Untitled from Carey Haber on Vimeo.
Jun 30, 2011
Podcast: June 29, 2011
Finally got this uploaded! Here is the podcast we recorded last night, before Ehrhoff was traded. We discuss that move, preview free agency, and review the 2011 Draft. As usual, the link to this podcast will be archived in the "podcast" section up top.
News: Islanders Announce 2011-12 Pre-Season Schedule
The New York Islanders have announced their pre-season schedule for the 2011-12 season. Training camp will be held between September 16 - October 5 at the Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders will play one home preseason game, on September 24 against the New Jersey Devils. Here is the full schedule, as listed on the Isles site.
AT: Perhaps Snow is a little wary of injuries... pre-season injuries hit us bad as everyone knows from last year. Pre-season is important to get the players in regular season mode. I hope Snow has a good reason besides injuries for the lack of exhibition games. I always enjoyed the Isles-Rangers exhibition games.
Friday, September 23 - 7 p.m. at Boston Bruins (TD Bank North Garden)SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 - 7 PM VS. NEW JERSEY DEVILS (NASSAU COLISEUM)Tuesday, September 27 - 9 p.m. at Calgary Flames (Scotiabank Saddledome)Friday, September 30 - 7 p.m. at New Jersey Devils (Prudential Center)SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1 - 7 PM VS. BOSTON BRUINS (WEBSTER BANK ARENA)CH: Underwhelming. Some will argue the pre-season doesn't matter much, but that's really open for debate. Last year, the Islanders had a very similar pre-season schedule, but was attributed to the fact they had to move training camp from Saskatoon, SK to Long Island. This year, there's really no reason not to have a full 7-8 game schedule. It's a tune-up for the players and allows spots in the NHL lineup to be won. Teams schedule their own pre-season games, so the Isles had tons of time to put an acceptable schedule together. I'm interested to hear their reasoning more than anything, because I would like to hear the philosophy behind this. Maybe there is a reason that would make sense for a shortened schedule.
AT: Perhaps Snow is a little wary of injuries... pre-season injuries hit us bad as everyone knows from last year. Pre-season is important to get the players in regular season mode. I hope Snow has a good reason besides injuries for the lack of exhibition games. I always enjoyed the Isles-Rangers exhibition games.
Speculation: Free Agent Preview - The Defenseman
So the Christian Ehrhoff risk didn't work out. It happens, but now it's time to move on. Continuing our free agency preview, here are 16 defenseman the Islanders may take a chance on come July 1.
Top 4 Offensive Defenseman
Christian Ehrhoff - 14 G 36 A 50 P +19 - Could (Still) Be A Target
What, you think I'd leave him out? In all seriousness, Garth has said the door is shut and I believe him. But if Ehrhoff comes crawling back asking for the Isles offer, you think they'd say no? I doubt it. Chances are at about 0%, and the Isles won't take initiative. But you never know what happens on July 1.
Tomas Kaberle - 4 G 43 A 47 P +4 - Could Be A Target
Kaberle is declining, and he wouldn't be my first choice. But he is a "name" and someone that can come in to help Travis Hamonic. However, he doesn't really fill a need so I think they go in another direction.
Roman Hamrlik - 5 G 29 A 34 P +6 - Isles Target
If the Isles want a short-term option, a reunion with Roman Hamrlik could be in the cards. Hammer liked playing here, and played with front office members Garth Snow and Eric Cairns. He's still physical and can play a top-4 role, but anything more than 2 years (and that's pushing it) is excessive.
Ian White - 4 G 22 A 26 P +3 - Isles Target
White is only 27 years old and coming off a very good year in San Jose. This is the guy the Isles should be going after on July 1. It's not really fair to call him "offensive" since he's more of a two-way guy. He's a good "new" NHL defenseman and will fit right in.
Top 4 Defensive Defensemen
Steve Montador - 5 G 21 A 26 P +16 - Isles Target
Had a great year with the Sabres last year. If he makes it to FA tomorrow, the Isles should be all over his cell phone. Could come in and fill exactly what the team is looking for.
Andy Greene - 4 G 19 A 23 P -23 - Isles Target
Greene had a terrible year with New Jersey last year, which will lower his stock. Could be a perfect candidate for the Isles to swoop in for on July 1. Their type of defenseman as well.
Jan Hejda - 5 G 15 A 20 P -6 - Isles Target
One of the most underrated in the game, and should be one of the Isles top choices come July 1. Plenty of teams will be calling this guy.
Ed Jovanovski - 5 G 9 A 14 P +4 - Isles Target
He's getting up there in age, but can still really help the team. My personal #1 choice for the Isles, but it will really come down to if he wants to play on the East Coast. At this stage in his career, he may not have a choice.
Scott Hannan - 1 G 10 A 11 P +4 - Isles Target
Hannan, still somewhat young at 32, could come in on a short 2-way deal to help out. Depends what he wants - still hasn't won a Cup, and still may have some looks from contenders.
Bottom Pairing Offensive Defensemen
Anton Babchuk - 11 G 24 A 35 P +14 - Could Be A Target
This is a guy the Isles could look at as someone with untapped potential. He won't work on anything more than a 1 year deal, and I'm not sure they want to have 4 potential D UFA next year, so they are better off going elsewhere.
Bryan McCabe - 7 G 21 A 28 P +2 - Isles Target (But Shouldn't Be)
McCabe wants to be here, so if the Isles want him back he will be. His only role will be the shooter on the PP to Mark Streit's QB. Really though, stay away. This would not be an improvement.
Bottom Pairing Defensive Defensemen
Jonathan Ericsson - 3 G 12 A 15 P +8 - Isles Target
Misplaced on a stacked Detroit defense, Ericsson hasn't really had the chance to show what he can do. In a Mark Streit type fashion, the Isles may give him that chance.
Jim Vandermeer - 2 G 12 A 14 P -15 - Could Be A Target
In the "if the market runs dry" category of the day, Vandermeer would come in as a stopgap, but really wouldn't be much better than the Isles already have.
Jeff Woywitka - 2 G 9 A 11 P +5 - Could Be A Target
Like Vandermeer (and some guys under him), Woywitka is a Plan B if the Isles can't improve on the top four. All these guys would be fine on a one-year deal, but anything more is pushing it.
Kent Huskins - 2 G 8 A 10 P +8 - Could Be A Target
You can pretty much exactly copy what is written for Woywitka and place it here.
Shane O'Brien - 2 G 7 A 9 P +1 - Isles Target
O'Brien is very interesting. Still young, he has time to further improve his game. A mean, tough, physical defenseman, he may be a guy the Isles turn to if the market is not going their way.
AT: My top 3 choices for D-men would be Scott Hannan, Roman Hamrlik and Jan Hejda. All are getting up there in age, but the Islanders only need a 2-3 year stopgap until some of our prospects such as Mayfield, Donovan and Pedan can make it up the ranks. Hannan fills a role as a Brendan Witt type player who can throw big hits, put up a lot of ice time and be the defensive D-man the Isles so desperately need for the top 4 right now. Hamrlik, while 37, is a former Islander who I'm sure would be willing to come back to a team he has ties with for 2-3 years to finish up his career. He still contributes offensively, has a monster shot and plays a very efficient D game. Jan Hejda, as Carey said, is very underrated and could be the big winner for the Isles. Playing on Columbus will do that to you. Either one of these three would be a perfect fit for the top 4. I can only hope and pray the Isles do not go for Bryan McCabe. He is exactly what the Islanders DON'T need defensively and his skills have been on the decline. Same with Kaberle. We have Streit returning and a continuously improving Andrew MacDonald. They are not necessary as stopgaps.
Top 4 Offensive Defenseman
Christian Ehrhoff - 14 G 36 A 50 P +19 - Could (Still) Be A Target
What, you think I'd leave him out? In all seriousness, Garth has said the door is shut and I believe him. But if Ehrhoff comes crawling back asking for the Isles offer, you think they'd say no? I doubt it. Chances are at about 0%, and the Isles won't take initiative. But you never know what happens on July 1.
Tomas Kaberle - 4 G 43 A 47 P +4 - Could Be A Target
Kaberle is declining, and he wouldn't be my first choice. But he is a "name" and someone that can come in to help Travis Hamonic. However, he doesn't really fill a need so I think they go in another direction.
Roman Hamrlik - 5 G 29 A 34 P +6 - Isles Target
If the Isles want a short-term option, a reunion with Roman Hamrlik could be in the cards. Hammer liked playing here, and played with front office members Garth Snow and Eric Cairns. He's still physical and can play a top-4 role, but anything more than 2 years (and that's pushing it) is excessive.
Ian White - 4 G 22 A 26 P +3 - Isles Target
White is only 27 years old and coming off a very good year in San Jose. This is the guy the Isles should be going after on July 1. It's not really fair to call him "offensive" since he's more of a two-way guy. He's a good "new" NHL defenseman and will fit right in.
Top 4 Defensive Defensemen
Steve Montador - 5 G 21 A 26 P +16 - Isles Target
Had a great year with the Sabres last year. If he makes it to FA tomorrow, the Isles should be all over his cell phone. Could come in and fill exactly what the team is looking for.
Andy Greene - 4 G 19 A 23 P -23 - Isles Target
Greene had a terrible year with New Jersey last year, which will lower his stock. Could be a perfect candidate for the Isles to swoop in for on July 1. Their type of defenseman as well.
Jan Hejda - 5 G 15 A 20 P -6 - Isles Target
One of the most underrated in the game, and should be one of the Isles top choices come July 1. Plenty of teams will be calling this guy.
Ed Jovanovski - 5 G 9 A 14 P +4 - Isles Target
He's getting up there in age, but can still really help the team. My personal #1 choice for the Isles, but it will really come down to if he wants to play on the East Coast. At this stage in his career, he may not have a choice.
Scott Hannan - 1 G 10 A 11 P +4 - Isles Target
Hannan, still somewhat young at 32, could come in on a short 2-way deal to help out. Depends what he wants - still hasn't won a Cup, and still may have some looks from contenders.
Bottom Pairing Offensive Defensemen
Anton Babchuk - 11 G 24 A 35 P +14 - Could Be A Target
This is a guy the Isles could look at as someone with untapped potential. He won't work on anything more than a 1 year deal, and I'm not sure they want to have 4 potential D UFA next year, so they are better off going elsewhere.
Bryan McCabe - 7 G 21 A 28 P +2 - Isles Target (But Shouldn't Be)
McCabe wants to be here, so if the Isles want him back he will be. His only role will be the shooter on the PP to Mark Streit's QB. Really though, stay away. This would not be an improvement.
Bottom Pairing Defensive Defensemen
Jonathan Ericsson - 3 G 12 A 15 P +8 - Isles Target
Misplaced on a stacked Detroit defense, Ericsson hasn't really had the chance to show what he can do. In a Mark Streit type fashion, the Isles may give him that chance.
Jim Vandermeer - 2 G 12 A 14 P -15 - Could Be A Target
In the "if the market runs dry" category of the day, Vandermeer would come in as a stopgap, but really wouldn't be much better than the Isles already have.
Jeff Woywitka - 2 G 9 A 11 P +5 - Could Be A Target
Like Vandermeer (and some guys under him), Woywitka is a Plan B if the Isles can't improve on the top four. All these guys would be fine on a one-year deal, but anything more is pushing it.
Kent Huskins - 2 G 8 A 10 P +8 - Could Be A Target
You can pretty much exactly copy what is written for Woywitka and place it here.
Shane O'Brien - 2 G 7 A 9 P +1 - Isles Target
O'Brien is very interesting. Still young, he has time to further improve his game. A mean, tough, physical defenseman, he may be a guy the Isles turn to if the market is not going their way.
AT: My top 3 choices for D-men would be Scott Hannan, Roman Hamrlik and Jan Hejda. All are getting up there in age, but the Islanders only need a 2-3 year stopgap until some of our prospects such as Mayfield, Donovan and Pedan can make it up the ranks. Hannan fills a role as a Brendan Witt type player who can throw big hits, put up a lot of ice time and be the defensive D-man the Isles so desperately need for the top 4 right now. Hamrlik, while 37, is a former Islander who I'm sure would be willing to come back to a team he has ties with for 2-3 years to finish up his career. He still contributes offensively, has a monster shot and plays a very efficient D game. Jan Hejda, as Carey said, is very underrated and could be the big winner for the Isles. Playing on Columbus will do that to you. Either one of these three would be a perfect fit for the top 4. I can only hope and pray the Isles do not go for Bryan McCabe. He is exactly what the Islanders DON'T need defensively and his skills have been on the decline. Same with Kaberle. We have Streit returning and a continuously improving Andrew MacDonald. They are not necessary as stopgaps.
Jun 29, 2011
Trade: The Islanders trade the rights to Christian Ehrhoff to Buffalo for a 4th round pick in 2012
According to the Islanders, they have traded the rights to Christian Ehrhoff to Buffalo for Buffalo's 4th round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry draft.
AT: Okay then. No loss (and possibly a gain), even though a 4th round pick was never that big of a loss anyways. Good work by Snow to move on after realizing it wasn't going to happen. Ehrhoff's rights now belong to Buffalo until Friday at 12 PM. They have quite the D corps if they manage to sign Ehrhoff. Buffalo has a ton of potential and just got Robyn Regehr, so they're an improving team that had minor success last year in making it to the 7th spot. I can see him signing in Buffalo.
CH: Turns into a complete disaster if Ehrhoff signs in Buffalo. No doubt Buffalo is a team that is rising and willing to spend, but weren't the Islanders no more than 10 hours ago? If Ehrhoff says no to unrestricted free agency now, it makes the Islanders look terrible - especially after offering him much more money and term than Vancouver.. Good asset management by Snow to get the pick back, however.
EDIT: From Chris Botta, it appears the Islanders opted not to heavily front-load the contract offer to Ehrhoff.
CH: Very funny how quick perceptions can change. This is all on the Islanders now. This was obvious - every FA is going to want a front-loaded contract because of the potential work stoppage/rollback. If Charles Wang is not willing to offer that structure to Ehrhoff, then the Islanders have no shot to do anything in free agency. Yes, it was still an admirable attempt, but they could not have expected to sign him with that kind of offer. IF this report is true, this no longer becomes a disaster, it becomes another confusing decision made by the Islanders. That said, move on, and hope they understand the only way anyone will come here is with a hefty salary in 2011.
AT:
AT: Okay then. No loss (and possibly a gain), even though a 4th round pick was never that big of a loss anyways. Good work by Snow to move on after realizing it wasn't going to happen. Ehrhoff's rights now belong to Buffalo until Friday at 12 PM. They have quite the D corps if they manage to sign Ehrhoff. Buffalo has a ton of potential and just got Robyn Regehr, so they're an improving team that had minor success last year in making it to the 7th spot. I can see him signing in Buffalo.
CH: Turns into a complete disaster if Ehrhoff signs in Buffalo. No doubt Buffalo is a team that is rising and willing to spend, but weren't the Islanders no more than 10 hours ago? If Ehrhoff says no to unrestricted free agency now, it makes the Islanders look terrible - especially after offering him much more money and term than Vancouver.. Good asset management by Snow to get the pick back, however.
EDIT: From Chris Botta, it appears the Islanders opted not to heavily front-load the contract offer to Ehrhoff.
CH: Very funny how quick perceptions can change. This is all on the Islanders now. This was obvious - every FA is going to want a front-loaded contract because of the potential work stoppage/rollback. If Charles Wang is not willing to offer that structure to Ehrhoff, then the Islanders have no shot to do anything in free agency. Yes, it was still an admirable attempt, but they could not have expected to sign him with that kind of offer. IF this report is true, this no longer becomes a disaster, it becomes another confusing decision made by the Islanders. That said, move on, and hope they understand the only way anyone will come here is with a hefty salary in 2011.
AT:
News: Talks Break Down Between Christian Ehrhoff, Islanders
The Islanders traded for Ehrhoff for a fourth-round pick in 2012 yesterday.
CH: Lots to take in here. The fact is while this was a long shot, it was still worth a shot. Not enough details have come out to really analyze the situation, but this still has to be seen as a failure for the team in a way. Yes, Snow deserves a ton of credit for going out there and making a bold move for the best free agent defenseman on the market. Yes, Ehrhoff has the right and should test the free agent waters. And yes, the Islanders get shunned again.
Now, the team needs a Plan B, and not just a stopgap bottom-pairing defenseman like when they signed Andy Sutton in 2007. They need a true top-4 guy, whether it is through trade or FA, to make up for the potential they just lost in Ehrhoff. The team showed signs that failure is not acceptable, and now that theoretically they failed, the team isn't any better. Granted, they aren't worse either. But status quo got them 27th place in the NHL last season. We've talked about the improvements they needed to make, and Ehrhoff was the posterboy for that advancement.
There could be a multitude of reasons why Ehrhoff is not signing with the Islanders: money, situation, uncertainty, just wants to test UFA. Doesn't matter. The Isles should keep the offer on the table until July 1. Remember, he is still their property for another day. Things happen very quickly in these situations (I mentioned on Twitter James Wisniewski traded to Columbus would not help). If Ehrhoff feels tomorrow the Islanders will have a deal unmatched, maybe he changes his mind. But the chances of that happening are about 0%. Once noon on Friday hits, both sides should walk away. But the Islanders can't settle for status quo either.
Ehrhoff is a talented player and will certainly get a nice paycheck from a contending team, but I guarantee it won't be as much as the Islanders offered him. That's life as a perennial loser. Hard to judge Ehrhoff for potentially taking less to win, but at the same time being part of the solution makes a player's reputation soar. It's his decision, and we should respect that. Don't boo Ehrhoff because he didn't sign with the 27th place team when he comes to the Coliseum next year. It was an admirable shot in the dark, but that's all it was.
But again, the Isles have made an open attempt to improve the team. It didn't work. There has to be another try. If not, the summer of good feelings becomes excruciatingly underwhelming, which is exactly what the Islanders don't need with the biggest off-ice day in the franchise's history coming up just 32 days from now.
AT: This is a big PR hit. Maybe not as much as some have made it out to be, but it is. While I think most of his has to do with the fact that Ehrhoff did not want to play with a team that's in a 4 year playoff drought, it's going to make the team look poor. Word was that the Isles offered $6m a year to Ehrhoff - about $500k more than he's worth at this point. A decent overpayment to get a player of his caliber to play with the Isles. For him to turn it down hurts, but was also not unexpected at this point. This team has a stigma around it that is not a positive one and it's going to take success to break that. It's great that we have players like Grabner and now assistant coach Doug Weight professing their love for Long Island, but not everyone sees it like that. Hopefully Garth can still land a solid #2 (I'm on a full on Scott Hannan mode right now) in the free agency period and it appears that he will certainly try, but this hurts.
At the same time, we have to look at it from Ehrhoff's point of view. This ISN'T a team with a lot of success and he's coming from a team that came within a win of the Stanley Cup last year. He wants to compete, and that's good. I always feel that that's what separates the NHL from other leagues. It's really not about money for most players. We saw Dan Hamuis take a discount to play with Vancouver in order to win, and the same with Paul Martin signing for less with Pittsburgh. There's no Jayson Werths who sign for whichever team gives them a blank check. At least, it's not very common. I beg Islander fans not to go on an "I Hate Christian Ehrhoff" campaign. If you were in his position, you would probably test the market as well.
Speculation: Free Agent Preview - The Forwards
With the start of free agency Friday (we are planning a live blog from 12-7 for the July 1 festivities, more on that later), we figured we'd do a little free agency preview. Below are 22 free agent forwards the Islanders might look into. We've separated them into different categories, their stats, their 2010/11 team, and how likely the Islanders will target them. Just a fun little exercise to get us ready for a crazy July 4 weekend.
Top 6 Centers
Brad Richards - 31 - 28 G 49 A 77 P - Minimal Chance, At Best
Obviously the best free agent on the market, the Isles have the cap space if they really want to overpay. Chances are Richards will go for the money, but that will most likely be NYR or TOR. Wouldn't completely count the Isles out, but as close as you can get to that.
Tim Connolly - 30 - 13 G 29 A 42 P - Could Be A Target
Connolly is a wiz when he is healthy, but he's never healthy. If the Isles think he could give them a productive couple of years, he may be an option while Ryan Strome develops in juniors. But I wouldn't count on it, the Isles may go with Bailey - cheaper and still developing.
Top 6 Wings
Ville Leino - 27 - 19 G 34 A 53 P - Isles Target
Leino has had a few good years with the Flyers, especially in the 2010 playoffs. He's looking for a big raise over his last contract, and the Isles may be a team that's willing to give him one.
Erik Cole - 32 - 26 G 26 A 52 P - Isles Target
Cole has an Islander connection in Doug Weight, who could be very influential in getting Cole to come play on John Tavares' wing if the price is right. Could and should be the Isles #1 target for a top-6 player.
Jussi Jokinen - 28 - 19 G 33 A 52 P - Isles Target
Jokinen is another Hurricane that fits in very nicely on Tavares' wing. Another guy the Isles should be calling early Friday to try and get a jump start on. Plus, he's a shootout wiz.
Radim Vrbata - 30 - 19 G 29 A 48 P - Isles Target
Vrbata doesn't fit as nicely on the first line, but is still an improvement in the top-6, and could really help Josh Bailey bring his game up a notch.
Michael Ryder - 31 - 18 G 23 A 41 P - Isles Target
By no means should he be a top option, he needs to be in a perfect situation to be productive. I don't think this is it. That said, he's a veteran presence and if the Isles feel he can help in the top 6, they'll go after him.
Sergei Samsonov - 32 - 13 G 27 A 40 P - Could Be A Target
Not sure if the Isles want to go in this direction, but he could be a target for the Islanders as he does complement John Tavares' skillset well. Very fast, could be a target, but I think the Isles look elsewhere first.
Simon Gagne - 31 - 17 G 23 A 40 P - Isles Target
Gagne will no doubt be towards the top of the Isles list on Friday. He's had concussion problems but he is a perfect fit on this team, especially when he is healthy. If he signs, expect more years than any other team as the Isles could offer him security and give him his last big payday.
Tomas Fleischmann - 27 - 12 G 19 A 31 P - Isles Target
If he can prove that he is healthy after his blood clot scare last year, he could be a major addition to the Isles lineup. His injury history will scare other teams away, so the Isles could have an advantage if they want to sign him. Risky, but the reward is phenomenal.
Steve Sullivan - 36 - 10 G 12 A 22 P - Could Be Target
Sullivan is getting up there in age, but his skills complement John Tavares very well. It's a matter of if the Islanders think he is done, but if not, he'll have a great chance to revive his career with a great young center.
Bottom 6 Centers
Eric Belanger - 33 - 13 G 27 A 40 P - Isles Target
Should be the Islanders #1 choice to play the 4th line center. There were rumors they were going after Belanger last season, but now it makes more sense. A 4th line of Martin-Belanger-Hunter is one of the better ones in the league and gives the Isles flexibility to pick and choose spots for Micheal Haley.
Marty Reasoner - 34 - 14 G 18 A 32 P - Isles Target
Like Belanger, Reasoner fits the mold of what the Isles could be looking for as an upgrade in their bottom-6. He won't break the bank and is an effective player in the correct role.
Jeff Halpern - 35 - 11 G 15 A 26 P - Isles Target
Short-term he's a potential answer for the 4th line, but you won't get more than 2 years out of him. Still, he's a viable option and a good veteran leader.
Marcel Goc - 27 - 9 G - 15 A - 24 P - Isles Target
A close friend of Christian Ehrhoff's, Goc would be a perfect transitional player for the 4th line. If not Belanger, Goc is the guy to bring in. Great on faceoffs as well.
Bottom 6 Wings
Scottie Upshall - 27 - 22 G 12 A 34 P - Could Be Target
Upshall has proved to be a pretty productive player, but really doesn't fit the mold of a top-6 forward, which is what the Isles should be looking for. He may be an option as a transitional player, but unless other avenues run dry, I don't see them making a big push.
Raffi Torres - 29 - 14 G 15 A 29 P - Could Be Target
I don't see where Torres fits per se, but if the Islanders want to bring their former draft pick home, they'll have a shot.
Joel Ward - 30 - 10 G 19 A 29 P - Isles Target
By now, everyone knows about Ward's Long Island ties. After his monster playoffs, he's going to get a contract he doesn't deserve. Great team guy, not sure the Isles should be overpaying him though. Still, I'd assume they'll make a decent push for him.
Sean Bergenheim - 27 - 14 G 15 A 29 P - Probably Not, But For Fun
Bergie isn't coming back, but he's the type of guy like Ward who is going to get way overpaid for his playoff run. Looking forward to seeing how he does in the UFA market.
Chris Higgins - 28 - 13 G 15 A 28 P - Isles Target
The native Long Islander has the ability, but hasn't put it together in a few years. He'll get an opportunity to do that in a pressure-less situation with his hometown team. Would not be surprised at all to see him come home.
Cody McCormick - 28 - 8 G 12 A 20 P - Could Be Target
McCormick would be a great guy to have on the fourth line. If the Isles feel Trent Hunter is done, they may explore an option like this, but I wouldn't count on it.
Ben Eager - 27 - 7 G 10 A 17 P - Could Be Target
Eager made waves with his temper in the last game against the Canucks in the playoffs, but like McCormick, if Hunter is done the Isles may decide to bring in someone of his ilk in.
AT: My top targets remain Jussi Jokinen, Ville Leino or Simon Gagne. Either one would fit fantastically on JT's wing and would create an offensive explosion on the first line. There's always been missing pieces on the team - one of those being a solid RW for the first line to replace PAP, the other being a center. With Strome now in the mix and possibly playing in the NHL in a year, I doubt the Isles go for Richards. Jokinen, Leino and Gagne seem like the most likely options.
Top 6 Centers
Brad Richards - 31 - 28 G 49 A 77 P - Minimal Chance, At Best
Obviously the best free agent on the market, the Isles have the cap space if they really want to overpay. Chances are Richards will go for the money, but that will most likely be NYR or TOR. Wouldn't completely count the Isles out, but as close as you can get to that.
Tim Connolly - 30 - 13 G 29 A 42 P - Could Be A Target
Connolly is a wiz when he is healthy, but he's never healthy. If the Isles think he could give them a productive couple of years, he may be an option while Ryan Strome develops in juniors. But I wouldn't count on it, the Isles may go with Bailey - cheaper and still developing.
Top 6 Wings
Ville Leino - 27 - 19 G 34 A 53 P - Isles Target
Leino has had a few good years with the Flyers, especially in the 2010 playoffs. He's looking for a big raise over his last contract, and the Isles may be a team that's willing to give him one.
Erik Cole - 32 - 26 G 26 A 52 P - Isles Target
Cole has an Islander connection in Doug Weight, who could be very influential in getting Cole to come play on John Tavares' wing if the price is right. Could and should be the Isles #1 target for a top-6 player.
Jussi Jokinen - 28 - 19 G 33 A 52 P - Isles Target
Jokinen is another Hurricane that fits in very nicely on Tavares' wing. Another guy the Isles should be calling early Friday to try and get a jump start on. Plus, he's a shootout wiz.
Radim Vrbata - 30 - 19 G 29 A 48 P - Isles Target
Vrbata doesn't fit as nicely on the first line, but is still an improvement in the top-6, and could really help Josh Bailey bring his game up a notch.
Michael Ryder - 31 - 18 G 23 A 41 P - Isles Target
By no means should he be a top option, he needs to be in a perfect situation to be productive. I don't think this is it. That said, he's a veteran presence and if the Isles feel he can help in the top 6, they'll go after him.
Sergei Samsonov - 32 - 13 G 27 A 40 P - Could Be A Target
Not sure if the Isles want to go in this direction, but he could be a target for the Islanders as he does complement John Tavares' skillset well. Very fast, could be a target, but I think the Isles look elsewhere first.
Simon Gagne - 31 - 17 G 23 A 40 P - Isles Target
Gagne will no doubt be towards the top of the Isles list on Friday. He's had concussion problems but he is a perfect fit on this team, especially when he is healthy. If he signs, expect more years than any other team as the Isles could offer him security and give him his last big payday.
Tomas Fleischmann - 27 - 12 G 19 A 31 P - Isles Target
If he can prove that he is healthy after his blood clot scare last year, he could be a major addition to the Isles lineup. His injury history will scare other teams away, so the Isles could have an advantage if they want to sign him. Risky, but the reward is phenomenal.
Steve Sullivan - 36 - 10 G 12 A 22 P - Could Be Target
Sullivan is getting up there in age, but his skills complement John Tavares very well. It's a matter of if the Islanders think he is done, but if not, he'll have a great chance to revive his career with a great young center.
Bottom 6 Centers
Eric Belanger - 33 - 13 G 27 A 40 P - Isles Target
Should be the Islanders #1 choice to play the 4th line center. There were rumors they were going after Belanger last season, but now it makes more sense. A 4th line of Martin-Belanger-Hunter is one of the better ones in the league and gives the Isles flexibility to pick and choose spots for Micheal Haley.
Marty Reasoner - 34 - 14 G 18 A 32 P - Isles Target
Like Belanger, Reasoner fits the mold of what the Isles could be looking for as an upgrade in their bottom-6. He won't break the bank and is an effective player in the correct role.
Jeff Halpern - 35 - 11 G 15 A 26 P - Isles Target
Short-term he's a potential answer for the 4th line, but you won't get more than 2 years out of him. Still, he's a viable option and a good veteran leader.
Marcel Goc - 27 - 9 G - 15 A - 24 P - Isles Target
A close friend of Christian Ehrhoff's, Goc would be a perfect transitional player for the 4th line. If not Belanger, Goc is the guy to bring in. Great on faceoffs as well.
Bottom 6 Wings
Scottie Upshall - 27 - 22 G 12 A 34 P - Could Be Target
Upshall has proved to be a pretty productive player, but really doesn't fit the mold of a top-6 forward, which is what the Isles should be looking for. He may be an option as a transitional player, but unless other avenues run dry, I don't see them making a big push.
Raffi Torres - 29 - 14 G 15 A 29 P - Could Be Target
I don't see where Torres fits per se, but if the Islanders want to bring their former draft pick home, they'll have a shot.
Joel Ward - 30 - 10 G 19 A 29 P - Isles Target
By now, everyone knows about Ward's Long Island ties. After his monster playoffs, he's going to get a contract he doesn't deserve. Great team guy, not sure the Isles should be overpaying him though. Still, I'd assume they'll make a decent push for him.
Sean Bergenheim - 27 - 14 G 15 A 29 P - Probably Not, But For Fun
Bergie isn't coming back, but he's the type of guy like Ward who is going to get way overpaid for his playoff run. Looking forward to seeing how he does in the UFA market.
Chris Higgins - 28 - 13 G 15 A 28 P - Isles Target
The native Long Islander has the ability, but hasn't put it together in a few years. He'll get an opportunity to do that in a pressure-less situation with his hometown team. Would not be surprised at all to see him come home.
Cody McCormick - 28 - 8 G 12 A 20 P - Could Be Target
McCormick would be a great guy to have on the fourth line. If the Isles feel Trent Hunter is done, they may explore an option like this, but I wouldn't count on it.
Ben Eager - 27 - 7 G 10 A 17 P - Could Be Target
Eager made waves with his temper in the last game against the Canucks in the playoffs, but like McCormick, if Hunter is done the Isles may decide to bring in someone of his ilk in.
AT: My top targets remain Jussi Jokinen, Ville Leino or Simon Gagne. Either one would fit fantastically on JT's wing and would create an offensive explosion on the first line. There's always been missing pieces on the team - one of those being a solid RW for the first line to replace PAP, the other being a center. With Strome now in the mix and possibly playing in the NHL in a year, I doubt the Isles go for Richards. Jokinen, Leino and Gagne seem like the most likely options.
Jun 28, 2011
Trade: Islanders trade 4th round pick for the negotiating rights to Christian Ehrhoff
According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, the Islanders have traded a 4th round pick for the negotiating rights to defenseman Christian Ehrhoff. The 28 year old German had 14 goals, 36 assists and 50 points and was a major part of Vancouver's incredibly tough defense last year.
AT: Wow. Wow wow wow! I'm still in utter shock about this. While this may not necessarily mean he's going to sign, it shows to me that Garth is ready, willing and able to sign top tier players in order to get to the next level. Ehrhoff was a major part of Vancouver's defense and would be the EXACT player the Isles need to put in the #2 slot next to Streit. This kind of move, if completed, would show the NHL that the Islanders mean business and do not plan to be on the bottom of the barrel in terms of salary cap anymore. You have to think Garth had some indication that this deal can get done, so all we can do now for the next few days is pray. The deal he'd be getting would probably be bigger than what he'd get elsewhere as we certainly have the room to sign him. We're back, baby!
CH: Wait, what?!? Complete shocker and an absolute sign the Islanders are going for it. Obviously, it's going to be a tough sell to get Ehrhoff signed, but if it gets done the Isles have the roster potential to do some serious damage this season. Ehrhoff is arguably the best defenseman left on the market, and for Snow to pull a move like this shows aggressiveness and confidence. I am absolutely thrilled right now. We'll obviously have way more on these developments through the night and tomorrow, but this is the bold move Alex and I have been talking about. Get him signed and the Islanders will have their credibility jolt and their talent jolt.
AT: Wow. Wow wow wow! I'm still in utter shock about this. While this may not necessarily mean he's going to sign, it shows to me that Garth is ready, willing and able to sign top tier players in order to get to the next level. Ehrhoff was a major part of Vancouver's defense and would be the EXACT player the Isles need to put in the #2 slot next to Streit. This kind of move, if completed, would show the NHL that the Islanders mean business and do not plan to be on the bottom of the barrel in terms of salary cap anymore. You have to think Garth had some indication that this deal can get done, so all we can do now for the next few days is pray. The deal he'd be getting would probably be bigger than what he'd get elsewhere as we certainly have the room to sign him. We're back, baby!
CH: Wait, what?!? Complete shocker and an absolute sign the Islanders are going for it. Obviously, it's going to be a tough sell to get Ehrhoff signed, but if it gets done the Isles have the roster potential to do some serious damage this season. Ehrhoff is arguably the best defenseman left on the market, and for Snow to pull a move like this shows aggressiveness and confidence. I am absolutely thrilled right now. We'll obviously have way more on these developments through the night and tomorrow, but this is the bold move Alex and I have been talking about. Get him signed and the Islanders will have their credibility jolt and their talent jolt.
Minors: Sound Tigers Name Brent Thompson As Coach
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Thompson was a second round pick of the Los Angeles Kings, and plated 120 NHL games with the Kings, Winnipeg Jets, and Phoenix Coyotes.
CH: I really like this. Thompson definitely seems ready to make the next step in his coaching career, and the Isles were in a good opportunity to give it to him. The Sound Tigers were miserable last year, and were in need of a new personality. Thompson is faced with a very important task, as it is extremely important for Bridgeport to have a good season next year. He also has a chance to propel himself into the NHL circle with a solid job across the Sound. Overall, a good hire as both entities will be better off for it. Now, Snow has to go get some AHL depth in free agency to round out the tons of Isles prospects down there.
AT: He seems like the kind of guy who was ready to take the next step to the AHL. Obviously he knows the game even if it was at the equivalent of Single A baseball. Can't wait to see what he does with the Sound Tigers especially with an influx of extremely talented players coming in such as De Haan, Donovan, Ness and Cizikas. Good luck, Brent!
Jun 27, 2011
News: Islanders Re-Sign Tomas Marcinko
The Islanders have re-signed Bridgeport forward Tomas Marcinko to a two-way (AHL/NHL) contract, according to the team's official Twitter.Marcinko scored 4 goals and had 5 assists in 66 games for the Sound Tigers last season. The Slovakian center was selected in the fourth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
CH: There were doubts Marcinko would be staying in the organization after he was not qualified yesterday, but clearly the Isles and his camp were working on this extension. Marcinko is a good depth centerman for the Sound Tigers. Now an AHL veteran (this will be his fourth season), he will be able to help mentor some of the Islanders' prospects as they enter the professional level. Even though he most likely will never make the NHL full-time, he still provides value to the organization, which is why they are keeping him around for another season. To be completely honest, I was a little shocked by this as I would have let him go, but depth at the pro level cannot be ignored. It's been a problem for years and we are finally getting to the point where it's becoming less of an issue.
AT: Minor signing but a good one. It's good to have the same people on the Sound Tigers to keep a solid chemistry for kids like Donovan, Ness, Cizikas and De Haan all coming in looking to play for a solid team and to create a winning atmosphere. He's that kind of minor signing which is important on a scale that many people don't realize. It's the micromanaging like this that ends up being the biggest factors in the long run.
Jun 26, 2011
Draft: Reviewing the picks and the job Garth Snow did
Well, the fun of draft day is over once again. We look towards prospect camp and training camp in late Summer and hope all of our prospects can pan out. While most fans seem to be very pleased with this draft, we thought we'd give the Islanders grades on each prospect and a grade on the job the Islanders did as a whole. So let's begin.
Ryan Strome, C, 1st round, 5th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: 7
AT: Couldn't have been happier with this pick. It was either Couturier, Strome or Hamilton in my eyes and we got one of them. A background with Tavares and Moulson, electric playmaker, blazing (although not quite Grabner like) speed, incredible hockey vision, incredible work ethic, and most importantly he seems to love the thought of playing on Long Island. While offense wasn't a huge problem last season, Strome will help the Islanders take the next step in getting to and succeeding in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
CH: There's nothing to be upset about regarding this pick. I know a lot of people wanted Dougie Hamilton here, but the potential for a top-end forward at #5 was too good to pass up. This was a clear winner with either Couturier or Strome. They went with Ryan Strome, who has a much higher boom potential. He works out with John Tavares and Matt Moulson, so he already knew a little bit about the organization. He's a righty shot, which will complement Tavares great - either on his wing or on the 2nd line, which means that the coaching still will be able to mix and match where they'd like. Not only that, but he's absolutely ecstatic to be an Islander. Great pick.
Alex's grade: A+
Carey's grade: A
Scott Mayfield, D, 2nd round, 34th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: 33
AT: Big, mean defenseman who played for Youngstown of the USHL last year. Mayfield was originally slated to go in the late first round but with the draft being such a crapshoot, he fell. I was ecstatic with this pick as I originally hoped the Islanders would trade up to the late first in order to nab him. He fills the exact role that the Islanders are missing.
CH: Perfect pick at this spot. This was a BPA pick, and an organizational need pick. Mayfield is a bit of a project, in the sense that it will be a good 4-5 years before we see him on the team. That said, his potential from a defensive standpoint is great. He's a huge body who plays physical coming from a great league in the USHL to a great program in Denver. If all things go well, he will be a HUGE boom for this team. Even if they don't, he could still easily make the NHL at that size.
Alex's grade: A
Carey's grade: A
Johan Sundstrom, C/RW, 2nd round, 50th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: 95
AT: An interesting pick by Garth. A center/RW who will inevitably be placed in a checking role, Sundstrom will be able to really show himself off with an upgraded role this coming season in the SEL. I'm not really sure if he was the best choice for the Isles as we are loaded down with centers, but it's always good to have depth. He will certainly be fighting for a spot when his time comes.
CH: A little bit of a reach here, but there are positives to look at as he is a top-100 prospect. Sundstrom played in the SEL last year at 17 years old, which is outstanding. He was great while playing with players in his age group, so he should be primed for a big WJC-20 in December. The most interesting thing about this pick is that he is a center, which gives the Isles an influx of centers in the organization. While he does have limited offensive upside, he does have the potential to fight for a spot on the bottom-6.
Alex's grade: B-
Carey's grade: C+
Andrei Pedan, D, 3rd round, 63rd overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: 82
AT: Another pick I absolutely love. Another big, strong D-man who we so desperately need. And he is big. Mayfield big. He and Mayfield could prove to be absolute bruisers on the Isles blueline in the future. Can not wait to see these two develop. He'll go back to Guelph in the OHL and work on his skills.
CH: Exactly what the Islanders need. If either he or Mayfield work out, the Islanders will be in great shape for years to come. He really picked his game up in the OHL playoffs last year, so if he can capitalize on that at the WJC for Russia and into the season for Guelph, the Isles may have a big sleeper on their hands. For a third round pick, there is much to like here.
Alex's grade: A
Carey's grade: B+
Robbie Russo, D, 4th round, 95th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: 50
AT: He slipped quite a bit, but that happens in the later rounds. A smaller, puck moving defenseman, very similar to Matt Donovan who plays in the AHL right now. He'll never see top 4 minutes, but he could end up being a nice puck rushing D-man in the future.
CH: I had this guy pegged at 50, so to get him at 95 was good value. He's going to Notre Dame, so he'll play with Anders Lee there. He had a great WC-18 for the Americans. He has decent offensive upside, and he needs to work on his defensive game - but he has four more years to do that. I like this pick here, even if it's a little different from what the "theme" of the draft was.
Alex's grade: B
Carey's grade: B+
John Persson, RW, 5th round, 125th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: NR
AT: Big, strong winger who likes to fight. Matt Martin-esque in style in that he's tough, but he can produce offensively. Don't really know how his game will translate to the NHL, so we'll just have to see.
CH: This was very interesting. I don't know that he was on anyone's radar, so maybe they could have waited on him. That said, the Isles took an overager in Tony DeHart last year (opted not to sign him) and it didn't work out. Persson had a very good second season for Red Deer, may see time with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins this year. Very low risk, most likely medium reward type of pick, but he'll get a year to show what he can do. A top-50 pick in Seth Ambroz was still on the board here, so tough to call this pick great or terrible.
Alex's grade: B-
Carey's grade: C
Brendan Kichton, D, 5th round, 127th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: NR
AT: Played very well with Spokane in the regular season as well as in the playoffs. Another puck moving D-man (similar to De Haan), but is on the smaller side. Not sure if he'll ever make it to the Islanders or the NHL.
CH: Smaller defenseman who put up huge offensive numbers for Spokane last year. The Islanders drafted a similar type in Jared Spurgeon in 2008, who made the Minnesota Wild this past year. Very high reward here, as he is also an overager, so this year will determine a lot for him as well.
Alex's grade: C
Carey's grade: C
Mitchell Theoret, C, 7th round, 185th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: NR
AT: Seems to have an offensive upside but it's yet to be seen after being limited in his role with Niagara. Very hard to rate this one right now. Did play with Strome, so hopefully he can help him turn into something great.
CH: Like Alex said, hard to rate. They say he does have some offensive upside, but more likely if he gets to the NHL it will be as an enforcer type role (had six fights last year). A teammate of Ryan Strome, the Isles saw a lot of him and I'm sure Strome was very happy to see his teammate drafted. No rating here - at this point, they were playing with house money.
Overall grade:
AT: This was a great draft for Snow. While it hurts to miss out on a franchise D-man like Larsson who would have been ours had the Devils notfixed won the draft lottery, I'm very happy with Strome and the rest of the picks, especially Mayfield. Garth restocked the D corps as was much needed and added dynamic offensive talent to the already stocked prospect pool. This was a successful draft that addressed the needs of a talent pool that was not too long ago quite empty. Good job, Garth.
CH: Very good draft here, maybe the best since 2008. They drafted 3 C, 4 D, and 1 LW, so it's an even spread across the board. Not only that, they also separated the signing deadlines for these players. Strome, Pedan, and Theoret have two years to be signed. Kichton and Persson must be signed by next June. They also have Mayfield and Russo going to college, which means they have four years to sign them. It means they will have ample time to realize what they have.
Alex's grade: A-
Carey's grade: B+
Ryan Strome, C, 1st round, 5th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: 7
AT: Couldn't have been happier with this pick. It was either Couturier, Strome or Hamilton in my eyes and we got one of them. A background with Tavares and Moulson, electric playmaker, blazing (although not quite Grabner like) speed, incredible hockey vision, incredible work ethic, and most importantly he seems to love the thought of playing on Long Island. While offense wasn't a huge problem last season, Strome will help the Islanders take the next step in getting to and succeeding in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
CH: There's nothing to be upset about regarding this pick. I know a lot of people wanted Dougie Hamilton here, but the potential for a top-end forward at #5 was too good to pass up. This was a clear winner with either Couturier or Strome. They went with Ryan Strome, who has a much higher boom potential. He works out with John Tavares and Matt Moulson, so he already knew a little bit about the organization. He's a righty shot, which will complement Tavares great - either on his wing or on the 2nd line, which means that the coaching still will be able to mix and match where they'd like. Not only that, but he's absolutely ecstatic to be an Islander. Great pick.
Alex's grade: A+
Carey's grade: A
Scott Mayfield, D, 2nd round, 34th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: 33
AT: Big, mean defenseman who played for Youngstown of the USHL last year. Mayfield was originally slated to go in the late first round but with the draft being such a crapshoot, he fell. I was ecstatic with this pick as I originally hoped the Islanders would trade up to the late first in order to nab him. He fills the exact role that the Islanders are missing.
CH: Perfect pick at this spot. This was a BPA pick, and an organizational need pick. Mayfield is a bit of a project, in the sense that it will be a good 4-5 years before we see him on the team. That said, his potential from a defensive standpoint is great. He's a huge body who plays physical coming from a great league in the USHL to a great program in Denver. If all things go well, he will be a HUGE boom for this team. Even if they don't, he could still easily make the NHL at that size.
Alex's grade: A
Carey's grade: A
Johan Sundstrom, C/RW, 2nd round, 50th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: 95
AT: An interesting pick by Garth. A center/RW who will inevitably be placed in a checking role, Sundstrom will be able to really show himself off with an upgraded role this coming season in the SEL. I'm not really sure if he was the best choice for the Isles as we are loaded down with centers, but it's always good to have depth. He will certainly be fighting for a spot when his time comes.
CH: A little bit of a reach here, but there are positives to look at as he is a top-100 prospect. Sundstrom played in the SEL last year at 17 years old, which is outstanding. He was great while playing with players in his age group, so he should be primed for a big WJC-20 in December. The most interesting thing about this pick is that he is a center, which gives the Isles an influx of centers in the organization. While he does have limited offensive upside, he does have the potential to fight for a spot on the bottom-6.
Alex's grade: B-
Carey's grade: C+
Andrei Pedan, D, 3rd round, 63rd overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: 82
AT: Another pick I absolutely love. Another big, strong D-man who we so desperately need. And he is big. Mayfield big. He and Mayfield could prove to be absolute bruisers on the Isles blueline in the future. Can not wait to see these two develop. He'll go back to Guelph in the OHL and work on his skills.
CH: Exactly what the Islanders need. If either he or Mayfield work out, the Islanders will be in great shape for years to come. He really picked his game up in the OHL playoffs last year, so if he can capitalize on that at the WJC for Russia and into the season for Guelph, the Isles may have a big sleeper on their hands. For a third round pick, there is much to like here.
Alex's grade: A
Carey's grade: B+
Robbie Russo, D, 4th round, 95th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: 50
AT: He slipped quite a bit, but that happens in the later rounds. A smaller, puck moving defenseman, very similar to Matt Donovan who plays in the AHL right now. He'll never see top 4 minutes, but he could end up being a nice puck rushing D-man in the future.
CH: I had this guy pegged at 50, so to get him at 95 was good value. He's going to Notre Dame, so he'll play with Anders Lee there. He had a great WC-18 for the Americans. He has decent offensive upside, and he needs to work on his defensive game - but he has four more years to do that. I like this pick here, even if it's a little different from what the "theme" of the draft was.
Alex's grade: B
Carey's grade: B+
John Persson, RW, 5th round, 125th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: NR
AT: Big, strong winger who likes to fight. Matt Martin-esque in style in that he's tough, but he can produce offensively. Don't really know how his game will translate to the NHL, so we'll just have to see.
CH: This was very interesting. I don't know that he was on anyone's radar, so maybe they could have waited on him. That said, the Isles took an overager in Tony DeHart last year (opted not to sign him) and it didn't work out. Persson had a very good second season for Red Deer, may see time with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins this year. Very low risk, most likely medium reward type of pick, but he'll get a year to show what he can do. A top-50 pick in Seth Ambroz was still on the board here, so tough to call this pick great or terrible.
Alex's grade: B-
Carey's grade: C
Brendan Kichton, D, 5th round, 127th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: NR
AT: Played very well with Spokane in the regular season as well as in the playoffs. Another puck moving D-man (similar to De Haan), but is on the smaller side. Not sure if he'll ever make it to the Islanders or the NHL.
CH: Smaller defenseman who put up huge offensive numbers for Spokane last year. The Islanders drafted a similar type in Jared Spurgeon in 2008, who made the Minnesota Wild this past year. Very high reward here, as he is also an overager, so this year will determine a lot for him as well.
Alex's grade: C
Carey's grade: C
Mitchell Theoret, C, 7th round, 185th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: NR
AT: Seems to have an offensive upside but it's yet to be seen after being limited in his role with Niagara. Very hard to rate this one right now. Did play with Strome, so hopefully he can help him turn into something great.
CH: Like Alex said, hard to rate. They say he does have some offensive upside, but more likely if he gets to the NHL it will be as an enforcer type role (had six fights last year). A teammate of Ryan Strome, the Isles saw a lot of him and I'm sure Strome was very happy to see his teammate drafted. No rating here - at this point, they were playing with house money.
Overall grade:
AT: This was a great draft for Snow. While it hurts to miss out on a franchise D-man like Larsson who would have been ours had the Devils not
CH: Very good draft here, maybe the best since 2008. They drafted 3 C, 4 D, and 1 LW, so it's an even spread across the board. Not only that, they also separated the signing deadlines for these players. Strome, Pedan, and Theoret have two years to be signed. Kichton and Persson must be signed by next June. They also have Mayfield and Russo going to college, which means they have four years to sign them. It means they will have ample time to realize what they have.
Alex's grade: A-
Carey's grade: B+
News: Isles Qualify Six; Not Jack Hillen
According to Katie Strang of Newsday, the Islanders have sent qualifying offers to Josh Bailey, Blake Comeau, Micheal Haley, Ty Wishart, Jesse Joensuu, and Dylan Reese. They have not sent one to Jack Hillen, who will not become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Qualifying offers are either 5% or 10% raises on the player's current salary, depending on service time. The player can choose to accept the qualifying offer or negotiate a new contract with the team (so Comeau could still get a multi-year contract). From the team's perspective, the qualifying offer is a means to retain the players' rights as they hit unrestricted free agency.
Josh Bailey
CH: This was an obvious one. Whatever the Islanders want to do with Bailey, be it trading him or re-signing him to his QO or for a multi-year deal, retaining his rights was a necessity. The Islanders made a huge investment in Bailey for better or worse, so losing him for nothing at this point is unacceptable. We'll see how this situation plays out as it's one to watch over the course of the summer.
AT: A one year stopgap is fine with me. Especially with Strome coming into the mix, you have to think Snow realizes this is the last year for Bailey to prove himself worthy or he'll most likely be traded/let go of. He's a 9th overall pick, the Islanders may have screwed up his development by rushing him into the NHL, but he's worth hanging on to for a year or so just to see if he can blossom into the player we know he can be.
Blake Comeau
CH: Again, this one is a no-brainer. Comeau is coming off a 24-goal, breakout season and deserves a raise. This was more of a formality than anything else, as I'm pretty sure the Isles want to negotiate a multi-year deal with Comeau. However, there is speculation he could be on the market as well. Either way, the Isles had no choice but to retain his rights for the time being.
AT: A raise like this would only have him making $880,000. Most 24 goal scorers are making far more than that. He will receive a multiyear deal and a raise as he should be. Comeau could blossom into a 30 goal scorer this year.
Micheal Haley
CH: We knew this was happening since Chris Botta broke the story on the fourth-liners a few weeks back. There's little doubt Haley will take his qualifying offer, which will be a 10% raise and play on a one-year contract next year. Expect that to be done fairly quickly.
AT: Mich-eal Hal-ey! -clap clap clap clap clap-. Obviously, I'm very excited to have him back as I'd mentioned so many times previously. Makes me all the more excited for rivalry games next year.
Jesse Joensuu
CH: Somewhat surprising, but I really like this. I mentioned before that I want to keep Joensuu around, as he is a solid call-up from the AHL level. He can play both wings and can slide in on any line, so retaining his rights was a smart choice. That said, the decision is now in Jesse's court. He does not have a spot in the NHL lineup, unless it is as a 4th line player (my guess is the Isles want an upgrade). It's going to come down to if he wants to stay in North America and play in the AHL with the possibility of the NHL or go home to play in Europe. Either way, the Isles did the right thing from an organizational standpoint with him. Like Haley, if he decides to stay, he'll take his qualifying offer.
AT: No problem with this. Wasn't a fan of his play but he's still growing and will spend most of his time in the AHL anyways. I could see him slotting into the 4th line with Haley, Hunter, Martin, etc when one of them goes down (most likely Hunter).
Dylan Reese
CH: A very surprising move, in my opinion. The Isles acquired Reese in 2010 for Greg Moore, in what was supposed to be an AHL for AHL trade. Reese has already given them more than that, but was very ineffective at the NHL level last season. If this is to gain a veteran presence on the AHL backline, I am quite alright with this, as chances are he will be operating as the #9 or even #10 defenseman. But any extended time in the NHL would not be a good thing, so let's hope it doesn't come to that. He'll accept his qualifying offer without any problems.
AT: Was never a fan of Reese, had several of his bonehead moves on ice lead to goals while playing in the NHL. I've never seen him play in the AHL but obviously he performed at a decent level down there in order to get a QO, so I guess I'm okay with it.
Ty Wishart
CH: Not surprising at all. They gave up Dwayne Roloson for him, so they weren't just going to let him go immediately. Wishart has good size and showed signs of being a solid defenseman so keeping him at the NHL level this year as a #7 guy will be good for his development. Given the Isles injury problems over the past few years, he should be plenty of playing time. From there, the Isles will have a much better idea of where Wishart is headed. He'll accept his qualifying offer.
AT: Wishart has time to grow, but needs to work on his physical play. In the games he played while called up I liked what I saw and see a lot of potential in this kid. He may never be a top 4 D-man but he could be a nice role player in the future for a bottom pairing. Glad to see him return.
Jack Hillen
CH: The qualifying offer deadline is tomorrow, so this may not be a done deal yet - but it sure seems like it. So assuming they don't offer him a QO: This was a surprise to me. I thought they would extend him an offer as Hillen played very effective at times between 2009-2011. He is a very good depth guy as a #7-8 and could help a lot of teams out there. To me, this hopefully is a sign the Islanders are going to try and improve in the free agent market. Assuming Wishart accepts his qualifying offer, the Islanders will have 7 defensemen under contract (Streit, MacDonald, Hamonic, Eaton, Jurcina, Mottau, Wishart). They need to upgrade from that list and get a minute eating guy to play with Streit as the team transitions from lottery team to playoff contender. If that player has to come at the expense of Jack Hillen, that's okay. But if the team doesn't replace Hillen with someone better, then this is a failure. We should find out over the next few weeks. Best of luck to Jack.
AT: I liked Hillen, great guy, decent play on ice, nice puck rushing role, but to me this screamed "improvement" from Garth. Hillen's good, but with such a young core coming up and 7 D-man under contract, there was not much room for him. Hopefully this signals that Garth will go out and get a top 2 D-man (Scott Hannan is my hope) which will push everyone down a slot on the depth chart and place Hamonic with MacDonald on the 2nd pair and Eaton with Jurcina on the third pair. Katic does what Hillen does and IMO does it even better, so Hillen leaving is no big loss with someone like Katic in the system.
Qualifying offers are either 5% or 10% raises on the player's current salary, depending on service time. The player can choose to accept the qualifying offer or negotiate a new contract with the team (so Comeau could still get a multi-year contract). From the team's perspective, the qualifying offer is a means to retain the players' rights as they hit unrestricted free agency.
Josh Bailey
CH: This was an obvious one. Whatever the Islanders want to do with Bailey, be it trading him or re-signing him to his QO or for a multi-year deal, retaining his rights was a necessity. The Islanders made a huge investment in Bailey for better or worse, so losing him for nothing at this point is unacceptable. We'll see how this situation plays out as it's one to watch over the course of the summer.
AT: A one year stopgap is fine with me. Especially with Strome coming into the mix, you have to think Snow realizes this is the last year for Bailey to prove himself worthy or he'll most likely be traded/let go of. He's a 9th overall pick, the Islanders may have screwed up his development by rushing him into the NHL, but he's worth hanging on to for a year or so just to see if he can blossom into the player we know he can be.
Blake Comeau
CH: Again, this one is a no-brainer. Comeau is coming off a 24-goal, breakout season and deserves a raise. This was more of a formality than anything else, as I'm pretty sure the Isles want to negotiate a multi-year deal with Comeau. However, there is speculation he could be on the market as well. Either way, the Isles had no choice but to retain his rights for the time being.
AT: A raise like this would only have him making $880,000. Most 24 goal scorers are making far more than that. He will receive a multiyear deal and a raise as he should be. Comeau could blossom into a 30 goal scorer this year.
Micheal Haley
CH: We knew this was happening since Chris Botta broke the story on the fourth-liners a few weeks back. There's little doubt Haley will take his qualifying offer, which will be a 10% raise and play on a one-year contract next year. Expect that to be done fairly quickly.
AT: Mich-eal Hal-ey! -clap clap clap clap clap-. Obviously, I'm very excited to have him back as I'd mentioned so many times previously. Makes me all the more excited for rivalry games next year.
Jesse Joensuu
CH: Somewhat surprising, but I really like this. I mentioned before that I want to keep Joensuu around, as he is a solid call-up from the AHL level. He can play both wings and can slide in on any line, so retaining his rights was a smart choice. That said, the decision is now in Jesse's court. He does not have a spot in the NHL lineup, unless it is as a 4th line player (my guess is the Isles want an upgrade). It's going to come down to if he wants to stay in North America and play in the AHL with the possibility of the NHL or go home to play in Europe. Either way, the Isles did the right thing from an organizational standpoint with him. Like Haley, if he decides to stay, he'll take his qualifying offer.
AT: No problem with this. Wasn't a fan of his play but he's still growing and will spend most of his time in the AHL anyways. I could see him slotting into the 4th line with Haley, Hunter, Martin, etc when one of them goes down (most likely Hunter).
Dylan Reese
CH: A very surprising move, in my opinion. The Isles acquired Reese in 2010 for Greg Moore, in what was supposed to be an AHL for AHL trade. Reese has already given them more than that, but was very ineffective at the NHL level last season. If this is to gain a veteran presence on the AHL backline, I am quite alright with this, as chances are he will be operating as the #9 or even #10 defenseman. But any extended time in the NHL would not be a good thing, so let's hope it doesn't come to that. He'll accept his qualifying offer without any problems.
AT: Was never a fan of Reese, had several of his bonehead moves on ice lead to goals while playing in the NHL. I've never seen him play in the AHL but obviously he performed at a decent level down there in order to get a QO, so I guess I'm okay with it.
Ty Wishart
CH: Not surprising at all. They gave up Dwayne Roloson for him, so they weren't just going to let him go immediately. Wishart has good size and showed signs of being a solid defenseman so keeping him at the NHL level this year as a #7 guy will be good for his development. Given the Isles injury problems over the past few years, he should be plenty of playing time. From there, the Isles will have a much better idea of where Wishart is headed. He'll accept his qualifying offer.
AT: Wishart has time to grow, but needs to work on his physical play. In the games he played while called up I liked what I saw and see a lot of potential in this kid. He may never be a top 4 D-man but he could be a nice role player in the future for a bottom pairing. Glad to see him return.
Jack Hillen
CH: The qualifying offer deadline is tomorrow, so this may not be a done deal yet - but it sure seems like it. So assuming they don't offer him a QO: This was a surprise to me. I thought they would extend him an offer as Hillen played very effective at times between 2009-2011. He is a very good depth guy as a #7-8 and could help a lot of teams out there. To me, this hopefully is a sign the Islanders are going to try and improve in the free agent market. Assuming Wishart accepts his qualifying offer, the Islanders will have 7 defensemen under contract (Streit, MacDonald, Hamonic, Eaton, Jurcina, Mottau, Wishart). They need to upgrade from that list and get a minute eating guy to play with Streit as the team transitions from lottery team to playoff contender. If that player has to come at the expense of Jack Hillen, that's okay. But if the team doesn't replace Hillen with someone better, then this is a failure. We should find out over the next few weeks. Best of luck to Jack.
AT: I liked Hillen, great guy, decent play on ice, nice puck rushing role, but to me this screamed "improvement" from Garth. Hillen's good, but with such a young core coming up and 7 D-man under contract, there was not much room for him. Hopefully this signals that Garth will go out and get a top 2 D-man (Scott Hannan is my hope) which will push everyone down a slot on the depth chart and place Hamonic with MacDonald on the 2nd pair and Eaton with Jurcina on the third pair. Katic does what Hillen does and IMO does it even better, so Hillen leaving is no big loss with someone like Katic in the system.
Jun 25, 2011
Draft: Islanders Select Mitchell Theoret With The 184th Overall Pick
The New York Islanders have selected forward Mitchell Theoret from the Niagara IceDogs. A teammate of Ryan Strome, Theoret is a 6'1" center who only had 20 points in 66 games last season.
CH: We're talking about a 7th round pick here, so it's no big deal whatsoever, but this pick is a little confusing. Plenty of talent left on the board the team could have taken a shot on, including Myles Bell and Jeremy Boyce-Rotevall. That said, I'm sure the Isles have their reasoning so it is what it is. Overall, this was a fantastic draft as far as potential for the New York Islanders.
We will have a complete 2011 Draft rundown coming this weekend as well as on our weekly podcast next Wednesday.
UPDATE: 11:50 PM - After reading more on Theoret, it sounds like he does have decent upside. More likely, this is more the Islanders doing their new #1 pick, Ryan Strome, a "favor," so to speak - as I'm sure Strome pumped him up at the draft table. If it makes him happy, I'm happy.
CH: We're talking about a 7th round pick here, so it's no big deal whatsoever, but this pick is a little confusing. Plenty of talent left on the board the team could have taken a shot on, including Myles Bell and Jeremy Boyce-Rotevall. That said, I'm sure the Isles have their reasoning so it is what it is. Overall, this was a fantastic draft as far as potential for the New York Islanders.
We will have a complete 2011 Draft rundown coming this weekend as well as on our weekly podcast next Wednesday.
UPDATE: 11:50 PM - After reading more on Theoret, it sounds like he does have decent upside. More likely, this is more the Islanders doing their new #1 pick, Ryan Strome, a "favor," so to speak - as I'm sure Strome pumped him up at the draft table. If it makes him happy, I'm happy.
Draft: Islanders Select John Persson With The 124th Overall Pick; Brendan Kitchon With The 126th Pick
The New York Islanders have selected Johan Persson, a Swedish CHL Import from Red Deer of the WHL with the 124th Pick of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. They have also selected Brendan Kichton from Spokane of the WHL with the 126th Pick of the NHL Entry Draft.
Persson is a 6'2" left wing who scored 61 points in 66 games for Red Deer last season with a +37 rating.
Kichton is a 5'10" defenseman who had 81 points and a +55 with Spokane. Here is a writeup on the defenseman.
CH: Without knowing much about them, they seem like decent value at this point. The Islanders don't pick again until the 7th round, so a little bit of a break here.
AT: Kichton seems to be an offensive D-man but most of that came from being on a very powerful Spokane team. Definitely has puck moving skills but he'll have to work on them in the WHL. Persson is big, strong and loves to fight. Could be a 4th line Matt Martin-esque player in the future.
Persson is a 6'2" left wing who scored 61 points in 66 games for Red Deer last season with a +37 rating.
Kichton is a 5'10" defenseman who had 81 points and a +55 with Spokane. Here is a writeup on the defenseman.
CH: Without knowing much about them, they seem like decent value at this point. The Islanders don't pick again until the 7th round, so a little bit of a break here.
AT: Kichton seems to be an offensive D-man but most of that came from being on a very powerful Spokane team. Definitely has puck moving skills but he'll have to work on them in the WHL. Persson is big, strong and loves to fight. Could be a 4th line Matt Martin-esque player in the future.
Draft: Islanders Select Robbie Russo With the 94th Overall Pick
The New York Islanders have selected defenseman Robbie Russo with the 94th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Russo is a smaller D'man, only 6 foot and 180 lbs. Has a bit of an offensive upside as well putting up some decent numbers last year.
AT: Russo's known as a complete package, eerily similar to Matt Donovan who signed with the Isles last season. He's very good at everything but doesn't really excel at any one area. Could make for a solid bottom pairing guy in a few years, but right now he needs to develop. He's reliable in his own end without being flashy about it and that's what's most important for a D-man at this point. Good pick by Snow.
CH: I had this guy pegged at #50, so getting him at #95 makes me happy. He wasn't great last year, but had a very good U-18 for the Americans in Germany. He'll have plenty of time to develop both his size and his game over the next few years. He will also play with Islanders prospect Anders Lee at Notre Dame, which is a program on the rise. Overall, a good value pick at 95.
AT: Russo's known as a complete package, eerily similar to Matt Donovan who signed with the Isles last season. He's very good at everything but doesn't really excel at any one area. Could make for a solid bottom pairing guy in a few years, but right now he needs to develop. He's reliable in his own end without being flashy about it and that's what's most important for a D-man at this point. Good pick by Snow.
CH: I had this guy pegged at #50, so getting him at #95 makes me happy. He wasn't great last year, but had a very good U-18 for the Americans in Germany. He'll have plenty of time to develop both his size and his game over the next few years. He will also play with Islanders prospect Anders Lee at Notre Dame, which is a program on the rise. Overall, a good value pick at 95.
Trade: Islanders Trade Bruno Gervais to Tampa Bay for Future Considerations
According to Darren Dreger, the Islanders have traded defenseman RFA Bruno Gervais to the Tampa Bay Lightning for future considerations.
Gervais was selected by the Islanders 182nd Overall in the 2003 Draft. He scored 9 goals for 68 points in 331 games for the New York Islanders in his 6 years with the team.
CH: We knew Bruno wasn't going to be back, and this is the right thing to get anything for him. Obviously, Gervais had his struggles over the past few seasons, but in the aggregate the Islanders did get very good value out of a 6th round pick. He's easily one of the nicest guys I've ever met to play for the Islanders. However, it was certainly time to move on, and I wish Gervais the best in Tampa Bay.
AT: Adios, Chef Bruno. Nice guy, loved the team, but he wasn't even good at a 7-8 D-man. Wish him all the best in Tampa Bay with the rest of the former Islanders like Roloson, MAB, Brewer, etc.
Gervais was selected by the Islanders 182nd Overall in the 2003 Draft. He scored 9 goals for 68 points in 331 games for the New York Islanders in his 6 years with the team.
CH: We knew Bruno wasn't going to be back, and this is the right thing to get anything for him. Obviously, Gervais had his struggles over the past few seasons, but in the aggregate the Islanders did get very good value out of a 6th round pick. He's easily one of the nicest guys I've ever met to play for the Islanders. However, it was certainly time to move on, and I wish Gervais the best in Tampa Bay.
AT: Adios, Chef Bruno. Nice guy, loved the team, but he wasn't even good at a 7-8 D-man. Wish him all the best in Tampa Bay with the rest of the former Islanders like Roloson, MAB, Brewer, etc.
Draft: Islanders Select Andrei Pedan With the 63rd Overall Pick
The New York Islanders have selected defenseman Andrei Pedan with the 63rd overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Pedan is a Russian playing for Guelph in the Ontario Hockey League. He finished with 12 points in 51 games last year. He is another big defenseman, at 6'4" and 200 lbs. He also had a great playoffs for Guelph, averaging over a point per game.
CH: I really like this pick as well. The Islanders are addressing an organizational need on D in this draft by drafting big, physical, and mobile defenseman. Pedan fits that mold and is a good value for a 3rd round pick. He is no doubt a project, but he'll have time to develop in Guelph over the next few years. He absolutely has NHL potential, and will be interesting to see how he develops.
AT: Another great pick. For a 3rd rounder, he's perfect. Big, strong D-man (2nd for the Isles in this draft), with an offensive upside that really showed in the playoffs. Another great pick by Snow. We're doing well so far.
CH: I really like this pick as well. The Islanders are addressing an organizational need on D in this draft by drafting big, physical, and mobile defenseman. Pedan fits that mold and is a good value for a 3rd round pick. He is no doubt a project, but he'll have time to develop in Guelph over the next few years. He absolutely has NHL potential, and will be interesting to see how he develops.
AT: Another great pick. For a 3rd rounder, he's perfect. Big, strong D-man (2nd for the Isles in this draft), with an offensive upside that really showed in the playoffs. Another great pick by Snow. We're doing well so far.
Draft: Islanders select Johan Sundstrom with the 50th overall pick
The New York Islanders have selected Johan Sundstrom with with 50th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Sundstrom is a big center/winger at 6'3", 196 pounds. He played for Frolunda in the SEL last season.
AT: Was personally expecting Ryan Sproul, but I'm happy with this pick. Big, well rounded winger with great hockey sense and supposedly "tremendous" reach. Had GREAT stats in the J20 Superelit with 19 pts in 15 games in the regular season and 15 pts in 7 games in the playoffs. Loves to fight through traffic - something the Isles needed. Good, solid pick by Garth.
CH: I like this pick a lot. Might be a little bit early, but there's not much to dislike here. He was on the Swedish WJC last year, is big and has soft hands. The Islanders are really building a ton of depth at center, will be interesting to see where the team goes from here. Plenty of options, either through trade or development. Overall, a very solid pick.
AT: Was personally expecting Ryan Sproul, but I'm happy with this pick. Big, well rounded winger with great hockey sense and supposedly "tremendous" reach. Had GREAT stats in the J20 Superelit with 19 pts in 15 games in the regular season and 15 pts in 7 games in the playoffs. Loves to fight through traffic - something the Isles needed. Good, solid pick by Garth.
CH: I like this pick a lot. Might be a little bit early, but there's not much to dislike here. He was on the Swedish WJC last year, is big and has soft hands. The Islanders are really building a ton of depth at center, will be interesting to see where the team goes from here. Plenty of options, either through trade or development. Overall, a very solid pick.
Draft: Islanders Select Scott Mayfield With the 34th Overall Pick
CH: Mayfield is a fantastic selection for the Islanders here. He is a big, hulking defenseman who punishes opponents. He also started to develop his offensive game with Youngstown last season. He has very good hockey sense as well. For the Islanders, he is a perfect pick as he fills a great organizational need and could be considered the BPA at this spot in the draft. He will have plenty of time to develop at a great program in Denver. Long term, he has the potential to be a top-4 defenseman for the Islanders. There's no doubt this player improves the amateur and organizational defensive depth substantially. A great start to Day 2.
AT: Anyone following us on Twitter would know I wanted either Mayfield or Musil. Musil went 31st and Mayfield fell to us. He's committed to Denver for the 2011-2012 academic season so he won't be on the Island for at least a year. Love this pick by Snow. Wouldn't have minded Jurco either, but I'm ecstatic with this pick. 6'4", 200 pounds, big, mean, ready to throw hits. Ideal pick.
Jun 24, 2011
Draft: Islanders Select Ryan Strome With 5th Overall Pick
Tonight at the NHL Draft, the New York Islanders selected Niagara IceDogs center Ryan Strome with the 5th overall pick. Strome is a 6'0" 175 pound center, who shoots right, and had 31 goals and 106 points for Niagara in the Ontario Hockey League last season.
Strome joins Nino Niederreiter, Brock Nelson, John Tavares, Calvin de Haan, Josh Bailey, and Kyle Okposo as first round picks made by the Islanders since 2006.
CH: I predicted this pick, and I absolutely love it. Strome is a very talented center who has outstanding skills, speed, and shot. He is more of a playmaker than center, and should slide in as the second line center for years to come unless the Islanders move him to right wing. If they move him to the wing, he will be a perfect complement to John Tavares, as not only to their styles complement each other well, but they shoot on opposite sides meaning set-ups will come fairly easy for these two.
Strome knows John Tavares and Matt Moulson from their training in the Mississauga/Oakdale area in Ontario. General Manager Garth Snow said that Tavares gave Strome a great scouting report, which helped his cause. Strome seemed genuinely excited to be picked by the Islanders in his interview with James Duthie, which leads me to believe that Tavares and Moulson told him great things about the organization.
As far as the future goes, Strome is not physically ready for the NHL. I believe the Islanders learned their lesson with Josh Bailey, so I would be absolutely shocked to see Strome in the NHL next season. It's possible that we may not even see him until 2013-14. That said, his potential is outstanding because of his skillset, so it will absolutely be worth the wait. The only downside on Strome is his physicality, but he will have time to grow into his body to make a seamless transition to the NHL.
Next year, Strome will be a leader on the IceDogs and should be an absolute lock for the Canadian World Junior Championship U-20 team. He does have things to work on, but given the amount of character this player has, I'm confident he will improve on the assets that he's lacking a little in.
The Islanders now have one of the top-5 prospect pools in the NHL, and that's not being a homer. Corey Pronman from Hockey Prospectus even suggested the Islanders may have the best prospect line in the NHL. This was an outstanding pick by the New York Islanders as the rebuild is finally ready to take the next step.
AT: I wanted one of Strome, Couturier or Hamilton. I got one. Extremely pleased with this pick. Strome will either be the 2nd line center (imagine the speed of him + Grabner) behind Tavares or will slot in on right wing to feed JT and Matt Moulson. He fits right into organizational need of a playmaker and a sniper and will definitely go back to an already stacked Niagara team. I see little reason that he could or should make the NHL next year. He needs to add some weight and refine his skills a bit and ensure us that this year was not a fluke. With everything we've seen, I can definitely say it was not.
Strome joins an abundance of centers in the Isles organization. Tavares, Bailey, Nielsen, Nelson, Cizikas, Lee, Ullstrom and Strome create a huge influx of organizational depth that should last for years. One of which (most likely Ullstrom or Nelson) can always be expendable as well.
The Islanders will have four more picks in the top 100 tomorrow, including two second round picks (34 and 50), one third round pick (63), and one fourth round pick (94).
Strome joins Nino Niederreiter, Brock Nelson, John Tavares, Calvin de Haan, Josh Bailey, and Kyle Okposo as first round picks made by the Islanders since 2006.
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Strome knows John Tavares and Matt Moulson from their training in the Mississauga/Oakdale area in Ontario. General Manager Garth Snow said that Tavares gave Strome a great scouting report, which helped his cause. Strome seemed genuinely excited to be picked by the Islanders in his interview with James Duthie, which leads me to believe that Tavares and Moulson told him great things about the organization.
As far as the future goes, Strome is not physically ready for the NHL. I believe the Islanders learned their lesson with Josh Bailey, so I would be absolutely shocked to see Strome in the NHL next season. It's possible that we may not even see him until 2013-14. That said, his potential is outstanding because of his skillset, so it will absolutely be worth the wait. The only downside on Strome is his physicality, but he will have time to grow into his body to make a seamless transition to the NHL.
Next year, Strome will be a leader on the IceDogs and should be an absolute lock for the Canadian World Junior Championship U-20 team. He does have things to work on, but given the amount of character this player has, I'm confident he will improve on the assets that he's lacking a little in.
The Islanders now have one of the top-5 prospect pools in the NHL, and that's not being a homer. Corey Pronman from Hockey Prospectus even suggested the Islanders may have the best prospect line in the NHL. This was an outstanding pick by the New York Islanders as the rebuild is finally ready to take the next step.
AT: I wanted one of Strome, Couturier or Hamilton. I got one. Extremely pleased with this pick. Strome will either be the 2nd line center (imagine the speed of him + Grabner) behind Tavares or will slot in on right wing to feed JT and Matt Moulson. He fits right into organizational need of a playmaker and a sniper and will definitely go back to an already stacked Niagara team. I see little reason that he could or should make the NHL next year. He needs to add some weight and refine his skills a bit and ensure us that this year was not a fluke. With everything we've seen, I can definitely say it was not.
Strome joins an abundance of centers in the Isles organization. Tavares, Bailey, Nielsen, Nelson, Cizikas, Lee, Ullstrom and Strome create a huge influx of organizational depth that should last for years. One of which (most likely Ullstrom or Nelson) can always be expendable as well.
The Islanders will have four more picks in the top 100 tomorrow, including two second round picks (34 and 50), one third round pick (63), and one fourth round pick (94).
Draft: 2011 Draft First Round Live Blog
5:00 - Here at the Coliseum, decent crowd so far. Not much news from today other than Colorado sending JM Liles to Toronto for a second round pick.
5:45 - We just talked to Senior Vice President Mike Picker about the Vote YES campaign. The meeting went very well. We also saw Kirill Kabanov here, wearing awesome white suade shoes. Draft in 1 hour!
6:15 - Not much going on here. Huge crowd though. Well be blogging pick by pick once the draft starts.
6:40 - Dan Tencer has reported that Brian Campbell has been dealt from Chicago to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Not confirmed yet, may not be announced until draft starts. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch now reporting NO deal. Welcome to NHL draft night!
7:00 - The 2011 NHL Entry Draft is about to start! Edmonton is on the clock shortly!
7:20 - Edmonton selects Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 1st overall. No surprises there. Now things get interesting.
7:30 - Colorado picks Gabriel Landeskog. Great pick, but our first wildcard. Should be interesting to watch things unfold from here.
7:40 - Florida takes Jonathan Huberdeau. Larsson still on the board with the Devils up to pick.
7:45 - Devils take Adam Larsson. Could be the steal of the draft. Isles set to pick at #5.
7:55 - The Islanders take Ryan Strome at #5. Fantastic pick here. Much more on Strome after the first round is completed.
8:00 - Ottawa takes Mika Zibanejad at 6.
8:30 - Winnipeg goes way off the board for Mark Scheifele. Philly an absolute steal in Sean Couturier. Boston takes Dougie Hamilton. Wild on the clock.
8:45 - Minnesota goes with Jonas Brodin. Colorado gets Duncan Siemens and 11, and Carolina takes a falling Ryan Murphy at 12.
9:20 - The Flames take Sven Bartschi at pick #13. In my opinon, great pick at that spot. The Stars go with the big man, Jamie Oleksiak at #14. The Rangers go somewhat off the board with J.T. Miller at #15. The Sabres get great value on Joel Armia at #16; Montreal the same with Nathan Beaulieu at #17.
9:25 - Washington trades their first round pick (#26) to Chicago for Troy Brouwer. Are they kidding? Awful, awful trade for the Caps.
9:30 - Wow. HUGE blockbuster trade. Bob McKenzie reporting San Jose trades Devin Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle ('10 1st rounder) and 28th Overall to Minnesota for Brent Burns and a 2nd round pick. Good trade for both sides, but San Jose wins it - get the best player in the trade. That said, a great return for a player that wasn't coming back to Minnesota after 2012.
9:35 - Chicago selects Mark McNeill at #18. Like this kid a lot, great pick by the Hawks.
9:40 - Edmonton selects Oscar Klefbom at #19. Very good pick, would have liked to see the Isles trade up for him.
9:50 - Phoenix goes a little off the board for Connor Murphy. Love the kid, was really hoping the Isles would grab him at #34. Still, my pick Joe Morrow still on the board. Hoping the Isles trade back up for him.
9:55 - Ottawa takes Stefan Noesen with the 21st pick. Also somewhat off the board, but is there really an "off the board" choice in this draft? Rankings all over the place.
10:00 - Anaheim trades pick #22 to Toronto for #30 and #39 in this year's draft. The Leafs are up. With the selection, Toronto takes Tyler Biggs. Very good pick - and a Burke player to boot.
10:10 - Detroit trades pick #24 to Ottawa for #35 and #48. The market is established if the Islanders want to move up with their two second round picks. Brian Burke also mentioned he had deals for the #25, one of which included an active player. Something to keep an eye on. Pittsburgh picks next.
10:15 - Penguins take Joe Morrow at #23. Very good pick, right up their alley. Really wanted the Isles to trade up for him.
10:20 - The Senators have their third first round pick of the night here, and go with Matt Puempel. Great value here, and no risk after two other picks. All offense but injuries killed his stock.
10:25 - Leafs take Stu Percy with their second pick in the first round. Defensemen are going quick and often now. Will be interesting to see if Isles are patient or want to jump on the train now if they planned on going that route.
10:35 - According to Bob McKenzie, Chicago will trade Brian Campbell to the Florida Panthers. More details to follow. With their pick at #26, the Blackhawks take Phillip Danault. A little off the board, but again, that doesn't mean anything at this point.
10:40 - Still waiting on Campbell details & confirmation. Steve Yzerman and the Lightning up to the podium and take Vladislav Namestnikov. Could be very good value at this point in the draft.
10:50 - Minnesota takes Zach Phillips at #28. Kid fell a ton, could end up being a steal.
10:55 - Western Conference Champion Canucks at the podium and select Nicklas Jensen at #29. Good pick.
11:15 - Anaheim finishes off the first round by selecting Rickard Rakell. For those counting, our composite ranking had 25/30 first round picks in the top 30, which was one better than last year.
Thanks for following! The Second Round begins tomorrow at 11 A.M. Check back here for full updates on all the Islanders activity.
5:45 - We just talked to Senior Vice President Mike Picker about the Vote YES campaign. The meeting went very well. We also saw Kirill Kabanov here, wearing awesome white suade shoes. Draft in 1 hour!
6:15 - Not much going on here. Huge crowd though. Well be blogging pick by pick once the draft starts.
6:40 - Dan Tencer has reported that Brian Campbell has been dealt from Chicago to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Not confirmed yet, may not be announced until draft starts. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch now reporting NO deal. Welcome to NHL draft night!
7:00 - The 2011 NHL Entry Draft is about to start! Edmonton is on the clock shortly!
7:20 - Edmonton selects Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 1st overall. No surprises there. Now things get interesting.
7:30 - Colorado picks Gabriel Landeskog. Great pick, but our first wildcard. Should be interesting to watch things unfold from here.
7:40 - Florida takes Jonathan Huberdeau. Larsson still on the board with the Devils up to pick.
7:45 - Devils take Adam Larsson. Could be the steal of the draft. Isles set to pick at #5.
7:55 - The Islanders take Ryan Strome at #5. Fantastic pick here. Much more on Strome after the first round is completed.
8:00 - Ottawa takes Mika Zibanejad at 6.
8:30 - Winnipeg goes way off the board for Mark Scheifele. Philly an absolute steal in Sean Couturier. Boston takes Dougie Hamilton. Wild on the clock.
8:45 - Minnesota goes with Jonas Brodin. Colorado gets Duncan Siemens and 11, and Carolina takes a falling Ryan Murphy at 12.
9:20 - The Flames take Sven Bartschi at pick #13. In my opinon, great pick at that spot. The Stars go with the big man, Jamie Oleksiak at #14. The Rangers go somewhat off the board with J.T. Miller at #15. The Sabres get great value on Joel Armia at #16; Montreal the same with Nathan Beaulieu at #17.
9:25 - Washington trades their first round pick (#26) to Chicago for Troy Brouwer. Are they kidding? Awful, awful trade for the Caps.
9:30 - Wow. HUGE blockbuster trade. Bob McKenzie reporting San Jose trades Devin Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle ('10 1st rounder) and 28th Overall to Minnesota for Brent Burns and a 2nd round pick. Good trade for both sides, but San Jose wins it - get the best player in the trade. That said, a great return for a player that wasn't coming back to Minnesota after 2012.
9:35 - Chicago selects Mark McNeill at #18. Like this kid a lot, great pick by the Hawks.
9:40 - Edmonton selects Oscar Klefbom at #19. Very good pick, would have liked to see the Isles trade up for him.
9:50 - Phoenix goes a little off the board for Connor Murphy. Love the kid, was really hoping the Isles would grab him at #34. Still, my pick Joe Morrow still on the board. Hoping the Isles trade back up for him.
9:55 - Ottawa takes Stefan Noesen with the 21st pick. Also somewhat off the board, but is there really an "off the board" choice in this draft? Rankings all over the place.
10:00 - Anaheim trades pick #22 to Toronto for #30 and #39 in this year's draft. The Leafs are up. With the selection, Toronto takes Tyler Biggs. Very good pick - and a Burke player to boot.
10:10 - Detroit trades pick #24 to Ottawa for #35 and #48. The market is established if the Islanders want to move up with their two second round picks. Brian Burke also mentioned he had deals for the #25, one of which included an active player. Something to keep an eye on. Pittsburgh picks next.
10:15 - Penguins take Joe Morrow at #23. Very good pick, right up their alley. Really wanted the Isles to trade up for him.
10:20 - The Senators have their third first round pick of the night here, and go with Matt Puempel. Great value here, and no risk after two other picks. All offense but injuries killed his stock.
10:25 - Leafs take Stu Percy with their second pick in the first round. Defensemen are going quick and often now. Will be interesting to see if Isles are patient or want to jump on the train now if they planned on going that route.
10:35 - According to Bob McKenzie, Chicago will trade Brian Campbell to the Florida Panthers. More details to follow. With their pick at #26, the Blackhawks take Phillip Danault. A little off the board, but again, that doesn't mean anything at this point.
10:40 - Still waiting on Campbell details & confirmation. Steve Yzerman and the Lightning up to the podium and take Vladislav Namestnikov. Could be very good value at this point in the draft.
10:50 - Minnesota takes Zach Phillips at #28. Kid fell a ton, could end up being a steal.
10:55 - Western Conference Champion Canucks at the podium and select Nicklas Jensen at #29. Good pick.
11:15 - Anaheim finishes off the first round by selecting Rickard Rakell. For those counting, our composite ranking had 25/30 first round picks in the top 30, which was one better than last year.
Thanks for following! The Second Round begins tomorrow at 11 A.M. Check back here for full updates on all the Islanders activity.
Draft: Final Predictions; Live Blog Tonight Starts at 5 PM
AT: As we've discussed on the blog and on podcasts, I don't expect nor do I hope the Islanders will trade the pick for anyone other than a true NHL player. I believe they will draft one of Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Strome or Sean Couturier. Personally, I'm expecting the top 5 to go something like this:
1. Oilers - Nugent-Hopkins
2. Avalanche - Larsson
3. Panthers - Jonathan Huberdeau
4. Devils - Gabriel Landeskog
5. Islanders - Dougie Hamilton
We shall see. It's been a fun ride up to the draft and now we're finally there. For those going, look for me in an '07-08 Away jersey with "Tessler" and the number 17 on the back. I'll be with Carey liveblogging the event. Hope to see you all there!
CH: There's been plenty of rumor and plenty of conjecture for the past two months about if the Islanders will trade up, trade down, trade the pick for a player, or just pick. Don't forget the Islanders have becomes masters at smokescreens and deceiving the media and fans on who they are picking. It happened in 2009 with John Tavares, and it happened in 2010 when everyone thought they were going to take Cam Fowler or Brandon Gormley. I believe that it's happening again, and the Isles don't have as much interest in Dougie Hamilton as perceived. No question if Hamilton is the pick, it will be a worthy one and would fill a great organizational need. But I do think they will pick a center to be the complement to John Tavares for years to come. I believe the top 5 will shake out like this:
1. Oilers - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
2. Avalanche - Adam Larsson
3. Panthers - Jonathan Huberdeau
4. Devils - Gabriel Landeskog
5. Islanders - Ryan Strome
It should be a fun night at the Coliseum. Were both looking forward to it. Hope to see you there!
Draft: Countdown #1 - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
1. Ryan Nugent-HopkinsPosition: Center
Height: 6'0
Weight: 165 lbs
Shoots: Left
DOB: April 12th, 1993
Nationality: Canadian
2010-2011 Team: Red Deer Rebels
League: Western Hockey League
Stats: 69 GP - 31 G - 75 A - 106 P - 51 PIM
Playoffs: 9 GP - 4 G - 7 A - 11 P - 6 PIM
CH: Nugent-Hopkins is definitely the best player in the draft, and should go first overall tonight to the Edmonton Oilers. That said, he has always been a legitimate top-5 pick, but really stepped his game up this year with 106 points in 69 games for the Red Deer Rebels. His skating is outstanding, as are his offensive instincts and hockey sense. His only real knock is that he will never be a real physical forward. Nugent-Hopkins is best served to spend another year in Red Deer getting stronger, so that he will make an easier transition into the NHL in 2012-13. If he is not with the Oilers next season, he will be the first 1st overall pick since Erik Johnson in 2006 to not jump immediately into the NHL. Even if he does have to wait, the sky is the limit for the kid. He is the only forward in the draft that I believe will become a sure-fire first line player in the NHL. To be alongside Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Sam Gagner, and Magnus Paarjavi - the Oilers have a great future ahead of them.
AT: Very strong skater, absolutely incredible stick handling skills, playmaking abilities of Zeus himself and hockey sense that has been consistently related to that of The Great One's. RNH has, in my mind, solidified himself as the number one pick. If I was the Islanders picking at 1 I'd go for Larsson most likely, but RNH completes an incredible set of youth in the Oilers organization. He seems to be pretty NHL ready in terms of his play, although he's a very small kid. Worst case scenario could have him playing 9 games in the NHL before going back to juniors, although as Carey said the number one pick not playing immediately in the NHL is a rarity. RNH should be a 60 point player this year and afterwards, anything is possible. Should be exciting to watch him develop just as it was with Hall this year.
CH: As far as the Islanders go, it's obviously hard to see Nugent-Hopkins dropping anywhere past #2 in the draft. The only way the Isles will wind up drafting him is if they trade up with Colorado or Edmonton, which seems very unlikely at this point. All in all, the Isles have a chance at #5 to pick an impact player for years to come - it just won't be Nugent-Hopkins.
AT: Not gonna happen. Most signs point to the Oilers going for RNH, or at the very worst going for Larsson. They'll stay put unless they get a total sweetheart deal.
Most likely to be drafted: 1-2
Jun 23, 2011
Draft: Final Composite Rankings 1-100
As some of you know, we have been working on our draft rankings, which is really just a combination of 9 sources into 1. It's more of a guide than anything else, seeing as we don't have the time to watch all of these guys play. We used a combination of professional and fan rankings just to get a gauge of both.
Here were the sources used: Future Considerations, Central Scouting Bureau, The Hockey News, TSN, ISS, The Scouting Report, NHL Draft Site, The Hockey Writers, HF Boards.
For those wondering - In the 2010 NHL Draft, 24 of our top 30 were drafted in the first round, and 80% of our top 100 were drafted in the first 100 picks.
Here are the final rankings from 1-100:
1. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - C
2. Adam Larsson - D
3. Jonathan Huberdeau - C
4. Gabriel Landeskog - LW
5. Sean Couturier - C
6. Dougie Hamilton - D
7. Ryan Strome - C
8. Ryan Murphy - D
9. Mika Zibanejad - C
10. Duncan Siemens - D
11. Nathan Beaulieu - D
12. Joel Armia - RW
13. Sven Bartschi - LW
14. Mark McNeill - C
15. Jonas Brodin - D
16. Jamie Oleksiak - D
17. Mark Scheifele - C
18. Matt Puempel - LW
19. Zach Phillips - C
20. Nicklas Jensen - RW
21. Oscar Klefbom - D
22. Vladislav Namestnikov - C
23. Rocco Grimaldi - C
24. Tyler Biggs - RW
25. Brandon Saad - LW
26. Ty Rattie - RW
27. Joe Morrow - D
28. Jonathan (J.T.) Miller - C
29. Boone Jenner - C
30. Alexander Khoklachev - C
31. Tomas Jurco - RW
32. Dmitri Jaskin - RW
33. Scott Mayfield - D
34. Connor Murphy - D
35. David Musil - D
36. Rickard Rakell - RW
37. Stefan Noesen - RW
38. Phillip Danault - LW
39. Mario Lucia - LW
40. Daniel Catenacci - C
41. Brett Ritchie - RW
42. John Gibson - G
43. Victor Rask - C
44. Shane Prince - C
45. Adam Clendening - D
46. Matthew Nieto - C
47. Lucas Lessio - LW
48. Seth Ambroz - RW
49. Joel Edmundson - D
50. Robbie Russo -D
51. Christopher Gibson - G
52. Stuart Percy - D
53. Nick Shore - C
54. Vincent Trocheck - C
55. Miikka Salomaki - C
56. Ryan Sproul - D
57. Colin Jacobs - C
58. Rasmus Bergtsson - D
59. Nikita Kucherov - LW
60. Myles Bell - D
61. Michael St. Croix - C
62. Markus Granlund - C
63. Samu Perhonen - G
64. Gregory Hofmann - C
65. Tyler Wotherspoon - D
66. Adam Lowry - LW
67. Joachim Nermark - C
68. Joseph Labate - C
69. Reid Boucher - C
70. Xavier Ouellet - D
71. Max Friberg - LW
72. Travis Ewanyk - LW
73. Logan Shaw - RW
74. Reese Scarlett - D
75. William Karlsson - C
76. Jeremy Boyce Rotevall - LW
77. Scott Oke - LW
78. Marcel Noebels - LW
79. Ryan Tesink - C
80. Mike Reilly - D
81. Andrei Pedan - D
82. Mike McKee - D
83. Phillipe Hudon - C
84. David Honzik - G
85. Kale Kessy - LW
86. Tobias Rieder - C
87. Magnus Hellberg - G
88. Shane McColgan - C
89. Michael Mersch - LW
90. Dillon Simpson - D
91. Sean Kuraly - C
92. Andy Welinski - D
93. Michael Paliotta - D
94. Marek Tvrdon - RW
95. Johan Sundstrom - C
96. Nick Cousins - C
97. Max Shalunov - RW
98. Steven Fogarty - C
99. Michael Morrison - G
100. Jordan Binnington - G
Here were the sources used: Future Considerations, Central Scouting Bureau, The Hockey News, TSN, ISS, The Scouting Report, NHL Draft Site, The Hockey Writers, HF Boards.
For those wondering - In the 2010 NHL Draft, 24 of our top 30 were drafted in the first round, and 80% of our top 100 were drafted in the first 100 picks.
Here are the final rankings from 1-100:
1. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - C
2. Adam Larsson - D
3. Jonathan Huberdeau - C
4. Gabriel Landeskog - LW
5. Sean Couturier - C
6. Dougie Hamilton - D
7. Ryan Strome - C
8. Ryan Murphy - D
9. Mika Zibanejad - C
10. Duncan Siemens - D
11. Nathan Beaulieu - D
12. Joel Armia - RW
13. Sven Bartschi - LW
14. Mark McNeill - C
15. Jonas Brodin - D
16. Jamie Oleksiak - D
17. Mark Scheifele - C
18. Matt Puempel - LW
19. Zach Phillips - C
20. Nicklas Jensen - RW
21. Oscar Klefbom - D
22. Vladislav Namestnikov - C
23. Rocco Grimaldi - C
24. Tyler Biggs - RW
25. Brandon Saad - LW
26. Ty Rattie - RW
27. Joe Morrow - D
28. Jonathan (J.T.) Miller - C
29. Boone Jenner - C
30. Alexander Khoklachev - C
31. Tomas Jurco - RW
32. Dmitri Jaskin - RW
33. Scott Mayfield - D
34. Connor Murphy - D
35. David Musil - D
36. Rickard Rakell - RW
37. Stefan Noesen - RW
38. Phillip Danault - LW
39. Mario Lucia - LW
40. Daniel Catenacci - C
41. Brett Ritchie - RW
42. John Gibson - G
43. Victor Rask - C
44. Shane Prince - C
45. Adam Clendening - D
46. Matthew Nieto - C
47. Lucas Lessio - LW
48. Seth Ambroz - RW
49. Joel Edmundson - D
50. Robbie Russo -D
51. Christopher Gibson - G
52. Stuart Percy - D
53. Nick Shore - C
54. Vincent Trocheck - C
55. Miikka Salomaki - C
56. Ryan Sproul - D
57. Colin Jacobs - C
58. Rasmus Bergtsson - D
59. Nikita Kucherov - LW
60. Myles Bell - D
61. Michael St. Croix - C
62. Markus Granlund - C
63. Samu Perhonen - G
64. Gregory Hofmann - C
65. Tyler Wotherspoon - D
66. Adam Lowry - LW
67. Joachim Nermark - C
68. Joseph Labate - C
69. Reid Boucher - C
70. Xavier Ouellet - D
71. Max Friberg - LW
72. Travis Ewanyk - LW
73. Logan Shaw - RW
74. Reese Scarlett - D
75. William Karlsson - C
76. Jeremy Boyce Rotevall - LW
77. Scott Oke - LW
78. Marcel Noebels - LW
79. Ryan Tesink - C
80. Mike Reilly - D
81. Andrei Pedan - D
82. Mike McKee - D
83. Phillipe Hudon - C
84. David Honzik - G
85. Kale Kessy - LW
86. Tobias Rieder - C
87. Magnus Hellberg - G
88. Shane McColgan - C
89. Michael Mersch - LW
90. Dillon Simpson - D
91. Sean Kuraly - C
92. Andy Welinski - D
93. Michael Paliotta - D
94. Marek Tvrdon - RW
95. Johan Sundstrom - C
96. Nick Cousins - C
97. Max Shalunov - RW
98. Steven Fogarty - C
99. Michael Morrison - G
100. Jordan Binnington - G
Around The NHL: Flyers Trade Carter, Richards; Sign Bryzgalov
The Philadelphia Flyers have made two blockbuster deals today, trading forward Jeff Carter to the Columbus Blue Jackets and forward Mike Richards to the Los Angeles Kings. After trading for Ilya Bryzgalov, they signed the goalie to a 9-year extension for $51 million, which will be a cap hit for $5.67 million per year. All of this news can be found on TSN. CH: Oh my. Let's start with the Jeff Carter trade, seeing as that news broke first. This was a move we all somewhat expected to happen, even right down to the team he was traded for. The actual trade itself favors both teams. Columbus undoubtedly gets the best player in the trade right now, and possibly for the foreseeable future. They get a center that can play next to Rick Nash for years to come. We talked on the podcast yesterday that Scott Howson needed to make a "homerun" type move as the Blue Jackets have largely been stagnant for the past few years. I mentioned they may take a player like Ryan Murphy to go for the homerun on potential. Instead, they did something even better. For the Flyers standpoint, Voracek, who is still a major project has great potential as a power forward in this league. They also get the 8th overall pick, which in my opinion, could be used on a player like Mika Zibanjead, which is exactly the type of player the Flyers love to have. They also get a third round pick in the trade.
AT: Great deal for both sides. The Flyers just couldn't afford Carter anymore with Bryzgalov wanting to come into the fold. They get Voracek, a budding winger with huge potential, the 8th pick who could end up being anyone from Ryan Murphy to Mika Zibanejad as well as a 3rd rounder. Voracek isn't carter, but he's also not signed to a huge, long term deal like Carter was. It was a bad decision and tying them down, and they made the right move. Both sides made out pretty equally here.
CH: The Mike Richards trade was a complete shocker. I can't think of a single person who honestly saw this coming, and it's a great trade for both sides again. Los Angeles gets a heart-and-soul center who they've wanted for a long time. If they can clear Ryan Smyth's salary by next Friday, they also could still be major players for Brad Richards. This is a team that is on the rise, and with a top-3 prospect pool in the league, could afford to trade Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds for him. From the Flyers standpoint, there's no going around it. Brayden Schenn is a top-10 prospect in the entire league, and Wayne Simmonds is a prototypical Flyer player. They also get a 2nd round pick in the deal, making this a great haul for a guy who has recently been wildly criticized by Philadelphia and national media.
AT: This makes the Ryan Smyth trade to Edmonton all the more likely, as you said. I know there were reports (Brad) Richards only wanted to go to an original 6 team, but to play with such a young team with legitimate opportunity could become very enticing. I know some in Flyer-land are against this, but I really believe it was an equal trade. There's always that "risk" with prospects, but I really believe Schenn will become a star in this league. You clear cap room to improve your team in required ways to get to the next level and you get a player who could become an 80+ point player. For right now with a Flyers team that was struggling to get under the cap, this makes sense.
CH: The Bryzgalov deal is long - VERY long. Nine years for a goalie is just not going to work. We see it here with Rick DiPietro. We see it in Vancouver with Roberto Luongo. There are just too many variables at play here with injuries and performance. The cap hit, however, is right in the wheelhouse it should be, but I'm sure the condition on that was to add the extra years on the contract. Very risky move here for the Flyers because while Bryzgalov is a good, top 10-12 goalie in the league, he is not elite. A lot of pressure is going to be placed on Bryzgalov after the Flyers shipped out Richards and Carter, even if it is not directly tied to him.AT: Bryz has been pretty durable the past few seasons. I don't know if the length was the best for the team - I personally would've gone for 5 or 6 years, but they also got him at 5.6m per, much less than the 7m+ that he was rumored to be asking for. There's going to be a lot of pressure on him in a huge hockey city like Philly as compared to Anaheim and Phoenix.
CH: The overall outlook for the Flyers is very interesting. Now, assuming they don't make a play for Brad Richards (who knows?), they realistically could finish anywhere from 1st to 10th in the conference next year. They are still a good team, but they aren't a great team at this current moment. However, the future looks extremely bright for this team as when players like Schenn, Voracek, and the 2011 8th overall pick pan out, the Flyers will be in a great position. What a crazy day in the NHL.
AT: They have about 7.5m in cap space now and they have to sign/trade Nodl, Carcillo, Voracek, Leino, Powe and Simmonds. I don't see them landing Brad Richards at this point. But man, what a great day to be a hockey blogger. I love stuff like this! Should be exciting tomorrow at the draft party!
News: 2011-2012 Schedule Released
The NHL released the 2011-2012 schedule today. We will post the whole schedule on the blog later today, but for now, here are some interesting quirks, facts, and dates to look out for:
- The Islanders will open at home on October 8 vs. the Panthers at 8 p.m. The late start is presumably because of Yom Kippur. They also have a four game homestand to start the season. The other games are a Columbus Day Matinee on 10/10 vs. Minnesota, 10/13 vs. Tampa Bay, and 10/15 vs. the Rangers.
- The Islanders play two games (home-and-home) against three Western Conference teams: Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks, and Dallas Stars
- The Winnipeg team comes to the Coliseum on November 3rd and April 5th, which is also the Islanders last home game. The Islanders go to Winnipeg on December 20th and February 14th.
- The remaining Ranger games are: At the Coliseum - November 15th and February 24th. At the Garden - December 22nd, December 26th, and March 11th. This means the Islanders will be featured on HBO's 24/7 two times.
- The Islanders will play a three game series against New Jersey: At home on March 4, in Newark on March 8, and at home again on March 10. They also play a home and home against New Jersey on November 25-26.
- The Stanley Cup champion Bruins will be on Long Island on November 19 and March 31.
- The Islanders will open at home on October 8 vs. the Panthers at 8 p.m. The late start is presumably because of Yom Kippur. They also have a four game homestand to start the season. The other games are a Columbus Day Matinee on 10/10 vs. Minnesota, 10/13 vs. Tampa Bay, and 10/15 vs. the Rangers.
- The Islanders play two games (home-and-home) against three Western Conference teams: Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks, and Dallas Stars
- The Winnipeg team comes to the Coliseum on November 3rd and April 5th, which is also the Islanders last home game. The Islanders go to Winnipeg on December 20th and February 14th.
- The remaining Ranger games are: At the Coliseum - November 15th and February 24th. At the Garden - December 22nd, December 26th, and March 11th. This means the Islanders will be featured on HBO's 24/7 two times.
- The Islanders will play a three game series against New Jersey: At home on March 4, in Newark on March 8, and at home again on March 10. They also play a home and home against New Jersey on November 25-26.
- The Stanley Cup champion Bruins will be on Long Island on November 19 and March 31.
Draft: Countdown #2 - Adam Larsson
2. Adam LarssonPosition: Defenseman
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 216 lbs
Shoots: R
DOB: November 12th, 1992
Nationality: Swedish
2010-2011 Team: Skellefteå
League: Swedish Elite League
Stats: 37 GP - 1 G - 8 A - 9 P - 41 PIM
Playoffs: 17 GP - 0 G - 4 A - 4 P - 12 PIM
AT: Larsson is without a doubt my favorite player in this draft. He is definitely the best defenseman in this draft seeing as how he seems to be the complete package. Yahoo Sports has explored the possibility of him being Sweden's greatest defender ever, even surpassing the legendary Nick Lidstrom. Already with a body that is ready for the NHL, Larsson can step in right away, though I have heard he may spend one more year in Sweden to fulfill his contract. His hockey sense is off the charts, his outlet passing is superb, he can run the PP and his offensive upside has huge potential. His skating is decent and he is known as a very strong shutdown D-man. Larsson definitely seems to be a lock for a top 1-2 D-man on any team that drafts him.
I am absolutely praying that Garth is able to nab him. He would be a perfect fit and fill the gaping hole at D better than Hamilton would. I do not believe he will be available at 5 but I would completely endorse Garth trading up to 2-3 to get him if Florida or Colorado decides they want to go with offense. Both teams seem to be pretty offensively starved. With Florida taking Gudbranson last year and Colorado trading for Erik Johnson, It's hard to see either of them going D. I can even see the Oilers going with Larsson at 1 seeing as how there's never been any concrete proof they're definitely going with RNH. He has become a total crapshoot (as with the rest of this draft) and could be drafted at a myriad of spots. Let's hope and pray he falls to the Islanders.
CH: I concur with everything Alex has said. Larsson is the top defenseman in this draft by far. While he did have somewhat of an average year, his potential and skill set are fantastic. As far as the Islanders are concerned, it's very simple. The chances that he makes it past New Jersey are low, but not impossible. If he is there at 5, it's the biggest no-brainer the Islanders have had at the draft in recent history. Even a bigger no-brainer than taking John Tavares at #1, because his competition was close to him in ability. If Larsson manages to slip down to 5, he will be far and away the best talent on the board. Sadly, as we talked about on the podcast, we both expect Colorado to take the skilled defenseman. In that case, they will be getting a great player to complement Erik Johnson. Still, the thought of Larsson falling down to 5 is a dream, and if realized the Islanders will walk away with the steal of the draft.
Most likely to be drafted: 1-3
Podcast: June 22, 2011
In this post, you can listen to our podcast for this week. It's separated into four parts for easier listening. It will be archived in the podcast page with the others.
Part 1 - Arena Situation, Trevor Gillies Re-Signs, Radek Martinek
Part 2 - Scott Gordon to Toronto, Stanley Cup Final Recap, Winnipeg's Official, Ryan Smyth Speculation
Part 3 - 2011 NHL Entry Draft Talk Part 1
Part 4 - 2011 NHL Entry Draft Part 2 - Top 8 Mock Draft
Part 1 - Arena Situation, Trevor Gillies Re-Signs, Radek Martinek
Part 2 - Scott Gordon to Toronto, Stanley Cup Final Recap, Winnipeg's Official, Ryan Smyth Speculation
Part 3 - 2011 NHL Entry Draft Talk Part 1
Part 4 - 2011 NHL Entry Draft Part 2 - Top 8 Mock Draft
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