Article: Islanders Not Looking To Add Vet Forward

Quick Stick-tap to our friends at Islandermania for this:

The New York Post reports Garth Snow and the Islanders will not be looking to add another veteran forward after the Brian Rolston trade. Speculation started because former Islanders Alexei Yashin and Miroslav Satan have recently been skating at Iceworks. 

"Right now, I don't have any plans to add another forward to our group," Snow told The Post. "As much as we'd like to add quality veterans, we're not going to box out our young guys."

Snow also stated they want to give young players such as Nino Niederreiter a chance to make the team out of training camp.

CH: There was a lot of speculation a few weeks back the Islanders were planning on bringing back former captain Alexei Yashin. Lately, it's somewhat died down a little but the fact that Josh Bailey has not been re-signed yet has been curious to some who think the two are related (I don't believe they are). When news broke that Miro Satan was skating at Iceworks, the speculation returned, which is why I assume Snow gave this interview. The fact is that neither of these guys are coming back barring a slew of injuries, and even in that case it would somewhat surprise me to see them back. Both players are slow, getting up there in age, and though a guy like Yashin may still be able to put points on the board, the other aspects of his game are lacking.

The key to this article was that Snow specifically stated he wasn't looking to add any forwards, but said nothing about trying to add a defenseman. It's common knowledge that the Islanders need a top-4 defenseman, and the inability to do so could classify this off-season as a failure. While we are still in wait-and-see mode, time is starting to run short. If Snow is determined to get a defenseman, he could still make it happen before training camp, most likely in early September. But as far as the news of the forward core being mostly set, well, that's certainly nothing else but expected.

Speculation: Re-Visiting Alexei Yashin and the Implications of Signing Him

Well, here we are again. We posted a piece on Yashin a few days back when it first came out that Alexei was talking with a few teams: some KHL, one NHL. Obviously, it was easy to put the pieces together. The former Islanders captain still has a relationship with owner Charles Wang, he has a history on Long Island with a team that doesn't get much interest to begin with, and he's a free agent. The worst kept secret in hockey the other day was that the Islanders were the team Yashin was negotiating with.

Fast forward to today, and Katie Strang confirms all of this (and more) on her blog on Newsday (complete with quotes from Snow and Yashin's agent Marc Gandler). Islandermania and Islanders Point Blank go up in a frenzy, so where does this leave us?

As I posted today on Twitter, this is a Charles Wang executive decision. While Garth Snow is going to get the scrutiny here, he is just doing what he is told. If you want to criticize Snow for that, go ahead. But let's focus on the real problem here. By even announcing that they are negotiating with the biggest fan pariah outside Kirk Muller in Islander history, they are showing they are more concerned about friendships than accountability. Yes, Charles Wang is a very loyal man - we've seen it on a few occasions - trying to make it work in Nassau County, the Rick DiPietro contract, and now this. A line needs to be drawn, however, and they are crossing that line.

There is a point of ridiculousness where the Islanders will be paying a player to play - the same player who they are currently paying NOT to play for them. You can call a buyout what you want, but it's essentially a firing with the severance package being the sum of money the player gets over the course of the term. The Islanders are actually contemplating bringing back a 37-year old Alexei Yashin after "firing" a 32-year old Alexei Yashin five years ago.

Of course, there are some pretty important cap implications when you take a closer look at it. The Islanders will be somewhere in the ballpark of $5 million under the floor after Blake Comeau's arbitration case. Yashin is 37 years old, which means he is eligible for 35+ bonuses, or the Doug Weight clause, if you will. The Isles can give him as many unattainable bonuses as they like, all of which will count on his cap hit. If they want to give him $500K for each playoff round won, they can do that. That's an extra $2 million right there. They may not even have to make a move for the defenseman everyone wants if they do this,

But before we get ahead of ourselves, this is still a hockey blog and not a PR blog. In this case, the two things certainly mix. From a hockey perspective, Yashin can help. He will not be brought in to be anything more than a support player, and one that could produce approximately 45 points and could fill in on a one-year term if a guy like Comeau is traded. That's not the point. You have to look at the whole package. Yashin, who is one of the nicest players in the business, carries too much "Islander baggage" for this thought to be at all tolerable. Yashin's problem has always been his killer instinct - he is not lazy and he does care about winning. He just won't go the extra mile to do so, and that is what has always kept him from being elite.

Obviously, there is no question this report comes at the worst possible time for the New York Islanders. With just ten days before the referendum vote, the Islanders need every fan's unconditional support. The problem is, bringing back Alexei Yashin was one of those conditions that will turn away a lot of people. The buzz from the fans just melted, and whether they sign him or not, the damage is essentially already done. It is clueless and without thought to the customers that have helped this franchise so much over the past few years. There really is just no other way to put it.

That said, anyone who is going to Vote NO because of this needs their head checked. We can argue forever about Yashin, but Charles Wang will not be here forever. It is up to us to make sure the Islanders are here for the foreseeable future. If that means a year of Alexei Yashin and more of Charles Wang's meddling ways, that's the trade-off. Do not sacrifice NHL hockey, jobs, an arena, Nassau County's future because the Islanders are thinking of doing the unthinkable. You will just be as shortsighted, if not more, than those who are voting no for the sake of voting no. It looks terrible, but hockey operations are different than the arena campaign. This needs to be a time when things are separated.

We will see how things play out over the next few days, but it's clear that a Yashin return is possible, if not even probable at this point.

-CH

Around The NHL: Alexei Yashin Has NHL Offers

According to his agent Marc Gandler via Dmitry Chesnokov, former Islanders captain Alexei Yashin has an offer from one unnamed NHL team. When asked if it was the Islanders, Gandler had no comment and said he would talk to Yashin later in the week. 

CH: I honestly never thought that we would discuss Alexei Yashin on this blog, but here we are. Yashin is now 37 years old (will be 38 in November) and has been out of the NHL since 2007, when the Islanders bought him out for a multitude of reasons. Yashin has put together decent enough seasons in the KHL in Russia since then. He has maintained a relationship with the Islanders and Charles Wang, despite having essentially been fired from the team.

There's two things to look at here. First, I don't see the Islanders bringing him back, thought I can't imagine any other team having interest. If you recall, Gandler said the Islanders had interest last year and if Yashin ever wanted to come back to the NHL the Isles would have the first shot. (Um, duh?) Anyway, Yashin does not fit into the team right now, even as a support player - which is exactly what his role would be. The Islanders are better off bringing in a player like Vinny Prospal, who would provide similar production but would not carry the extra baggage that a player like Yashin.

But let's face facts here. If Alexei Yashin is brought back, it will not be a Garth Snow move. It will be a Charles Wang executive decision - or a Charles Wang special, if you will. Wang still adores Yashin and there is little doubt that he would love to get Yashin back here playing. But the Islanders already are paying Yashin 2.2 million dollars this year (and the next 4) to sit at home. So if they sign him, and it won't be a minimum salary contract, you will have to add that on top of what they are already paying him. They paid Yashin 4.7 million in buyout money last year. A 2.5 million dollar contract, which is probably around what Yashin is looking for, would equal the same amount of money they paid him last year to sit home. Sounds like a great investment, right?

Obviously, Yashin is not the right guy. There is no reason to mix the failed past of the early 2000s (though a lot of that is due to not recognizing the need to capitalize on 2001-02 and not Yashin himself) to the new, fresh, young players the Islanders are building around today. There is already enough of that connection with Rick DiPietro and Trent Hunter, two players past their primes who are still languishing on this team. It's time to move on, and for good. And I imagine, barring any Wang involvement, that Garth Snow has.

AT: Look, there's no doubt we need an improvement on the top 6. PA Parenteau put up a respectable 53 points last year, but if we're looking to succeed in the playoffs, he is not the person who is going to help us on the first line. However, if this is the route Wang/Snow are looking to take, god help us. Yes, Yashin would be an improvement upon PAP, but what would it say about this management's tendencies? They're going to bring back a player who had a petition against him attempting to get him bought out? He's a nice guy. One of the nicest players I've ever met. But bringing him back does not show this organization is dedicated to winning. It's showing that we will once again go for the scraps when nobody else is available or willing to sign with us.

Yes, the guy put up respectable numbers in the KHL, I just don't believe he's right for this team right now. Or ever again. There's a reason he was bought out, and it wasn't just because of his contract.