ISLANDERS ACQUIRE WISNIEWSKI
Rugged dman exactly what the team needed
8:30 pm: Garth Snow made a great trade Friday evening, acquiring James Wisniewski from the Anaheim Ducks for a conditional third round draft choice in 2011. Wisniewski, signed by Anaheim this afternoon to a one-year, $3.2 million contract, makes up for the loss of physicality in Andy Sutton and at a much younger age.
The 5-11, 200-pound defenseman is 26 and averaged more than 24 minutes of icetime with Anaheim last season. The Ducks have several young defenseman ready to make their club, while the Islanders had the need and the salary cap space. Wisniewski could become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
Read the last two paragraphs from this post of a week ago. Tonight, the Islanders are a much better hockey team because of Snow’s acquisition of Wisniewski.
Your comments on the Wisniewski acquistion are welcomed.
103 Responses to ISLANDERS ACQUIRE WISNIEWSKI
Rugged dman exactly what the team needed
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jack says:
Love it! I read it was a conditional pick, any ideas on the conditions CB?
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MJS says:
What an unexpected, yet positive move. I can dig it.
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jim says:
excellent pickup. about time! our defense just got much better.
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isles316 says:
Great on a lot of levels. It gives me some piece of mind and confidence that they actually got a guy who is making a decent contract. Good job Isles.
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KH says:
There must be another trade coming. We already have 7 Defensemen on 1 way contracts.
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Priest says:
Seems like a steal to me for a 3rd rounder.
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KK says:
Love this move. Wiz brings a lot of energy to the lineup. Should help solidify things on the backend.
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Bob says:
Good move Garth! We reach the cap floor AND get a legit defenseman. Keep it going.
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Jethro09 says:
Great trade. Phenominal. Got a great d-man for virtually nothing. Get him signed long-term!
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kevin27nyi says:
a great steal. i love this trade
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IslesIsles2010 says:
Great trade Garth. Who said Mr. Wang will not spend to make this team better? I think I may have. Sorry, keep up the good work guys. We now have eight D men on one way contracts, who gets cut?
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Brian in VA says:
Snow did something right! Kudos nice trade… Postivity from me I cannot believe it.
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Matty says:
Is he an UFA after this season?
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Joe says:
Only good move by Garth in 2 months.
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Staten Islander says:
NICE! Party on Garth. Does this mean the Chef Bruno era is over?
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Bobby Banton says:
Awesome
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The New Isles GM says:
Bye Bye Bruno!
CB – If Garth can pull the trigger on one or two more trades like this, yes you are right, we can become a MUCH better hockey team. Today is a good day in Islander Country.
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Jon in Chicago says:
So nice to see our team acquire a player with a positive resume and not just a draft pick or a guy who has been on the fringe of the NHL for a few years. Our D looks a whole lot better now: Streit, Wisniewski, MacDonald, Eaton, Hillen, Martinek/Hamonic/Jurcina.
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shlo says:
Nice pick up for the coming year. He is on a one year contract.What happens next year ? is he a UFA or RFA ?? will he stay for more than one year??
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Mark in Ottawa says:
I was a little sad about Witt. This might make up for it.
Go get ‘em Garth.
Go Isles Go !
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Joe in Massapequa says:
I didn’t look up the Ducks team salary but maybe they needed some cap relief? It seems too good to be true but it is nice to be on the better side of one of these deals. Thanks CB.
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He’s 26 right now Shlo, so I believe next year he will be a UFA. Hopefully he has a good year here, loves Long Island/NYC and wants to sign long term. I can see him part of the rebuild and Jurcina just getting this year in with us.
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Cable12 says:
Much better team? Still last place in division and bottom 6 in NHL.
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Finally, some good news. Looks like we have a logjam on D so maybe someone else is going bye-bye.
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Madchef says:
This guy is a good player who likes to bang. Great Job Garth, I knew you had it n ya. Looks like we gave up nothing. Now go get a Forward and call it a day
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Andre Legault says:
Great pick up. The Isles absolutely are a better team after this trade.
Trash talk about Bruno is extremely “cheap”… Not needed at this time of the year. Come on…
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ablesser88 says:
Looks like it works out for both teams, although better for the Isles. We get another quality young defenseman, and that’s really what we need the most. The only bad thing is we still have 7 defensemen on 1-way contracts (now that we put Witt on waivers). Sounding good enough to be maybe a 2nd-line defenseman, we might have trouble.
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billy says:
Great, great trade. James will be in our top 4 and will ensure hamonic cuts his teeth in bridgeport.
So happy!!!
So many 1 way deals though
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Gotta give credit where it’s due, so this is a nice move. Looks like we’ve reached the floor.
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hyedray says:
HUGE…..I think this is just the start, because I can’t see us holding both Gervais and Martinek, unless the plan is to waive them after camp
Great move.
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geduffer says:
Just remember that Martinek will get injured the first time Tavares sneezes, so counting on him for much is foolish. Picking up Wisniewski was a great move. Extending him would be even better.
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19 Isle in NJ 22 says:
Good move … didn’t give up hardly anything for a potential top 4 d-man. Especially with next year’s draft prospect pool being soooo thin.
Wizzer can eat minutes, plays a big game in a mid-sized body, play the point on the PP (helping relieve KO from the point), eats minutes, makes great passes and blocks shots … He’s the jack of all trades d-man.
Hopefully he’ll love the Island and if he’s doing well … Garth can extend him before he hits UFA.
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Tond says:
this cat can play…i had to read it twice
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bob b. says:
finally, now if we can a good scorer we may make the playoff
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cjm says:
a 40 point season isn’t out of the question from this guy
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RAMen says:
The Islanders are a better team tonight, and they have a better, deeper defense than they had last season.
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Islebethere4u says:
Now I agree….The D has improved. Sorry to see Witt go like that. Not a great ending to a pretty good career. I don’t see gervais or martinek going anywhere due to injury factor. But if one or both must go, I wouldn’t miss them with the good young D ready to graduate from the farm. lets see… Streight-Hillen, Eaton-Jurcina and Wyzniewski and Martinek or Hamonic. Not bad.
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Mike from Sarasota says:
Best news of the off-season by far. Very happy.
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Steve M says: Great move, should be exciting to watch him. Now, we need some offense, hopefully Stempniak or Afinogenov. GO GARTH GO!
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Jzimm says:
Let’s see, who’s in the fold:
Streit (definitely in)
Wisniewski (definitely in)
Eaton (definitely in)
Jurcina (definitely in)
Gervais (by far the most expendible)
Martinek (definitely injured)
Hillen
MacDonald
Hamonic (probably AHL,possible 1st call up)
Kohn (Probably AHL, possible 1st call up)*All a one way contract means is that the player gets paid the same in the NHL and AHL. So one way contracts can play in the AHL. Still no great defenseman on this team, but good is good enough this year.
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Mario says:
Guys from NHL.COM;
The Islanders will have the option until June 1, 2011, to transfer to Anaheim their own third-round selection in the 2011 Entry Draft or Colorado’s third-round selection, previously acquired by the Islanders. -
jamal says:
great trade…wiz is a solid d man that makes the depth on d much better. I just hope they find room for hamonic. Maybe in bridgeport and he’ll be called up to replace an injured d man, but I’d really like to see him on the isles roster in october
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RobCush says:
About time we got some good news.
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Bob Bassen says:
Wow!
There’s nothing more to say.
Actually there is…wow! -
chris says:
Anyone who thinks Hamonic is NHL ready is crazy.. he needs at least a season down at the bridge. If anything this move pretty much tells you the Islanders don’t see him making the club or are happier just letting him take his time to develop.
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LouD says:
Glad to have the Wiz. Guys tough and doesn’t back down. On a side note I am waiting (for the people who keep insisting the Isles will not better this season) to realize that allthough they didn’t sign any big name offensive free agents, they still have a bunch of young prospects who have been working their butts off to take the next step. Don’t forget about the regular progression and maturation of our young players and don’t count them out when talking about the playoffs.
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asher says:
Hamonic will be up. After Martinek is injured.
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Oye Comeau Va says:
Great move. Just what the Isles needed, a banger and offensive threat wrapped into one. Finally a good problem for this team: too many D-men. Would assume someone gets waived and then you have the healthy scratch.
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Lets not get all giddy. Decent trade yes, blockbuster no. I see posts about how Mr Wang is opening his wallet and spending lots of money. 3.2 mil is NOT a lot of money. I think it is a wise trade and a bargin pickup for a serviceable D man. At 5 11 he is no andy sutton.
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Spartiarti - RVC says:
nice move. Wiz is great player. he hits too.
We finally have a NHL D corp. Now cut Grevais. -
Lafars says:
I love the clip where Wisniewski retaliates Seabrooks hit on Ryan. He came into the Hawks zone 20 seconds after Seabrook crunched Ryany against the glass. Porotects teammates, gets on score sheet, only 3rd rounder. You have to like the move.
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Steve says:
Good move. If he proves he’s worth it, I hope the Isles lock him up for long term.
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Orange&Blue says:
A+ for Garth!! This guy is a very good all around dman. He is also tough and blocks shots. Only 26. After putting Witt on unconditional waivers, this moves seals Bruno’s fate as well. No way he will make this team after this trade and Hamonic knocking on the door.
Now, Garth, don’t go and overpay for Savard. Go and sign Stempniak. Stempniak knows how to score and could score at least 30 playing with Tavares. He is only 27. Keep it young.
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JT says:
Great trade! Love that he led the Ducks in blocked shots and was 2nd in hits. Finally!
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StevieL says:
There has to be a negative! this is an Islander move after all! Wait for it…wait for it…Nope! nothing. Great trade! Exactly the type of player we needed!!
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Ben says:
Assuming no injuries, I think that Gervais and Jurcina would be the odd men out to start the season.
Streit, Wisniewski, Eaton, MacDonald, Hillen, and Martinek are a very good defense unit.
Then again, what are the chances of Martinek staying healthy. It’ll be good to have Jurcina and Gervais around for depth.
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va isles says:
Nice move but Sutton was better. Glad we got some toughness on the back end I was getting worried.Don’t think we are much better then last year, about the same. Unless Bailey, JT, KO and others put up better numbers. Hope KP makes the team and Snow signs Stempniak or Afinogenov. !
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The PORK CHOP EXPRESS says:
Interesting trade low risk. Too bad bobby ryan was not part of the deal lol. Is another move coming or the isles will hold 7 dmen?
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Steve M says:
#59 – Sutton was better? Well, first off, we haven’t seen the difference. Second, Wisniewski is a great player, and watching his play for the Ducks last year really stood out more than Sutton’s with the Islanders, IMO. But, we haven’t seen a difference between them yet.
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m.c. says:
Say what you will about the tenets of national socialism… Garth’s earning his stripes.
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The Real JD says:
Well this is a game a changer.
J. Wisniewski welcome to the NY Islanders
1. Obviously based on the Seabrook hit JW stands up for his teammates. Gotta love that.
2. JW logs big minutes as a top 4 Dman we so desparately needed.
3. This pushes Bruno to the bench or bridge where he belongs (sorry bruno just calling it the way I see it).
4. Prior to injuries there is going to be some serious competition for ice time among the defensemen which is a very good thing.
5. Top 6 Dmen –
Streit/Wisniewski
Hillen/MacDonald
Eaton/Jurcina (Martinek but we all know the poor guy cant stay healthy) -
Ethan K says:
There we go, Garth! Trading with a NEW team, getting a good player – an upgrade from Meyer, and for just one of the TWO third rounders we have in 2011. If we can get rid of Martinek and get someone good (like Sutton) we could actually have a good defense next year.
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Petey Pete says:
Good trade, definitely a positive offset to all the awful news coming out of this org the last 2 weeks.
Definitely a smart trade, GM Snow needs to be proactive like this, there are plenty of teams will to trade their “overvalued” youngsters. Snow needs to acquire and go forward with this year’s “playoff push.”
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Sutton laid out a man a game last season, in the best fashion I might add..hit check at full speed ..Then the other team would take a penalty to get at Sutton.. anyway, Sutton was #2 in blocked shots in the NHL Wisniewski was #93(Bruno Gervais was #91)Sutton is bigger which is nice. We are a small team and we need size.
Not saying The Wiz is bad I’m happy to have him but I liked Sutton more.If I was Snow I’d sign Sutton to a 2 or 3 year deal and move Martinek and Gervais.Jurcina Streit Sutton Wisniewski
Jurcina HillenMacDonald
Hamonic KohnLooks good to me
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50 in 50 says:
Good deal not Great… Maybe we can hit the floor next week
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brian in AZ says:
and that hit was in retaliation for a star player getting hit. lets get say that if someone puts another cheap shot on Bailey, they are going to get run
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Not too familiar with Wiz, only heard of him. Everything sounds positive, excited to see himm play. I hope this give CDH and Hamonic the time they need. Our D definitely seems different, I hope they gel well. Still need scoring… Hope another clever move is in the works.
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4PeatSake says:
If it means never seeing Weight or Okposo point the power play, this move is already a success. His bio reads that he likes an uptempo system, so he should fit right in to the overspeed (c) system.
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mark p says:
Finally…..Snow uses Cap Space to his advantage…..no rushing Hamonic….Bruno or Martinek are expendable and cheap.
Now a top 6 forward please! -
Very nice move by the Isles. I was getting sick to my stomach after the Gagne to Tampa trade for a 4th rd pick; thinking why dont we make trades like that! Well today we did. We have to get Wiz signed before he becomes UnRestricted at end of yr. Good job by Garth making sure we can give Ana the worst of our two 3rd rd picks. Hopefully this means the end of Bruno Gervais. Wiz is also a Right handed shooter, very nice! I bet Anaheim is wishing they traded him at the Deadline last year. Probably would’ve gotten a 2nd rd pick & a 3rd rd pick for him. Their Loss, Our Gain. It took to the final day of July, but Finally a Day to Celebrate this Off Season.
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mm30 says:
Finally a good trade
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CJCB says:
Nice, i like the way the team is moving this offseason. I know everyone wants that BIG player that will put us over the top but this team already is going to atleast be a MUCH MUCH BETTER watch this year. I personally cant wait and i have not said that in atleast 3 yrs!!
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dose says:
can’t say i’ve seen wisniewski play that much, but what i do know and the comments from CB and others here who know more than i do are good enough for me. this was a helleva move. the defense does look better going in now than last year, and that was priority #1 to me. snow gets tons of heat for off-ice issues and p.r. stuff, but as far as g.m.’ing the hockey part of this team, under these conditions, you have to say the guy is doing a damn good job.
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isles72 says:
I had been hoping for a d-man like wisnewski to come our way but figured it wasnt in the cards this offseason.
I’m kind of surprised we didnt have to send a decent b level prospect in addition to the conditional 3rd .
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Lorne says:
Looks like a nice signing.
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PURIFY says:
very good signing this kid will win over the fans. most important he an excellent puck mover especially the first pass out of the d zone. for those who would rather have sutton, the wiz brings more to the table. I like sutton alot but did we forget sutton missed at least 81 games for the nyi due to injury and will be 36 this march. Sutton had a great year for us last year, but it was one out of 4. we got a better player who is ten years younger. very happy about this steal of a move from snow.
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brian says:
….The 5-11, 200-pound defenseman is 26 and averaged more than 24 minutes of icetime with Anaheim last season……
Yes, he had 24 minutes of ice time…. and the Ducks were terrible defensively. What does that tell you?
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JTorBust says:
Congrats Garth on your first great trade of your career for an actual player. I am giddy about this move , a guy who stands up for his teammates is what this team needed more than anything and now we have a few of them. I give credit where credit is due and this was an absolute steal , nice job Garth. We need to lock this guy up for a few years.
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hockeytime says:
Very good value trade..decent upgrade over Bruno and Marty.
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4theisles says:
Less excited than most of you, we still have a below average defense in terms of size. Not exactly a cheap price tag for a one year rental. And probably not enough dough left for getting a real scorer up front. Well that doesn’t matter since all the best fruit was picked a month ago.
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islz says:
Good trade all around. Young,physical d-man with offensive upside,For a third rounder in a weak draft. Now we Dont have to rush the young defensemen. Getting Okposo off the point on the power play is huge, he can be better utilized. Now get us a young physical forward for the other third rounder. Good job Garth, I guess you dont just sit around your office playing solitaire on the computer like some people like to think. LOL
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therain93--terriers fan says:
Kind of feel bad for the guy — a few hours after committing to the Ducks, he then gets traded? We’ll welcome him though! ( ‘ :
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islesfan999 says:
I love this player. He has been on my short list of players I wanted the Isles to target. Excellent move Snow. Now go get 1 more scoring forward and were set. 1 of : Torres, Stempniak, Macarthur, Osullivan or Afiniganov
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Will C. says:
I find it funny that people are like WOW SO MANY ONE WAY CONTRACTS! That is what happens when you get good players. They don’t take the bus.
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There is nothing wrong with the trade itself but why can’t we have a player on the blue line who is not under 6′or just over 6′ we need size on the blue line and Jurcina is NOT what we need he couldn’t even make it with Columbus
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JoeRiverside says:
Cap Space is an asset and Snow used it to his advantage. Great job.
I agree with someone who said above that the Isles offense is better next year just because our young stars have one more yr of experience. The young crew should be able to collectively add 10 – 15 more goals this year. That makes a difference.
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Allen says:
He’ll log 25 minutes a game, toss in a few points ( he isn’t a 40 point guy and he won’t play in the PP, get a grip ), he’ll bang but he was a -5 with the Ducks last year and he’ll be gone after 2010-11.
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To Islesfan999 O’sullivan is on the Coyotes now, he’s not a FA. Stempniak would be a good addition the rest of your list is not worth going after
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a REAL hockey fan says:
.. Listen most of the board has ripped the Isles/Garth recently (and alot of it is deserved) but you have to give credit when its due and this is one of those times!
.. A young physical Dman (just what the doctor ordered!) he plays with a ‘edge’ and adds some much needed toughness to the backline – He can also REALLY contribute offensivly and move the puck in the offensive zone! Very good 2 way player
.. This is a good, dare i say great move by Garth and co..
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dino carillo says:
THESE ARE THE KINDS OF MOVES THAT BEAR FRUIT.NOW WE NEED SOME OFFENSE come on garth lets make the 2010-11 season one to remember
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Facts:
The Ducks defensively were putrid last season.
Wisniewski received 24 minutes of ice time for a bad defensive team.
The Ducks, a team without cap problems, dumped him.
No team wanted this player for more than a third rounder.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm………………
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Warren says:
Okay Isles fans I told you Garth has plans for the team this summer. Never give up on Garth he probably has more up his sleeve. Be paitient fans we will be a contender and chase for the “CUP” this year.
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SCLI says:
This is a positive move. The kind of “D” man that the Isles need. Be satisfied we have him this season and stop worrying where he’ll be in 2011-2012. The “D” just got better.
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Brian G says:
good trade…but no one should be praising Snow…Anaheim basically threw him to the Isles b/c they didn’t want to pay him the 3.2 mil.
Snow needs to sign a forward to a 1 year deal:
1. Torres
2. McArthur
3. Afinigenov
4. Asham
5. Madden
6. Belanger
7. Stempniak -
nyislanders93 says:
Good trade. We gave up basically nothing to get him. Still a couple more moves away from playoff contention though.
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Frank nyc says:
Wow how unexpected was that.
I ike the trade. Good young Dman.
Go Isles. -
barry from L.I. says:
We need to make one more impact trade to replace the lost goals from Bergenheim, Sim, Park, Jackman and Tambellini. Please Garth. A one year deal for a top six forward.
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admin says:
Comments thread closed. Have a good weekend.
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IslesNation says:
Yes it was a good trade but lets not believe this was a steal by any means, Anaheim obviously was ready to let him come here without much reciprocity. Very happy that the Isles are a better team with him, and hopefully this means we can weed out the weaker talent that has been part of the team the past 3 years. Good job Garth, still much work to be done.
Nice trade. Important trade. Low cost.