Training Camp: The 4 Most Likely Invites

Isles beat reporter Katie Strang is indicating that 4 players: Jay Pandolfo, Bryan McCabe, Chris Clark and Sergei Samsonov, will all receive invites to the Islanders training camp in September to show if they have what it takes to earn a spot on the NHL roster. Much success has come out of camp invites for the Islanders.

AT: I'm not sure if any of these players are what the Islanders need, but it is what it is. There are certainly gaps that the Islanders have, but when 2 of these players are 4th liners, one a bottom pairing D man and the other a winger with a ton of potential (which we all know Garth loves). Do any of them fit on the Islanders?

Jay Pandolfo

AT: A former Devil who played for the team for his entire career, Pandolfo was bought out at the end of 2010 and has not played hockey for a team since. Clearly, he still has the desire to do so and would seek out the opportunity to play for the Islanders by proving that he still has some gas left in the tank for this coming season. Pandolfo, when healthy, can put up a 20-30 point season as should be expected of a 4th liner. However, his health has been an issue for several years now. If he can pull it together, stay healthy and bring the leadership presence that he brought to the Devils for so long, he would be a great presence on the 4th line along Marty Reasoner and Matt Martin.

CH: Katie seemed to elaborate a little more on Pandolfo, tweeted that the two sides should finalize some tryout agreement within the week. Pandolfo has been a valuable player in the NHL, so it certainly does not hurt to see if he can come in and still play a little. Chances are if he sticks with the organization, it would be in an AHL call-up capacity, but that is fine. If the Isles want to take the next step, calling up seasoned vets like Pandolfo are better options than players who will never see NHL action again. Experience is a big factor here.

Chris Clark

AT: A one time 30 goal scorer, the scoring ability wheels have fallen off Clark faster than a Michael Grabner 40 yard dash. Another player who has been marred by injuries the past few years, Clark was reduced to a 3rd and 4th line role in his time with the Blue Jackets for the past 2 seasons after captaining the Capitals in his tenure there. His skills still remain, just to a much diminished extent. There is no way he would be taking Matt Martin's slot, so a line of Martin-Reasoner-Clark would be our full time 4th line, with Reasoner or Martin possibly moving to the 3rd line if someone gets injured. Depth is great to have, but I'm not sure if Clark or Pandolfo are the solutions to a team that is seeking the playoffs.

CH: Clark is a great locker room guy, leader, and could certainly play a bit in his prime. Like Alex said, injuries have really slowed him down a bit over the past few years. Having him try out for a 4th line spot would make for a very interesting competition with Micheal Haley, one that is somewhat akin to Richard Park trying out for a spot in 2006-07. If he does try out, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if he does lock that 12th forward spot up. I'll harp on the experience part all day, but with a top-6 full of kids and young veterans, having guys like Reasoner, Clark, and Brian Rolston in the bottom 6 could be very beneficial going forward.

Sergei Samsonov

AT: Samsonov, forever shifting teams, still remains unsigned after a solid season with an abysmal Florida Panthers team as well as some time with a mediocre Carolina team. A two time 70+ point scorer, the potential that remains in Samsonov is limitless. Paired with the right linemates, his shot could land him back in the 60+ point territory. I'm not really sure where Samsonov would fit unless Garth is considering replacing Parenteau with him on the first line. However, after a pretty solid chemistry was developed last year between Moulson, Tavares and PAP, it's doubtful we see a change to that until next year when Parenteau's contract is up.

CH: This one is the most intriguing to me, because it seemingly came out of nowhere. Strang tweeted that Samsonov wanted a guaranteed contract while the Isles only wanted a tryout. Since the Isles have all the leverage, Samsonov could very well agree to a try out as he looks for a spot on the team. But it's intriguing in the sense that Samsonov can only play in the top 9, and there are currently 10 forwards (Niederreiter) penciled in for 9 spots. So my guess is that this is either all smoke to push players to be better, Snow is actively looking to trade away one of the top-9, or Nino Niederreiter is not as much of a lock as it seems. My guess, is that Snow is shopping around. The question is, can Samsonov still play? Much like Clark reminds me of 06-07, this does as well. When the Islanders brought Viktor Kozlov in for a tryout, it was much maligned. He then put together a 50+ point season. Samsonov would not be coming in as a contributor - you know what you can with him. But could be put a 40 point season together with Blake Comeau and Josh Bailey? I believe he could come close. I'd make it a point to keep an eye out on this one.

Bryan McCabe

Ah, Mr. McCabe. After the consistent rumors that he would be traded to the Islanders every February and all those offseasons we heard he'd be signing with us following the end of his previous contracts, now comes the most realistic opportunity to land him. At this point, McCabe should be the very last option for the Islanders in case they can not land a top 4 d-man in a trade. Now, if that were the case, signing McCabe would be a lot better than having Mike Mottau as anything other than the 7th D-man, but let's be realistic here. McCabe's defense is pretty much gone, his offense has dwindled greatly, and he is at best a bottom pairing D-man. This team wants to (and needs to) make the playoffs this season, and signing McCabe is not going to help that.

This is an extremely important moment for the Islanders. Garth has publicly stated that he was going to attempt to acquire a top 4 d-man through trade, and the Rolston trade basically screamed that it was a precursor to a much bigger trade by giving us just one too many 3rd liners on the team (assuming Niederreiter makes the team). Again, McCabe would be better than having Mottau as the 5th or 6th d-man, but signing McCabe would, to me, scream that we are in for another season of mediocrity. This is a major situation for Snow, and I can only hope and pray he realizes it.

CH: Pretty much what Alex said above is correct. While McCabe is certainly better than no one, he is by no means much of an ideal option. He would come in to be a warm body to keep young players like Calvin de Haan from the NHL until they are fully developed and ready. But that is not what the Islanders need this year - they need stability in the top 4, and so far we haven't seen anything like that. The Islanders already have warm bodies as stopgaps - Mark Eaton, Milan Jurcina, and Mike Mottau are all unrestricted free agents after the season. To add a 4th stopgap will cause a major turnover issue, which makes it harder to develop chemistry. We saw that in 07-08, when the Isles were a completely different team of miscasts and couldn't make a push. The goal was to obtain a guy on a multi-year deal, and that hasn't happened. Yet. But like we said McCabe is better than no one, and I suppose that is the silver lining if there is one.

Check back here as we get closer to camp to see how things unfold.

Speculation: Islanders Targeting A Defenseman?

Bloggers Note: Alex is having issues with his cable and Internet after Hurricane Irene, but will be back as soon as it is rectified. On behalf of him, we hope everyone got through the weekend safely and securely. Thanks.

Recently, we have heard four instances of speculation that the Islanders may be involved in targeting a defenseman this week. The team continues to look for a player that can solidify the top-4 and can play while guys like Calvin de Haan and Matt Donovan continue to develop in Bridgeport. The team currently has seven defensemen signed: Mark Streit, Andrew MacDonald, Travis Hamonic, Mark Eaton, Milan Jurcina, Ty Wishart, and Mike Mottau.

The first wave of speculation came from Chris Botta's Islanders Point Blank last week, where he claimed that an unnamed veteran defenseman declined an invite to training camp from the team...for now. It's widely believed this defenseman is former Islander captain Bryan McCabe. McCabe, 36, spent last season with the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers, playing 67 games and accumulating 28 points with a +2 rating.

McCabe, who has always been an offensive defenseman, is nowhere near an ideal option. In fact, if the rumor is true, it's because the Islanders want McCabe to earn a spot on the team by outplaying Ty Wishart and Mike Mottau as opposed to just giving him one. Regardless, he is not the improvement the team needs, but is still valuable enough NHL depth that the team can manage. Unfortunately, a McCabe/Streit powerplay combination does not work as both players shoot left-handed, so you would really be acquiring him to play with Travis Hamonic on the second unit. On the whole, McCabe really would fit in through his leadership. He is a long time veteran of the league, has respect for the Islanders organization, and could help refine the offensive games of Andrew MacDonald and Travis Hamonic. But is that enough to give him a shot to earn a spot? Sure, if you acquire a true top-4 defenseman. But on his own, it would be a marginal improvement at best.

Another name that has recently come up is former Islander Adrian Aucoin. While he has not come up in any legitimate rumor, there has been message board speculation regarding his trade availability. Aucoin is now 38 years old. While he has played 157 games over the past two season with Phoenix, it's important to remember that he is aging. He would be a fine stopgap for the Isles, but not at the expense of anything with value. The names we have been hearing as trade bait - Josh Bailey, Blake Comeau - are not worth Aucoin at this point. But for a mid-round pick or mid-level prospect, should the Islanders pull the trigger on a player like him? He has the same experience level and respect for the Islanders as McCabe. So in a situation like that, absolutely.

On Saturday, an article in the Edmonton Journal came out where the agent of Steve Staios, Pat Morris, mentions the Islanders as a potential suitor for the 38-year old defenseman. Like Aucoin, Staios can still play and could be a decent option for the Isles, even though he does not have the ties that Aucoin does. The main issue with Staios is his durability - he's only played 97 games over the past two seasons with the Oilers and the Flames. Which begs the question: if the Islanders wanted an oft-injured aging defenseman, why not keep Radek Martinek? Staios is a decent option, but his inability to stay healthy at this point in his career is a major negative.

Finally, a rumor has come out through the Ottawa Citizen that the Senators may try to unload 34-year old Filip Kuba, due $3.7 next season, on the Islanders. Kuba, who had 16 points in 64 games but finished with a deplorable -26 rating, is well past his prime. With the aforementioned options, the Islanders should not be desperate enough to have to take a flyer on Kuba at this point. At this point, he is a bottom pairing defenseman and would most likely be less of an improvement than McCabe.

It will certainly be interesting if Garth Snow decides to pull the trigger on a deal or signing for a defenseman, regardless of if it is one of the above guys or not. Quite frankly, it is imperative for the Isles to solidify their defense corps, even if it is a bottom pairing guy. The last thing the team needs is to play Mark Katic and Dylan Reese for an extended period of time. So far this off-season, the Islanders have let go of Jack Hillen and Radek Martinek without getting anything in return. With two weeks until training camp, time is running short to complete a deal. But one has to be on the way, or else the Isles' defense heads into the season with a lot of question marks.