Monthly Archives: June 2011
By Corey Witt
Christian Ehrhoff never made it to the open free agent market as the defenseman signed with the Buffalo Sabres for a reported front-loaded 10-year, $40 million contract. He will receive $18 million in the first two years of the deal. In the past 48 hours, Ehrhoff’s rights were traded from Vancouver to the Islanders and then to the Sabres.
CB’s Take via Twitter – “On Ehrhoff: Long Island, NY did not lose to Buffalo. Coliseum did not lose him. He chose the Sabres and not the Islanders, is all.”
According to Newsday’s Katie Strang, Islanders tough guy/faceoff specialist/fan favorite Zenon Konopka will test the free agency waters tomorrow afternoon. Konopka told Strang that there have been no recent discussions between him and the club on a new contract.
Konopka, whose fiery play quickly made him a favorite of Islanders fans this past season, said he will remain open to returning to the team even though he can start fielding offers from the 29 other NHL clubs starting at noon on Friday. Konopka signed with the Islanders last July 2nd and if he does move on, it will be with his third NHL organization in as many seasons.
The Islanders announced their 2011 preseason schedule this afternoon with the lone Coliseum date being a match-up against New Jersey Devils on Sept. 24 at 7:00 PM. They will open up the exhibition slate on Sept. 23 at Boston with additional road games on Sept. 27 at Calgary and Sept. 30 at New Jersey. The Islanders will have another home game to wrap up the preseason on Oct. 1 vs. Boston at Bridgeport.
If the Islanders truly want to make an impact move at forward or on defense, they should consider a major trade. Requirements: player must have years left on his deal and not have a no-trade clause.
Kevin Bieksa, who was never signing here, re-signed as expected with the Stanley Cup finalist Vancouver Canucks. Joni Pitkanen, who may have considered the Islanders if he reached the open market, signed a new deal Tuesday with the Carolina Hurricanes. Christian Ehrhoff, we hardly knew ya.
The Unrestricted Free Agent Class of 2011 is thin on top-four defensemen, and even thinner on top-four defensemen who will consider signing with the Islanders. Here are some of the names Garth Snow and Doug Weight will ponder when the market opens on Friday.
Ed Jovanovski, Phoenix: Garth Snow is a big fan of Jovocop’s toughness and character. He once wasn’t keen on coming to Long Island when the opportunity was presented, but his options are a lot more limited now. If the 35-year-old doesn’t mind moving his family 3,000 miles East, Jovanovski could be signed by Snow.
Jan Hejda, Columbus: One of the most impressive players in the game that hardly anyone’s ever heard of. Columbus has that effect. (Heck, I re-checked three times to make sure I spelled his name correctly). Hejda’s 33 and will cost some money because his agent will receive a lot of calls from teams mistakenly thinking he can be bought cheaply.
Scott Hannan, Washington: Maybe he didn’t get the job done in Washington after he was acquired for Tomas Fleischmann, but Hannan has been a solid and rugged defenseman and a real pro’s pro in this league for a while now. If the Islanders met his price, he would be a good influence on this young squad.
Ian White, San Jose: He’s the rare very good player and very good person to be moved around the league like a journeyman the last two years. White will receive plenty of offers, including some from contenders he may find tough to decline, but he’d be a nice fit in Uniondale. He just turned all of 27 years old.
Andy Greene, Devils: Once viewed as a mainstay on the New Jersey blue line, Greene performed poorly last season and may have to part ways with the Devils, who have little cap room. Despite his minus-23 last season, Greene will be contacted by many suitors banking on a rebound. The Islanders love Americans, and Greene would be an upgrade over the (likely) departed Jack Hillen.
Jonathan Ericksson, Detroit: Could re-sign with the Red Wings after a step-back season in his development. But he’s 6-5, talented, coachable and the Islanders have done well with projects in need of an opportunity.
Bryan McCabe, Rangers: A few years ago, McCabe’s acquisition might have made sense. At this stage of the Can Opener’s career, personally, I would pass. Bryan, with close Long Island ties, would probably sign here in a second and do so cost-effectively. But it’s difficult to make a case for how he would upgrade the Islanders’ D.
As for those we’d consider only for one-year deals…
Anton Babchuk, Calgary: He’s 6-5 with some snarl, but not nasty or mobile enough to sign for more than one year. If he wants a Jurcina-type opportunity, go for it.
Sami Salo, Vancouver: Hard to believe he’s 36. A fine player when he isn’t suffering holy-spit injuries.
Tomas Kaberle, Boston: Hey Tommy, want to come here and rack up the points and rebuild your reputation as a two-way defender? The Islanders can help you in a much looser environment, if you want to roll the dice on a cheap one-year contract. You’ve made plenty the last half-decade.
Steve Eminger, Rangers: Only 28, 6-2, 215, tough, reliable. For inexpensive depth? Sure. A better buy than McCabe.
Radek Martinek, Islanders: There’s a chance Martinek is a better player than any other defenseman the Islanders sign in July. If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.
Again…
If the Islanders really want to make a splash, they’ll most likely have to do it by acquiring a player with years left on his contract and without a no-trade clause.
Comments?
UPDATED at 7:45 pm: Buffalo acquires Ehrhoff’s rights from the Islanders for a fourth round pick.
4:30 pm: Christian Ehrhoff has declined the Islanders’ contract offer, choosing instead to become an unrestricted free agent when the market opens on Friday. He could always come back to the team over the weekend, but if the Islanders are smart, proud, confident and have learned anything, they should close the door and keep aiming higher. Much higher.
Oh well. ‘Twas a valiant try by Charles Wang, Garth Snow, Doug Weight and the Islanders. Ehrhoff, without question, would have made the Islanders a better team in 2011-12. Ehrhoff is also not the villain here. All he owed the Islanders were his ears. He listened. He has decided to consider his options with every team in the league and may possibly accept less money to sign elsewhere. Paul Martin…Dan Hamhuis…Christian Ehrhoff…Ryan Smyth…this is their prerogative.
But really now, big friggin’ whoop.
Is anyone paying attention? Because the Islanders have certainly caught the attention of the rest of the National Hockey League.
“(Expletive deleted)! If they’re giving C.E. that much $, how much is Snowy going to offer an impact guy or a star?”
That was a text to Point Blank late last night from an NHL general manager, clearly envious of all of Garth Snow’s cap floor space.
Exactly.
Look, Islanders Country…
For $6 million a year on a long-term deal, Christian Ehrhoff would not have transformed the Islanders into a contender – overnight or otherwise. A “consistent contender”? No, not there yet. Still need to get out of 26th and 27th.
For $6 million a year, Christian Ehrhoff – neither a great player, nor a brand name – would not have earned the Islanders the back page of Newsday or more than 300 words anywhere else in New York.
Ehrhoff would not have enticed a single non-diehard to find their way to the polls on Aug. 1 to vote YES in the referendum for a new $350 million Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. (Here’s the smell test: go up to your friends who are casual sports fans and say, “Did you hear the Islanders got Christian Ehrhoff”?!?! Watch as they pretend to know who you’re talking about).
The acquisition of Ehrhoff would not prompt the seduction of a star NHL player towards the Islanders. Not one great player was going to say, “Hey, if the Islanders are good enough for Christian Ehrhoff, they’re good enough for me.”
The man some call “Error-hoff” is a top-four defenseman – arguably a No. 2. He would have helped the power play, even as he wondered where the heck the Sedin boys went. He would have made the Islanders better in 2011-12, possibly even good enough to grab the seventh or eighth seeds in the strengthened Eastern Conference. Possibly, but no sure thing.
The Islanders took their best shot. It was a sincere, legitimate maneuver to improve the team. But it could just as easily have transitioned into, “Oh-spit-can’t-believe-we’re-payin’-this-guy-this-much” by the end of October. The agent for John Tavares – heck, for anyone capable of posting 50 points – would have used Ehrhoff’s millions as the floor in any negotiation. For all of the wicked thrills of Wednesday night, this signing could have turned into a disaster.
Which is why, with the moment having passed, I say the Islanders would be showing their insecurity if they allow a non-special player like Ehrhoff to shop their offer on Friday.
It stands to reason that if the Islanders are willing to pay upwards of $6 million a year to Ehrhoff, there’s no telling what they might do next. Those crazy Islanders!
And I mean that in a very good way. Islanders fans who felt a jolt of excitement Wednesday should not let the buzz wear off just because Ehrhoff wasn’t ready to sign here. If anything, there’s even more reason for euphoria now.
If Garth Snow has the green light to spend this much cash on a No. 2 defenseman, it would stand to reason he could spend a few more bucks on a marquee star – a true franchise-changer.
The buzz around the Islanders is only buzzier now. Fans should enjoy it. The franchise must capitalize on it.
Comments.
1:30 pm: The Islanders have made their pitch to Christian Ehrhoff and his agent, Rick Curran. Several people have been involved in the recruiting of Ehrhoff, including former teammate Michael Grabner, who called from Austria to endorse the Islanders and Long Island.
It is now the evening in Germany. We should find out in the next few hours if Ehrhoff will accept Garth Snow’s long-term offer – believed to average close to $6 million per year – choose to become a UFA on Friday, or ask to sleep on the offer and decide on Thursday.
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Tuesday, 8:30 pm: Rick Curran, Christian Ehrhoff’s agent, texts Point Blank: “I do not like to comment on current negotiations. Hope you understand.” Curran tells Katie Strang that he had “a good conversation” today with Garth Snow, but Ehrhoff is in Germany and may not even know yet that he has been traded. The Islanders might want to send ex-Canuck Michael Grabner on a flight from Austria to Germany to visit his friend.
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8:30 pm: It’s a no-lose situation. The Islanders can use all that cap space to sign the first-pair defenseman long-term. If they come up short in an obviously sincere bid to sign him, it would be the ultimate illustration that many players still do not want to play here. The deal also sends a message that the Islanders are trying to get better and be better. No matter what happens, they should be saluted for the aggressive maneuver.
After they convinced Grabner and Kyle Okposo to sign heavily back-loaded contracts, it will be fascinating to see if the Islanders can do the same with Ehrhoff or give him the front-loaded deal almost all premier free agents are requiring these days. Ehrhoff recently turned down more than $4.5 million a year for five years from the Stanley Cup finalist Vancouver Canucks.
The Islanders saw Kevin Bieksa, Joni Pitkanen and Brooks Laich come off the board in the last two days and decided to be pro-active. Good for them.
Doug Weight and Charles Wang: start your sales pitches. It says here the Islanders have an excellent chance of bringing home Ehrhoff, who could become an unrestricted free agent on Friday. Comments?
11:00 am: Charles Wang’s top man explains why the arena proposal works for the team and Nassau, what it means for the Islanders’ future and details the importance of participation in the Aug. 1 vote. He also vents frustration over the politicians’ treatment of the arena debate. You’ll want to hear what Picker has to say. Comments?
