Isles on deadline day: Rolston/Mottau to BOS for Riendeau/Cantin

Let's call it a case of addition by subtraction.

On a generally quiet deadline day for the league as a whole, Garth Snow found a way to get two of the biggest albatrosses on the team off of the books and away from the organization. Rolston, who had been putting up abysmal numbers this year and at many points seemed to not care, cleared waivers yesterday. Teams had been showing interest, but nobody picked up the tab. However, close to the 3:00 deadline, Garth Snow managed to finagle a deal out of the defending Cup champions, and sent both Rolston and Mike Mottau to Massachusetts. The Islanders received some much needed AHL depth to their team in return in forward Yannick Riendeau and defenseman Marc Cantin. Both undrafted players playing in Boston's ECHL and AHL affiliates this season, they will undoubtedly help provide some jump to the Sound Tigers' playoff run this year. Riendeau tore up the QMJHL in his last year of juniors but never really found his way into the NHL, and Cantin has spent time before with former Casey Cizikas on the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors. The bottom line of this trade was getting rid of two players who were bringing down the team with their less than adequate play. While there's not much positive one can say about Rolston, best wishes to Mike Mottau to finding a role in his home state of Massachusetts. By all accounts, Mike is a wonderful person to be around and a great human being. Best wishes on helping Boston raise the Stanley Cup again.

Surprisingly, P.A. Parenteau was not moved and most rumblings seem to indicate he will eventually re-sign with the Islanders. He may have been shopped, but clearly the return was not high enough to justify a trade. Evgeni Nabokov was also thought by many to be on his way out but seems to still be working on a possible deal with the Islanders to stay.

In addition, this deal also saves the Islanders $1.2m in cap space, not that it was needed. The Islanders are firmly planted at the bottom of the pack in terms of salary. This should leave absolutely no excuse for Snow not to re-sign P.A. Parenteau. Nabokov, should he choose to stay, should also make a decent payday with this removal of salary which was coming this offseason regardless.

Of all the impending free agents people thought the Islanders would move including Milan Jurcina and Mark Eaton, the least expected were. Clearly, the asking price for these players was not high enough for Snow's liking, and he declined the deals presented to him.

News: Isles Name Four Alternate Captains

As reported by ESPN's Katie Strang earlier, the Islanders have named four alternate captains for the 2011-12 season: John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Brian Rolston, and Steve Staios. The alternates will switch off between home and away games.

CH: Going with a mix of veterans and younger players, the Islanders made sound choices for the rest of the leadership team this season. With a total of two defensemen and three forwards, all position and age demographics are represented. This will mark the third season Kyle Okposo will wear the "A" for the Islanders, and that should continue for the foreseeable future. Okposo was originally thought to unquestionably be the next captain of the team. However, with other young guys taking leadership roles on the team, that may be a little less likely.

A perfect example of this is the role that John Tavares has taken with the team. There is no doubt that Tavares is the face of the franchise. He is the Islanders' best player. He also has an incredible work ethic and is mature beyond his years. The fact that he was named alternate captain this year should have been a no-brainer. Between Tavares and Okposo, the Islanders will have two prominent leaders on the team for a long time.

Of course, the leadership team could not be complete without veterans taking active roles as well. Even though he has only been here a few weeks, Steve Staios is a fantastic choice for a letter. He is a very respected veteran that has the on-ice fire to be a captain, which is a nice change of pace from the mostly laid back demeanor of Tavares and Okposo (though they have shown fire when it's been necessary). Combine them with Brian Rolston, and the team will have five players (including captain Mark Streit) who the league respects.

One final point that gets undermined is the respect of the officiating staff. Guys like Zenon Konopka were ignored by the referees because of their style of play. With Streit, Okposo, Tavares, Rolston, and Staios, the Islanders have respected players to talk to the referees when necessary. Include the influence they have in the locker room, and it shows why the team made good choices for the captains this season.

AT: Couldn't have asked for a better group of guys to wear the A's to join the best possible choice for the C in leading this Islander team. You have Tavares and Okposo, two young players who are major parts of this core representing the youth movement, and then you have Staios and Rolston, two grizzled veterans who know their way in and out of this league and have a lot of respect amongst referees and fellow players alike. Of all the things the Islanders have done this offseason, choosing their new captain and assistant captains has been one test they've passed with flying colors.

Over the long run, yes, either Tavares or Okposo will be the captain. For now, having them as A's to continue learning the process of being a leader in the NHL is the best way to go.

Season Preview: Brian Rolston

Brian Rolston

Position: Right Wing/Center
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 214 lbs
Birthdate: February 21, 1973 (38 years old)
Birthplace: Flint, Michigan, United States
Acquired: Trade with New Jersey Devils - 2011

2010-2011 Team: New Jersey Devils
2010-2011 Stats: 65 GP - 14 G - 20 A - 34 P - 34 PIM
2011-2012 Team: New York Islanders
Team Role: Second/Third Line Wing

Last year: Rolston had a very interesting 2010-11 season, as he was a true victim of a salary cap world. Playing for the New Jersey Devils, Rolston was waived twice and was brought back to the NHL through re-entry waivers once without being claimed due to his high cap hit. After a first half in which he struggled, Rolston came back with a strong second half finishing the season with 34 points in 65 games, which averages over .5 points-per-game. Despite technically being part of New Jersey's AHL affiliate, he never played a game for Albany even after saying he would do what was best for the organization. Finally, in the summer of 2011, the Devils traded Rolston to the Islanders in a salary cap dump for Trent Hunter.

Expectations: The expectations for Rolston should be tempered, as he is not the player he was in his prime. His speed is still there, and his shot is most definitely still there - two qualities that help his game immensely. He is a good three-zone forward that could complement players like Josh Bailey and Blake Comeau very nicely. Rolston has been renowned as a leader everywhere he has gone, making him a candidate to be part of the leadership core of the team this season (along with Mark Streit and Kyle Okposo). All things being equal, the main goal for Rolston will be to stay healthy. There is little doubt that he will produce on the scoresheet when he is in the lineup, but he is starting to get up there in age, so a lot of his season could be judged on his durability.

Projections: GP 59 - 12 G - 18 A - 30 P

Thoughts:

CH: Rolston will spend much of his time this season playing the point on the powerplay, which should give the second unit some life with his booming shot. He will cause opponents to play their penalty kill differently, as opposed to having a guy like Kyle Okposo, predominantly a passer, on the point. The reason Mark Streit and Rolston don't work together on the first unit is because they are both lefties, making one-timers much more difficult. From that standpoint, it is more likely we see Okposo or Travis Hamonic on the first unit in that spot. Overall, Rolston is an improvement over Trent Hunter, so the Islanders will be better off for having him. His two-way play will be noticeable, which will make him a very effective part of this team. Like we said above, his main issue will be staying healthy. Rolston has already missed much of training camp, so he is already a little behind with no pre-season action. A game this weekend would do wonders for him as we head into the season next Saturday.

AT: Even at his age, Rolston packs an incredible slapper and great vision on the PP that the Isles will undoubtedly use. He's a playmaker and a passer first and foremost, but can even chip in over 20 goals if he stays healthy this year, especially if Josh Bailey finally picks up his game. The swap of Hunter with Rolston was a very positive one, as Rolston is a much better utilized player who can contribute efficiently in his area of expertise. He's another veteran along with Streit, Reasoner, Eaton and possibly Staios who can help mentor this young team towards the future with his years of experience, and should be a great leader in the lockerroom. Rolston, even though not worth his salary, is still a decent player who will contribute to this team both on and off the ice.

Trade: Islanders acquire Brian Rolston from NJD for Trent Hunter

In a solid move before the extremely important vote on Monday, the Islanders made a somewhat large move in acquiring Brian Rolston from New Jersey for the oft-injured Trent Hunter. Rolston carries a $5m cap hit for the final year of his contract.

AT: Can't really hate this deal. Most fans including myself were simply hoping for the end of Hunter's deal, and very soon. One of the slowest Islanders and one who is consistently injured, Hunter had a sharp decline from his Calder nominee run in 2003-2004. Since then, he has only had 1 20 goal season, and generally did not fit into the system anymore. Rolston, while also on the decline, is a veteran presence and slots into the 3rd line a little better than Hunter would have.

It's just very curious that after Rolston was on waivers last season, the Islanders decided to trade for him now. He is still a solid player no doubt, but I think his $5m cap hit would be better spent elsewhere, specifically in the defense sector. However, that leads me to my next point, in that signing Rolston could mean that Comeau or Bailey are on their way out as part of a trade for a D-man. In that case, I have absolutely no problem with this deal, but obviously we have to wait and see.

This trade is not going to rattle the NHL like the Havlat-Heatley trade earlier in the offseason, but Rolston is a nice acquisition. Just not the acquisition we really need right now. Regardless, welcome to the Island, Mr. Rolston.

CH: I have very mixed feelings on this trade. If you look at it under a microscope, the Islanders got the better of this trade. Hunter is a 40 year old player playing in a 30 year old body. His injuries have severely hampered his career to the point where he is not a viable NHL option unless he is on the 4th line. On the other hand, although he was waived last season Rolston can still play in this league, mostly due to his blistering slap shot and skating ability. He can slot anywhere in the top 9, and should be able to produce in the 40 point range if he stays healthy.

However, you can't just look at this under the hypothetical microscope. There are two main results from this trade that I take some issue with. First, the Islanders help the Devils in their quest to sign Zach Parise. Yes, they would have worked out a deal anyway but Garth Snow gave the Devils an extra three million to play with. This is a division rival. Why would you help them? Especially with someone as talented as Parise.

But even if you want to disregard that, and some will, there is the cap floor situation. The Islanders are now in clear striking distance of the floor and do not have to acquire anyone else to get there. Is Brian Rolston the guy you expect to make a difference here? It is about clear the Isles want be about .99 cents above the floor if they could pull that off. I don't believe Rolston is the ideal option. This also does not get them a top 4 defenseman, which they are still in dire need of.

I also do not think this will affect the Alexei Yashin situation. Like I've been saying the whole time, if Wang wants Yashin, he will sign Yashin. Which leads me to the question of if this is the end of Blake Comeau. I surely hope not, unless the team gets a legtimate top 4 defenseman for him. After years of developing Comeau, why not let him play the next stage of his career here? Granted I am fine letting him go, but only for the right player. With the top 9 having 10 forwards if you include Niederreiter, someone will have to move.

While my guess is that Comeau moves, its possible they send Nino down for one more season while Rolston is used as a placeholder. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the summer plays out.

Finally, all the best to Trent Hunter, who was a proud Islander for nine seasons. He wore the jersey proud and even signed a 5 year extension when he certainly could have gotten more money on the market. I hope he is able to revive his career for the Devils. Best of luck, Trent.