Around The NHL: Ryan Smyth, Craig Ramsay, Salary Cap

According to TSN, former Islander Ryan Smyth has informed the Los Angeles Kings he'd like to be traded back to the Edmonton Oilers. Smyth, 35, has one more year on his contract, in which he'll earn $4.5 million but will cost $6.25 million on the cap. Smyth scored 23 goals and assisted on 24 others last year in a full 82 game season.

Smyth played 18 games for the Islanders in 2006-07 and scored 5 goals and had 15 points.

CH: Okay, I have to say this confuses me for a bunch of reasons. First, Smyth pretty much had to be traded in 2007 because he wouldn't budge on $100,000 per year for an extension. Then the guy cries when he is traded to the Islanders. Then he signs with Colorado, before getting traded to Los Angeles. He finally finds himself on a team that is primed to make the playoffs every year, and all of a sudden he wants to go back to Edmonton. This whole situation is bizarre.

Don't get me wrong, and I don't mean to rehash old memories, but I would make the trade for him every time. Even at 35, he is a very useful player. When the Islanders had him at 31, he was fantastic and was a huge difference maker after Rick DiPietro went down. Looking at the now, does it even make sense for Edmonton to take on that kind of contract? They've finished 30th two years in a row, so do they want to hand a 3rd line spot to a declining Ryan Smyth or let a young guy take the reigns? Especially for a $6.25 million cap hit. Unless the Kings end up buying Smyth out and he signs in Edmonton on the cheap, I don't see this happening. But this report was certainly unexpected.

AT: This kind of reinforces my opinion that Smyth leaving was better for the team. For him to turn this way on LA is absolutely pathetic on his part. Yes, he helped us out when Snow traded for him, but if he was going to act like this a year or two into his contract wanting to go back to Edmonton, I'm happier with what we have here. That's all I can really say about this.

The Winnipeg(s) have informed former Atlanta Thrashers coach Craig Ramsay and former Edmonton Oilers coach Craig MacTavish that they will not be hired for the vacant head coaching position. The two finalists for the job are Chicago Blackhawks assistant Mike Haviland and former Blue Jackets Head Coach Claude Noel. 

CH: Well it's clear now that Kevin Cheveldayoff and the Winnipeg(s) are going in a new direction. Ramsay did a good job working with the young kids in Atlanta last year, but with a relocated franchise, it's understandable that Cheveldayoff wanted to bring in his own guy. Mike Haviland has been a guy rumored to be ready for a head coaching position for a while, so it wouldn't surprise me for Cheveldayoff to go with him. That said, I think the better choice is Noel, whose little NHL experience could be important for a young team. He also coached the Manitoba Moose last year, so he has a rapport with the area and the fanbase. We'll see what direction they go in.

AT: Haviland seems like the most likely choice. Local guy, fans know of him and his system, works well with the organization, etc. Ramsay's a good coach but I can see why Haviland would be a more likely option.

Chris Johnston is reporting the NHL salary cap for next season will settle in around $64 million. Consequently, the cap floor will be approximately $48 million. 

CH: So now the cap floor for 2011-12 is going to be about $9 million more than the cap ceiling in 2005-06, when the salary cap was first instituted. It really makes you wonder. Now the smaller market teams are going to fall behind again, as big market teams like New York and Toronto have the ability to spend to the ceiling. So while the cap was originally supposed to reel in those teams, here we are 7 years later and the cap ceiling is $25 million more than it was seven years ago. However, the increases are a result of increasing revenues to the NHL, so that is a great thing.

As far as the Islanders are concerned, well, they obviously have a ton of room to play with. The only question is...will they use it?

AT: As much as I hate to see the Rangers getting more room to add on to their already ridiculous contracts, as Carey said this is an indication of increasing revenues with the NHL and that is nothing but good news to me. With the Islanders, I can see a more substantial version of the Wisniewski trade occurring. I have honestly no idea who the Islanders could possibly go for, although Brent Burns was rumored to be available. It is going to be one of the most important offseasons in his GM career for Mr. Snow.

Speculation: What Will The Islanders Do With Pick #5?

According to both Katie Strang and Chris Botta, the Islanders are considering moving the #5 pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, either for another draft slot in the first round (before or after #5) or for a legitimate high-end NHL player. 

The 2011 NHL Entry Draft is next Friday, June 24 at 8 PM and continues on Saturday, June 25 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

CH: Major props to Brian Compton, who has been saying the Islanders should consider this route for months on Islanders Interactive, his online show with Chris Botta. The Islanders have a few options here, as both Strang and Botta mention. First, let's look at moving the pick for a player. Botta goes into mentioning Jeff Carter in his piece. There's little question the Flyers have to move a piece if they want to sign Ilya Bryzgalov, but reports have come out that they won't move Carter. Carter, 26, is signed for 11 more years at a cap hit over $5 million. Aside from that, no names have spurred up yet which is unsurprising. Things happen at the draft ever year that no one sees coming. From Chris Pronger to Philadelphia to last year's trade between Vancouver/Florida, it's clear sometimes these things develop on the floor that night.

AT: I've seen reports of Carter to Columbus for their 1st round pick and Jakub Voracek. I've also seen reports saying Philly will not under any circumstances move Carter. If they want Ilya, they're going to have to move a player or two.

CH: I'm very cautious about moving a top 5 pick for a veteran, but it really depends on the deal itself. For me there's a few guidelines. First, the player must be signed for an additional 3-5 years - at least. We all know how hard it is to get people to sign on Long Island, for reasons will documented by both the team and its fans (not just the arena). It makes little sense to trade for a player like Alex Semin (who I don't want anyway), who is under contract for just one more season. He also needs to be a high character player - we don't need another Kirk Muller situation. Even if they aren't thrilled to come to a rebuilding team or even to Long Island, they need to be cheerful about it and they need to be ready to play. Just like Ryan Smyth was during his short Islander tenure. Finally, the trade needs to make sense. They don't need to make a splash to make a splash. For example, trading for Alex Semin won't help the team that much. Sure, his 40 goals are nice but he is not a three-zone player and I'm not so sure he is the type of player to propel this team to the playoffs.

AT: An extension past 1 year MUST come with this deal should it happen. Giving up the 5th spot that becomes a player that will be in the organization for many years should come with equal amount of years in the player that's being traded for. I don't want Semin for a year, I want a solid winger or D-man who will help this franchise for 3+ years.

CH: Secondly, regarding moving up and down in the draft. I'm not opposed to this, but quite frankly I think they are best suited to stay at 5. They are going to get a top prospect there as long as they pick one of the consensus top 8. They have two second round picks and two third round picks. The team picks 5 times in the first 65 and 6 times in the first 100. If they want to trade pick 50 or 63/65 to move back a few spots and get another pick in that range, that's okay, but they should stand pat at 5. Since there is not much of a tiered structure to this draft, I don't think it's necessary to get back in the first round UNLESS they can get back in the top 15. A trade like that may include a roster player. I definitely do not want to see this team move any 2012 picks. There's no guarantee they will make the playoffs, and there's no guarantee they won't be in the lottery. There is zero reason to take any chances just yet, and doing so would be irresponsible.

AT: IMO, the prime situation for the Isles is to trade up to get another 1st round pick in addition to the 5th spot, much like they did in 2009 to get Calvin De Haan (though I believe they already had a 1st round pick) at the 12th spot. Draft a forward like Huberdeau, Couturier, Zibanejad or Landeskog at the 5th spot and then a solid looking D-Man like Klefbom, Siemens or Beaulieu should they fall far enough.

Overall, the Islanders certainly have options, but unless some incredible deal comes along, they are best suited at picking at the number 5 slot next Friday.