WITT ON UNCONDITIONAL WAIVERS
Likely a prelude to a Brendan buyout
Garth Snow said last season they would not put Brendan Witt on waivers to make him available at half-price to teams. But even at $1.5 million, based on the market this summer for depth players, it’s unlikely a team would have taken the veteran defenseman’s tab. He was placed today on unconditional waivers.
A buyout is probably in his future. The Islanders still carry seven defensemen on one-way contracts for the 2010-11 season. If they buy out this last season of his contract, the Islanders could add the cost as they reach the salary cap floor.
Best of luck to Brendan, as tough and as passionate a player as the franchise has seen in the Charles Wang era.
Comments only on Brendan Witt.
I can haz Freddy Meyer?
They could actually use Witt this year, since Snow failed to address the need of Physical defenseman….Eaton & Jurcina just won’t cut it….there has been no positives for the fans this offseason, nothing really to look forward to this year….let the snail pace rebuild continue ….I’m assuming if Witt is bought out 1 mil will count against the cap the next 2 years
Good luck Witter, was a pleasure and thanks…..
One of my favorite players…best of luck.
Slow, no offense, just what the Isles don’t need, surprised he wasn’t brought back.
Its a shame the Isles treated a guy like Brendan Witt this way.
Good luck Brendan! Now can someone buyout Snow and Wang?
Honestly, if he was one of our top 6 dmen this year, that would have been a step backwards, not forwards. Still, in an strangly quiet Islanders summer, this was just more blah news. Best of luck to you Mr. Witt!
Too many silly penalties and too much bad play in the defensive zone. I like his toughness but in todays game i think the nhl world has passed brendan by
Hope Witt finds himself back in the NHL again but it’s unfortunate that he’s lost multiple steps the past 3 seasons. That, combined with rule changes after the lockout make him a dangerous player to give significant minutes to. But best of luck to the Witter.
Loved ya Witt! You deserved better and now you will… This “mickey mouse” organization disrespected you. Best of luck… It will feel good playing for an organization that cares about winning… Thanks for your time on the Island!
Wish Witt all the best. What a warrior would have enjoyed watching him on the Isles this year over Gervais!…
Good bye witter. Tough guy. Even tougher to watch
I would much rather have Witt on the blueline than ‘Go Way’ Gervais. I would take anybody over Bruno Gervais. Hell, put a garbage can out there.
We all know that in Snow Wang’s world of no criticism, Brendan’s remarks on Go-Go’s system was the kiss of death.
Good Luck “Braveheart”!!
Say what you want … but Brendan always left all of what he had left on the ice… Injuries took its toll … but not on my impression of a guy who played his game really well.
It was obvious without him in the lineup that opposing players gave the Isles’ goal crease a lot more respect. Brendan just wasn’t equiped to play the Go-Go system after his injuries robbed him of the last few years of his career.
“” Check that … A LOT LESS RESPECT for the Isles’ Goal crease. “”
Hopefully, this will speed up our 30 year rebuilding plan.
I strongly doubt we’ve seen the last of Brendan Witt. A fresh start it just what he needs. I think with the right system he’ll still be a solid force on the blue line, he’s an old school warrior.
As fine a member of the Islanders as any in the last 20 years. Would have been nice to have him earlier in his career. Good luck Witt.
Brendan apparently wasn’t as selfish as Yashin, nor was he as unmotivated as Kvasha - qualities that apparently are respected and honored on this backwards hockey team. Do I think Witt was/is the perfect fit for this team? No, a lot of players aren’t (and that says more about the confusion of the team than it does the player).
If there’s one thing any of us can say about Witt is that he battled hard on a very tough team to play for night in and night out. It’s nice to have veteran guys like that for youngsters to learn from. It’s nice to have guys lead by example and wear his heart on his sleeve.
The more and more this summer goes on the more and more I wonder why I’m so loyal to this team. Ugh.
Best of Luck to Brendan Witt. I always liked your game and was very happy when you came to the Islanders. Sorry to see you leave the Islanders this way. You were a class act and a favorite.
I think witter had a poor 09/10 season but i will be sorry to see him go, last season apart he was a fine player for the islanders
It’s the right move because your better off letting the younger guys play like McDonald, Hillen, and even maybe Hamonic. Then beyond that, he’s not better then Streit, Eaton, Jurcina, or Martinek - so there’s really no fit.
I think the game has passed him by, but I am still sorry to see him go. Lots of respect for Brendan. I wish we would of had him ealier in his career. Best of luck BW.
With Witt now out of the mix its time for the Islanders to sign SHAONE MORRISONN!!!!
SHAONE MORRISONN= good young D-man with size
Good luck Brendan. Thanks for your time here, you deserved better!
Brendan, I’m sorry to see you go. A few years back, us ISLES fans were clamoring for Management to get you, we got you and you served us well. You gave us your all on many nights and we appreicate your effort. I hope the best for you and your Family.
As Islanders fan here in 2010, I think it’s best though that the team parts with you although I’d much rather it be Bruno “P.R.-MAN” Gervais.
I cannot comprehend what management is thinking and what they see in Bruno that makes them think that he has such a high ceiling. The guy isn’t big, he’s not a great skater, he doesn’t have a head for the game, he doesn’t move the puck well, he’s not Agressive or Physical. What do they see in this guy?? His ceiling caved in 2 years ago!!
Thanks Brendan!
How did the Isles disrespect Witt ???? The Isles did what any other team would have done, once a player loses a few steps and becomes a liability on the ice they get replaced. That’s the nature of the beast, sorry. Could they have traded him ? maybe, but how many teams would have taken Witt and how little would they have given up ? Who’s gonna take a slow D man who can’t keep up with the game anymore at 2 mil a season ? Isles would have been lucky to get a 4th round pick fo him. I dissagree with all those who say he got the shaft, and this is comin from a fan who has Witt’s name and number on his jersey. I’m with poster #8, instead of bashing the organization ( there are planty of other real gripes to bash em for ) let’s just call it like it is, Witter’s time here in LI has passed.
The way the Isles treated Witt is just
one more reason no FA will sign here.
Well I guess if you know how to through a hit it gets you a ticket right out of town.
Good luck Brendan
Thanks for the memories Witter (y)
2 years ago , we were talking about Witt possibly getting the “C”! Today he is worth nothing to the org.!Meteoric fall!! Obviously I don’t think he bought into Gordon and then decided he would not kill himself for this team. Thanks Witter for everything, but it is time to move on!!
He may have been slow at times, but he gave the best he could every shift and I’m sure guys like Okposo n Bailey saw that. I wish the best for him. I just wish this wasn’t the way we would reach the cap floor. That makes me cringe….and not any closer to buying season tickets….
Mike P (22)…well said. And don’t think for a minute that the aging of Witt didn’t influence Snow on not offering a multi-year deal to Sutton.
Liked him, but he stopped fitting with the Isles system. Good luck to Witt, but glad to see him go.
Good luck Brendan. He was great under Nolan his first few seasons here but never really fit under Gordon’s system. Hope he finds an opportunity somewhere else in the league.
I really fail to see how this is disrespectful of Witter if it’s paired with a buyout. The buyout would allow Witt to sign with another NHL team (though I doubt they’ll be takers) rather than stewing in BPort for another season.
Does anyone think the Isles will pick anyone else up? Jurcina and Eaton + a couple of gritty fighters dont do a whole lot for us..
Yeah he has lost a few steps and doesn’t have the jam he used to have. But he served us well while the team around him had nothing going on.
He deserved to be treated better than this by SnoWang. Could have bought him out last year instead of unconditional waiver.
Business is business, but loyalty still has a place.
Merrick (#15) hit it on the nose. Brendan, best of luck. A fan favorite for life.
…And please don’t let the door hit you on the way out Brendan. He should have been shown the door when he publicly spoke out critically against the coach & his system during Flash’s first season. Veterans know better than that.
About time they set Witter free. The man literally got hit by a truck for this team. I’ll still watch the team but wont give and money to Wang and Co for the way the have conducted themselves this offseason and complete disregard for anything fan related. I can no longer support the way the team operates.
Oh and he’ll prolly land on his feet with either the Rags/Devs/Pens/Flyers.
Sign me up for Morrisone or Sutton or Randy Jones. Then get 1 of : Stempniak, Macarthur Sullivan or Afiniganov and I will be happy.
while he was a warrior for the isles, last year it was plain as day that he’s no longer able to skate at an NHL level. He was never that swift to begin with, but it was painful to watch how slow he was last year. He’s still willing, and he’s still got the snarl and the strength, but he can’t skate and because of that he’s not going to dress for an NHL team.
I’d be blown away if anyone claimed him on waivers, they’ll have to buy him out.
I suggested buying out the last year of his contract during the season last year, but someone running a blog shot that down.
Witt is older and slow but he is still better than Jurcina, look at the tape for goodness sakes. While the organizational talent is better than ever in the past decade the management of all other team affairs has been terrible. They better shape up before these kids come up for new contracts or the isles will just be a farm team for someone else.
This guy gave his all for the team. I wish him only the best. That his final gift to the Isles is to help them reach the salary floor without spending any money to improve the team says way more about the team than Witt. When will the league look into the way the Isles are getting around the salary floor? This seems just as important as policing NJ’s method of getting around the cap.
Can someone explain how the Isles can buy him out at this point in time? The buyout period is over for this off-season. The only exception would be if the Isles had a player who was awarded a contract via an arbitration case. The Isles don’t have that…
Farewell and Good Luck, Brendan. The Islanders are now officially Witt-less.
Letting him go is a good move only if you have someone better to replace him.
When he was brought over I too thought we would have that defensive d-man that every team needs, I personally feel that Snow has the heartbeat of this team in his hands, but if not this season, definitely next, is a pivotal one for this team. At that time I will question the GM’s moves. Witt is not showing any new defensemen the total defensive package for any current d-man in the present NHL, his +/- reflects this. Witt will definitely find a new team, but one that is established. One of our new pick ups will have to establish that presence that the Witt vacuum leaves, or we will have to nurture one, every team tries to do this and few succeed. This is a positive move for the current team.
Class act and warrior! Anyone who gets hit by a truck and plays the same night has toughness. He had a great career he should hold his head up high.
An absolute “Warrior” unfortunately he was a one trick pony, and the game has passed him by! Good luck Witter! Now do same with Gervais and I’ll will be estatic!
Just tired of the coach, general manager and owner…could they all just “go go” away…good luck brendan witt
Brendan,
You are a warrior and we loved having you on Long Island. The way you pummeled and got under the skin of so many of the league’s great players…absolutely priceless. I still remember how much Jagr hated you. I wish you the best in your future endeavors. You will not be replaced.
Thanks for everything!!
With the way he unceremoniously found himself in Bridgeport, seeing each of Kohn, Reese and - for one game - Klementyev, constantly filling in on the Island when defensive injuries abounded, it was clear this bridge had been permanently burnt.
The ties were severed then, even if some had thought he may get another shot á la Sim last season.
see ya!
Later Witt, I apreciate his first 2 seasons. But lets be honest he is done, at least in the isles system. Anyone whoe feels he has been treated wrong you must be tripping. If any of you or me could not perform our jobs we would be fired, plain and simple.
It is just the way this front office continually mistreats players and treats fans with the utmost disrespect that has me fed up. They never once made a statement about why they gave up Witter. Was it he was too slow for Gordo’s system or did he speak out about things he felt the team was doing wrong? Hire a PR department and stop acting like a minor league college team.
Best wishes to the Witter - opening night last year when he pulverized Fedotenko at the blueline and stood up to fight after the hit is a great memory of what Brendan Witt could do. Too bad the game passed by him a bit but he was a true warrior.
I don’t see this as a major loss, just hope that Hamonic will play a similar style as we do lack that crease-clearing kick arse presence on the blue line now.
Best Wishes and Warm Regards for a true WARRIOR! The guy gets run over by a truck on the streets of Philly and still plays that night. What more can you say?!? A world class player with immeasurable grit and character. Getting old sucks, but at least he can grow old on his beloved surfboard, with a bunch of Wangs dollars in his bank account. Happy trails old man! We’ll miss your toughness more than anything.
I too will miss Witt, he is a profound example of what was needed in d-men pre-lockout. A note to Snow, we need to find a young like-Witt!!! I sincerely hope Mr. Witt finds a new home just not in the Pens/Flyers/Devils lineup!!!
The Islanders let go of a guy who fought an SUV… and WON?! Oh man.
Witt was one of my favorite islanders for a number of seasons. Hard to watch his game fall of so sharply but I respect him and wish him well.
I always liked Witt. Good leadership, and toughness. Like some of you pointed out as well as botta, the guy won against a freaking SUV. Not many people or hockey players for that matter can say they beat an SUV lol.
I still don’t get how eating his salary is better than letting him play. I’d never sign here either if I was a player if there was a chance I’d be insulted by a team as terrible as this one. Brendan Witt, you’re still the man.
The pix of Witt choking out that rag in the intro to this article can serve to personify his style!! I just hope some other underachiever in a Rag’s uniform was not busting down the wing and scoring behind him!!!!
I love Witt. I wish him the best of luck in whatever he chooses to do.
Good job by Snow & Wang though to realize that his contract needed to be bought out. He just isn’t capable of handling this league anymore.
I worked some Sound Tigers game at the end of last year in the sin bin and I said to Witt hope he makes it back to the island and he said not a chance. He knew it was coming. I think todays NHL doesn’t lend to his type of play. Will miss him.
As harsh as it appears when a player is waived pretty much unceremoniously the way Witt was, it really isn’t bad for the player.
This gives Witt a chance to move on. I’m sure that Snow and Witt had a chit-chat about this as being the best route since Witt’s contract was untradeable.
Witt isn’t a fit with the Go-Go system, and he pretty much called himself out on that 18 months ago.
Witt also doesn’t have the wheels that he used to, so he wasn’t going to be able to force himself into that Go-Go mold even if he went on a P90X crash course.
Snow did right by Brendan and the organization by letting him go, and when he’s not picked up off waivers he’ll be bought out before the season starts. Then Brendan can shop for a new team as a UFA.
Look … If he can’t crack the lineup of the Islanders … Who can he play for?
Loved the Witter but the time is come, and I’ll always remember him as Braveheart.
Best of luck in the future, Brendan.
Love how we’re using $4M from Yashin and now a potential Witt buyout to reach the cap FLOOR. What a disrespectful way to treat your fans and especially your head coach. How can anyone truly assess the performance of Scott Gordon when for his entire tenure the team won’t even have fielded a team who’s talent level would be considered NHL worthy. Not sure what Snow and Wang are going to go on next year when Gordon’s contract runs out. Give him and give us some talent and then let’s see what this guy can do.
Brendan, Thank you for your years on the Island!Good luck to you and I hope you can continue to play somewhere else. Maybe Minnesota?
Those thinking we will pick p more salary are crazy. With a buyout we hit the floor and that is as far as Snow will go.He doesn’t have the money to spend - period!
To contradict myself now - I wish we pick up one more d-man who is a #3 or #4 in the depth chart. Martinek will be out by November. Can we at least try to get Sutton back -PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JTorBust — #51 — when does ANY team do that? “The New York Yankees would like to announce that we’ve decided to release Joba Chamberlain today because his fastball is regularly getting deposited in the seats.” The Islanders did nothing wrong here. They signed him; they signed him again; they felt his performance deteroriated, and it certainly did; they sent him down; they released him. What’s the issue here? The life of a pro athlete. Hey, the first few years I loved the guy. I remember telling a friend after one game that I was about to go out and buy his jersey. But he got very slow, very fast. It was obvious.
Witt. The heart of a warrior but age has caught up with him. Good luck Brendan, you left it all on the ice. No regrets.
Good luck to Witt. He has clearly lost a step and doesn’t really fit in with the Islanders plans, but he always battled hard, and was a tough guy not to like. I’m glad they (likely) have decided to buy him out and give him a chance to play at the NHL level rather than burying him in the minors. On the other hand, with his speed now, it could be the end for him, but I hope not.
Run Brendan Run! Don’t look back. And if that SUV gets in your way show em who’s boss.
good luck brendan, thanks for what you gave us minus last year.
I wonder if there will be some bad blood spoken once he is free and clear of us, i cant imagine he was ok with all that went down, but its not anybodies fault that he didnt have the speed for our system.
He was definitely a warrior for us though.
Had everything you want in a hockey player except terrible skating, particularly with age. One tough SOB on the ice. Time to start your surfing career. Best of Luck!
This guy is like Chuck Norris….gets hit by a car and goes on like nothing happened. Good Luck to Mr.Witt
Good luck Witter. One of my favorites while he was here. Hope he lands somewhere to finish his career in the NHL.
Loved his old school toughness. Wish him the best of luck.
I’ve been a big fan of Witt’s since his days with the Capitals. He’s been one of my favorite Islanders and his grittiness will be missed. I’m sorry to see his tenure here end like this.
Witt was one of my favorite players of all time, but his time has passed. this is a good move for the isles. i dont really think they disrespected him by putting him on waivers, If they had done this 2 years ago it would have been disrespectful, but he knew him time was up last year. hopefully this team can find a place for him in management or somewhere else so his devotion and passion can be noticed and hopefully followed by the younger guys.
Virtually all Organizations involved in a sport that has a Salary Cap do what they can to improve,even if it entails circumventing methods working around the Salary Cap Ceiling. The NY Islanders on the other hand try to find ways to circumvent the Salary Cap Floor with no intention to improve, only attempting to barely reach it. Is this worth investing our time and passion? Hell no!!!
best of luck witter. Sad end to great player. But you cant blame isles mgt. Witt lost his step, he was slow, he was minus and he was not hitting anymore. He could of made bigger effort to fight hard back and make team. they gave him every chance.
Good for Witter. Maybe he can get picked up by a REAL organization. Just one more reason for me to disengage.
Brendan Witt a no non-sense leader. A player who gave it his all and asked for nothing return. The Hard knox defenseman every team craves. It is shame the way this team treated him in the end but like the classy person that he is he said nothing and did what was asked. Don’t be surprised if he winds up in Manhattan or across the harbor. Best of Luck Brendan. Thank you for everything
You gave everything you had for the team and left it all on the ice. A class act and I hope you land on your feet hopefully to get a shot at Lord Stanley!
Your warrior spirit will be missed most of all.
CB, that is a great picture of Witt! I thought he played his heart out and gave it his all! In 2008-9, Brendan Witt and Radek Martinek were our shut down team. I will not understand the logic of the demotion to Bridgeport (I promised not to be negative about this franchise so I’ll end that there.)
Good luck to you and thank you!!
Be well B-Witt, hopefully he hooks up somewhere else and continues to throw his weight around like we know he can.
Class act! I wish you the very best of luck. Thanks for what you did here. I appreciated all you did for this team!!!
The man has definitely lost a step or 2 but he could replace Brutal as a 6th d-man easily w/o question.You can’t put him out there against the top 2 lines but he could play against any 3rd and 4th liners.Gordo tried to mis-use Witt in his no results GO-GO system as the shutdown d-man.Hell even I knew @ that point Witts best years were behind him.He never could skate.As for the current roster,oh man are we in trouble.C’mon Garth sign the 2 scoring wingers left and add Morrison on D.We currently have 0 wingers ready to play in NHL.Stop the bleeding already.At least make it look like we’re trying to compete.We did not answer any improvements by other teams in the east.Its gonna be a long year and a step back in the rebuild.Go Isles.
A good player for us…..but shows how the whole Nolan mess and lack of a plan holds us back.
Witt never fit Gordon’s system….and if Isles figured out coaching situation earlier they would have not resigned Witt and likely received a #2 at that trade deadline….Instead the Isles virtually ate 5M in Salary for the last 2 years.
I think Snow is getting better….but the learning on the job situation has been costly for the franchise.
its too bad it had to end this way
good luck with your next move Witter
Fare the well Braveheart! SUVs quake at the mere mention of your name.
He was a warrior…but time marches on.
Should have been more loyal to the Caps.
He’d still be playing and he’d have a chance for the Stanley Cup.
His words were “I don’t want to be part of a rebuild”. What do you think the Isles have been doing??