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.

Trade: David Toews Traded to Chicago for Future Considerations

David Toews, a center and 2008 3rd round pick, was traded by the Islanders to the Chicago Blackhawks for future considerations earlier today.

AT: Toews, a center playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL after disappointing seasons at the University of North Dakota, was traded to the team that his brother, Jonathan Toews, is currently the captain of. Toews was yet another center in the Islanders system and with his unimpressive play (albeit very strong playoffs stats-wise) had not been invited to the Blue and White scrimmage due to the Islanders' stated intentions of having no plans to sign him. So, it's good he'll get a chance to find a nice home in Chicago with the help of big brother Jon. Better there than being stuck behind a plethora of centers far ahead of him in the depth charts. As for what the Islanders are getting in return... who knows? Toews was not even a consideration in the Islanders system and considered a bust universally, so we shouldn't be expecting anything other than maybe a 7th round pick. Regardless, good luck to David, and best wishes on better success in Chi-town.

CH: Agreed. Some picks you win with, and some you lose with. Unfortunately, this is one the Isles lost on. But that happens, and sometimes you just have to pull the plug. The Isles did it last year with Jyri Niemi, as they traded him to the Rangers in 2010 for a 6th round pick. We will see what the Isles get back, but expect nothing more than a 7th round pick or low level prospect. This is just a favor to Toews, which is more than fine. Like Alex said, best of luck to David in all of his future endeavors.

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.

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:

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.

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.