Jason Blake’s career-high 29th goal in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Montreal at the Coliseum might have been his last as an Islander. With two days left until the NHL trade deadline at 3 p.m. Tuesday, a bidding war for Blake’s services has developed among five top teams in the Western Conference, according to a league source with knowledge of the situation.
Islanders general manager Garth Snow has maintained he would be a buyer rather than a seller at the deadline and has not shopped Blake around the league. But even with the Islanders tied for eighth in the Eastern Conference and on a 10-2-4 roll in their past 16 games, it’s possible they might trade their leading scorer if the offers piling up on Snow’s doorstep are too good to ignore.
Because of Blake’s unsigned status, Snow has offers for the speedy 33-year-old forward from Nashville, which already made a big deal to acquire Peter Forsberg, Vancouver, Detroit, San Jose and Dallas. Only Anaheim among the top six Western Conference teams has not yet made an offer. The Islanders would not trade Blake to an Eastern Conference rival.
At this point, the Islanders are undecided and in the process of making a determination about the merits of trading a player with 51 points in 62 games for prospects and draft picks. San Jose’s farm system, in particular, is loaded with top prospects.
Blake’s agent Neil Sheehy recently said he is not concerned about the possibility of a trade, but when asked if the Islanders had moved any closer to Blake’s asking price of $18 million over five years, he simply said, “I respect Garth Snow a lot. I think the way we left it, I’m comfortable at this point. I don’t feel pressure for a deal.”
Snow has a solid relationship with Sheehy, who also represents Kyle Okposo, the Islanders’ top draft pick last June. Blake, whose wife, Sara, gave birth to the couple’s third child last week, recently has emphasized his desire to remain with the Islanders, but he will be eligible to test the free-agent waters on July 1.
Boston recently signed 28-year-old forward Marco Sturm to a four-year deal for $14 million, a deal that could be viewed as a benchmark for Blake. But the Islanders are reluctant to pay that much for a player who is five years older. They more likely are offering Blake something in the range of $3 million per year for three or four years.
The Islanders traded Mark Parrish last season rather than run the risk of losing him as a free agent or being forced to overpay. If Blake’s replacement didn’t come as part of a trade, the Islanders likely would call up Robert Nilsson, their 2003 first-round pick, from AHL Bridgeport.
Even if they trade Blake, the Islanders still could be buyers at the trade deadline. Snow wants to add offense, which certainly would be a necessity if he trades Blake. But captain Alexei Yashin, who has missed the past 11 games with a sore right knee, is making progress and might return in the next week to provide an offensive lift.
Despite reports to the contrary, the Islanders are not among the bidders for St. Louis forward Bill Guerin because of the high price the Blues are asking. Most teams contacted by the Islanders have asked for Okposo, who was the seventh overall pick last June and has become even more valuable since then during a stellar season with the University of Minnesota.
If the Islanders have one untouchable player, it’s Okposo. Other than that, all of the Islanders’ balls are up in the air. Blake most of all.
Comments (92)
Trade Blake!
Bring me a return of Bernier or Michalek from SJ plus draft picks, and i make this deal in a heartbeat.
what a difference in GM between the NY teams. sather is a moron and Snow is looking like a genius. Go isles go
I never understood this notion that you HAVE TO trade a guy before he becomes a free agent. Who cares if you lose him for nothing? He's likely going to continue producing for you in the playoff run because it's incentive to get a bigger contract. If he leaves in the summer, you're right that you technically got nothing for him, but you can use that money to sign another free agent to replace him, ostensibly making that the trade for Blake. I would ride out the season with him and worry about tomorrow when it comes.
tomorrow comes today. if the right offer is there, you do it. you could even get him back in the summer. it would have to be a blow way offer. without Yashin, the Isles are fine...without Blake? who knows. i like Michaleks name from SJ. oh, the drama...
MBB, there's such a thing as too much loyalty. The only positive that would come from not trading Blake is whatever contribution he would make down the stretch and in the playoffs. Being able to say "we'd never trade fan favorite Jason Blake" is not a positive, it just makes you look stupid when he leaves for another team over the summer. You do realize that we could trade Blake for prospects now and STILL sign a free agent scorer in July, right?
Also, just to clarify my above post, I don't think that whatever Blake would do for the team in the next couple of months is worth the players we could get in exchange for him. We're not going to be a cup team this year, so the opportunity cost of not trading Blake is akin to picking up a rental player like Guerin who will depart at the end of the year. Hanging on to Blake when there is no guarantee that we'll re-sign him, especially considering that he made no secret that he's looking to test the market, would just be foolish. His value is high. Snow should take the best offer.
Also, in response to Britney, Blake has been invisible for long stretches since Yashin went down. This team has done well without both Yashin and Blake.
This is a tough decision for Snow. It'll be interesting to see what he does. My guess is he won't trade him. He's said all along that he'll wait till July to sign him but if the deal is good enough, you have to take it. It's just hard to trade your #1 scorer at a time like this. What message will it send to the fans or players? I think Nilsson, placed with the right linemates(possible Satan and Kozlov) could outscore Blake. Blake has really struggled without Yashin. I trust Snow will do the right thing. You can only think that the offers will get better and better as the deadline draws near.
I wouldn't want to be Snow here ...if he trades him many fans will bash him ...if he keeps him and he leaves fans will bash him ...if he keeps him and over pays for him fans will bash him ...
Personally, I like Blake, but the numbers he's supposidly asking for are somewhat steep. He's been a tremendous asset to the Isles and if they could keep him for a reasonable price ($ and years) then that would be great, but if Snow is able to get some quality high end prospects and/or picks then I would be satisfied ...
I would however be very angry if he traded Okposo, O'marra or Comeau ...I feel like the Isles are building a nice nucleus for the future ...which isn't that far away
Personally if we get a good deal for Blake you trade him, its just common sense, but don't trade him for just anything. Let the offers come to Garth rather then him going to them. And I'm kinda of depressed we are not in the running for Guerin I wanted him. If we are going to be buyers we can't be afraid to trade prospects and/or picks. Right now we have Okposo, Omarra, Tambellini, Nilsson, Comeau, Bergenheim, Nielson, and Nokelain. That's 8 young forwards ready to contribute, if we traded one of them not named O'Marra or Okposo it wouldn't bother me. Also I'd like to keep Tambellini. But Nokelain and Bergenheim really don't mean much to me. Plus this draft will be weak so we could afford to trade a pick.
Why is the grass always greener...
There's no reason to believe Blake won't make a 5yr deal pay dividends for the isles. Sure, a 3 or 4 year deal makes more sense, but the guy is in great shape and he hasn't taken a shift off since he's been here.
On the other hand if they trade him now they could get AHL help and a little bit more of a future.
The key word is FUTURE... and that is ALWAYS unknown.
None of us know what is exactly on the table. Less than a year deep into his tenure Snow has to make a HUGE decision. All we can do is hope he makes the right one.
A parrish like deal *2 former first rounders 1-2 years away) would be tough to pass up.. especially when it only adds about a million to what they would have to pay for Blake in July.
Bergenhiem is most likely NHL ready next year, so is Nilsson. Do we really need to buid up the bridge... MAYBE.
GOOD LUCK GARTH!
I don't see Blake getting traded. The offer would need to look like something Mike Milbury would offer the Isles. Look at what the Blues just got for a declining Keith T. If the Isles could get a decent player, 2 first round picks, a second and third rounder for Blake the way the Blues just did for Keith T. I'd say do it. But I can't believe SJ is going to give up some of their top prospects and several picks for a guy who will top 30 goals for the first time at age 33. As for the Isles prospects, Nillson and Bergenheim are not going to pan out. They were first round picks in 02 and 03. It is 4 years later and they aren't on the Island and they aren't tearing it up in their current teams. The Isles future is with O'Mara, Okopso, Campoli, Bergeron, Hunter, Comeau, Tambellini and DiPietro. Those guys we should hold on to but any other "prospects" we can part with. If I were Snow, I'd look not to get a top of the line guy. I'd see if I could move Bates who is overpaid and overrated to free up more cap space to give a better shot at resigning Blake. As it is the Isles have a glut of centers with Bates, Kozlov, Yashin, Sillinger, and Robataille. They can't all play.
Atlanta way overpaid for Tkachuck as they also did for Zhitnik yesterday. With the deadline nearing teams who feel they have a serious shot at the cup, or in Atlanta's case just trying to make the playoffs, will overpay for a rental player so the deal could be good. If we got a deal like the Blues did for Tkachuck I would do it as well.
I don't think there's any reason to fear that the offers Snow is getting aren't generous. I have trouble thinking that "bidding war" could possibly lend itself to anything but very impressive packages. I'm totally convinced that trading Blake is the right move.
At risk of repeating myself, loyalty is simply not a reason to keep a player when he's worth so much on the open market. Besides, it wasn't so long ago that Blake was all "sign me or trade me." He obviously took that statement back, but that just establishes a contradiction. He either changed his mind overnight (how likely is that, really) or one of the two statements wasn't sincere. I have to think that the second one was more about smoothing things over with the fans and his teammates, not to mention keeping his value high for a potential trade.
As I said before, the opportunity cost of keeping Blake is very high. Keeping him means we lose the players/picks we could get in a trade AND we lose the cap room to sign a different free agent this summer. The possibility that Blake will leave and we'll get no compensation at all is very real.
Blake hasn't been producing much down the stretch. Trading him hardly means we're giving up on the season. Worst case scenario, it'll mean that Tambellini and the like will get important minutes down the stretch.
If they can get something even close to what Atlanta gave up for Tkachuk....they HAVE to make the deal....they could then turn their own 1st rounder and one of many 3rd rounders, and a prospect or 2 into another player....maybe a Marek Svatos or a Milan Hejduk....
Lets also remember fans that Yashin is returning soon from his knee injury, and there are only two players in this organization who can play with him: Blake and Nilsson. Having Yashin back is like a major trade that never happened but will help the team. If you trade Blake now, and that first line doesnt gell, this could be a short post season. Snow must be very careful who he wants for Blake. Draft picks/prospects dont help a first line right now, they're good for the future, which this team already has. If Snow does pull the trigger, make sure it's for a top six forward, preferably a winger who can score. What also doesnt make sense is that if we're trading for offense, which is what we need, why are we giving up our top goal scorer this season?
Why are people operating under the assumption that Blake will re-sign with the Isles if we don't trade him? He's going to be UNRESTRICTED on July 1. If it turns out he was just blowing hot air about wanting to stay with the team, then is a couple dozen more games with #55 really worth passing on the best offer that comes out of this bidding war? Having "too many prospects" and therefore having to use our cap room to pick up a free agent scorer in the offseason is the kind of "problem" I don't mind having one bit.
I just don't think you want to tinker too much with a team that is this hot! If Edmonton last year and the Ducks a few years ago tought us anything, it's that a hot team going into the playoffs can do plenty of damage no matter what their record in the regular season. This team is beating good team after good team, and I don't think we should mess with it. And who's to say that it's 100% that we'd lose Blake in the off season? He said he'd "Test the waters" but if he puts up the numbers for the rest of the year and into the playoffs, Snow may still respond in the off season with a great contract for him to sign. And if he goes, we have plenty of cap room to sign someone else. I'm really liking this team right now as it is.
DON'T TRADE BLAKE!!!!!
I agree with Danthe islesfan, I like this team. they are hot!!! I am thinking for now, not the future. It has been a LONG TIME since i had this feeling. This feeling of a team worth watching and going to games for. A team that I think, if left alone, will be a great cup contender in the playoffs. They are showing everyone they can do it. Don't fix something that is not broken!!!!
Blake is a better player right now then Tkachuk and plays in more situations. If we can get an offer of a good current NHLer and a Prospect/nhl ready player with a draft pick you have to make the deal. If Blake wants to stay let him sign in the summer. Snow has done a good job so far and I hope it continues. He's like the anit-Milbury so far.
Mike Milbury haunts us still!! How good would Zach Parise look in orange and blue.Instead we have Robert Nillson.Blake's been great but if you can get REAL,good, young NHL prospects take the deal!Remember all the young players we've given away(Spezza,Chara,Redden,Bertuzzi).It would be nice to be on the recieving end this time!
I also feel like I should point out that Blake's value will never, ever be higher than it is right now. He's worth more to these teams in the West than he is to us. I honestly don't think that losing Blake will disrupt the team chemistry one bit. He's a hard worker, but he's not really a team guy.
of course i'd love to have parise but hindsight is 20/20. he looks much better in a devils jersey than he would have in rangers rags though.
as much as i like blake and appreciate what he's done for us, if the right deal comes along, deal him
Moving Blake right now would be a horrible move. We need to just suck it up and sign the guy for 4 years. Im sure he would be willing to take that deal for 1 less year. He isnt going to get worse during that time. The guy has been improving every year since becoming an islander.
i feel like every year yashin is hurt around the deadline we're fed the same line "oh yashin coming back from injury is like making a trade" and seriously it hasn't once played out like that. make a trade.
DO NOT TRADE BLAKE - HE IS OUR HEART. Give him 3 or 4 years...
either way the real issue is when to get rid of yashin. Blake has been great, no doubt about it. But the team will only ever be a real cup contender is when Yashin is departed along with his salary. Keep Blake even if he bolts at the end of the year.
Keep Blake even if he bolts? How does that make any sense?
If the price is good, trade blake. Trade ANYONE--for the futue. We aint goin' far anyhow---so, get the talent for ted and we will be beatin the Rags for years to come
Life's not fair!Blake deserves the money the Isles have been paying that stiff Yashin.Blake's had better stats and certainly has been a better Islander!Either way though,if we keep Blake and pay him the money or trade him,the Islanders win.I'm sure Garth will make the right choice.He's been great!
I see all these posts about signing Blake for 3-4 yrs. Don't all of you realize if he is traded by Tuesday, we have a good shot of STILL signing him in the offseason. Get the best deal for him now, unload some picks for another scorer who is not a UFA after this season and if Blake really wants to be here he will come back in July. Let's face it - I love the way this team is playing right now - but we have 2 regulation losses in our last 15 games or whatever - and those 2 losses are against the Devils - the very same team we could meet in the 1st round of the playoffs. I would not want to risk the future for the possibility of getting defensively crushed by the Devils in the postseason due to our lack of scoring. Our team right now is not good enough yet to make a big splash. THANK GOD Snow is not entertaining any deal involving Okposo. I agree with some previous posters.....Okposo, O'Marra and Comeau are UNTOUCHABLES. Trade Blake while his price tag is high and let's add some more talent to the UNTOUCHABLE list!
will NYI really trade Jason Blake??????????????
I would like all Islander fans to think back to not-so-distant past when the team practically had to beg players to sign with them and even then, had to overpay for them (Yashin, Peca). Now, they have a guy who actually wants to be an Islander and there's even consideration of a trade? If you were going to move him, it would have been last season, when the playoffs were out of the question. Guess what, though? If they had, they wouldn't be where they are this season. Take away Blake's contributions this year and they're probably already on the outside looking in. I don't care what kind of prospects you get back, they're just that, prospects. With the likes of Tambellini, Nielsen and Campoli already contributing and Nilsson and Okposo on the way, they have enough youngsters. Even if you throw out his numbers, Blake brings intangibles like intensity, desire and toughness that aren't found every day. Trading your leading scorer at the deadline isn't something a team who's serious about making a playoff run does, regardless of any other circumstances. His agent's supposed asking price is more than fair, so they need to step up to the plate and reward a player who's helped bring the franchise back something that was missing on the Island for far too long. Credibility.
Scott, do you really think that Blake wants to be an Islander after the comments he made to the media? If the offers are as good as Logan's story suggests, then the best offer will almost certainly be too good to pass up. Blake is our leading scorer, but he hasn't been playing like it of late. Loyalty to a player you like doesn't win hockey games.
No no no no. I've been waiting too freakin long for the future. Seriously... none of these prospects are a sure thing... our team is at this point. We should make a run. What kind of message would it make to fans if we were like ''we aren't going anywhere in the playoffs this year, so lets just trade away our top scorer... for prospects... who may not even pan out.'' That should really pack the house. Trade blake away?... it better be for someone who can help the team today... forget the future. We have plenty of potential. Lets make a decent run for once... LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!!!
BLAKE to DETROIT for Datsyuk and 1st rd pick!?
Dont trade Blake. The guy never takes a shift off, cares about winning, is the hands-down MVP of the team and has shown absolutely no signs of slowing down (either figuratively or literally). The chances and self-initiated spark are there every single game regardless of whether he scores. PR has to come into the equation too. If he decides to leave during the off season, so be it. But if management trades an absolute FAN FAVORITE during the team's hottest run in a decade, it'll be a PR nightmare. Im sorry, but noone out there can fill Blake's role on the team this year, and THIS YEAR is just as important as the future (if not more important) considering the comedy of errors in recent years. Keep Blake.....PLEASE!!!
trade him--his worth is high. do it garth.
Whatever management decides to do with Blake, I hope that PR doesn't factor into the equation at all. They need to make the move that's best for the hockey team, period. I'd rather look back on this period knowing that the team did what was right, even if it was unpopular at the time.
I love the energy Blake brings to the Islanders, but his value will never get any better than it is between today and Tuesday. There have been rumours that he doesnt get along with the other players and maybe it is his time to leave. The Isles can try and resign him if he really wants back onto the Island, but if they can pull a coup and get something back in return, I say deal him now and try to resign in July. If he bolts in July, we get nothing. The Isles have been doing pretty good lately and he hasnt been scoring, so why not?
I'd rather look back on this period knowing we didnt screw up a good thing. Keeping Blake for the season means there's no variables, no guess-work. You knowing what you have in Blake. The team is on it's best run in recent memory, and getting rid of Blake can only make the team worse this year. Second guessing only really happens when you trade a player at the deadline, not when you keep him. Who's to say management wouldnt screw things up in selecting and/or signing any resulting draft pick anyway. There's certainly tons of precedent there. There's no precedent in Blake not giving all he's got. KEEP BLAKE! GO ISLANDERS!
He's not scoring lately? Did he not just score the go-ahead goal against Montreal yesterday by out-skating the opposition and working the give and go perfectly? Did he not score a huge goal against Pittsburgh Monday in typical Blake fashion (i.e. catching up to an opponent, stealing the pick, feeding the puck, and converting a far-from perfect pass) He's doing ALL the work on his line. Perhaps the slow down in the stats has just a little to do with the fact that Simon is not Yashin. But that doesnt slow down Blake. KEEP HIM!
I like Blake but his value is high now and with him testing free agency, trading him would make sense. I've read a lot of comments about how the Isles don't have anyone else who plays like him. What about Nokeleinen? He's like a bigger version of Blake who hits. I like Blake and his play but it is replaceable now unlike a few years ago. Also, this shouldn't be a PR issue. Management has to do what's right for the team and the future and not worry about the PR side. Are some of you seriously saying that you would let Blake walk for nothing because you are worried about how bad it looks if we trade him? Sure prospects aren't a sure thing but, the more you have, the better chance you have of more working out for you...and at a cheaper price.
Defense. Defense. Defense.
What to do on Blake is certainly a tough one, but the Islanders are one groin pull away on defense from having Alan Rourke manning the blue line down the stretch. Last year, we folded entirely when Zhitnik broke his ankle, so how how well would we do if Witt or Hill went down--or Campoli for that matter.
We are probably the only team in the NHL without a legitimate prospect on defense. Anyone who has gone to the Bridge this year knows how weak we are at that position and I'm sure this also contributes to the poor offensive numbers of our forwards in the AHL. Heck, the D at Bridgeport is so weak, that on a 5-3 today v. Hartford, Frans and Tamby manned the points--and they didn't look too good back there.
(Note: Grebeshkov was a legit prospect, but unavailable this season and a question mark for the future)
Indeed, I think one of the most amazing things about this entire season is how well we've played with a defense that most folks laughed at when the season began and has been scotch taped at times due to injuries.
So, if the right deal is on the table--and it includes some real present and near future help on defense, I think we should be ready to go for it. And as someone else noted earlier--we're not the ones forced to make the deal, so let the offers come.
adding more fuel to the fire is this report out of Edmonton:
"Rumor has it that Blake and GM Garth Snow got into a bit of a confrontation Saturday. If this is fact, couple it with his mini "trade me" rant a few weeks ago, and it looks like he's trying to force his way out of Long Island. This puts the Isles in a tight spot being right in the mix for a playoff berth (currently tied for the eighth spot in the conference). Trading their leading scorer doesn't make much sense, but we'll have to see how things play out leading up to Tuesday's trade deadline."
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1895/news
Trade him. He is a me me me me me me me me player both on and off the ice and he rubs teammates and fans the wrong way. He's been the problem in that locker room dating back to the Laviolette days. It was never the Pecas, Scatchards, Aucoins, Cairns', Webbs, etc. that the team flicked away as if they were trash. THOSE GUYS were the heart and soul players of the Islanders. Don't sit there and tell me Blake is that type of player. I can't stand the guy and hope he's shown the door. He's all downhill from here anyway. I think Snow would be the first to admit that, which is a big reason why Blake won't be here 48 hours from now. So long Blake you overrated albino pop tart.
being born in 1987 i have never seen the isles win. and this year is no diiferent. so tade blake for prospects. and maybe he will resign with the isles after the seasons end. if not they we got players for him. and if he does, we still have the prospects.! GO ISLANDERS
Blake should be traded. the papers I have read said that the Isles would get a bounty similar to K. tkachuk deal. I do that deal in a heartbeat.
Trade Blake!
The GM Committee should trade Blake, with his energy he can be the final piece of the possible for a Cup contender; very similar to the Butch Goring trade, but reversed. A trade should bring considerable talent to the Isles with the possibility of re-signing him as a free agent.
When did Milbury start making trades on behalf of Atlanta???? If we could get anything remotely close for Blake, I'd fire Snow if he didn't make the deal
Trading Blake would be the end of out chances at a Stanley Cup. We've had ddraft picks for ten years!! Half the All* Star team are Islanders! Enough! I am no fan of NYI if they trade their best player.. stupid, like McCabe, Bertuzzi, Jokinned, and evryone else!! This is no joke ENOUGH!!!!!!
We've got plenty of prospects, we need a bloody goal scorer. Next subject.. you people need to understand, we've been trading for prospects for TEN YEARS! WAKE UP, LETS TRY TO WIN A DAMN PLAYOFF SERIES!! WAKE UP!!!!!
GET WITH THE PROGRAM, WE WON 4 CUPS IN A ROW, not by dumping players. THERE IS NO ISLANDER FAN WHO WANTS BLAKE TRADED. Garth, if you are reading this, learn from Milbury's mistakes, he destroyed our lives by trading away people. Keep Blake, he is our only hope. OK, gotta get back to work.
Blake is a cancer to the team. Let's trade him while his value is high. We can't sacrifice our team,our future for the sake of this moaner. Let's dump him now for a top flight younger player/prospect.
We've been getting draft picks, prsopects for ten years, HEY, HERE'S AN IDEA!!! KEEP A PLAYER THAT IS GOOD! THE REASON WHY TEAMS LIKE HIM IS BECAUSE HE IS GOOD! 33 IS NOT OLD PEOPLE, i DON'T CARE WHAT THE OFFER IS!!! GARTH DON'T RUIN YOUR REP WITH THE FANS!!!!
He's not a monaner are y9ou out of your mind, we gopt him for no one! He's longest tenure of any one on the team! He's our best player, why font you use your brain champ. Your an idiot! You fool.
IF BLAKE GOES, SO DOES EVERY FAN OF THIS ORGANIZATION... TIME FOR US TO TELL THOSE TEAMS THIS:
"SCREW OFF, HE'S OURS!"
This team is playing great. The fans are back in it and Blake brings them to their feet. That is the most important thing here. This guy is a player and I don't care what the reports say, he wants to be an Islander. It would be a horrible move to get rid of him now. Forget the future. We have gone through that before. Win now and we can WITH BLAKE!
Mitchell, it doesn't make fiscal sense to keep Blake and risk losing him in free agency. Plus the benchmark for him is Marco Sturm's deal (4 year / 14 million). Sturm is 28, Blake is 5 years older than him. Paying Blake 3.5 for five years is not a good investment. The Isles are paying for future performance, not past performance. If Snow is able to get somewhere in the vicinity of what St. Louis got for Tkachuk then he would have to consider it. As much as Blake is loved around here, he is not our most important player and with the return of Yashin and the potential call up of Nilsson or the increased role of Frans Neilsen, I think that is the right move for the organization. Look past this year, we have a nice group of prospects and young players, to augment that with a few more would be the best course of action.
The team has won this year with grit, determination, very good goaltending and a solid defense. While I understand offense is at a premium, I still make this move.
Keep Blake. They are finally building momentum with the fan base. Trading Blake will alienate many, disrupt the chemistry of the team and sned a message that this team is continuing is old ways.
what makes anyone think that Blake would re-sign with the Isles in the off-season if they send him packing to the west coast. He'll likely be very angry that the organization did this to him and his family. keep the team in tact
Honestly, Mitchell... if you ran the team during the Cup years, the Isles would've kept Harris and Lewis instead of picking up Butch Goring.
If there's a bidding war and Garth Snow can get a good return that will help the team now, there's no reason not to trade Blake. If he truly loves Long Island as much as he says, he'll resign this summer.
they should sign Blake for 15 years..wait...that has been done already
If any player on the Islanders has shown loyalty to the team and worked consistently hard night after night, it is Jason Blake. The same cannot be said for any other player on the team over the past 10 years. It would be a shame to give away a player like that.
Personally I'm OK with whatever they do with Blake. However, if they trade him and don't buy out Yashin, then I'll be quite upset.
On the subject of Garth Snow's genious: The Flyers just traded Zhitnik for a 22 year old, 6'5" 220 lb 8th pick overall in the 2003 draft, Braydon Coburn. Does the Freddy Meyer deal look as good anymore? A number of people said that we could get alot more for Zhitnik at the trade deadline. I think I would much rather have Braydon Coburn then Freddie Meyer (even though Meyer has played better then I thought he would). Coburn is a serious prospect (the #33 pre-season prospect on Hockey's Future's rankings). Meyer, I am not so sure.
Hey Cups.....
We needed Meyer at the time. Zhitnik was KILLING us with taking a crazy amount of penalties. It allowed Campoli to make the Roster and also allowed the defense to gain the stability that it has even with Martinek out of the lineup. So yes, I think Garth Snow made a very nice deal with the Flyers and to add to that.....
If the Zhitnik trade was needed in tandem with the York one to get York off the Isles, then so be it. I am very happy with Robitaille instead of York. Wow...like night and day!
I've posted on this subject a number of times. My opinion has evolved over the course of time, and with different input. Here's where I stand right now.
If Garth is close to getting a deal done with Blake, then he should have it signed today. If they are far enough away to flirt with offers, then let them keep coming, until Blake agrees to your terms (which should be a little better than fair given Wang's move toward "loyalty"). I just can't see anybody giving up two AHL leading scorers. The Thrashers (Chi Wolves) had the top of the AHL stats board domintated and you saw what they did. they're not about to give up any more young talent.
I DO NOT WNAT TO SEE ANOTHER #1 draft pick for blake. This team's scouting has been horrible, combined with mediocre position. A low first round pick is like getting a guy three yeas away from being a third liner. (Nokie, Bergie, Nilsson...NHL yet...NO!)
Let's make what we can out of this season. Let's try and Keep Blake. If anybody should be on the bubble right now it should be Bates. He has already been replaced on the roster.
Sign Jason! 30 goal scorers that play like the energizer bunny don't grow on trees.
We can get a 3rd rounder for Bates. Guys like Hill and Simon have value as well.. I don't want to see either of them go, but they make more sense right now than getting rid of blake. We can still go to the playoffs with Fata instead of Hill (possibly). If that happens you can afford to keep Nielson when yashin returns because you have Fata... thus freeing up Simon. the team gets a lot younger, and loses valuable experience and grit... but is still functional. Without Blake, they SUCK!
And keeping Jason and his family on the island generates more property tax revenue... so that benefits everybody. :-)
We already have to live with the mistakes of the past... let's not start making new ones.
JP, would your position change if we somehow knew for sure that Blake did not intend to re-sign with the Isles? That's the distinct impression that I've gotten from the comments he made to the media and reading between the lines of other reports.
JP Said:
"We can still go to the playoffs with Fata instead of Hill (possibly). If that happens you can afford to keep Nielson when yashin returns because you have Fata..."
I may not be the world's greatest expert on hockey, but are you sure you don't want to think about this statement again?
DAMN...WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT SNOW WOULD LOOK HALF AS SMART AS HE DOES RIGHT NOW!!!
IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT YOU TRADE BLAKE...LETS BE REAL ISLANDERS WILL NOT CONTEND FOR THE CUP BUT, THEY HAVE A GREAT THING GOING RIGHT NOW. WHY NOT ADD ON TO IT?
CAN WE MAKE RICHTER OUR GM?
GOOD LUCK ISLES AND FANS!
ALTHOUGH I WILL HAVE TO ROOT FOR PITTS.
Replacing Hill w/Fata???? Are you kidding me? What is the knock on Hill? The guy plays his a** off and has been a huge plus for this team. He is exactly what this team hasn't had. An in your face defenseman that won't allow opposing player to stand in front of the net or crash the goal... He along with Witt are on the ice in every crucial situation. You think replacing him with Fata wouldn't be a downgrade? Get a clue....
I think Snow has to keep him if only because he said he planned to. It would be like going back on his word (the organization's, which is what Snow stands for). The organization is trying to gain credibility in many ways and this would go against that.
Put it on Blake to show he wants to be an Islander like he said. Snow can't afford to trade Blake right now without Blake's knowledge/agreement of impending trade.
I think we should trade for Richard Zednik to spark our offence.
Read the WHOLE thing. there is no knock on Hill. He has been tremendous. But he is also valuable in the trade market. If you bring up fata, you are making fata the 6th "D". and everybody moves up a notch. If you're playing this out for next season you have martinek, Witt, campoli, Poti, Meyer and Bergeron... I don't see Hill breaking the 25 minute mark too often with that in front of him.
Fata is actually replacing Gervais in the lineup, but what he does is also add that extra physical presence that makes Simon somewhat expendable.
I don't want to lose either of those guys this year, but I'd rather lose either of them than Blake... especially if all they get is draft picks.
Tony... believe me, I have a clue... Let me clarify... Hill has been tremendous, but he also has the most obstruction penalties on the team. mainly because he doesn't have the speed in transition. He has 81 penalty minutes (I didn't see jessica simpson manning the box... so I'd have to say it was based on his play)
and it would be a fair estimate to that 66 of them have been for obstruction. That being said, Hill has been a great contributor... but I'm pretty sure he's on a one-year contract...and the candles on his birthday cake cause a four alarm fire. The best situation would be to just leave this team alone. But the two moves I suggested make a lot more sense than dumping Blake for a mediocre AHL player and a draft pick.
LF,
Yes. None of us know what's going on between Snow, Blake's agent and the teams bidding on blake. This all makes great conversation, but those guys have to all do what is best for themselves. Snow has to take advantage of whatever opportunity is presented to him. With the info that I do know I'd say keeping Blake on the team, and allowing them to go into the playoff push as the same TEAM keeps them stronger. He can better identify his needs for next season in the off-season. Draft picks and mediocre prospects aren't going to help this team next year unless there are a few diamonds in the rough that Nolan sees as being key contributors. I trust they'll make good decisions... we just have to support them either way.