s… why couldnt we add one of these wingers who are in their primes?? why doesnt wang open his wallet.. it can only get better for him. either its the lighthouse or move.. so either way he will start making some money soon!! u want the coliseum packed?? do something!!! i know we are rebuilding but we r so far under the cap!! try and sign a superstar!!! for once, it wouldnt hurt us..
All of this talk for an enforcer is foolish. Roloson is the poor man’s Ed Belfour, if you ask me. Great signing by Snow. And if Witt and Sutton stay healthy, there’s some nice muscle to ask as deterrents for Tavares. A bigger fish to fry is to find a defenseman other than Streit who can play over 60 games, because if I recall, the Islanders didn’t have one last season. And people wonder why we our defense was so lousy..it’s because they weren’t durable. Adrian Aucoin, anyone? Derek Morris, anyone? Paul Mara, anyone? Rob Scuderi, anyone? Karlis Skrastins, anyone? Darryl Sydor, anyone? Sign 2 or 3 of these guys, please!!!!
I don’t think the Isles can risk waiting for the development of a heavyweight at the NHL level. In my opinion, just as they HAD to sign a goalie today, they HAVE to get a brute next - have to. I won’t repeat the obvious here about teams taking runs at the kids, everyone else loaded up etc., but in order to allow the kids to grow and gain confidence, they need to know someone has their back - someone that the other teams know that “Hey, you take a run at one of our guys, you’re going to pay the price”. It’s not a debatable issue, it must be done. These kids are going to have enough to deal with without having to worry about the cementheads in the Atlantic. This is where I am perplexed at not having drafted Kassian, he would have helped with size and toughness…in NO way am I saying he is a heavyweight, but it would have added SOME size and toughness to the lineup. I know that Snow and the other realize this, so let’s hope they have done their homework and are figuring out who the guy is and then go after him before he ends up on the Bruins or whoever else.
Of the tough guys left, Brian McGrattan would be the best pick up, he’s an elite fighter who moves quite well.
I officially retract one of my earlier posts saying the enforcer was not real necessary. The East has become a lot tougher. Not much out there. Andre Roy , Andrew Peters, Travis Moen. I think “Wrecker” is a better option than these guys. I still wish we had “The Sheriff” Godard. For the Isles to really improve the intimidation factor, they will have to do it by pulling a trade. Laraque, Boogard, Boll… 3 of my faves.
I heard mick vikota is coming out of retirement
Witt, Sutton, Jackman, Rechlicz, and sometimes Thompson.
Expect no major moves.
Bring back Ken Baumgartner. I never saw thy guy on the short end of a fight.
I like the idea of trying to make a trade for Laraque or possibly signing McGrattan (although he stinks as a player, but who are we kidding. Would it really make a difference? It’s not like the team is planning on making the playoffs next year.) Whatever heavyweight Snow picks up, he can have Thompson’s spot in the lineup. It’s not like Thompson offers anything. If anything, sign Moen….at least he is another big body who can skate a bit and drop gloves if need be. Instead of one heavyweight, we can have about 5 middleweights. And I still wouldn’t mind Jay McKee on D to add size, toughness, and shot-blocking ability.
Agree 100% on Roloson. He’s the perfect fit.
The lack of an enforcer does’nt bother me as much as the teams overall lack of size. I would have liked to see that addressed during the last few entry drafts. (And 6′7′ goalies don’t count)
As for the poster who mentioned Bieksa, Kesler, Regher amd Phaneuf. All wonderful players. Tough and Skilled. All have zero chance of being traded.
whats the islanders current cap number, and how shy are they from the cap floor? GSnow makes very patient, and shrewd moves with the resources he is provided. getting an idea how short the isles are from the floor should give an idea of how they MUST spend, and narrow down who/what they are gonna spend it on. they believe they have enough toughness, have a solution in house, or will aquire some in the days ahead. if they have cash to spend, another defender would be nice, as they always get banged up over 82 games.
the isles dont telegraph their moves. they keep quiet, and address their needs in a busines like fashion. i kinda like that as opposed to the bluster coming from Toronto and other places. Tampa made a nice move with MO, a Swede to tutor the Swede.
Everyone calling for knee jerk trades need to relax just a tad because Snow and Gordon are probably going to wait for the conducting of the prospects camp to see what htey have in house before they start looking to free agency to fill these obvious needs. If the wreckers skating has improved than he most likely becomes our full time enforcer based upon the strong possibility that he can fulfill the role of a fourth line checker as well as being our goon if needed. As for Kassian - come next season he will be playing in juniors again!!! He is not old enough for the AHL and not good enough for the NHL which is why he is a second round draft pick. Even the majority of the first round picks in the recently held draft are ticketed for a return to the juniors - that is the reason why Tavheduch was coined by CB, those three players were clearly seperated from the rest of the pack on the basis of both skill and readiness to play in the NHL. Kassian would not have made us either bigger or tougher - Snow made the right pick!!!
I think all this speculation that the Isles need an enforcer is blown out of proportion. Rechlicz was fine in that role last year, and should grow into a solid 8-10 minute guy who skates, hits and plays responsibly. End of story.
Garth has been correct in not overspending on UFA Day 1. There’s no reason to spend money on somebody that will most likely be taking away a prospect’s NHL ice time.
I would however like to see him find new homes for guys like Sim, Tambellini and Marty. i’d add Witt and Sutton to that list but Sutton was their best defensive defenseman last year before he got hurt and the team is in need of more size, not less.
they still need to spend some money to get to the cap floor, so I expect a few middle of the road deals. Maybe a trade where they take on some salary to get rid of Sim and/or tambellini, or they find another D like Erskine or Rob Davison to add depth.
So far Garth has done a good job…
Rechlicz is a human punching bag. Jackman is no heavyweight. The Islanders made a HUGE mistake letting Godard go, as he is one of the best fighters in the league, (and now has his name on Lord Stanley’s cup to prove it.)
The young players will NEVER reach their full potential if they’re always playing scared. The lack of a true enforcer is not only damaging to the collective psyche of this team, it’s a pattern continued from the Milbury days, as Snow seems almost to be going out of his way to create a small team lacking toughness. Excuse me, but the last time I looked, the “H” in “NHL” still stood for “HOCKEY,” didn’t it?
This is the problem when the league steered away from the role of the enforcer. What your asking for is the same as when scientists try to recreate dinosaurs with genetics. That role was squashed with the five for fighting and that type of player has not been desired for some time. You cant even find a player that can handle his own business. If there were players like that Tucker and Avery would have never been able to pull off their antics. Sure Orpik set tones for the Pens and the Bruins have Lucic, but what else is there. If the league is going back to the finess player like LaFontaine then you need Baumgartners again. Good luck finding that heart in a free agency world.
relax , we have 3 months to find more tougness
Thompson and “tough” should NOT be used in the same sentence. Godard/Rechlitz for 2009-10. I dont care if it’s 1979 or 2009. Enforcers are still around maybe not for the cute stuff in the playoffs but they sure are during the 82 game regular season. They have been picking up pace for 3 straight years now. Fighting is increasing not decreasing.
Lots of interesting free agents still remain. I’m glad Snow didn’t overspend. Some of the contracts were crazy. Make a trade for Laraque and I’ll be happy.
snow blew it again…hes not good at this job at all..1st he goes out and signs a bunch of no name, who cares players..comri, fed, sim, billy g and tells us how great they all are.. and we belive it because we need somthing..then he hangs his hat on striet..who is a fine d man..but lets be honest, snow got him for a steal, which dosnt mean snow is any good ..just means striets agent is bad. he could have gotten more and if another team offered him more snow would have been left in the cold(get it)..then he does what everyone on the planet would have done and drafted J.T. and we applaud him.DUH the kid is the best and only choice. then snow screws up the draft by trading up for a prospect he say ..i wanted him so i went up and got him..guess what snow he might have fell to you. and then he goes and drafts 2 goalies back to back wasting our middle picks..do you think torono would take bailey ness and mikko for luke schenn. ofcourse not and thats what snow got for him..outstanding job and to top it all off he needs to get a 1A goalie and a enforcer and he blows it..we get an 80 y.o. goalie who even his own team wont give him 2 years, but again we sould be happy to have him..n did i mention no enforcer..GARTH YOU STINK..anyone remember isaiah thomas..just because someone gives you the job dosnt mean you the right guy for the job.
What about seidenberg for D he is a solid d man who is only 27 so they wouldn’t be going against rebuilding… As for the enforcer roll can Mike Tyson skate? I think the wrecker will get better with time but he will not be respected by other heavyweights that’s why we she go after George L or Goddard as we have seen Goddard can get the job done… All the kids should take some kind of martial arts type class so they can learn to protect themselves from cheap shots
what a joke some of these overpriced signings. I am not a big fan of signing some goon just to throw hands when we have guys who will. I would rather pick up a player with skill. There are still some players out there to be had, I dont think snow is done but obviously he wont overpay for anyone especially since the team is not ready for a cup run. snow will do the best he can he knows the going market for players. my guess he is letting the dust settle and waiting to see who is still there that he can get quality for the right price just as he did last year. good job with rollie now get us a skill player.
The best fighter we have is Michael Haley, hands down. He’s signed on a two-way contract this year so, hopefully, he’ll be up with the team. At 5′11 he’d do a better job than the wrecker. Although both are willing fighters, the wrecker does not know how to fight. All haymaker lefts and no defense. Team still would need a HW but Haley would be a great MW who would be more than willing to protect his teammates. He’s an old school enforcer. Teammates and fans would love him.
I’m not convinced that the Isles need a true enforcer; as many have said Witt, Jackman and crew can drop the mitts if needed…and if I’m Sean Avery I’m not interested in fighting either of them.
Laraque is intriguing only in that he’s looking to get out of Montreal and that he might come for one year, be the heavy while also training with Rechlicz, who has the raw size talent to be a fighter but not the skill just yet. (Like Laraque, Rechlicz doesn’t kill you on the ice either.)
If we can’t get Laraque, I hear Andre “Poodle” Lussier has been living in semi-seclusion in Northern Quebec ever since the unfortunate Denny Pratt tragedy.
#54 jackman is not the answer, he is a human punching bag. I love the guy but he cant fight…
The picture in the top of this thread says it all….the Wrecker is a gamer but he is not the kind of guy to make other teams think twice about giving cheapshots to Bailey, Tavares, Streit, RICKY, etc.
Yes we need a little more protection for JT but I bet he would rather have a proven goal scorer on his wing. Lets at least give him a chance. I dread opening night and Trent Hunter being on his wing. Ughhhh
I like Rechlitz but he’s not ready for the full time role. He’s not on a one way contract is he? Get a real heavyweight for a couple of years and let Rechlitz continue to develop giving him spot duty with the big club.
Another major black eye day in islanders country. We had the worst scoring offense in the league last year and we couldnt add one FA forward. Im sure we will be adding a C+ level guy today.
The real question is for how long is Wang going to pin us to the cap floor? Until the lighthouse is approved? Until the arena is updated? 2020 when its all done?
The islanders have a responsibility to put a reasonable product out on the ice that actually has a chance to finish anywhere but the basement. This years roster is arguably worse than last year given we do not have Billy, Comrie, or Camp. Goes without saying JT is a major plus. Not stars by any means but we have not upgraded their positions. Hall watch?
I will throw my 2 cents in….The East has gotten bigger, tougher, better. For us to stand by and watch everyone in the division and conference just get better, is mind boggling. This team needs EVERYTHING, and if we take the Isles glasses off and stop drinking the kool-aid, it will be better for all of us. I like the fact that our main kids will get the opportunity, but who is on our first line? Second ? Yes we need an enforcer, I agree totally, but geez….. we need EVERYTHING!! Many talented forwards went yesterday, who is left? Sign a scoring winger dammit, then get tougher. Just my 2 cents
I was originally upset about the komisarek signing or nonsigning but then I thought about it a little more. We are still 7 mil or something inder the cap floor of 40 mil. the cap is 56 mil so that leaves us with about 20+ mill for players as of now.
Goal — we are set for two years (even if DP is 80 percent is fine) and in that time the draft picks will be ready
Defense — not great but will do for this year. next year you have sutton coming off the cap and some young defenseman hoefully with potential in the system
forwards — Okposo Bailey Tavares top six, Nielsen, comeau arguably second line material. tambellini well the jury is still out. joensuu, martin, figren and others in the pipe line definite bottom six maybe top six material.
draft and UFA ‘10 — reasonable predicted botomish finish and top ten pick if not higher. Weight and Sutton off of the cap hit, that is 5 million more to play with. The isles will have almost 30 million to spend with the cap going down and forcing teams to not resign players as well as jettison good young players for nothing. prime examples, nash is a UFA, chicago signed Hossaa but must resign kane, toews, Duncan Kieth, I believe Seabrook. News flash they can not resign all of them. the isles are in a great position to take pricey young players off of teams hands when the cap goes down. Next year is out big year.
The Isles will be a slick-skating, wiry bunch, with the most 5′11″ 185 lbs. players ever assembled. Why clog it up with a big lumbering winger who will just slow down JT, Okposo and the boys?
Now, if the Isles had drafted Zach Kassian with the 12th pick on the other hand…we’d have a big guy who can skate and score goals…and rough it up. Bad miss on Snow and Cos. part.
Tambellini for Laraque, make it happen
Don’t rush the rebuild folks with short term signings on aging snipers et al. Add a couple of tough guys… make progress with the young guys and be in position to draft Taylor Hall… then go big next off season for Rick Nash as 1a or Ilya Kovalchuk as 1b to get the corner turned.
We’re in real trouble… two guys who could and did fight last season were Guerin and Comrie, both are gone now…lest we bring back Comrie… I mean he IS a UFA….
People…we’re in a rebuild mode. The Isles are finally sticking to the plan of building within and through the draft. Do we need to add some toughness? Yes. But I’m sick and tired of trying to make quick fixes by adding mediocre free agents. Go with youth and in a year or two make a free agent splash. Wang and Co. have proven that they will spend money. That should not even be a concern. We have to be patient!!!
I agree with #85.
Look not every team can rebuild like the Pens with here seemingly never ending lottery picks and there total luck out getting Sid. The complete inactivity in FA even to address some badly needed grit is depressing. Lets hope some of the kids dont get wupped back to the AHL……cmon Snow. Seems like a mandate to hit the cap floor and stay there. Lighthouse anyone?
I admire Garth’s “build from within” vision. I don’t agree with a lot of his moves, but I admire that he has a multi-year plan and is sticking to it. That said, any good strategist knows you have to tweak a plan on the fly once in a while in response to evolving circumstances around you. Just about every team in the division…teams the Isles will see six times a year…got bigger, meaner; better. John Tavares alone is not enough to offset the nastiness of Chris Pronger and Ian LaPerrier cruising around on an already nasty Flyers team. Tavares alone is not enough to offset the size the Rangers added or the skill of Gaborik.
I’m not saying we have to add names to beat those teams…but at least something to maintain last year’s distance behind them. If not, then the rebuild is heading in the wrong direction. It will be an overmatched Bertuzzi, McCabe, Brewer, etc. “young” team all over again. The kids cannot be thrust into the most important team roles in their first and second years in a division full of perennial playoff/Stanley Cup contenders.
No crazy long terms contracts…but some significant dollars for some competent players to fill the gaps until the young guns develop a little is essential.
It would be similar to what they did in goal yesterday…Roloson is a competent player signed for two years to bridge the gap to their recent draft pick. Do the same with the toughness and skill deficiencies. Just my thought, anyway.
Are the Hanson’s available?
We’ll have the lowest payroll in the league. Hard to believe that we didn’t make a play for the open enforcer spot yesterday. This is Garth, not Milbury, I’m sure he’s under a lot of pressure to stay away from the Yashan/Satan type of free agent pickups.
While I think Gaborik is a super talent, who knows if he will play more than 30 games this season. The rangers also made a move with Donald…He’s lost his edge, watched him last year a bunch because I’m here in the heart of Capitol’s Country. I’m glad that the Rangers blew some more money on some questionable guys.
Isles needed someone like Havlatt - locked up for the long term - scorer that has his rookie years behind him but coming into his prime - someone to lead the young guys into battle. I think we’re overplaying the single enforcer. The entire team just needs to play bigger than they are.
Facts: We have an undersized team with no proven 39+ scorers. a questionable goalie situation, a star who is injured and an overpaid and overaged backup, an injury prone defense with one standout, A first pik with great potential and no protection, a young coach with one years experience, a GM who is apparently handtied by a frustrated owner who refuses to spend money, a fan base that is desgusted and getting angrier each season, afalling attendance with the team playing in a dump {the owner’s word} and finally politicians who will not be inspired to approve the LH based on the sorry product on the ice. I realize this is a cynical view but how can one be optimistic on days like yesterday when everyone is trying to improve and it looks like Wang just wants to field a third rate product while waiting to move or sell the team or both.
In all reality. This team added Tavarse but they are no way near a playoff team. Isles need a few more years of high draft picks because no free agents want to sign here or Isles not willing to break the bank in order to get them here. Some of these deals yesterday are completely outrageous and I say stick with the draft instead of getting yourself stuck in some massive contract as we know all too well with Yashin….
@RW Porsche. Kassian wouldn’t be able to step in this season anyway to fill that role. I would have liked for them to have picked him with the 12, but they’d still need to find an enforcer type for this season and maybe next. I also liked DeHaan pre-draft, so I don’t have a big issue with them taking him over Kassian. If we don’t acquire an enforcer type that they’d be comfortable with, I wonder if JT will be on the Stamkos program - playing only 8 minutes a game or so early in the season in order to get him the experience while protecting him with reduced time on ice?
In 1 week, we upgraded our offense & Goaltending to a respectable level. Great job, Garth! Our young ‘enforcer types’ will hold their own, Gillies was a kid once, eh? If the NHL Bd. of Govenors add the ‘Drop the Gloves at the face-off’ Rule, does having a heavyweight really matter?
I like the Rolo move. It should add some stability to the net.
What would it take to get into the mix for Heatley?
as a fan, i can see why the situation is worrying more than a few, but it’s not all that dire, we are all assuming people are going to go out of their way to headhunt our players, maybe some of them will, but this isn’t your fathers NHL anymore, the players union tried to get a head hunting rule installed a few weeks ago (the gm’s shot it down), most big hits are reviewed now for potential suspensions, and the refs are erring on the side of caution with most hits along the boards and charges… i think we’re stuck with whats already here folks… until we lose #21/12/91 to a big goonish hit that forces a trade for our own goon…
Some people really need to stop. How many times does it need to be pounded through peoples heads that Free agency is not the way to build a team. Its been one day and people are again calling for Garths head. Give me a break. Go route for the rangers if your in love with lucrative contracts for non-deserving players. Let the kids develop. Then start filling holes with free agents. Seriously some people need to get a clue. For people saying that we dont need an enforcer, i also have to wonder about you as well. Stop with Joel Rechlicz. Hes not an enforcer. I dont care what his size is that doesnt make him an enforcer. He played that way when he was up b/c he was doing whatever he could to stay in the lineup. HE IS NOT A PUGILIST! If you dont think the Isles need an enforcer, come back to me when someone Mike Mottau’s Tavares and the Isles go through the motions of a game like nothing ever happened. It has nothing to do with making us a better team. Right now its about protection for our young players. This season will be about our kids development. Same as last season was. We will not make the playoffs. Theres no sense in overpaying some random FA to take time away from kids to come close to the playoffs. Let it ride
#85, what aging snipers do you speak of? Gaborik, Cammalerri and Heatley are all under 30 years young. Its obvious to me that the islanders are looking at Taylor Hall/a lottery pick once again as the next phase. Comeau, Tambellini, Sim, etc are all garbage players and would be lucky to be first liners in the AHL. Its another tank job plain and simple.
I think having a “goon” is overrated, you need toughness and with Okposo, Hunter, Jackman, Sim (if he stays), Witt, Sutton and Rechlitz the Islanders, in my opinion, just need one more tough d-man,(Martinek, Myers, Gervais & Hillen too many soft d-men) not an otherwise useless fighter if they could have gotten Neil that would have been good but someone like Brasheer is useless and you don’t spend for a Colton Orr.
I don’t personally see the problem with sitcking with Rechlicz. I thought that his fighting ability improved greatly over the games he got to play at the NHL level and always answered the call to fight when needed. He stood in with some of the toughest players in the league and held his own a lot of the time (unlike Jackman who decided to be the NHL’s punching bag this past season). The younger players and more specifically Tavares will be protected by Joel the Recker, someone hits the golden boy you better believe that the Wrecker is gonna come hunt you down the next play. Great job on the Roloson pick up. I think he will bring some great goaltending and veteran leadership to our young lockeroom
Why is everyone going crazy over an enforcer/Goon - we have toughness already. Wrecker - Jackman - Witt - Sutton
We need guys who know how to play hockey, not sit on the end of the bench all game.
We need people who can put the puck in the net (Kotalik or LaRose?). If they could get a gritty type winger like Moen (2 years), Grier (1 year), or should I even say Bertuzzi (1 year) that would be better than a Goon.
One more Gritty Defenseman, would make this a very solid defense - please sign one of the following:
Seidenberg
Scuderi
Beauchemin
send rechlicz to gleason’s gym.
#82, they told us they wouldn’t be doing anything in free agency months ago. Good or bad we’ve already known this was going to happen for a while so it makes little sense to act suprised.
Strummer’s Army (19): Wow!
All these people talking about enforcers and needing to battle the Brashears.
Asham is a light-heavy-weight and won’t fight Brashear.
McGrattan does NOT move quite well.
Steve Ott is a pest - nothing more.
Laraque - nobody wants to fight him and he won’t go after people who won’t fight so he is practically useless
What about enforcers who can still play the game? There are really not many of those around and they certainly are not going to be traded.
The Wrecker, if he is a decent skater, is likely our best bet. His size alone says he is certainly not Steve Webb. If he is willing to fight anybody and can throw a decent punch then that is all you need. Even if he rarely wins (and nobody does against Laraque).
#88 I could not agree more - there is absolutely no reason for the Islanders to lock themselves into expensive, long-term deals when nobody they bring in could make this team a Stanley Cup contender. I know I’m like a broken record lately, but I seriously don’t understand why so many of my fellow fans always need something to cry about. If Snow had signed any of these deals today everyone would be crying in a few years about how that player is killing our cap space.
Roloson was the perfect signing in goal, and that alone will account for a few more wins this year. I’m thrilled that Snow is positioning the Islanders to take advantage of their cap space, especially next season when the cap is projected to go down.
Look for a value signing/trade - Snow will deal with the toughness issue, and if not we have Rechlicz - otherwise we need to stay the course. John Tavares does not a rebuild make, just like Sidney Crosby didn’t single-handedly turn around the Penguins. Remember, they had the 3rd overall pick in 2006 after a full season of Crosby.
You forgot to add size: 0. Huge goalies don’t count.
TSN.Ca has a tracker, and if you go through it team by team, it’s really eye-opening to see how many teams did almost nothing. Yes, big splashes were made by Toronto, the Canadiens and of course the Rangers. But many of the big signings were teams keeping their own — like Vancouver — or losing a big piece and bringing back a big piece (like the Wild, Gaborik for Havlat). When you go through it one by one, you see that our Rolo deal was actually a pretty big one. We did not “do nothing.” Meanwhile, the Devils lost a ton.
Taylor Hall…here we come…
Bring back Vukota!!!
Cairns is teaching rechlicz how to take down someone. Also His skating is getting better. plus you have Jackman, i dont know if that means anything but its somthing.
we are heading in the right direction. adding another goal scorer to take presure of the young guns would be great but its the isles so you never know what will happen. this also goes for a nice stay at home D-man hint hint (Scuderi).
I am really hoping they do well this year because in my opionin there is nothing better then going to a Islanders playoff game. But i do feel it will be another rebuiling year. but you never know; Gorden did say his first year is a learning year in his system, his second is showing improvments, and third is you better win haha. not in those excact words but you know what i mean.
I am hoping.
how many 4th line players does this team need?
tambellini, thompson, park, jackman
why do the islanders get the castoffs from every other team?
I really do not think we need a goon who does not know how to play hockey!
Travis Moen would be a nice fit with the Islanders! He is young and can score some goals.
Tim Jackman and Nate Thompson can drop the gloves and stand-up for our young kids (Tavares, Bailey). They both might not be great fighters but they will always be there for there team. You know how bad of a player Mitch Fritz was he could not skate, sure he could win a fight but big deal!
Who is the goon on the Red Wings???? They do not have one!!!!!!!!
i said Rechlicz was one fight frombeing a rock star last year. he went toe to toe with Cote and did realy well and then got scared and turtled up instead of exchange with Laraque. Had he actually fought him, who knows and beat him. He woudl of been viewed as one of toughest upcoming in NHL.
Gordon got as upset as i did. Rechliez was sent down to minors the next day. Wonder if he got the message.
I woudl loev to get a enforcer but he has to be skilled. I dont want to trade a good asset for a goon. Not a good plan.
Offer sheet to Eager would not be bad idea.
I am happy with what Snow is doing, but I would also like him to get a good enforcer. A bunch of people are saying we already have toughness, but the problem is other teams don’t FEAR toughness. Other teams FEAR a top-notch enforcer like Boogard, Godard, Orr, etc. That FEAR keeps other teams from taking liberties on your star players, which has happened far too often the past couple of years. It’s no surprise the Isles have the most injured team in hockey, because when other teams take runs at our best players, they don’t FEAR the retribution (if there is even going to be any).
I’m a bit concerned about the Isles’ lack of a heavyweight. In the infamous game against the Sabres last year, all of the Isles’ players on the ice got their butts handed to them (even Witt, who so many incorrectly see as a tough guy), which was the most embarrassed I ever was being an Islander fan in 30 years. It’s OK for a team to lose, but it’s not OK to be pushed around and intimidated like we were last year.
Fighting/intimidation is still a part of the game as evidenced by several big deals handed out to goons so far. Do you think Brashear will think twice about hitting Tavares? I’m not sure who the right player is. Rechlicz isnt. I just don’t want the Isles to get caught with their pants down again.
Forget the fighters for a minute … You know what Garth Snow should do? Stick it to the Rangers and sign Ryan Callahan to a Group II offer sheet at $3 million per. If he accepts it, the Rangers would be FORCED TO MATCH and would leave them with only $13 million of cap space with five other forwards still to sign.
If they don’t match, we get a 24-year-old forward who will score 25 goals next season for the cost of a 2nd-round draft pick. It’s a no-brainer if you ask me.
Do you think Sim can bounce back from his bad 2nd half last yr? At the bef of the yr i thought he was very sim to avery.
go get the Rock for a 3rd rounder!!
#103 I agree with you. Garth Snow talks about rebuilding with young players, well Cammaleri Heatley and Gaborik are under 30 so why didnt you go after one of them?? Garth, just come out and say Wang wont spend money until the Lighthouse Project is settled. Stop with the rebuilding nonsense and just say Wang does not want to spend anymore money right now.
I’ll start off by saying, Wrecker just isn’t the answer right now. He’s still a neophyte in the world of heavyweights.. no sense rolling him out there to get his melon knocked around by Laraque, Brashear, or Orr (just ask Fedoruk how his career has gone).
That said, if we’re operating under the premise that Rechlicz is our heavyweight this year.. go out and get Tom Kostopoulos.
He’s willing combatant and a physical player. He can also play the role of agitator if need be. On top of that he can actually play the game pretty well in a bottom six role. This way, you still have toughness and only need to put Rechlicz in the line up against physical/dirty teams like Toronto, NYR, Boston, and Philidelphia (and perhaps even Pitt and Washington).
A combination of Jackman, Kostopoulos, Sutton, and Witt is more than suitable against the average NHL team. Granted there’s no true heavyweight, there’s still enough of a deterrent presence to keep the youngins safe. Then against the teams that are gunna run you, throw in Rechlicz into the mix and hopefully it’ll be a wash.. if not there should be some pretty interesting brawls this year, which I sure as hell am not going to complain about.
why don’t we sign Adrian Aucoin to a two year deal? he was a great, heart and soul player when he was here. He’s declined some, but he’d still be a very useful piece.
I really don’t understand the huge deal everyone is making about a ‘lack of a heavyweight’ this isn’t UFC its the NHL. The isles actually have a bunch of tough guys who can throw down when necessary. Witt, Sutton, Jackman, Rechlicz can all hold their own. They might not be on the heavywieght level but who cares? all that means is that when we play Toronto Orr will have nobody to drop the gloves with.. not that hes gonna skate around biting peoples heads off. I think people throwing the word ‘FEAR’ around with regards to players like Orr and Laraque are way off base. People playing in this league don’t ‘fear’ other players. If someone chooses not to drop the gloves with Laraque then hes useless, as we saw with Lucic.
i loved audrian aucoin. yeh, he might not fit into the “system” and hes not young, 2 major things against the way the islanders think these days which is fine, but c’mon. the guy was a winner when he was with the Islanders. sign him!
I hope everyone realizes that there is a huge difference between an experienced NHL enforcer and a guy who’s simply a fighter.
Enforcers are more than just guys who get the tap on the shoulder to go out after a goal against and bring some energy. They have a history with certain players as well as a reputation. a reputation that can sometimes prevent your best players from getting run.
That reputation takes time to build. Some of our teams young fans were instantly infatuated last year with the nickname “the Wrecker”. This 43 year old was not.
I know better. A nickname earned while not in the NHL is not an NHL reputation.
Rechlicz is a guy who needs time to learn and not be a liability on the ice.
Just because he had a couple of decent shifts doesn’t mean that will translate into a season long security blanket for our youth.
We need experience now. Trust me, going into that first 3 game in 4 nights when his knuckles are raw from a wiser, experienced guy like Laraque or Brashear’s helmet…he’ll be useless.
That’s the difference. Guys with a rep can enforce even when they aren’t 100% because their rep precedes them so they don’t always have to fight. That and they can play some minutes and not be a liability.
Give Rechlicz a few more years, he’ll get there eventually, just not now.
CB - Your last sentence says it all … “He has to.”
The Atlantic Division is now loaded with heavy weights and agitators … not a good thing for a soft team that has to play 24 games against … even worse … all those teams also “now” have some skill for balance.
Even so … a less skilled team with capable heavy weights can intimidate a skilled team from the high % scoring areas … We need a 2010’s version of “The Bomber”
we just need a protector, forget about aucoin or anyone else, we should all be patient and let the rebuild be what it is.
steve webb come out of retirement
Stay with Rechlicz. We don’t need a goon who can’t skate. I think the Isles need to play an aggressive style, crashing the net, and agitate the opponents. This will take focus away from the kids. Players that need to step up are Bergenheim, Hunter, Comeau, Jackman, or maybe even Sim. I also like Logan’s idea of flanking Tavares with Hunter, and Comeau. Comeau might not be a fighter, but he has a mean streak in him.
#51 is right. We dont necessary need someone just to fight, but that tough guy who can play and bang bodies and then drop the gloves if necessary, not just come onto the ice at 1 point in the game and drop the gloves and sit for 5 minutes. Rechliz is not the answer.
What we should do is have the wrecker spend the summer with Gillies and Cairns , two of the games best fighters ever, and learn how to fight. If he can t learn from those guys he will never develop and its time to make a move -
I had hoped we got Donald Brashear. He’s a proven pugilist who always seems to score his only goals of the season into the Islanders net.
We need someone who has a veteran presence in the room, who isn’t a glaring liability when he’s on the ice, and someone other teams know will exact retribution for any attempts to run our guys.
Not sure who that is at this point, but it would be irresponsible to not have this essential role player on the team.
I dont know why everyone is flipping out over yesterdays non-productive day….How did anyone think we would make a “SPLASH”…wE NEVER DO!! We have an owner who does not want to spend a dime more until the LHP is complete…
IF Im upset about one thing though, is that fact that Philly got PRONGER, the RAGS got BRASHEAR, and the ISLANDERS have…….soon to be determined…GARTH FOR LOVE of SALLY JESSE RAFAEL’S red glasses, PLEASE BRING US A PROTECTOR!!!!
At first I was disappointed in the ROLOSON pick up…but the more and more i read into it…I LOVE IT!! This guy can give us 60 games if DP falls apart again….HE will at least keep us somewhat competitive everynight…NICE MOVE GARTH…Until our 6′7 FINN goalie, who by the way will be the next LUONGO, is ready for the NHL, DP AND ROLOSON= 1/1A…
Lets stay patient and wait for todays moves!!!
LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!!
Today: July 2, 2009
NHL 09/10 Start Date: October 2, 2009
Don’t think it’s time to lambaste Snow get overly concerned about an tough guy/enforcer just yet. 3 months until the puck drops, there is plenty of opportunity to fill the holes we need for the rebuilding Isles.
Rechlicz is a great kid and will be fine in the role in a season or 2. Hes very young. He certainly appears to be able to skate.
I wouldnt call yesterday a disaster. Noone expected us to make a big move. that said, we still need goal scoring help BIG TIME!!
If I was Garth I would go eiither way at forward:
1.Look into signing Bertuzzi;
2.Sign Tanguay for a 1 year contract similiar to what we did for Guerin and then getting an enforcer type either by trade or free agent but on the cheap…ie. $750K tops.
Lets face it. We are looking at picking top 5 next year once again.
Quite honestly, I dont think that is a bad thing.
” I don’t know when Snow makes his move for protection - would probably have to be a trade now - but he will. He has to”.
CB,you are dead on! and with the likes of Breashear,Godard, and Cote the Islanders better orders some extra case’s of Cold Packs because they will need it.
Im not expecting anything big, but I want Snow to sign an enforcer and a decent defenseman. We are still under the cap floor! I like the goalie move a lot!!! I would like an offer sent to beauchemin(or however you spell it) but wouldnt mind if he signed an enforcer first. Need to protect the young players
Snow is terrible. Neil Smith did a better job in his 40 days on the job. Any of us would have drafted Tavares it was a no brainer. He traded up twice in the draft and passed on Kassian for a under sized puck moving defenceman (didnt we draft aaron ness last year)He signed a goalie. No kidding we need a goalie but a 40 year old at $2.5 per year is a stretch. He stepped in s##t lsat year with Mark Streit. No other FA signing has worked out, Guerin, Fedetenko, Sim, Comrie. he resigned Brendan Witt for 2 more years. We are going no where fast. Its not about the building and the facilities. Its about management and it starts at the top and who is running he organization. Garth Snow is not capable of generating excitement and he is not making the correct decisions to make us relevant again.
I understand Matt Martin is a tough guy who can also score, could he possibly be the answer, I don’t believe he signed yet or is even ready for the NHL. Anyone?
According to Andy Strickland the Isles signing goalie Scott Munroe to a two -way deal
who in gods name is scott munroe?
I understand building from within, but there is nothing wrong with signing a few young FA’s. It doesn’t always help young kids to get beat into the ice night in and night out. It takes a toll on confidence. It doesn’t help Bailey and KO to constantly lose in the NHL. As much as I want to believe in this rebuild, the organization is riddled with losing season after losing season. Why am I to trust that they know how to turn it around?? There is a culture of losing with the Isles, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to get some young FA’s who have tasted success and not constant failure. I mean Snow himself has a losing career record in net and was mainly a backup goalie. Maybe he doesn’t understand what it takes to win. Clearly, I don’t know what it takes to win because the Isles have been saying that they are on their way back to being a consistent winner and I don’t agree with anything they do.
Munroe has been a top AHL goaltender the past few years. (ugh - where’s our tough guy!)
WM are you just saying that because Andy Strickland said those exact words or because you actually know something about him
what is a scott munroe?
#147, It didn’t seem to have an adverse effect on Kane, Toews, Ovechkin, Crosby, Nash, and Fleury. I see where you’re coming from, but there wasn’t anybody out there that would have been so beneficial to have for this season.
I don’t see why today’s focus has to be on a goon. Those guys can be found in the AHL, the waiver wire or by trade at any time. The Isles should be focusing on finding pieces of the bigger picture puzzle right now, i.e. a solid defenseman who does his best work on the ice and not in the trainer’s room.
Speaking of the trainer’s room, the Rangers better get a few extra guys in there to watch over their latest foolish investment!
Keep drinking the Snow Kool-Aid… My gosh people most of you guys love Snow so much.. What has he done??? Oh wait a rebuild that may take 20 years! Who in the Hell is Scott Munroe??? He will get us to the cap floor… Taveres and Kyle will be injured by game 10… We will get the number one pick for 5 straight years.. Man am I pumped!
Bring back Clark Gilles!
#151 Thanks for the response. I don’t disagree necessarily about this years class, although I do think a young giant on the blue line would’ve helped for this year and the future. I only hope Tavares turns into those guys you mentioned, as they each turned the franchises around after 1 or 2 seasons, and in the case of the Blackhawks, never had a losing experience. But we still need to surround JT with the guys those players you mentioned are flanked by.
#143 - you are spot on. All I keep hearing about de Haan is “potential” and “raw talent.” And by the way, the kid thought the Isles already had a new arena.
We addressed 1 need: scoring. We did not address another need: size.
Face it. There isn’t anyone out there that can defend these kids that Snow will go get. Snow will let them get pushed around and hope Jackman can deal with getting his head pounded every night.