Monthly Archives: October 2010
FanHouse: Cammalleri slashes El Nino
12:45 pm: I asked Scott Gordon if it stands to reason, since Calvin de Haan is still here with no exhibition games left, that he’ll be here for the season opener. Gordon responded that the near futures of de Haan and Nino Niederreiter (second evaluation on leg bruise later today) will be a topic of discussion with Garth Snow all week. Both first round draft picks gave management plenty to talk about, but Gordon said he did not know yet whether the kids will be here “all season, for nine games, even on Wednesday.” I believe him. Comments on the kids. More to come.
12:20 pm, NVMC: The Islanders have announced that Rob Schremp will be sidelined 3-4 weeks with a back injury. The center suffered the injury when he took a cross-check to the back during the second period of the Islanders’ exhibition game in New Jersey on Friday. After practice, Scott Gordon acknowledged that the improved health and strong play of veteran playmaking center Doug Weight should lessen the blow of Schremp’s absence. Schremp was walking around the Coliseum this morning, uncomfortably to say the least. Another big loss for the Islanders. Comments.
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10:30 am, NVMC: Down to a manageable 27 players, Scott Gordon’s Islanders just took the ice at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum this morning with five full days to prepare for their season and home opener against the Dallas Stars on Saturday night.
Comeau – Tavares – Parenteau
Moulson – Nielsen – Hunter
Bailey - Weight – Sim
Gillies – Konopka – Hilbert
Defense: MacDonald, Wisniewski, Eaton, Martinek, Hillen, Mottau, Jurcina, Gervais, de Haan
DiPietro
Roloson
Notes: Rob Schremp (back) remains out. Nino Niederreiter (bruised leg) is not on the ice yet, but could join practice. Awaiting word. Matt Martin (foot) skated before practice with skills coach Bernie Cassell and took shots on goalie Nathan Lawson.
Comments on this post. Time to move on from the Sim-Hilbert issue. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. More to come.
FanHouse: Cammalleri slashes El Nino
11:40 am: Matt Martin and Calvin de Haan are still with the New York Islanders. So is Nino Niederreiter. So are Jon Sim and Andy Hilbert.
You can’t say the same for 17 others. As expected, the team made its big, post-split squad games cut today. Thankfully, they didn’t hesitate to announce it.
The following players have been assigned to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL:
Forwards: Justin DiBenedetto, Micheal Haley, Rob Hisey, Jesse Joensuu, Tomas Marcinko, Rhett Rakhshani, David Ullstrom, Jeremy Yablonski
Defensemen: Travis Hamonic, Mark Katic, Dylan Reese
Goaltender: Mikko Koskinen
Five camp invitees were released: Dean McAmmond, Jed Ortmeyer, Anders Eriksson, Manny Legace and Krys Kolanos. There were six cuts yesterday (see earlier post).
The Islanders still have nine defensemen – eight on one-way contracts, plus de Haan. At forward, the battle goes on for Niederreiter, Martin, Sim and Hilbert. Trevor Gillies remains as the enforcer. Garth Snow and Scott Gordon will need to get down to the NHL maximum 23 before they open the season at home on Saturday against Dallas.
Comments on the roster.
I found it odd when I heard from so many Islanders fans annoyed about the Rangers getting under the cap by sending Wade Redden to the minors. Yet why isn’t the Country equally annoyed that the Islanders are only reaching the cap floor because Alexei Yashin and Brendan Witt are still on the payroll? Larry Brooks shares his view of the Islanders’ accounting. Comments.
For the clip and review, click here.
9:30 pm, NVMC: The strangest training camp and preseason schedule in franchise history mercifully ended tonight as the Islanders’ A team defeated New Jersey 2-1 at the Coliseum while the B squad lost to Montreal 7-2 at Le Colisee. The team completed the exhibition season 1-4.
In New York, birthday boy Josh Bailey and Zach Parise traded first period goals – Bailey’s off a spinaround feed from Doug Weight (looking sharp), Parise on a goal set up by the Islanders paying most of their attention to the dazzling Ilya Kovalchuk. On a penalty shot in the first, Kovalchuk hit the post with a backhander.
Blake Comeau scored off a terrific centering pass by John Tavares to make it 2-1 with 2:35 left in the second period. Rick DiPietro was good in goal, under control. So far it looks like his health is intact. Mike Mottau was every bit as solid defensively as advertised. Not bad after just one full practice. Minus Martin Brodeur, the Devils played most of their regulars, so it was a good performance by the home team.
In Quebec City, Mike Cammalleri lost his cool in the second period and injured 2010 fifth overall pick Nino Niederreiter. According to Sun columnist Chris Stevenson, who was at the game, Cammalleri cross-checked Niederreiter and then slashed him in the back of the leg. Niederreiter suffered a leg bruise, not a major injury. In revenge, Jeremy “Yabo” Yablonski MMAed it up in the third. Cool.
Otherwise, the outcome was what you’d expect when the Islanders sent their B lineup. According to a scout in attendance, the following players did not look out of place: youngsters Niederreiter (nice play on NYI’s first goal before injury), David Ullstrom, Jesse Joensuu and Travis Hamonic and veteran Jon Sim. Camp invitee Manny Legace got the start in goal over prospect Mikko Koskinen, but that might have been a decision of mercy for the youngster against the veteran Habs lineup. Koskinen played the third period.
After the team’s Adventureland outing with fans on Sunday, the Islanders have five full days to practice with their complete roster before the season opener. Coach Gordon is going to like that.
*
No more split-squad games. Farewell to most of the players who joined training camp more than half-way through just to fill out a preseason game lineup and hope a scout noticed them. By the time it was 7-1 in the third period in Quebec City, you had to wonder if it was worth it to them. So long to several Islanders’ depth players who never would have made it this far in camp if the Islanders didn’t need 40 players to suit up on Wednesday and tonight. These last two weeks were awkward, pointless and not particularly productive. The good news is Gordon and the Islanders have all week to figure out what they are.
Over the next 24 hours, GM Garth Snow, scouts such as pro director Ken Morrow and Gordon will make drastic cuts to the training camp roster. It’s possible that the team could immediately go all the way down to just the 22-23 players they’ll need when the regular season opens at the Coliseum on Saturday against Dallas. The cuts should be known by Monday, if not during your NFL Sunday.
Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of the competition:
Goaltenders
On the team (2): Rick DiPietro, Dwayne Roloson
Under consideration (0): If the above pair are healthy, no one.
Defense
On the team (7): Mark Eaton, Jack Hillen, Milan Jurcina, Andrew MacDonald, Radek Martinek, Mike Mottau, James Wisniewski
Under consideration (2): Calvin de Haan, Bruno Gervais. Expect the Islanders to do right by Travis Hamonic and give him development time in Bridgeport. With more offensive skills, de Haan could get a longer look. There are still eight D (not including Mark Streit) on one-way contracts.
Forwards
On the team (10): Josh Bailey, Blake Comeau, Trent Hunter, Zenon Konopka, Matt Moulson, Frans Nielsen, PA Parenteau, Rob Schremp, John Tavares, Doug Weight
Under consideration (7): Trevor Gillies (who looks like he’ll be the enforcer-on-call), Andy Hilbert, Jesse Joensuu, Matt Martin, Nino Niederreiter, Rhett Rakhshani, Jon Sim. Like Hamonic, David Ullstrom could use some work in the AHL.
From this viewpoint, the top 30 players in camp played well. Nobody made a grand stand to win a roster spot. No one played poorly enough to take themselves out of consideration. It was that kind of camp. My hunch is the final roster spots will be determined not by performance, but by what Snow and Gordon want their team to be.
Notes: After Swiss newspaper Blick announced Mark Streit‘s shoulder surgery, the Islanders confirmed that both Streit and Kyle Okposo had successful procedures at the Cleveland Clinic on Friday.
The Islanders made three more cuts tonight: Robin Figren and goalies Kevin Poulin and Joel Martin.
Comments on Saturday’s games and the impending roster moves are welcomed.
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