Monthly Archives: February 2011
Also: his text to Garth Snow about Haley, praise for Konopka, the day he and Bobby Ny decided they weren’t going to take any more crap, the most unheralded members of the dynasty, his mission for the Clark Gillies Foundation and where he wants the Islanders to be in 2015. Comments on this interview welcomed. Deadline talk continues below.
4:00 pm: After making their two big moves two months ago, the Islanders made none at the trade deadline other than losing Rob Schremp on waivers and calling up Justin DiBenedetto.
Garth Snow wanted to deal Zenon Konopka, but knew he couldn’t dump the fan and player favorite for merely a mid-round draft pick. He sent out word through the media that a few teams were interested, but could not start a bidding war. There was little chance any team was going to give up a second round pick for Konopka, and no one called Snow’s bluff. When Anaheim moved on and traded a third round pick for Brad Winchester, Snow didn’t have any strong offers.
Radek Martinek was available, but Snow was unable to get the second round pick he required. The defenseman’s long injury history, which includes the present, made it impossible for Snow to ask for much.
In the final analysis for the season’s dealings, Snow did okay for his club. There was no goalie market, so getting a decent prospect for Dwayne Roloson was as good as the general manager was ever going to do. He also saved ownership a lot of money by moving Roloson with more than three months left in the season. The market for defensemen was busy, so maybe Snow could have got a bit more than a 2 and 5 for James Wisniewski. Still, he again saved his team a lot of money by moving him in December and it’s doubtful he would have gotten much more for the struggling defenseman.
Thanks to everyone for checking out Point Blank. I’ll see you tomorrow with a video interview from SNY that I believe you’ll enjoy. (CB)
3:30pm: TSN reporting LI native Chris Higgins traded to Vancouver for Evan Oberg and a pick. Also reporting that the Caps have acquired Jason Arnott from Jersey for David Steckel and 2nd rounder.
3:20pm: Isles announce that they have recalled Justin DiBenedetto from BP. 15G and 23 PTS in 40 games this season in the A.
3:08pm:
@KateStrangNYI: #Isles officially done.
3:00pm: TSN is reporting the Leafs have dealt John Mitchell to the Rangers.
2:45pm: Only 15 minutes to go until the deadline but remember trades can still filter through to our ears well after 3 PM if they’re submitted to the league in time. (KS)
2:25 pm: Dustin Penner to LA for first rounder, Teubert and another pick. Brad Winchester to Anaheim, so options for Konopka getting slimmer.
2:00 pm: Chris Campoli to Chicago for pick and prospect. He has to be overjoyed. Smart pickup by Hawks.
1:00 pm: Bob McKenzie – Klesla to Coyotes for Lepisto and Upshall.
12:55 pm: We’ll find out in the next two hours if the Islanders were able to get value for Konopka and Martinek. Anaheim still the leader of a very small group of teams interested in ZK. A half-dozen teams bidding for RM. Snow wants at least 2s for both.
12:05 pm: Rob Schremp claimed by Atlanta. Wideman to Caps for prospect and a 3.
11:05 am: NHL source tells Point Blank that Konopka to the Ducks is a “possibility.”
10:40 am: Apparently, Atlanta no longer viewed Niclas Bergfors as a strong prospect. Traded to Florida for Radek Dvorak.
10:15 am: A Canucks source to Point Blank a minute ago: “I’ve heard the rumors, but Zenon Konopka is not high on our wish list. He’s not even in the middle of our list.”
10:10 am: If the Islanders move Zenon Konopka today, it will confirm that they didn’t believe the Friday war against the Penguins was any big deal, along with my suspicions that management is not a big fan of Konopka.
Monday, 9:30 am: The countdown to the possible farewell of Radek Martinek from the Islanders begins in earnest. If Garth Snow can get a 2 for him, have to believe Martinek will be on the move. Plenty of teams need a depth defenseman today, including Chicago, Detroit, Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh. (CB)
11:40 pm: Good pickup by Buffalo. Brad Boyes from St. Louis for a 2.
11:00 pm: Chris Phillips re-signs for three years with Ottawa. Good to see a respected veteran and solid player stay when the ship is leaking.
9:00pm: TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that the Canucks have an interest in Konopka. Says that in general they’re looking for a “big, tough… FO artist”. Sounds like someone we know:
@TSNBobMcKenzie: OTT’s Chris Neil may be touch too rich but you never know. NYI Zenon Konopka may be person of interest for VAN. Good on faceoffs/team guy.
(KS)
7:30pm: I see a lot of questions in comments about potential trades and value. I’ll throw out some opinions. Personally, who I think could be moved outside of the three CB outlined below…. Nobody. There’s obviously a certain “core” that will be kept unless Garth gets blown away by an offer (and I doubt any such offers will/do exist). We know who they are.
There’s also a group that has little or no trade value. Gervais and Hillen won’t really bring back anything. Even if they could be traded, they’re probably worth, at the least, holding onto for the depth. Comeau could have some value but he’s probably part of the core and, again, isn’t worth giving up for the 5th (?) round pick he would be worth. Honestly, “3rd line winger” isn’t really at the top of a lot of shopping lists. And in terms of trading Islanders picks, especially first rounders, no. No. There’s no guarantee any Isles first rounds picks in the coming year(s) are going to be outside of the Top 5. So that’s more valuable than anything else and not worth parting with. Imagine how it feels in Toronto to watch the Bruins draft Tyler Seguin in 2010 and still have another lottery pick to use in 2011.
However, as I wrote last week I’m pretty optimistic about where this team could be next year. There’s a nice bunch of forwards with an impact player in the WHL who could be ready in September. If the defense can stay healthy, it’s solid. The biggest issues heading into training camp will likely be between the pipes. (KS)
6:30pm: Schultz here. All quiet so far today across the NHL. Maybe NHL GMs are preparing for their Oscar parties? No? Anyway, I’ll be here for the next few hours in case anything happens. I’ll also be around in the comments and you can always catch me on Twitter. My prediction is a quiet deadline since we’ve already seen so much action over the past few weeks and months. (KS)
5:00 pm: Before we go any further, let’s make one thing perfectly clear! Just because Schultz and I are hosting this marathon deadline blog post, it doesn’t mean we’re counting on anything major happening specific to Islanders Country. No false advertising here. All you have to do is read below and read my post from Friday morning on Martinek, Konopka and Schremp to see where expectations have been set. Fair enough? Don’t say we didn’t tell you. It’s hockey, so have fun with it. (CB)
3:15 pm: “If Garth wants to move Martinek, he’ll have no problem doing it.” This was an NHL assistant general manager to Point Blank on Sunday morning. He estimated there are at least four teams interested, including his own. The likely price for the future UFA defenseman is a late second round pick or a prospect. Getting both for Martinek would be a coup for Snow, but it’s possible when you see the prices already paid for defensemen over the last month. (CB)
3:00 pm: The NHL trade deadline is 24 hours from now. Garth Snow traded his two biggest chips – Dwayne Roloson and James Wisniewski – before the season was half-over, but there are still moves the Islanders can make. Join Chris Botta and Kevin Schultz as we post league trades and analysis right until the deadline and, since deals are often completed late, beyond.
In a market in which Tomas Kaberle brings back a good prospect, a first round pick and a conditional second round pick, anything can happen. Kris Versteeg was traded for first and third round picks. Brian Burke also acquired a strong defense prospect for Francois Beauchemin, so he maximized his chips. Mike Fisher also returned a first round pick for Bryan Murray, who once traded a first rounder for Chris Campoli. Even the Ian Whites and Chris Kellys are snagging second round picks.
After trading Roloson for Ty Wishart and getting a 2 and a 5 for Wisniewski, could Snow spring a surprise before the trade deadline? We want to hear from you throughout, so thanks for participating.
NOTE: Unless a trade report is from a legitimate news source like Newsday, TSN, Sportsnet or ESPN, please do not insult our readers by bringing it here. Thank you.
9:55 pm: The Islanders closed out the month of February with a record of 8-5-1 after a 3-2 loss tonight before the first announced sellout crowd of the season at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The home team dominated the first period from start to finish and then took a 2-0 lead early in the second on a goal by Travis Hamonic. However, once the Capitals got their legs and nerve back – which they seemed to do when Brooks Laich scored their first goal in two games at 9:45 of the second – the comeback seemed inevitable.
The very next shift said a lot. Bruce Boudreau reunited Alex Ovechkin with Alex Semin and Nicklas Backstrom and the dazzling trio kept the puck in the Islanders’ zone for a while. Doing their best to keep the puck out of the net were Islanders defensemen Mark Katic and Jack Hillen. On other shifts, assistant coach Dean Chynoweth played Ty Wishart with Bruno Gervais. The Islanders are hurting on defense. The spirit was willing, but eventually it caught up to them against the skilled Capitals. Mike Knuble and Semin scored early in the third to give Washington a 3-2 lead.
The Islanders were screwed late in the game by a pair of either sleeping or disrespectful linesman. With Al Montoya pulled, the Caps cleared the puck into the Islanders’ end. Although an Islander was not near the puck, icing was waved off.
Positives: Kyle Okposo (first goal) is starting to come on. Travis Hamonic is one terrific, young, all-zone defenseman. Katic skated well and looks like he could be a depth player. Andrew MacDonald was solid for over 25 minutes. Please feel free to add your own in Comments.
On the negative side, the Islanders – including Michael Grabner and John Tavares – missed on good scoring chances. For the first time in a start, Al Montoya did not make the big saves when needed. I thought Josh Bailey would have a better game. Rob Schremp did little to impress the scouts in attendance. Jack Capuano gave little icetime to his fourth line of Zenon Konopka (6:09, including another decisive victory in a fight), Micheal Haley (5:39) and Matt Martin (7:22, including another shift Montoya pulled).
The Islanders remain 13 points behind eighth-place Carolina with 19 games left in the regular season.
Konopka Wants to Stay: Since Point Blank’s post on Friday about the Islanders listening to offers for Konopka – to be clear, they are not being overwhelmed, nor is there a bidding war – sources close to Konopka say he has made it known that he does not want to leave the team. According to one, Konopka is willing to sign another one-year contract with the Islanders for the same salary ($600,000) he is being paid this season.
My bet is on Garth Snow not receiving a trade offer worth considering for Konopka, and then the practical general manager will have more time to evaluate whether he wants to bring the fourth line center and pugilist back for another season.
Season Ticket Prices Going Down? My son Luke and I took in Saturday’s game, my first visit to the Coliseum in over three months. It was fun to just sit back, enjoy the hockey game and meet so many readers. Nice job by the Islanders fans taking advantage of the $20 tickets, Give-n-Go partial plan and the availability on StubHub to support their team and fill the barn.
After a few quiet months, the fans have responded strongly to Ferocious Friday and the team’s improved play. Eric Hornick of MSG Network tweeted that this is the first time in almost two years that the Islanders have had three consecutive crowds of more than 13,000.
More than that, a hat tip to the season ticketholders that have hung in during this fourth consecutive season without a competitive bid for a playoff berth. I was told by a few people who stopped by our seats tonight that Islanders management is taking a serious look at new, more affordable pricing options to help the franchise maintain its current subscriber base and add more during the offseason. Good idea.
Streit Should Be Held Out: Mark Streit told reporters today that he wants to play this season. The Islanders’ No. 1 defenseman, who suffered a serious shoulder injury during a training camp scrimmage, was cleared to practice (but without contact) earlier this week.
I’m usually all for athletes playing when their doctors and trainers tell them it’s okay, but it’s difficult to see the point in Streit’s case. March arrives on Tuesday. The Islanders have 19 games remaining and Streit has yet to be cleared to absorb contact in practice. I would expect to see the Islanders announce in a few weeks that Streit will continue to practice and make his return to the lineup 100% at the start of the 2011-12 season. Anything else would seem foolish.
Trade Deadline Open Thread Starts Sunday: Point Blank will host an open thread on the Islanders’ activity at the trade deadline beginning Sunday afternoon. Although I would not expect a major impact move, you never know. Kevin Schultz and I will carry the thread for more than 24 hours.
Comments on tonight’s game and all the notes above are invited. Thank you.
UPDATED, Saturday at 12:05 pm: Rob Schremp and Nathan Lawson have been placed on waivers. The Schremp move confirms he had no trade value. Waiving Lawson now gives the Islanders some flexibility on roster decisions the rest of the way. Both could see some time with the Sound Tigers during the home stretch.
10:40 am: Between now and the NHL trade deadline on Monday, Garth Snow will listen to offers for three players:
Rob Schremp - One source told Point Blank that the Islanders have made it known around the NHL that Schremp is available. He was showcased for 18 minutes last night, his sixth straight game without a point.
In all likelihood, Snow will not receive any significant offers. The general manager will have to decide if he wants to return the pending restricted free agent next season on a one-way contract. Barring a brilliant final six weeks of the season, Schremp could be a looking for a new team in the summer.
Radek Martinek - The solid, but oft-injured Martinek has been sidelined again. As of Friday morning, the Islanders have not said much about the severity of his lower-body injury that has kept the defenseman out the last two games. An offer of a second round pick would be accepted immediately, even with the Islanders’ decimated blue line.
As the prices paid for Tomas Kaberle, Eric Brewer, Francois Beauchemin and Ian White proved, this is a seller’s market for defensemen. It will come down to Martinek’s health and whether Snow can engage more than one team in the bidding.
Zenon Konopka - The Islanders’ decision so far to not sign Konopka to a contract extension would seem to confirm this blog’s suspicions that the fans love the fighting fourth-line center more than management does. Konopka averages less than eleven minutes of playing time per game. He has one goal, six assists and 219 penalty minutes in 62 games and has won 57.3% of his faceoffs.
Konopka is credited with championing the franchise’s culture of toughness after three years of soft play and has become close with most of the team’s young nucleus of players. Still, it appears he could be acquired for the right price. It’s just hard to fathom a team giving up anything more than a third round draft pick for Konopka.
Snow has already made the three major moves he needed to execute in-season: trading James Wisniewski and Dwayne Roloson and signing Matt Moulson to a three-year contract extension. Monday’s trade deadline, sad to say, will not warrant round-the-clock updating in Islanders Country. Nevertheless, it will be worth monitoring what becomes of Martinek and Konopka.
9:50 pm: No one can say Islanders management is not doing what it can to put fans in the seats in the home stretch and making it affordable for the die-hards who don’t already have tickets. The team has made $20 tickets available for more than half of the games this season and now the Islanders are making it even cheaper to go. Get a seat for three games – including the home season finale against Max Talbot, Eric Godard and the Penguins – for just $50 by purchasing the Give-n-Go Pack. Here’s the link or call the sales force at 1.800.882.ISLES.
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The streak lives on, as the Flyers defeated the Islanders tonight, 4-3, in overtime on a goal by Andrej Meszaros. However, the Islanders deserve high marks for the way they battled for over 64 minutes despite a decimated blueline. Matt Martin scored two goals (his first in three months), including the game-tying goal with 28 seconds left in regulation and an extra attacker on.
“They did everything we asked them to do tonight,” Jack Capuano said on the MSG post-game show.
Al Montoya was very good again, making 39 saves – including a brilliant one-on-one stop on Kimmo Timonen in the first minute of overtime. The Islanders will continue to ride Montoya. Contrary to what I wrote in this space on Tuesday, when I theorized that there hasn’t been enough time for Montoya to learn much from the team’s goalie coaches, I’ve been told that consultant Sudarshan Maharaj made some immediate adjustments for Montoya – including with his equipment – that have helped the goaltender.
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The Islanders face the Flyers two more times this season – at home on March 26 and in the regular season finale in Philadelphia on April 9. As Garth Snow and Jack Capuano’s team tries to grow together and compete in the standings with the best in the Eastern Conference, those games present another challenge for several key forwards.
Frans Nielsen scored tonight, giving him three goals against the Flyers this season. Matt Martin scored his first off some diligent work from Michael Haley. Otherwise, important Islanders building blocks have failed to produce on the scoreboard against the rough, tough and talented Flyers.
Combined, six Islanders forwards – John Tavares, Matt Moulson, Josh Bailey, Michael Grabner, P.A. Parenteau and Blake Comeau – have one goal and one assist over four games this season against Philadelphia. Moulson has the goal, Parenteau the assist. Most of these players are still developing, and the Islanders have struggled for ages against the Flyers. Tavares and Moulson had their chances tonight, but that’s not enough. Challenges are good. These half-dozen need to prove they can produce against the best team in the division.
Comments.
What the NYI will do at the deadline…Advice to fans who want to rally for a new arena…Why Capuano will be back…The future of Tavares…respect for Grabner…Ownership’s willingness to spend…Goaltending. It’s all here.
9:55 pm: Terry Murray said it. He really said it.
After winning just two of ten games entering the All-Star break, the Islanders have played their best and most exciting hockey of the season since. On this blog and in our “Islanders Interactive” segments, I have mentioned on several occasions that I would like to see the team’s key performers play consistently well from the start of the season all the way through. This is what defines players. After all, we’ve seen this franchise, and individual players, go on impressive runs after being written out of the playoff race many times in recent years.
(And by the way, this goes for the current New Jersey Devils, too. Let’s see how the Islanders, Devils and any other team capable of rejoining the race do when they get within six points of eighth place and the games start to mean something again).
But that’s blogger-talk, mere talk-show fodder in Toronto (as recently as last night). Never – never! – did I imagine that a professional hockey operations staffer would utter similar sentiments out loud in a press briefing.
But Coach Murray has always been a different cat. He’s the man who once said his Flyers, while in the Stanley Cup Final, were “in a choking situation.” That didn’t go well. That didn’t end well.
Murray was nearly as tongue-tied after his Kings were wiped out by the Islanders, 3-0, on Saturday at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. He also, no doubt, didn’t mean any harm or disrespect. The LA head coach was more frustrated with his team’s failure against the Islanders after a long winning streak.
His comments, as first brought to light by Newsday NHL columnist Arthur Staple, were startling at first glance because here was a veteran NHL coach articulating into a microphone what I’d be saying and writing for two weeks on a little blog. So I double and triple-checked Murray’s quote against the reporting of Kings team-sponsored blogger Rich Hammond, a former editor of the Los Angeles Daily News. Rich is as reliable as it gets. Here’s Hammond’s transcription of the full comment from Murray, whom – for context’s sake – was asked about Michael Grabner and the Islanders’ speed:
“The Islanders, right now, are in a very relaxed state,” said Murray. “Their players are just playing. They’re stretching guys out. They’re leaving the zone early, to look for those long opportunities. There’s no pressure, there’s no consequence for anything that’s happening out there right now. So that’s the easiest time in your life to play hockey, is when you’re just having fun. Give them credit for doing that. They came at us and won the game. They beat us 3-0.”
A bit of a backhanded compliment, but Murray gave the Islanders proper credit. You certainly cannot kill him for his honesty.
Everyone that has followed the NHL – anyone that has followed this team for any of the last 15 years – knows wins come more easily when the pressure is off, whether it’s January, February or March. This is not taking anything away from anyone. All athletes can do is play the schedule, no matter what the standings say.
With a few more wins in the next week, the Islanders can put themselves in position to prove how big they can play when the games are big. Opportunity awaits.
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Maple Leafs 2, Islanders 1
Funny thing about Phil Kessel. He gets killed a lot for his hangdog demeanor and for being acquired for a second overall pick and what will likely be a top-ten pick (as if he made the deal, even if he forced it). Broadcasters have a field day with his minus-20 and yet you put on the Toronto games and he is the one player on a limited team that can create offense out of nothing. That’s what he did with a little over five minutes left in giving the Maple Leafs a 2-1 victory over the Islanders.
Al Montoya was terrific for the Islanders. The tendency is to want to give one of the Islanders’ goalie coaches credit, but in reality they haven’t really had any time to work with the recent Phoenix farmhand turned Islanders’ No. 1. The play in the Islanders’ end was often abysmal, but Montoya kept his team in the game with at least a half-dozen big stops.
Matt Moulson scored again. Jack Capuano’s team is going to need goal scoring from players other than Moulson, John Tavares and Michael Grabner. Milan Jurcina suffered a groin injury. The Islanders face a major challenge when they play the varsity, the Flyers in Philadelphia on Thursday night.
Carolina gave up a goal to the Rangers late in regulation and lost in a shootout, 3-2, so the Islanders are 12 points out of eighth. Teams making a late rush in the East may be heartened to know more than one playoff berth is available. Eric Staal lined up his brother for a huge hit, and as a result Marc Staal suffered an injury. The Rangers can win without their most explosive forward, Marian Gaborik. They cannot afford to lose their best defenseman, emerging as one of the best in the East this season, for long without their playoff spot being in serious jeopardy.
Comments on tonight’s game and all this stuff. See you Wednesday.
