Arena: NY Daily News Editorial

An editorial in the New York Daily News today, which you can find here, came out with more misinformation about Ed Mangano and Charles Wang's plan to re-develop the Nassau Coliseum and it's surrounding areas. 

CH: To start, the author (who is anonymous) failed to realize that both the Mets and Yankees used public funds to construct Citi Field and Yankee Stadium, respectively. Secondly, the Islanders have already offered to cover all the overages regarding the arena AND have offered to be 70% of the debt service without a cent that enters the new Nassau Coliseum. But everyone reading this blog knows that.

Here we are in another situation where misinformation is being spread. Here we are in another situation where excuses are being made as to why we should not act. And here we are in another situation where an author recommends the growth of Nassau County should continue to stagnate. That is why I brought this editorial onto the blog. Not because the facts are right (they aren't), but to show the ignorance of authors that think they have the answers to anything (doing nothing), when the real answer is standing in front of their face.

The bigger question is why the Daily News, a newspaper with integrity, decided to post on this, but that's for another day. The fact is these are the articles we will see for the next month, and it's up to us to start discrediting the wrong information and start informing those with the facts. Because the facts are what is going to get this arena built, and the facts are what will keep our New York Islanders in Nassau County.

AT: The comments section seems to be rife with people on our side, so I suppose that's one positive to take out of it. But the fact that the NYDN, a paper which is supposedly credible, would put up an article like this is ridiculous. They should be ashamed of themselves. This is precisely why I avoid the NYDN and the Post like the plague.  People will NEVER be happy with this. It wasn't good enough that Wang wanted to pay for his first project entirely on his own. Now that he can't do that, he's doing it in a way that will pay back taxpayers and ensure the consistency of NVMC revenue for 30 more years after 2015. It's no surprise that this "editorial", if you can even call it that, was made anonymously. Any journalist who did this little fact checking should be banned from any credible paper. It's time to hit up the PR machine, Mr. Wang. Get commercials out, send out fliers, stage rallies. Do whatever you need to do. We all hate when something so important to us gets mucked up in the political arena, but that is the reality of the situation. Don't let others do this for you. The time of lethargy is over. Wang, the Islanders, and all of us reading this are going to be responsible for getting this done.

Arena: Nassau Legislature To Vote On Election Funding

According to Newsday, the Nassau County Legislature will be voting on July 11 to see if Nassau County will be authorized to transfer $2.2 million to provide the necessary overhead and logistics for the August 1 referendum vote. In the articles, details of the logistics of the election are discussed. 

CH: This minor "obstacle" will pass easily if all this vote needs is a simple majority. In fact, in the article it states that the legislature passed the budget for it already and laid off 130 workers, which to be honest, could and should have made people angry. That said, I have no worries about this passing and as long as the full details (according to the Legislature) are shared, this vote is happening on August 1. Just remember to continue to e-mail your legislators and NIFA to share your concerns about how necessary this arena is for Long Island.

AT: And don't forget that once again, if the vote passes, Charles Wang covers the costs. Funny, I didn't see Newsday mentioning that.

News: Islanders Sign C Marty Reasoner

The New York Islanders have signed C Marty Reasoner to a two year, $2.7 million contract. His cap hit wil lbe $1.35 million per season. The fourth line center had 14 goals and 18 assists for the offensively challenged Florida Panthers last season. 

CH: We talked about addressing needs and upgrading spots, and that's exactly what the Islanders have done here. Reasoner is good on faceoffs, finishing at 54.5% last year. He has some offensive ability and exponentially improves the fourth line center spot over Konopka. He'll slide right in between Matt Martin and Trent Hunter (or P.A. Parenteau if the Isles improve their top-6), which will be the best fourth line the Isles would have had since their last playoff season in 2007. However, Reasoner is not a fighter - but that's okay, as the Isles still have Haley (when necessary), Martin, and Gillies (when necessary). Very solid, under the radar signing.

AT: There were 3 holes in the roster. A 4th line center, a winger to play with JT and a top 4 D man. We got one of them and with one of the best choices on the board. Reasoner can put up 30 points or so a year, has leadership material and is a vast improvement over Konopka. Good job by Snow.

Signing: Isles sign Kirill Kabanov to entry level deal

Brian Compton reported today that the Isles have signed Russian winger Kirill Kabanov to an entry level deal. Financials are not yet known.

AT: Great for Kirill. He's come a long way and showed major progress with Lewiston last year. Now he'll be going back to his new juniors team in Montreal after the dissolution of Lewiston. He should fit in well on a very strong Montreal team. He is probably one of the most gifted talents we have in our organization and it will be exciting to see him grow over the next few years. I met him at the draft party and he was one of the nicest players I'd ever met. Good luck, Kirill... all the best to you!

CH: Very interesting timing on this signing. Not exactly sure why, but announcing this signing on July 1 at 12 PM is odd. That said, this was a no brainer here. They obviously like the direction Kabanov is heading in, so this makes sense. As far as raw skill goes, Kabanov is a top-5 Islander prospect. He'll have one more year down in the QMJHL before most likely heading to Bridgeport in 2012. This contract assures Kabanov will be part of the organization for the next three seasons. Good way to start the day.

Speculation: July 1 Live Blog

6:00 - And yep, that will about to it. Thanks for following!

5:30 - Starting to wind down here. Yes, there will be some deals through the evening + tomorrow, but not as often. We're going to finish here around 6. It's been fun!

5:05 - Edmonton agrees to a deal with Eric Belanger. Very nice deal for the Oilers, Belanger is very solid.

5:00 - Florida signs Tomas Fleischmann to a 4 year, $18 million contract. Another crazy, crazy deal.

4:40 - Colorado continues to revamp their goaltending position as they have signed JS Giguere. The Sharks have also signed Jim Vandermeer.

4:35 - Dallas Stars have signed Sheldon Souray. Absolutely clueless on that one.

4:20 - Just some updates. Sturm to VAN for 1 year. Ponikarovsky to CAR for 1 year. Risks for both, but short-term deals make sense.

4:15 - Sabres owner and Hockey Fanboy Terry Pegula strikes again, as the Sabres sign Ville Leino to a 6 year, $27 million deal. Another ridiculous contract from this team.

4:10 - Ryan Rishaug reporting the Oilers have dealt Kurtis Foster to the Ducks for Andy Sutton. Interesting deal.

4:00 - The Florida Panthers are making waves again as they have acquired F Kris Versteeg from the Philadelphia Flyers for a 2nd round pick in 2012 or 2013 and a 3rd round pick in 2012. Good on the Isles for staying away. Versteeg is a very redundant player for this team.

3:45 - The Dallas Stars have signed Michael Ryder for 2 years and $7 million. Interesting decision for him.

3:40 - Alex Auld has caught on with the Ottawa Senators for one year, and $1 million.

3:35 - The Edmonton Oilers have signed Cam Barker and Darcy Hordichuk. Edmonton becoming the land of opportunity as well, as the Isles could have used Barker a few years back...but not now.

3:30 - While the Islanders have signed Marty Reasoner, the Capitals have signed former Islander Roman Hamrlik for 2 years/$7 million. The Canadiens have signed Isles target Erik Cole for 4 years, $18 million. Good signings for both. Still plenty of top-6 options up front, and guys like Ian White, Scott Hannan, and Bryan McCabe on the back-end.

3:25 - Joel Ward has agreed to a 4 year contract with the Washington Capitals for 3 million per year. That, my friends, is a major overpayment. Good for Ward.

3:20 - The Islanders have agreed to terms with Marty Reasoner on a 2 year contract for $2.5 million. Great faceoff man, will be a major upgrade over Zenon Konopka on the fourth line. More on Reasoner later.

3:15 - Gotta love the new age reporting. Steve Sullivan announced on his Twitter that he has signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Risky, but potentially a nice move for the Pens.

3:00 - The Rangers have signed Mike Rupp. Actually a pretty good minor signing for them, but don't really see how he fits a need. Rupp has now been property of every Atlantic team but the Flyers. Three year deal.

2:55 - Former Avs goalie goes to Montreal on a 2-year deal for $2.3M. Goalie musical chairs continue as things are starting to slow down a little bit. Expect things to pick back up in the next hour or so, maybe sooner.

2:45 - Former Flyer Brian Boucher goes to Carolina to back-up Cam Ward. Good, smart signing for the Canes.

2:30 - Flyers sign Max Talbot. Gonna be hilarious to see how becomes Public Enemy #2 (Jagr is #1) in Pittsburgh now. He was loved there.

2:25 - Radim Vrbata has re-signed in Phoenix for $9 million over 3 years. Good signing by the Coyotes, but they are another team close to maxing out their internal budget now.

2:15 - Another lull (as I say this, I'm sure 10 guys will sign), but all these teams that have spent already helps the Islanders cause. Lots of role/marginal players off the board, likely taking the first deal they saw.  Isles need to be patient and smart, and it will work out. Mark Streit was signed after dinner-time and Dwayne Roloson was signed mid-afternoon. Still plenty of time.

2:06 - The goalie market continues to saturate as Johan Hedberg has re-signed with the Devils.

2:01 - The Capitals have traded G Semyon Varlamov to the Colorado Avalanche. Not sure if he will play in Russia or not next year, but good on the Avs to take a shot. Still up in the air if they will sign Tomas Vokoun or not. And they paid a 1st and 2nd round pick for him? Sherman is way too desperate.

2:00 - The Panthers have struck again, as they have signed fourth line C Marcel Goc to a three-year deal. I like Goc and hoped the Islanders would look at him, but for 3 years? Crazy. Panthers are out of control right now.

1:55 - Flyers have signed Andreas Lilja, furthering my theory they will have Andrej Meszaros on the block quite shortly.

1:55 - Finally, a little bit of a lull here. Don't panic the Islanders haven't signed anyone yet. We're only 2 hours in, and there is always the trade route. Plenty of avenues they can go from here - and still some good forward talent out there.

1:50 - Andrew Brunette has signed with the Chicago Blackhawks. For those wondering, he turned down the Rangers to do so according to Larry Brooks.

1:45 - Like Chris Botta has mentioned on Twitter, don't be surprised to see Bryan McCabe come home.

1:36 - Ed Jovanovski goes back to Florida for 4 years. Again, that's the type of deal the Isles will have to offer free agents. Florida must be close to the cap floor now. Jan Hejda signs for four years to Colorado. Isles miss out on a good one.

1:35 - Tim Brent goes from Toronto to Carolina on a two-year deal. Good faceoff man, another one the Isles could have looked into for their 4th line.

1:30 - Radek Dvorak signs with the Stars, 1 year/$1.5M. Could be a nice signing for the Stars. Jagr gets $3.3M from the Flyers, which is an absurd overpayment - and proving that it is all about the money.

1:25 - Just a hat tip, if the signing isn't announced by Bob McKenzie, Nick Kypreos, Darren Dreger, or the team's beat reporter, you should probably ignore it.

1:20 - TONS happening right now. The Coyotes have signed both Raffi Torres (1.75py) and Mike Smith (2m) for 2-years each. The Blues have agreed to a 2-year contract with Matt D'Agostini. And the BIG SHOCK of the day - Jaromir Jagr has signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. Now Penguins fans...you can be angry. That's a slap in the face.

1:17 - An update on Upshall - the Panthers have announced a four year deal. That's the kind of term the Isles will have to offer to get free agents, even of Upshall's caliber. Upshall's deal is for $14 million over 4 years per McKenzie.

1:16 - Washington has signed 4th line center Jeff Halpern to a 1 year/$825K contract. Wanted the Islanders to go after him, but even if they did, couldn't blame him for going to Washington at this stage of his career. Good signing for the Caps.

1:15 - Looks like the Florida Panthers have signed Scottie Upshall. Good signing for the Panthers, who need to spend, spend, spend to get to the cap floor.

1:10 - Chicago Blackhawks have signed veteran Sean O'Donnell to a 1 year contract worth $850K. Will be interesting to see if they still try and sign Chris Campoli, as Bowman said he wanted two defensemen to round out his core. Good veteran signing for the Hawks.

1:05 - Dallas Stars have signed Adam Pardy to a 2y/$4M contract. Good depth signing for the Stars, but a bit of an overpayment.

12:55 - Florida signs Jose Theodore to a 2 year/$3M contract. They get their new starting goalie, as Tomas Vokoun is officially moving on.

12:51 - Ben Eager signs with the Edmonton Oilers for 3y/$3.3M. Jamal Mayers signed with Chicago for 1 year/$550K. Eager a great signing for Edmonton - perfect signing for a young team.

12:50 - While we have some time, here's some recent Isles July 1 history. In 2007, Garth Snow signed Jon Sim to a 3y/$3M contract. In 2008, Garth Snow signed Mark Streit to a 5y/$20.5M contract. In 2009, Garth Snow signed Dwayne Roloson to a 2y/$5M contract. Last year, no activity.

12:40 - Tampa Bay signs G Mathieu Garon to a 2 year deal for $2.6 million. He'll backup former Islander Dwayne Roloson. Tampa now has very good goaltending depth.

12:35 - Tom Gulitti announces that Andy Greene has re-signed with the Devils for four seasons. Quite the long term for a guy like Greene.

12:25 - Craig Custance now saying there's no deal with Michal Handzus and the Flyers. And now I'm done speculating. Wake me up when there's numbers. Bob McKenzie confirming no contact between Flyers and Handzus. So there's that.

12:20 - Jay Gold saying the Coburn signing is official - 2 years, 8 million. Flyers may trade to move Meszaros, which would be a perfect fit for the Isles. Don't think they will trade him within the division, however. And now the Handzus contract looks done. Weird five minutes there.

12:15 - Lots of false news coming out of Flyers camp. Apparently neither Handzus nor Coburn has been signed yet. Odd, but we'll see if that changes.

12:10 - Our first signing comes (very) early this year. The Flyers have signed UFA F Michal Handzus - waiting on confirmation of the number. Wouldn't have fit the Islanders, good signing for Philly who need C depth after trading Richards and Carter.

12:06 - Some Isles news to start the day, the team has signed prospect F Kirill Kabanov to an entry-level contract. He'll still be back in juniors next year. We'll have more on the Kabanov signing later.

12:05 - Usually, the first UFA signing comes in around 12:30, so don't expect much until then. Maybe a re-signing or two.

12:01 - Detroit re-signs Drew Miller for 2-years. Pittsburgh re-signs Tyler Kennedy for 2-years. Good signings by both.

12:00 - Happy start of free agency! Now let's get crazy - we know some teams will.

11:55 - The Vancouver Canucks have signed Long Island F Chris Higgins to a 2 year contract worth 1.9 million. Good signing for both parties. Higgins is good in a bottom-6 role and he gets some security.

11:52 - Eight minutes until showtime here. Not sure what's more exciting, this or New Year's.

11:45 - The Flyers and Ville Leino could not agree to a contract, so he will be heading to UFA as well.

11:38 - Gord Miller announces San Jose will not re-sign Ian White, who will head to market as a UFA. The Islanders should be very interested in the 27 year old, top-4 defenseman.

11:35 - In a shocker, the Pittsburgh Penguins have pulled their offer for F Jaromir Jagr. Everyone thought Jagr only wanted to go to Pittsburgh, and if he did, he waited too long. Very surprising move there, but clearly the Penguins have other business they want to take care of today.

11:26 - And the lull is broken. Buffalo re-signs Cody McCormick to a 3 year, $4.6M contract. Maybe a little long, but McCormick is a very good 4th line guy.

11:25 - A nice little lull before the craziness really starts at noon. All we know now is that Mike Rupp and Jan Hejda will be hitting the market, Chris Higgins is working on a 2y deal with the Canucks, and the Devils are still trying to sign Andy Greene. Based on the contracts we've seen to Ehrhoff and Wisniewski, expect a lot of money to be thrown around today. The question is, will the Isles get involved?

10:55 - The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed James Wisniewski to a 6 year/$33M contract. Massive overpayment, but the Blue Jackets are certainly going for it.

10:41 - Craig Custance reporting Patrick Eaves has re-signed in Detroit on a 3 year/$4.6M contract. Good depth signing for the Wings, as Eaves played well there last season.

10:40 - Bob McKenzie reporting Minnesota has signed G Josh Harding to a 1 year, $750K contract. That most likely means Jose Theodore will be going to market today.

10:35 - Welcome to our free agency Live Blog! We'll be updating this page with whatever we hear from legit rumors until about 6:30 PM. If the Islanders make a signing, it will go to the top of the page. So stay with us all day, it should be a fun one!

News: Jesse Joensuu Signs 2-Year Contract in Sweden

Islanders F Jesse Joensuu has signed a two year contract with HV71 of the Swedish Elite League. Because the Islanders offered him a qualifying offer, they will retain his rights. Joensuu, a 2nd round pick in 2006, had an up-and-down three years with the Islanders. Overall, he finished with 8 goals and 13 points in 60 NHL games with the Islanders from 2008-09 to 2010-11.

CH: Obviously, since the Islanders retained his rights, the door isn't closed on Joensuu returning after the two years. Like we said on the podcast, Joensuu wanted his North American trial to be three years before making a decision on where he would play next. In that sense, this isn't surprising. He will get way more money and playing time playing for HV71 than in the Isles organization, who would have had him in Bridgeport for the majority of the year. Wish the best for him, as the Islanders have the option to bring him back when his contract is up.

AT: As I said on the podcast, power forwards take some time to develop. He'll probably get a lot of playing time in the SEL, so this is good for him. All the best to Jesse and I hope to see him again in 2 years.

Podcast: June 29, 2011

Finally got this uploaded! Here is the podcast we recorded last night, before Ehrhoff was traded. We discuss that move, preview free agency, and review the 2011 Draft. As usual, the link to this podcast will be archived in the "podcast" section up top.

Untitled from Carey Haber on Vimeo.

News: Islanders Announce 2011-12 Pre-Season Schedule

The New York Islanders have announced their pre-season schedule for the 2011-12 season. Training camp will be held between September 16 - October 5 at the Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders will play one home preseason game, on September 24 against the New Jersey Devils. Here is the full schedule, as listed on the Isles site.

Friday, September 23 - 7 p.m. at Boston Bruins (TD Bank North Garden)SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 - 7 PM VS. NEW JERSEY DEVILS (NASSAU COLISEUM)Tuesday, September 27 - 9 p.m. at Calgary Flames (Scotiabank Saddledome)Friday, September 30 - 7 p.m. at New Jersey Devils (Prudential Center)SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1 - 7 PM VS. BOSTON BRUINS (WEBSTER BANK ARENA)

CH: Underwhelming. Some will argue the pre-season doesn't matter much, but that's really open for debate. Last year, the Islanders had a very similar pre-season schedule, but was attributed to the fact they had to move training camp from Saskatoon, SK to Long Island. This year, there's really no reason not to have a full 7-8 game schedule. It's a tune-up for the players and allows spots in the NHL lineup to be won. Teams schedule their own pre-season games, so the Isles had tons of time to put an acceptable schedule together. I'm interested to hear their reasoning more than anything, because I would like to hear the philosophy behind this. Maybe there is a reason that would make sense for a shortened schedule.

AT: Perhaps Snow is a little wary of injuries... pre-season injuries hit us bad as everyone knows from last year. Pre-season is important to get the players in regular season mode. I hope Snow has a good reason besides injuries for the lack of exhibition games. I always enjoyed the Isles-Rangers exhibition games.

Speculation: Free Agent Preview - The Defenseman

So the Christian Ehrhoff risk didn't work out. It happens, but now it's time to move on. Continuing our free agency preview, here are 16 defenseman the Islanders may take a chance on come July 1.

Top 4 Offensive Defenseman

Christian Ehrhoff - 14 G 36 A 50 P +19 - Could (Still) Be A Target
What, you think I'd leave him out? In all seriousness, Garth has said the door is shut and I believe him. But if Ehrhoff comes crawling back asking for the Isles offer, you think they'd say no? I doubt it. Chances are at about 0%, and the Isles won't take initiative. But you never know what happens on July 1.

Tomas Kaberle - 4 G 43 A 47 P +4 - Could Be A Target
Kaberle is declining, and he wouldn't be my first choice. But he is a "name" and someone that can come in to help Travis Hamonic. However, he doesn't really fill a need so I think they go in another direction.

Roman Hamrlik - 5 G 29 A 34 P +6 - Isles Target
If the Isles want a short-term option, a reunion with Roman Hamrlik could be in the cards. Hammer liked playing here, and played with front office members Garth Snow and Eric Cairns. He's still physical and can play a top-4 role, but anything more than 2 years (and that's pushing it) is excessive.

Ian White - 4 G 22 A 26 P +3 - Isles Target
White is only 27 years old and coming off a very good year in San Jose. This is the guy the Isles should be going after on July 1. It's not really fair to call him "offensive" since he's more of a two-way guy. He's a good "new" NHL defenseman and will fit right in.

Top 4 Defensive Defensemen

Steve Montador - 5 G 21 A 26 P +16 - Isles Target
Had a great year with the Sabres last year. If he makes it to FA tomorrow, the Isles should be all over his cell phone. Could come in and fill exactly what the team is looking for.

Andy Greene - 4 G 19 A 23 P -23 - Isles Target
Greene had a terrible year with New Jersey last year, which will lower his stock. Could be a perfect candidate for the Isles to swoop in for on July 1. Their type of defenseman as well.

Jan Hejda - 5 G 15 A 20 P -6 - Isles Target
One of the most underrated in the game, and should be one of the Isles top choices come July 1. Plenty of teams will be calling this guy.

Ed Jovanovski - 5 G 9 A 14 P +4 - Isles Target
He's getting up there in age, but can still really help the team. My personal #1 choice for the Isles, but it will really come down to if he wants to play on the East Coast. At this stage in his career, he may not have a choice.

Scott Hannan - 1 G 10 A 11 P +4 - Isles Target
Hannan, still somewhat young at 32, could come in on a short 2-way deal to help out. Depends what he wants - still hasn't won a Cup, and still may have some looks from contenders.

Bottom Pairing Offensive Defensemen

Anton Babchuk - 11 G 24 A 35 P +14 - Could Be A Target
This is a guy the Isles could look at as someone with untapped potential. He won't work on anything more than a 1 year deal, and I'm not sure they want to have 4 potential D UFA next year, so they are better off going elsewhere.

Bryan McCabe - 7 G 21 A 28 P +2 - Isles Target (But Shouldn't Be)
McCabe wants to be here, so if the Isles want him back he will be. His only role will be the shooter on the PP to Mark Streit's QB. Really though, stay away. This would not be an improvement.

Bottom Pairing Defensive Defensemen

Jonathan Ericsson - 3 G 12 A 15 P +8 - Isles Target
Misplaced on a stacked Detroit defense, Ericsson hasn't really had the chance to show what he can do. In a Mark Streit type fashion, the Isles may give him that chance.

Jim Vandermeer - 2 G 12 A 14 P -15 - Could Be A Target
In the "if the market runs dry" category of the day, Vandermeer would come in as a stopgap, but really wouldn't be much better than the Isles already have.

Jeff Woywitka - 2 G 9 A 11 P +5 - Could Be A Target
Like Vandermeer (and some guys under him), Woywitka is a Plan B if the Isles can't improve on the top four. All these guys would be fine on a one-year deal, but anything more is pushing it.

Kent Huskins - 2 G 8 A 10 P +8 - Could Be A Target
You can pretty much exactly copy what is written for Woywitka and place it here.

Shane O'Brien - 2 G 7 A 9 P +1 - Isles Target
O'Brien is very interesting. Still young, he has time to further improve his game. A mean, tough, physical defenseman, he may be a guy the Isles turn to if the market is not going their way.

AT: My top 3 choices for D-men would be Scott Hannan, Roman Hamrlik and Jan Hejda. All are getting up there in age, but the Islanders only need a 2-3 year stopgap until some of our prospects such as Mayfield, Donovan and Pedan can make it up the ranks. Hannan fills a role as a Brendan Witt type player who can throw big hits, put up a lot of ice time and be the defensive D-man the Isles so desperately need for the top 4 right now. Hamrlik, while 37, is a former Islander who I'm sure would be willing to come back to a team he has ties with for 2-3 years to finish up his career. He still contributes offensively, has a monster shot and plays a very efficient D game. Jan Hejda, as Carey said, is very underrated and could be the big winner for the Isles. Playing on Columbus will do that to you. Either one of these three would be a perfect fit for the top 4. I can only hope and pray the Isles do not go for Bryan McCabe. He is exactly what the Islanders DON'T need defensively and his skills have been on the decline. Same with Kaberle. We have Streit returning and a continuously improving Andrew MacDonald. They are not necessary as stopgaps. 

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: