NHL HARD KNOCKS? MORE LIKE CAMP COZY
One-way, guaranteed deals do not spark competition
I’m daring Garth Snow and Scott Gordon. If a challenger out-works and out-plays an incumbent and therefore earns his position, I want to see the GM and coach of the Islanders give a player with a two-way contract an opening night roster spot over a player on a one-way deal.
For example, if Trevor Smith, Jesse Joensuu, Andrew MacDonald or veterans like Greg Moore or Matt Moulson have a superior training camp over - just throwing out some names here - Jeff Tambellini or Blake Comeau or Freddy Meyer, reward them with an NHL job. Send the NHL-signed player to the minors.
Doesn’t happen very often in the NHL.
Don’t confuse the battles currently raging in National Football League camps with job competition in the NHL. In the NFL, if someone gets out-worked and out-played - or doesn’t come to camp in shape - he doesn’t get paid. He gets cut. His non-guaranteed contract is worthless.
In the NHL, the cash is guaranteed. The Islanders have some young players with one-way deals - they get paid their NHL salary even if sent to the minors - despite failing to prove they are everyday NHL contributors. Tambellini is the obvious case. The Islanders also have veteran Jon Sim, entering the final year of his one-way deal.
With Sim, the Islanders have demonstrated they will waive and demote a player on a one-way, but the Sim case was about a player not committing to a coach’s program. I want to see what happens if a player truly earns a spot in camp over a player on an NHL-only deal.
It would be quite a victory for an Islanders prospect or determined AHL veteran. It would be quite a statement for Snow and Gordon to make.
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Imagine being told in your career search that you’re one of 55 people in the running for 22 jobs. However, at least 18 of those contenders already have contracts for positions and the other spots are pretty much nailed down. That’s kind of what life is like at an NHL training camp. Hard knocks? Not really.
More than 55 players will travel to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan next month for Islanders camp. Only 21 or 22 will make the Islanders’ lineup. Based on one-way contracts and other matters, the team is essentially pre-picked.
Don’t worry: between his world class skill level, box office drawing power and his maximum Entry Level contract that puts the Islanders above the cap floor, John Tavares will make the big club. Fellow entry levelers Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey will also make the club. So the NHL roster is all but finalized.
Of course, training camp is another chance to look at Travis Hamonic, Calvin de Haan and other prospects. The Saskatoon camp will also have the subplot of tough forward Matt Martin trying to prove he’s worth what his agent is asking for, not what the Islanders are offering.
But the Martin drama at camp is as rare as it is unfortunate. With the advent of prospect camps, there isn’t as compelling a reason to “look at all the kids” at traditional September training camps. The process is overrated. Scott Gordon is an honorable gentleman who has time for all of his players. But in the short-term life of an NHL coach, it’s human nature for Gordon to focus more on this season’s roster than project where a Hamonic or a Casey Cizikas might fit in his system in a few years.
Some teams - as the Islanders have done in the past - conduct pre-camp workouts to look at their prospects and farmhands before assigning them back to junior or the AHL. These “rookie camps” enable the coaching staff to get to more manageable numbers before the main show begins. The last I heard, the Islanders are not having a rookie camp on Long Island before leaving for Saskatoon. There will be some rookie games out west.
The Islanders are also not involved in any pre-season rookie tournaments, a great way to learn what your prospects can do against real competition. Boston, Toronto, Ottawa and Pittsburgh are having their kids hit each other in Kitchener from Sept. 6-10. Eight teams - the Rangers, Carolina, Atlanta, Detroit, Columbus, Dallas, Minnesota and St. Louis - will watch their prospects battle in a tournament in Traverse City.
One assumes the Islanders are satisfied with their July prospect camps’ effectiveness in the development process.
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The uphill battle can be a source of frustration for AHL players on two-way contracts who often believe - some with good reason - that they could get a goal a game in the preseason and skate through a wall and still not make the club. This reminds me of a funny scene a few years ago in training camp in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
I was out one night at the one good bar in town. They had this band that did incredible covers of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Easily more than half of the 50 players in camp were there, and it was getting close to their 11:00 pm curfew. The first intrasquad scrimmage was the next morning. For some players, that was their best opportunity to bid for a job.
The Islanders GM and coaches decided they wanted to come out for a drink and play a few games of pool, so they called me and my colleague to let us know. It was their way of extending a courtesy to the players; since it was going to be after 11:00 pm by the time they arrived via taxi, the players might want to take our hint and get the heck out of the bar.
Just about all of the players appreciated the gesture and headed for the team hotel. A few waited until the honchos showed up, bolting for a pre-arranged back door.
One player, a strong AHLer young enough to still dream of the NHL, decided he wasn’t going to leave. Bitter that he had no realistic shot to make the team (that was his view), he decided he was going to finish his drink. I couldn’t believe it. This guy had a game in the morning, a chance to make his mark.
But he didn’t see it that way. He was one of those AHLers who felt there wasn’t anything he could do to make the Islanders. So he stayed for a while past curfew, in full view of management. Before he finally staggered out, he said something that had us spitting up our beers. Told once again that he should really get out of the bar, he said, “What are the Islanders gonna do - cut me twice“?
We still joke about that line. The player was complete horsebleep in the scrimmage and now makes a nice living as a point-a-game player in Europe. I’m told there aren’t any curfews, and the beer is especially good there.
Comments.
74 Responses to “NHL HARD KNOCKS? MORE LIKE CAMP COZY
One-way, guaranteed deals do not spark competition”
Please Wait
Hmm, has to be Rob Collins. Just my guess.
I think Harmonic could be interesting in training camp-we only have 7 defensemen-one preseason injury could lead to a 9 game cameo for him…Maybe one forward Jounsue or Smith can make the opening day Roster. Reality is both players should get at least 25-30 in NHL this year at some point. If Tambellini can’t figure it out, they will waive him eventually as the month is not that big…..butI still hope he turns it around. Sim would make a good 4th line foward somewhere…Isles just paid two much for him….Since this is the last year of his contract-we should be able to move him as money starts to come off the contract.
Towards the end of last season, Tambellini was leading the team in hits and scoring more goals, many times because he was getting his nose dirtier and actually rushing the net. But if he’s going to earn his spot, he’s going to have to do that on a more consistent basis. I’m a Tambellini fan, but even I will admit that even if Jeff shows he could hit and provide energy, that’s not enough to guarantee him a spot on next years roster, or even this years towards the middle/end of the season. I’m hoping he can pot 15 goals this season and show he can be more than just your average 3rd/4th liner, but I’m not holding my breath. C’mon Tamby, prove the haters wrong.
I would have thought the player would be handling wine, not beer.
Complete agreement on the contract issue. Get the guys on board that want to earn their right to stay with the big team. Take our chances with the waiverwire.
I have always been a fan of Tambellini, and I have to say the last 20 or so games from last season should be a confidence booster. He can score, and win in the shoot-outs, but needs to do it over the entire season.
Before playing any of the AHL prospects in the bigs, shouldn’t they prove something first, say by winning a round or two in their playoffs? They’re young enough, and will probably by injury fill-ins, but they really need to come up with more “winning” credentials.
Great post. I am confused as to why any team would not want their players to compete in a rookie evaluation tournament. It would be a forum to build bonds and chemistry that would carry over into training camp and beyond. It would also give management an opportunity to weigh their prospects against other teams. Seems like a no brainier!
Even though Tambs started scoring a little at the end of the season and started “hitting” more, I can’t see him succeeding in the NHL until he gets hungry to be in the middle of the action and take the short route to the puck. to often he is conveniently not in the right place at the right time and I believe it has nothing to do with hockey sense. He needs to decide if he has the cojones to make it in the big show. And let’s not over embelish his hitting. Following up on a play 2 seconds after your man had gotten rid of the puck by bumping him on the shoulder is not a “hit”. He needs to step up alot more then he showed at any time last season to be effective in the NHL.
Tambellini sure showed alot of promise once the Isles were 50 points out. He became that rare player that can score consistently in the shootout with no defense in front of him. What a player! Let’s fire 6 more head coaches to accomidate him…
CB, the hockey season is 82 games long and up to 28 playoff games, not 16 games with up to 4 playoff games. Not to mention the hockey offseason is about 3 months shorter than the NFL. Last thing I would want is to see a player waste all their energy in a meaningless training camp. In other words, I like things the way they are. Players should prove themselves during the season not training camp.
When you are the worst team in the league, everybody should have to earn their spot! As GM, Snow should be looking to put the best team out there every night! Nobody on this team, with the exception of Streit and Okposo, should be guaranteed a spot after last years performance! Hey Garth, in the immortal words of Herm Edwards, make sure this year you are out there with the mindset “You play to win the game”!
Tambellini will get his fair chance. He just needs the confidence. He is a bit one dimensional for my taste.
Joenssu is someone i would to have make the team.
Trent Hunter is a good case study. He first made an impact in AHL. When he was given the chance to show his worth in the Major, he did. Trevor Smith, and Joensuu played OK last season when given the chance, but nothing special at this point. It’s better than having a good camp, and getting the spot. They will get their chances if they deserve it.
I understand negotiations, but Mr. Snow, and whoever Mr. Martin’s agent is, needs to get it done…as for the rest of the entry, this is why…everyone here knows the rest of this statement…we all hold our breath everytime we hit this bookmark. And I am sorry Mr. Botta, I am not trying to ruffle feathers…you just never know who is reading this.
Nice writeup. I’m pulling for Joensuu mainly because he’d add some needed size to this team, but he probably needs some more time in the AHL. I’d love to see Tambs turn a corner, but who knows. Kind of frustrating to have a guy with good wheels and an amazing shot be so darn invisible when the actual games start.
I’m from Nova scotia and was at both training camps in Yarmouth, I think I know the AHLer you speak of…too funny and good times in Yarmouth. Especially when all the players did Kareokee in the hotel bar. Great week in my life. Got a great pic with Yashin. He was really nice. I felt so bad for cursing and swearing at him at home in my basement. However, the bad feeling didn’t last much longer, when the season opened again…lol
I wouldnt be quick to give up on Tambellini. Hes got speed and a wicked wrister……it would seem that he would fit well in Gordo’s system. Hmmmph the system…..anyway, I see upside in him and I wouldnt be at all surprised to see him start lighting the lamp on a more consistant basis.
Oh boy do I want to go on a cruise so bad! But instead I’ll read what you wrote, CB.
OMG! How much longer do we have to put up with the Tambellini experiment? The guy is not what he was projected to be when he was drafted. He brings nothing to the table. The only game I can recall him stepping up was when his father was n the stands. Trade him to the Oilers and let him show Daddy that he is trying every game. It’s been to years of NOTHING from Tabellini - 2 years of - “he is starting to come around” - 2 years of FAILURE!
Let him go!
CB, was it Jason Mapletoft?
Why don’t the Isles have a rookie camp and/or participate in some of those tourney’s? What is their rationale?
Such a good evaluation tool and nice way to season the prospects.
Get Matt Martin signed!
hmmm Jeff Hamilton the mystery player?
The truth is that the 30+ players at camp who are not one of the 21 or 22 players already chosen for the big club are battling for spots at Bridge [except] those going back to college etc. There will be injuries and promotions to the Island. Look toward to the end this season and let’s face it we will see 3 or 4 Bridge players in the regular lineup. MY guess they will include Joensusu, Smith, Mcdonald, and the Finish goalie Kosinen.
Has Tabellini really gotten a fair chance? For him to produce he has to be a top 9 froward and some power time.
Tambellini will not have a full year to prove himself. His leash is short, and I think he will get about 20 games, and if he doesn’t contribute regularly, Snow will waive him.
As I’m sure you know CB, it’s not always as simple as; “Send the NHL-signed player to the minors.” This would mean having to put them on waivers and risk losing them. A Blake Comeau may have a bad training camp, that doesn’t mean he should be exposed for anyone to take. At the professional level other things do have to be considered. That said, your point is made CB; the young Isles need to develop a culture for players who want to be here and who give 100% every shift.
Botta, I don’t know who told you that the beer in Europe is “especially good,” but if I were you, I wouldn’t listen to that person anymore. Highly overrated, warm as pee…
Other than that, a thoroughly depressing article. Once again, a game of sport is rendered down to its lowest common denominator: The Almighty Buck!
tambellini has to go into this season again proving himself..because he has still yet to prove a damn thing..and for all the four tamby fans out there..the guy is an career ahler..get used to watching him for another team in the ahl. his nhl career is done..guarantee.
Who was the mystery player? I would really like to know.
CB [or anyone else who might know], can you give us more detailed info as to why the Isles chose not to have our prospects compete in one of these tournaments?
It’s no-brainer to me. We get to see where we stack up against other talent pools & give the kids some experience playing together & a chance to bond.
Cynic in me says this is due to the cost - or worse yet (a fear of how we’d perform).
#25……the latter I suspect.
I doubt it’s Weinhandl, as he’s currently in the land of vodka, not beer. Justin Mapletoft played in Austria last year, 58 pts in 52 games.
Just because you have a good camp, it doesn’t mean you are an NHLer. That is proven only after a few seasons of consistent, high quality play.
I don’t think we should risk losing a Comeau or even a Tambellini to waivers just because a 2-wayer had a good camp. This is why the 1-way or 2-way decision is so crucial.
I wouldn’t mind risking losing a veteran like Sim to waivers since he probably won’t factor much into our long-term plans anyway.
Was it Mattias Weinhandl?
@Mary in 117: Ah, I thought Weinhandl was in the SEL. Mapletoft sounds like the right choice. I remember letting myself get excited about the futures of players like these. I hope the ones I am excited about now have better NHL futures.
Thanks to the Hockey Database: Weinhandl was with Moscow Dynamo in KHL last year (32 pts in 41 games).
I am a little surprised the Islanders don’t participate in these rookie camps against other teams, I think that is a great idea. Perhaps they weren’t invited or something, but I would like to think they’d want to be involved in something like that.
Richard, Tambellini has gotten Top 9 foward and power play time. He had it in the beginning of last year and then again pretty much the whole second half of last year. And while he had a good week and a half last year, good hands and speed doesnt translate into a good nhler. I think the Isles need to cut the cord on Tambellini and give a guy like Smith or Joensuu a chance.
At least a guy like Blake Comeau has shown some progress in his 2 NHL seasons (51 games 15 points his first year, 53 games 25 points his second). Tambellini on the other hand in his 4th go around with the Isles gave us the massively productive 15 points in 65 games, and the 15 points was a career high. If the Isles are trying to develop a guy who’ll top out at 30 points in a full season, theyre doing a great job with Tambellini.
#24…Waive Tambellini now and sign Tanguay…
So great to have some fresh IPB. Thanks CB! How exciting the time is getting!
Great read. It will be interesting to see what happens. I believe that it would serve the franchise best if they took someone with a 2 way contract over someone that has a 1 way deal if that player deserved it. We shall see.
CB, I agree give the positions to the best players. I hope Tambellini can realy light up the lamp this year! Go get em kid!
You need to be invited to these rookie tournaments like the Traverse City Tournament. The invites are usually, not always, based on your young guns and their talent level. Will they hold their own against the better young talent out there or not.
If you’ve never seen it try and watch the Traverse City tourney in the middle of September on the NHL network.
This is make or break for tambellini. If he makes it out of camp there is no guarantee he’ll be around for the end. i can see him being gone by the break
CB - Great thought provoking topic!!
During the lockout I always thought that more important to the financial health to NHL clubs was more the burden of carrying guaranteed contracts. This one way / two way contract thing is BS.
If a player is good … he should be able to earn his spot on the roster every year … and if a player is sent down b/c a minor leaguer stole his job … so be it … that player should fight harder for his job. I think every player should be on a two way … they get compensated pretty well to play a game that I pay to play. Load contracts with bonuses … that I’m fine with.
The management of this team absolutely sucks. They do not have the desire to win at all costs as other teams do.
It happens on most teams and it’s just another reason on a long list as to why the NHL is looked down on and laughed at by the rest of the sporting world. But hey, why change anything, it’s been going so great the past decade what with the incredible tv ratings and massive amounts of money everyone is making.
Just as a statistically comparison
Last year the 25 year old tambellini
Had the same # of SOG as Tim Jackman
had a shooting percentage like Jackman
Gs and As like Jackman
ATOI like Jackman
Same GPs as Jackman
A worse +/- then Jackman
Only one less year NHL experience then Jackman
But doesn’t through that 5′11′ 186lbs frame around like Jackman
Tambellini was cut loose by the Kings who early on realized they had made a mistake with their #1 first round pik. How long will the Isles take to realize that if they give up on him and either trade him or cut him loose he will not become another Bertuzzi but rather a Torres? The fact is that he is taking away ice time and development time from some of their young talent. This is worse than trading for a veteran talent who could mentor our young players. Think Doug Weight.
I always knew Oleg Kvasha needed some extra time to finish his beer…
Interesting stats by #48
It seems we have been waiting a long time for Tambellini to “break out” and translate what he can do in the AHL to the NHL.
I think this should be the last chance for him. He does have the name and 1st round pick label buying him time but that’s it. maybe he’s a player that needs a strong core of players around him in order to shine. He had a good core in Bridgeport but not so good on the Island.
Maybe he’s a player that cannot take the lead on his career but needs better players around him to be successful. this season should be his last shot and if it doesn’t get much better, see what we can get for him.
How can anyone possibly admit to being a Jeff Tambellini fan considering the past few seasons. What could they possibly like about his play? Kinda like being a fan of Tofu. Its there,it takes up space, but adds little else. Besides, You dont miss it when its gone.
SCLI- I admit that I’m a Tamby fan and always will. Those who say he doesnt throw his body around do not watch him play rather just repeat what others are saying. He led the team in hits some nights and leveled Chara. Could he be a better player? Yes of course. But he has speed and a wicked wrist shot. It’s frustrating that he can’t put it all together, and maybe that’s why fans dislike him so much. Isles fans always have to have something to complain about so I really don’t waste time arguing.
Last, for those who believe he stinks because the Kings gave him away, just remember Jason Blake and how long in his career it took him to finally break the top 6 in a lineup.
Luciano Aquino?
he is a point a game player in Italy
Yeah, I know. But man, those couple of highlight wristers in the Shoot-out were soooo nasty! Hey, maybe Tamby *breaks-out* this season or maybe he is thrown into a package type trade (Edmonton?Actually the cries of nepotism would probably prohibit Edmonton)or maybe he just wallows and fades, etc. All good. Time will tell.
Go Isles!
Get Matt Martin signed! Please.
do not compare tambellini to blake, In fact Problem is he does not have desire to be a good player. Blake didnt get playing time in LA, once he got it on LI he shined. Tambellini is a better shooter than Blake. I defending Tambellini under Nolan b/c it was true he was not getting playing time. However last year he got plenty and showed us nothing.
This is his last chance to break out. I’m am cheering for him. I really hope he proves us wrong. Im not holding my breathe, my money is on Bergie, Nielsen and Bailey to suprise us fans this year.
as far is tim jackman, he is no slim picking. he was drafted 38th overall in 2001 draft. I hope Jonseau and Hunter used Jackman’s skating coach this off season.
Tambellini better realize this is his last chance. Its back to AHL for life like Jason Krog and Jeff Hamilton where he can dominate guys of lesser skill.
Is the 55-man training camp roster set yet and is there anywhere you can see who’s attending?
im calling on all the Tambellini doubters…..watch, this year he will step up. This kid has game.
Jason Blake has always been Mr. Hustle and drive. He’s not afraid to drive to the net and take the big hit. Tambellini up to now is a major league floater- perfect for the AHL which is where he is going- the only question is when?
I hope in the long run the best players are on the team barring contracts, yet not soley based on camp alone. We need Matt Martin I hope they can work it out. Sucks to miss the tournies…
CB, what youre saying is concerning. I think the Islanders not having a rookie camp on Long Island before leaving for Saskatoon could be a result of what youre saying here- that they already have enough of the team set in stone. Like you, I also think thats a mistake.
And I dont understand why the Islanders are also not involved in any of those pre-season rookie tournaments. It seems to me that would have been exactly what they would have wanted.
Theoretically, you are correct that “true” competition at camp is good for the team, but that pre-supposes that the Islanders have more than enough players that are NHL calibre ready. That is where I see a flaw in your argument, Joensuu is not a top 6, 7 or 8 player on any other NHL club, neither are the likes of Tambellini or Sim for that matter. So making an argument for someone to come out of last year’s Bridgeport team and make an impact on an NHL club is moot. The organization has the bodies, it just does not have the talent pool, yet.
Gionta didn’t breakout until he was 26. 20 games is about right to see whether Tamby fits in or not.
#53 Mike L on Aug 17th. You must be mistaking Jeff for his dad. I have watched him for sometime now and the ONLY time he showed me anything at all was last March when the season was already in the dumper. Keep those Rose colored glasses on. Its the only way to see Tamby the way you do. He’s an underachiever, plain and simple.
Blizzard (60): I would love if you were right. No mastter what they say, everyone would love if that was exactly what happened. However, I just cant equate a guy looking reasonably better in March once the season is toast with him being able to produce and be effective in October when the pressure is on. Tambs still has not shown that he can do that at his level. It would be nice if he did, but he hasnt as of yet… and the time in which he will have the chance to do so is running out.
It couldn’t have been Mapletoft, he was already in Europe that year… but it might have been another Justin… specifically the one we got for Chris Osgood.
And how interesting is it CB that the ‘other’ Justin, just like Tamby played at what Billy Jaffe once called the AAAA level - as in one step better than the AHL but still below the cut for the NHL.
I saw some glimpses of what Tamby is capable of but I don’t think he should be a 3rd or 4th line energy player. He’s too small. If he’s to be valuable to the Isles he needs to become a 25 plus goal scorer.
SCLI- Don’t get me wrong, I also believe Tamby has underachieved and probably belongs in the AHL. You’re probably right and I am biased towards Tamby, but please dont ridicule a fellow fan for liking a certain player on the team we are diehards for. If you wanna talk some smack I know plenty of Ranger$ fans that need an ego adjustment.
I vote for Papineau. Guy looked miserable his last year in Bridgeport and then got hurt.
Wyatt Smith?
Mike L on Aug 18th, 2009 14:54:26 Mike, I didnt think I was over the top in my reply. But, if you felt I ridiculed you, my apologies. I assumed that guys can jab back and forth without taking it to Heart. I feelings are that unless fans know players personally I find it hard to understand how underachievers and slacker’s can become fan favorites. Where’s the attraction to root for someone who hurts or holds our team back?