“WE’RE TRYING TO GET INTO THE PLAYOFFS”
So why not bolster the lineup after AMac’s injury?
I understand where Scott Gordon is coming from. What I don’t understand is, if the Islanders are trying to make the playoffs – as Gordon and Garth Snow have said repeatedly this week - why they didn’t try to add a player or two on Wednesday before the trade deadline? After the game against Chicago on Tuesday, after Andy Sutton had already been dealt, Andrew MacDonald limped out of the Coliseum wearing a boot. Management had that night and until 3:00 the next afternoon to give the team a, uh, fighting chance.
Here’s what the coach said after the 3-2 loss to the much bigger Bruins on Saturday when asked about playoff aspirations (as seen on Islanders TV):
“Let’s stop beating us up as to what the guys are thinking. At the end of the day, we’re pretty depleted on defense. We’re at a huge disadvantage.
“It’s not going to be easy. We’re going to get the effort. I know we’re going to get the effort, and we’re going to be better. But to immediately take out two guys that were playing 23, 24-plus minutes (Sutton and MacDonald), and insert a guy who’s never played an NHL game (Dylan Reese) – who has come in and done a good job – to insert a guy who’s been off for a month and a half (Jack Hillen) and is playing with the thought of what it’s like to have a puck hit you in the face, we’re at a huge disadvantage.
“We’ll get through it, but that has more of an impact than the trade deadline. The over-analysis of the trade deadline is over with. We’re trying to win hockey games. We’re trying to get into the playoffs. It’s obviously not going to be easy for us, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t stopped trying.”
It’s for that exact reason the over-analysis of the trade deadline is not over, Coach. Sorry, just one more day of it.
After the game on Saturday, Gordon looked genuinely upset – as if he truly believed the team had no options but to field the roster they did. With the knowledge that MacDonald was injured, they could have grabbed a depth defenseman (or two) for late-round picks. They could have done something. They are 0-2 since.
But maybe that’s the point – to not do too much to earn points in the standings. Toronto won last night.
Comments.
165 Responses to “WE’RE TRYING TO GET INTO THE PLAYOFFS”
So why not bolster the lineup after AMac’s injury?
-
mrlbem says:
I understand not going for the big ticket player that’s going to add tons to the payroll. But to not add young vets who won’t break the bank (like Seidenberg or Tanguay this past off season) is puzzling unless Garth is under a spending freeze.
-
islesfan999 says:
I can only hope we lose the next 5 games and can guarantee a top 3 pick. We absolutley need Seguin, Hall or Fowler. We need another TOP talent to help our rebuild. My goal is to get top 3 pick and sign a top 3 dmen this summer, enforcer and 2 big body ( 6 ft 4 225+) 3/4th liners so we have more skill, size and heart.
-
Nick says:
I totaly agree with you CB and all the comments above.
-
Billy-no-not-Jaffe says:
CB……..Good on ya to shine the light of day on the forked tongue pablum being feed from Garth Snow to a fanbase that is quickly getting to the end of their patience.
I was always to to say what I mean and mean what I say. Anyone think that Garth Snow subscribes to that theory? -
Jon in Chicago says:
This is exactly what I’ve been saying and I often am told to relax because it’s year two of the rebuild. That’s all fine and good but a rebuild doesn’t exclude a team from making small changes to a team that desperately needs it. The Isles missed opportunities to pick up players on waivers and never make trades. How many deals has Snow made during his tenure..three or four? The Smyth trade may be the only one where they got players in return instead of draft picks. This is why I question how much this franchis wants to win regardless of what the GM may say.
-
Nyichamp39 says:
After it came out that they were looking to move roloson to the highest bidder you knew this GM and owner had no intention of “trying to make the playoffs”. Don’t look for anything big this summer either. It is clear that Wang won’t spend until a lighthouse development plan is in full action. It doesn’t make sense for him to spend. I wouldn’t if I were him either. Fact of life guys. Doesn’t make sense to spend more Money if you know for a fact you won’t be making any money. And it’s the players on this team and the fans that will suffer because of this. I just hope it doesn’t go on too long. I’m a die hard but after a while people get fed up when they feel like they are mistreated and lied to. I think many isles fans are right at that point.
-
Staten Islander says:
Publicly, they HAVE to talk about playoffs, I think that privatley, Garth has had the attitude that, playoffs would be nice, but not at the expense off the rebuild (which I still believe in, despite the recent troubles). I also think that the players were also let down that a move wasn’t made to get them into the post season as well. That plus the goalies not performing well after the goalie rotation became a 3 man. There are a lot of things at play here. In hindsight, if not for that fluke goal yesterday that put the Bruins ahead, they would have gotten a point out of the game.
-
Cs says:
Maybe because nobody wanted to trade us an actual player?
-
Andre says:
The bottom line is that I don’t trust Wang and Snow anymore. They are a bunch of liars.
-
Seth says:
win two more games this year against the rangers to ruin playoff hopes for them and I will be happy.
-
snow didn’t help the team for the playoffs at the deadline and didn’t help the team for the future by trading guys that probably won’t be here next year. that is my biggest issue. the fact that basically nothing was done and the franchise is in standstill mode.
-
Kevin says:
The Isles don’t give a crap about their fan base. Pure and simple. They talk to us like children when they get around to addressing us at all.
-
Darren Ingersoll says:
There was no quick fix at the dealine. Even depth D-men were not going to push this team anywhere. Garth and Scott neeed to sys what they are saying. We the fans often have the forked tongue. We would crucify them if they added a couple 5-6 d-men for picks missed or just made the playoffs, but exited early.
There is no quick fix for this team. They need to stsy the course and play the media, publicity game on the other end.As Russell Crowe shouted at the start of Gladiator “hold the line, stay with me”. I agree stay the course, frustrating for sure, but I can see the talent starting to add up.
-
orngfan says:
draft picks, they are acomin’
-
Joe in Massapequa says:
Sometimes this organization is comical. They have to say the right things but do their actions back up their words? That is almost a definite NO. This rebuild will only work if the guys who we want to be the core can develop properly. Without putting talent next to guys like Tavares, Okposo, Bailey, Schremp, Hillen, etc. their develop will be severely slowed. But it’s ok Garth and Charles – the Jon Sim and Richard Park and Tim Jackman’s of the world will do wonders for our young guys.
Sorry, my patience is running out on this team. What we thought was a great situation with the goalie additions bit us you know where. That did nothing for us. I would have rather seen Roli and Lawson or Munroe up here til DP came back. All the hype about JT is good for nothing when you can’t surround him with players to take some of the load off him. Although Josh Bailey has shown strides I still think he was rushed here. We are in desperate need for size up front but we trade up for ANOTHER undersized D man in last year’s draft and then take two goalies back to back. It is like spinning a wheel and letting that determine the next move. Enough is enough.
-
4theisles says:
Snow and Wang can feed us @#$% but we don’t have to believe it and I don’t and I think I have a lot of company!
-
Mike Olivo says:
I don’t know what the fuss is. We were all fine with dumping the season last year to get Tavares. The only way to win is to be awful for years and get draft picks. The real problem with this team, is our first round picks have been generally awful. From 03-05, we got Nilsson, Nokelainen and Omarra. The Caps got Ovechkin, Schultz, Green, Fehr and others. Thats 3 years of lost time we have to make up…
-
JKP in Halifax says:
So they got to the deadline and it looked bleak to make the playoffs, so they gut the team a little more to get a lottery pick again. They certainly can’t say that’s what they’re doing, now can they? The players need to keep battling and believe. At least publicly.
-
eastonhockey says:
If wang wasnt forcing snow to have the lowest payroll in the NHL next season, Snow would of signed Sutton. THen Snow would of signed more good players in the summer. By trading a good player, like Sutton, that wanted to sign with the ISles..proves that SNow doesnt have the budget to sign any free agents if he keeps his own free agents. Thats why the “Rebuild” is a lie… its not a rebuild…its more like “put the lowest payrolled team on the ice allowed by the CBA”
-
Madchef says:
You know what if we aren’t good enough to win in the playoffs, then why not get another top 3 pick. I hate losing but its been 17 years I can wait another. All my hair has fallen out already. Gordon is being a company man. Maybe Garth will dip in the pocket this summer, combine that with a number one and hey maybe e can take a big step forward next year.Rome wasnt built in a day. Bailey, KO, and Tavares will all be better next year. My problem is the Dipietro situation. CAN YOU SAY GIANT ALBATROSS!
-
50 in 50 says:
If and I do say IF he honestly believes we are still in the play-off race, then I feel bad that he can’t see the forest through the trees. With that being said I honestly believe he is trying to save face with the media at this point and still keep his job. I have a crazy idea, every post game he talks about the “young” kids doing well in Bridgeport and how they fit in to the system. Bring them up now for some REAL Life learning. Every team we play is in the hunt for a spot and are playing 100% desperate hockey. What better time to learn then now.
-
Blizzard says: …well, here we go again hoping for a top three pick. Sigh. My patience is over blah blah blah….but come draft day I will be really excited again and hopeful!
Fowler or bust!!!!
-
Michael Rotondo says:
I said it in another post. Snow lied to all Isles fans. He stated he given the grenn light to add salary and take run at the playoffs. Instead he traded away one of their best defencmen who fit the system perfectly without replacing him
To me, that says it all!! -
Has the Segfowhall watch started?
-
Mike L says:
Does someone expect Snow and Gordon to say they dont want to make the playoffs this year? Should we trade draft picks for rentals like Seidenberg? Sometimes I wonder if Milbury did the moves he did just to make some fans happy for the time being.
-
And the Isles next game is against Philadelphia. If you thought the Isles appeared small against Boston, wait until Tuesday when the Flyers look like an NHL team and the Isles look like a freshman high school team. Does Trevor Gillies come back for this one?
-
The Islanders are my favorite sports team. I support them and will stand with them. I will go to games.
However, I am shredding my renewal invoice and will not re-up on a more expensive season basis until I get honesty from the front office and something more than high draft picks for continually lousy finishes.
Oh and for those who say we can’t overpay for FA’s because of Yashin/DP mistakes–those are extreme examples of self-inflicted wounds (we basically traded Chara/Spezza for an unsigned Yashin–we put a gun to our own head). However, if it takes paying a guy $3 million over 3 years instead of $2.5, go for it.
Perhaps they do treat us like children because 50% of the fans that actually attend games are under 10.
-
rb says:
I’m not the biggest Gordon fan, but I don’t think what he said is a big deal.
All he said was that the guys won’t quit and will play as hard as possible to try and get into the playoffs with the roster they have. And he’s probably right about that because the great majority of the players on this team do play hard, give an effort and don’t quit regardless of the talent level.
No sense picking up a couple of depth guys to make a run. Let the young guys take “ownership” of the team, so that they’re not looking for someone else to lead. THEY have to step up. Better that way long-term.
It’s
-
19 Isle in NJ 22 says:
Wow! The natives are restless!
I can understand.
My thing is … How can the Isles say they are trying to win …. When:
1) They traded away the only player on the blue line with size.
2) They didn’t make a move to pick up a player.
3) They were trying to trade away their MVP.I believe in the re-build … but just look at the Isles’ payroll … that tells you how hard they Isles are trying to win.
I know there is a limit to how many contracts a team can have … but I mean … come on!
-
I’ve always thought that the playoffs aren’t exactly the end goal in year 2 of a planned rebuild. This team has more or less met my expectations for this season. Aside from DiPietro still being a part of this franchise, I’m happy where they’re at and where they’re headed. I don’t advocate cheering for your team to lose, but a top 3 pick this year is probably more valuable then pulling off a minor miracle and getting smoked by the Caps in the first round. They could have kept Sutton and added another veteran d-man and the playoffs would still be tough to reach. In Garth I Trust.
-
Candor says:
Gordon is powerless and snow is clueless. Since preseason, the islander faithful have whined and whined–about the pre-season hit on KO to Colin and Co’s conspiracy to the Lighthouse debacle. This stuff is so irrelevant if the team would man up and settle things on the ice. Theres no excuse for tepid, weak play. The lack of toughness is deplorable and Gordon is just as much to blame. Im sick of beeing the small team that gets pushed around.
-
Trading Sutton was fine. He was playing well, but wasn’t going to be an Islander past the end of the season, and even with Sutton, the Isles are not going past 5 games in the playoffs. Not bolstering the defense (with those various waiver wires) just means that Snow has no intention of going to the playoffs despite his public comments. I was looking forward to watching the team bounced in the first round.
I don’t think Snow lied about being given the green light, but the playoffs were never a reality for this team. Welcome to year 2.
-
Sorry for ranting, but remember, it takes 2 to make a trade. earlier this week, people were praising Garth for not caving and holding on to Rollie because he couldn’t get fair value. Did people think we were going to get Mike Green for Rollie/Biron and Tambellini? Cmon. During the summer we were hearing here how they should have signed Tanguay, the guy has 9, count’em, NINE goals! Snow was RIGHT not to sign him. Andy Sutton? He’s in his walk year and has been injury prone, and I LOVED watching him this year, but a #2 was the going rate and thats what Snow got for him. Look, this team has given us some very nice moments this year and HAS improved on last year. Park, Sim, Jackman, Meyer, Witt, Gervais, Tamby, Weight, how many of them are going to be here 2 years from now? This is a weeding out process of getting rid of YEARS of ROT and DCAY left over from Mike #$%!!@$#% Milbury. Nobody EVER said it was going to be easy, quick OR painless. I wish they were winning more too, I’m long term unemployed and could use something to take joy in these days. But until these kids grow up and become what we hope they’ll be, I’m content to watch the development. JT is 19, Bailey seems to have really found a home at wing, Moulson is a pleasent surprise and Streit, though he’s not having the year he had last year is solid. Ok, out of gas, rant over.
-
john says:
Why would snow trade a Sutton only to replace him with a less d-man, and lose the added pick. Dump the season and make a run at Fowler. They need a better defense. They are still 2 years away. They have to stay to cousre.
-
True Believers I tell ya are lurking around the cooler of Kool Aid next to Snows Office. How can anyone say they are still buying into this “plan” and “Stay the Course” We have done nothing to help this team improve.
We let Thomson go to Tampa for Free, Slapped Witt in the face with a bus ticket to Bridgeport a week after he got run over in Philly and played hurt, unloaded a D-Man who was and is having the Best season of his career for a #55-#60 pick in a shallow draft. Signed an Enforcer to play 3 minutes and buried him across the sound.
Wake up guys and gals The truth is the CBA says we can’t go below 40.8 million. Our actual payroll is 38.9 million. We are technically below it until you add Bates and Yashins cap hit to bring our total to 44.5 million. Next Season we are projected to be at 31 million, so of course we will sign a few UFA’s with a promise again of a better tomorrow.
-
Neil S. says:
There is the saying that the best deal you make is no deal at all. Too many people have put this team under a microscope this year and have to realize that there is talent. No fan should put all the weight on John Tavares to turn this franchise around in one year. To find Moulson, and Schremp off of the scrap heap is a steal. That is because of the scouting staff Garth put together. If you look at the Devils since Lou took over, it is the scouting staff, who keeps finding the talent year in and year out and that is why that franchise is always competitive. This takes time and this team has not quit.
-
dudley leiwicker says:
The only games they should try to win the rest of the year are against the Rangers. For anyone in management to talk playoffs is foolish. Why would you want to finish eighth, be blown out by Washington, then have no choice at a top pick? I guess Garth can’t say what he really should say: “We’re at least two years away from contending for a playoff spot.”
-
Tim F. says:
Kudos to Coach Gordon for repeating the company line (at least the one that is approved for public dissemination), but it’s clear that management has made the decision to improve the team’s draft position. And I’m OK with that, as long as they are willing to invest in a decent FA or two this summer. And I hope ownership is willing to pay the tab when all of the kids become RFA’s at or about the same time in a few years.
-
Ajax says:
Oh, and Gordo, you my friend, are blind
-
dose says:
#7 has it exactly right. redundant as it’s getting for me – holding pattern, holding pattern, holding pattern. why anyone would expect any real investment at this point is beyond me, as it has been for 2 years. to not grab a couple of available spare parts when your defense goes down like dominoes is another story. but then again, also not surprising in the context of CB’s last point above.
-
Ricky T says:
I’m not worried about the plan to slowly rebuild the team since that’s the only way that they will get true top flight talent. I’m concerned with what we have so far with the players we are rebuilding with. Tavares could be a nice one dimensional player. Okposo is a high motor guy with limited scoring ability. Bailey could be a nice second line player who might even score 60 points a season in the future. Unless Petrov is a real star, that’s it! We are way far away from being loaded with young talent. Without a major new draft haul and years more development, we won’t be a strong team without signing some significant FA’s in the next two years. We get a lot of spin from management, but the reality is that we need a lot of help. At least we can get some size so that the team might be entertaining to watch. Right now, we have no speed or size.
-
jon from nj says:
Stay the course. We make the playoffs, and what? We’re an 8 seed and get knocked out in 4 or 5? What does the get us? A middle of the road draft pick, and not much else (to those that say playoff experience, I say 4 or 5 games won’t provide the experience that will be worthwhile). Stay the course….we’re improving, incrementally.
-
jason says:
Holy crap, some of us need to relax. First of all lets relax about the trade deadline. There was much out there to get in the first place as evidenced by the trades that were made. Not one player dealt at the deadline would have made an impact that would have pushed us over the top at this point. Also it was a great move dealing Sutton. He was probably not going to be an Islander past this season, and if he does want to come back he still can and we have an extra pick now. In all honesty at this point I would rather see the Islanders lose than go on a streak and sneak into 8th spot like what happened a couple years ago. They have shown that they can compete another top flight pick will only help us next year. Look at a team like Chicago – this should be our model. We can suffer through one more off season without playoff hockey if it will help us next year and the year after that.
-
We have a good young core. However, without a few talented players surrounding them they will never develop as quickly as they should and could. Confidence within our youth is so important. Why are we denying them? Also, when they do get good, why would they want to sign with us? Islander Hockey-Developing good young talent(usually the wrong way), for another team to benefit from when they are FA’s and looking to get out of this mess.
-
eric nystrom says:
The question is, can the Leafs catch usm. I figure the Panthers with Horton returning and vokun in net will finish with ahead of the Isles. Not worried about the lightning.. Canes are hot and will pass the Isles this week and probably play over 500 hockey til the end. The blue jackets worry me a little but with Nash, should pull a better record down the stretch.. Forget the Oilers, they are finishing last.. The question is, can the leafs catch up.. 8 pts behind, that’s 4 games.. It’s possible..
-
Mike from Oceanside says:
Could you just imaging this franchise if it were based in Toronto? The media would have a field day.
-
valentino says:
Anything less than a top 3 pick for this team would be a setback. Plain and simple.
As for the BS that management keeps throwing around about how great the feedback is on the radio cover and how we are a playoff team…well the only way to get their attention is to stop supporting the product.
If Chris Dey and management had any interest in hearing some real feedback about what we think…they should schedule some town hall meetings.
-
CB, we are NOT trying to get in the playoffs. I believe Wang has given up on the team. This was a big mistake buying the team. He will try yo strip every dollar out of it and slow his losses.
-
islander country is an unpleasant place these days. why do i fear this lasts till october…
-
Jim M says:
Pointing out a team like Chicago to model our rebuild for is all good in fine if you have the right tools. But guess what, we do not have a top 10 nhl goalie, we do not have a player that is capable of what Kane, Toews, Sharp can. O yea, they have this guy named Marian Hossa too. Depth defines their team, we have 6 real nhl fowards. etc……. This team is a circus act and its just getting harder and harder to root for them these days.
-
ron says:
#3 110% AGREE
-
nobody says:
Just for perspective…no one expected more than they got this year…and more importantly, a combination of two of the following; Tanguay, Kovalev. Komisarek, Seidenberg, would NOT have made a difference…just cost more. Question Isles fans, would we want to be the Rangers, Maple Leafs, or us right now?
-
jva says:
so where is Matt Martin? Why is tambellini no longer playing at all? Why not bring Witt back up? Bring up some new blood and let’s move forward. I am ok with a top 3 or 4 pick this year. After that it is up to Gordon and Snow to at least make the playoffs next year, no more excuses!
-
Rob76 says:
Last year management got a pass mostly – as the fans were hyped up in TavHevDuch-mania. this year though – a third straight year in the lottery fans have had enough. I have never been a fan of Garth Snow – not his attitude, not his arrogance, not how he got the job, and not the moves he has made. This is his big summer to make the big move. With potentially Tyler Seguin or Taylor Hall it is now time to add through Free agency. If this time next year we are once again talking lottery – there is no reason anyone can give me for him to still have his job.
-
pj1212 says:
I dont know how more more i can take of this team. It is getting hard. An owner that does not seem to care too much. and a GM afraid to make trades. we dont need anymore draft picks. afterthis year, we will take more steps back, not forward. what free agents in there right mind want to come to this organization. snow needs to impress me this offseason. I love this team, i do. but it is getting real real tough.
-
mtrico says:
Gordon has to say that they are trying to make the playoffs, and while the players on the ice truly are, when Garth traded Sutton, that was the equivalent of throwing in the towel. They will say the right things as far as the playoffs are concerned, and the players who are here will give the effort, but the organization knows this is about the lottery now.
-
Chicago should of taken our boy Rollie … Just witnessed the Wings take the Hawks for 4 quick goals … using a fluid, crisp and forceful attack … something we rarely see the Isles execute.
I wonder if Gordon salivates for talent like that, that can turn a game around on the dime. I’m sure he does … because I do.
-
Jeff says:
And I thought being a Mets fan was tough. In the excitement of drafting Tavares, I made the mistake of renewing my season tix for 2 years. Now I’m stuck with my seats for next year, too. I should have known better. After trading Sutton and adding no one, the coach has the nerve to go out and blame the loss on depleted defense. Give me a break!
-
John from ATL says:
Is the 2009-10 Islanders a better team than the 2008-09 Islanders? Yes. Will the 2010-11 team, be better than this year’s team? Probable. Will they make the playoffs next year? Probable not but, should be in the hunt a little longer. The team is moving in the right direction. Give it time. They need a top three pick in this years draft.
Go Carolina and Toronto; please win. The Isles need Seguin or Hall. They need more offense. But, Fowler, de Haan, Hamonic, Donovan, Hillen, MacDonald in a few years sounds pretty good too. -
King says:
Seasons over and has been since before the olympic break. The Islanders showed us early in the season what they are made of and in a season or two of more rebuilding they will be a competing team.
-
boss15 says:
Prediction, Isles finish 27th pick up Fowler, sign a couple declining vets, and of course another goalie. Fowler struggles and everyone complains about how we should have drafted Gudbranson and we all look forward to our top 3 2011 pick.
-
Adam says:
So if the plan was to tank and get a top 3 pick (which i agree with), why not trade Roloson for that 3rd rounder and help the chances of losing while still getting a pick?
-
daniel says:
Honestly, at this point tanking is probably the smart thing to do. Even if we did pick up a few 2nd or 3rd line players and they helped us make the playoffs, I still think that at the end of the day, we’d be looking at 17 years without a playoff series win. Let’s get a top 3 pick and hope that they spend some money in the off season on some good players who they can sign for a few years.
-
Mike from Sarasota says:
This is yet another example of treating the fans like we are morons.
-
No one disagrees that “descending rapidly” was the way to go right now. Everyone is upset that they are claiming they are trying to make the playoffs. That’s laughable. Stop feeding the fans BS.
-
Strickland says:
I don’t see what the story is here. Coach pushes playoffs to players and in his daily meetings with media. GM (more [or almost all] insulated from media) behind the scenes takes the opposite approach (with the Coach’s blessing/understanding.
If Gordon were to come out when the Isles are “only” 6 points out of a playoff spot and say “Who cares about the playoffs, we need a better draft pick,” he’d get crucified by Isles fans. When they do the opposite, they get crucified by Isles fans. Interesting.
Also, the real ills of this team lie not with their coach, or their GM, but with the owner who has said 20 words since the start of the season. And owner who seems to be running the same low-rate, cut cost organization anybody whose ever followed this team recognizes.
So, CB, the man you should be asking to talk to is the owner.
-
I’m very curious as to what each fan’s expectations were for this season, especially those who “drank the Kool Aid” and supported the rebuild…
-
The puck is not in the current player’s side of the rink, not in the fans hopes, not in Gordon’s realm or even Snow’s job description. Where is it? The answer its in Wangs plans and Bank account. The sooner he makes his decisions. the better off will all of the above be. My own guess is that before the start of next season the direction of the team will be determined and then all our daily discussions will take on a new and more meaningful direction, until then for most fans our daily exchanges on this excellent site should be viewed as fun speculation.
-
It pains me to say this but the Rangers have significantly more talent in their organizaiton from top to bottom. Yes we know they have had a number of silly free agent signees. But they’re also drafting and developing players. They ranked ahead of us in THN’s most recent Future Watch. And the money they spend allows them to get a Gaborik and Gilroy, while we figure out what bonuses to give to Doug Wieght so we can hit the cap floor.
-
ed says:
Why does everyone say this is year 2 of the rebuild? This is year 3 right? What ever happened to the wrecker?
-
neologizer says:
The begining of the season CB predicted a run close to but not into playoffs. He explained why (needed 2 top6 forwards and 1 top4 D) it was pretty clear what the Isles needed to make them contenders. They didn’t address it all year why is anyone surprised by the trade deadline activity here.
-
admin says:
Strickland: You are absolutely bang-on. Ownership is without question a huge part of this. As you know, Charles hasn’t said anything to anyone since the home opener – with the exception of that Lighthouse awkwardness with Howie a few weeks ago. I will try, but I’m not optimistic. If not, hopefully he’ll sit down with the one media outlet that spends a lot of money following the team around 24/7…CB
-
Jim Clark says: Playing a washed-up 40 year old like Roloson is our best chance of getting a high draft pick. I’m waiting for Snow and Wang to give him a 10 year extension.
-
Joe from Bayside says:
well since you asked dorfer my honest expectations for this season?? 30th place. i never expected this team to be anything more. we all know the isles arent at the top of any FA’s list, and that ultimately money talks and bullsh*t walks. im very glad garth didnt overpay for any FA’s that are gonna come back to bite him in the @ss down the road (do anyone of us want another yashin situation?) and lets face it how many people expected a top FA to sign with a team coming off a last place finish and no arena deal in sight? as far as the deadline goes my only problem is that garth didnt get rid of the dead weight around here (the sims, parks, brunos, etc). its not the guys fault that no team wants to give up value to get value back. everyone needs to chill out and enjoy the high points of this season and just look ahead to the future. im sure the fans in pittsburg, washington, chicago, los angeles have felt just as bad as us but they tured it around and we will too. and the people calling for garths head will be the same people to say they stuck by the plan the entire time and that garth is a genious….how many can say they did it without “the kool aid”
-
#70, I don’t think you are correct..2006: sanguinetti and anisimov vs. KO and JJ; 2007..we had no 1 or 2..Lefleur vs Katic (look up whose a better prospect), 2008 Bailey, Hamonic, Ness, Donavan, Poulin, Martin, Ullstrom, …vs Stepan and Grachev; 2009 JT and de haan vs. Kreider….I think we are doing quite well in that comparision.
-
slsangus says: Let’s say they had gone hog-wild at the deadline, traded Biron or Roloson for the third pair Dman everyone seems to want, or had kept Sutton, and somehow squeaked into 8th place. Then what? Lose to the Caps in 4? What is the long-term benefit? It would drop the draft position from 3-5 down to 15-20.
Remember 3 years ago? Nabbed Ryan Smyth at the deadline, had an amazing last week of the season, made the playoffs, everyone excited. Then what happened? Lost to Buffalo in 5, the FA exodus started, and 2 years later they finish 30th.
The plan is in place and will stay in place. Compile draft picks, build from within, give the kids major playing time, avoid the high-priced Ranger-esque FAs. In 3 years, when Tavares is 22, Bailey is 24, KO is 25, and either DP is good to go or Koskinen is here, how many of you will be bemoaning the loss of Andy Sutton or Nate Thompson?
Of course, it is highly possible that all this will happen in Kansas City, but nothing’s perfect.
-
Jack1NJ says:
Bottomline, this is all about Wang. He is the one that hired an unqualified Snow.
This will all get fixed with a owner that cares about winning, us as fans need to start urging Wang to sell.
That I feel is our only chance of ever getting this franschise back.
If Wang sells, everything else will get cleaned up quickly I believe.
Remember it was Wang that spit in the fans face and kept Milbury an additionial six or seven years to ruin the franchise.
Everybody was urging Wang to get rid of Milbury when he first bought the team, he didnt and we suffer now ten years because of it. At the time when wang took over, we had a great future set up and with a few smart moves would have been a stanley cup contender for years.
Wang blew that by keeping Milbury and Milbury was the worst thing that has ever happened to the Islanders.
This could have all been avoided if wang fired Milbury back in 2000 when he bought the team.
Btw, some people think we have a bright future now—it does not even come close to the future we had stacked up back then.
I have been through this forever with this team…so if it didnt work last time with more talent, what makes anybody think it will work this time with less talent?
Remember wang is still here and even without Milbury he is the root of all evil in this franchise.
-
Gordon is right the Isles don’t have an NHL caliber defenseman on their roster right now. So if they really want to make the playoffs why not bring up Witt maybe he is too slow or too old but at least he would give everything he has to the team and maybe he can lead some of these young guys and teach them something. Instead Gordon wines about his defense and how he lost his best players.
-
jimmy mac says:
We need to stop whining. We are a better team today than last year @ this time
Next year we’ll take the next step and be that much better.
Garth and Scott are doing a great job.
Yes it would be easier with some money from Wang, but he’s still waiting on the TOH to ok the lighthouse. Until they do that. No money for the Isles.
-
scottd says:
The ironic part about all of this is just about everyone here, CB included, believes this organization bdly needs a another cornerstone talent by way of a top-five pick. A number of other respected hockey writers wrote the same thing when the Islanders were on their hot streak earlier this year, essentially saying that the streak may not be what’s really best for the franchise right now.
So with all that being said, why do we find it crazy to think that Garth Snow might feel the same way. That all things being equal, he’d rather have a top five pick this year than the 8th seed in the playoffs. Would you really be all that mad if that was his thinking? And I don’t want to hear that he’s lying. I mean really, when have you ever heard a GM in any sport come out and publicly state that he’s hoping his team loses?
-
Strummer's Army says:
I understand from a marketing and ticket sales perspective your suppossed to try to encourage the fan base by talking playoffs and Stanley Cup. I wrote on here last training camp that based on the roster Snow assembled he had no right to talk about playoffs and especially the stanley cup. I’m sure Gordon is under orders to keep talking playoffs but all it is doing is pissing off and upsetting the fans more. We need to feel like we can trust the team and feel that they understand what the roster needs and are willing to fill it by any means possible.
Right now it’s really hard to be an Isles fan even with all the strong young prospects.
-
Frans Nielsen says:
I know it’s a little late for this but isn’t Andy Sutton a little more valueable to our team then a late 2nd round pick. I mean why not resign a 6-6 defenseman, playing the best hockey of his career, dishing out highlight reel hits on the blueline once a game on a team serious lacking size and defense. It really blows my mind and he actually wanted to play here. Once Sutton gets a taste of winning he’s not going to want to resign with the isles in the offseason.
-
chews for cheeses says:
After Captain Canada decided to go to Colorado for less money than the Islanders offer it became apparent to the Islanders that they were not attracting free agents with the building or the organizational perception. We had to rebuild through the draft. Sure wish we could have gotten more for sutton but we got what we got. for a guy who played well for the last 4 months after sucking the life out of the team for years. are we supposed to sign him for 3 years so he can turn into brendan witt in a year or two. Or gets injured like he usually does. I have no problem with letting him go. You can’t have it both ways though, so the team in a effort to put a$$e$ in seats should put a few players on the ice through free agency. The problem with that though is they are not attracting the cream of the crop nobody wants to play here, so you bite your lip as an organization and you take it from every direction. The fans complain, the free agents don’t want to come, the town doesn’t want build your utopia, other GM’s don’t want to take your goalies, the fans complain and the fans complain. No matter what happens no matter what statement you make you get drilled for it. If you make no statement you get drilled for it, if Tavares doesn’t score for the rest of the season , you get drilled for it (even though there would have been a mutiny at the coliseum if they didn’t draft him). At some point it will get better, I would rather see a championship caliber team then a mediocre unit that over achieves to the 8th seed.
-
The New Isles GM says:
I think Garth isn’t that bad. Yes, we could have shipped out Roloson or Biron. However, adding another impact player(top 3 draft choice) isn’t necessarily a bad thing. My hope is that we get Tyler Seguin. He seems to be what Duchene is this year. Plus, getting a guy like that on the books a cheap price for awhile will only benefit the teams success to add an impact player, such as Kovulchuk. Obviously we still have some holes to fix. But you have to give credit where credit is due. Garth knew this was going to be a rough process with the idea of a rebuild. But if everything turns out to be what we think it can be….all the fans will come back as they did in 2002 vs. the Maple Leafs. Nothing is going to happen overnight. We still have a whole summer with plenty of UFA’s out there.
-
Ray's Team says:
#62-agree with you-even if they get a top pick-they will do exactly that and sign some washed up vets-possibly even make one them a captain-they have to do way more than just drafting a good player-need to right some checks!!!!
-
LouD says:
I knew this was going to happen. CB, by saying “they didn’t do something at the trade deadline” some fans of this blog automatically assume Gordon is in on the “they” part when it’s really Wang,Snow,Janks and so on that make those decisions. Gordon plays who he is given and from the sounds of it he wasn’t very happy with the situation he was forced into. Ofcourse Gordon is saying he is trying to make the playoffs because he is. But how can he accomplish that under the cicumstances? A big minus to fans who are blaming this situation on Gordo. I for one thought it was awesome to see the emotion on his face and hear it in his voice. You could tell he wanted to rip the owner and management but it wouldn’t have been in his best interest.
-
Keepin the Faith says:
This is the 3rd year into the rebuild after Ryan Smyth. You can’t commit to a rebuild and then complain in the middle of it. Snow is doing a good job and those who are impatient must remind themselves that it’s a long process. There is a plan and they are sticking to it. If they had one the last few games, would there be this much sour grapes? of course not. Keep the Faith!!!!
-
There is no reason to spend a draft pick to replace AMac. Thats going the wrong way! At this pt in the season we need to lose enough to finish as one of the 5 bottom teams so we can be in the lottery for the #1 pick. There are 4 Impact Draft Eligible Prospects who could step right into the NYI lineup next year. Niederreiter, Seguin, Hall & Fowler. Looking at the Top 75 picks from last 5 Drafts, we don’t have many top end young players. Here are the Skaters we drafted:
2009- #1 TAVARES..#12 DEHAAN
2008- #9 BAILEY.#36 Trivino..#40 Ness..#53 HAMONIC..#66 Toews..#72 Niemi…#73 PETROV
2007- #62 KATIC
2006- #7 OKPOSO..#66 JOENSUU
2005- #15 Omarra..#46 KOHNWe’ve had only one player drafted w/in the first 6 picks, in the last 10 Years! Thats what we should be rooting for now. A Top 6 pick!(Top 4 Even Better)
-
This is year 2 of the rebuild. The first 2 seasons were a mix of trying to bolster Ted Nolan’s team and eliminating both Nolan and Milbury players. The team still has too many holdovers from those years and because of contracts (for better or worse) needs to continue to shed those layers. Year 3 starts next year.
-
Dorfer, I expected the Isles to make very modest improvements over last year considering the amount of youth on this team. Did not expect them to go on a tear like they did in December so that was actually a bonus. Laslty the kool-aid line seems to be a bit overused and I don’t think it’s fair to judge everyone who has belief in a rebuild that we are seeing with our own two eyes by saying we drank the koolaid. They are rebuilding the team but they are obviously doing it slower than fans expected. I guess the people who didn’t “drink the koolaid” thought we would be the 6th seed this year. That seems way to optimistic to us koolaid lovers.
-
As I have stated before and I will state until the league steps into this mess Charles Wang is only worried about Charles Wang.
He is a businessman, a multi-billionaire, and a NHL team owner in that order. He has made money on every outside venture with exception of the Islanders. I believed it was the county that was holding up the lighthouse project then started to see the writing on the wall. He was told upon purchase the NVMC and all the land around it would be his to develop. The Cable contract #1 in the league would generate HUGE profits for him. The SMG lease although not great would expire and become solely the property of the NY Islanders Franchise. Now that the Lighthouse sunk, the team has lost money on a yearly basis and only the parking lot fees are coming to him he has decided to stop the bleeding.
As much as it hurts me to say it I feel I must. The only way our kids or grand kids will see the Cup in Uniondale is when there is a promotion bringing the REAL Islanders back to the spotlight. If any current Isles are reading this I say walk away when your contracts’ expire…
-
and btw, we have gone from a C+ and a 21st ranking on the THN Future Watch to a B+ and a top 10 ranking in one year…YES, we have a ways to go, and YES we will need judicious FA signings, and YES this is slower than we would like, made worse by the 17 years, but this was started with the 07/08 season and is really a short time, despite the frustration and negative feelings expressed here…and one more thing, with guys like Martin (5th rd pick) and MacDonald (6th rd pick), why would we have given a late round pick (5-7) for a 20 game rental Dman?…would make NO sense at all imo.
-
mike 8 says:
If Snow could have gotten a 5th rounder for Park, why the hell did he not take it?!
What does Snow have against players with size and toughness? Does he realize this team is absolutely the softest team in the league? What is the point of playing Jon Sim, Richard Park, Tim Jackman every single night, yet Witt rots in Bport??? Im just so sick of watching these scrubs.
-
And to those who say be patient, how does playing Sim, Park, Jackman, Gervais, etc help the rebuild?
-
IslanderNation says:
I agree with post #80. No one expected us to make the playoffs this year. We’re still in the mid stages of a rebuild. You don’t trade draft picks away for ‘depth’ rental defensemen. Garth and Gordon have done a great job sticking to the rebuild despite articles like this. This blog is getting too depressing.
Whether we make the playoffs or not, this has been a positive year in the rebuild process. Okposo has really stepped up his game and leadership skills(except for his recent slump), Bailey has gotten stronger and has improved. We found great surprises in Andrew MacDonald and Matt Moulson. Hillen and Comeau have really stepped up their game as well this season. Tavares(even though struggling) will reach 20 goals in his rookie season and will bulk up after the season.
When you’re in the midst of a rebuilding process you have to look at the positive steps each season.
-
Matt S. says:
“..to immediately take out two guys that were playing 23, 24-plus minutes (Sutton and MacDonald), and insert a guy who’s never played an NHL game (Dylan Reese) …we’re at a huge disadvantage.” – Scott Gordon.
Gordon is pretty much blaming Snow in that statement for their problems. the Sutton trade and forcing this Reese kid onto a pro team when you have Witt wasting away in the minors. i know Witt didn’t have a ton of fans this season on this board, but no educated hockey fan can say this Reese kid is better in the line up.
-
Jzimm says:
Seth, #1, you don’t know what you’re talking about, it’s “Kool-Aid”- you spelled it with a “C”- so you’re wrong. Just kidding.
I can’t for the life of me understand the mishandling of Jeff Tambellini. It just doesn’t make sense.
-
Marc says:
Next Sunday vs. Toronto could be a big game in the standings race!
If the Isles’ win the draft lottery, can they trade the #1 overall pick for Zach Parise? Or is there a Parise that sucks and we can draft him and say that “we got the better Parise.” Oh, that was Don Maloney’s quote.
The season-ticket holders should refuse to sign up for next year before hearing from Wang (preferably via CB.)
-
ernesto says:
i keep hearing about garth.Who the hell is garth?Is he the clown that was the backup goalie and all of a sudden hes thrust into this position of power.The man has zero credentials and zero experience for christ sake!!!Do you know how silly it sounds everytime i hear the name garth???
-
nobody on Mar 7th, 2010 15:53:55 conveniently leaves out Del Zotto.
-
Ethan K says:
Why are we boycotting the team just because they’re bad? You have to expect it during the rebuild. We expected a bottom 5 finish, which is why Sutton was traded. The coach and players will not go to the media and say “We’ve had a good run, but it’s time to lose so that we can get another good player.” They’re going to say “We can make the playoffs…”.
Meanwhile, they trade their best dman, they have a dman coming off IR, and another one just got hurt.
We all know that we need another top 2 dman/top 6 forward. Draft and offseason is what I’m excited for.
-
dsb says:
bottom line is since we cant sign any top end free agents like smyth or drury ( who we offered more money via free agency 2 years ago and did not come here) the only way to get top end talent is in the draft or by way of trade. since we know this is a very talented top end of the draft (and next year looks to be very very weak)i have no problem with snow looking to tank to get another top end player in here. and thats exactly what he is doing. he cannot say i didnt bring in another defenseman because im looking to get #1 pick in the draft lol. we were 6 points out of the playoffs with 5 teams in front of us the odds were very much against us. more importantly you can make the case he wasnt more of a seller taking a 5th rounder for biron or park. next year when we have more assets and plenty of cap room and a bad draft coming up in 2011 you should see snow make a move during free agency and trading some prospects and future picks for proven players like sharp or versteeg because there is no carrot next year if you are the worst team in the league. this year there are atleast 3 franchise players and snow realizes it would be better for us to get one of them then to finish 9th worst. it sucks it hurts to watch but it is the right way to go. next year the additions should be fowler/seguin/hall plus top 6 forward top 4 defenseman (to replace sutton) possibly hamonic and the improvement of our core which is tavares okposo bailey comeau shremp martin moulson nielsen mcdonald hillen and possibly petrov dehaan. guerin and weights islanders had 61 points in 82 games tavares okposo isles have 60 points in 63 games. that is improvement with much more potential improvement next year.
-
Diane says:
Staying the course would be one thing, and perfectly okay with me but they didn’t do that.
They traded Sutton for a pick and immediately this team got worse. (Even without MacD going out). I don’t get the logic with that at all and I don’t understand how Garth would think that trading him away wold help the rebuild.
Agreed he hasn’t been healthy. Agreed he might not sign with this team next season. But so what? So what? Sutton’s a big problem?? Is that why he was traded? Snow HAD to get rid of him? That’s the only answer?I’m okay with him (and others) walking for free at the end of the season if that’s what was going to happen. We’ve lost a few players “for free” over the past couple of years. Oh well. Part of the process. We have a lot of drek.
Fact is, by trading him we got worse and I just can’t get past that. And then by not adding a better piece we got a slap in the face IMO. Please, where is the logic with this? How does what happened (and didn’t happen) help the rebuild?
We’re getting frustrated.
-
battfist says:
Gordon isnt the problem…he believes in his team/players.
Can we get a DP update?
-
Islander says:
Poor reflecton on Isles administration is the “*^%#* way” they have treated Tambellini. No human being deserves to be treated this way. Does not matter if he is a good, bad or mediocre player. Period this is so sad!
-
yeah his recovery is right on track according to Wang and Snow.
-
Danbury Islanders Fan says:
Hey Chris,
What are the odds that DP would do an interview with you about his injuries and his future plans during the offseason. -
I’m actually a little concerned about this tank job. It’s bad for morale. I missed the game on Thursday, which I’m happy about, but yesterday’s game was just overall frustrating.
I hope that this team can at least become watchable soon. Even if they lost every single game of the year, I would take their play in mid-January every single day.
-
michael in seattle, WA says:
So we’re in year two of the rebuild. I watched the Chicago-Detroit game on NBC today… now the Blackhawks: there is a team with young talent. They are stacked with young studs and olympians (and sadly for their playoff chances, NOT Rolly!!). I can’t say I see our core of guys measuring up to that level. Does anyone see a team full of Olympians on Long Island in a couple years?? The jury is out on how Hamonic and de Haan develop, but Josh Bailey is not going to be Jon Toews, and Tavares is not Patrick Kane. I want to believe in the rebuild, but I think this offseason will be the time to start adding some vets to the core. How long are we going to wait??
-
Will C. says:
We need Tyler Seguin, or Hall. If we bomb we got a good shot. Bring back DP in a wheel chair. For every Crosby you need your Malkin for space, Ovechkin-Semin, Trots-Bossy. You need a two punch. JT-????
I think KO-Bailey are starting to grow together. -
Islebethere4u says:
CB, what if any affect would any of the following scenarios have on the team as a whole?…..what if Rick DePietro were to retire, be medically retired or be waived from the team and are any of these scenarios even remotely possible at this point of the season or the near future?
-
Ben says:
No increase in spending
No paying for ANYONE over the 4-4.5 mil range
Small moves and them them as part of the plan
Snow saying he has the green light to spend – LIE
Lousy draft picks from 2002 – 2006 result in poor quality of group to lead today
CB sounding a bit negative on most recent news reports, sad but understandable
Gordon sounding frustrated – how often do you see a go-go team not going? Especially this time of year!
Streit telling it from the heart.
KO very quiet
JT needs new skates and a skating coach
Comeau shooting looks strong – finally
Bergie a mystery. Will he ever get it together . . .
How frustrated must one feel when it’s evident that no one is happy with what you are doing (Tambi, Park, Sim). Quiet the inspirational feeling for giving your all . . .
My hope is that we play good hockey, not get the points like the recent games, finish in the bottom three and pick a good prospect – someone who is fast, dynamic and skilled (and is over 6-2)
-
OJK says:
Well I guess we are better than last year so that’s progress BUT WHY is ownership letting this horrible karma with the Fans happen?!? They can’t be that dumb, so next path in my eyes leads to suspicion.
-
isles71 says:
As a franchise we suck!!! Think back to ’93 and the dismal run we had after that. We drafted every great player out there and ran them off or traded them within 3 years of signing. Since ’01 we have drafted like the fools we are. Tell me one player since ’01 WE drafted that was worth a crap?!?! Every decent player in this organization over the last decade came from somewhere else…and guess what…left!!! Ryan Smyth, Jason Blake, Alexi Yashin, Mike Peca, Adrian Aucoin, Kenny Jonnson, Cliff Ronning…these guys came and went as soon as they could. You let Osgood go so DP can do what??? Give me a break!!! I was at the Atlanta game and John Tavares SUCKS!!!!! Looked scared, no motivation, can’t skate….it was embarassing…please sell team or move to building and make the effort!!!!
-
this is year 16 of the rebuild. it started in 1994.
-
10 dollars says we don’t win 3 more games this year as well!!!
-
Big Van Vader says:
Quit the crying, people! Isles are trying their best to tank it without saying it. I’m absolutely fine with it as long as we continue to stockpile youth and top picks. We’re in YEAR TWO of a rebuild. How long did it take chicago and LA? Forget Pitt and the Caps. They got lucky and got three great players almost as soon as they started their rebuilds. It took chi and LA basically 4 years to get to where they are now. Those teams have young stars and are set for at least a decade. Isles need at LEAST another year or two of drafting at the top, which means finishing at the bottom, as well as the development of the youngsters to become a truly good hockey franchise.
Either you have the guts to endure it, or you don’t. The only thing you should get pissed at is that they weren’t able to get anything for the goalies.
Everything else was expected going into this season. Better than last year and developing the kids. That’s all.
Now go get a top 3 pick.
Oh, yeah. And would someone help us get this Lighthouse built already???? Is Bill Gates feeling charitable?
-
Les Beaver says:
I do not understand how this team does not stand up for each other. I’ve never seen anything like it. When Comeau went down yesterday no one did anything. Just skated around like nothing happened. Any other team would have at the very least had words with Ryder, but this team? Nada. That bothers me more than anything else. This is a team that should be together a long time. First thing they should learn is to stand up for each other. I find it disappointing, and it’s not the first time it’s happened.
-
#80, why should Wang care what TOH does in regard to running a hockey team…thats a real estate transaction, right???? Or is the product a result of the TOH decision…sad!
-
Spartiarti-RVC says:
guys if next year isles are not noticeably better than i will say we are in trouble. We are in year 2 of rebuild.
Pens finished last the year the drafted crosby.
then turned it around nicely the following season.
face it we are not contenders this year. Another good high draft pick will be longer term positive.
-
I expected another top 5 pick this year, so the team’s record does not disturb me. What does disturb me is that they did not add one or two mid level, young veterans (between 27 and 30) during the FA period. Don’t get me wrong–I would not expect a Tanguay and/or a Seidenberg to make much of a difference in our record. Players like that would, however, take some of the pressure off of JT and KO and allow them to develop properly. That’s what this season should be all about. I wasn’t asking for a Hossa this year. Just some players to help nurture the kids rather than letting them hang out to dry.
-
#101…yup u r right, left off Del Zotto…not that it changes a thing…and btw, think the 200+ rags fans outside msg tonight chanting “fire Sather” like his youth?
-
I’ll never be done with this team (unless of course they move out of the area), but it sure is frustrating to be a fan these days. Everything seems so stagnant.
-
Mike says:
I don’t think all is lost just yet. We definitely have some talent in Tavares, Okposo, Bailey, & a few others. How they develop remains to be seen of course, but there is reason for hope. Bridgeport guys are playing well and our minor league system is not nearly as bad as it was just 2 years ago. I was and am a big DiPietro fan but they failed miserably (again) in handling his comeback. He should have played the season in Bridgeport until the trade deadline when they would presumably have unloaded Biron. Bringing in 3 goalies clearly upset the chemistry on the team and we are paying for it now with a lost season after a promising start. And lets not forget we are still paying for the Mike Milbury Mistake. How could a guy like that be in charge for so long given how poor a job he was doing? IMO he is still to blame for guys not wanting to play here. This is a team that has had only 1 coach complete 3 consecutive seasons, so to have some stability now can only be a good thing. I am keeping faith that this offseason and the beginning of next season is when we finally turn the corner.
-
nyislanders93 says:
We have officially moved into 28th place! Go Fowler!
-
matt says:
lets fire gordon and hopefully we can win the lottery
-
JP says:
Not adding a stop-gap d-man to replace Sutton or MacDonald reminds me of the owner from “Major League”. I can’t seriously imagine they are trying to tank the season, but they are certainly not helping their case.
The Isles were such a pleasant surprise, and I remember being so excited about them going into that late January Devil game. Looking back I have been trying to figure out why they fell flat on their faces since then, and came up with a few possibilities:
1. Their luck ran out. How many one goal, OT, or SO games can they really expect to win?
2. Other teams started taking them seriously. (Just like Doug Weight said they should do)
3.Rick DiPetro returning(probably unfair, but who knows?It should be an interesting last month.
-
bobice says:
@111, couldnt of said it any better myself
-
isle in NYC says:
At what point do we start questioning whether or not DP’s career is in essence over. If he did not have his huge embarrassing contract his career would effectively be over. This will be 2 seasons in a row he would be shut down. Can Wang consider buying out DP’s contract or is there any insurance to cover his contract should he be forced to retire due to his bad knees and hips. I know DP means well but this is just becoming a black cloud over the heads of the organization. Especially considering most cup teams build from the goal out.
-
If Wang buyouts DP’s contract, the Islanders have to pay him against the cap through the 2031-2032 season. I’m not kidding.
-
Hud says:
sorry. nobody they added would have won the cup for the Isles, get a top three pick and move forward.
-
Brian from Massapequa says:
I’m hoping I don’t run too long here, but these are my notes on what I read today.
Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) Forwards – Sim, Weight, and Jackman will not be back. By the way that is $4.5 million in Salary Caps hit combined. Richard Park could stick around for one more year.
UFA Defenseman Frederick Meyer IV will likely be extended before July 1st.
Of the Islanders Restricted Free Agent ‘property’, I only expect Rob Schremp and Matt Moulson to be signed for next year. Moulson XXX should get a $1 million contract as reward for his service this season. If his productivity continues next year expect him to get a three year extension at about $2 million a year. Rob Schremp will probably get a modest raise next season from his $715,000 salary this season.
When Coach Gordon is asked if they are still trying to make the playoffs, he should answer the question in such a way that there is no follow up question to ask. He does not need to answer organizational decisions that are the General Manager’s job.
Reporter: Are you still trying to make the playoffs?
Coach Gordon: We are trying to win every game.
Reporter: So, you are still trying to make the playoffs?
Coach Gordon: As I said, we are trying to win every game we play.
That would be Jack Ryan style.
I don’t understand the Sutton trade without that second round pick and one of our goalies being packaged for a first round pick. Maybe a potential follow up trade fell apart.
Has anyone ever thought about the fact that if the org bought out Rick DiPietro that it would only cost the team $2.25 million against the salary cap per year even if it is for the next 24 seasons. How can that really be considered different from $4.50 million for the next 12 seasons? You can only plan so far ahead. A buyout could or even possibly should be coming.
Brendan Witt’s contract will bought out after this season (unless Snow puts him through Re-Entry Waivers soon knowing there is a taker). This is not going to be a Jon Sim resurrection project where Witter turns into Steve Webb for 2010-11.
-
Steven says:
I agree 104. There seems to be many fans who do not understand top players do not want to play for us at this time. Another top pick and the growth up our young players will hopefully help. Charles has made his share of mistakes. The horrible lease and the do nothing LI politians have hurt this francise more than anything Charles has done. Few teams in sports have had to deal with the Islanders problems. Adding a depth dman or two for draft picks was not the way to go. I want the off ice problem for the Isles to go away so we can judge Garth and Charles fairly. It’s not easy working with one hand tied behind your back.
-
Jeff Kuntz says:
I think it’s comical that a day or two after CB gets snubbed by the GM, Snow gives an interview to some reporter most of us have never heard of. I will never accuse Garth Snow of not having a sense of humour.
I have to wonder if more Islanders season ticket holders read Newsday, or Point Blank.. I also have to wonder if anyone at the Islanders has ever tried to find out..
Anyway, as for the content of the piece – it’s much ado about nothing. Everyone’s saying what they need to say. Like it or not everyone is going through the motions now.
Oh you think 2009-10 was bad in terms of the team we iced?
Next season, Yashin’s cap hit is $4.7M, add to that Brendan Witt’s hit should a buyout become reality and we’ll have a roster that, while CBA compliant, is $6-7 million below the floor talent-wise. If DP’s health remains problematic: effectively $10 million+. That’s not even counting all the fluff that will be built into veteran bonuses that may never be paid out.
My prediction is another tough season ahead and Scott Gordon is dismissed part way through the year..
-
CM says:
Maybe they tried. This draft was all about giving up nothing for something. Why trade what little you have for something mediocre. Leaders have to stay due course and tell the calvary to plow forward as best they can. That’s all.
-
isles83 says:
Hud said “Sorry, nobody they added would have won the cup for the Isles, get a top three pick and move forward”. Post 133
The problem with this is every year at this time we say “get a top three pick and move forward” and we do not move forward. We’re stuck at 2 speeds slow and stop. We need to get some talent in here during the summer. Otherwise every March we’ll be saying the same thing instead of being in the playoff chase.
-
steve says:
gordon was an olympic assistant coach,for a team that preached an aggressive forecheck. hes a fine coach. firing him solves nohing, and makes things worse. get your heads out of the sand.
sutton was worth a second rounder. thats the market, you cant make it better by wishing.
snow might not make enough moves, but he might orders from above. he seems to make solid moves.
tamby is on the bench because hes earned the spot. hes wasted his chances, and comeau does everything better. i dont get the tamby worship.
witt and rm have given the team nothing this season, hillen missed a month. 3 of your top four defenders. nothing to do their but bear it.
RdP made the goalie thing a mess. moving him in, and rollie out, started or really put legs on the current slide. its a mess, with no good choices.
we 16 games left, we have reache dlast seasons point total, even with the last 6 weeks being a nightmare.
we seem to have found 3 nhl players in amac-mm-schremp, and the younger guys are improving. good season. getting either of the fowards in 2010 draft would be very helpful.
remember this quote.
“did kyle get swine flu, or did swine flu get kyle’d?” those we a couple of fun weeks. -
#92 – charles wang is not a ‘multi billionaire’ it’s questionable if he ever was. it definite that his net worth now is substantially less than say …10 years ago when he and kumar bought the team. many people rage at him for being greedy and only interested in the LH as way to further enrich his fortune without regard to the team, while others applaud his comittment and willingness to bankroll a losing enterprise year after year with his own dough, while fairly expecting to recoup some losses via a legitimate project such as the LH. as in most scenarios like this, the real story is somewhere in the middle. and as some up there pointed out and CB reiterated, it’s his team and he’s calling the shots. the ability of the g.m. and coach to really impact this team is negligible, and that can’t change until a future course is known. you want answers, you want to place responsibility, or even blame, go to the owner. the puck stops there.
-
The whole story is getting old….And the main problem is, that it repeats year after year….The Snow/Gordon debacle is all smoke and mirrors for the penny pinching owner….Garth you need a reality check !…There will be no playoff team this year or next year unless you add real NHL talent from the free agents who are available.
-
terry b says:
ed#71 the wrecker was some hokus pokus that the team put on the ice in pre season to show the fans that we are serious about getting tougher,hes got heart but will never be a nhl caliber,
-
i hate the rags as much as the next guy but,,at least they put some size and toughness on the ice,they feel the need to protect the skilled players and they know deep down the fans (most of them) love it
-
bcarey says:
If Tyler Seguin comes out of all of this, it will all have been worth it.
-
it’s not that we are impatient with the rebuild-but its the park’s, sim’s, weight’s, gervais, and the lack of toughness, and throw in the dipietro situation-that make the whole thing just crappy
-
potvin rocks says:
What a joke. They are not trying to get into the playoffs. All season they have been trying to build with draft picks. Gordon has played certian people strickly to market them for possible draft picks, Witt, Sutton, Roloson, Biron, Park, Sim and Berganheim. We are not fools we see what has been done all season long and how things changed as soon as the trade dealine passed. Looks like we are in position to draft Cam Fowler or Tyler Segain.
-
Isles Fanatic says:
the daft and this July will definately be an interesting time….there is alot of deadwood to clear out….here’s hoping they get it done.
-
Mike in Bohemia says:
Witt demoted
Sutton gone
MacDonald injured
Hillen rebounding
Kohn in
Reese in
nothing done at trade deadlineIt may not be the worst case scenario for the long term rebuild, but claiming they are honestly trying for the playoffs is insulting……and nobody is buying it, Garth.
-
Honnold says:
An example of the type of move that frustrates me as an Islander fan was the signing of Shawn Bates to 3(?) year contract at the end of his career. I believe this was done under Snow’s watch. Same with giving Bruno a multi-year contract while letting Grebeshkov go for relatively nothing. It often seems like popularity and PR considerations determines whether or not management plays hardball with a player in contract negotiations more than merit. I will say that Trent Hunter earned his deal because it wasn’t exorbitant, and he has been one the better and more consistent players in recent years.
-
felix says:
second 148. it is what it is and that is it. standing pat is the best for the franchise for the longterm. just dont tell us we are still in it.
The usual line of “this is an opprtunity for young players (kohn) to prove they belong and to properly evaluate the talent moving forward. All of these opportunities are well desreved.”
was that so hard.
-
jonsson3 says:
#3 #5 Right On! Beat The Rags!!
-
JtorBust says:
At the end of the day Wang is responsible for Milbury staying , Garth, Ricky 15, and will not spend a dollar. How bright is the future ?
-
The GM MUST say that the team is still fighting for a playoff spot. It technically is.
At it’s best, this team on paper was not a playoff team right from the get-go. It unfortunately did more than prove that over the course of the ten games heading into the Olympic break.
Snow’s long-term plan includes minor improvement this year and another lottery pick. Jankowski is currently one of the Islander’s most important employees. That’s what we’re getting. Terribly difficult plan to sell to those buying tickets.
Still, from Streit to BPort’s Motherwell, I’ve rarely seen an NHL franchsie with as thin, small and incapable a blueline as we CURRENTLY are 1-13.
We’re now the third worst team in the NHL.
Mr. B, might as well start maneuvering the jist of the posts at IPB towards the young guys’ play, BPort’s efforts for a playoff spot and yes, the draft. These are things we Islander fans can now “look forward” to.
Taking the team to court for an insincere attempt to make a run at the playoffs is an exercise in frustration.
-
Tony says:
I am all for building through the draft and taking our lumps while the youngsters get experience. History has shown that it is hard to buy a Stanley Cup. But it does seem like other teams in our situation are progressing faster than the Isles.
-
Hoguefanclun says:
Managements intentions are in the right place when it comes to building a winner; 1) Snow and co. drafted 2 goalies last draft in a thin draft for goalies, but it had to be done, championship teams all have excellent goaltending as do long-term successful franchises.
2)They drafted the best available player last year in Tavares.
3)They have NOT traded away any young players of note and stuck to their guns.
4)They’ve handled Bailey right and he may turn out to be the Isles best player!
5)They’ve made some solid pickups that people have mentioned here already: Moulson,but more so Schremp was more than just luck, Snow took a chance and he seems to be working out and has a bunch of talent. Yeah they’ve made mistakes but alot of this has to do with luck.
Overall; Bailey, Tavares, Schremp, Hillen, Macdonald, and this years #1 maybe Fowler, thats not a bad core to roll with. No its not the Penguins or Caps, but there is more than one way to skin a cat, maybe its the Devils? I don’t agree with Snow on everything, but he has done a good job. -
*Forgot Okposo!!
-
Angelos says:
This is ridiculous. As much as it hurts, we need to finish in the bottom five to add more depth/quality to our prospect pool. I do not want another decade of mediocrity. I want this team (which I love dearly) to win the CUP!
-
#152 Talk about looking at the team with rose colored glasses – you get the Hockey academy award! Instead of repeating all the real stuff that has gone down, lets agree that Wang’s End Game is really going to decide this franchise’s future and I believe that at this time even he doesn’t know what he is going to do.
-
I could swear at some point I recall Garth saying a few times “Build from the goal out”.
The goaltending situation is a mess, our D is pathetic, and out forwards are young and soft.
When will you BEGIN this build Garth? -
JD says:
Top 3 pick or not, it would be better to know where our franchise will be in the future.
-
Right on #153, whats the point, they aren’t going to admit they only have an eye on the future. This doesn’t necessarily mean they are intentionally tanking, but you make your own luck and YES they would like to end up as one of the bottom 3. I am not the biggest fan of Snow’s but please look at the bright side just for a little bit. What did you want Snow to do, I don’t get it. If we are thin on the blue line why were there calls for Sutton to be traded. You can’t have it both way guys.
PS to CB and Fans: They are not going to have a press conference to admit they are tanking or at least not interested in making the playoffs, so fugedaboutit. -
This offseason will tell alot about the direction of the team. It’ll either be a turning point where we add quality free agents to help our young guys or it’ll be more of the same and we’ll get to watch the team remain stagnant. We can’t keep relying solely on the draft. No team is successful that way.
-
Isles Revamped says:
The Isles should try and swap goaltending prospects with Vancover. I hear this kid Cory Schneider is very good. He is only 20. Cut the cord with DP. Start with a clean slate. Wang makes DP an insurance hit and everyone goes on there merry way. I like Ricky and the fire he brings but his body can’t answer the bell. Anyone else would have been let go already.
-
billy says:
I think that Snow has decided to shoot for the lottery pick, but he doesn’t have the cajones to announce it, since that’s not in the spirit of competition.
They knew full well about A-mac and chose not to do anything.
Bring Martin back up and sit jackman, he can’t play effectively with that cage on his face.
Does anybody know where Okposo went? Some dude’s putting in half the effort but wearing his jersey. haha -
Darren says:
If the Islanders are not going to put forth their best effort to win the CUP then just move the damn team and build another shopping mall.I give up.This is the same old story just different characters.Its really a comedy but not that funny if you’ve been a fan like me.Pretty damn sad in fact.This rebuild is now going on over 20YEARS!!!!!!Different faces same old story.BOO HOO.Old building,bad lease,no players want to play here,half empty arena.Maybe Christy Brinkley can put together a save the Islanders fund raiser and buy the majority ownership of the team and break the lease to move them out on eastern LI where they belong.Nassau don’t want them well hello Suffolk and yes the new name Long Island Ducks!!(screw anaheim)
lol ok Garth and Scott. keep drinking that cool aid because the fans are starting to sober up. As a fan since 1973, I am done spending money on this franchise until they can get their act together and put a winning product on the Coliseum ice.