On the Islanders Beat

To paraphrase a famous former president, the media and Islanders fans won’t have Mike Milbury to kick around anymore. The former general manager/coach/lightning rod on Tuesday announced his resignation as senior vice-president, a role in which he oversaw the sales and marketing departments last season.

Owner Charles Wang retained Milbury as an advisor for such things as Project Hope, the youth program to develop hockey in China. But Milbury no longer is a full-time employee, much less a member of the so-called “committee,” which really involves the owner accepting or rejecting the recommendations of general manager Garth Snow and coach Ted Nolan.

That means the anger of fans who remained paranoid about the possibility of Milbury calling the shots from behind the scenes last season must be directed elsewhere. Maybe Milbury will bequeath his bulletproof vest to Snow as an act of kindness.

As Milbury explained it to Newsday in the news story posted on the Web this afternoon, his decision to step aside grew out of a season-ending meeting with Wang. The former GM said his passion is for hockey rather than for ticket sales, and he admitted plans to seek other opportunities in the game. In other words, “Mad Mike” misses the action he enjoyed as GM from 1995 through the 2005-06 season.

Milbury’s controversial trades have been analyzed to death by fans obsessed with the mistakes of the past, and this season didn’t help his reputation as Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo (former Islander) and Ottawa forwards Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza (could have been drafted by the Islanders) excelled throughout the regular season and playoffs. Interestingly, Milbury said the bitter backlash he experienced in the past from Islanders fans had nothing to do with his decision.

“I’ve flown underneath the radar here for the better part of a year and a half,” Milbury said, referring to his decision in January, 2006 to relinquish his GM duties to move into the senior VP position. “I’ve had more interaction with fans and better interaction with fans than at any time during my career because I wasn’t subject to the whims of wins and losses. Take a look at the Yankees. Joe Torre has won four [World Series] rings, and he’s getting booed as he pulls the pitcher. It’s the business. If you can’t handle that, you’re in the wrong business.”

When Snow traded former first-round picks Robert Nilsson and Ryan O’Marra plus this year’s No. 1 to Edmonton for free-agent winger Ryan Smyth at the Feb. 27 trade deadline, many fans saw Milbury’s hand at play, mortgaging the future. But Nilsson and O’Marra were Milbury’s picks, and the fact is that Snow spent the first half of the season evaluating the farm system to determine which players he was willing to trade and obviously reached a different conclusion about their potential for success than his predecessor.

Not that Milbury didn’t admire Snow’s boldness as a rookie trader. Asked what he thought of the job done by Snow and Nolan, Milbury said, “I think it speaks for itself. I get this from people all over the Island: they were proud of the team, they were proud of the team’s competitive aspect. Garth showed that he had some gumption and courage to make a big trade for Ryan Smyth. I think that was instrumental in making sure we got to the playoffs, and the dramatic way in which we made the playoffs made for a good footprint for both of those guys.”

Thanks to that blockbuster deal, Snow actually made Milbury’s sales job easier. Milbury said the Islanders’ attendance spiked over the last 20 games of the season, corporate sponsorship grew by 25 percent, and the Islanders expect to retain about 90 percent of their sponsors and 80 percent of their season ticketholders.

“The team’s performance over the last little while was enough to keep people coming back,” Milbury said. “That was a lot of fun games. The team hung tough throughout the year. That’s a good sign. Obviously, Garth’s got some work to do, but I’m sure he’ll give it his best shot.”

Of course, Snow’s recent decision to keep Alexei Yashin at the behest of the owner rather than buy him out will make things harder for the sales staff this summer. And if Snow can’t sign Smyth as a free agent and lets free agent Jason Blake walk, as he appears prepared to do, no one can point the finger of blame at Milbury. The bullseye is on Snow’s back now, and that’s as it should be.

WRITER’S NOTE: Some faithful readers of this blog complained of censorship on Monday when a few comments speculating about Milbury’s possible departure were deleted. One comment included speculation about the reason for the departure that was completely unfounded and unfair to Milbury and his family. It wouldn’t have been tolerated in the newspaper, and the same standard for fairness applies to the blog. The other comments ordinarily would not have been touched but were deleted to protect Newsday’s competitive interests because the full story was not available until today.

Negotiations between Islanders general manager Garth Snow and the agent for left wing Ryan Smyth should begin in another week or two, but it will rank as a major upset if the Isles sign Smyth before he has a chance to sample the NHL free-agent market on July 1.

That doesn’t mean the Islanders are out of the running for Smyth. Far from it. It just means they are likely to have a lot of competition.

Smyth’s agent, Don Meehan, played it close to the vest when asked recently about his plans to negotiate with the Islanders. “I’m going to meet with Garth Snow,” Meehan said. “We’ll arrange to meet in the near future.”

That won’t happen until after Memorial Day weekend because Snow currently is on a scouting trip. When they do meet, it’s a certainty the Islanders will top Edmonton’s last offer to Smyth before the trade deadline of a reported $25 million for five years. Just speculating, but six years for $30 million would be a ballpark starting point, and throw in an offer to be named captain.

For a 31-year-old forward with 11 full NHL seasons of mileage on him, those numbers would be fair in terms of salary and length. By the end of a deal like that, the Islanders would be paying as much for leadership as for production, as the Rangers once did with Mark Messier.

But when asked about the chances of Smyth signing with the Isles, Meehan was non-committal. “We haven’t made any decision yet,” Meehan said. “I’ll be meeting with Ryan on a series of occasions. We haven’t made that decision, and we won’t make that decision. But we will sit down and talk to the Islanders by all means.”

Meehan’s answer seemed to suggest it’s unlikely Smyth will sign until he has heard all the offers. Unless he fell in love with the Islanders in his brief stay lasting 18 regular-season games and a first-round playoff loss, it would make business sense for Smyth to see what all his options are on July 1. Most likely, he could count on serious offers from upwards of a dozen teams.

But who knows? As much as Snow, coach Ted Nolan and owner Charles Wang want Smyth, maybe their offer still will be the best in the end. Since it doesn’t appear the Islanders are going to sign 40-goal scorer Jason Blake, Smyth is the main object of their desire. If it appears he’s going elsewhere, they likely would go hard after Buffalo center Chris Drury along with the rest of the NHL.

Notes and quotes – Free agent forward Randy Robitaille already has agreed to a deal in the Russian League for next season…Kyle Okposo, the Isles’ No. 1 pick last year, reportedly has been asked by Minnesota coach Don Lucia to tell him by June 1 if he’s returning to school for his sophomore season or turning pro…The Islanders today announced they have renewed their old ECHL affiliation with the Utah Grizzlies...Unless there is any major Islanders news to report, this could be the last blog entry until sometime between the June 23 NHL draft and the July 1 free-agent period.

Where would the Islanders be without Jason Blake? It looks like they’re about to find out.

Three weeks have passed since the Isles’ season ended in the first round of the playoffs at Buffalo, and general manager Garth Snow hasn’t made a move to try and negotiate a deal with his team’s 40-goal scorer and leading point producer. Although Blake’s agent, Neil Sheehy, has talked with Snow about other clients, the two apparently have concluded there’s no point in discussing Blake’s bid for a five-year contract worth $18 million. The Islanders are believed to have offered a three-year deal for $9 million before the Feb. 27 trade deadline, and nothing has changed since then.

“I’ve talked to Garth about it, but we really haven’t any real discussions,” Sheehy said recently. “Jason would like a five-year deal from the Islanders, and I don’t think the Islanders are looking to do a five-year deal. Therefore, there really hasn’t been any discussion.”

Asked if Blake expects to test his worth in the NHL free agent market on July 1, Sheehy said, “Yes, unless things change. That’s where it’s at. Jason is always willing to listen to the Islanders, but right now, that seems to be the way it’s going.”

The handwriting has been on this particular wall since February when Blake expressed concern that management hadn’t signed him before the trade deadline. After nearly being traded away, Blake produced a strong finish that resulted in career-best numbers. But with so much attention focused on signing trade acquisition Ryan Smyth and with Snow indicating this week that a buyout of Alexei Yashin’s huge contract is out of the question, it seems the Isles are preparing to let Blake walk.

Snow’s concern about giving a long-term contract to a player who turns 34 in September is understandable. As much as coach Ted Nolan expressed his appreciation for Blake’s competitive spirit, there were just as many times that he expressed frustration with Blake’s propensity for extending his shifts. And yes, Blake can be irascible in practice and in the locker room at times.

But who came to training camp more prepared to play than Blake? He started fast and never took his foot off the gas pedal all season. When other teams knocked him down repeatedly, Blake got up and went back at them hard. He let Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby know his superstar status wasn’t good for any free passes to do as he pleased. And no one ever has to beg Blake to shoot the puck and really try to score. If Nolan had asked him, the Isles’ fastest skater, gladly would have added penalty-killing to his offensive duties.

Some might believe Blake is easily replaceable by a younger version, but only nine players in the NHL scored more goals last season. You could call him a one-season wonder, but he followed a career-best 28-goal season in 2005-06 with another career year in the first two seasons after the lockout.

“The only way you can measure the new NHL player is by what they’ve done the last two seasons,” Sheehy said. “You can’t say a guy is a 30- or 40-goal scorer unless he’s done it the last two years because the game is different.”

As for whether Blake can maintain that pace as he creeps toward 40, Sheehy believes in the conditioning his client has shown while improving steadily over the course of his career. “Whether Jason signs a three-year, a four-year or a five-year deal, I do not believe this will be his last contract,” Sheehy said. “The work ethic is great. He’s a freak.”

At this point, nothing is set in stone. But Blake really has no incentive to come to the table for less than his asking price because he’s one of the top scoring wingers on the free-agent market. Someone will pay. Maybe not five years, but it will be substantial. With Yashin’s $7.6 million anchoring the Islanders’ payroll, there might not be enough to sign both Smyth and Blake to major deals. If Smyth indicates before July 1 that he won’t sign with the Isles, then maybe Snow would increase his offer to Blake.

“I haven’t really thought about that, but if they have to spend more to keep Ryan, I’m sure that would affect what they would be able to do for Jason,” Sheehy said. “If they don’t get Ryan, that may affect things as well. The amount of money a team is forced to spend on different players affects what they can do for others.

“They have to figure out what they’re doing and who they’re bringing back. I won’t be surprised if they call. If they do want to talk about it, we’re certainly going to talk. Jason has loved Long Island, and he’s loved playing there. But I’m not worried. Either we talk and make a deal, or he becomes free and he has to go somewhere else.”

In that event, Snow has to find a way to replace Blake’s 40 goals. It won’t be easy. Or cheap.