ONE ISLANDER FILES FOR ARBITRATION
I beg of you: please don’t make a big deal of this (lol)
Nate Thompson. Probably looking for a one-way deal, since he was up all last season with the big club - 43 games in, 39 out with injuries. This may not even make it to a hearing. I prefer to blame the decision to go to arbitration on his agent (j/k). As I’ve written before, Thompson could be an effective fourth-line player, scrapper, faceoff guy. Might even get better with health. I know this is a wasted plea, but please stay classy, Islanders Country. Tavares and UFA talk continues in following threads.
125 Responses to “ONE ISLANDER FILES FOR ARBITRATION
I beg of you: please don’t make a big deal of this (lol)”
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lol
Whos Nate Thompson??
lol i thought i saw it all. nope!
As it is his right under the CBA, I truly think he should be able to give it a whirl, without too much negativity.
Not an effective scrapper and seems VERY injury prone. I keep forgetting he is on the team. Perhaps he should pull a Bergy and switch agents.
He wasn’t going to develop into anything good anyway. We don’t need any more line 4 players, we already have enough of those. We need line 1, 2, and 3 guys!
Goodbye, Nate Thompson.
Can an arbitration award come down at negative numbers? Careful Nate, they’ll get Milbury to throw a shoe at you, make you cry and you’ll end up cutting Charles a check….
lol.. can we just start weeding out the individuals that serve no purpose to the building of a contender here?
Nate Thompson.. take your arbitration hearing and go join the Rangers.
Nate Thompson has no place on this team. He has no upside, and adds no real intangibles or skills that can’t be easily plucked off the waiver wire any day of the week.
Hope that was civil enough.
i like thompson. PK, center, hits, fights. i think he should get a 2-way deal and he should know that with this team he will be on very quickly
Is Nate Thompson kidding?
Is’nt nate thompson gonna be cut? by my count he’s our 5th center behind JT, bailey, Frans and Dougie Weight. Im fine if i never see Nate Thompson ever again. He really not that good. Give his roster spot to someone else. a winger preferably
it’s fine. let him go, so we can give more time to our “younger” guys, or sign TANGUAY and Beauchemin!
I think Nate Thompson is a solid fourth line/depth player, but nothing more than that. Even if it goes to arbitration, it shouldn’t be too hard to get him under a cheap, one-year deal, although I’m not sure that he should get a one-way deal.
There’s an opening on the 4th line! I’d say we have about 15 possible replacements on the current roster….
I see the arbiter holding up the post-it note of positives filed on behalf of Nate, and then looking across his desk at the average 3-inch thick file for the other cases he’s hearing that week and wondering if someone is goofing on him.
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. You are a fourth liner on the last place team in the league, fighting for ice time, and you file for arbitration…..This is the worst move I have ever seen. I don’t even think him being one of Gordo’s boys can get him out of this one.
Beat it Nate….You and Hilbert are wastes of roster spots.
As I’ve said before, I believe that Thompson only made this team last year because he was Gordon’s boy. When you were a 4th line player for the worst team in the league, you need to assess your worth accurately. I will give him this though, I still remember his goal against the rangers.
what a clown
Oh no we need to sign SOMEONE…please let it be Nate Thompson…lol.
nate is a good scrappy player.
Nates arguement to the judge - “They wouldnt sign Tanguay or any other UFA goal scorer b/c Gordon doesnt want to take away my minutes either, i MUST be of some value” —-It seems after the first pick in the draft - we went back to being the Islanders
OK, I had to laugh at this. You were waived last year Nate, ‘member?
Nate Thompson is a good depth guy to have around and see how he develops, but thats about that. And THAT is from someone who sticks up for him lol!
Buh Bye
I’d prefer to retain Hilbert. At least he gets into scoring chances.
Nothing against Nate: he’s an effective fourth-line checker. But we have way too many of those on our team, and if it’s Nate vs. Park, I know who I’m taking.
Wow that takes balls!! Is he kidding?What other team in the league would this bum have a chance to make??I say the writings on the wall…see ya
Adios Nate
LMAO! Great blog CB! Who cares!!!! Let it be, let it be. Wait/see what the opening night faceoff roster is and go from there.
As a player myself it always amazes me how fans can dish about how bad a player is. Truth is even a 4th line pro is a good player, and would destroy any of us recreational players. So he isn’t up your standards let it go at that. The only thing I can see picking on a player for is lack of effort. Personally, yes I would let him go, but maybe he will find a home somewhere…….
can we bring milbury back for the hearing?
Great. There goes our cap space …..
Not sure what all the possibilities are for the Islanders to go to Arbitration and exactly how it works. If they can’t sign him to a one year, two way deal for a reasonable amount, let him go.
What would possess him to do that? Yikes, Nate.
I’ll take Nate over someone like Tamby ANY DAY.
The guy made half a million dollars last year for 40 games…lol.
He had 2 goals and 2 assists.
He is lucky to have a job…. take the money and run Nate.
What are they going to compare him too in arbitration???WTf was he thinking?!??!
is he looking for a hossa type contract?
Hey, he knows that the Islanders are nowhere near the salary cap and need to get above the floor by a couple $Mil. Why shouldn’t he want to grab the cash? Go Nate!!
They should let him go on principle after a move like this…
Who?
Rick DiPietro had 2 assists in 5 games last year. Nate Thompson had 2 assists in 43 games. I’d bring that stat to my arbitration hearing, Nate. Bum.
goodbye nate! good riddance. if it wasn’t for scott gordon, he wouldn’t be in the NHL.
Others have stolen my thunder on this one …but …
1) I realize that he has every right to try and maximize his earnings, but would he even have sniffed time in the NHL last season, or in any other future seasons, if not for Gordon and the Isles giving him a shot?
2) What has he done that makes him think that he should challenge any offer the Isles throw his way?
3) As was stated in an earlier post, the Isles should let him go on principle alone
I remember Thompson scoring a goal against the Rangers on Nov. 4 where he batted the puck out of mid-air. No doubt that’s the highlight Thompson himself remembers most when his NHL career is over.
Hey Nate,
Try free agency…you’re going to wish you didn’t…
Well we cant get Tanguay because he might take icetime from Nate.
If he does go to arbitartion, I think the Isles will consider letting him go.
Yeah… like this will work.
Nate’s the best player on the team. Really.
Really though, if they’re not going to sign anyone else they might as well give Thompson some play time. You know, unless he’s going to take play time away from someone else. What if there was someone that dazzled the team in camp and couldn’t make the big club because Thompson had a roster spot… Ugh.
Much too injury prone.
Is he still going to sign autographs at Broadway Mall Team Store on July 21st?
What a joke…
Breaking news:
Mike from Queens has just filed for arbitration with the New York Islanders. He has decided upon this course of action upon hearing a rumor that just about anyone can file, regardless of their relative worth to the team.
Ok.. lets say it does go to arbitration… look at the stats he is going to present…
43 2 2 4 -11 49
Good luck with that guy. Don’t let the old rusty coliseum doors hit you on the way out.
Being Gordon’s pet went to his head.
Let’s tell it like it is. There is only one reason why we are even talking about players like Nate, Tamby, Hillen, Myer etc. taking roster space. It’s because Wang will not spend a penny over the cap until the Lighthouse is resolved. I am sure Snow, like all of us, would love to add a quality free agent or two while we rebuild.
So when do the free tickets to the arbitration go on the web site….will there be 10,000 fans at the NVMC for this one???
He’ll earn himself 50g to 100g’s more. So be it, its his god given american right to get paid more for doing nothing extra to earn it.
My pay has been locked down with no raise for 2 years and I have had two promstions in that time. Just jealousy on our parts.
For CB I will keep it classy, however that said let him leave. Why bother with arbitration for a guy who missed a full season (half hurt). Can we count how many UFA’s there are out there that could be twice as effective? How about we let Thompson walk and sign Betts who the Rangers are sure to regret letting leave?
Garth Snow should take YOU to arbitration… what a joke.
good luck and dont let the door hit you in the a$$ on the way out.hey snow still a few good ones out there…especially the ones cb mentioned a day earlier. Suprise us for a change and pluck one of the wire for us
Pigs really can fly!!!!!!!or skate.
I agree with CB that this is probably about the one-way clause, and not so much a salary issue. Huge salary difference between the NHL games played and AHL games played under a two-way contract, not to mention the impact on the player’s career. Players basically get capped at no more than 75K per year in the AHL, and nearly 10 times that amount in the NHL. Now maybe everyone can understand why it’s worthy of going to arbitration…from a player’s perspective.
I don’t hold it against Nate; contract decisions are career decisions for these guys. This was a good move for a guy who is teetering on the edge of an NHL career. I’d do the same thing if I were lucky enough to be in his position. Of course, if he loses, then he has no leverage, and everyone knows it going into the next SPC. That’s the risk, but his career pretty much demands he take it.
Bye Nate!!!!!
we are screwed
Eric Manlow > Nate Thompson
Wow you don’t even belong in the AHL.
See ya later Nate
Dont let the door hit you on the way out!
The man is fighting for a roster spot. It’s understandable that he’ll use every tool at his disposal. Getting a one way contract, which makes it harder for the team to swallow sending him to Bridgeport, is one way to fight for that roster spot. Does he deserve it? Maybe not, but this could be his last real shot at the bigs. If he gets cut from the team in September, he’s officially an AHLer.
The practice of vilifying athletes who are looking out for their interests is pathetic. Hockey players, especially the guys without immense natural skill, have to fight for years, putting their physical and mental well-being at risk, to get their shot. Once they’ve done that, if they’re not putting up a point a game, they’re just supposed to take whatever their club hands out? Give me a break.
The Islanders have had very civil negotiations with various players over the last couple of years, including Trent Hunter’s arbitration. I don’t expect this one to be any different.
I think it’s funny that all Chris has to do to get people to make a big deal out of something is say “this is not a big deal.”
Unless this has changed recently, Wang’s RFA policy basically requires anyone who doesn’t want to accept their qualifying offer to file for arbitration. It’s hardly Nate being disloyal to the team; he’s just acknowledging the reality that the Isles aren’t going to give him anything but the bare minimum that he’s owed unless there’s arbitration involved. Nobody remembers a few years back when basically the whole team filed?
This is a total non-story; there’s no reason to hate on Thompson over this.
hold on everyone. we dont know what was offered? was it less money? was it a two way for a lot less money?
Lets hope the Isles’ legal staff doesn’t have to spend too much time preparing their case on this one. I would still like to see us sign Tom Kotsopolous or Travis Moen to fill the grinding, 3d-4th line checking role. Both these guys hit everything that moves, block shots, and will get into the occasional scrap. If Nate can beat these guys out of a job in camp then more power to him, but sometimes it helps to have kids earn jobs rather than hand it to them. Funny how Comeau was taught a lesson last year being demoted, but yet it seems like the Isles don’t want to bring in any vets that could possibly take away jobs from guys like Thompson.
I know i may get ish for this but i like Nate, when he is healthy, scrappy guy imo. meh, is being a bit greedy? maybe, but at this point he knows the isles have extra bucks and who knows what we even offered him, this may go nowhere fast.
“Big” and “deal” do not belong in the same sentence when referencing Islanders personnel moves.
No big deal is right CB.
See ya Nate…………
Neeeeeeeexxxxxxxxt !
it a round about way, players will 2 way deals are more valueable to the TEAM than some players with 1 way deals. I wonder if the team with all the available cap space would consider giving a pay raise to players if they sign 2 ways deals rahter than 2 ways. I also wonder if that is allowed or if there are any restrictins on that under the CBA. Does anyone know about that?
I won’t bother to comment on what I think about him going to arbitration.
But for people that say he provides depth as a 4th line center I have no clue what you see in the guy, unless anybody that can fill some skates and be positioned at center qualifies.
For me- a 4th line center can at least create some chances to get things going, be energetic, and yes hit and scrap. Nate may have thrown some checks and fought some people, but rarely or ever did it spark the team and provide any kind of energy. I LOVE fights but when he would drop the gloves I didn’t even mind when I fast forwarded over it while watching my DVR.
What sucks is that I kind of feel the same about Jackman, yet I like him as a player.
I really hope we put out 4th liners this year that don’t make me hate when they take the ice.
i got it. nate & snow have a little scheme going. Snow will do a lousy job in the hearing & Nate will win, thus bumping up the payroll just a little bit more so it’s a tad easier for Snow to get to the cap floor.
Next to Jon Sim he was the worst player in the NHL last year. Good riddance Nate Thompson…dead piece
Please!
Who will think of the children!?
Like ya said CB … No big deal … it’s his right … he may have felt that he should get a one way deal to ensure that he doesn’t fall through the cracks of the NHL / AHL divide. So be it … but can Garth really tie up a center spot for a “marginal” 4th line center?
He’s got Bailey, Weight, Nielsen & new star in the making John Tavares … Nate has to realize that he’s a depth center … and until he can prove otherwise he should be happy with a two way deal.
I dislike the idea of holding a roster spot for Thompson all year. He should be up and down at best.
i’m still getting over the loss of Ben Walter and now this!?!?…
The only reason to sign him would be to take Tambellini’s roster spot
Nate Thompson offered nothing last year. He is an AHL player, like when he was with Boston. Offer him an AHL contract.
It’s his right. The rules say it is. Is it smart and self destructive? It’s Snow’s call but remember he’s a “Gordon Guy”. Coached him in the minors. My gut says we will be seeing him more than we’d like next year. Talk about taking up a spot for developing more talent……
I watched every minute of every game last year (almost) and I really don’t remember Thompson (when given the opportunity) throwing his weight around or winning faceoffs.
For a guy fighting for a job, trying to establish a presence and being labeled an “energy” guy… a “scrapper” etc… he really didn’t do much of either.
I do think that he skated hard during his shifts, but geez… i should hope that everyone skates hard.
Nat ‘dead-wood’ Thompson
He should take whatever was offered to him and just be happy he isn’t pumping gas for a living.
Isles should tell him go scratch!
Gordon for some reason loves Thompson, he will be on the team next year filling up a roster spot that Tanguay or possibly someone else with size could be taking up.
Oh for Pete’s sake, Hey Nate here is a clue…. Only reason you got a job with the big club last year is because you played with the coach in the minors. So instead of filing for arbitration how about if you hope the nepotism continues and you accept the qualifying offer……
These quotes from Snow are hilarious. He says he doesnt want to sign free agents because it will take away ice time from the young guys. Unless im missing something can someone tell me other than Okposo and now Tavares, who in the Islanders system is projected to be a really good player?? So what Snow is saying he thinks the Hilberts, Thompsons etc. are going to be 50 goal scorers within the next 3-4 years. Its a joke, you had very good players under 30 (Cammaleri, Gaborik, Heatley(trade), Havlat) How can you justify not going after one of those players? It makes absolutely no sense, then again almost anything the islanders have done the last 10 years havent made sense.
Coach could ask for particular player but he should not be allowed to decide if they should keep a guy.
Hilbert and Thompson are Gordon Players. But this is the NHL. You need to have skill. Isles will be way better off if they just let these too guys walk.
fourth line scrappy centers are a dime a dozen…let him go…
Nate Thompson is nothing special. I’d rather see a kid from AHL playing in his spot. We’re fortunate to lose some other guys and we’re trying to hold on to this? Let him go and lets grab a Free Agent that can score some goals for us and it’ll keep us from being the the Cap-Basement!
Hilbert has proved himself to be more valuable than Thompson. I always thought we should just keep one of them, but not both.
Hilbert is a 4th line guy that will do exactly what he’s supposed to do. Play hard, block shots, kill penalties, sacrifice his body, get in position to score (and hit the post)… just pure 100% effort from this guy.
And he can move up to the 3rd line when needed… and not be out of place.
Too bad he doesn’t bury a few more of those breakaways and open nets.
DOC
Would have been a good spot for Jeremy Colliton had he stayed.
JT, Bailey, Weight, Franz…..Park can play center as well. Either he takes the 2 way or let him go….He is not an important part of the team. Use his money and give Guthrie an AHL shot.
Andy Hilbert thought is not bad either.
Lots of comments above like this one: “Thompson only made this team last year because he was Gordon’s boy.” Many of them also include something like: “Good riddance.”
Y’all do realize Scott Gordon is still the coach here, right? So, if that hasn’t changed, and considering they haven’t exactly gone out and rounded up new and/or better players - with only one very obvious exception - you really think that arbitration is going to keep him off this team?
hahahaha, funniest post ever. So long Nate… enjoy the the bus rides you’re arbitrating towards.
Let him walk, and make an offer to Blair Betts. He is a very inteligent player,great penalty killer and the Rangers are very dumb to let him go. He was definetly their unsung hero last year, and they don’t even realize how important he made their penalty kill.
I’m all for not signing a UFA this year to give ice time to the young guys who are the future of this team. But is Nate Thompson one of those guys? I really hope not.
Can’t blame the guy for wanting to get paid.
2 yr deal, 1st yr being a 2-way and the 2nd a one-way. That would be a fair offer IMO.
Agree with Mark P. on post 99. Sad to see Colliton go. But then again, we have enough guys to fill the 4th line minutes already on the team.
Again, I don’t understand the hate-on for Nate. He’s a 4th line centre, it’s not like he’s taking a spot from Bailey. The kid (he’s 25 in Oct) has some decent size, he hits and he wins face-offs (50.4% last year), plus he’s a very good skater, which comes in handy with “the system.” I’ll be happy to see what he can do over the course of a full season in his role on the 4th line…
RE: post 105 - Nokelainen is on Anaheim. Boston traded him im March. He is (yet another NYI trait) huge 1st round bust. I dare say I’d rather have Thompson than him.
We need to sign this guy to bolster BP!!!!
I don’t want to Hate On Nate, but there are a lot of players exactly like him out there. Let him go and lets sign Travis Moen or Blair Betts.
He played well last year, but I happen to agree with CT Isles Fan
They better throw so much money at Versteeg if he becomes a UFA and blow everyone else out of the water. That wouldn’t deviate from the rebuild (He is 23). Gordon already had coached him and would be a great fit in the system.
He’s replaceable, Brian Trottier he’s not
ha! he barely played half a season. Take a two way deal, prove yourself in the AHL if you have to, and show us what you really have.
I would try and make an effort at both Eager and Versteeg. Versteeg will bring the Islanders quickness and some scoring upside, while Eager will bring some toughness.
Bye Nate, don’t let the Zamboni hit you on the way out. Honestly, if he wins a one-way deal he should be cut loose. Really not much else to be said about it.
LOL @ how fans all over the NHL are drooling over Eager and Versteeg. Things is, even if this RFA thing IS screwed up, Id bet Chicago offers UFA money to those two over all the rest of them- AND that they would take it.
I hope Nate Thompson reads all of these comments - they are hysterical. Seriously though, he is really bad. He could be one of the most useless “NHL” players in the NHL. Please, Garth, let him walk, and sign some big brute to protect Tavares.
I cant stand Nate Thompson. He doesnt do much, besides an occasional effective check or faceoff win. i think I dislike him most because hes Gordo’s boy and probably thats the only reason he made the team to begin with.
With that said, if I were him Id be filing for arbitration and trying to do whatever I could to get a one-way NHL deal myself. I don’t understand why anyone would make fun of him for that.
And everyone with the “bye’s”, when a player goes to arbitration he can’t walk. He ends up getting a deal no matter what, whether its the teams offer, his offer, or somewhere in between.
That’s incorrect Chris MC. It’s true that the arbitrator will decide what the offer will be during the hearing, but if the Isles don’t want to pay him that, they don’t have to. They can let him become a UFA.
Have very little to no interest in Thompson. Did not show me much at all. IF they sign him, it better be for a two-way deal because if they sign him for a one way they are doing the opposite of what they’ve been telling everyone how they’re building this team. with a one way deal he will be an obstacle for a younger player with a higher upside. Really don’t need or want him.
For comment # 117, this is only if CHI did mess this all up. If you can honestly think that they will be able to afford Barker, Eager, and Versteeg with $6M left on their cap,then I don’t know how they will be able to afford it. It shows that they have $8.9M left on their payroll but it hasn’t updated David Bolland’s $3.3M per yr, for the next 5 yrs.
I’m sorry all you Hilbert defenders..seriously buy a clue. Nate Thompson’s “points per minute played” probably exceeded Hilbert’s since Hilbert was on the ice ALL the time including the 2nd PP which drove me mad. #98 - is falling down constantly, missing open nets, checking his own players while producing nothing and getting 18 minutes a night mean he “was doing exactly what he’s supposed to do”
If we have to keep one of those 2 (which is sad because neither should be on an NHL roster) at least keep Thompson since he does have some size and as CB has pointed out we are painfully small at this point.
#93 has it SPOT on…with our roster signing a quality late 20 year old should be something they should consider. I don’t think anyone outside of Okposo and Bergenheim have shown they deserve 18 minutes a night. It’s sad this is even a story..but then again this is the Islanders.
Sorry to break it to everyone but Francois Beauchamin just signed with TOR
Bye Nate Thompson, It’s easy to say i WONT be missing you… Bring in a “TOUGHER” player, Thompson is a punching bag.