On the Islanders Beat

http://islanders.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=327287

go Garth, go!!!

Great job getting us up to date info Greg. Thanks.

Any rumblings as to strategy after this move (D-men aside)? Are there any indications about what we'll do with some of the more journeyman-types on the team (Bates, Hilbert, etc.)?

Is Snow planning on trading them for picks to position us for next year's draft, and open the door to some of our prospects who could be NHL ready?

Looking at the Islanders roster on the team website, for instance, Bergenheim and Nielsen aren't listed.

Just curious.

YESSSS!!!! Garth good moves. Couldn't be more excited...

Guerin better than Yashin
Comrie better than Blake
Tank better than Kozlov...
All players that are gonna come to play every night.

What the Isles need now is a bone -crushing D-man. I don't know if Markov is that man but he would be nice...

Lovin it. Good signings...

Party on Garth! I'm liking it so far. ...

so comrie goes from 4th liner on ottawa ..to 1st liner on isles..YIKES!!

OOOOOOOOOH, BABY!!

garth is on fire!!

Good to see the mood in Islander country has gotten a bit more positive.

I don't like spiders. they crawl a lot. uncle TJ says I shouldnt be afraid of them because he likes hampsters and richard gere movies.

"rags" signees = elite of the NHL, winners

isles signees = rosta fillas, cap basement fillas

lmao jagr..i've accomplished my mission...i have a stalker and #1 fan.

So I'm back on the Newsday boards after two days at work, and I agree Steve--the mood is much lighter. At least the FAs are taking our money!

I agree with jmars--these guys are upgrades, and with their intensity and focus we should do much better than the naysayers say.

So I hear a D may be on the way...anyone know enough about Sutton/Vishnevski/Markov to hope for one over the other? And where does this put Asham in our plans, do you think?

hey tj the word is Fillers, obviously you wouldn't know that because you're an idiot...

I was skeptical to start this FA period but I like what Garth is doing. It's nice to see that players who actually want to play and skate when they touch the ice will now be a part of our franchise!

nicely done boys!

uncle Tommy is my number one fan. he tucks me in each night with duct tape and a tub of butter. Michael didn't like it when he did that, that's why Michael went to Seattle. I like butter, it reminds me of marshmellows when uncle TJ gives them to me.

garth on fire?

talk to me when u get souray

see isle fans, its fun when u sign guys...why u had to ruin our day? (i.e.- bombarding "our" blog with b.s on sunday)

i love the comrie signing, but why only 1 year. sorry but it sounds like he will try to have good year and than move on next year for a bigger payday

Comrie better than Blake? HAHAH. Nice signing, but Blake is way better.

Solid Moves indeed. Smyth didnt like playing in Long Island! He yearned for a team like Colorado. He's a Western Conf. guy. The only real losses the Isles have sufferered this offseason are Jason Blake, Tom Poti, and Victor Kozlov. The Rangers signed Gomez for way too much money, the guy had 13 goals last season!!! Guerin is 36 years old and scored 36 goals last season with San Jose!!!! GO ISLANDERS!!!!!

TJ takes it up the...
doo-dah, doo-dah!

TJ takes it up the...
doo-dah, doo-dah!

RPPJ, Comrie may move on, but we've got time to sign him to an extension, time to use him to help the team to stay competitive and grow w/ trades during the year, and woo other FAs this period. It's going to be a long year!

Next FA go-round, Garth will have a little better understanding of how the hockey market works. I'm just relieved to see the hard work (at least w/r/t all the sites have described) pay off with dividends.

Solid Moves indeed. Smyth didnt like playing in Long Island! He yearned for a team like Colorado. He's a Western Conf. guy. The only real losses the Isles have sufferered this offseason are Jason Blake, Tom Poti, and Victor Kozlov. The Rangers signed Gomez for way too much money, the guy had 13 goals last season!!! Guerin is 36 years old and scored 36 goals last season with San Jose!!!! GO ISLANDERS!!!!!

islander,

its my nuuu yourk axecent u idyit

Yo Jags!

When they said that Nylander went to Washington, they didn't mean Seattle you Nimrod! The Capitals are based in Washington, DC, you know, the capital of our country. Oh, thats right, you're from the Czech republic!

comrie will definetly help the team grow and compete throughout the season but i just would of liked to lock him up for a little longer and take a bigger gamble on his talent and potential espescially since he is only 26

Feel extremely relieved right now. Still need to aquire that D-man.

So can we all step back off the ledge for a minute??? The New York sports fan (not just the islanders, i'm talking mets, yankees, rangers, jets, etc...) is sooo quick to jump on management at the slightest hint of trouble. Two days ago every Islander fan on this forum was calling for Snow's head. I think we owe this man an apology. Smyth didn't want to stay in the east, and garth made a great attempt to sign him. Blake is not worth the money/length of the contract he wanted. Snow waited out the storm while people were screaming for his head (due in large part to what we saw happening with the Rangers) and is slowly putting together another solid team. Next step: resign Hunter.

comrie may be the smartest playa in the leauge. sign a 1 year deal with a team that sux (isles), pad his stats (1st line)..and get top dolla from another team...dont any comeback with, the "rags" will sign him...we are LOADED at center now. and we sign winnas only.

garth still needs to sign a 3rd line center and a Dman

great signing...he's a valuable addition and still very young

Ill admit I ripped Snow on Sunday but I am very, very happy with these signings. Good Job Garth!!!! and LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

you can't fool me. they told me I was playing for Seattle. they even gave me a bag of gummy seahawks. Seattle has nice pretty buildings and lots of frozen people called momentums. I like race cars. they go ZOOOOM! i'm the super duper blue power ranger, and I love Seattle, yay!

maybe a 1 year deal in some cases is a good idea... from what i hear next years FA crop could be very good. if comrie proves to be a bona fide top line center then maybe we can sign him long term next year and possibly add a free agent or two. worse comes to worse we have more chips now if it comes down to a firesale, although im feeling more optimistic now...

TJ man u seriously need to find yourself a new hobby man...sitting at the comp allll day posting comments on the islander blog when ur a ranger fan is beyond pathetic....although i should expect nothing less from a ranger fan

this could start a domino effect. players might not have wanted to be the first to come here but now with Guerin, Comrie and Tank, Jovocop, McCabe or Souray could follow suit. How 'bout Glen Murray, Patrick Marleau or Brad Richards?

u fans realize, isles are forced to sign players (basement cap)...the guys ur signing either suck (comrie), are old (guerin) or roster fillers (sim). just because theyre signing players, dosent mean ur gonna be good. hate to break the news to u all.

:(

" fans realize, isles are forced to sign players (basement cap)...the guys ur signing either suck (comrie), are old (guerin) or roster fillers (sim). just because theyre signing players, dosent mean ur gonna be good. hate to break the news to u all."
- tj

neither does overpaying for "super stars", i mean, just take a look at the yankees...

uncle TJ is the purple power ranger! purple like barney! I have slippers with barney on them. barney is nice, like uncle TJ, except he doesnt touch me like uncle TJ does.

I think the Hunter arbitration situation was agreed to by Garth...no real chance we'll lose him, especially now. Greg Logan broke that Hunter's agent said they'd file for arbitration to protect his rights, but that they're just working toward a mutually-agreeable number (all on the June 30 blog). All signs point to Trent wanting to stay, so he will. Very nice.

Should be a real bunch of competitors, with some Euros with fire...

I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens on the ice.

lol mikey,

i did my chores for the day. the b.s on the "rag" blog is just the same from u ppl. so please, under any circumstances, dont think that you are all better than us (i use the same name here and there, unlike most ppl)...look at ur own guy here "jagr", talkin bout marshmellows and underoos..at least i have some hockey insight

all you islander fans are so pathetic...if u got a general manager who would suck c*** to get the big names for bloated salaries, u too would look good on paper but never do anything special on the ice..just like the rangers

I only post so much because Jagr touches me at night.

Come on post more, so I can keep hitting the refresh button!

TJ takes it up the...
doo-dah, doo-dah.

TJ takes it up the...
doo-dah, doo-dah.

thats not nice uncle TJ. I know lots about hockey. I'm the captain of the power rangers, yay!
(although, I really dont like this skirt you make me wear, even if it is blue)

theres no such thing as a ranger fan ever having anything called "hockey insight"

sorry bud

theres no such thing as a ranger fan ever having anything called "hockey insight"

sorry bud

Never count the Islanders out. These are solid signings... We just created a nice first line: Tank, Comrie and Guerin...then Hilbert (?), Silly and Hunter, then Bergie, Bates, and Satan which leaves a lot of competition for the 4th line: Sim, Park and Asham? or Simon, Park and Asham or Simon, park and Sim or...more moves or Tambo and Bergie mature in B'Port with Sim on LW with Silly... and on and on...

Here is a story on the winners and losers of the Free Agency period.

Gotta LOVE IT!

http://www.nbcsports.com/nhl/1726379/detail.html

TJ loves the power rangers movie! he has the poster above his bed, next to all the mirrors.

u to do knew can u tell I tock a speling clase? I smarrt I ranger fan! you doodo you isles fanz

plese tell jagr to stop toching me!

lmao at overpaying, its the market. wat u ppl fail to realize is, if the isles signed the same contracts u all would be jumpin around too.

guerin 4.5 mills at age 36, is a cheap/good deal?..u just entered the old "rags" theory(prelock out)

O.K. First, let me say I bleed blue-and-orange and will be an Islander fan until the day I die. I jumped on board as a teen in the mid-80s right when the dynasty was starting to crumble. I, like many of us, are in this for the long haul - for better or worse (ha! just like marriage - then again I'm still single, but always looking to land that big free-agent).
I suffered through the Dark Ages of the dreaded fisherman jersey, the seven-year playoff draught and the myriad of mishaps the franchise has produced over the better part of the past two decades.
Sunday, though, was the most upset I'd been with the organization since they traded away Pat LaFontaine (whose number should be in the rafters, by the way!).
All that being said, however, now that my blood pressure has subsided and I look at the situation rationally (which was impossible for me a few days ago) I can start to think about what we have now, as opposed to what we don't.
So Smyth didn't want to stay. So what. Teams have lost better players than him and survived.
I still think they should have re-signed Blake. With the way guys are playing successfully into their late 30s and early 40s these days, a player as durable as he is wouldn't have been that much of a risk giving a four-year deal. So now he's in Toronto. I wish him and his family the best...he brought it to the rink every night and for that I'm thankful.
Yashin was on pace for at least a 90-point season before the injury and although I'd like for him to still be an Islander, in my heart of hearts, I knew a change for him was probably best for everyone. Good luck, Alexei, wherever you end up...a good guy who was misunderstood, although his seeming apathy at times was mind-wrenching (then again, most Russian players are stoic.)
Now for the good news.
I have to admit when they signed guys like Sillinger, Simon and Witt last summer, my first thought was "Why would they want these guys? They're past their prime." Well, I was pleasantly surprised because they added the grit the team had been missing for many years.
So, before I dismiss the signings of Guerin and Comrie as so-called "leftovers," I'll wait and see. Getting Andy Sutton would be great...he's a monster (6-6, 245) and has pretty good mobility.
What I'm saying here, fellow Islanders, is the sky hasn't fallen, after all. It just seemed like it on "Canada Day." God Bless America, the New York Islanders and the great game of hockey!

lol you retards,

what is thisss, you pathetic isles fans wanna be me, well you can't with albert einstein comrie and yous 4th line jew bozos...when we lift the CUP next june, i'll be back on, with this same name to laugh and ruin ur blog. old man guerin, hahahaha...

rangers 4 eva! renney baby, renny...

the majority of the fans on the ottowa sun site were posting nothing but positive things about comrie all morning hoping to resign him. A few commented on him historically plaing best in contract years -- if that's so then good for us with the one year deal. Let him play his best for a contract this year and we'll worry about next year, next year. I think we should still sign Asham again -- he's not locked up yet is he?

lmao at overpaying, its the market. wat u ppl fail to realize is, if the isles signed the same contracts u all would be jumpin around too.

guerin 4.5 mills at age 36, is a cheap/good deal?..u just entered the old "rags" theory(prelock out)

oops, that was me..as if u didnt know

:)

hey! I dont touch uncle TJ, he touches me! I like to touch Henrik. he's got a pretty mullet like I used too. its fluffy, hehe.

yoo isles is stupoid! you sign guerin for 4.5 and he only skore 30+ gools a year. we ranglers smurt we sign gomez 7+ for 13 goals a yeer.

isles drool ranglers rule!

Jagr, leeve me alone!

TJ ur a complete loser. I like filling our roster with 30 goal scorers so if you want to the call them roster fillers than thats good for you.

Chris--Nope, Asham's not locked up, and the last time I saw any update on his situation (Greg Logan, 6/30), it seemed that Asham and the Isles were pretty far apart.

Not sure if we have any other grit to take his place...although the scuttlebutt seems to suggest that Simon will be back. I think the Nolan/Simon connections are strong enough that that may happen, although I'd prefer Asham over Simon.

TJ, can I have my underoos back now? you said you only need them for one day. i'm the super duper blue power ranger, yay!

lol you retards,

"what is thisss, you pathetic isles fans wanna be me, well you can't with albert einstein comrie and yous 4th line jew bozos...when we lift the CUP next june, i'll be back on, with this same name to laugh and ruin ur blog. old man guerin, hahahaha...

rangers 4 eva! renney baby, renny..."

Tj, don't let anyone know I never taught you how to spell, you moron! I know your slow and stupid, but you can do better. Just keep telling yourself that.

lol...i feel like u guys dont like me, is that the wrong assumption?

i apologize...my mission has been accomplished, i have pissed u all off enough. i'll go away now..thanks for the time and courtesy

Guys, I'm sick of this TJ...don't antagonize him. Ignore him and his empty rhetoric, and he'll go away. Let him vent, just stop with our needling and impostering.

Let's stay above pettiness and bigotry on here, before Newsday starts to shut down these boards.

uncle TJ and uncle Tommy hold hands a lot, like me and Michael used to. but now Michael is in seattle, and i'm very very very very very very very sad. will someone hug me?

We Also got Tim Jackman.. dont know much about him

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=212877&hubname=nhl

we would be happy if the isles signed drury or briere or whoever but i, myself, would not be saying wed win the cup because we brought in alot of big time players for large amounts of money, im a yankees fan, and they havent won anything for the last 6 years...

we would be happy if the isles signed drury or briere or whoever but i, myself, would not be saying wed win the cup because we brought in alot of big time players for large amounts of money, im a yankees fan, and they havent won anything for the last 6 years...

my nam is TJ and I maid a doo doo in my pantz

i am a rangler fan an i smellz bad

i also kant spellz

and kan somone tele Jagr to get off me!

TJ, im just curious... where you're from, is it cool to sit on a blog of a team you dont like and post consistently for a little over an hour and a half?? Its a serious question, because where im from... well, quite frankly, you're a loser. I have no issue with you being a Ranger fan (some others who have asked the same question have, ie. calling you an "idiot ranger fan" or something like it) but, man, get off the computer. Go out, get a life. Do SOMETHING other then sit on here and bash the Islanders and the fans on this blog. Granted, some did it to the Ranger blog, and to them I say the same as im saying to you. You just come off as someone who has nothing better to do with their life, and thats just pathetic.

I hope the Jackman signing doesn't bar us from Asham/Simon....Jackman's got a profile on hockeyfights.com:

http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/1748

What the Isles have always understood and booshirts and their fans have NEVER understood is that in hockey you win with the right TEAM and great coaching...not with a collection of overpaid allstars. You win as a team that will run through walls for its coach and not pass on shootout opportunities and whine about teammates rather than taking responsibility.

Jackman is probably hitting the minors. I wouldn't care too much about him.

as I've stated before, if they go away, I'll leave them alone and shut up. otherwise we will continue to make them look like the losers they are. i too have no problem with ranger fans, and if you stay off my board, i'll stay off yours. i just want to talk hockey. i apoligize to the isles fans, but not the rags fans, because they shouldn't be here UNLESS THEY ARE TRYING TO JOIN THE HOCKEY DISCUSSION about the subject of this blog, which is the New York Islanders.

Again, TJ,Jim, and Henrik, go away, and so will I.

well tap,

if u look at my past posts, you'll know why im here.

and i apologized :)

amen, BC. you nailed it on the head. good post.

exactly jagr!!..i couldnt have said it betta my dam self. u pukes stay away from our blog, we'll stay away from here.

didn't we sign jackman on monday? tsn is a little behind on that one. he's just bridgeport filler.

terry,

did he nail it the head, like hollweg nailed DP on the head?

fair comparison?

Islanders are just over 34 million on the current payroll. Still have 15-16 mill to spend according to www.leaguelineup.com/nyislanders

why are you still here? beat it

cuz i want to eat marshmellows witchu

More on Jackman: was one of the top scorers on the Monarchs in the AHL, and got Calder Cup experience:

http://stats.theahl.com/stats/player.php?id=332

Eh, sounds like a gritty, tough winger. Go Soundtigers...

Great Signings Garth...

As far as the Dman race I'm rooting for Markov he had a plus 26 last year and comes from a good organization in Detroit...

Snow is doing pretty good in my books. They have a plan and are sticking to it. They continue to sign players that are willing to play for Ted. Ted doesn't want a player, no matter what the Stats, that won't compete hard.

Since the NHL is now under the Cap, there will always be players available. As long as we don't see any back-yourself-in-a-corner & sell-the-farm Long Term Deals, I think the Isles are on track.

As for the facility, I agree with an earlier post. Canucks got GM Place, fancy and new. Now you can sit and hear a thousand well positioned speakers playing music that drowns out even the loudest fan. It has never been the same since. Hang on to your traditional-style Hockey Arena as long as you can!

Kevin T.
(Western Canadian Isles Fan)

looks like I need to go over to my team's board for a while since someone says they get it, but obviously don't. see you soon uncle TJ.

there's only 2 comments on the ranger blog. i guess ranger fans hate the isles more than they like their own team,,,,sick

is that english?

no, no, no..u did not just sing the praises of the guy named jackman?

is that why he's still here?

Comrie and Fedotenko signed one year deals so they can prove themselves and hopefully get raises next year. Understandable. They will get more ice time with the Isles than they got before.
Be glad Garth didn't go out and pull off some stupid moves like $7 million for Gomez and his 13 goals. When is the last time someone got a huge deal and went on to actually earn it? It never happens. Gomez, Drury and Briere will NEVER earn the money they got. They are getting paid based on past performances.

Maybe the Isles will trade Comrie for absolutely nothing, just like Pheonix did, LOL. Why? Because he has no value.

no anon..ur team is just makin the news of the day (altho, bad news it seems). "rags" had a quiet day is all.

Comrie and Fedotenko signed one year deals so they can prove themselves and hopefully get raises next year. Understandable. They will get more ice time with the Isles than they got before.
Be glad Garth didn't go out and pull off some stupid moves like $7 million for Gomez and his 13 goals. When is the last time someone got a huge deal and went on to actually earn it? It never happens. Gomez, Drury and Briere will NEVER earn the money they got. They are getting paid based on past performances.

let these guys use us as stepping stones. nolan will continue to get career years out of kozlov type guys, no matter what the name on the back of their jersey is. we'll just sign new ones every year. it's not a bad plan. it's rebuilding, while trying to win. go with it.

from zipay,

Isles, by the way, will pay $9 million, yep, $9 million mazzonies, over two years to Bill Guerin, a good soul, a born-in-the-USA vet, but let's be honest, he's 36 years old, made $2 mil last year on a one-season pact and vanished in San Jose after being shipped from St. Loo....

...oh, its so so so true.

Zipay?????? Please. Guy is a complete and utter joke of a human.

comrie-3.3m-20 goals last year
guerin4.5m plus 2m signing bonus (will get 2.5m for 08-09)-36 goals last year

that's 56 goals for 9.8m

that sounds a lot better than 13 goals for 10m

who's overpaying who?

WHO CARES IF THEY GAVE HIM 4.5 MIL INSTEAD OF 3.5 OR SO. THEY ARE 20 MILLION UNDER THE CAP, WHATS THE DIFFERENCE. HE SCORED 3 TIMES AS MANY GOALS AS A GUY THE RANGERS GAVE 50 MILLION DOLLARS.

The good story on Comrie was that he apparently had an affair with Tommy Salo's wife! I wonder if Greg Logan will mention that in tomorrow's article!

With a better +/- and more Grit.

Comrie has no value for booshirt fans who confuse collecting allstars with building a team.

after that scary few days, now we're fired up.
what has happened to us?

ranger fans always forgot about the team concept. With all their high priced talent they have only won the cup once in recent history and that's becoming ancient history. And how many years were the rangers out of the playoffs? And jagr hasn't earned his keep in my opinion. he's just another Yashin only with a better past. If it was for henric the rangers would have done nothing last season with their high priced talent. The islanders out preformed last season by making the playoffs when everyone had written them off for the season. I see the isles surprising alot of people this season also.

The good story on Comrie was that he apparently had an affair with Tommy Salo's wife! I wonder if Greg Logan will mention that in tomorrow's article!
Posted by: Blake | July 5, 2007 9:34 PM

how would you "know" this, and more importantly - why in the world would you give a shi* ?
you should be ashamed. only a scoundrel would write this. and in case you are not aware, being a scoundrel is not admirable. maybe a rat is lower. maybe.

From wikipedia:

Reception in Edmonton
When Comrie's NHL career began with the Oilers during the 2000-2001 season, he was one of most beloved Oilers on the team, playing the role of the "local hero". However, after his lengthy holdout in the 2002-03 season and subsequent departure from the team, Comrie became one of the most hated Oilers in team history. Whenever he returns to Edmonton, Oilers fans soundly boo him whenever he touches the puck. Many fans, and even some offhand references in The Edmonton Sun tout Comrie as one of the most hated men in Oilers history, along with Peter Pocklington, and Chris Pronger. This is partly due to his alleged affair with teammate Tommy Salo's wife which led to friction between himself and the rest of the team and caused Comrie to make derogatory comments about the team and the city of Edmonton. During the 2002-03 season, amidst personal differences with Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe, Comrie was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Jeff Woywitka, a first round selection in 2004 (Rob Schremp), and a third round selection in 2005 (Dan Syvret

Good thing DP's not married... lol

"Many fans, and even some offhand references in The Edmonton Sun tout Comrie as one of the most hated men in Oilers history, along with Peter Pocklington, and Chris Pronger."

Well good thing he signed with the Islanders and not the Oilers then. And if he is hated like Pronger, maybe he'll have the same luck Pronger did when he left town.

From wikipedia:
Reception in Edmonton
When Comrie's NHL career began..

you think this makes you a hockey fan?
you are on the wrong blog.
you are a tar spot on the pavement.

Has anyone heard anything about Peca? Any chance he might come back?

You wanna a bone crushing D-man?

Go get Boynton!!! He comes cheap and will murder people in front of the net. Well worth the gamble as he is a guy with something to prove. Phoenix just sent him packing.

No excuses for you guy not to put some fannies in the seats this year. And cut Garth some slack.

He lost five guys and still managed tp put together a better product than last year.

Even if Hunter gets $2Million in arbitration, we'll still be over $13Million under the cap--more than enough to get Peca as our #3 center and two warriors on D in Markov and Vishnevski. We get those 3 and we're in business.

Most positive. Free agents coming as de facto package deals to the island, the way they do to Colorado and other contenders. Now we need to keep up our end of the bargain. Logan's right -- the funereal atmosphere in the Coliseum isn't because of lighting or the sound system -- it's 12,000 or fewer fans for games against Ottawa and the other elites. We have reason to feel aggrieved, but management is trying hard to win with only a so-so hand.

Ceasar,

I could not agree more with you!!!!!!!!!!

Yes the real logan finally speaks

Yes the real logan finally speaks

3.3 mil for comrie was worth it

Hey Islander fans:

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW AND GET TO THOSE GAMES!!!!!!!!

I know I will

Yes the real logan finally speaks

This management team really does have a plan and they are not done yet!!!!!!!!!!!

Guerin--Comrie...good players. Not great. Seems we got crushed on July 1st, and have succumed to panic pressure. Man, this team needs to rebuild, not to tinker with precious money and contracts in a futile bid for mediocrity. The Ises, barring 8-10 solid acquisitions, are NO threat to go deep into the playoffs. so, in the end, why should we give a rats arse? Maybe, sign simon, asham and actually play tough and pummel the rags--that i would love. But, this is hopeless. Hockey is soft. And, the Isles are soft.

I LOVE YOU GARTH

Great guys you have

Nolan Fuc*S Hasek's wife
Comrie does Salo's

now thats a club with great character

I like the moves. It seems to balance the competing interests next year of putting a competitive product on the ice, letting the young guys play, and not weighing us down with long-term contracts until we have a better sense of what the kids can do and where our needs will be greatest a year ahead.

?! Hey, I'm just passing on the stuff I found online...there are more news site, more reputable news site, than Wikipedia, folks. And they're not difficult to find.

bystander, I never stated I "knew" anything, and I doubted its veracity with "apparently." Would "alleged" suffice?

As to why would I care...well, I'm curious as to the backgrounds of the guys we sign. Perhaps this was overblown, perhaps not, but rumors like this speak to Comrie's character. With rumors like these, smoke does not necessarily mean there's any fire, but I'm curious when you go to Google and put a guy's name in--and there are various suggested searches involving permutations of "tommy salo", "wife", and "affair." I was curious as to some random anti-Comrie sentiment I heard on other boards, anyway.

Not that any past conduct off the ice matters...I like his on-ice performance, and I still think he's a solid, needed pickup regardless.

look at the bright side, everyone in edmonton loved smith and he's a dick!!

This guy is more for Bridgeport, but I have a feeling he will get a few call-ups. Just a hunch, but this guy being signed yesterday sure does sound like the door starting to close on Asham if his price doesn't come down soon.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/players/bio/?id=2696&hubname=nhl

So, does anyone think this team is still first round cannon fodder anymore?

Also, does this now look like a team that going to have to scrap for an eighth seed on the last day of the season?

I think this team can do some damage. A hell of a lot faster than the humps we had last year as well.

I just hope Snow stays away from signing Souray. He may get 25 goals but the guy is too slow and can't get back.

Im glad ewveryone is getting the hell of of Garth's case. I love him, and he LOVES this friggin team!!!

Guerin and Comrie! that's a good one..Some people doesn't think Guerin is a good one but it is a good move. He has experiences in playoffs. He can lead Islanders past the first round that Blake and yashin couldn't done. Blake has been good but he wanted more money after only a good season. Guerin have proved it to us for many seasons. I believe Guerin won a cup once or twice. Yes..He is not young. He is 36 but Blake is not young either. We already talked about if it is good or not. The season haven't started. What if Guerin got 40 goals this season. Blake became his old self and couldn't score for turds...my turds..it is time for Islanders to make moves and get more gunslingers...We should get Mccabe, and Boynton..We shouldn't scare them only with offense..we need to attack them to make them realize wehre they are playing...Nassau Coliseum...indeed no?

Garth,
I like the signings this week. Good Job!!! Yes, I did second guess what you were doing. But you really came through with quality players who want to play on LI. Now as for the D; Markov, Vaananen, Vishnevski and Sutton are D-men that aren't afraid to take the body & dish out punishment. Currenlty only Witt consistently takes the body. My take is to try and sign 2 out of the 4 and pair them with either Martinek/MAB/Gervais or Campoli.

LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!

think about this..

Guerin 36 goals Comrie 20 goals

Yashin 18 Blake 40

Do the math

finally I can relax a bit with guerin and comrie on board.

also anybody else see on the isles websiste that there are two other new players on it. Who are Matthew Spiller(defenseman), and Joey MacDonald (goalie) are and how/when did we get them? Also why would we need another goalie?

Just in case if Dubie couldn't use the force so we have Mcdonald to back up then

Good signings Garth, you're turning me around...

Patience is paying off.

Would still love to see a great defenseman who can give Witt a breather and really lead the blueline. So important to have that in front of DP.

And I'd love to see some Forsberg speed up front!
(just kidding)!

DIE HARD

Spiller and Macdonald are just minor league fillers. They replace Duhnam and Rourke respectively.

Trade for me. I miss Long Island.

the minor signings don't get much attention. i found this site. he's got everyone we've signed this week, and some info on each.

http://www.islesinfo.com/free-agents.html

check out what he has to say, then go over to www.tsn.ca and do player searches to get a scouting report on each.

enjoy.

One thing for sure, were getting far more coverage than the Rags regardless of what we do.

Interesting, Guerin's contract includes a no-movement clause, which means no trade, no waiver, no buyout. A first for the Isles. Shouldn't matter with a only 2-year deal. Great job by Garth. Now bring on Jovo!

I am pleased with the last comment of the article from garth " we're not done yet".

4 Cups;

We are you getting a "no buyout clause"?

I've never heard of it.

it is very confusing...people are saying that Guerin is too old and we shouldn't get him because he is 36 but look at Selanne he is 37 and he got 48 goals...hmmmm....and Islanders might get Selanne..hmmmmm is that a good or bad thing?

Hockeybuzz.com - see Stricklands column. A No movement clause is a no trade clause on steroids. It menas you can't trade, waive or buyout the player's contract.

What are your thoughts on these lines.

Hunter Sillinger Tambellini

Guerin Comrie Bergenheim

Fedotenko (Oneil?)Nokelainin

Hilbert Park Simon

Kenny Jonsson's contract is up with his Swedish team and there seems to be some talk that he might seek a return to the NHL. He'd be a nice addition to the blue line. He's 33 years old. I wonder if he'd come back to LI.

Caesar, you forgot Sim.

Oops forgot Satan

Hunter Sillinger Tambellini

Guerin Comrie Satan
Fedotenko (Oneil?)Bergenheim

Hilbert Park Nokelainin

Lets keep the ball rollin'! Lets sign Jeff O'Neill, Jason Allison, Danny Markov and Andy Sutton. Then, we can trade Campoli to Boston for Glen Murray. I know that's a lot, but it would be a pretty solid team with those additions.

Kenny was a great guy when he was on the Isle. He played some good hockey. I doubt he'd come back though.

Caesar, you forgot about Miro, Sim and Bates.

and Bates, when he's healthy.

Guy just signed and your your worried about someone thing that may or may not 've happened... Ridiculous.... If scores 50 goals this year, he can screw who ever he wants... Just enjoy, the Isle got so much faster,grittier,better the last 2 days...

Now how 'bout that terroryzing D-man... A big stay at home D-man that'll knock the stuffing out of someone... Through some names out there...

Boynton and McCabe

I think Bates is off this team. I have a feeling he's going to get shopped to a team looking to add a role player.

Most like Buffalo who might be in need of a PKer.

Sim was clearly a depth signing. Most likely just insurance in case one of the kids needs more time.

One thing is certain is that Asham and Simon are finished on this team. Yet, I think that may be barring if Tambelline or Nokelainin don't make the jump. After reading about the kiddie camp it seems like the management wants to work Noki in here. The question is where and when?

Sounds like he's fully recovered and in the best shape he's ever been.

I hear you Caesar. I disagree about Sim though. 3 yrs, $1 mil per. He's not sitting out. Maybe he's taking Simon's role. I still say that if Toronto is so eager to dump McCabe that they would give him away, then maybe (as I believe you wrote) we should offer Bates for him. I really like Bates (yeah, I'm his one fan), but Park fills that role with a lot more toughness.

Some thoughts on the new line-up...

Guerin-Comrie-Fedotenko
Hunter-Sillinger-Satan
(both lines above have enough point potential as most of the top two lines in the league)

Bergenheim-Bates-Tambellini
(good amount of speed, could be a scoring line, also could be used as a pesty checking line)

Simon-Hilbert or Park-Sim
(who knows, maybe this one needs a real center inbetween, or Asham instead of Simon, but I think Simon's veteran and toughness status makes him a better fit.

Witt-Martinek
(tough in front and some speed and shiftiness with Martinek, barring any injury)

Gervais-Campoli
(two young up and coming d-men who need a chance to prove themselves - both need to play more physical and mature defensively)

Bergeron-Markov? - definitely not Meyer, I just don't see a spot for this guy.
(good puck mover combined with a well-rounded stay-at-home defenseman - looks like it could work - if we land Markov or someone of similar caliber - not Souray, we don't need him)

DiPietro in the net and we've got a competetive team for the 07-08 season. Adding a D-man like Sutton or Markov would be a great addition. Another 25-35 goal scoring center would also be nice, but who's out there and who fits the mold? (maybe we'll see after arbitration?).

What I see here are the makings of a solid upcoming season (we won't be hoisting the cup but will be moving in the right direction; creating a winning environment on the Island that fans and players alike will flock to). Go-out, support the team you love and fill the building. We should see an exciting year.

Hey 19;

I like Bates a lot as well. I don't think he deserves a lot of the garbage the fans talk of him. Everytime I've watched him play he's always come prepared.

Bot to mention he draws a lot of New Englanders to the team just becuase of the fact he's from around here.

But I think it's time we moved on. He was one of Milbury's guys and I think Snow wants to put his own stamp on this team. I think Bates knows that day is drawing near as well. I think for him and us it's the right move.

He's not going to be an every day player nor can he play more than 10-15 mins a game. He has a buggy groin and hamstring problems that have nagged him his whole career. He just can't do the time anymore.

He's a good guy and I'm one who'll definitly miss his service.

Isles die hard;

You're forgetting Hunter I think.

LOL

(Seems we now have a log jam)

Hunter is there

No - Hunter's on the Second line with Silly and Satan

Setting up to be nice. Now we have our 4 centers in Comrie, Hilbert, Bates and Sillinger. I think we need a RW for the 2nd line and LW for the 3rd line and look out!!!!!

LOL WHY WOULD THE MAPLE LEAFS TRADE McCABE FOR BATES? THIS ISNT A VIDEO GAME...McCabe is one of the top D-Men in the NHL, and Bates is a 30 year old 4th liner...it will cost a top prospect (Bentivoglio, Kohn, etc.) plus a 1st-round pick to land McCabe, which is questionable to me right now

LOL WHY WOULD THE MAPLE LEAFS TRADE McCABE FOR BATES? THIS ISNT A VIDEO GAME...McCabe is one of the top D-Men in the NHL, and Bates is a 30 year old 4th liner...it will cost a top prospect (Bentivoglio, Kohn, etc.) plus a 1st-round pick to land McCabe, which is questionable to me right now

I just caught that.

My bad

(It seems I'm going to have to adjust me screen resolution to view this page. The type is way too squished togather)

First two lines and 4th line is set. Correct me if I am wrong.
Comrie, Fedotenko, Guerin
Silly, Satan, Hunter
Bates, Sim, Park

Who will be on the 3rd line. I know it will be centered by Hilbert

What does everybody think? I few moves today and things look a whole lot more promising.

Joe;

Toronto needs to get rid of a little salary. That's percisely why they would make that deal. We can afford to take Salary on.

Toronto is not going to make a blockbuster trade with McCabe given his salary. Not many teams have the room to take him on. Well, perhaps Buffalo or Boston but they're not going to trade in their division.

Seems even to me.

Toronto gets a reliable role playing PKer (If they resign Peca they reunite the lucky 7s).

The Isles get a Dmen that can play both ways. Not to mention some bulk salary that Toronto would love to be rid of.

Caesar,
no more simon OR asham, what do you suggest we do when brashear or orr or someone starts running around taking our guys heads off? try to make friends with him?

I like the lines, but I think Ted would set them up differently. We saw it last year with Simon skating wish Yash and Blake. He'll spread things out more, so he can roll the 3rd line as much as the 1st line. I don't think all the pieces are here yet, but this would be my guess as of today:
Bergie-Comrie-Guerin
Sim-Sill-Hunter
Tamb-Bates/TBA-Satan
Hilbert-Park-Nokelainin

Diehard I have to tell you. The other day, I almost threw away my jersey and hat but no matter how pissed off I get, they always seem to lure me back. GO ISLES!!!!!

Yeah Diehard.

Things look a lot better. We look like a team that can role four lines.

But I think Bergie fits better with Sillinger and Hunter better than Satan. I'd put Satan on a line w/ Guerin and Comrie to see how that works.

A little unkown aspect to Guerins game is that he can pass and set people up. Or should I say, one of the more underrated aspects of his game.

BTW; anyone think Smyth is kicking himself in that ass today. If he signe here he's be on a line with Comrie and Guerin.

I said when he took the money from Colorado that he wasn't that bright.

I totally agree Caesar but you know what, he is gone. We are better off today than we were last week.

I find it difficult to know exactly where to begin this post. I too have been a lifelong Islander fan. I too have felt the frustration over the past 12 to 15 years! The managerial mistakes have been no less than staggering at times. There have been moves that make the most die hard fans wonder why they even watch this team let alone buy a ticket. But then again I AM AN ISLANDER FAN!!! I will remain faithful and hopeful that someday this organization will emerge from this dreadful fog they've been in and become once again the meaning of what it is to be an NHL Championship team! With that said, I am not a quitter!. I will not quit on this team. I don't expect this team, this organization to quit either! When they do win, it will only be that much sweeter. I will be here until (it will never happen) they take MY TEAM OUT of NY! If the players don't see US quit, then they won't either. It's okay to criticize. Let them hear you. For if you don't, it'll be like waving a flag in the dark.... no one will see you and no one will know you're there.

Yes we lost a lot of talent this FA season, but we did get some back. I think that some fans take it a little too personally when a player decides to leave. On one hand, you might feel that a player is being disloyal by leaving and you might resent him for that. On the other we must realize that this is a business, for both the player and the organization.Money talks these days and in most cases it speaks volumes. Put you and your family in their shoes, and believe me , 99 times out of a hundred, you'll take the money over loyalty, because you'll still be doing what you love...playing hockey for a living.

So with all that, I hope some of you will back off a little and give Garth some slack, and time to gain some experience. I think he's doing a fine job so far, considering some the overpriced contracts that have been signed. Really, think about some of these deals and not just react to them.

What about the defensive pairings for the team this year? Anyone know?

Joe,
Caesar beat me to the punch there. I know it's uneven on the surface, no doubt. BUT the Leafs are dying to shed some salary, so that they can fill some holes. Their cap situation is worse than what the Rangers are possibly facing. The Leafs have a wish list (that reportedly has Yashin on it, yikes), and they can't do anything at the moment. They are desperate, and we're just here to catch the leftovers with all this cap space. Hope that explains my rational, I shouldn't have just refrenced yesterday's discussion, my bad.

Caesar,
A team is not going to dump salary by acquiring a 30 year old 4th liner; they are going to want a top prospect and a 1st-rounder, which combine cost about nothing, so either way, they dump salary...please, they would never take Bates for McCabe...you are dreaming if you think they would

Guys,
McCabe is a superstar...if they trade him, they would never trade him for Bates, not even Toronto needs to dump salary THAT bad...they would take a prospect and a draft pick, which still to them accomplishes the salary dump

Caesar,

Pair up the lines anyway you like (I did). Just glad things look good now.

great moves with guerin comrie and fedotenko now sign peca and markov which would put us at 39 mill cap and dump bates for a draft pick and i will renew my season tickets. then if i can dream maybe sign forsberg or selanne.

Joe;

Toronto is not looking for prospects. They will not get prospects in return from a team looking to take on McCabe's salary.

Toronto is looking to get least espensive impact player they can because they are in "go for it" mode.

Right now they don't even have the leverage to deal McCabe for prospects either. Toronto has cap problems and everyone knows that. They would be very fortunate to get a 2nd rd pick in return.

And their GM doesn't strike me as anyone that can bamboozle anyone for that.

No not Forsberg (unless signed for a reasonable amount$$, guy hurts his toe and cant find a friggin skate to work it out)

I respectfully disagree with you, on this situation. I'm not making a WFAN-type call where someone suggests we should give up Park for that Crosby kid. You have a team that is desperate to shed salary, and a team that has the room. Someone will get a steal from Toronto very soon. In may not be McCabe, and it may not be us, but it will happen. Just as we did with the Smyth trade, plant the seed with the Leafs, and tell them to give us a call if they're interested.

according to ESPN rumor central.... "The Islanders are pursuing a trade for Coyotes defenseman Ed Jovanovski. " but thats the only place i have seen that idk

I don't care what anyone says about this team, no matter what they do stupid, they always seem to do something to woo us back.

I still doubt that they would take Bates; there would be other teams interested, that could offer better than Bates...it would take more than Bates to acquire McCabe, if you don't think so, you're nuts...

Chris, I think it was in yesterday's Logan article. Word is Jovo just built a house in Phoenix and won't waive his no trade clause.

The Jovo trade is dead in the water. He's not waiving his NTC to come here.

I'll take my chances on Boynton if the Isles decide to sign him. That kid his big and can clean clocks on the ice. I think Witt would really enjoy partnering with the guy.

Not to mention he's faster than Hill (Then again, who isn't?)

By the way, Chris, we've known about the Islanders' interest in Jovanovski for a few days, thanks for keeping up! It isn't going to happen; he has NTC and just got a beautiful home in Scottsdale, AZ...so don't pay attention to the Jovanovski rumors

Agreed, Bates is basically not really trade-able - though still kind of useful on this team

Guys, I live in Phoenix and JOVO SUCKS!!!!! I would rather have Markhov or Souray or Vishnevski.

I like the moves so far.Obviously Garth wanted Smyth, Drury and Hannan but Guerin is a good pickup.He's as good as Smyth. We'll see about Comrie, though Guerin wants to play with him.Thats a good sign!( though I'd still rather have Drury).Sillinger, Hunter and Hilbert had great chemistry last year.So did Tambellini when he played with Satan and Kozlov.Put Tank in for Kozlov and Bergenhiem with Comrie and Guerin and we might have three good lines. Nielsen can center the fourth line with Park and Simon/Asham.We also have Sim to work in somewhere.Now we need one or two more good Dmen(McCabe/Markov),DP is GREAT in goal(love his heart) and "Let's Play Hockey!!!"This team has a different look than last years team. More grit and heart and that's a good thing.I'm glad Yashin's gone.A first line with Comrie and Guerin has got to be better than Yashin and Blake!Yashin and Blake were always minus players.Go Garth and GO ISLES!!

The trade would be more like this...Maple Leafs trade D Bryan McCabe to Islanders for F Sean Bentivoglio and a future 1st-round draft pick....that is a much more likely deal for McCabe that Bates for McCabe...other teams would offer more than Bates, so it would def. take a prospect and a pick for McCabe

WOO Isles-DieHard knows what I'm saying...I happen to be a huge Bates fan, and I think he fits well on this team, but another team is not trading their superstar defenseman for him, I'm sorry.

Joe, go easy on Chris, there's a lot of new names on here tonight that need to catch up on their news. The only other thing I might be able to say to sway your McCabe opinion is that his cap number is $5.75m for the next four years, and the media in Toronto is killing the organization for that. The hockey media in Toronto is worse than any city in any sport in North America. Taking Bates clears up $4.55m, he'll be a UFA after 08-09.

The isles are not trading Sean Bentivoglio. He's kinda advertised as a bit of a phenom with tons of untapped potential. The Isles would get roobbed in that deal.

Sean Bentivoglio, if all goes well, will most likely be ready when Okposo is ready to make the jump. From what I've read on Bentivoglio he was an absolutely brilliant signing and a great find by our scouts.

As I said above, I'm a Bates fan too. And, here, I thought I was the only one.

Here you go all.

1st Line is Comrie centering Tank on the left and Guerin on the right

2nd line is Silly centering Tambellini on the left and Satan on the right

3rd line is Hilbert centering Bergheim on the left and Hunter on the right

4th line is Bates centering Sim on left and Park on right.

That is pretty good to me

Looks good to me!

Although Hunter looks better with Sillinger

No reason for us to trade for McCabe. There are still a few good FA D-man that would be good upgrades for us, without his trading a player, prospect or draft pick for McCabe.

I never said I would trade Bentivoglio, I said that is what the trade would look like....If not Bentivoglio, then another top prospect....My point is also, that Bryan McCabe is not being traded for Shawn Bates

Ok Isles-Diehard put Silly with Hunter and Satan and put Tambellini with Hilbert and Bergheim.

Two interesting things I picked out of the new Logan article:

"Islanders Hall of Famer Mike Bossy, who now works in sales, also was pitching Guerin and Comrie about helping the franchise become a consistent winner again."

I was hoping they'd start doing this. All these HOFers, and guys like Bobby Ny still live here. Call these guys and share your experiences and how life on Long Island is. I met Bobby Ny last year, and he is a great guy who could probably sell you anything you asked him to.

"He spoke very highly of the organization, and I spoke with [current Isles] Mike Sillinger and Chris Simon. Everyone had a lot of positive things to say."

That sure does make it sounds as if Simon is coming back, doesn't it?

Another good speed line with scorng potential. Me likey!

Let's talk about defensive pairings now. What will it be?

i live in atlanta so i've seen sim play. He hits everything, runs his mouth, feet are always moving and trys to make the other team go crazy. He is just like sean avery. ALL isles fans will like his play. He will not be a 4th liner

I was scrolling this blog, and saw a proposed trade that is insane for the Islanders: Islanders deal Campoli to Bruins for Glen Murray...I would NEVER trade a promising 23 year old defenseman for a 33 year old, 5 mil-a-year guy who is coming off of an off year....STAY AWAY FROM GLEN MURRAY...and Patrick Marleau, they spoke about him in San Jose that he couldn't handle pressure, so he does not seem to be Teddy's type of player...STAY AWAY FROM MURRAY AND MARLEAU

I would have loved to see the Islanders acquire Iginla, who was scheduled to be a UFA after this upcoming season, before his extension...I'm upset that he will never wear the "C" on LI :(

Wow. I hadn't heard anything about his style of play. I like that, an Avery type fits this group well. That kind of player could probably play on any line. Although probably best suited for a strong checking line.

Witt-Martinek
Bergeron-Markov/Vishnevski/Souray
Campoli-Gervais

Those look good to me....

If Simon is pitching he's definitly coming back.

BTW; for those that claim no one wants to play here. We just pryed Guerin and Comries from the clutches of Buffalo and Ottawa. Two teams that are still contenders and draw a lot more than we do.

Hopefully after these signings everyone will get past that. Players don't mind coming here. I don't think we ever put the right effort into selling the place like Colorado did with Sakic. Looks like the Isles stole a page out of their playbook.

And I'm glad we're not front ending and contracts either.

hey Richard, can you tell us about Boynton? Your impressions of his play, and why did Phoenix dump him for nothing?

Defensive pairings

Bergeron-Witt
Campoli-Martinek
Spiller-Gervais

That looks awesome

What do we know about Spiller?

Great info on Sim, Frank. Thank you!

Nah, Richard, If those are the 6 defensemen, than Witt would play with Spiller, cause they are physical, the two kids would go together in Campoli and Gervais, and the two more offensive defensemen, if Martinek is offensive, would go together in Martinek and Bergeron...so...

Bergeron-Martinek
Witt-Spiller
Campoli-Gervais

19, Nick Boynton is a tough guy. He will not back down from anyone. He hits everything in sight and is not afraid to fight or take a penalty. Phoenix has a bunch of young defenseman down in the minors that Gretzky wants to bring up. Thus the reason for them letting him walk. I love Boynton because he will bring a presence that the Islanders don't have now. He will knock you down in front of the net.

Nick Boynton is a fantastic defenseman, I've seen him play a bunch of times....If it is a reasonable price, I would love to see the Islanders grab him....

Witt-Boynton
Bergeron-Martinek
Campoli-Gervais

WOOO GO ISLANDERS!!!

Let's remember, for the longest time, the Islanders needed someone who will knock you down in front of the net.Boynton will do that. So will Spiller.

The only thing I don't like about that Joe is that Witt is not really a tough guy. Spiller is and he would go perfectly with Boynton.

Your mom knocked me down in front of the net last night..ISLANDERS SUCK LET'S GO RANGERS!! GOMEZ WOO DRURY WOO WOO JAGR WOO WOO WOO LUNDQVIST DP WHO HAHA LET'S GO RANGERS

one more thing on sim. He had his jaw wired shut for the last 15 games or so because he fought someone on san jose who was 6'4". he wore a shield those last games. If atlanta would have shown up for the playoffs you would have heard of him

19, if they can get him at a reasonable price, I would definitely do it. Does that answer your question????? I hope so

I think it's too early to guess on D pairings. There is at least one (God, I would love two) Top 4 defenseman that's not here yet. I love the effort from our D last year, but I don't think it was as strong as everyone thinks. That freaking goalie back there is insane. Ricky is the reason we made the playoffs last year after a 30th place prediction from everyone that writes an article or talks on TV. Our D, especially after Marti went down, was not good at all. Not from lack of effort. Ted got the most out of that group, and that's as much a nod to them as him, but we need more talent back there this year. Even if it's just for the sake of our goalie not having to face so many shots every night.

Witt's pretty tough...no one else on our defensive roster is really tougher besides Spiller...

F*ck you J-Jagr-68, go to hell get out of this blog rags suck they are gunna underachieve like they always do, with a 13 goal scorer making 7 mil a year LMFAO so F*CK YOU

sorry not jaw wired shut but had an Orbital fracture

Hopefully Martinek is healthy again and Sean Hill comes back after his suspension ready and in shape to play. Then with Witt, Spiller, Bergeron, Martinek, Hill and Campoli, we will be fine on the blue line

We need an offensive defenseman to fill Poti's roll - beggers cant be choosers i know Souray was a minus 28 but everytime the isles played the Habs and we were down a man all i was thinking of was uh-oh Souray gunna put one home from the point - we have Bergeron but we need a big scoring pp threat - martinek, witt, camps, and gervais would go well with Souray and MAB - we have the money - lets make the move

Joe, relax. Show that asshole some respect. He did have enough balls to get into this room. He is entitled to his own stupid opinions.

Not to change the subject TOO much here, but how freakin' good is John Maine?!? WHY IS HE NOT AN ALL-STAR? He is a legit Cy Young contender this season....10-4, 2.71, 1.11 WHIP, .207 BAA, 93 K, 39 BB in 110 IP...un-freakin-believable...

Hill is going to the Wild.

Yes, Richard, thanks. But did they try to trade him at all this summer? It just seems so odd that someone that good, with a reasonable cap number (just under $3m) would just be dumped like that. It seems like I'm missing something here.

"1st Line is Comrie centering Tank on the left and Guerin on the right

2nd line is Silly centering Tambellini on the left and Satan on the right

3rd line is Hilbert centering Bergheim on the left and Hunter on the right

4th line is Bates centering Sim on left and Park on right.
That is pretty good to me."

NOT TO ME !!! Where does that leave Neilsen and Noke? The Isles need to bring these kids up and work them into the lineup. They need to play with people like Guerrin, Silly and Witt... NOW. These are proven vets that can lead these kids into the NHL. Get rid of Bates, Park and Hilbert and start shaping the future.

Is Hill really? Why would anyone sign that cheating piece of dog sh*t? I hate that assh*le, all season, you could see in warm-ups he thought he was hot sh*t the whole time...

Maine is ridiculous so far. One of the best moves by any GM in the league. I think Omar traded Benson for Maine/Julio.

lol, I don't know if I'd go that far Richard. Just ignore the Rag fan, he has no friends.

Souray wants too much money. I would spend the money on Markhov or Vishnevski or Boynton

Yeah, Boynton will feakin hurt just about anyone that dares cross that blueline. I think he lost a bot of his game in Phoenix and his salary made him difficuly to move.

I think under Nolan Boynton would get back on track. Early in his career he had a tendancy to get too agressive with his hits and throw himself out of position.

He would give the Isles what they are sorely missing on the blueline. Some toughness and a guy who can skate.

The prospect of getting Boynton is giving me visions of Sugar Plums dancing in my head. Imagine Nokelainin, Witt and Simon and Boynton out there togather?

NASSSSSSTYYYYYYY!!!!!

Yeah, Omar pretty much got El Duque and Maine for the Benson losers...what a trade...John Maine is outstanding...hard to think this off-season, the Mets nearly dealt Maine and Brian Bannister to Texas for Akinori Otsuka before Omar suddenly said no thanks (Thank Moses)

Yeahhhh, 19, we should team up and kick J-Jagr-68's *ss, show him who owns this blog...LET'S GO ISLANDERS

19, no they were not trying to trade Boynto last year. They were trying to get rid of Jovo because he sucked and was hurt on and off. They are trying to get these young guys in here now. They have Jovo, Ballard, Michalek, Jones and Bell and they have a couple more Defensemen Gretz wants here. That is why Boynton is expendable.

No need to get so jealous, just cause you guys are the little brothers in town, and always will be...it's OK that the Icelanders can NEVER live up to the mighty Rangers :-]

The only way I'd sign Souray would be to a Guerin-like contract (without the no trade). I just don't think it's happening though. He's got somebody other than Jersey hot on his tail. That has to be the reason for the delay of his signing. I still say San Jose is drooling over him.

Souray is too poor defensively, he will hurt the Islanders....just look at his -28 last season, that is atrocious...STAY AWAY FROM SOURAY...go for Markov or Vishnevski, those guys are good....btw, Sheldon's a girls name...

Hey Mets fan, I love the Mets to but we are in serious trouble. The Bullpen sucks. Schowenweis, Mota, Feliciano, Sele, Heilman all suck. Wagner is the only good thing we have in the pen. And by the way Omar, great signing. Moises Alou. A 40 year old Dominican who only signed here because he is a fellow Dominican. We need Shannon Stewart in LF. Now that would be awesome.

Reyes
Stewart
Beltran
Wright
Delgado
Lo Duca
Green
Valentin

Now we are talking.

NEVER LIVE UP TO THE RAGS? 4 CUPS IN A ROW BIATCH I LOST COUNT OF HOW MANY YEARS WERE BETWEEN THE TWO LAST CUPS THE RANGERS WON! RAGS SUCK, GO ISLANDERS

lmao Shannon Stewart...Shannon's a girls name :) and he cantgo a week without a trip to the DL....oh, and Feliciano really sucks you moron...stop worrying so much, its called a bad month...they still kill the rest of the competition, they are the most talented team in the NL, everything will sort itself out when everyone gets healthy

I think the Isles should go out and sign Boynton and Markhov. Then you have the following

Witt, Boynton, Bergeron, Martinek, Markhov and Spiller.

There is a good defense.

Sorry, Richard, shouldn't have called you a moron, but Feliciano has been *light's out* all season...

And Richard, you forgot the two kids, Campoli and Gervais, on your NYI defense analysis...I'd rather see youth than Spiller, so whichever young d-man wins the job in camp gets the 6th spot....and Spiller gets the emergency d-man position

Joe, relax man. I am on your side. HAHAHAHA. Yeah Feliciano sucks. They all suck. Shannon Stewart would be a great addition to the Line-up. I know it's a bad month. The rest of the NL sucks. Joe just relax man.

Dude, before yesterday, Feliciano's ERA was under 1.7....he has been brilliant all year, he and Smith have been great...Heilman actually is starting to look better, Schow sucks, but w/e...Mota should shoot a bullet into his mouth...umm yeahhh

OK, sorry, but I'm still too focused on Boynton. He's not listed as a UFA. How does his being released work? Is there some kind of waiver system like baseball? I'm lost.

Gotta love an Islander defenseman named Bruno. LMAO

And Shannon Stewart, throughout his career, has actually gotten injured more than Alou, so Stewart wouldn't be a great move...get an OF who doesn't get hurt a lot, a guy who historically stays healthy

19 Boynton is not a free agent. He is under contract I think for the next year. I think what they did is bought out the rest of his contract so he could sign with another team.

Boynton's probably not listed because he was bought out and released. Much in the same way a lot of the lists I've seen don't have Yashin on it.

J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!!!

HAHAHA

Thanks guys. That makes sense.

And if anyone is wondering. I am a NY er who moved out to Phoenix 12 years ago. But I still have my ties to all the NY sports teams. Isle, Mets, Jets and Knicks.

we need another center for 3rd line and 2 d-men then we have relly improved team from last year

And if anyone is wondering. I am a NY er who moved out to Phoenix 12 years ago. But I still have my ties to all the NY sports teams. Isles, Mets, Jets and Knicks.

What do you mean. We have Comrie on the first line, Silly on the second line, Hilbert on the third line and Bates on the fourth line.

I don't think Hillbert played one game at C last year.

Frank;

Word is that Oneil may be targeted on the UFA market. He a decent third line Center who will give us 20 goals. Which is really good production off of the third line.

He's a great face off guy and plays physical. The knock on him is that he takes some nights off.

Would make Park expendable though. That's not a bad thing.

I think I agree with Frank. What we need, and what we get, may be different things though. I'm not so sure we're going to see that second d-man, or the center. Especially the center. The organization seems to like Hilbert. Ted must see something that we don't. And, if that's the case, I'm with Ted all the way.

On that note, Richard, tell me it hasn't been awesome being both an Islander and Jet fan these last 12 mos. Talk about what a difference a year can make. Ted and Man-genius are the best things to happen to these franchises in a while. Good riddance, Herm Edwards!

For the folks saying Garth may've over paid for Guerin, just remember The Blackhawks paid $8 mill. to Robert Lang for 2 yrs. a couple days ago. He's 36 yrs of age as well.

Keep Park! I love that guy. He busts his butt every night. I'll take him as my fourth line center for as long as he wants to play. And no disrespect to Dubie, but if it weren't for Park, we don't make the playoffs. I think he had three goals in the last two games. Clutch performance. He was there when we needed him. He'll never score much, just stick on the fourth line and the PK, and he'll be happy.

Comrie's a tough son of a gun for a tiny dude.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=25VNbzy7EXk

19;

If we had better forwards last year we would not have been as reliant on Park scoring those goals. I'd rather have Oneil centering that third line who can pot 20 vs Park where your lucky if you get 12.

Those extra 8 goals would take this team a long way. Not to mention we do better having Oneil take draws.

No problem with that. O'Neil 3rd line, Park 4th line. Bye, bye Bates.

Tanker!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXM4FZbv62A&NR=1

Agreed

nice

this will always be one of my faves...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiGhhzIFQjs

Classic!!!!

Ilove watching Corson get up with the sweater over his head.

LMFAO!!!

The extended version of Tucker Corson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRPU7Z9fdDM&mode=related&search=

I watched that one too. Amazing how much you can hate a team after just one series.

Can't not post this!!!!

Love watching Milbury cheer this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EnQ262BIWk&mode=related&search=

I still can't believe I had to root for them vs the Habs in April. There I was, listening to a game on the computer between two teams I dislike, and I had to root for the one I hated more.

I'll never forget that laser of a shot!

Time to go have those dreams of signing Boynton. Goodnight.

Keep playin with the line combos, some of them are lookin pretty damn good... I won't speculate too much, but Tambo-Bates(If hes a 100% or still on the team)-Bergie 3rd line would turn on the afterburners. If they can cultivate a scoring touch, this line would be impossible to stop.Way too fast.

But the Isles still need some physical toughness and someone whos gonna drop the gloves when a Laraque gets frisky...

I kind of like a Sutton or Byonton for physical prescence... The Isles need a Simon to be the on ice cop plus he can pot some goals... Lastly and I hate to say it we need a player like Avery(I'm about to through up)to irratate the opposition.

Don't bring in any more forwards. Let the youngsters play more, especially Nielsen, I think. The Isles (with a D-signing) are good enough to reach the play-offs, but can never be a cup-contending team this season. The season will be a funny one, but use it to build for the future.

Simon is a must though. As jmars said, we need cops on the ice.

Comrie and Guerin were a whooping 2-4-6 in 29 games in last year's playoffs, ROLFLMAO!!!! Oh and lets in Fedentenko's impressive playoff, LOL! What a sad, sad joke the Islanders are. Well, I'm sure the 5,000 fans that show up for their games will be happy, LOL!!!!

Well I definitely like the signings. Guerin is a hard nosed scorer that will play with grit. Comrie comes to play and with the one year deal will be playing his heart out.

The thing that scares me is these one year deals for guys looking for a big season. To answer a question before, I never thought Blake was a "puck hog," yet I did use him as an example for what the new one year guys might be doing. One year deals tell me they are looking to play well and leave. Now if someone can prove to me it was the ISLANDERS idea for the one year deals, then so be it. I am wrong.

Either way the signing of three goal scores help out. It brings hope. It also can be HUGE if they have big years, even if the team struggles as a whole. Why..... Because we can then do what Edmonton did come trade dead line, and trade some of these guys for #1 picks and get back some youth and replenish the farm. I pray that is not the case, but 1 year deals for younger guys looking to break out, and padded deal for aging stars point that way ~ if all else does not mesh.

Let's get a Big D man in now and play the season.

I know I am a minority on this subject, and probably way off. BUT, being a big mouth (or big fingers!?! :)) I will spew it anyway....... GET MCCABE. I got a feeling on this one. HE loves Long Island. He will get huge ovations. HE will be a big fish in a little pond. HE will bring grit and a cannon. Nolan will force him to play a more consistent Def. We still have room $$$$ wise. Compared to the ridiculous signings going on around the league $$$ wise, his contract is not that outrageous anymore!

I like the Isles signings yesterday.

Guerin has always played his heart out and is a lock for 30+ goals and he is a leader. Comrie may be the Isles version of Avery.

Comrie is not as abrasive as Avery but he is more talented and can be just as much of a jerk. LOL

I probably would have given him more than 1 year.

But, if the Isles have a down year and look to be out of a spot at deadline time, Comrie may be enough to fetch a first round pick from a contender, and that wouldn't be possible unless he had the 1 year deal.

Good rebound by Snow & Co. yesterday. If I were he Isles, I would do whatever it takes to get Souray now.

With some of the new weapons the Isles have up from, if they had Souray and MAB on the points during the PP, that would be absolutely lethal.

Hey Steady, Candyman, Merrick, Jisles, kickedinthejunk, Caesar & other classy Islander fans:

I normally don't do this but congrats on the two signings last night by Garth. It obviously turned a miserable week into Garth saving his freekin neck! Both players are bona fide good players.

Did you guys hear about the Wild trying to sign Sean Hill but have some questions about the 20 game suspension? Ex. what happens if Sean gets injured in training camp during the suspension period? Does the clock start when he is deemed "healthly"? Check this link out:
http://www.startribune.com/wild/story/1284986.html

Anyway, Garth Snow makes a save without his equipment!

TWO rangers fans in a row agree with me....uhhhh ohhhh

lol.

I agree if they put another guy at the point that would be a nice PP.

The point I made about "trading guys" at the deadline if things do not work out is huge for us. It gives us a safety valve if all else fails!

Good day. We needed it!

WHEW!

Glad these two guys are finally signed. We still need some more scorers and a solid d-man.

I've been an Islander fan for a while and those moves wreak of desperation. What a joke! I bet our owner is gonna boost ticket prices again!

Well, yes, the Isles were desperate to get some players signed. But Guerin and Comrie are good players. Guerin is a solid goal scorer and Comrie is a young player who already has a few 30-goal seasons under his belt.

I admit it feels good to have some justification for my optimism.

The line combinations are looking good in theory, but there are still a lot of variables. A lot of those guys have never been seriously tested. For a successful season, you're going to need to see Hunter, Bergenheim, Tambellini and Nielsen stepping up into some key scoring roles. One of the great things about the team last year, believe it or not, was the scoring depth. We had seven 20+ goal scorers at the end of the year. While I don't see anyone breaking the 40+ mark this year (maybe Guerin, but it's not a reasonable expectation), it would be great to see the same kind of depth from some of the kids. Bergy, Nielsen and Tambellini should all be shooting for that 20+ mark. Add Silly, Miro, Guerin and Comrie and you have seven more. Maybe Jon Sim? He had a career year with 17 last year.

On defense, it's pretty clear that we need one more solid signing to complement Witt. I don't have any strong attachment to Martinek, especially with his health issues. Dump Meyer for a pick and see if you can flush out a trade for Marty.

At the moment, it seems defensively that they're loading up on prospects that they'll try out at training camp. I wouldn't be surprised if you see the Isles trading off even Campoli or MAB in the next two months. My gut is that only Gervais and Witt are untouchable.

Go home Andy, you obviously overdosed on sugar and it has affected your mentality...

I don't see how these moves seem desperate when we get two of the better UFAs on the market and didn't pay nearly as much as teams overpaid for guys like Lang, Bertuzzi, Handzus, etc. It would have been "desperate" if we had thrown an absurd amount of money at them. These guys have publicly claimed that they are excited to come to Long Island and to play for Ted Nolan.

Steady, the one year deal for Comrie was the Isles' idea. It's not a bad situation, because it provides us flexibility and will make it easier to move him if his tenure on Long Island fails to work out.

Please, enough with the Gomez garbage. It's like arguing whether or not the sky is blue. Gomez is a GREAT player, leader, playmaker, etc. He's a winner. He's also a below-average goal scorer. I definitely wish he was on the Isles this year. But the Rags got him, and undoubtedly overpaid for him. No Rags fan can make the argument that they didn't overpay for him. The sky is blue on that one. Still a great player and still wish we had him. But at that price he didn't fit into our plan. Give it a rest.

Still need defensive help. Whoever wrote that they were satisfied with a D unit of Witt, Mart, Gerv, Camp, Spiller has lost their mind. First, forgot Bergeron. Second, until Camp/Gerv prove that they are both ready to log more minutes and more responsiability, Snow must sign quality defensive players.

I'm definitely a fan of reacquiring McCabe...

So who get the ' C " now that Yashins gone. I would like to see Sillinger be the guy.

So who get the ' C " now that Yashins gone. I would like to see Sillinger be the guy.

I agree that Sillinger is the guy.

Jim from Woodbury -

Classy post. It's appreciated. And it's exactly the tone I've been trying to convey on the Rangers blog. I disagree about Souray, though. He's too slow. Nolan really wants to ultimately build a team for speed, and Souray's horrible plus/minus reflects his slow feet.

Merrick -

You summed it up beautifully in your post from yesterday...

"I like the moves. It seems to balance the competing interests next year of putting a competitive product on the ice, letting the young guys play, and not weighing us down with long-term contracts until we have a better sense of what the kids can do and where our needs will be greatest a year ahead."

Posted by: Merrick | July 5, 2007 10:26 PM

I agree with this completely.

Steady - Good to see your early morning posts again. I'll never agree with you on McCabe, but who knows - you could be right. The short-term contracts are great for getting picks at the deadline if we're out of the playoffs, but don't forget that Guerin has a NTC. That's the only bummer from yesterday.

Otherwise... let's everybody take a long, deep breath and keep our eyes open for a few more moves. I'm positive they're in the works.

I get the feeling that they'll hold off on awarding the C until after training camp. It makes sense to see who steps up and takes control. Giving it to Guerin off the bat would be a mistake--he hasn't proven anything on Long Island yet.

After getting over the initial depression of losing half the team on 7/1, I actually like the way things are going. While everyone else is shelling out big cap hits and deals of 5-7 years on big name UFAs, the Isles are in a great position to bring in solid players and have a ton of flexibility with the roster as this season goes on and into the next several.

Haven't we seen enough of long term deals and how good they have been for us (Yashin, etc.) Lets wait until we have our own young superstar (like Dipietro) and lock them up - giving 7 years to guys like Gomez who scores 20-25 goals a year - how is that going to look in 3-4 years when they are still paying 7 mil a year to him.
Stick to the system - forget about the media, the good media will come when we start winning no matter what. Same for bad press if we don't win - no matter what.

Let MSG run the teams as they please - see the Knicks and Rangers (except last year without any flashy big expensive names) and how that has worked out for them!

Thank you for the prognostication. However, I have only scored more than 20 goals once in my career.

Gee and how have things worked out for the Islanders
these past 23 seasons?

Same as they have for the Rangers with the exception of 94, which last I checked was still 13 years ago...

-----
"He spoke very highly of the organization, and I spoke with [current Isles] Mike Sillinger and Chris Simon. Everyone had a lot of positive things to say."

That sure does make it sounds as if Simon is coming back, doesn't it?
-----

Yes- but I have thought he would, myself. Ted and Garth think he was pretty much screwed last year as far as being made an example of and overpunished, and I just dont see them cutting strings and telling him to flake off the way they are doing to Hill.

Ted and Simon also have a deep connection from knowing eachother for years and probably also from their heritage. I have no problem with that, though. IMO, if theres one guy who wont be making any more stupid hits like that, its Chris!!!

Good to see all the old crew back posting and having a smile :) !

Let's lock in a solid D man whoever it is. I want McCabe. If not him I want a THUMPER to take care of DP.

I agree with the people that we are not done yet. I still a feel a BIG trade or move is in the works. Right now we replenished what we lost (well sort of,) now let's shock the league with something else.

SHOCK AND AWE BABY.....lol

Good to hear that it was the Isles idea for the one year deals. I tip my hat to the Bobbles....Good job.
Wang must of taken hockey 101 in the off season. :)

You don't see Chris Simon making anymore stupid hits like that? was'nt this like his 6th or 7th suspension? He's a cement head. He's an insult to us why should we stand behind such an idiot?

Two interesting posts from Spector. We seem to be players for Souray and/or McCabe, and Comrie wanted to sign with Ottawa, but the team couldn't clear cap space (they needed to trade Schaefer, Corvo or Gerber to do so).

I'm not sure the Jovo deal is dead. The recent signings must make the team look much better and ,aybe the Isles pony up a little cash to comp Jovo for waiving his no-trade clause. Don't forget Garth played with Jovo in Edmonton, so there's some history there. If we can't get Jovo, McCabe, Morris Vishnevsky would be excellent additions. All of these guys are big, phyiscal, eat up minutes, skate well, block shots and can shoot from the point. Go get 'em Garth.

We don't need Simon. He's not a tough guy anymore. I'd rather give the roster spot to a young developing player.

I DO NOT get this:

Why the hell are Ranger fans here so flippin arrogant about how great their team has been compared to the Isles???

The Rags ended up only TWO STINKING POINTS ahead of The Isles, and that one point that would have pt the Isles ahead of them in the tie breaker was unfairly handed to them in the Chris Simon game, to boot!

The team that beat us in the playoffs beat the Rangers, too. The Rags really didnt accomplish ONE THING last year that the Isles couldnt do.

The Isles scored more goals than the Rangers did last year- DEAL. Oh, and the season series was 5-1-2, morons- so who was the better team???

GIVE IT UP ALREADY! I have Ranger fan friends who are seriously embarrassed by dorks like you.

HaHaHaHa I agree MetalChick...that's why I let them go on their tangents and let them proclaim themselves kings of the NHL...it's hilarious...

But...did you just say..."dorks"?????

HAHAHahahAHhAhAhH

Sweet like Candy to my soul...

HaHaHaHa I agree MetalChick...that's why I let them go on their tangents and let them proclaim themselves kings of the NHL...it's hilarious...

But...did you just say..."dorks"?????

HAHAHahahAHhAhAhH

Sweet like Candy to my soul...

All the more reason to ditch Simon He lost us that game.

The better team is the one that does'nt get knocked out in the first round of the playoffs after sqeeking in the last game of the season.

Bob ~ I respectfully disagree. You obviously did not see the last Isles ~ Flyers game (The one where Asham broke his hand in a fight right after Simon fought.) HE still can fight with the best of them.

Sign Asham also!

4cups, Snow played with Jovo in Vancouver not Edmonton. McCabe also played for the Canucks before heading for Toronto.

Jovo drove me nuts as a Canuck. Coughed up the puck a lot. I think McCabe would be a better fit and much more likely for Snow to pull off. GMs hate having no room to deal, so Toronto should be very interested in moving McCabe. And of course, McCabe's wife is from New York.

But I'd still rather Snow find players that are cheaper with a big upside.

I agree with TheMetalChick. Hopefully the Ranger trades will make for better competition with the Isles this season. If the Rangers don't stink it up early in the season again, it will be good for both teams.

Kevin T.

I definitely would like Asham to be back with us. But we don't need Simon.

I'm still sick from seeing him on our first line last season.

Kevin T.

Stink it Up! Are you suggesting that the Rangers will have a tougher time than the Isles?! Boy are you confident! OK lets see, Drury & Gomez outscore the tandem of Guerin & Comrie. You buy dinner at "Sauce" in Victoria if I'm right, otherwise I'll buy dinner at "Tavern on the Green" in Central Park!

i hear Bergenheim for McCabe is being discussed.

ROFL there is no way Guerrin & Comrie are going to outscore Drury & Gomez

rags fans eat at Burger King. get off our blog.

Sweet like Candy to my soul...
-candyman

was that a shoutout to DMB or something? lol

TheMetalChick and Steady:

You guys "conveinently" put the season series at 5-1-2 which may be true in the standings, but those two ties, which I was at both, happened to wind up as Ranger wins. One in a shootout and the other win in OT. If you were there, it was absolutely great as a Ranger fan, and COMPLETELY disheartening as an Isle fan. Plus we did only have two points more than you guys, but look at the records since the all-star break. We had the best D in the league and other than Buffalo, had the best record. You guys were about 10 points ahead of us. And yes, we lost to Buffalo, a damn good team that collapsed against Ottawa. But for the most part, I think that both Islander fans and Ranger fans can't be disappointed with last season. I think both teams went further than their expectations, respectively.

I hate the ranger$! and don't really care much for the always non threatening Isles but be realistic. there is no way Comrie & Guerrin are gonna outscore Drury & Gomez

Lodi, Shoot the Puck, etc.

Last year:
Guerin + Comrie = 56 goals
Drury + Gomez = 50 goals

Last 5 years:
Guerin + Comrie = 264 goals
Drury + Gomez = 212 goals

Enough said.

There is alot of nonsense & bickering here, it's gonna be an interesting season for all 3 locals, save the bickering til the end of the season

AKA...you lose

from hockybuzz.com....

We where the hey did this week go?

Working on my Islanders story this morning..I held off yesterday because as we saw the Islanders are making themselves better by leaps and bounds today..There is a rumour out there that the Isles are about to add a "prominent defenseman" as well today..

more big news shortly

not to mention Comrie is gonna see alot of first or second line play this year and if he ends up paired with guerin they could turn out to be a good tandem... dont think this is anything from a hockey expert but 35 goals wouldnt be out of the question and maybe the same if not a little more from guerin if he stays healthy....any thoughts?

not to mention Comrie is gonna see alot of first or second line play this year and if he ends up paired with guerin they could turn out to be a good tandem... dont think this is anything from a hockey expert but 35 goals wouldnt be out of the question and maybe the same if not a little more from guerin if he stays healthy....any thoughts?

not to mention Comrie is gonna see alot of first or second line play this year and if he ends up paired with guerin they could turn out to be a good tandem... dont think this is anything from a hockey expert but 35 goals wouldnt be out of the question and maybe the same if not a little more from guerin if he stays healthy....any thoughts?

wanna talk RIDICULOUS offers?

vanek for 50 mil over 7 years? oy vey!!

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/oilers/2007-07-06-vanek_N.htm

that sounds like a rangers contract!!!

Greg,

Any update on negotiations with Asham?

Thanks

To candyman Are you forgetting where Gomez is coming from?????? THE DEVILS, the team of "THE TRAP". anyone who knows anything about hockey knows Gomez is easily going to exceed 20 goals this season centering a line for muttonhead Jagr and still pick up 50 to 60+ assists.

srry bout that again. my computer freezes when i hit the post button sometimes

Ohhlahhlahhsassoon or Beck or dugay:

I have not brought up the 5-1-2 in quite sometime. Facts are facts. I could care less about your team until we play you. Hence the reason you will NEVER see my on your blog.

The Rangers are a non factor to me. I love the rivalry.

Again, the fact you are on our blog shows we are in your HEAD, not the other way around.

Yo Anon:

Have you noticed that there have been Hab fans, Leaf fans, Devil fans, Avs fans, & yes, Ranger fans, amoung other NHL team fans posting on "your" blog. I post on Ranger blogs, NHL.com blogs, TSN.ca blogs, Buffalo News blogs. etc. There are actually some pretty serious "hockey" fans here which is the reason why I post here. Some of you guys know your hockey, while other want to just rant back and forth with Ranger fans, which is their prerogative I guess. They call it "Freedom of Speech".

Shoot the Puck Barry:

That's the way that the team's record is shown. Wins/regulation losses/overtime losses. The Rangers' record against the Islanders was 3-4-1. There are no more ties since the shootout started.

The Rangers had an impressive second half of the season, but by any objective measure it was soft. The Islanders had soft spots in their schedule, too, but they had to run one of the most difficult gauntlets at the end of the playoff race.

I wasn't all that happy with the loss when Simon pulled his stunt, but I wasn't disheartened at all by the two OT losses. Both were well-played matches that hinged on weird, fluky goals.

Vanek is worth that much money!

Lodi,

We will all believe it when we see it. I didn't know you went to the Ms. Cleo school for under-achieving psychics.

Lodi you are fooling no one. You are a rags fan. If you are a Devils fan and are not spewing venom at Gomez, then you are nuts. The Devils are going to be horrendous next year.

i dont care what anybody says...but we need a heavyweight fighter...I would love Asham to come back but hes a middleweight...we need someone like Godard

Rumor from Hockey Buzz:

..There is a rumour out there that the Isles are about to add a "prominent defenseman" as well today..

Who are you guys thinking?

It's Me!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wanna come home!!!

You guys are gonna get Souray , I would have liked him in Newark this year

I think Vanek is awesome. He had some of the most amazing goals I ever saw last year. He has got "IT" as Parcells loves to say. The puck finds him and he knows what to do with it!

Ryan,

I was away in Ireland the last week of the season and stayed up until 3:00 AM each morning over there to see how the playoff race was panning out. I had to place freekin Euros in an Internet kiosk in the hotel lobby to get updates. Anyway, there was no way I thought that Toronto, Montreal, and Carolina would tank and the Islanders would pull off what they did. Actually, pretty impressive. But you have to admit, if the Rangers didn't get those wins over Toronto or Montreal the last week of the season, you guys wouldn't be even talking playoffs. Then again, if my aunt had b@lls she'd be my uncle.

Great signings by Snow yesterday!

Simon is not going anywhere; he's too important to Nolan.

It's going to be a fun season! Go Isles!

Bring in Jeff O'neil and David Koci. !!!

Candyman, even with me being a Rangers fan I've got to admit, you have become my favorite poster on this blog, keep it up. I love you always "sugary" signoffs.

Steady, Merrick, Cincy (Sauce on the Ranger blog), miggsey and the other regulars. Congrats on the two good signings and I like the Fedetenko signing as well. You've certainly recoverd from 7/1 when all looked lost.

Looks like we both are having pretty good off-seasons. Obviously, I like the Rangers signings a lot more than you guys (now can we please finalize the Hank contract, I'm gettin' antsy) and I'm looking forward to the season (I DON'T want Souray). I won't even address some of the ignorant Isles posters here bashing the Rangers and their lack of a "team concept". Likewise, continue to ignore TJ and other embarassing Rangers fans here who are stiring up trouble. Lets leave that until the season starts...lol.

Great move giving out 1-year contracts for the reasons steady has already covered. Looks like another great hockey season in NY, can't wait.

Anyway, haven't posted in a while (much too nice outside) but I wanted to send congrats your way after a tough couple of days.

i hope we are not trading bergy for mccabe. he is one of the only good young players we have, and we can't let the
f?>%$&g leafs out of cap trouble by doing that. mccabe is overrated, and last year he should his true form on the leafs. say no Garth. and i am glad to see all you people back on the isles band wagon.
Go Isles Go!!!!!!

Ryan-

You're kidding right? "The Rangers had an impressive second half of the season, but by any objective measure it was soft. The Islanders had soft spots in their schedule, too"?????? Are you trying to tell us that the Rangers had a "soft" schedule for the last 4 months of the season? Boy, I don't remember them playing the Bruins, Blue Jackets and Capitals every night.

Make some sense when you post, don't let ignorance get in the way when trying to slam the Rangers.

John,

I know the Islander fans hate us posting here, but how the hell are we going to sign Henrik, Shanahan, and Avery! I think we only have about $10M of cap space after letting Darius go with 2/3 of his $3M. Shanahan, 1 year, $4M to $4.5M, Avery, ~$3M, multiyear, and I'm guessing Henrik $3M +/-, multiyear. I guess we lose Hossa and maybe trade Montoya.

They better not trade Bergy for Mccabe... He is the exact player they need.

He is going to be the similar energy type player that Torres is. Torres is another player that would perfectly fit the system they are trying to develop.

Buffalo has a conference scheduled RIGHT NOW to discuss the Oilers $50M offer to Vanek! Anybody know where to get the live feed?

Troy,

Forget the leafs. We gotta concern ourselves about our own team. Don't worry about helping them get under the cap. The truth is that we are still considerably under the cap and the addition of McCabe would finally make our D unit formidable. We would instantly have one of the best 2 quarterbacks for a PP in the NHL. Most of the Isles troubles last year was special teams (the Isles couldn't score for the life of them on the PP). With Caber n Bergeron, along with PP specialist Guerin, we would overcome a huge deficiency of last year's team.

In addition, this team lacked offensive production from the backline last year. Until MAB showed, we had very few defenseman goals, although Poti put up respectable assists.

I am confident that the team will continue to work hard during 5 on 5 play.

In addition, McCabe is a former Islander who WANTS TO COME HERE. He is a former captain of the Islanders don't forget. And this is not like reacquiring Trevor Linden (a waste of a captain), because Caber is still in the prime of his career. Bergenheim might be good. He might not be. But he is definitely not the key to the Isles success this year or in future years.

How sweet it is to be loved by McCabe.

buffalo matched the offer

hey candyman, good response. i am a die hard isles fan who lives near edmonton. i am a rareity up hare, an d i daon't miss any isles gameson my dish. i know mccabe is one of our ol boys, but he struggles defensively, we don't need that. and i know its not like getting linden the bum. i do like the fact he likes the island, i am impressed he would come back. but i don't think we should let bergy go for him, i have a feeling about bergy. i thought he looked good ever since we draftted him. if we could get mccabe another way, it might be woth it, you are true, what a pp that would be.

T

You're damn right! Darcy Regier obviously felt that Vanek is more important to their team than Drury or Briere were. Steady is absolutely right about the guy. Vanek is amazing when the puck gets near him.

Mccabe...well his defense isn't that great as you said, T but his offense prowl can help us in the end..It would be great if we could get Mccabe, Boynton, Allison, and an offensive player who can give us 25 to 30 goals...The question is..can we get it done...? No matter who we would get every season, I would always remain as a loyal Isles fan...Let's go! We will flourish!

Vanek scored 40 goals in his 2nd season and hes 22, hes only gonna improve. Your looking at 100 point guy. Yea sure its earlier than you might have thought you would need to pay him but hes gonna still be in his prime when that contract ends.

TSN.ca has the list of players opting for salary arbitration. Trent Hunter of the Isles and Marcel Hossa and Sean Avery of the NYR decided to go that route. Here's the link:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?fid=7545

Does this mean trent is testing the waters?

And on Mccabe, we all like him as a player but as some of you have said we need more of a defensive defensemen. The Isles are going to be in the bottom half of the league as far as offense goes, so they need to make the defense more of a strength in front of DP. WE are going to rely on Ricky this season so we need to help him as best we can.

Now that the Isles have put the bulk of the free agent drama behind them, perhaps they can turn their attention towards Trent Hunter.

Maybe try to avoid arbitration and try to lock him up with a multi-year deal.

Hunter has shown the ability to score in the clutch, is willing to pay the price in front of the net and was among the league leaders in hits last season. His numbers have been decent, especially considering the inconsistent powerplay time he's gotten.

He could even be considered for the C or an A next season.

If the Isles love Ryan Smyth so much, there's no reason to think they aren't fond of Trent as well.

Former Disgruntled:

Nice tag. I guess the Garth bashing is over with. LOL. My guess is Trent wants to stay with the Isles but probably was offered something he feels is on the low side, so why not go to arbitration. However, since the lockout, I believe that the NHL owners have been winning most of the "decisions", but I don't blame Trent for going this route. He's definitely a "Ted-Nolan", comes to play every night, kind of player.

StPB: You're not kidding. While the Islanders were beating Toronto on Thurs 4/5, the Rangers were playing Montreal. It might be the only time I'll ever hear the chant of "Let's Go Rangers" coming out of die-hard Isles fans.

John:

I'm not really in the mood to rehash and compare the last twenty games of both teams. Some other time, maybe.

As much as most of you on here think sourays -28 is terrible....think of of PP if we had him and MAB on 2 lines fireing pucks at the next...the opposing goalies wont know what to do!

As much as most of you on here think sourays -28 is terrible....think of of PP if we had him and MAB on 2 lines firing pucks at the net...the opposing goalies wont know what to do!

It would help us more than it would hurt us

Has anyone else noticed that Trent Hunter is not listed on the Isles web site under the Roster page ??
What's going on??

Ok ok, Hockeybuzz says that the Isles are certainly on track "to add a 'prominent' defenseman" as early as today.

Go Garth go....

mick...

thats a very good question... as of last night, trent was listed on the roster page but this morning he is NOT....

i wonder if that has to do with arbitration starting today or if that is a pre-cursor to a trade happening....

i hope it is not a trade... i really like trent and i believe he is still capable of producing goals like that rookie season of his.... i think that the milbury contingent tried to convince him that he would be another bertuzzi if he just sat in front of the net and used his size... but in reality, he is better as a cycling forward taking shots from the outside and moving around... and SHOOTING! in nolan's grinder system, last season he started showing his old rookie-season self again and i think could be a perpetual 25+ goal scorer if given the ability to play his own game....

so i hope he will stay and is not on the trade block for that defenseman we are looking for.

After cautiously watching the lows of the FA frenzy and then the rebounding with Guerin and Comrie; it's safe to say Nolan has an average squad to begin rebuilding the club. If we want another D, trust me that McCabe is not the answer. He makes MAB look like a sure bet in the defensive zone. A little more tinkering, a few more signings and one possible big trade would have us right back in the playoff hunt while still building around the youth of DP, Tambellini, Gervais and Campoli.

UH OH. Blake win sf you are right. Hunter is not there anymore. I really hope they are not trading him.

trent isnt listed right now because he is a RFA....hes filed for arbitration yest...dont worry hes gonna stay an islander

i find it amazing that no one sees the absolute necessity to have simon (and asham) in the lineup every night, considering ottowa smacks us around every time, the rags try to.the ducks won the cup this year with about 3 or 4 players in double digit fighting majors. lets not build up this great line up and then get knocked off the puck every night! we need to bring back some old time islander hockey. remember when we were one of the only teams that were able to stand up to the broad street bullies back in the 70's?? i don't, but i've herad about it! whos this broodbank guy that we got from detroit? maybe he can help on this front

With Bergeron already back there making me sweat with his defense, adding McCabe would be a mistake. He is another player who is shaky on defense. We are never going to have a high powered offense, so we need to concentrate on adding solid defenseman back there. Hill & Witt, before they got burned out and caught taking the roids kept us in the season last year more than anyone on offense. That is how we are going to win - solid smart responsible defensemen, and I don't think McCabe really fits that mold...

Trent Hunter is not going anywhere. There was an interview with his agent in Newsday and he stated that going to arbitration is not a big deal. He said both Trent and the Isles are fine with it.

Look for Snow to lock Hunter up for 4 or 5 years after the award is announced or perhaps avoid it and get the deal done after the hearing.

The more I think about it, I am guessing that Satan is the odd man out here. A package of Satan plus Meyer or Campoli amy bring us the D man we need. I think Nolan liked what he saw in Gervais, so one of the other two has to go.

I would rather keep Campoli and offer Satan and Meyer for a D man

John - Thanks for the callout. And thanks for the congrats on our UFA moves. I've spent some time on the Rangers blog trying to spin the Gomez and Drury signings to the negative (and I do honestly think you overpaid Gomez and WILL have cap trouble and trouble with Avery's arb and an offer sheet for Henrik), but I'm obviously envious that you got BOTH of them. Sheesh!!! Always good to hear from you.

Everyone should keep in mind that the UFA fireworks are far from over. Edmonton issue the offer sheet on Vanek, not because they thought they'd get him, but because they wanted to establish a VERY HIGH RFA value for players going into arbitration. When the arb awards are huge and the teams with no cap room can't afford them, we'll see some trades. Watch out for offer sheets on Parise and maybe Avery and Lunqvist. Avery could get an arb ruling for maybe 4.0 million, and Henrik's could be at least 5.0 million, if not more (he was a Vezina finalist, and look at what Gigure got). Thinks could get dicey for our friends just west of the East River.

The Isles would be stupid to trade Campolli.

Not going to happen.

They sign Oneil and Boynton they are in great shape. I'd pu them as the dark horses to win the division next year.

we should get Boynton and Allison

Berg Allison Guerin
Fedtoneko Comrie Satan
Hunter Sillinger Hilbert
Park Bates Sim

G

We sign another center Bates is looking to be the odd man out. Tambellini looks to be making the jump this year.

If Sean Bentivoglio continues his point per game production in the AHL he'll be moving up to. Believe it or not, the Isles have a really great collection of prospects and I think some may see some time this year.

Caesar:

Certainly you would think that the pundits would rank them higher than #30 to begin the season, as they did last year. Hell, that was a slap in my face as an Islanders fan, I can only imagine how it motivated Nolan and the team.

Cincy:

If the arbitrator was watching what Avery did for the Rag$$$' fortunes last year, then expect a big payday. I completely agree with you that the Ranger$$$ could be in a bind. My buddy is a big Rag fan and he says that he's done the math and it will all work out (remember they have Kasparaitis coming off the books). I cannot believe that the Rag braintrust would KNOW they were going to sign Drury/Gomez, and have to resign three vital RFAs (Avery/Lundqvist/Shanahan) and manage to screw it up. Unfortunately I think they'll probably end up all right from a financial standpoint.

Cincy:

I have this gut feeling that your not too far from reality about Avery & Henrik! Shanahan might be signing close to home with the Maple Leafs if they are forced to match some riducolous offer sheets for Avery & Henrik! I think the Rangers need to keep both. Although I'm shocked the $Rags didn't sign Shanahan way before the UFA period began! I even bought a Shanahan Jersey at the last playoff game against Buffalo @ MSG. Say it aint so Joe!

Souray deal done...but?
UPDATE 2:25PM: If there is no announcement of Souray today that means he is off to the Island and New York will announce it on Monday. Although do not expect this to be the case. The Devils have pretty much close the door on this deal and locked it up.

UPDATE 2:04PM: From a source: Islanders close to signing Sutton, Devils deal with Souray appears to be done.

TNL NOTE: Sutton now appears to be the defenceman the Isles were close to getting. But if anything should fall through expect a vise-vera action where Sutton goes to the Devils and Souray to the Isles. But at this point it doesn't look like Souray to the Devils will fall through.

The first saga of the free agent frenzy may have finally come to an end. Sources tell The NHL Line, that New Jersey Devils General Manger Lou Lamoirello may have put the final touches on a deal with Unrestricted Free Agent defenceman Sheldon Souray. If so, Souray will agreed to a contract worth within the range of $5.5 million to $6.5 million. The length of the contract is still a little blurry but it appears to be a 5-year deal.

The New York Rangers tried to clear cap space to bring in the former Hab but couldn't get it done. Latest reports suggested Broadway as Souray's most desired place to play in, followed by New Jersey.

....got this from nhlline.ca

What a crazy few days it has been since the free agency window opened. I have to admit I was suprised at how big these offers to the top free agents were. The Vanek thing completely blew me out of the water. What is Pitt going to have to pay Crosby and I'm sure they won't be able to keep all of their young players like Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Fleury so they'll have to make a run while they have them.

I'm glad the cap is in place as you can see how hog wild the Rangers went with Gomez and Drury, now they are going to have to fit their UFA's under the cap and are unable to close the deal for Souray because of the cap. Didn't the NHL shut down operations because of this type of spending?

I do have to admit, like most Isles fans, I was a little bummed about the lack of a Smyth signing or the rest of the big UFA's, but I've always liked Billy Guerin's game and was a big fan of Comrie (especially the way the game is played now). In Guerin we get a proven goal scorer and leader. Between him, Sillinger and Witt, I'm very happy with the veteran presence on the team.

Hopefully Snow can fortify the defense because our goaltending will be very good next year with a healthy DiPietro. I like the way the team is taking shape, all while not wrecking their cap. It has been interesting though.

I'm not so sure I like the idea of Souray playing here. He's kinda slow and not very good at playing Defense.

I'd be happy with Boynton and Sutton. Both can do the fundamental part of the job just fine. If Boynton learns to gain some control of his shot, get it on net, the Isles have a steel. I think Boynton is a better skater than both Sutton and Souray.

Snow's shopping list should be Boynton Sutton and Oneil. They get Oneil they are awesome up the middle. Three centers that can score a minimum of twenty goals. That would give a team that can roll three lines effectivly with the guys on wing.

Boynton and Sutton would do great to clean off the bodies they try to pile on DP.

Are you guys shot?....boynton is so much slower than souray and he has no slapshot

I was always under the impression, for as long as I've been playin hockey, that having 3 mobile puck moving defenseman paired with 3 stay at home type defenseman was a great way to go.

So far I would classify Witt & Martinek as the stay at home type, while Bergeron is undoubtedly a puck-mover, along with Camp/Gerv (Gerv might have a little stay at home type in him). So that leaves room for 1 defensive D-man and 1-offensive D-man. Let's say we got Souray & Sutton (or likewise Defensive D-man)

Imagine the parings of...

Witt/Souray
Martinek/Camp-Gerv
Sutton/MAB

Come on, that would be an sick D unit. It'd be better than a Gumdrop rainstorm.

If all the raindrops were lemmon drops and gumdrops, oh what a rain that would be.

Don't be so down on not signing Smyth, he sold Comrie on the Islanders.

Truthfully Smyth's not a first line player, he's a good support player but we saw him play, he looked like Parrish in front of the goal, but speed, shot, was not that of a six million dollar player.

You can write a lot of things about Kevin Lowe and a lot of things he has no control over but one is he knows his talent and when it's time to move the veterans because it's not going to get better. He was right about Smyth, just as he was on Niinimaa, Carter and a lot of players he simply knew were closer to decline that had played their best hockey..

I'll take Guerin for two than Smyth for six.

souray is overrated...

he is a defenseman that decided last season to be a forward instead... and his defensive game suffered.... yeah he scored 26 goals but was a -28... its like putting a forward into a defensemans position. the only team souray would be a boon to is new jersey, which is where it looks like he is going to end up. there his offensive talents will be extra gravy and lou will force him to play defense simply by using the system.

for us it would be a defensive nightmare, 20-something goals or not.

if souray was doing his job as a blueliner, his offense wouldnt exist.

Disgruntled;

Boynton is not slow. Read the scouting report on him. Having watched him in Boston I concur.

He's the best steal for the money out there. Not to mention those that want "Nolan Type" guys he is the prototypical "Nolan Type". Better yet, he is an "Islander Type" player with good speed and physical play. He can pretty much do everything put has problems getting his shot on net.

Think Vladimir Makalkhov with physical play added in.