Arrrgrhhhhhh......moving is the absolute worst thing a human being can do to itself......alright, maybe I'm being a little ridiculous.....but it's horrible.....I am never moving again....(quote me on this)
Anyway.....at noon tomorrow, the NHL's version of the day after Thanksgiving begins. Instead of GM's like Garth Snow, Glen Sather, Dale Tallon etc heading out to Roosevelt Field....they most likely will be dialing their fax machines to each of the top names on this year's free agent list. Daniel Briere, Chris Drury, Ryan Smyth, Sheldon Souray, Scott Gomez and Paul Kariya should all hear their cell phones ring tomorrow probably simultaniously.
Lets take a look....
Daniel Briere
Briere found his game in Buffalo a few years back after the Phoenix Coyotes gave up on him. Now in the "new NHL" a guy of Briere's size and speed is no longer a liability. Has rumors have stated, Briere was insulted by the Sabres latest....(5 years @ $25 was pretty insulting)....Briere will probably see multiple $7 million + offers over the next 2 days. My guess....he signs with LA as they are desperate for a player of Briere's caliber.
Chris Drury
Drury is a player who displays a rare trait.....(his game reaches another level when times are desperate). Drury is consistently a 30 goal scorer....a definite Captain....and proven clutch performer. He like his former teammate Daniel Briere....will receive multiple $7 million offers. I would have to say the logical landing point for him is the Rangers as he grew up rooting for them as a kid. San Jose, Los Angeles and the Islanders are all known to have significant interest in him as well.
Ryan Smyth
After coming over in a last second trade deadline shocker....Ryan Smyth was given a hero's welcome. Islander fans chanted his name in the parking lot, from their seats, on line for the men's room! Smyth has stated that he enjoyed his time on the Island....but as a first time free agent, he's stated that he was looking forward to hearing all the offers and seeing what would be the best fit for both his family and his desire to hoist the cup. I have no doubt that there will be many teams drooling at adding a player such as Smyth....someone who brings so much more that his 37 goals and 70 points show. He is a special player who contributes to your organization both on the bench, during practice, after practice and while he's on the ice. No one in the Canadian media gives any credience to the possibility that Smyth will stay with the Islanders....but I am going out on a whim....Smyth re-signs with the Islanders for 5 years and 6.5 per season. He becomes as popular as Rick DiPietro and retires one the all time fan favorites.
Jason Blake
Boy....has any fan base turned on a player as popluar as Jason Blake so quickly?? Blake who has had a huge following over the past few years.....has no been quickly dismissed by Islanders fans who have gone as far as calling him a puckhog. Now I always respected Blake's game....but you have to notice over the last 2 season or so....that he passes less an less and he loses the puck while trying to dance around 3 guys. Blake scored 40 goals last season and will definitely get higher offers than what Isles GM Garth Snow last offered. At age 34 Blake will most likely get a few 3 year offers and I see him sigining with either Minnesota or Toronto. The Leafs would have to be the favorite since the Ryan Smyth's and Chris Drury's will be priced way too high.
Scott Gomez
Gomez is a very intriguing player. He posses's every tool a hockey coach would want. Blazing speed, excellent vision, a deadly shot and strong defenseive skills. Problem with Gomez....as opposed with Jason Blake...is Gomez has never scored more than 33 goals....and he only did that once.....(19 was his previous high)....If I had to guess....I would say he re-signs with the Devils for $5 million per.
Paul Kariya
Kariya is no spring chicken....at age 33....but coming off a strong season playing for the Predators He'll be a commodity. Kariya was a college teammate of Isles GM Garth Snow and would be a good fit for the Islanders. Expect to see multiple offers for Kariya....but I think he comes to Long Island for a 3 year stay.
I'll have another blog posted tomorrow after the aftermath of day one.
Have a great Sunday!
Tony
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
MIA
Sorry I've been MIA guys.....I'm in the process of buying a house and moving all of my worldly possessions.
I'll try to get a new Isles blog up tonight.....if I can keep my eyes open long enough.
Thanks!
Tony
I'll try to get a new Isles blog up tonight.....if I can keep my eyes open long enough.
Thanks!
Tony
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Isles Sign Bergenheim
The Islanders signed former 1st round pick Sean Bergenheim to a 1 year one way contract yesterday. Bergenheim sat out last season after the Islanders didn't offer him the contract he was looking for. After 9 games in the Russain Super League....Bergenheim realized he made a mistake and had his agent contact GM Garth Snow asking if he could sign the contract offered to him. Though as per team policy, any player who does not sign before the start of training camp, will not be offered a new contract until the following offseason. So Bergenheim signed in the Swedish Elite League and had a very good season.
Very good job by Snow for getting this done. He got this deal done quickly after a disastrous negotiation last summer. Bergenheim realized very quickly that he wanted to play in the NHL and his one-way contract all gut guarentees he'll be on the team next seaosn.
Bergenheim should fill in nicely with Sillinger and Hunter....a line that has very little speed. Theoretically he could play on any of the 4 lines and also see time on both the power play and the penalty kill as well.
A special thanks to Lyle Richardson (otherwise know as Spector)....for linking this blog on his website www.spectorshockey.net Please check out his site as he has excellent insight on all trade rumors and free agent signings. You can also find his blog on www.foxsports.com
Draft is Friday night and after yesterday's stunning trade between the Preadators and Flyers....I have a feeling it's going to be a very interesting weekend.
I'll have something posted on the first round on Friday night.
Very good job by Snow for getting this done. He got this deal done quickly after a disastrous negotiation last summer. Bergenheim realized very quickly that he wanted to play in the NHL and his one-way contract all gut guarentees he'll be on the team next seaosn.
Bergenheim should fill in nicely with Sillinger and Hunter....a line that has very little speed. Theoretically he could play on any of the 4 lines and also see time on both the power play and the penalty kill as well.
A special thanks to Lyle Richardson (otherwise know as Spector)....for linking this blog on his website www.spectorshockey.net Please check out his site as he has excellent insight on all trade rumors and free agent signings. You can also find his blog on www.foxsports.com
Draft is Friday night and after yesterday's stunning trade between the Preadators and Flyers....I have a feeling it's going to be a very interesting weekend.
I'll have something posted on the first round on Friday night.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Isles Notes
The aftermath of the Alexei Yashin buyout....has the rumors are flying today....from the credible to the ridiculous.....here are a few...
According to multiple sources the Islanders have interest in bringing back Michael Peca as an UFA this summer. Peca played only 35 games last year with the Maple Leafs after injuring his knee. Not a bad idea as he is still a stong defensive player and would be a good guy in the room. Peca and Yashin couldn't coexist in their time on Long Island....now that Yashin is gone....anything is possible.
Alexei Yashin's agent will contact Ottawa GM John Muckler to guage his interest according to the Ottawa Sun.....(that should be a very short conversation as Muckler should just hang up the phone on Gandler.)
Interesting quotes by Ryan Smyth's agent Don Meehan....
"The buyout is a consideration on a number of levels, but I don't think it's a critical or determining factor for Ryan," Meehan told The NY Post yesterday. "We have not yet had serious conversations with the Islanders, but Ryan will give the team every opportunity to sign him.
"He has not told me that he is committed to becoming a free agent on July 1. We expect to have conversations with the Islanders in the near future."
Sooooo now Ryan doesn't necessarily have his heart set on testing the market??....very interesting....also interesting is that every trace of Alexei Yashin has magically disappeared from the Islanders website and has been replaced with an image of.....Ryan Smyth.....coincidence??...
The focus of fans now is how do we spend the $5.25 million dollars of cap space we cleared yesterday?....Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, Michael Peca, Sheldon Souray, Thomas Vanek, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and others are all on the fan's radar....but who's on Garth and Ted's radar??? If I was a betting man....I would say Drury, Gomez, and Peca in that order.
Kyle Okposo has announced he will return to Minnesota for his sophmore season. After meeting with Islanders management he made his decision to return. Probably will be best for his development....
I asked Newsday writer Greg Logan if the Islanders had any intention on changing their dark uniform to the "retro" 1972 Jersey they wore in January. He responded that he hadn't heard anything about that....but he added that also hadn't asked about it either. He also told me the NHL was going to revert back to the white jersey's at home and the dark jersey's on the road starting next season.....which would be nice.....Personally I loved the 72 jersey and would like to see the team ditch the navy blue and go back to the old royal blue. Let me know what you think about that....if I get enough fans interested in that....I would gladly pass that info along to Greg Logan to bring up at a later date with Garth Snow.
I have a feeling that it's going to be an extremely busy summer....so I'm sure this blog will turn into a 11 month thing....(probably excluding August....as it is normally a dead hockey month)...
Have a great weekend....
Tony
According to multiple sources the Islanders have interest in bringing back Michael Peca as an UFA this summer. Peca played only 35 games last year with the Maple Leafs after injuring his knee. Not a bad idea as he is still a stong defensive player and would be a good guy in the room. Peca and Yashin couldn't coexist in their time on Long Island....now that Yashin is gone....anything is possible.
Alexei Yashin's agent will contact Ottawa GM John Muckler to guage his interest according to the Ottawa Sun.....(that should be a very short conversation as Muckler should just hang up the phone on Gandler.)
Interesting quotes by Ryan Smyth's agent Don Meehan....
"The buyout is a consideration on a number of levels, but I don't think it's a critical or determining factor for Ryan," Meehan told The NY Post yesterday. "We have not yet had serious conversations with the Islanders, but Ryan will give the team every opportunity to sign him.
"He has not told me that he is committed to becoming a free agent on July 1. We expect to have conversations with the Islanders in the near future."
Sooooo now Ryan doesn't necessarily have his heart set on testing the market??....very interesting....also interesting is that every trace of Alexei Yashin has magically disappeared from the Islanders website and has been replaced with an image of.....Ryan Smyth.....coincidence??...
The focus of fans now is how do we spend the $5.25 million dollars of cap space we cleared yesterday?....Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, Michael Peca, Sheldon Souray, Thomas Vanek, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and others are all on the fan's radar....but who's on Garth and Ted's radar??? If I was a betting man....I would say Drury, Gomez, and Peca in that order.
Kyle Okposo has announced he will return to Minnesota for his sophmore season. After meeting with Islanders management he made his decision to return. Probably will be best for his development....
I asked Newsday writer Greg Logan if the Islanders had any intention on changing their dark uniform to the "retro" 1972 Jersey they wore in January. He responded that he hadn't heard anything about that....but he added that also hadn't asked about it either. He also told me the NHL was going to revert back to the white jersey's at home and the dark jersey's on the road starting next season.....which would be nice.....Personally I loved the 72 jersey and would like to see the team ditch the navy blue and go back to the old royal blue. Let me know what you think about that....if I get enough fans interested in that....I would gladly pass that info along to Greg Logan to bring up at a later date with Garth Snow.
I have a feeling that it's going to be an extremely busy summer....so I'm sure this blog will turn into a 11 month thing....(probably excluding August....as it is normally a dead hockey month)...
Have a great weekend....
Tony
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Islanders Buy Out Alexei Yashin
Fans....welcome to the "New" New York Islanders.
The Islanders will have a new Captain next season. In a stunning move that was well overdue....the team decided to buy out Alexei Yashin. The team still owe Yashin $17.6 million dollars....that they are required to pay him in equally monthly installments over the next 8 years. As a result of the buyout...the Islanders will take a $2.2 million cap hit for the next 8 seasons.
The move while to be hugely popular with fans, doesn't make much financial sense. Especially for a team that doesn't annually make much money, and now will be saddled with a $2.2 million cap hit for nearly a decade....The move will obviously will inject even more energy into a fan base that saw a resurgence with the hiring of Head Coach Ted Nolan, a stunning run to the playoffs....and the acquision of new fan favorite Ryan Smyth.
The biggest question now will be.....
What does this mean for the offseason.....
Well....a few things....
First, it could be either an amazing summer, or a nightmare. Best case scenario, Garth Snow resigns Ryan Smyth, and brings in Chris Drury and Sheldon Souray. Worst case scenario...Smyth signs elsewhere, Drury signs with the Flyers and our biggest free agent signing is Michael Peca. Either could happen. With the Isles now saving about $5 million dollars more than they would have had originally....the team has much more flexability. Do I think they could land both Drury and Souray....probably not....but it's not crazy to think about a Smyth and Drury situation, which would give Ted Nolan the 2 players who best display his penchant for clutch, gritty hockey. Both are students of the game and both would have the opportunity to lead this franchise back to greatness.
The move also means that the "C" is already sewn on Ryan Smyth's jersey if he so chooses to return. There is no doubt that he A. deserves it....and B. the team would be enthralled to have Ryan as their leader. As for Drury....the Islanders would be able to offer him a $6 million per year deal over 5 seasons. Drury no doubt knows the Island....(his brother Ted was an Islander during the lean years)...and knows the history of the franchise. Drury also got to experience the old barn during the playoffs with the Buffalo Sabres.
I know I know....lots of speculation....but now is the fun time....the Islanders will be heading into a talent rich free agent pool with almost $14 million dollars to spend, (that includes resigning their own free agents).
More to follow....I would love to hear some comments on the buyout and fan reaction
The Islanders will have a new Captain next season. In a stunning move that was well overdue....the team decided to buy out Alexei Yashin. The team still owe Yashin $17.6 million dollars....that they are required to pay him in equally monthly installments over the next 8 years. As a result of the buyout...the Islanders will take a $2.2 million cap hit for the next 8 seasons.
The move while to be hugely popular with fans, doesn't make much financial sense. Especially for a team that doesn't annually make much money, and now will be saddled with a $2.2 million cap hit for nearly a decade....The move will obviously will inject even more energy into a fan base that saw a resurgence with the hiring of Head Coach Ted Nolan, a stunning run to the playoffs....and the acquision of new fan favorite Ryan Smyth.
The biggest question now will be.....
What does this mean for the offseason.....
Well....a few things....
First, it could be either an amazing summer, or a nightmare. Best case scenario, Garth Snow resigns Ryan Smyth, and brings in Chris Drury and Sheldon Souray. Worst case scenario...Smyth signs elsewhere, Drury signs with the Flyers and our biggest free agent signing is Michael Peca. Either could happen. With the Isles now saving about $5 million dollars more than they would have had originally....the team has much more flexability. Do I think they could land both Drury and Souray....probably not....but it's not crazy to think about a Smyth and Drury situation, which would give Ted Nolan the 2 players who best display his penchant for clutch, gritty hockey. Both are students of the game and both would have the opportunity to lead this franchise back to greatness.
The move also means that the "C" is already sewn on Ryan Smyth's jersey if he so chooses to return. There is no doubt that he A. deserves it....and B. the team would be enthralled to have Ryan as their leader. As for Drury....the Islanders would be able to offer him a $6 million per year deal over 5 seasons. Drury no doubt knows the Island....(his brother Ted was an Islander during the lean years)...and knows the history of the franchise. Drury also got to experience the old barn during the playoffs with the Buffalo Sabres.
I know I know....lots of speculation....but now is the fun time....the Islanders will be heading into a talent rich free agent pool with almost $14 million dollars to spend, (that includes resigning their own free agents).
More to follow....I would love to hear some comments on the buyout and fan reaction
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