SO NOW WHAT? Biron’s a nice value pickup, but the Islanders need skill in positions other than goal
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11:30 pm - So now that the Islanders have more than compensated for the loss of Rick DiPietro - even as, sources continue to tell Point Blank, they plan for his return to the lineup by Thanksgiving - now what?
Solid value aside, it seems almost extravagant for the team to spend $1.4 million on Martin Biron to join Dwayne Roloson as the bridge to the return for DiPietro and development of Mikko Koskinen. The Islanders had a need and filled it with Roloson, who played 63 games last year for the Edmonton Oilers. Fact is, if they are looking to compete next year - the Biron signing sure illustrates they want to win as many games as they can - they could use at least two top-9 forwards and one top-4 defenseman.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s been a while since Islanders fans could say they had an embarrassment of riches at any position. No one is complaining. It just feels like they signed Biron as gravy when the Roloson deal got the job done as a perfect stop-gap. The official press release hadn’t even been distributed before fans and bloggers (guilty) started talking up Marty as tradebait. Whoop-de-do, another second or third round pick. Yeah, I know, asset management. Got it.
Maybe Garth Snow is really enjoying his new rep as a conservative, patient bargain hunter. Maybe Biron at $1.4 mill for just one season was too irresistible. He’s a good goalie who wins fans and friends wherever he plays with his megawatt smile and Bruno-like charm. That’s Gervais, not the movie guy.
But you’ll have to forgive me for not getting caught up in the OMG reaction on Wednesday. Biron is good, an upgrade certainly over Yann Danis and Joey MacDonald, a step up from Scott Munroe. But how many games was Munroe going to play in support of Roloson? With Munroe now ticketed for Bridgeport, does this mean Koskinen may have to get his starts in the East Coast League? Taking a 21-year old from the Finnish Elite League to the “Coast” is generally not the recommended route.
And let’s take it easy on the standing Os for Biron, who dominated the Islanders but not many other teams last season in Philadelphia. The Flyers, who spend money like no other team in the league outside of New York, walked away from him and signed Ray Emery. Biron was available to every team in the league for three full weeks at the cost of only his contract. His best opportunity, it turned out, was to sign with a team whose GM said in a press release, “Now we have three bonafide number one goaltenders.” Biron must also know the rebuilding Islanders are not the beast of the East. Despite his talk of “opportunity” to Greg Logan, Biron signed here because it was the best offer he could get in late July.
Did the Islanders’ goaltending need improvements more than their injury-prone, bottom-10 defense? Did the Islanders’ goal need more enhancements than their power play? If you were asked before 5:00 pm Wednesday what do the Islanders need more - another proven NHL goalie or more size and toughness - which would you have chosen?
Of course, the good news is there are plenty of shopping days left before the start of the season. Perhaps Snow will get it all.
Last week I wrote that the Islanders had spoken with Alex Tanguay and would attempt to acquire a skill forward at their price. On Monday I wrote of the team’s efforts to up their toughness quotient at their price.
Garth Snow took Martin Biron at the Islanders’ price. This would seem to be proof he’s not done improving his team. Actually, it proves that he couldn’t possibly be done improving his team. A team that signs Roloson and Biron while believing they’re getting DiPietro back obviously doesn’t want any part of the Taylor Hall sweepstakes.
With three free agents and two early-round draft picks, Snow may have just wanted to build from the goal out. Now he needs to get to the “out” part.
Comments.
118 Responses to “SO NOW WHAT? Biron’s a nice value pickup, but the Islanders need skill in positions other than goal”
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i agree this signing means they are not going for taylor hall because if they were they would have rolled the dice with roloson/dp/munroe. the biron signing means they are going to make a run at an 8 seed. now tanguay grew up 1 hour away from biron they are good friends does the biron signing push him the isles way. give him a 2 year 7 mill deal. tanguay and biron could be the new improved guerin comrie free agent connection. also why stop there with tavares and biron we are at 38 mill. sign tanguay 3.5 morris 2.5 and bertuzzi 1.5. cb does that get us in the playoffs.
how about a team of nothing but goalies?
Thanksgiving of what year?
I am not a GM but the Biron deal is a real steal but if it were me I would have probably taken my chances on Munroe to back up Rolson and used that 1.4 mil towards acquiring a top 4 dman and an enforcer. I think those are the Isles biggest needs.
if you don’t like his moves then jump ship otherwise enjoy the ride
I agree this does not seem like a move a team would make with hopes of coming in last place.
I think Garth is seriously waiting for good players to become available cheap on teams fighting the cap before the start of the season.
Awesome. Roloson at LW, Gordon at C, Biron on RW. Dunham & Snow manning the point. I guess DiPietro gets the start? Isn’t Melanson or Hackett employable.
I think the bargain became too much to pass up, this seems to have fallen into their lap.
What - Eric Fichaud and Tommy Soderstrom weren’t available?
cb philly passsed on biron because he wanted a multi year 5 mill a year deal not because he wasnt a good goalie for them after the all star break he had 14 wins with a 2.62 gaa and a 924 svp. i know you dont love the move but they would have paid him 3.5 mill per year you can bank on it. he just wanted more. he was wrong he fired his agent and now we have another great value signing. i think he will end up starting over rollie. its good to have options.
This does what we failed to do heading into last season at goal, namely - have two signed NHL goaltenders that can be expected to get through a full season. My guess is the Islanders have set a price/value on what is left out there for their needs. If things drop to that price, we’ll see more signings. If not, we’ll see patience which may or may not prove to be a virtue as we run the risk of too much pressure on too many young players. I’ll reserve judgment, however, until camp starts.
YAY! We’re in the NEWS! I heard the Isles are going to trade DP to Toronto for free lifetime passes to the NHL HOF. Sweet!!
No comment at this time.
My only problem with this, is does it come at the expence of Mikko Koskinen’s development? As CB said, is there now no room for him at Bridgeport?? I mean we did use the second pick in the second round on him, and he is 21. Shouldn’t his development be a priority over having #1 goalie #3 or #4?? Roloson, Dipietro, and Munroe seemed to be enough.. We didn’t have room for this guy… UNLESS.. we are going with the TWO GOALIE FORMATION!!
I must admit, this move caught me off guard a bit, but the 1.4 mil isn’t taking spots away from a team that will just make past the minimum. I am guessing that, worse case, the Isles have 2 capable/tradeable vets come trading deadline and a retired Ricky D. Best case is a healthy Ricky D and a real solid tandem with a very tradeable commodity. At least the Islanders will go into every game having a chance (albeit slight in some cases) to win and give some of the young players more room for error since they have real proven NHL caliber goaltenders. Come March, some team that thinks they have a chance will be looking for a goaltender (Hawks, Flyers etc) and will overpay to catch lightning in a bottle. So Biron for 1.4 mill, 6 months and a 2nd round pick for next year don’t sound too bad. Must say, Danis/McDonald did pretty good for what they were but this is a whole lot better.
Biron came cheaply, is a talented goaltender, and will fetch something at the deadline. At this point, it also means you don’t have to rush DP.
I think CB needs to be complimented on his writing skills. He has become really really good in a short time. He hasnt been doing this long, and he reads like a seasoned vet.
If the world were a just place, Biron would have earned a healthy raise on his salary heading into next season. Instead, he fell victim to a team that was preparing to create a salary cap nightmare for itself. It’s not fair to use the situation in Philly as ammo for “Biron isn’t that good” analysis. If Holmgren knew that Biron would be available for $1.4m in mid-July, he would have jumped at it.
What does this say about DP’s recovery? Both Biron and Rolo probably have one way deals. So if DP is recovering and needs ice time? What do they do with the odd man out? If the isles try to trade one of them they will get very little. If not they will have to put a veteran goalie on waivers and get nothing.
It’s a good move. I feel for Ricky though, this can’t mean anything positive about his long-term health…
Why didn’t they just sign Brodeur?
At least it appears they are not playing for last place.
There is no rationale that makes sense for a team that is tight on money and tight on talent to have over 8 million dollars tied up in 4 goalies (DP, Rolo, Biron, Munroe) That doesn’t include using the top pick in the 2nd and 3rd rd picks on goalies.
Somebody needs to remind the clearly self-important former goalie/GM that the team also needs to score goals, improve toughness, add speed, improve backline depth or they could have the second coming of Patrick Roy/Martin Brodeur/Billy Smith at goalie and still lose games.
Guys…guys…guys…
This signing is a steal. No matter what goalie we play…we will be competitive in net. Which is something we never had. Second, if we need to trade him, we will. But something tells me, Biron will be locked up long term here and Roloson is just finishing his career out here on the Island. Thats fine. Biron is coming in to make a difference and if he does, I’m sure the Islanders will extend his contract, giving him money he deserves. This signing does not prevent Garth from signing anyone else. He still has a pretty penny to spend. Enough to bring in a stable defenseman, enforcer and top 6 forward. We just reached the cap min basically. I didn’t expect this signing, however I like it. And I think it shows that Garth has many things he is looking to check off his list. So let’s see what he will do next. So far he got Streit and Biron at a cheap price tag. Not bad for a backup goalie turned GM.
lets get a head count..1 potatoe chip goalie signed for 15 years…2 rookie goalies drafted..and 3 goalies signed as FA’s wow..bet JT and kyle cant wait to get voted off the island.
Had Snow just signed Biron I’d have been worried but hopefully the Island will be his chance to shine and they get a good value pick for him. Munroe is also on a one year deal, so if it’s a matter of him or Koskinen getting the nod it goes to Koskinen every time.
I do like they are being aggressive in the improvement of this team in goal. Other then size/toughness I don’t care if they add another forward this year. They are pretty set at center and they just need to add another enforcer. Ideally they’d add Bitz and then Kesler from Van to play wing (super fast, hitting, agitating, fighting, great on offense and defense). That would really take this team to a new level.
The issue is still this is the worst defense in the NHL, not to mention the smallest, the most fragile, and the softest. Burke did do his defense in Toronto what Snow did to his goaltending.
I think what Snow wants is to be competitive and then as teams have to start dumping salary for next year start picking up guys cheap in trade. Which I believe is the way to go but the team is not fit to compete in the NHL this season until the toughness issue is resolved. He has time but we’d all relax a bit more if it were done.
i wish dp retired.. another bad milbury move taking him #1.. even when hes not hurt he is not even a top 5 goalie in the league.. good job snow getting 2 # 1 goalies.. if its one thing snow might know its goaltending
I find it somewhat laughable how many people say that the signing of Biron means that the health of Rick in the “long term” is at risk. Signing Biron means that there are concerns in the short term. You can point to drafting Koskinen and Nilsson back-to-back as indicative of long-term concern. Bringing in a second stopgap just means things aren’t so sunny in the near future.
what does this mean? hopefully its bait for tanguay and modest insurance with potential.
remember when Jean Potvin came to LI?
Raps did it with that Indiana guard Bosh played with in college.
I think everybody is missing the point. It’s not a matter of success, but succession. Garth never intended for Roloson to last two years as the isles #1 goalie… and he didn’t intend him to play second fiddle to DP either. He will play this year, and move up to the GM spot next year so Garth can become VP of Hockey Ops.
Wang is a genius. Now they have Biron in the fold, so he can actually play goal.
Being that they are going to be paying DP for 12 more years Wang might want to promote his son-in-law so they can have a goalie in that position as well.
Hockey For Dummies probably says that the goaltender is the most important person on the team… and Wang didn’t want to let a potential VP in Charge of International Telecommunications get away.
Or maybe they needed one more goalie so they could play the skaters in basketball… that would explain drafting two guys that could play for the Knicks…
A 6’7” butterfly goalie… I guess that’s gonna pay off in a couple of years when him and Ness will be eye to eye when Koskinen is on his knees.
I wanna say it again. Garth, you want a cheap signing that will make you look like a genius? Two words…Maxim Afinagenov!!
Please take a shot at this guy. He can help this offense, and man can he skate. I’ve been a fan since 77, do me this favor. Also consider bringing Dean Mcammond back too, he’s got leadership qualities.
From the looks of that picture it looks like we got our enforcer too!!
Too bad we can’t play all three goalies at once. It may be what the team needs to keep the puck out of the net.
I’d sign Tangauy…
Trade for Cheechoo…
Then I’d sign Seidenberg…
If Dp is ready to go then we know have 2 extra starting goalies that many teams will be interested in especially with each of them having very nice contracts.
This doesn’t mean that we are out of the Taylor Hall sweepstakes. Every other team improved their line ups and we only improved our goaltending. If we leave our defense the way it is, we have a 45% chance of finishing dead last again. Our only competition is atlanta, dallas, florida panthers, and other coyotes meltdown. We can finish last one more time to guarentee a playoff appearance in 2011.
If we’re going to build from the goalie on out, then the d-man we should seriously consider should be Seidenberg.
The goalie at every position comments is really getting old. There is a reason Snow signed Biron. Let it play out before you hang him.
reserving final judgement of the roster until sept. rolls around
We need a few more goalies and we are all set!
Looks like we have plenty of prospects for future GMs!
If only we could play three of our goalies at the same time…we’d be unstoppable!
CB, I think the point is Roloson, at 40, now doesn’t have to play those 63 games. He can play closer to 50 games and Biron can jump in for the other games. While he never wowed anyone as a starter in Philly or in Buffalo (when given the opportunity), he has done very well playing alongside another goalie. Plus at 1.4 mil for one year…that’s a very tradeable contract.
good call CB, as i said earlier this screws up the rebuilding alot because we now have 3 30 win goalies on our team, we will be fighting for a playoff spot for sure with 2 or 3 very well rested quality goaltenders. he must be bumping up the speed of the rebuild.
but yeah, 10 goalies (haha) in our system is enough, he needs to start plugging those other holes.
I also think this is a hedge against a 40-year old Roloson. If he went down, we’d have…Munroe and Lawson? With all the cap space and them obviously not chasing any big names this year, why not? Even though reaction has been largely negative in the hockey universe, and as much as I pile on Garth when I don’t like his moves, I can’t bring myself to criticize this one…
Proof again, you can’t walk away from the internet for a minute or you miss out.
Good signing….I feel a trade is coming and don’t worry about snow he has a plan worked out hell take care of our enforcer, forward, and dman problems. He’s just waiting it out to see what he can get for the lowest price next year there are plenty of free agents when teams will be locked up with cap. He’s doing the right thing wait it out and hopefully we have a team that can take care of the first test of the season on Oct 3rd DETROIT!!!!!! Can’t wait to be sitting in my season ticket seats!!!!!!
I love this signing, Biron and Roloson tandem gives us legitimate NHL calibre goaltending, something that most Isles fans complained about not having all of last season. Maybe the Rick comes back, maybe not, fact is, Snow did what he had to to improve the team in the net….any of you that see this as taking the team out of the “Taylor Hall” sweepstakes should look for another team to root for, as I for one don’t ever want to sit through another season like last season. Now we should be strong enough in goal to steal some points, and make a run at a spot in the playoffs, I’m for that…I think Snow is still going to tinker a bit with the roster, and it will all shake out in camp….there are jobs up for grabs…is it October yet???
This signing just doesn’t make sense, unless they expect DP to be out for the entire coming season. If that’s the case, I wish the organization would just come out and say so. Signing two #1 starters is fine, but when you have glaring needs in other places (scoring forward, enforcer), those needs must be filled before you sign surplus goaltending.
It’s nice to have Biron in the fold but I suspect part of the rationale for his pick up was that it’s an easy 1.4 million steppingstone to the salary cap floor.
CB youre too funny…this is clearly an article in reaction to readers questioning your opinion on this signing, not questioning the Islanders judgment. Are you sensitive?
Are the isles a better team by signing Biron? Of course.
Is the one year contract to Biron going to hurt the development of Mikko? Hell no.
Are the Isles going to win more games with Roloson and Biron in net than Yanni and Joey? Logic says yes.
Could solidifying the goalie position attract other FA’s this year? Maybe….
CB-per your own advice-there is still time to add pieces to the roster. As some others have said-I’ll wait till camp starts to see what our team looks like…but I like what I see today.
If in fact they could trade Biron or Roloson,before the trade deadline,for a 2nd rounder it’s a no lose situation.It’s like picking up another pick for free.
Is it possible that Garth Snow (and the rest of the teams former goalies) are just starting to show their goalie bias, being unable to pass one up just because they are a bargain (either in $ or in value as a draft pick)? I don’t have any problem with this signing, but now it is time to move on to more pressing issues.
koskinen should stay in finland or sign with the knicks.
i cannot imagine how pissed off monroe is.
if DP comes back he will need a few games in the minors first, no? so then not only does monroe not play in the NHL this year, the hope of which i have to believe was dangled in front of him when he signed, but now he has to deal with Lawson, and our new very high draft pick wanting time at the Bridge - plus a DP rehab stint. So either Monroe plays no NHL games, and about 20 at the Bridge, or we are wasting another year for Koskinen who is already 21.
doesnt make sense. if DP comes back, theres ZERO market for him. and if you think Garth got pantsed on the Guerin trade which won Pitt a cup, wait till you see what other NHL teams offer you when your stuck with 3 NHL starting caiber goalies all wanting to play, and all probably pissed that they arent playing enough. This is just plain dumb, unless you are now forecasting injuries, or unless our ex goalie head coach, our ex goalie goalie GM, and our two ex goalie goalie coaches are trying to help their brothers in the union by signing all of them.
From the time Milbury traded Osgood, DiPietro has been the Chosen One in Islanders Country. Until now, the team had never brought in another goalie to compete with or “push” DP. A lot of us thought this was bad for his development (along with his “goalie for life” contract) and it caused at least a portion of the fanbase to think DP had too much influence on personnel decisions. Now, finally, there’s some competition. That’s a good thing. It’s just a shame that it took these injuries to make the organization see the light.
I think this is great in that it shows they are more interested in winning games than getting top 5 picks.
You nailed it Chris, Garth is doing what he can to improve the product without breaking the bank.
Agreed there is a long way to go - I would have loved to see them top TO offer for Orr and they do have a lot of other holes - but at least as a season ticket holder this gives me some comfort that they don’t plan to mail it in this year.
I dont understand why everyone thinks we can move one or 2 of the goalies at the deadline for a 2nd/3rd rounder. What did any goalies bring back this year? And on top of that, a pick that will not play here until 2013 or maybe never. I dont agree with the move at all…..a top 6 forward and an enforcer instead of Biron, and Munroe backing up would have been ok with me. Unless Garth surprises me before the season with my wish, I dont understand at all. We need scoring!!!!!
#43 i agree with you 100%
Not to worry……this is just a bridge to get his brother, Mathius, back into the defensive fold. Enforcer problem solved.
I think it is very obvious the Isles are concerned DP may not be a factor at all this year. (if ever)
With that said, Biron is an excellent value at $1.4M! Roloson / Biron as opposed to J-Mac / Danis. Big upgrade from last season.
I guess Munroe is the odd man out here. Wouldn’t think Isles will change their future plans for Koskinen because they are worried about “what are we going to do with Scott Munroe?”
Snow is on a roll. . 3 solid FA signings in a row (Streit, Rolo, Biron). . As CB said yesterday - let’s see some more!
#34, I too have thought Siedenberg would be a very good fit for the D and then you can work on what we need up forward.
I don’t understand why people are so upset about this signing. Roloson is 40 and shouldn’t be relied on to carry the team himself. I think it’s insurance for this season to see how Rick’s injury rehab moves along. The team is making it clear that they are not mailing it in this year. Contrary to the beliefs of some people that’s actually a GOOD thing. No way we should be talking Taylor Hall a month after the ‘09 draft.
I don’t know what I think. Part of me wants to rip Garth a new one for piling on goalies. But when I think about it, DP is a question mark Rollie is 40 Munroe is not proven and injuries can and do happen. they got him cheap and only for 1 year. So this may not be as bad as I originally thought. If they wind up getting Tanguay because of this then I’d think it was a great move.
If we can’t get an NHL calibre enforcer except through a trade, it makes sense to stockpile assets. This will also give us greater stability in goal, not a bad idea with a team of young stars. But we’re out of the Taylor Hall sweeps for now. Sigh.
A definite head scratcher….
Well, agreed, Snow has no intention of being in the Taylor Hall sweepsteaks. Thats a releif. Its not a head scratcher if they have no intention of starting DP this year, if ever.
It is clear that secracy is Snow’s forte as evidenced by this years number one pick. I would have to view this signing at face value. Now sign Tanguay and a toughguy already.
Isles say this doesn’t sound good for Ricky’s career. Get well DP.
CB - Forget Tavares. On the Cover of this year’s yearbook, they should just use a Pic of all of the Goalies standing next to each other - they could call it the Great Wall of LI. That would be funny.
Possible UFA PICKUPS:
not much left - only sign the following guys for 1 year deals with an incentives.
LW -Tanguay
D - Seidenberg
D - Morris
RW - Grier
W/C- D. Moore
LW - Bertuzzi
C - Peca
(No Afinegenov or McAmmond)
we should get much better goaltending than we got last year, which should help out our younger players in developing since we should be in a lot of games.
The goaltending situation was a joke last year. Its greatly improved. Now we need to put together a couple more pieces.
Biron will give Rollie competition for the #1 spot, which should make both goalies sharper.
Was this the first time that “Taylor Hall sweepstakes” was used in a posting? But in such a way that maybe it hints we won’t be in it.
So…what day is the draft lottery this year?
Good Goaltending Could Possibly Mask low-scoring bad Defense.
This doesn’t make them a playoff team, i’ll agree, however, the obvious upgrade could translate into 5 to 10 more wins than they had last year
Do you know what this Organization is Good at?
Answer: LYING !
Dipietro is Done!
The Islanders should start to work on getting out of his contract anyway, anyhow.
The Writing is on the wall.
Just because Snow made this deal, it doesn’t mean that it was his highest priority. He is probably working on the enforcer and forward issues as well, but the timing is not right or the deal has not been struck yet. OK, we can cross goaltending off the list….we have some quality and insurance. Also, for those of you who think a mid year trade cannot happen, keep in mind that circumstances change (i.e., performance issues, injuries, etc.) and some team may become desperate for a quality goalie. Chill out.
Don’t mind the signing at all. Roloson and Biron will be a good 1/2 combo. For those that don’t want to believe it get it through your heads DP is done. The guy will never be able to play again if signing these 2 guys and drafting 2 goalies this draft doesn’t tell you that not sure what will.
All summer we heard DP was going to be ready for camp this and that all the good things Mgmt wants us to beleive. We’ll not here we are about 6 weeks of camp and we start get info. DP might be back around Thanksgiving. Yeah that’s fine till he starts practicing and his knee stats to swell up and they sit him again.
Snow and Co. just have to realize he is going to retire clear his 4.5 off the books get 80% of his stupid contract covered by insurance and move along. Just a great #1 overall pick by the Isles.
I don’t see why anyone can have a problem with the acquisition of a player who improves the team. Sure, they need other things too. But who said there’s a top 4 d-man or top 6 forward who wants to come to the Islanders and is willing to come at a price the Isles can afford to pay?
You have to improve whatever you can improve. In other words, if you can’t improve your offense you have to improve your defense. Biron will do that because he’s a) better than Munroe and b) will allow 40 year old Roloson to remain fresh and c) will allow DiPietro to be fully healthy (and what makes anyone think that DiPietro is even better than Biron?).
I am very happy with the move. Whats the downside? Now we do not have to watch MacDonald’s long rebounds and Dannis looking behind himself after every shot.
Career Stats
Biron - GAA 2.59 SV% .911
Roloson - GAA 2.62 SV% .910
DiPietro - GAA 2.79 SV% .905
All of these moves are a stop-gap/insurance policy for Rico. Here’s what I think Snow and Co. are hoping for.
2009-2010: Rollie and Marty will platoon. Both are solid goaltenders. Expect them to get about 40 games each, each getting about 15-18 wins.
They will be extra careful with Rico — 0 games in 09-10.
Marty signed in off-season to 3 year deal at $2.4/yr.
2010-2011: Marty will take over #1 role. He will play 55 games with Rico playing 25. Rollie will become assistant coach in organization. Grooming Koskinen for 2012-2013.
2011-2012: Rico takes over #1 role with Marty as backup.
Marty moved at trade deadline for 3rd rounder in 2012 draft.
2012-2013: Rico #1. Koskinen #2.
I would of liked this signing alot more, if it were closer to beggining of the season, and we had already filled some of our other needs ie: scoring forward, top 4 defensmen, enforcer….then i would of REALLY liked this signing….The fact is nobody truly knows DP health status, not even DP does…By signing BIRON, it gives us 2 solid goaltenders to start the season with, which ultimately instantly gives us a chance to compete everynight, and it also give DP the time to recover 110% before making his ISLANDERS DEBUT…The one thing i dont like about this signing, is the possibility of delaying MIKKOS development…We stil have plenty of time before the season starts, so before we ONCE AGAIN start calling for SNOWS head, lets wait to see what our lineup looks like OCT.3RD!!!
LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!!!
If memory seves me correctly the Isles lost at least 20 games by 1 goal. That was with J-Mac/Danis in goal. Both of whom I thought did a decent job. Also there was no JT on that team. Lets do the math here, 2 legitimate goaltenders, and a phnom = playoffs. We need 2 more signings and then the picture will be completed. Bring in Tanguay, and Seidenberg. Give Garth a little time before we decide to hang him. This will be an improved team.
The signing is fine but Snow really needs to start addressing our other numerous holes.
Don’t like it.
Where do we get in the long run if our aging short-term goalies steal us a few games this season? Because of our subpar D and young forward corps all we get is a worse draft pick.
If you’re gonna be patient and build from within doesn’t that include developing Koskinen properly in the Bridge?
This is a waste of money and is against the philosophy of the rebuild (from within).
I see what you’re saying Cary, but, this also gives the kids more of a chance to experience success, thats important too.
Actually this situation is similar to when snow was signed to play for the islanders. snow was signed to be the starter. but as soon as Detroit signed Hasek and Osgood was placed on waivers, a good goalie fell into their lap and they had not choice or would be foolish not to hae taken him.
Biron at 1.4 is nothing and a very movable piece at any point during the season. Imagine the possibilities of a fleury going down or even anderson in fla. and those teams in the hunt for playoffs. they will pay a kings ransom for biron with hardly any salary implications. but also what about deadline time and a team solidifying goaltending for a long playoff run. with less than 700,000 remaining salary any team can absorb the hit and a kings ransom would be paid again.
Enough with the DP is done. he is not done at all. yes has had major surgery and injuries. but at 28 with a full year off and possibly this year off as wellhe will be as good as new. all you people who say he is done are just ignorant and sensationalists. I will go back to my earlier post about gary roberts retired for a year or two with neck problems and came back for a couple of more years.
This signing is insurance as well as a bargaining chip.
Insurance on top of insurance. Maybe there is something undisclosed about Roloson’s health?
This simply relaxes the idea of bringing DP back. Their projections for him were probably off.
And it’s only for a year.
Flyers Fan told me Biron was a calming influence both on and off the ice. His teammates and the fans loved him. Yes, he wasn’t the most consistent netminder in the league, but few are.
I was also told he’s good for more than a sound bite with the media.
P.S. Biron faced tons of shots last year, which bodes well for him on the Island.
This move simply implies that DiPietro is not likely to play a lot of games this year. It’s hard to imagine him being healthy for very long given his injury-prone history, but I’m not an orthopedic expert.
Now we have 2 legit goalies ready to play now and a few prospects in the system that need developing.
I just don’t see how this “kills the rebuild” or anything. Developing young talent and building a team doesn’t mean doing everything you can to come in last place every year. That’s not a plan…it’s a lack of a plan. You can draft well, trade for prospects, move up in a draft, etc., all without purposely tanking a season before it even begins. It’s not like Garth went for broke, abandoned the rebuild, and signed Hossa, Gaborik, and Bouwmeester to outrageous contracts while trading away Tavares, KO and Comeau. He’s simply given the team some competent netminding for this year. That’s all.
Staten Islander @ 83 - Bingo! You do not want to develop these young players in an environment of constant losing. Give them a chance to win. That starts by having a strong veteran presence in goal.
Gordon loves the idea of not announcing his starter in net until right before the game. Now he can really confuse the hell out of everyone by carrying all these capable goalies. I like the move, the team wont be any worse off than they were last year with Danis and MacDonald between the pipes.
honestly if a team is looking for a goalie at the deadline, i would trade roloson before i would trade biron. if dipietro was done, biron could be our number 1 goalie until one of our prospects is ready.
The number of people around here who just don’t get it is simply frightening.
To those who can’t seem to drop the “look at all these goalies… DP must be done!” crap, let’s try this one more time: Danis, MacDonald, Mannino - GONE. Somebody had to replace them. Roloson - 2 yr deal. Biron, Munroe - 1 yr deals. Lawson - unproven minor-leaguer. Koskinen, Nilsson - unproven draft picks. Stop acting like there are 10 FIRST-STRING goalies who are all gonna be here for the next 10 yrs.
And to those who keep harping on the “Snow should have signed a scorer and an enforcer and a defenseman before another goalie”… Don’t you think that if he could have gotten value similar to the Biron deal (a freaking steal), he would have done so by now? What says these signings have to be done in a certain order? Other players will be let go by other teams during the offseason, so what’s wrong with waiting to see how things shake out? Maybe hold off on hanging Snow until you see the opening day roster? He’s not done acquiring players, and, considering the values he’s gotten with guys like Streit, Roloson, and Biron, I’m cautiously optimistic that he knows what he’s doing.
CB, what about signing Taylor Pyatt, 27, 6′4”, 230? He would still fit in with the youth program, is in his prime and possibly may even reach his potential. After losing his wife last season, the guy definitely deserves a chance. Maybe the door is still open to adding Tanguay also. Rob Davison for the defense … he didn’t look bad on our blueline a few seasons ago.
Garth Snow “I’ve got a fever, and the only prescription is some more goalie!!!!”_
I Got It!!! Ricky is gonna be the highest paid Intermission Interviewer EVER!!! At some point he has to contribute to the team in some form. He’s getting paid 4 mill a year to go to rehab.
Not a bad signing. Surprising, but when a good goalie comes around at a cheap price, people would be blasting Garth for not acting. DiPi is not coming back as soon as we would like. That’s clear. I hope he’s back some day. Free agency isn’t over, so Garth has time to fill the rest of the holes. I’m glad Garth didn’t stick with Roloson and Munroe. We all know what happened last year with unproven AHL goalies. Danis, and Mac played well at times, but their inexperience shown through.
Good goaltender, great price. Plus we have a lot of upside - in that we have insurance on Roloson (who is dependable but 40) & a tradeable commodity.
Love that we’re not standing & willing to get our teeth kicked in like last year. However, I don’t think this signing will put us in contention for the playoffs - hence out of the Hall sweepstakes.
We will be competitive & we’ll be a team that will be respected much more than last year. But we’re still a little too young & inexperienced to be thinking about the playoffs.
CB, I have to disagree with you here. How is $1.4M/1 year for a no. 1 goalie an “extravagant” signing? Goaltending is the most important position in hockey, and Munroe has never done squat in the NHL. The team didn’t want to get in a situation where Roli went down and they felt rushed to call up Koskie. Also, you suggest that adding size and toughness is more important than goaltending. Would you rather sign Andrew Peters at 1.4M? Do you honestly think Andrew Peters will make us more competitive than Martin Biron? There is no evidence that the Isles were offered a similar bargain for a quality enforcer or bruiser. Also, do you really think Snow is trying to “build from the goal out” by adding Marty on a one-year deal? This is simply a stop-gap measure. We are not trying to “build” anything with this signing. Similarly, we should not break the bank for stop-gap measures like Tanguay or Sidenberg. Those guys only fit our program if they take one or two year deals. Just like Marty.
OK.
Think about playoff time and you have to really think that the Isles believe DP will be healthy by then. If he is indeed healthy they very possibly will have TWO veteran playoff experienced goalies to move for assets. A team with a legitimate possibility of winning the cup that loses a goalie to an injury down the stretch would definitely give up a 1st round pick for Biron or Roloson in order to keep the run at the cup going. Now if 2 teams are looking for veteran leadership you now have TWO goalies that can be moved. Let’s face it. If DP is healthy then Munroe would be a fine back up because he won’t see much action anyway. While the obvious thing is that Roloson is here for another year and Biron will be moved at some point, I think there is a chance that Roloson will get moved as well.
Snow’s next free agent signing? Here it is.
TAYLOR PYATT at a bargain price for a big skilled forward who can bring toughness as well. Former 1st rounder for the Isles as well. Never got a fair shake under Ruff in Buffalo and could be a 2nd line winger or even 1st line winger on the Isles. DO IT GARTH!
I have to agree with the two of the other readers, Pyatt would be a great signing, guy is really big, has some skill and I m sure wouldn’t mind dropping the gloves at all
In their current state, the only way the Isles could be considered to have an “embarrassment of riches” would be if they brought back Rich Pilon, Rich Kromm, Richie Hanson and Richard Zednik to skate on a unit with Richard Park.
Biron has won his last 12 starts against the Islanders.
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.
MAXIM AFINAGENOV
With the situation with DP, I think it was a good move. Even if DP does come back how many games can he really play now? For 1 year it’s a good way to see how DP works out and if it doesn’t then we know we have a starting goalie that can keep us in the game.
Ricky D is D O N E !!!!!
I am not so sure i believe the “…obviously doesn’t want any part of the Taylor Hall sweepstakes.” part of your story. I think it is a play at getting competitive, and being in every game. So rather than losing like we did at the end of 2009, we lose 3-2, compete hard every night, and show the fans, look our rebuild is working. And still be in a position for a top 5 pick in 2010.
The benefit of having Biron is more than the DP thing. I see having Biron is more about winning more games to build the confidence of the kids. Last year we lost 28 one goal games without having a true number 1 goalie. Now you have two legit #1, let’s say that now gets you half of those losses back as wins. With that, we’re now about a .500 team last year with such a young team. Know what wins do for confidence with the kids instead of losses, a lot! That’s not including the two goal losses we had because we pulled the goalie.
DP is oficially a bust! The first overall pick has had only 1/2 a good season since he’s been drafted. He only made the all-star team that year because the Isles needed a representative. The Isles best playoff pushes and series have been with Dubie and Ozzy in net. He has done nothing to deserve a 15 year contract and has forced the team to spend $4 million on goalies that could have been used to sign other players. He’s arrogant and has accomplished nothing to back up his arrogance. I just hope the Isles can get out of his horrific contract without paying him for the next 12 years.
Why not just come out and say DP is done and handle the situation with some class and respect for the fans? DP was great in the short window he was allowed to showcase his skills. He was a great player and great for the organization and I wish nothing but the best in the future. DP thank you
From Islander Independent. Once again we see how selfish DP is. The sooner he is off of the team the better.
What he also does is set Rick down a primmadona peg or two. This is a guy who bitched to friends and family that the Isles should have taken Victor Hedman. Some say he was “vehement” about it. Whatever his opinion, clearly it had no factor in the choosing of Charles Wang’s new golden boy, John Tavares.
I guess DP doesn’t want another golden boy around.
Is there any word on where Macdonald is going?
I’ve said this on several posts, the biggest problem with the team last year was the goalies…Last years fowards and Dmen would not have come in last with DR and MB in goal..This is a major upgrade for a team that used minor league goalies last year. Notice no more JMac, Danis or Mannino. There is a reason for that. We needed them to get JT, now the rebuild could offically start. There should be a lot more victories this season. Keep to the plan Garth, great job.
“We have a game plan for Ricky to start skating in August, but I don’t know what will happen,” Snow said. “He’s missed a significant amount of time. This creates several options for us as an organization and this has obviously no bearing on Dwayne Roloson’s situation. I just didn’t want to be in the same predicament as we were last year.”
Snow admitted the Islanders made a mistake rushing DiPietro back for the start of last season.
24 hours later and I’m still scratching my head on this one.
Biron is still IMO an upper tier caliber goaltender … maybe in the top 10-15 … He was also one of my selections on July 1.
What I don’t get is why Snow after having plugged the holes between the pipes felt he needed to sign Biron … a great price at that.
I think for a rebuilding team he may actually bump Mikko back a bit… and that isn’t a good thing.
I think something in DP land isn’t kosher … or perhaps he may feel that should DP not be ready by Thanksgiving … and after seeing the heavy schedule prior to the Olympics that he had better have a more than capable goalie to help Rollie with the heavy load. Perhaps? I hope.
this all points toward the islanders having some form of idea in their head about some kind of trade, whether its roloson or biron going, who knows, but when ricky comes back (possibly not until 2019 at this rate) one of those guys is gonna have to go. it definitely was a steal to sign a top tier goalie for 1.4 mil. i hope that this works out somehow but this management team keeps leaving me scratching my head asking why
Macdonald’s working on a pig farm in Digby.
Detroit will pay nicely for Biron at the deadline, all they do is trade back 1.4mils in salary (Howard makes 750k) and add a 2nd rd pick. They just need to star with 650k in space. Might do this earilier of Osgood looks like he did in the last regular season. Wings probably chocked when they seen this deal