Wednesday, September 7, 2011

RIP to the Victims of the Plane Crash in Russia

I was planning on writing a piece today, as soon as I got home about recent reports of John Tavares' departure from the Island, and Alexei Yashin's return.

However, when I got home, instead of finding Islander news awaiting for me, I instead found news of a plane crash in Russia which killed at least 43 people. The majority of these 43 were members of the Lokomotiv team in the KHL. Several ex-NHL players such as Pavol Demitra, Ruslan Salei, Karel Rachunek, Karlis Skrastins, Devil prospect Alexander Vasyunov, and former Islanders Josef Vasicek, Alexander Karpovtsev, and Brad McCrimmon.

There were 2 people lucky enough to have survived, if you can call them lucky that is. A crew member who's name hasn't been released, and forward Alexander Galimov have survived the crash, although Galimov has reportedly suffered burns on 80-90% of his body, and I expect similar injuries to have struck the surviving crew member.

Although it may not count for much, I feel it only just that in the memory of these players and passengers who died in this tragedy, to postpone any blog entries to tomorrow. I know it has been said several times, but as one who's brother is about to board a plane to travel across the world to Italy, my thoughts and prayers truly are with those who were lost in the crash, those who miraculously survived it, and most of all with those who were affected by it.

RIP
Vitaly Aikeyenko
Mikhail Balandin
Gennady Churilov
Pavol Demitra
Robert Dietrich
Marat Kalimulin
Alexander Kalyanin
Andrei Kiryukhin
Nikita Klyukin
Stefan Liv
Jan Marek
Sergei Ostapchuk
Karel Rachunek
Ruslan Salei
Maxim Shuvalov
Karlis Skrastins
Pavel Snurnitsyn
Daniil Sobchenko
Ivan Tkachenko
Pavel Trakhanov
Yuri Urychev
Josef Vasicek
Alexander Vasyunov
Alexander Vyukhin
Arten Yarchuk
Brad McCrimmon
Alexander Karpovtsev
Igor Korolev
Yuri Bakhvalov
Aleksandr Belyavev
Nikolai Krivonosov
Yevgeni Kunnov
Vyacheslav Kuznetsov
Vladimir Piskunov
Yevgeni Sidorov
Andrei Zimin
Andrei Solomentsev
Igor Zhivelov
Nadezhda Maksumova
Vladimir Matyushin
Elena Sarmatova
Elena Shavina
Sergey Zhuravlev

Sunday, September 4, 2011

New York Islanders Reportedly Invite Bryan McCabe to Training Camp

The New York Islanders have reportedly sent yet another camp invite. After inviting ex-Devil Jay Pandolfo to this year's training camp, the Islanders have reportedly sent an invite to free agent veteran defenseman, Bryan McCabe.

There have been rumors for a while now that Islander GM, Garth Snow, was interested in bringing in McCabe, and that McCabe was interested in coming back to the Islanders. The only thing that was standing between them was that Snow wanted McCabe to attend training camp on a tryout basis before signing him, while McCabe wanted the deal first instead of having to attend training camp before signing the deal.

I don't know whether the invite means that they've come onto an agreement, seeing as there's been no reports about McCabe actually accepting the invite as of yet, but I do expect an agreement to be in place between the two sides. Snow's not the type to just invite a player to training camp, and hope they accept.

That being said, I can't think of many available players who are a better fit for the Islanders then McCabe. For one thing, he's the best option available to help the Islanders get to the salary cap floor. I expect that any deal that may or may not take place to be around 1 year, 2/2.1 million. Throw in Bailey's eventual new contract, and Nino's salary in the likely event he makes the roster, and the Islanders should be fine.

McCabe is also a perfect option for the second power play line with that big shot of his, and can play 17-19 minutes a night, which will provide useful when trying to ease Mark Streit back into the game. McCabe can also be a hard hitter, and has recently been taking less penalties then he usually did earlier in his career as he has averaged 53 PIMS per season the last 3 years.

Putting McCabe's possible addition into account, I see the defensive lines looking something like this next year, pardoning any injuries of course.

Hamonic-MacDonald

Pairing worked out very well last year, and I see it taking place again this year.

Jurcina-Streit

Jurcina counters Streit's offensive capabilities with a big body which he uses well in his zone, whether to apply hits or block shots. Jurcina also has a bullet of a shot himself, but unlike Streit, Jurcina has a right handed shot. This helps him get off his bullet of a one-timer, as Streit has a left handed shot, and also makes him the best partner to help Streit get off his own bullet. Out of all the defensemen the Islanders currently have, I see Jurcina as the best fit to play with Streit for his defensive capabilities, and his right handed shot.

Eaton-McCabe

In the scenario that McCabe does sign, Eaton is the best fit as being his partner. Eaton is a defensive defenseman all the way, and can help erase any mistakes which McCabe may or may not make while playing in his own zone. This partnership will also allow McCabe to make more offensive plays knowing that Eaton is beside him to cover for him.

Personally, I definitely see this deal coming together. Whether it takes place now or at the end of September is anyone's guess, but I will hazard the guess that Bryan McCabe will indeed re-join the Islanders come opening night.

Comments encouraged!!

Jay Pandolfo Invited to Training Camp

The Islanders made some news yesterday as the news came out that Jay Pandolfo, a forward who spent his entire NHL career with the New Jersey Devils and last year in the AHL with the Springfield Falcons.

While with the Devils, Pandolfo posted 99 goals, and 124 assists for 223 points in 819 games played. While in Springfield, however, Pandolfo posted 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points in only 12 games played, as he only played with them on a tryout basis.

As one can see by the stats Pandolfo posted during his time in the NHL, Pandolfo has next to no chance of making the team. The Islanders are already offensively established as it is, and signing Pandolfo to anything more then a tryout contract would definitely be a step back, and not a step forward.

If Pandolfo somehow does make the team, whether due to injuries or play or whatever, I see him as nothing more then a 4th line player, and truly doubt he would get any ice time on the 1-3 lines, unless the Islanders are completely demolished by injuries that is.

The likeliest scenario is that that the Islanders are simply doing this to help Pandolfo get back into rhythm, and maybe showcase his talents to other teams who might be more in need of those talents. Pandolfo, could also use his 13 years of NHL experience to provide some more leadership to the Islanders group of young players and rookies.

Either way, it's highly unlikely that Pandolfo will wear an Islander uniform come the Islanders' season opener.

Feel Free to Comment!!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Pre-Camp Goalie Opinion

One of the biggest questions for the New York Islanders coming into training camp, is that chaos of a situation they have when it comes to goaltending.

To quickly recap the situation, Dwayne Roloson was traded on 1/1/11 to Tampa which left DiPietro as the #1 goaltender. DiPietro got hurt, and Nathan Lawson became the starting goaltender. Lawson wasn't as good as he was hyped up to be, and Kevin Poulin came in to take the job. DiPietro comes back, and he and Poulin share the duties of goaltender. On 1/22 Evgeny Nabokov goes on waivers to sign with the Detroit Red Wings, and the Islanders "surprise the NHL world" by claiming him off waivers. Nabokov for whatever reason decides not to report, and once again Poulin and DiPietro are left to share the duties of goaltenders. 2/2 comes along as the Islanders face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a game which sees DiPietro going down in a fight and missing 4-6 weeks with whatever face injury he suffered. A few games later, on 2/8, another goaltending injury takes place which sees Kevin Poulin get hurt in warmups. Mikko Koskinen comes in and loses his first NHL game. On 2/9, the Islanders decide they've seen enough and trade for Al Montoya, who would prove to play exceptionally and for the most part be the #1 goaltender for the Islanders for the remainder of the season.

Now move forward a few months and you have a great big fiasco. On one hand you have Rick DiPietro, who on all counts bleeds blue and orange, but no one knows if he can stay healthy long enough to be the #1 goaltender the Islanders so desperately need him to be. Make no mistake, when DiPietro plays at his 100% he is as good as any goaltender you can find in the NHL.

On the other hand, you have Al Montoya. Montoya was exceptional for the Islanders ever since they traded for him, posting a 9-5-5 record, with an amazing 2.39 gaa, and a .921 SV% with it. Montoya was great, but can he do it for 60+ games as the Islanders would need him to? Can he be consistent for an entire season, and finally be the #1 goaltender he was thought to be when the Rangers drafted him 6th overall in the 2004 NHL Draft by them?

On yet another hand you have Evgeny Nabokov. The Russian goaltender was phenomenal in the regular season during his time with San Jose, and has finally decided to grace Long Islanders with his presence at training camp. There were several rumors for why Nabokov didn't report to the Islanders when they claimed him, but personally I really don't care why he didn't come. He's here, and that's all that counts. Can he be the goalie he was in SJ? If so, then Montoya can step aside, and DiPietro better return to his 06/07 days or else he can step aside too.If not, then trade him to the highest bidder and get the headache over with.

I have a different view per goaltender, so let's start out with DiPietro. The man has more dedication to this organization then anybody in the past 20 years, and just as much as any player that's ever worn an Islander sweater since it came into the NHL 40 years ago. If he does come into the season healthy, and playing at his top form then I see no reason why he shouldn't be the #1 goalie. If that's the case, then the Islanders should keep Nabokov if he plays well in the pre-season and trade Montoya for he would have more trade value. If that's not the case, and he's playing the way he did last season in November, then you name the better goalie between Montoya and Nabokov the #1, and either use DiPietro as a backup, send him down, or buy him out altogether.

As for Montoya, Montoya's the unfortunate third wheel in this situation. His role on the team depends more on the performance of the other 2 goalies, then on his own. The only way I see him being the #1 goalie is if both DiPietro and Nabokov are posting GAA higher then 3 and he's posting a 2.4. Highly unlikely situation. Chances are Montoya will either be traded for having more value then Nabokov, or simply be kept as a backup to one of the other 2, but chances are very slim he becomes the #1 goalie in my opinion.

Nabokov, simply has to show a glimpse of his play in SJ, and outplay DiPietro and the #1 spot will have his name on it. Fans may disagree because he didn't report, and has no loyalty to the organization. Well if a goaltender with loyalty is what fans want, then my question is why the heck do you keep on booing the one who does?!

It's plain and simple really, the best goalie will be the #1 goaltender, and the rest will either be traded, bought out, sent down, or simply benched. Head coach, Jack Capuano, said it best, "I will play the goalie who wins games".


Friday, July 1, 2011

Free Agency Frenzy

While the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Florida Panthers were busy re-modeling their whole team, the New York Islanders stuck to their initial game plans and only made the moves that were necessary. With a roster which is for the most part ready to go for next season, pardoning any unpredictable trades or injuries, the Islanders made only one move on this Free Agency Frenzy.

This move was the acquisition of veteran center Marty Reasoner. Reasoner had a career year last year with the Florida Panthers posting 14 goals, and 32 points. Reasoner is a gritty veteran center. His main strengths are face-offs, being a two-way player, penalty killer, and apparently a very good team mate. Subtract two-way player, and add fighter and you have a copy of Zenon Konopka, except that Reasoner can also score goals.

To sum this signing up, Reasoner has been signed as the replacement of Zenon Konopka as a 4th line center who will be counted on to win important faceoffs, and provide veteran leadership for the young guys in the Islander locker room.

Expect the Islanders to only make one more move during this off season, and that would be to, as Garth Snow said, trade for a top-4 defenseman to replace the hole left by Radek Martinek and Jack Hillen who were both released by the organization.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Vote Yes 8/1/11

I want to take you guys back about 40 years, to December 30, 1971 when entrepreneur Roy L.M. Boe rallied 19 partners and completed the transaction to bring Long Island its first NHL team, the New York Islanders.  On this day a franchise was born, and it was destined for greatness.

Although one couldn't tell from the beginning years of this franchise's existence, this team would indeed achieve greatness in accomplishing a feat which hasn't been repeated since it was done by them in the early 80s, win 4 Stanley Cups in a row. But before winning those Stanley Cups, the Islanders were terrible, achieving solely 31 wins in 156 NHL games. 

However, this was a different time. It was a time when the Islanders didn't have a core, but different players put together through two drafts. It was a time when the Islanders weren't the Islanders, for they had to yet reach an identity of their own. However after a few years this identity came into place. 

The Islanders created their identity through the drafts, with, general manager, Bill Torrey drafting goaltender Billy Smith in the 1972 expansion draft. Bobby Nystrom in the 1972 amateur draft. Denis Potvin in the 1973 amateur draft. Clark Gillies and Bryan Trottier in the 1974 amateur draft, and last but definitely not least Mike Bossy and John Tonelli in the 1977 amateur draft. 

With these 6 Islander legends, this team quickly rose through the ranks and reached the playoffs every year from the 1974/75 season to the 1987/88 season, during which they notoriously won 4 Stanley Cups in a row, as mentioned before, and also set the record for the most consecutive playoff series victories with 19.

Now, move forward 40 years and you have an Islander team trying to do the same as the team that was put together by Torrey 40 years ago. The Islanders are in the process of creating an identity for themselves, and similar to that team 40 years ago, the Islanders are doing it through the draft. Through the past few years the Islanders have stuck to a rebuild which is pointing to success by drafting players such as John Tavares, Nino Neiderreiter, Kyle Okposo, Calvin DeHaan, Travis Hamonic, Josh Bailey, and most recently Ryan Strome.

However the one difference that exists between the team of then, and the team of now is that while the Islanders of then had a brand new arena to play in, the Islanders of now are playing in what is being called by its own fans "The Old Barn".  A referendum, which will take place on August 1st, has been put into place to vote for a new arena, and for Christ's sake I can't see a reason why people would vote no to it. 

To help visualize the situation, I took a look at statistics and took down a few notes I decided to share with you. Currently, the Nassau Coliseum costs Nassau County $1.5 million a year. On the other hand, Nassau County also gains around $4 million on a yearly basis from the Coliseum. Another interesting statistic is that there are currently about 8% of Nassau County's residents who are unemployed. However, the most important fact which I found, is that if this referendum doesn't pass, the Coliseum will close its doors permanently. There will be no more Billy Joel concerts, no more WWE visits, no more hockey, no more anything. 

With the new arena, that 8% of unemployment should decrease through the guaranteed generation of around 1,500 construction jobs, and 3,000 permanent jobs, which will also help stimulate the economy. The New Coliseum will also guarantee an annual gain to Nassau County of $18 million, a $14 million dollar difference.  The new arena will also generate approximately $1.2 billion for Nassau County residents, which will be enough for arena construction, and bond cost, while still maintaining $403 million of profit. One more fact which residents should pay attention to is the development a new stadium would bring to the area which surround the Coliseum. 

This further development will help construct more stores, and more importantly more jobs. Also, it's important to identify the contribution a new arena would give Hofstra University, which is located only a few blocks away from the current Coliseum. Hofstra already uses the Islanders to help attract students to attend their university, and having a brand new arena next door can do nothing but attract more students to the university. 

For Islander fans debating on whether to vote yes or not, this team is headed towards future success. Do you really want to watch another city celebrate those future successes?

For Nassau County residents in general debating on whether to vote yes or not, if you won't vote yes on August 1st to maintain the only professional team Long Island has on Long Island, and you won't vote yes to keep the Nassau Coliseum open, then do it for your fellow residents. What will you say to your unemployed neighbor who has been desperately seeking a job for months, and whose only remaining option to keep a roof over his family's head and food on his family's table is this arena? "Sorry but I really don't feel like paying an extra $58 a year". $4.83 a month is all that stands between 4,500 unemployed residents having jobs, a new coliseum being built, and Long Island's only professional team being maintained.  

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Ehrhoff-Islander Talks Dead

Contract talks between Christian Ehrhoff and the Islanders have officially died, as first reported by Newsday's Katie Strang.

Although somewhat upsetting, the news shouldn't be too surprising. The best defenseman in this year's UFA class wasn't very likely to sign with the first team that approached him with an offer. Ehrhoff knew he had several options in the free agency market once Friday afternoon came, and probably saw no true reason to sign with the Islanders over other better teams.

One of these teams would be the Detroit Red Wings, which according to rumors are looking at Ehrhoff to replace the hole left in their defense by the retirement of Brian Rafalski. Without a doubt, Ehrhoff would definitely take less money to play on a much better team in the Red Wings. The Red Wings are Stanley Cup contenders year in and year out, and who would say no to the chance to play alongside a defensive legend like Nicklas Lidstrom.

Islander fans, however, shouldn't be too disappointed by the fact that Ehrhoff didn't sign with them. Would he have helped the power play produce, and the younger players mature? Of course, but would he have made the Islanders immediate contenders? Not quite. However as good as Ehrhoff may be, he's no franchise player who would make any team immediate playoff contenders. He might've given the extra push a team needs to clinch a playoff spot, but there's plenty of players in the NHL that can have that type of effect on a team.

The one positive that one can take from this whole fiasco is that the Islanders have become fully committed to becoming true playoff contenders. Also, if anybody doubted Wang's ability to open the checkbook to other players, those doubts should be long gone after this move.

Not too long from now, players will be taking notice of the Islanders as future contenders, and when that time comes players will start accepting these type of offers that players like Ehrhoff, Paul Martin, and Ilya Kovylchuk have so graciously turned down.

Also, if the Islanders are still looking to sign a defenseman out of free agency, there are still options. Although James Wisniewski will likely sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets (his rights were traded by Montreal earlier today), and Ehrhoff will, as mentioned before, likely sign with the Detroit Red Wings, there are still options in Tomas Kaberle and Ed Jovanovski.

Between the two, Ed Jovanovski is the more likely option. A big body, with a hard shot, and a lot of NHL experience. He's spent the past few years playing in Phoenix which means that he won't be denying offers from lower level teams, but will instead look for the team which will pay him the most. If the Islanders truly want Jovanovski, there's little chance any team in the NHL can outbid them.

Personally, I believe that the Islanders will still make a splash come Friday afternoon, and will get at least one top free agent signed, but I, personally, believe that this time it will be a forward. Also, don't be too surprised if the Islanders become involved in a trade or too in the next few days. There are a few names which the Islanders might be interested in offloading in order to make space for free agent signings.

UPDATED: The Islanders have traded the rights to Christian Ehrhoff to the Buffalo Sabres for a 2012 4th round pick.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Islanders Trade for Rights to Christian Ehrhoff

I'd like to start by saying thank you for reading my first ever entry on my blog, the Islanders Hockey Blog.

Now, as first reported by TSN's Bob McKenzie, the Islanders have traded their 4th round draft pick to the Vancouver Canucks for the rights to Christian Ehrhoff. Ehrhoff was a great influence on the Canucks success in the regular and post season, posting 14 goals and 50 points during the regular season, and 2 goals and 12 points in the post season.

It had become rather clear that Ehrhoff wasn't going to re-sign with the Canucks after they re-signed Kevin Bieksa to a 5-year deal worth $23 million, basically choosing Bieksa over Ehrhoff. Since then the discussion over a new contract between Ehrhoff and the 'Nucks became more and more complicated every day. The news came out this morning that the Canucks were open to trading Ehrhoff's rights to other teams, and it seems rather obvious that Islander GM, Garth Snow, was listening.

If the Islanders can get this deal done, it would be a huge improvement to both offense and defense. As noted before, Ehrhoff knows how to put the puck into the back into the net, and would be a great point man, along with Mark Streit, on a struggling power play. Ehrhoff is also very solid in his own zone posting a very respectable +19 last season, the 3rd highest of 12 other Vancouver defensemen. One other plus his signing would provide is experience and tutoring for offensive defensemen prospects like Calvin DeHaan, Aaron Ness, and Matt Donovan.

All this of course is one very large IF. Snow will almost undoubtedly give Ehrhoff an empty check, but will Ehrhoff sign with the Islanders? Will this arena situation cost the Islanders not only a chance at a great player like Ehrhoff but also the 4th round pick they gave up to get his rights? I, personally, don't believe that Snow would trade for the talented defenseman's rights, without being at least somewhat secure that he would have a good chance at getting him signed.