Signing: Isles, Bailey Agree On 2 Year Deal

As the clock reached 11:30, the Islanders and Josh Bailey finally agreed on a new contract for the soon to be 22-year old center. Bailey's contract runs for two years, in which he will make $2.1 over the course of the contract ($1.05M cap hit). He will be a restricted free agent when the deal is up in 2013. 

Last season, Bailey scored 11 goals and 28 points in 70 games for the Islanders.

CH: Well, they certainly cut it close on this one. The last thing anyone wanted was for Bailey to sacrifice an entire season in the NHL like Sean Bergenheim and Denis Grebeshkov did in 2006-07. Either way, it's time to put this whole situation behind us. As far as the deal itself goes, I personally would rather have seen a one-year deal. Bailey has much to prove, and if he goes out and has another subpar year the Isles are still stuck with him on the roster for 12-13.

This year is the "make-or-break" for him. Sure, he is still very young - just 22 years old on opening night - but the Isles cannot afford to wait for him to get better as the team gets better. Especially with guys like Ryan Strome and Nino Niederreiter waiting in the wings. It's why I'm a little weary of the second year. But if that's what it took to get the deal done, I can't complain. Because it's still irresponsible to underrate Bailey's potential. He can and should be a productive second line player when he hits the prime of his career. Keeping him in the organization without any contract holdups for his potential is more important than just looking at his performance to date. The bottom line is simple: the Isles moved mountains to get Bailey into the organization. They gave him a second year on his second contract when they did not have to. It's now on the player to respond.

AT: The perfect deal for a player who we're still waiting to see the full potential of. We knew the type of player Bailey was, and he was rushed into the NHL, stunting his development. We know the type of player Bailey is when he performed in an absolute beast mode to begin last season, then tapered off after the first 12 games or so. This is a great contract as it does not keep the Islanders tied down to Bailey in case his continues to stall in his production, but keeps him under wraps in case he does indeed become the player we hope he can be - a solid 2nd line, 60 point center. With Ryan Strome and so many other centers just waiting to come into the NHL in a few years and take Bailey's spot, the pressure's on. It's his time to train himself to defeat his weaknesses and take advantages of his strength. Not just for him, but for the team to make the playoffs this season.

Prospect Report: September 15, 2011

September 15, 2011

SEL: Frolunda - 4, MODO - 1
Johan Sundstrom - 0 G, 0 A, 0 PIM
Season: 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 2 PIM

Training Camp: Staios, Mara Sought for Invites

Arthur Staple is reporting that former Rangers D Paul Mara and former Oilers and Flames D Steve Staios are being sought after to attend the Islanders training camp on a professional tryout basis. 

Steve Staios

AT: Although I do not feel that Paul Mara would be any help to the team at this point, I believe if Staios can stay healthy he would be the best alternative to the supposed top-4 defenseman trade that seems less and less likely of occurring. Although he only played 39 games last season, when healthy Staios is a great defenseman who can log a solid amount of minutes and can help mentor our young defensemen such as Travis Hamonic and Andrew MacDonald. He's older, yes, but he would be a great presence on the Isles blueline if he can stay healthy and would be a great stopgap for someone like Calvin De Haan. The wheels have fallen off Mara since he left the Rangers and at this point his skill level wouldn't even be that of a bottom pairing D-man. Staios (IMO) would be a far superior option to both McCabe and Mara, although I suppose we have to wait and see if he would even accept coming to camp on a tryout basis first.

CH: I think at this point, I would be open to bringing in McCabe (if he is interested - can't imagine he would not be without a contract), Mara, and Staios. Let them battle it out with Ty Wishart and Mike Mottau for the #6 spot. I would keep the top three for spots 6-8 on the depth cart. With the injury to Katic, the rotation has been shuffled a bit. The Isles have the ability to compensate for this with a mix of veterans and rookies.

Looking at the roster in the aggregate, Mark Eaton, Milan Jurcina, and the #6 defenseman are just potential stop gaps for guys like Calvin de Haan, and maybe even a Wishart or Matt Donovan. But a little competition is good, especially for the kids to see how veterans of stature handle it. No matter who comes to training camp tomorrow, the Isles will be heavily scouting their play on and off the ice to see how they fit into the locker room. If I had my preference, I would prefer Staios and over Mara. But if the latter plays better, then he deserves the spot. No matter what, it will certainly be interesting to see who comes for physicals in the morning.

Injury Report: Katic Out With Torn Labrum

ESPN's Katie Strang reported on her blog this afternoon that depth defenseman Mark Katic's suspected dislocated shoulder is actually a torn labrum. Surgery seems to be the most likely option at this point, which if he recovers at the same rate as Kyle Okposo would keep him out until January.

Katic left Tuesday's rookie game against the Boston Bruins hunched over in visible pain.

CH: This is just a tough, tough break for Katic. Entering the third year of his ELC, he was expected to be counted on for the Sound Tigers with an outside shot at playing some games for the Islanders. Now, he'll be missing the first half of the season and will most likely use the remainder of the season shaking off the rust and such. Katic's long-term outlook with the team is somewhat bleak as well, with a lot of depth coming up the system and a limited amount of spots. I would still expect the Isles to offer him a qualifying offer after the year though, given Katic's skating ability and development track.

Unfortunately, this hurts the Sound Tigers - who really need all the help they can get. Losing Katic moves everyone up a spot, which could force the team to play players more minutes than they may be ready for. Let's hope the Sound Tigers are able to withstand this injury, but losing Katic and potentially Rhett Rakhshani long term is not going to make life easy for the team at all.

AT: Very disappointing, and now the THIRD major shoulder injury in the past two seasons to hit the Islanders during pre-season activities. I know the Islanders hired Sean Donnelan to handle injuries, but this is very scary to see happen again. It's good that he will be back before the end of the season, but as we saw with Kyle Okposo, he will most likely come back extremely rusty. As player in the 3rd year of his ELC, this has to be one of the most frustrating endeavors for him to face in his entire hockey career so far. Any way you put it, this is very disappointing. I do believe the Sound Tigers will be able to weather this with the addition of Calvin De Haan, Aaron Ness and Matt Donovan as full time D-men, but losing Katic still hurts.

Former Islanders: Hunter, Trottier, Kessel Updates

Former New York Islander forward Trent Hunter has accepted an offer from the Los Angeles Kings to come to training camp on a pro tryout basis. After a multitude of injuries over the past few seasons and dwindling skills, Hunter was traded by the Islanders to New Jersey for Brian Rolston and then bought out by the Devils, becoming a free agent.  

AT: I always liked Trent from his time at Bridgeport to his outstanding rookie campaign, but his time to leave the Islanders had come. It's unfortunate what had happened to him and his health, but that is simply how pro sports go. I'm glad another team (and a team that will definitely compete this year) is giving him a shot, and I hope that a guy like Trent, who was one of the nicest people you'll ever meet, finds a permanent home. Best wishes to Mr. Hunter!


It was also reported that Islander legend Bryan Trottier is part of a group helmed by Max Chambers (who once attempted to buy the Phoenix Coyotes) attempting to buy the St. Louis Blues. 

AT: The Blues have been up for sale for a while now, but I'm very happy that Trottier is not only attempting to stay in the hockey world, but be a part of an ownership team so he can once again have a team he can call his own. After attempting to coach without much success, it looks like that time has come once again. Best of luck to Trotts in his business endeavors and we hope the Blues become very successful under his group's ownership. Except when they play the Islanders, of course.

Finally, former Islander prospect Blake Kessel signed an entry level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. The former UNH defenseman was a sixth-round draft pick by the Islanders in 2007. He opted not to sign with the team by finding a rarely used loophole in the NHL CBA.

CH: No harm, no foul. Kessel is an average prospect, and should get some good playing time on a bad Adirondack team. The reality of the situation is that while the Islanders could use him (who can ever have enough depth?), he probably saw how crowded the chart is becoming and opted to go test the free agent waters instead of joining the competition. Of course, it took him until September - so he's probably just happy to have a job now.

Season Preview: Trevor Gillies

Trevor Gillies

Position: LW

Height: 6'3"
Weight: 236 lbs
Birthdate: January 30, 1979 (Age 32)
Birthplace: Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
Acquired: Signed as a Free Agent, 2010

2010-2011 Team: New York Islanders
2010-2011 Stats: 39 GP - 2 G - 0 A - 2 P - 165 PIM
2011-2012 Team: New York Islanders
Team Role: 13th Forward

Last year: Gillies joined the Islanders organization for hs first full year with the team last year. He appeared in 39 games, scoring twice including one against the rival New York Rangers. Gillies season, however, was overshadowed by dangerous hits on Eric Tangradi and Cal Clutterbuck that netted him 19 suspended Ganesh for the season. As you would expect, Gillies spent much of the game on the bench but always fought when called upon.

Expectations: Gillies accepted a new one year contract from the Islanders over the summer, in which he will play the same role as he did last year. It's more likely, however, he spends some of the year at Bridgeport unless the Isles face a lot of early injuries. Even if e is sent down, there is certainly reason to believe he will be called up to face divisional rivals and other physical opponents. Don't expect much on the scoresheet or on the ice, as Gillies true value is in the locker room.

Projections: GP 43 - 0 G - 1 A - 144 PIM

Thoughts:

CH: As many know, I was not much of a fan of bringing Gillies back this season. I personally feel the role of the goon is redundant, especially with guys like Matt Martin and Micheal Haley who can both play and throw down whenever. However, we don't interact with the players on a daily basis so it's certainly very possible that Gillies has way more influence in the room as a "big brother" type. It's always easy to overlook that. Either way, training camp will give a much better indication of how Jack Capuano sees the rosier going forward. We will see where Gillies fits in that plan.

AT: Considering he will be the 13th forward, I had no problem re-signing Gillies, as long as the other players on the team were okay with it and so was management. Clearly he's still a fan favorite as well (as we could both easily tell you from last night) so in the end there really wasn't too much harm bringing back Gillies. Will he have a target on his back from the refs? Probably. Yet, I doubt he sees more than 30-40 games in the NHL, if that. There's not really much to expect out of Gillies this season except for a fist in the face of Eric Godard.

Breaking News: John Tavares Signs 6 year, $33m Extension

As we had heard rumored last night, John Tavares has officially signed a 6 year extension with the Islanders worth an average cap hit of $5.5m. The contract is slightly backloaded, paying 4m the first year, 5m the second, and 6 m the last 4. NHL.com has the official story up now.

AT: Well, what else can you say besides what we stated last night? John Tavares is the key piece this franchise is going to rely on to return to the playoffs, he is the biggest part of the rebuild and now he has shown that he is dedicated to this franchise amidst swirling rumors about relocation. There is not much you can say about Tavares that hasn't already been said by the majority of Islander fans already. We needed someone of his caliber to come to Long Island, and we got it. But not only that, we received a player of true character as well. Not only did he sign the extension this summer as compared to us going through a Doughty-esque tribulation next summer, but he signed the deal at an absolute bargain for Charles Wang. A 5.5m cap hit is an outstanding deal for a player that will almost definitely eclipse 70 points and possibly 80 this year if his play continues at the rate it's going. For all sides - management and Tavares and his agent - this was a great moment.

CH: Oh man. This is absolutely wonderful no matter how you slice it. John Tavares has said for three years this is where he wants to be, and if you didn't believe him - well, you don't really have a choice now. The former #1 pick will be an Islander for the next seven seasons (this year plus his new contract), showing the rest of the league that Long Island may not be so bad after all. This gives the Islanders somewhat of a credibility jolt and gives the fanbase something they can really cheer about. Thus far, Tavares has been everything the Isles have expected and more. He has really taken to this organization, the same way that the great Islanders of past years have. It's clear the crest on the front means a lot to John, as there is little doubt he potentially left some money on the table here.

The contract itself is a steal, but really it's the irrelevant part of it. Tavares means so much to this franchise that any amount of money would be worth it at this junction, so getting him at a cap hit of only $5.5 million is unbelieveable. There is little doubt Tavares will eclipse that value by 28 years old.

As far as the captaincy goes, I am absolutely on board with giving it to Tavares now. Before today, I thought Streit should have been the guy. But when you take a look at it, you just had the centerpiece of the rebuild sign on long term cutting into his UFA years. He loves the organization, the community, and his teammates. He has the drive of a champion and the ability of an elite player in the game. He encompasses what it means to be an Islander at the ripe age of 21. You get long-term stability - the last Islander captain to last more than 3 seasons was Patrick Flatley. This is the guy to lead you to the next level. Let him take the reigns and run with it. It's Tavares' time, and it's Tavares' team.

Prospect Report: September 13, 2011

This daily post will detail the results of all the prospects - how they and their team are doing. It will be posted at approximately 10:30 AM EST every morning.

September 13, 2011

SEL: Frolunda - 2, Vaxjo - 0
Johan Sundstrom - 0 G, 0 A, 2 PIM
Season: 1 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 2 PIM

KHL: Ak Bars - 5, Dinamo Riga - 2
Kirill Petrov - 2 G, 0 A, +1, 0 PIM
Season: 1 GP, 2 G, 0 A, +1, 0 PIM

Rumor: John Tavares Extension Soon?

New Isles Newsday beat writer Arthur Staple is reporting that John Tavares, the Islanders #1 overall pick in 2009 and leading scorer the past two seasons, is expected to sign a long term deal this week that would start when his entry level contract expires after the season. Staple indicates it is in the 5-6 year range.

AT: What fantastic news if this is true (and it seems to be), for so many reasons. First and foremost, it will keep one of the most talented players to hit Long Island in a decade right here on Long Island where he belongs for years and years to come. He is the cornerstone of the rebuild and will be a quintessential part of our return to the playoffs and dominance. Secondly, it shows that a phenomenal talent such as Tavares loves it on Long Island and loves playing here, regardless of the uncertainty in the air surrounding a new arena/possible relocation elsewhere in the NY Metro area. If this deal happens (and when the Isles own beat writer for Long Island's biggest newspaper is indicating it will.. it most likely will), it would be a huge PR jump for the Islanders who need it so desperately right now after an offseason that has been criticized by so many. This perhaps might be a precursor to Tavares getting the C, although quotes from the Isles management seem to indicate otherwise. I'll be praying this gets done soon, and ordering my Tavares jersey a month afterwards.


CH: Just an unbelievable surprise last night. Now, obviously it's not done yet, but this is a legitimate rumor by a legitimate source. John Tavares is the Islanders franchise at this point, and to get him locked up a year before his ELC expires would be a coup - especially when you consider that Tavares is on the verge of breaking out. It will surely be interesting what the terms of the contract look like, but given that Tavares' presence on the team is essentially priceless in terms of importance, it shouldn't matter all too much. If this is a long term deal, it means Tavares will be the third Islander player to sign past 2015 over the offseason, which should tell you all you need to know about the man. We can talk in superlatives all we want, but this is nothing short of great news. Get it done and it becomes outstanding hews.

Season Preview: Rhett Rakhshani

Rhett Rakhshani

Position: RW

Height: 5'11"
Weight: 174 lbs
Birthdate: March 6th, 1988 (Age 23)
Birthplace: Huntington Beach, CA, US
Acquired: Draft, Round 4, 100th overall, 2006 NHL Entry Draft

2010-2011 Team: Bridgeport Sound Tigers
2010-2011 Stats: 66 GP - 24 G - 38 A - 62 P - 32 PIM
2011-2012 Team: Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Team Role: Top 6 Winger

Last year: Rakhshani was one of the lone bright spots in an abysmal Bridgeport season last year. He put up the most points on the team, nearly hitting 40 assists on a team with barely any goal scoring ability. He was utilized almost consistently on the top line and really found a chemistry with the team, which led to his offensive outburst this past year. For a rookie in the AHL, what he was able to accomplish is nothing short of outstanding. Clearly the AHL saw that as well when they named him to the All-Rookie team, and he was noted around the league for his on-ice vision and ability to set up plays like very few can. He also had one game where he scored 3 straight goals in 119 seconds. AHL or not, that is something that will follow him for the rest of his life, and he will always be remembered for by anyone who has even the slightest attention in the AHL.

Expectations: Rakhshani doesn't really fit on to the Islanders this season and will almost definitely return to Bridgeport for another year, playing with a revamped forward corps. Whether he is placed with Casey Cizikas, David Ullstrom or Jeremy Colliton as his center is up to them, but seeing how well Rakhshani is able to set up plays and score magnificent goals, I doubt he'll have trouble with any of them. Rakhshani should be eclipsing what he was able to accomplish last year with this revamped team, so we should have a very exciting season on our hands.

Projections: GP 73 - 30 G - 42 A - 72 P

Thoughts:

AT: Rakhshani was a huge surprise after coming out of a hugely successful career at the University of Denver. We knew he would produce, but not to this level. It will be very exciting to watch him form chemistry on a proper AHL team, and his point production should increase dramatically if he really clicks. It is worth noting however that Rakhshani suffered a concussion in the first rookie game, his second one in the last 6 months. If he can stay healthy, big things will arise from this multi-national sleeper.

CH: Rakhshani had a magnificent AHL rookie campaign last season, and even saw some time on the NHL squad. He's small in size, but plays a lot bigger than he is. A fast skater with a hard shot, Rakhshani skills have translated to the professional ranks from Denver as his game is much more mature than the average AHL rookie. While it is unfortunate that he suffered a second concussion, once he gets back there is no reason to think he won't pick up right where he left off. Rakhshani has become a 4th round gem from Neil Smith's only draft as an Islander, and has become a key piece of the Isles depth forwards.