SCOOP / VIEW / FORECAST
What’s the deal with the heavyweight search?
Islanders Point Blank on Twitter
As we first reported last week, Scott Allen was officially named assistant coach today.
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From the blog that brought you “S/V/F: What’s the Deal with Alex Tanguay?” comes a look at the Islanders’ search for a heavyweight. Should be a reality show.
SCOOP: Point Blank has learned that the Islanders banged on the door of at least one prime NHL enforcer seconds after the opening bell of the unrestricted free agent market. Before the Maple Leafs blew all other suitors away with a four-year contract at a million bucks per, ex-Rangers heavyweight Colton Orr was seriously courted by the Islanders. We’re told more Islanders personnel than just GM Garth Snow reached out to the 27-year old pugilist.
Orr made sense on many levels. He’s big, does not lose a majority of his fights and Tom Renney was comfortable enough with the heavyweight’s skills to play him in the final minutes with the Rangers protecting a lead. And oh by the way, Islanders head coach Scott Gordon was Orr’s development coach for two years when they were with the Bruins’ AHL affiliate in Providence. Gordon didn’t hesitate to use the 6-3, 230-pound Orr in all 17 Calder Cup playoff games in the spring of 2005.
Alas, while the Islanders got John Tavares, Brian Burke did snag Orr.
VIEW: The Islanders may not have reeled in Orr, but their pursuit proves Snow isn’t kidding himself that his rebuilding team of many kiddies doesn’t need a sitter. Publicly, the general manager will say – and should say – Joel Rechlicz has every chance of making the 2009-10 opening lineup. You never want to hold back your prospects, no matter the position. Behind the scenes, you better believe Snow’s still in search of some muscle. (We don’t need to go over the list of Eastern beef, do we?)
Keep in mind what Gordon said to me a few weeks ago about the importance of an enforcer: “Contrary to what you may believe, I’m a big proponent of that aspect of the game.” With finesse players like Tavares, Mark Streit, Josh Bailey and Frans Nielsen dotting the roster, Gordon might now be the biggest proponent.
Burke and assistant GM Dave Nonis made Orr a very generous offer and did a good job of getting their man. The Islanders, like many teams, chose not to present guaranteed dough to Brian McGrattan (Calgary). Donald Brashear (Rangers) would not have been a good fit at age 37 for a rebuilding team. Chris Neil (Ottawa) – $2 million a year for four years? No thanks.
Travis Moen (Montreal for 3 years) would have been a solid pickup as a bottom-6, but even his advocates acknowledge he grinds more than he enforces. There were others, obviously deemed by Snow to either be poor fits or poor value. Besides Orr, there may have been others whose demands he could not or would not meet.
That’s fine, as long as the GM eventually solves the problem and actually gets an experienced, fight-winning tough guy into the lineup. It’s one thing for a rebuilding team to be beat, another to be constantly beaten up. The first game is Oct. 3. The Homecoming opponent is Pittsburgh, in no mood after having about three weeks to heal between winning Game 7 of the Final and the opening of camp (I exaggerate, slightly). If an Islander like Brendan Witt even looks at Sidney Crosby, the Penguins’ agitators will target Tavares and Nielsen for hits and well-rested Eric Godard and Mike Rupp will be puttin’ on the foil. Fun!
FORECAST: So who’s still out there on the free agent market? Andrew Peters, a few others. (Whatever you may think of Peters as an enforcer, he’s got a brain and a heart. When Sports Illustrated went after Chris Simon, Peters – who’d brawled with Simon a few times – stood up for Simon and said Ryan Hollweg running everyone from behind was why enforcing was still necessary.)
Snow could work out a trade for a heavyweight, but another approach would be to extend a training camp invitation or three. Line ‘em all up, “The Contender” style. If a Peters or an AHL heavy like Trevor Gillies (would be neat, if only for the Third Jersey) comes to camp and proves to Gordon he can keep up with the skating, he wins a contract. It would help to win a fight. No doubt The Wrecker would be ready.
There’s also the waiver wire. Bottom line: the Islanders are still looking for their enforcer. Snow has not thrown in the towel.
Comments.
112 Responses to SCOOP / VIEW / FORECAST
What’s the deal with the heavyweight search?
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thepolishprince says:
Welcome back Chris. Hope you got to recharge the batteries. Nice piece that puts me at ease knowing that there will be a legitimate enforcer in the lineup when the season starts.
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Frank says:
I thought Brashear was like 37?
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potvin05 says:
Good to read this. They definitely need some protection here. Hope you enjoyed the seriously deserved mini-break.
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Carmine says:
Welcome back CB, hope you enjoyed your time away. I glad the Isles are still active in pursuing an enforcer. I would love to see Simon defect from Russia and come back here. He was always one of my favorite players.
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Joe in Massapequa says:
Hey CB, hope you enjoyed your time off. I think you have developed ‘man crush’ status while you were gone. People didn’t know how good they had it till you were gone. Well they know but you know what I’m saying. Haha.
This post is completely accurate. What the other enforcers signed for was nowhere in the plans for the Isles. I can’t see myself saying that Brashear should have been an Islander on that contract, or the same with Orr or Niel. Hopefully Snow can pull something off within the next 10 weeks to give the kids some room on the ice and also peace of mind knowing someone has their back. I don’t know much about the style of play Peter’s has but the Hollweg comment almost makes him an instant favorite.
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vukota says:
Nobody is going to sign here as long Snow is still throwing contract numbers out there from the 80′s. 1 million dollars a year is cheap in this day and age and there is no reason why Snow couldn’t have matched toronto’s offer. Just saying…
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Say no to Peters. The guy is a punching bag!!
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the number of people who write as if garth snow doesnt know what he is doing amazes me. garth has more then a few seasons playing in the nhl, opposed to all who post here. i too would like the team to be more aggressive in signing free agents. the information and responses on why the isles are staying at the cap floor are valid. a plan is in place, last year was year one. we saw progress. at the end of the 07-08 season, we had KO. before the start of 09-10, we now have a play making center in JB, a rugged/power foward in KO, and a natural goal scorer in JT. streit is top pair defender and if our all star goalie isnt healthy, we now have a pair of solid netminders and a top flite backup. a series of prospects looking to play on elite teams in international tourneys.
dont act shocked that a few of these teenage players arrived at camp sized up. they are professional athletes on strength and conditioning programs monitored by pro teams. this isnt some high school kid with a pair of barbells listening to “eye of the tiger” in his basement doing curls.
patience, scouting and a little bit of luck(how many top 5 picks did the pens have in 5 years) sportsfans. factor in the collapsing salary cap, and things are trending upward. -
Tony says:
I used to think it was good enough just to show up in a fight. But after the Sabres beat the stuffing out of us during that line brawl last season, I do not feel the same way. The Isles need a heavyweight. Jackman isn’t one, neither is the Wrecker. Intimidation and brute strength are still valid tools used in the NHL, and the Isles have little if any.
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Doug says:
What about F.A. Mike Grier?
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G. HOWITT says:
What about Haley and Pascal Morncey at Bridgeport give the a shot, Gordard got his !!!
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CB, you know the way into our hearts…showing Peters pummel Hollweg! But, seriously, I like the Darwinist idea of bringing in some options and letting the chips fall where they may. If anything, Wrecker could get in some target practice and the pre-season games would really be worth watching! I’ve heard a lot about Jon Mrasty, who was a beast in the “A” for Syracuse. But, he is 5’10″ or 5’11″ and I have no idea about his skating.
Is Mrasty an up-and-coming heavyweight who could play in today’s game (or more likely, in Gordon’s style of game) or is he just a minor-league toughie like Dennis Bonvie or Frank “The Animal” Bialowas?
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Peter says:
#5 – Simon’s actions that got him suspended the second time were a disgrace to the uniform. There’s a reason that he was booed upon his return to the lineup. I sure as hell don’t want him back and I know that I’m not alone.
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Have the Isles and Mitch Fritz officially parted ways? I for one hope he’s not back next year. The guy couldn’t skate to save his life.
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NHL Network was running the Classic Series of the Sabres and the Flyers in 1997 and Garth Snow and Steve Shields were trading haymakers.
At the risk of turning this into a hockeyfights.com thread, let’s just say that Snow knows why a team needs protection and he knows what type of enforcer the Isles need, mainly because he has been there before.
In hindsight, offering Orr more than $1M would have been smart, but who knew Neil would have commanded $2M? If Snowy offered Orr $1.25M or $1.5M per for 3 years, maybe the deal would have gotten done.
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Hale says:
an enforcer should not cost more than 2 1.5 million dollars or more than 2 years in length..any more then your not doing your job
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UIF says:
Nice read, CB. Having watched many Sabres games over the last two years (fiance is from Western NY and is a huge fan), I’d say no to Peters.
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Marc from Troy says:
Trevor Gillies, CB? Really? I thought the idea was to get a heavyweight who could actually play. I’ve seen enough of Gillies last couple of yrs here in Albany, and he gets off the bench for one reason and one reason only. He also “played” in only 30 games last yr, as – I believe – a concussion kept him out from December through season’s end. Pass.
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Jon “nasty” Mrasty is a great fighter he lite up the wreaker in juniors.
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Steve S says:
I can’t wait to see how many playoff games the Leafs this win this year because they signed Colton Orr. I mean, look at all the parades down the Canyon of Heroes the Rangers had during his tenure there.
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Bobby says:
Can we please give Jon Mirasty a shot!!!!
This guy has hung in with every heavyweight that has come his way, can keep up with the play & is a free agent who could be had for dirt cheap. If you have never seen any of his fights please, please check him out at either hockeyfights.com or youtube. -
Guess that’s why Garth told me he wasn’t putting ALL his stock in Joel.
Just as long as whomever he gets can skate in Gordon’s system. Or he may do more harm than good.
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hathead68 says:
Agreed with all points Steve (post #9). Hopefully either we can land a respected enforcer who can fight and has some hockey skills, or at least we see big improvement from Rechliz.
CB, what about signing left wing Taylor Pyatt (our former first rounder from ’99)? He’s only 27, 6’4″ and 230 and I believe plays with some jam. He’s no enforcer, but he might look good on left wing on a line with any of Weight, Tavares, or Neilsen. -
Phil says:
(21) (23)
Mirasty signed an AHL deal with the Syracuse Crunch. -
streit02 says:
CB, i dont see how an enforcer (Brashear) would not fit in because of his age. This is the guy i was hoping the Isles would grab. I think the Rangers overpaid for him, but if the Isles gave him that same contract it would be well worth it for this team. 1.5 at 2 years would not hurt this team one bit. I dont think the Isles should be turning down players over a difference of 500,000 a year. Im not saying they have, but this is not an area where they can get too picky about a contract. I completely understand not going after colton orr regarding the contract he got, but a 2 year deal that is a little overpaid will not effect the team in a negative way. CB, you also make a great point with the Sidney Crosby comment. If Brendan Witt does his usual manhandling of crosby or malkin you can bet your a$$ someones comin after Tavares. I read somewhere that Laraque wasnt happy in Montreal. Explore that option.
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Jay says:
Wow CB, that was like the shortest vacation in history. I’m glad you’re back though. It’s reassuring to know that Garth at least knows that the team needs some muscle. Hopefully they’ll have someone by the time the season starts.
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billy harris says:
i, too, agree with a lot of what steve (#9) said except that crack about survivor’s “eye of the tiger”. it was used in an old islander promo back when they were on channel 9 so c’mon, how ’bout a little love? besides, it isn’t half as cheesy as songs zebra put out at the time…
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Coral Springs Isle Fan says:
Any way they can swing a deal with Philly to bring back Asham? Philly is stretched to the max on the cap. Just a thought. I always liked Asham and he was a pretty versatile player. Offers more than just fighting. He may be a good mentor to a guy like Rechlicz.
Welcome back CB.
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Jeff says:
True that the Isles need an enforcer, but they also need some size in general. One tough guy won’t make the team competitive. Seems like the opponent is always bigger, stronger and faster than we are. Just saying.
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miket239 says:
Watching Andrew Peters getting beat up repeatedly in an Isles jersey does not sound the least bit attractive. Next…
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AngryPete says:
Funny thing is that Rechlicz was signing autographs outside of IceWorks after the public scrimmage. The kid is 6’4″/220 of muscle and was working his A$$ off.
Besides experience, why wouldn’t he be suitable for the position?
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cgs878 says:
Throw in the towel, Snow. Develop speed in the young kids’ skates and they’ll be able to avoid or skate away from the slow-poke brutes on the other teams. That philosophy worked well last season, didn’t it?
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Bob Bassen says:
I agree with post #30…I also think that just having a big ole Goon around to take on the other teams big ole Goon is sometimes just a *staged* event. How about the first time Brashear takes a run at someone, we just line the MoFo up in the corner or on the open ice and clean his clock fair and square with a punishing check? Hunter? Sutton? Witt? Wrecker? I know, I know, besides a heavyweight enforcer maybe we don’t have a Rich Pilon type checker these days either. Bummer we missed out on Moen and Rupp…those two guys around would have been great. I don’t care that we missed out on Neil but the guy can actually play a lot of decent minutes…for Ottawa, the 2 mill was prolly worth it.
CB, what was the deal with Asham? Lazy? Inconsistent? He isn’t a heavyweight but alaways liked him.
Go Isles! -
Blizzard says: Wheres the Beef? lol. I think the Wrecker is gonna step up, I dont know why I just do.
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-Big Van Vader says:
They had BETTER aquire an enforcer soon. Otherwise our kids are gonna have a really tough year. Also, whats up with Tanguay? Shouldn’t this guy have signed SOMEwhere by now?”
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Mike L says:
I forgot where I saw it, but I remember reading a story about Orr always wanted to play in Toronto. Personally, I dont care for enforcers. If you want to put an enforcer that cant skate and cant do anything but hit and fight, then by all means I hope skilled guys like Tavares, Bailey, Okposo, etc are out there against them. Right now the only guy I worry about in the division is Pronger.
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Tom B says:
AHHHHHHHahhhhh. He said BEEF!!!
YA lets get some muscle going on. We may be on the way up, but we’re gonna get these kids bounced around if someone is not watching their backs.
Don’t think for a second Tavares won’t be skating around with a big BULLSEYE on his back all season. Every team will personally want to ‘WELCOME’ him to the NHL.
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Joe says:
As long as Wrecker and Jackman are in every single game, Ill be happy if the Isles don’t sign someone.
Josh Gratton is a tough dude and a good skater, I wouldn’t mind the Isles grabbing him up.
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Spartiarti - RVC says:
Grier is very much an enforcer when he want to be and he can actually play.
I’m fine with Rechliez, he learned his lesson by not going at Laraque. He would of been suprised if he went at him instead. Cote is pretty tough and rechliez did great again him.
I think Gordon sent message when he sent Rechliez back to bridgeport after that laraque fight. trust me, he will bang with best of them.
Just do me favor and dont bring in a goon like fritz.
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goislesgo105 says:
This is the part of hockey that I hate, the stupid fighting. If I want to see a fight, I’ll go to the Garden and watch boxing. I remember in the 70′s when the Russians came over and passed and skated rings around the NHL teams including the Flyers who were known as the Broad Street Bullies at the time. What the Russians played was hockey. When I go to a hockey game I want to see passing, skating and scoring, not some goon on skates taking cheap shots at the skilled players. Sign players with SKILL. The best revenge for a goon hit is to score on the power play and win the game. If we have a great power play, goons like Orr and Brashear won’t get much ice time.
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kurversforgm says:
Pitt does play the night before, so maybe they won’t be so rested, lol
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peter debenedetto says:
Rech will only get bigger….forget the enforcer….we have one in the making. Every enforcer needs just one fight to earn the title. Far as I’m concerned, Fritz lost out last year… not as strong a fighter as we thought, besides, no skill at all.
As for toughness….Blake Comeau may be a sleeper in that department. Not a fighter…but tougher than we think.
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Bport fan says:
Mirasty is only signed to a AHL deal. I am sure there is a opt out clause in his deal is a NHL team comes calling….
Mirasty is a Warrior when it comes to fighting -
Willis says:
A real feel good article for me! (warmies, fuzzies..) Thanks CB and welcome back. Can’t wait for hockey!
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robby d says:
Snow messed up. He should have outbid for Orr. Orr was the perfect match for many reasons. 1st, he is young at 27. 2nd, he is one of the best fighters in the NHL. Finally, the Rangers would be incensed. We taken our fair share of crap from them. Snow needs to learn how get his guy. His drafting is fine but as far as a trader, I think Garth is weak until he makes a good trade.
We need a guy who can play as well. All these AHL goons aren’t the answer. People forget but, Witt, Sutton, Hunter, Reichliz, and Jackman all know how to handle themselves. No, they aren’t the best fighters but they know how to stand up respectfully for their teammates in a fight. The names mentioned above have plenty of toughness as well. I wont be surprised if we see Okposo drop the gloves this year. He has it in him. Plays with a lot intensity. Tavares is a pretty tough kid too. All the scouts said he isnt intimidated by anyone. He is intense as well. Its not like our team is bunch of creampuffs.
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I say try to pry Asham away from Philly. He is one tough SOB and can play the game. He is an upgrade from Nate Thompson in my book. With Asham, Wrecker, Jackman, Witt, and Sutton, we’d have at least more collective toughness.
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nystrom23 says:
Maybe we could get Jim Cummins or Gino Odjick out of retirement….
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(38) Mike Grier has 5 total fights since 2002. I still don’t understand how that’s enforcing. Rechlicz had that many fights in 6 games last season.
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islesfan999 says:
We need a legit heavyweight who has played in the NHL. I would have really liked ORR. Maybe we can trade Park for a enforcer and a pick.
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I was just watchin youtube videos of mirasty….guy doesn’t look like he breaks 6 feet…but man…this guy could fight…and he looks like he has decent skating ability…let him come to camp and see wat he can do
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Theres a reason Mirasty never made the NHL, he cant skate. Let the Recker take the role and go with it, hes going to be SOLID! Peters sucks. We might as well give Brandon Sugden a shot again if you want the “champ”. The guy skates worse than a 4 year old but hes the clear cut champ in any league in hockey. Youtube him, BRANDON SUGDEN.
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Tond says:
funny, we cant get a goon now…how can anyone say gath is doing a good job. the second one of our top 3 guns get a cheap shot snow should be fired. protect the future.
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(45)(52)
Mirasty is tough but like (53) said he can’t skate. Last year I saw him play in a friday night beer league to get ready for camp. If the islanders got him it would be foot shorter mitch fritz with an iron jaw.
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CB, any chance that if DP can’t come back from his injury to play in net, we can teach him to be a 4th line winger? Not that Montoya was a credible dance partner, but I am sure DP can hold his own. My gut feeling is that we are going to stay with what we have and hope that the wrecker takes the role.
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TuxTax says:
I personally like the combo of Jackman and the Wrecker, besides that hopefully Sutton can make it through the year without the bad luck and we have three big guys who can drop the gloves, with one of which being an actual enforcer. I personally think they are fine in the size department with Hunter there as well(even though he doesnt fight). Any update on Hunter and Sutts healthwise? I’d like Joensuu to make the big club this year, the guy has some decent skill with great cornerwork and the ability to get to the front of the net after battling behind it. Just some thoughts…Also saw Parrish in the Nickelback Game video on IslesTV…does he still live in the area during the summers?
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doc says:
Admittedly I haven’t watch Peter’s play that much. I do remember him being a pretty tough customer in a couple of fights. Is his skating that subpar? If not… then it sounds like he might be a pretty good option.
DOC
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Ben says:
CB – see if you can give yourself another break before things get going again, it’s a loooooong season for sure!
With so many of the Islanders pitching for Colton Orr I can’t see why the deal was not done! Considering that another enforcer is going to cost a little less (say $700,000 – $850,000 MAYBE) if Colton was that guy they wanted then the little extra money buys the guy you want. It sickens me that we haggled over a small amount and loose it.
The length of the contract – 4 years. It may seem like too long a time but there are no clear signs at this time of ANY players in our system being ready to step in between now and a year or two from now.
O.K. problem in a couple of years that you have both “The Wrecker” and Orr. Deal with it then.
I see this as a mess up by Garth and crew. I think Colton would have been a fan favorite and contributed in several ways – great bang for the buck, even at 1 mil a year for 4 years. I personally hated to see the guy when playing against us. He seemed to have no challengers. Are we to expect that 1 mil per year 3 years from now is still too expensive for a guy that can skate, protect and contribute both on and off the ice?
Don’t get me wrong. I like in general what Garth has done so far. But considering how many organizational connections we had to Colton we should have said we’d match Burke’s offer and toss in some performance money and had him in our uniform.
We knew he was a top priority – make it a top priority by finishing the deal. Great GM’s get the deals done.
I think Garth has some wishful thinking going on if he expects to bring in a proven enforcer at this point!
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I’ll say it again. You want “goon” go BRANDON SUGDEN. Its simple. Jackman sucks, Sutton isn’t an enforcer. If you want pure muscle, no skating ability, go 100% BRANDON SUGDEN. Discussion over.
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IslesHostage says:
I hear we’re still looking for that mysterious winger for Yashin, as well.
Timeliness and ability are the key to being a good manager in business. The ability to meet market demands and help prepare your business entity for the coming market expectations helps to keep people employed.
Bye, Garth. It’s been a few times too often we’ve been forced to wait while prime players are just signing away. YES OR NO on Tanguay……nope. We’re teetering on losing more fans because your ineptitude at management is making fans suffer yet again like your predecessor (not the qualified GM we had 41 days) did, waiting for BASIC components and needs to be addressed. But the way the organization is run, I’ll make predictions:
Tavares hurt by January.
Enforcer (bad one) signed one week later.
Season Ticket renewal deadline pushed up to one week before the trade deadline.How about some hockey! Can’t wait! (Okposo will do fine in protecting Tavares but get real: we’re outclassed enormously in our Conference with enforcers, veteran leadership and *gulp* GM’s)
Botta, I pray you can get through to our braintrust and let them know how big a target Tavares is and will be with Fritzompsonlitz as our enforcing set. And Gorton had better give them leeway as per skating in his ‘system’ in order to do the only job we need them for: overprotection (to put it in Gortonspeak).
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WOW sorry about the length! Hope your vacation went well CB
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CHAD says:
2 names already islanders property – problem solved:
michael haley – best middleweight on skates ANYWHERE and can play
jason pitton – big, nasty and wins most heavyweight fights
no need to go outside and get someone with these two here already
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jimmy mac says:
There is nothing wrong with signing Peters. He can fight, he is a good team guy.
Even if he sits on the end of the bench, and plays 5 minutes a game.
You need a guy like him, ready to take on all guys.
Even if it is for one season.
Just until we see if the Wrecker can handle it.
Do It!!!!!
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Geoff L says:
rechlicz will be fine.
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Mike Grier is NOT an enforcer. Whoever says he is, clearly has no idea what an enforcer is.
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Isles_Goal says:
Go after Simon or Beruzzi. They can both play and score…more so Bertuzzi…and Simon has more talent than any goons out there.
Get one of these two on a one year deal…and revisit the need again next season.
They can not start the season without protecting Tavares from day one. That would not be a good introduction to the NHL.
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Aside from the no-brainer pick of Tavares, has Garth really done anything so wonderfully intelligent this off-season? Until he proves otherwise he is still a very green (and average) GM in my book….for now.
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22Isles22 says:
My Gut says it will be Wrecker-
-with other Bridgeport muscle called-up to flank him and/or replace him if he falls/fails-
-We also have Jackman as a current compliment, and if they sought to bring back a guy like Asham as skilled muscle (half hockey skills/half bruiser) I wont be surprised-
Its gonna be muscle by commitee- with Wrecker at the steering wheel-
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tond24 says:
68 is dead on..hes failed everywhere..poor overall draft..no good trades…1 fa signing (and thats because no one else gave an offer)…bad coach choice..sad
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Blizzard says:
I think people ripping Snow are wrong. He went after Orr, Toronto got him and overpaid IMO. He signed Streit how quickly everyone forgets. Tavares is a no Brainer and time will tell if De Haan was the right move at number 12 this year. We do need some muscle, lets be a little patient and see there is plenty of time.
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Blizzard, time is plenty, but the pickings wane over time. We’ll have planty of time to add yet another “wrecker” or Jackman or Thompson, but the GOOD, SOLID NHL enforcers are going buh bye. I laud Snow for gambling on Streit and his Smyth trade was solid. But other than that, and in looking at Jankowski’s track record in Europe, Snow has been sub par and I wish we aimed for the BEST talent on and off the ice instead of just “gambles” and “projects” and we weren’t every year since 2002 being asked to be “patient” with people who we hired/signed that everyone was against getting because there were BETTER people out there.
We are the NY/NJ Jets of hockey.
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Hank says:
#63 are you kidding!!!
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Love Asham too but he’s no heavyweight. But would exchange him for thompson no doubt.
I youtube’d Mirasty….definitely fun to watch him.
Peters I’ve seen a bunch…no thanks. I believe in Wrecker but honestly I’d be ecstatic with Laroque!Is that a possibility? Please say yes…
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BST18 says:
#63 Pitton wasn’t QO’d, not to mention hes had both shoulders done in two years.
As far as Haley is concerned, He reminds me of a young Asham. He’ll take on anyone… I hope to see him get a decent shot on the fourth line with Jackman and the Wrecker
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Strummer's Army says:
I applaud Snow for going for an enforcer but really it’s not enough. At some point you have to get one or a couple. Even if the Isles had signed Orr it wouldn’t have been enough. Orr and Reichlecz up front would be good but they need at least two talented fighters with size and skill on the defense. So even if Snow managed to land a guy (say Boogard or the other giant from Minn)his job will be incomplete.
Furthermore, while he signed a couple guys who’ll drop the gloves for Bridgeport they lack a heavyweight as well. So despite this blogs encouraging words that Snow and now Gordon as big fans of the enforcer role, I’ll believe it when they produce the results.
I’ve said it before Bos has a guy who can play the game, is huge, young, and his name is Bitz. He and Wrecker would be a fantastic combo. Toss me in O’Byrne and another tough d-guy who’s initals are something like K.B. and then you have a team that is ready to go and compete.
If they just make those few moves I believe this will be the best season to watch since……well the playoff series against Toronto may have been the Isles last great moment even if the team was flawed that year. Speaking of which the deciding factors in the playoff series was simply that Toronto decided to eliminate key Islanders. As Mr. Gillies and Mr. Nystrom begged the Islanders to get retribution. It’s a mentality. Most of us still believe that Islander hockey is being the dominante team, best players, hardest working, tougher then hell, not taking crap from anyone. For a very long time that has not been the case.
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I’d also like to say Jackman, Witt and Thompson are a deterent to no one.
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Bob says:
Snow’s well aware we need an enforcer. Remember last year Sugden, Fritz and the Wrecker all got a shot to make the team? The problem is that none of them (maybe the Wrecker) has NHL ability. Mrasty would probably be more of the same. Enough of the AHL journeymen who can fight but can’t play. Go out and get a bonafide NHL heavyweight who can play somewhat.
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Wizard of Isles says:
why not sign someone like rob davison as a depth dman and added toughness? he seemed ok at end of ’07-08 season
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LOL, now we’re ripping Snow because he’s “average”????? Funny stuff.
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Can we forget about the Wrecker, who exactly is affraid of him. Being a willing participant is not enough. A true enforcer will only fight other enforcers because nobody else has the guts to fight him. Theres a hundred guys in the league that could take the Wrecker so he doesn’t fit the bill. He couldn’t even beat Jackman and he loses 75% of his fights
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Please dont post if your gonna bash garth. People are bashing a guy 3 weeks into a free agency period. Theres 2 1/2 months to go until the season starts. Throwing money at top FA’s DOES NOT WORK! If somebody can name one team that threw $ at FA’s as your sole hope of building a core and a winning team id love to hear it. The only way to win is building from within. Then you can sprinkle in a big tix free agent when the time is right and you feel hes a cornerstone peice for the teams success. It would serve this team no purpose to overpay a high priced free agent for a 5 – 7 year deal. This team is at least 2 years away from being put into that category. Signing a high caliber FA now will only make this a mediocre team and thus waste money and lower their selection in the draft every year for nothing. I agree that they can obviously use an enforcer and another veteran up front to relieve the pressure on the kids. But can we please give it a rest until the season starts. Stop calling for a man’s head at every free agent that signs elsewhere. Garth tried his hand w/ FA’s. It did not work (ala ryan smyth), but he tried to give the fans what they wanted and did his best to produce a winning team, but thankfully realized that the draft was the way to go. Thank him for not shuffling the deck and going crazy with trades last season to try to help the team in the short run b/c we’d have evander kane instead of john tavares right now. Some people need to realize that sometimes the moves you dont make are just as important as the ones you do.
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therain93 -- terriers fan says:
Do the Bruins have an enforcer in their system? How about some package for him and Kessel? ( ‘ :
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Jethro09 says:
With regards to Orr, I love that they tried to sign him, it shows the requisite effort to address a need that they obviously recognize. But as much of an Isles fan as I am, I don’t think I’d sign with the Isles over Toronto with the money and years of the contract being even. Toronto is the capital of hockey in a country where hockey reigns supreme in sports. Its hard to fault Orr for signing in Toronto to play in a beautiful building before sell-outs every night over the Isles, who play in a dump (hopefully not for too much longer) that’s usually 30% empty each night (again, hopefully not for too much longer).
I say sign Peters to a two-way deal. If he makes the team, great. If not, send him to the Bridge.
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i didnt know pitton wasnt brought back. that sucks – that guy is big, young and tough
haley should absolutely be on this team next year. great middlweight fighter, and he can play some. at 5’10, 200 he’s a tough mother who will even take on (and beat)heavyweights. search his youtube fights (or hockeyfights.com). they are great to watch
haley, jackman and wrecker will be enough. no need to have a skillless goon taking up a roster spot
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Isle be Damned says:
I wouldn’t mind Peters at all. He’s decent.
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KO21 says:
Last I checked, the reason the Rangers were not walking down the Canyon of Heroes was because they offer inflated contracts to players such as gomez, drury and redden who produced little. Colton Orr was not the problem on their team. I disagree with Snow’s opinion on Orr here. When you have valuable finesse talent on the ice like the Islanders you need bodyguards, plain and simple. A prime example of insufficient protection last year was in NJ and Nielsen. He was out 9 weeks with multiple injuries due to a dirty hit near center ice. Teams would not take those kinds of runs at our players if we had muscle.
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Dave says:
We need real toughness which is as much a skill as speed or scoring.
We need our big guys (Witt, Sutton, Hunter, Jackman, ?) to play real tough. We also need a heavy weight that let’s the other team know, without a doubt, that we have team toughness!
He needs to be able to play 4th line minutes. The best enforcers are able to take a regular shift because they’re good on their skates … which is important when chucking knuckles too.
We don’t have to look outside the club’s history to see the blue print for team toughness.
Not saying it’s easy to find a Gillies and/or Nystrom but as we develop our team’s skills (arguably from near zero), we need to ensure balance.
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streit02-I agree with your comment. Snow does not need to go out there and spend big money on big name FA’s.
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Quez says:
We are not going to sign a goon who can”t skate. So forget about these AHL heavies who are more cut out for MMA than NHL. Unless You can pry Mr. Laraque away from MTL.,we May have to go with what we have, and instill the ‘team toughness’ approach. So, that may mean guys who don’t normally drop ‘em, to tangle a bit. Last year, Weight surprised a few of us by fighting, and you know what? This year, guys like K.O., Hunter, and Bergie might just have to stand up for their teammates once and a while. Half the battle is showing that you are willing to stand in there, even if you are not gonna win many fights.
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Wrecker is not ready for the NHL. He needs 1 year in the minors. We should trade Hunter and Park and try and get an enforcer and a good young player.
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Spinner9 says:
streit02: thanks for bringing a level of rationality to this conversation. how many 2-3 minutes guys can you cary on your roster. If you have more than one guy who can’t play regular minutes then you have too many folks having to double shift to cover for the the non-skaters on the fourth line. think back to the great Islander teams. All their tough guys played regularly (Gillies, Nystrom, Lane and the non-heavey weights like Hart and Howatt). #90 is right, some of our regular guys are going to have to play tough and at times stand up for themselves. The reality is the guys I listed above didn’t fight all that often but at-least the threat was there if needed.
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Blizzard says:
Asham…….he would be awesome. I loved that guy. I don’t think I have ever seen him lose a fight. Could play too. We need someone like that. The East is looking scary……Its like goon division.
I would bring back Simon. Bastards would be keeping their heads up thats for sure.
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Steven says:
Well said 82. Free agency in hockey has failed more times than succeeded. How many more examples do we need? The Isles are being very smart by not locking lousy players up with long term deals. I’m also not going to pay big money for a guy who only fights and brings nothing else to the table. The Isles are going to be in great shape next year when the cap drops and the Isles have all this money to spend. Let’s see players try to turn the Isles down next year. These hockey players are getting ridiculous with the amount of money they are looking to get paid. Hockey is not Football Baseball or Basketball. Hockey should try to beat poker in the ratings before these players demand these crazy salaries.
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art says:
Save money go with the guys we have. But instead throw big money at RA Kessel. He has turned down 2.5 million and the Bs are rumoured to be offerring 3.5 to 4 million per to resign him. Offer him 5 million per for 3 years. He is young and way better than Gionta who signed for 25 million for 5 years.
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Frank D says:
You gotta love this. Everyone knows better than Snow. Everyone is making these trades that in reality, aren’ t even on the table. Armchair GMs, it what makes Blogs so entertaining.
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guys about contracts and salary. i do some of that stuff in the real world, and its all about structure. everybody compares and contrasts. chris neil at $2 million isn’t alot if Colton Orr is getting $1 million. oneil walked into the room and said, “ORR plays 8 minutes a nite skating on double runners and is getting a million, so i get 2 million”.
it seems like nothing until you take a look at a few of our prospects who want 1st round money when they a fifth round pick with a solid season under their belt. if that player is worth second round money, Dibo is worth one way contract money. its a headache, annoying but if you overpay now, you overpay down the road for a long time, esp in arbitration.
you guys/gals like football? kevin boss of the giants, or ryan grant of the packers. roster size/salary cap cuts. if you have good scouting, somebody will make a mistake, or be forced to cut a guy with value. i think the isles hold the #1 waiver claim. patience fellas. -
Bottom line is: Rechlicz or someone equal is necessary.
When we play Pittsburgh they have Rupp and Godard. Philly has Cote, Asham, Lappy, Carcillo. Rangers have Brashear and Voros. Devils have Leblond and Clarkson.
Rechlicz, Jackman, and at least Thompson (although Haley is much better at fighting) must be dressed every game. Tavares and Okposo must be protected.
People saying “Okposo and those guys should also drop the mitts occasionally” are right but should that have to happen? Should Tavares and Okposo be out for 6 weeks with a broken hand because of a helmet and because they aren’t smart enough to dress someone to stick up for them. I don’t think thats right. I’m very much a fan of fighting and physicality but these guys shouldn’t be getting beat up because we don’t have enough size or toughness.
Put Jeremy Reich in over Thompson also, he’s a much more solid fighter and plays the same style, I’ve always been a fan of him.
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Rob says:
Every team needs a TRUE heavyweight, PLUS 3 or 4 tough PLAYERS, guys that are on the ice to play the game, but have size and could drop gloves if need be. Call them middleweights..
Examples of middleweights, Tim Jackman, Brendan Witt, Arron Asham and Andy Sutton (although Sutton has the size of a heavyweight, he has the willingness and skills of a “B” level or middleweight fighter)..
All you guys crying for Arron Asham back. HE IS A MIDDLEWEIGHT.. He is a player that drops the gloves if need be, but not a heavyweight or an intimidating presence… What do you think Georges Larouque or Donald Brashear think of fighting Asham??
We have our middleweights in Brendan Witt, Sutton and Jackman…. We need that heavyweight in case the **** hits the fan….. We need to protect our young skilled players… Andres Peters may lose quite a bit of his fights, but that is because he fights true heavyweights.. Peters is like 255 pounds, he would kill Jackman or the Wrecker…. He would be a nice heavyweight to play along with the other guys I mentioned. If not Peters, someone that weighs at least 250 ponds, intimidates, and has no problem fighting the real heavyweights… Call someone a heavyweight if they go toe to toe with Larouque, not Asham. -
I see some support on here for Jackman, and that’s cool I guess but for his play…not his fighting. He’s really the only guy I know that when he drops the gloves I’d rather him go and pick them back up. I’m pro-fighting in the NHL, but his bouts made me wish he never fought. That feeling is foreign. Really like him as a player though. All this talk really makes me miss Cairns.
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andrew peters is not the same fighter he used to be..
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Bryan says:
bring in “the boss” Bosse
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bossjones says:
Sugden and Mirasty are both excellent fighters but both have very little hockey ability. Didn’t the Isles bring Sugden to training camp last year and decide to go with Fritz instead? Mirasty probably can get out of the AHL deal however I heard that he had a few two way offers but just wanted to stay in Syracuse…must like snow.
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CJCB says:
Peters is off the juice, thus his ability as a fighter has taken a major hit. The way i see it is i would make a run at Godard if i cant get him back, i would go out and try to get Kevin Westgarth from the Kings. He’s young BIG and would fit in perfect over here on the island.
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SCLI says:
Strummer’s Army on Jul 21st, 2009 16:26:48 said: Finally someone who GETS IT!
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Jon Mirasty, is Jordan Tootuu, Tie Domie PJ Stock and Stan Johnathan Plus 20lbs rolled into one Tough as nails package. Who cares if he can skate. We need an enforcer. He only needs to skate well when he’s dancing. He’ll stand toe to toe with anyone in the NHL and they will know they were in a brawl. He’ll come cheap and he’s still young (27). Oh yea, for those who want Asham. This guy is bigger cheaper and younger.
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I’d take Fritz over Peters. Didnt Fritz clean his clock last year? Fritz’s problem is he Bleeds like a pig when he’s hit and he’s probably the worst hockey player I’ve ever seen. But he is an intimidating force.
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How about a player like Todd Bertuzzi? I know hes not your typical enforcer and comes with alot of baggage but he is a big presence and can actually handle himself on the ice. Even though hes getting older, he might actually be a compliment to our offense and stand up for our younger finesse players.
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AB says:
BRING BACK TODD BERTUZZI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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a REAL hockey fan says:
***** Todd Bertuzzi a enforcer??? When did this happen lol…
Bertuzzi is NOT a enforcer and NEVER has been 1, the Isles need a guy to take on the other heavys, there is NO DOUBT in my mind that the Isles being a young team will get tested and roughed up MARK MY WORDS!!!! —- Lets get a guy who can play on the 4th line, has some size/skill and will defend his team when needed. Keep Wrecker but we still need another guy, also i hope Jackman, Witt and others continue to play tough..
Hockeys still a game of skill and YES toughness, Tavares will get ‘tested’ for sure – the Isles have a long history of tough/good teams and we need to have a tough/good team in 2009 and beyond!!!
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just watched youtube video of Mirasty…I think those who like this guy think he might be second-coming of Tie Domi…too small, no reach…can switch up to southpaw nicely, but NO reach…and what is with him chuckin’ off his bucket before every bout??? you think NHL’er is gonna wait for him to get ready before each dance??? I like Fritz’ size and who can argue with that “spittin’ cobra, jazzy piano hand” thing Reichlitz did before the fight in Montreal? I likes it, can become a cult thing the fans do during his fights…imagine 16,000 Islander fans doing the “spittin’ cobra” as the PA plays Billy Joels’ “piano man”
Welcome back CB! We have plenty of time before the season begins to get an enforcer, I am not worried, just can’t wait til Oct 3rd.