For the first time in almost 5 years as an Islander, Alexei Yashin is playing a desperate game. His agent Marc Gandler, said yesterday in an interview with Greg Logan that Yashin would be willing to give up the Captaincy in order to stay on Long Island.
Reason behind this??.....well there are a few...
First of all....if the Islanders buy out Yashin's remaining 4 years and nearly $25 million, he would only get about $17.5 million of it, and would collect it over the next 8 years....not the next 4. Also....Yashin's value is probably the lowest it's been ever. He would be no better than a 2nd or thrd ine player at a $2 million value. Secondly, Yashin know the Islanders will have make a change with the "C". With Ryan Smyth already the defacto Captain and with the Islanders needing to either sign him...or bring in someone else...the "C" will be a huge bargining chip. Smyth, though considered an excellent leader and voice in the room, has never been a Captain. Much like the Boston Bruins did with Zdeno Chara last summer.
Now.....I dont think Marc Gandler and Yashin came out of left field with all this....there has to be some discussion about a possible buy out and they are making the first move. Personally I'm insulted by this. Wearing the "C" is supposed to be one of the greatest honors that can bestowed on a hockey player. It obviously means very little to Alexei Yashin. If Yashin thought it would be in the best interest of the franchise to give it up....then I would commend him on this move, but thats not the case. Yashin is simply trying to save himself both cash and marketability. Knowing good and well that he would not be a top free agent if he was bought out....(he would probably have to do what Bill Guerin did last year and wait for a job to open up and accept a small one year contract to prove himself), and the fact that he will lose out on almost $7.5 million.
This discussion is far from over.....I guarantee that. This talk may go right up to the June 30th deadline.
We're in for a veryyyyy interesting summer.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
06-07 Season Thoughts....
It's taken me a couple of days to get my arms around everything that's happened this season, and everything thing that’s been discussed for this summer. Only now do I have a clear enough head to talk about it.
I've broken down the season and the team into areas that are important for both the the 2006-07 season and for the future.
1. Was the 06-07 season a success?
Yes….Everyone always says that if you don’t win the Stanley Cup your season hasn't been a complete success. Regardless of whether or not this team won the cup or not….it was a great success. During the 06-07 season…the Islanders reinvented themselves into a viable NHL franchise. After all the madness of last summer (the Neil Smith debacle, the promotion of Garth Snow, the hiring of Ted Nolan, the sigining of players coming off career worst seasons Poti, Kozlov and Dunham). All of these things worked out much better than anyone could have expected. Neil Smith obviously wasn't a fit as he told Charles Wang he could work within the "board of directors" structure Wang had put into place after last season. He realized after a month that was a lie. Charles did the right thing by letting him go….but you have to wonder why Smith has never given another opportunity after being fired from the Rangers position nearly 7 years ago. Snow has established himself as a solid young GM making some fantastic moves (ridding the Isles of bad contracts of Zhitnik and York), bringing in such young talent as Marc Andre Bergeron and Freddy Meyer, and being able to make the impact deal (acquiring Ryan Smyth). He also deftly signed Sean Hill and Viktor Kozlov after being named GM last August. Wang also took a flyer out on his new coach. After the less than sexy names like Bill Stewart, Steve Stirling, and Brad Shaw ran the show the last few years…Charles did what no other team would do. He brought Ted Nolan back from the abyss and gave him a job. Nolan responded with a return to the playoffs. He has solidified himself as the long term coach solution here on Long Island and has been an active recruiter even going as far as waiting at the Garden City hotel until 1AM for Ryan Smyth to arrive after his trade from the Edmonton Oilers. Snow and Nolan have formed a bond and are very close and seem to work extremely well together. The franchise for the first time in a long time is in good hands. We finally have a stable owner, a solid GM and a long term coach in place.
2. Who's laughing now?
When the season started last October, the Islanders were the laughing stock of the NHL. A 15 year contract for a goaltender??....given to him by his mentor?? Who was a player only a few months before? We were all left shaking our heads, asking each other….why us?? Well now the $4.5 million that Rick DiPietro will be making is offically a bargin. DiPietro now has back to back 30 win seasons, he improved his GAA by a half a goal a game and his save % went up from 90% to 92%. He also had 5 shutouts this year….he had only 2 previous shutouts. He broke the Islanders record for saves in a game stopping 56 shots against the Rangers. Had 32 wins even though he missed 3 weeks with concussion problems. DiPietro would now be considered one of the upper eschelon goaltenders in the NHL. Names like Roberto Luongo and Marty Turco can be used in the same breath as DiPietro after this year. Goaltenders that on any given night can win you a game on their own.
3. Who comes back?
Ryan Smyth, Tom Poti, Richard Zednik, Viktor Kozlov, Sean Hill, Randy Robitaille, Jason Blake, Arron Asham, Chris Simon and Wade Dublielwicz are all unrestricted free agents. Who comes back? Obviously you NEED Ryan Smyth. Garth Snow's plan all along was not only to acquire the best player traded at the deadline but to also give the Islanders a 2 month head start on getting him signed long term. I have no doubt that Garth will give him the keys to the castle and anything else he wants Expect the Islanders to offer 5 years $32.5 million. Nex is Jason Blake….yes you do want him back….but probably no more than a 3 year deal (remember he's 34 already). Jason was nearly invisible in the playoffs and is not your typical 40 goal scorer. He is a complimentary player….not a superstar. He gives you everything he's got night in and night out…but he is not a $4 million a year player. 3 years $9.5 million is more than fair for Blake. I personally would love to have Tom Poti back. I think he flourished under Ted Nolan and he was as steady a defenseman we had in years. I do believe the Isles need to bring in a puck moving defenseman (which I'll get to next), but Poti is someone I would definitely like to have back. 3 years and $8 million should do the trick. I was impressed with Richard Zednik's play coming back from a 2 week absence. Besides the fact that we gave up a 2nd round pick for him. 1 year at $2 million would be a fair deal to get him back to being a 20 goal scorer. Randy Robitaille was probably our most consistant forward the last month of the season. He is just as strong a player as Shawn Bates and has a much better scoring touch. I would trade Bates and keep Robitaille. Kozlov was a fantastic pickup over by Garth Snow. Ufortunately I believe his price tag will be too high and there are other options at the same price that would be a better fit. Sean Hill and Chris Simon are both UFA's and both were suspended this season. Hill will miss approx. 1/4 of the NHL 07-08 season due to his suspention. Chris Simon will be able to come back at the beginning of next season. I loved what each brought to this team….both need not return. Arron Asham has been a good player or the Islanders. Acquired for Mariusz Czerkawski from the Canadians, he has provided hits, fights and some timely goals. Asham's biggest problem….he takes terrible penalities at the absolute worst times. You may not remember the last time he did that….but that's mostly because Teddy left him on the bench in the later stages of the game. Asham could be replaced for a more inexpensive player…(Sean Bergenheim). And finally Wade Dublielwicz….who in my opinion has cemented himself into Islanders lore forever with his amazing play down the stretch. Dubie….along with other Islander goalies such as Roland "Rollie the goalie" Melanson, Glenn "Chico" Resch and Glenn Healy al provided moments over the years….Dubie has left his stamp as well. Isles should and will bring him back as the backup to Ricky next season.
4. Who's available?
Many free agents will hit the market come July 1st. Here's a few….
Teemu Selanne, Daniel Briere, Chris Drury, Danius Zubrus, Tony Amonte, Craig Conroy, Jeff Friesen, Roman Hamrlik, Wayne Primeau, Brad Stuart, Ian Laperriere, Bryan Berard, Ladislav Nagy, Darryl Sydor, Todd Bertuzzi, Kyle Calder, Robert Lang, Mathieu Schneider, Petr Sykora, Martin Gelinas, Jaroslav Modry, Sheldon Souray, Paul Kariya, Kimmo Timonen, Scott Gomez, Bryan Rafalski, Mike Comrie, Mark Recchi, Bill Guerin, Jeff O'Neill and Michael Peca to name a few.
All of these players are UFA's as of today. The names on this list that are extremely intriguing are 2 from the Devils (Gomez and Rafalski), Laperriere, Schneider and Paul Kariya. Scott Gomez would be a HUGE addition to this team. His price tag shouldn't get to $6 million either. Considering he's only scored more than 30 goals once and has never scored more than 19 in any other year. Gomez has tremendous speed and his passing skills would be fantastic on this team (think a passing Jason Blake). Rafalski would give the Islanders the puck moving defenseman they so desire and would also provide the missing minutes vacated by a Sean Hill departure. Ian Laperriere is a Ted Nolan player….plain and simple. Here is the scouting report on Laperriere Assets Is a very hard worker and earns a lot of respect in standing up for his teammates. Has strong forechecking and penalty-killing skills. Tends to rattle his opponents with his in-your-face attitude. Flaws Will never lead his NHL team in scoring and is somewhat limited in terms of natural ability. Tends to rile the opposition up with on-ice antics. We need a player like Laperriere. Kariya is a stretch I know….but signing him (and by the way it would be Gomez or Kariya not both)….would add a scoring dymanic that we sorely need. Kariya's 24 goals and 75 points are not eye popping….but very solid none the less.
5. Prospects
Who is left after the Ryan Smyth trade you ask….plenty. First and foremost is Kyle Okposo. The pride and joy of the organization. Okposo had an extrememly successful freshman season at Minnesota this year. Chances are he will return there for at least his sopohmore season as the Islanders are not putting any pressure on him to leave school. If he so chooses to leave…Garth Snow will welcome him with open arms….but don’t count on it this season. Next is Jeff Tambellini…who I think is ready for the bigtime. I keep picturing him on a line with Scott Gomez and Jason Blake…(what a dream that would be). Tambellini showed last season that he can play with the big boys. Expect him to be a full time player next season. Next you have Sean Bergenheim who will no doubt be back with the Islanders next year. He should replace Arron Asham. Petteri Nokaleninen, Blake Comeau, Jeremy Collition and Franz Nielsen will all vie for spots though most will probably spend another season in Bridgeport.
6. Trades??
Probably….as the Islanders have an extra defenseman of Campoli, Gervais and Meyer. Witt will be back along with Bergeron and Martinek. If Poti is resigned and a defenseman is brought in via free agency….then at least one of the youngsters will be dealt. Though anything is possible there are no glaring canidates to be dealt.
7. Will Alexei Yashin return?
A week ago….I would have said no way. Today…..i'm not sure. Both Snow and Nolan stated yesterday that there hasn't been any talk about buying out Yashin's contract. They also said that keeping Yashin would not hinder them in bringing back both Ryan Smyth and Jason Blake. At this point I almost WANT them to bring him back. The feeling I have is that he should have to play out his contract and suffer through every minute. Ted Nolan is going to make him play the way he's supposed to….if not….he will sit. I don’t think this discussion is over….but it looks like Yashin will more than likely be back.
Now that I have carpel tunnel….I leave off with this….
This has been a great season, I have enjoyed it from beginning to end, and I can't wait to see what direction Garth and Ted take this franchise this summer.
I will be updating the blog periodically throughout the spring and summer…..
I hope to hear from you guys
Enjoy the nice weather
Tony
I've broken down the season and the team into areas that are important for both the the 2006-07 season and for the future.
1. Was the 06-07 season a success?
Yes….Everyone always says that if you don’t win the Stanley Cup your season hasn't been a complete success. Regardless of whether or not this team won the cup or not….it was a great success. During the 06-07 season…the Islanders reinvented themselves into a viable NHL franchise. After all the madness of last summer (the Neil Smith debacle, the promotion of Garth Snow, the hiring of Ted Nolan, the sigining of players coming off career worst seasons Poti, Kozlov and Dunham). All of these things worked out much better than anyone could have expected. Neil Smith obviously wasn't a fit as he told Charles Wang he could work within the "board of directors" structure Wang had put into place after last season. He realized after a month that was a lie. Charles did the right thing by letting him go….but you have to wonder why Smith has never given another opportunity after being fired from the Rangers position nearly 7 years ago. Snow has established himself as a solid young GM making some fantastic moves (ridding the Isles of bad contracts of Zhitnik and York), bringing in such young talent as Marc Andre Bergeron and Freddy Meyer, and being able to make the impact deal (acquiring Ryan Smyth). He also deftly signed Sean Hill and Viktor Kozlov after being named GM last August. Wang also took a flyer out on his new coach. After the less than sexy names like Bill Stewart, Steve Stirling, and Brad Shaw ran the show the last few years…Charles did what no other team would do. He brought Ted Nolan back from the abyss and gave him a job. Nolan responded with a return to the playoffs. He has solidified himself as the long term coach solution here on Long Island and has been an active recruiter even going as far as waiting at the Garden City hotel until 1AM for Ryan Smyth to arrive after his trade from the Edmonton Oilers. Snow and Nolan have formed a bond and are very close and seem to work extremely well together. The franchise for the first time in a long time is in good hands. We finally have a stable owner, a solid GM and a long term coach in place.
2. Who's laughing now?
When the season started last October, the Islanders were the laughing stock of the NHL. A 15 year contract for a goaltender??....given to him by his mentor?? Who was a player only a few months before? We were all left shaking our heads, asking each other….why us?? Well now the $4.5 million that Rick DiPietro will be making is offically a bargin. DiPietro now has back to back 30 win seasons, he improved his GAA by a half a goal a game and his save % went up from 90% to 92%. He also had 5 shutouts this year….he had only 2 previous shutouts. He broke the Islanders record for saves in a game stopping 56 shots against the Rangers. Had 32 wins even though he missed 3 weeks with concussion problems. DiPietro would now be considered one of the upper eschelon goaltenders in the NHL. Names like Roberto Luongo and Marty Turco can be used in the same breath as DiPietro after this year. Goaltenders that on any given night can win you a game on their own.
3. Who comes back?
Ryan Smyth, Tom Poti, Richard Zednik, Viktor Kozlov, Sean Hill, Randy Robitaille, Jason Blake, Arron Asham, Chris Simon and Wade Dublielwicz are all unrestricted free agents. Who comes back? Obviously you NEED Ryan Smyth. Garth Snow's plan all along was not only to acquire the best player traded at the deadline but to also give the Islanders a 2 month head start on getting him signed long term. I have no doubt that Garth will give him the keys to the castle and anything else he wants Expect the Islanders to offer 5 years $32.5 million. Nex is Jason Blake….yes you do want him back….but probably no more than a 3 year deal (remember he's 34 already). Jason was nearly invisible in the playoffs and is not your typical 40 goal scorer. He is a complimentary player….not a superstar. He gives you everything he's got night in and night out…but he is not a $4 million a year player. 3 years $9.5 million is more than fair for Blake. I personally would love to have Tom Poti back. I think he flourished under Ted Nolan and he was as steady a defenseman we had in years. I do believe the Isles need to bring in a puck moving defenseman (which I'll get to next), but Poti is someone I would definitely like to have back. 3 years and $8 million should do the trick. I was impressed with Richard Zednik's play coming back from a 2 week absence. Besides the fact that we gave up a 2nd round pick for him. 1 year at $2 million would be a fair deal to get him back to being a 20 goal scorer. Randy Robitaille was probably our most consistant forward the last month of the season. He is just as strong a player as Shawn Bates and has a much better scoring touch. I would trade Bates and keep Robitaille. Kozlov was a fantastic pickup over by Garth Snow. Ufortunately I believe his price tag will be too high and there are other options at the same price that would be a better fit. Sean Hill and Chris Simon are both UFA's and both were suspended this season. Hill will miss approx. 1/4 of the NHL 07-08 season due to his suspention. Chris Simon will be able to come back at the beginning of next season. I loved what each brought to this team….both need not return. Arron Asham has been a good player or the Islanders. Acquired for Mariusz Czerkawski from the Canadians, he has provided hits, fights and some timely goals. Asham's biggest problem….he takes terrible penalities at the absolute worst times. You may not remember the last time he did that….but that's mostly because Teddy left him on the bench in the later stages of the game. Asham could be replaced for a more inexpensive player…(Sean Bergenheim). And finally Wade Dublielwicz….who in my opinion has cemented himself into Islanders lore forever with his amazing play down the stretch. Dubie….along with other Islander goalies such as Roland "Rollie the goalie" Melanson, Glenn "Chico" Resch and Glenn Healy al provided moments over the years….Dubie has left his stamp as well. Isles should and will bring him back as the backup to Ricky next season.
4. Who's available?
Many free agents will hit the market come July 1st. Here's a few….
Teemu Selanne, Daniel Briere, Chris Drury, Danius Zubrus, Tony Amonte, Craig Conroy, Jeff Friesen, Roman Hamrlik, Wayne Primeau, Brad Stuart, Ian Laperriere, Bryan Berard, Ladislav Nagy, Darryl Sydor, Todd Bertuzzi, Kyle Calder, Robert Lang, Mathieu Schneider, Petr Sykora, Martin Gelinas, Jaroslav Modry, Sheldon Souray, Paul Kariya, Kimmo Timonen, Scott Gomez, Bryan Rafalski, Mike Comrie, Mark Recchi, Bill Guerin, Jeff O'Neill and Michael Peca to name a few.
All of these players are UFA's as of today. The names on this list that are extremely intriguing are 2 from the Devils (Gomez and Rafalski), Laperriere, Schneider and Paul Kariya. Scott Gomez would be a HUGE addition to this team. His price tag shouldn't get to $6 million either. Considering he's only scored more than 30 goals once and has never scored more than 19 in any other year. Gomez has tremendous speed and his passing skills would be fantastic on this team (think a passing Jason Blake). Rafalski would give the Islanders the puck moving defenseman they so desire and would also provide the missing minutes vacated by a Sean Hill departure. Ian Laperriere is a Ted Nolan player….plain and simple. Here is the scouting report on Laperriere Assets Is a very hard worker and earns a lot of respect in standing up for his teammates. Has strong forechecking and penalty-killing skills. Tends to rattle his opponents with his in-your-face attitude. Flaws Will never lead his NHL team in scoring and is somewhat limited in terms of natural ability. Tends to rile the opposition up with on-ice antics. We need a player like Laperriere. Kariya is a stretch I know….but signing him (and by the way it would be Gomez or Kariya not both)….would add a scoring dymanic that we sorely need. Kariya's 24 goals and 75 points are not eye popping….but very solid none the less.
5. Prospects
Who is left after the Ryan Smyth trade you ask….plenty. First and foremost is Kyle Okposo. The pride and joy of the organization. Okposo had an extrememly successful freshman season at Minnesota this year. Chances are he will return there for at least his sopohmore season as the Islanders are not putting any pressure on him to leave school. If he so chooses to leave…Garth Snow will welcome him with open arms….but don’t count on it this season. Next is Jeff Tambellini…who I think is ready for the bigtime. I keep picturing him on a line with Scott Gomez and Jason Blake…(what a dream that would be). Tambellini showed last season that he can play with the big boys. Expect him to be a full time player next season. Next you have Sean Bergenheim who will no doubt be back with the Islanders next year. He should replace Arron Asham. Petteri Nokaleninen, Blake Comeau, Jeremy Collition and Franz Nielsen will all vie for spots though most will probably spend another season in Bridgeport.
6. Trades??
Probably….as the Islanders have an extra defenseman of Campoli, Gervais and Meyer. Witt will be back along with Bergeron and Martinek. If Poti is resigned and a defenseman is brought in via free agency….then at least one of the youngsters will be dealt. Though anything is possible there are no glaring canidates to be dealt.
7. Will Alexei Yashin return?
A week ago….I would have said no way. Today…..i'm not sure. Both Snow and Nolan stated yesterday that there hasn't been any talk about buying out Yashin's contract. They also said that keeping Yashin would not hinder them in bringing back both Ryan Smyth and Jason Blake. At this point I almost WANT them to bring him back. The feeling I have is that he should have to play out his contract and suffer through every minute. Ted Nolan is going to make him play the way he's supposed to….if not….he will sit. I don’t think this discussion is over….but it looks like Yashin will more than likely be back.
Now that I have carpel tunnel….I leave off with this….
This has been a great season, I have enjoyed it from beginning to end, and I can't wait to see what direction Garth and Ted take this franchise this summer.
I will be updating the blog periodically throughout the spring and summer…..
I hope to hear from you guys
Enjoy the nice weather
Tony
Welcome to the new Blog
Since the Myspace blog has become so popular I've decided to take it to the next level.....sooooo welcome to the New York Islanders Fan Blog.
I'll be posting updated information about the team and just some general thoughts.
Here is my New York Islanders myspace fan page
http://www.myspace.com/newyorkislandersfan
If you have any thoughts or questions please feel free to drop me a line
ajstabile@gmail.com
Thanks and enjoy
Tony
I'll be posting updated information about the team and just some general thoughts.
Here is my New York Islanders myspace fan page
http://www.myspace.com/newyorkislandersfan
If you have any thoughts or questions please feel free to drop me a line
ajstabile@gmail.com
Thanks and enjoy
Tony
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