The handwriting has been on the wall for the past couple seasons regarding the demise of Shawn Bates’ Islanders career. The Islanders are expected to make it official Friday morning when they announce their decision to buy out the remaining year of his contract.
Bates was scheduled to make $1.2 million, but under NHL buyout provisions, he will receiver two-thirds of that amount in equal installments of $400,000 spread over the next two seasons. Last season, Bates appeared in only two games, and he was limited to 48 games the previous season by a groin injury and hernia surgery.
Islanders general manager Garth Snow portrayed the move as another step toward a youth movement. “It was a tough decision because Shawn was a great Islander, and he scored some pretty big goals in the past,” Snow said. “It was a decision based primarily on creating a spot on the roster for a younger player.”
Snow said Bates is 100 percent healthy and has been training in Boston. But there’s only so much room on the current roster, and the 33-year-old Bates didn’t fit in. He spent the past six seasons of his 10-year career with the Islanders and will be remembered most of all for the 2001-02 season, when he scored a career-high 17 goals and 52 points and topped it off by scoring the first playoff penalty-shot goal in club history in the Islanders’ Game 4 win over Toronto in their first-round series.
The following season, Bates led the NHL with six short-handed goals, and as recently as the 2005-06 season, he totaled 15 goals, including a team-high four gamewinners. But he slowed noticeably the past two seasons and had trouble staying on the ice with his injuries.
Snow listed veterans Mike Comrie and Mike Sillinger as the top two centers for the coming season and said Richard Park and Andy Hilbert have the flexibility to play center or winger, and youngsters Frans Nielsen and Ben Walter will battle for a regular shift in the middle. There’s also a possibility the coaching staff could try using winger Blake Comeau in the pivot.
Asked if he believes the Isles are strong enough in the middle, Snow said, “All along, our plan has been to go with some younger players, and this creates more playing time for some of our younger players.” Snow followed that same logic when he decided earlier in the week to pass on the chance to acquire injury-prone veteran center Kyle Wellwood on waivers. Wellwood wound up in Vancouver.
Comments (37)
Hate to see Batesy go, but I love that the Islanders are finally deciding to completely rehaul the team and go with a youth movement.
the islanders are gonna suck for a while
just because he's been bought out doesn't mean he's gone - as evidence by recent discussion af bringing yashin back (if they do bring yashin back I would have to become a rags fan) Too bad they cound't trade him and get something in return - even something like a 3rd round draft pick next year.
hope silly can teach all the kids faceoff's.
Garth : this is good news about Bates ..... Sorry about calling for your head last Friday! Nice poker face, I'm impressed, hasn't wiped out the Smyth trade, but you are looking much better.
If you don't know already ... here it is .... the Isles ... ARE NOT!! Bringing back Yashin ... both Greg Logan and Garth Snow has said that ... the whole story started only because Yashin's agent said he discussed Yashin's return to the Isles ... his tactic to get Yashin's name out in NHL circles ... Greg Logan the writer of the article and the admin of this blog has repeated and even mentioned it in the orginal article ... that it wasn't confirmed with the Isles .... and Garth Snow said after ... all they did was answer the phone and listen .... and it never went beyond that .... so forget about Yashin .... he's not in the plans.... but if you love the Rags that much ... by all means ... go over to the dark side.
---------------------------------------
Shawn Bates .... you gave us some thrilling moments and you were a real gamer .... I was at game 4 when you scored that shoot out goal and lost my voice trying to hear myself scream above that roof raising fandamonium ... you rocked the house .... good luck ... some team is going to pick you up ... wish you the best ... except against the Islanders.
just another sign of rebuilding and going with YOUTH. a good move by Snow and the Isles. the penalty shot vs the Leafs in the Playoffs is legend. good luck sean, except against the Isles.
Bates is gone....
Say good bye to Bates.....HE'S DONE...
Let's move on.
The guy's a friggin millionaire....fuhget him...
GONE.
Back to the future.
Whenever I watch a replay of that penalty shot goal on U-tube I still get goose bumps, but this was long over due ...he got a contract by MM right before he left and probably should have never gotten that ...
Next season is obviously going to be rough - BUT - it was going to be rough regardless! Might as well play some youth and see what they've got while giving them some real experience.
I like what Snow is doing ...
Why can't they have a team with youth and experience. Like the other teams in the Division. Have a team with half vets and half kids. If anyone thinks this will be a team of 20 kids, they are kidding themselves (no pun intended).
They are going to be a team of youth and vets. Sillinger, Guerin, Comrie, Simm, Witt, Park, Hunter, Marty, Sutton and even DP at this point is more a vet than a kid. That's almost half the roster, the other half will be kids. I'm probably leaving some names off, but I have not had my coffee yet.
Best of luck to Bates. A good Islander who left behind some good memories. Snow did the right thing both for the team and the player. Bates would have sat in the pressbox all year, this way he gets a chance to go and look for a job. Maybe he will end up in Russia, they seem to be hiring.
I'm relieved to see Bates go from the standpoint of what's good for the Isles. That being said, Batesy was a good Islander and fun to watch. We'll all remember him for his penalty shot goal but I think also his whooping of Darcy Tucker was a fine moment (while Cairns unloaded on Corson). That kid had heart. I hope he can finally get healthy and maybe hook on in Boston.
As for "just because he's been bought out doesn't mean he's gone - as evidence by recent discussion af bringing yashin back"
As I said a few weeks ago, Snow and Wang were very close friends with Yashin and I assume they were just allowing him to throw his name into the media spotlight for PR at their expense. We never saw one Isles official say anything about this until Snow said he 'wished Yashin well'. Still people complained about the move that would never happen. Bates isn't coming back.
In the meantime, the Isles have an issue. We sit at around $31 million in team salary (plus about $3 for qualifiers). That means we have about 5-6 million we must spend just to hit the league minimum. We're actually going to be forced into the buyers market. Does this make a McCabe move more likely? Doubt it. Still, we're going to have to pick up someone now.
Id be excited about the youth movement IF we had legit talent. We dont.
kman ~ yeah I saw that about the league minimum ... that is going to KILL some small market teams that were getting by with the league minimum and still putting out competitive teams .... The chit chat on xm radio prior to the draft was seeing the league minimum bump up to about $38M or so ... but that extra $2M will alter some team's plans and force some higher offers to RFA's & UFA's .... I'm sure that the NHLPA and player agents are happy about that.
All that being said ... I'd figure the Isles would hit around $41 - $42M anyway ... so it probably doesn't affect Snow's budget plans that much.
Teams just getting healthier ... especially Canadian teams on the weak US $ are not going to be able to fly under the $40M mark anymore.
Good Luck Shawn.
So, it looks like Sillinger is going to be the No 2 center. Nielsen and Walter are going to fight for a spot, and Hilbert and Park are going to have fourth line roles.
There are so many holes in that I don't know where to begin.
Is Sillinger really ready to play 18mins with guys like KO and Bergy? I hope that hip was bionic.
Park and Hilbert sould not BOTH be on the team in October. My vote is for Park becasue he does so much so well. If they can get a third rounder for Hilbert...
Nielsen and Walter both need a chance. Nielsen has played tough every time he's had a chance. Walter needs 15 games as the ONLY 3rd line center to see if he can make it. Sillinger, most certainly does not need September. He should start the season on the IR and let Nielsen and Walter iron out that competition. Neither one of those guys are going to want to spend another year in Bridgeport... especially when you drafted two centers, and one could make the team by Xmas.
garth, make a true commitment to youth. See what you can get for Hilbert and Sillinger, then make Hossa an offer he can't refuse without outwardly saying he doesn't want to play under a circus tent.
No matter who is on the ice, you can't count this team out. I think Nolan proved that last year.
JP ~ The problem for Snow regarding the Walter / Nielsen issue is that they can't be sent back to Bridgeport this year without exposing them to waivers. If Silly is healthy .... then he also has to stay up... no IR ... maybe they can play that card if he's marginal ... I'm not sure.
Regarding offering up Hilbert or Silly on the trading block ... well ... I'm not so confident the Isles will get 3rd round picks for either one of them at this stage ... and keep in mind ... the Isles have to meet the salary cap floor of $40.7M ... assuming the qualifiers the Isles made are accepted .... that still leaves the Isles short ... so they have to plug the payroll by going to FA .... so I'm not sure how this affects the kid movement.
About having two of the centers we drafted by xmas? No go on that .... Trivino is committed to BU ... and needs a good 30 lbs of weight added to his frame .... and Bailey is in the OHL ... which means ... once he's down there ... he cannot be recalled by the team ... I think he'd actually have to quit outright ... .I'm not exactly sure how that works .... but I don't see that happening as there is a lot of political BS that goes along with that ... Junior teams and leagues don't mind being a development training ground for future NHL's .... but they don't appreciate NHL teams poaching their prospects from Juniors in mid-season ... the Isles got a bit of a black eye in the PR dept. when KO left the UoM in that little pissin' match between Snow and UoM coach Lucia last December prior to the WJHC ... I know that Trivino is definitely not going to play with the Isles this year ... and Bailey has a very small chance ... and is probably better off being captain of the Spitfires and having another year of development .... we'll deal with the prospect of him starting up on the Isles next season for realistic expectations.
No. 2 center playing as a No. 1
No. 3 center playing as the second line pivot.
What could possibly go wrong?
I think Hilbert may also be the next guy to go. Remember, Colliton was also qualified, and he's a penalty killer as well. I think it will have to depend on how training camp goes.
Bottom line is that we have enough money to make some good acquisitions in the FA market. But some players will definitely be moved during camp.
sec. 208 | June 27, 2008 10:39
No. 2 center playing as a No. 1
No. 3 center playing as the second line pivot.
What could possibly go wrong?
OH NOES!!!!!!!
Same joke, from the last three years!!!!!!
We're Doomed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tavares or Hedman, great compensation for a bad year. ;)
Hilbert may be of interest to Pittsburgh. No joke. He had some decent stats there and they could use him in light of the impending departure of Malone and the assets they gave up for Hossa.
Anybody read Botta's blog lately...sounds like McCabe will help with the floor issues, maybe not this year, but certainly in the future...
Seeing the Regier reminds me of another Regier ... Steve Regier .... what is his status? At one time he was a good big winger with offensive upside?
I know he's getting up there in age .... and still looking for his NHL point as he hasn't produced when called up over the years.
Seems like another LWer with production issues when he's being called up.
Then their is Jesse Joensuu... another large sized left winger in our system ... however all i've heard about him was that he was huge as a kid ... but his skating and shot are suspect.
Prospects are just that ... prospects ... we put a lot of emphasis on what the scouts said about them when they were 17 and 18 ... but as 505 has said before ... the proof is in the pudding.
We can say all we want about Filatov vs. Bailey ... or Schenn for that matter ... but until these kids fulfill their development in a few years .... we should just hold judgement. That includes both accolades or damnation of Snow's draft selections.
D-$ ... I read Botta's blog ... he's right ... but as he suggested ... the Isles have to pretty much dress down TO ... can't help them out of their situation.
Darcy ... I thought of shipping back Hilbert to Pitt myself ... is there any other prospects we can get from them besides a draft pick?
I think a 4th round draft pick might be the best one can expect to receive for Hilbert.
"Snow followed that same logic when he decided earlier in the week to pass on the chance to acquire injury-prone veteran center Kyle Wellwood on waivers. Wellwood wound up in Vancouver."
What? Wellwood's 25...Nielson and Walter are both 24. I guess technically that's "younger," but it's not like Wellwood is some grizzled 35 year-old vet while Nielson and Walter are 20 year-olds.
Injuries are the issue with Wellwood, of course, but he certainly has more offensive upside than any center on the Isles roster. No use dwelling on it now, but it wouldn't have been a bad chance to take, imo. It'd just be nice to see Nolan get some reclamation projects that at least have the talent to flourish instead of another group of Vasiceks, where it's like trying to draw blood from a stone as far as harnessing offensive skill.
Nystrom resigns with Calgary
Hey Garth- DO SOMETHING TO MAKE THIS TEAM BETTER! YOUR LIKE GREG LOGAN - USELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAKE UP!
HEY MITCHELL, GO BACK TO SLEEP. THIS TEAM IS ON A YOUTH MOVEMENT/REBUILD RIGHT NOW. THEY ARE NOT PLAYING TO WIN A CUP, OR MAKE PO'S. TEAM WILL BE BETTER WHEN SOME OF OUR YOUTH STEP UP. GO BACK TO SLEEP UNDER YOUR ROCK!!!!!!!
Every Team should be shooting to make the playoffs, not tank the following season to get a high draft pick - The Isles would just trade down anyway
Bye bye Bates. He was a good Islander, showed flashes of skill and heart while being solid in all areas. Only problem was they were only flashes and he never really became great in any one area. He was enigma like Park is to me now. He could sometimes stickhandle through three players and was great at pouncing on mistakes when they were short handed. But then he seemed to go through periods where he was just a grinder and killing penalties. I really wanted him to turn a corner but his best moment was definitely the penalty shot goal in the playoffs and thats about it.
Good luck Sean.
Brian G:
You clearly are bitter (as most of us are from time to time). But Snow has brought plethora of picks from this passed draft and has two extra picks already in the next one. I doubt if they had a shot at top 3 talent (especially Tavares) they would be trading down this time. Especially since he would fit right in with the 3-5 year to challenge plan.
ESPN has written that Ryder might be a good fit here as a nice change of scenery. What do you guys think are the chances?
"There’s also a possibility the coaching staff could try using winger Blake Comeau in the pivot."
AHEM!!!!!!
BEE-YOO-TE-FULL
Let me know where to send the check for Comeau's tuition at the Trottier/Sillinger Centerman Summer Camp.
Answered my own question regarding Steve Regier ... Is;es didn't make a qualifying offer ... so shedding another piece of our not so successful early decade draftees.
---------------------------
Yeah 505 ... I read that ... Silly/Trotts face off academy ... Trotts alone could turn him into a 55% + face off artist.
Face off 101 - How to cheat on the face off and get away with it?
The fact that the Isles have not reached the league floor speaks volumes. It means that Snow has targeted a couple of UFA's or RFA's and that he has the money in his budget. To me this means he must be pretty confident that he can sign a couple of players. Elsewise how is he going to make up the difference?
One way is to fall back onto Bryan McCabe. Snow and Fletcher may have made some type of "gentlemans agreement" at the draft
as part of the trade down. If Snow cannot sign the players he targets, perhaps McCabe and his 6 million dollar salary then fall into his lap. By the way, McCabe's salary drops down to 4 million
something after this year. Perhaps a McCabe for Sillinger could be arranged, since Sillinger only has one year left and may retire anyway. It would seem a good fit for both teams.
Another alternative is Schneider, who the Ducks cannot afford since Neidermayer has committed to playing next year. Having Schneider become available has given Snow an advantage on Fletcher since he now has an alternative to McCabe.
As I said before, two free agents are coming and a trade is also on it's way.........Sir William
Cross Langkow and Nystrom off the wish list, signed with Flames today. I agree with Sir WIlliam about the cap issue. I hope/feel mostly hope that it will yield us some free agent fish
Sir William: Will you loan me your crystal ball for the weekend. I am hitting the casino tomorrow night and would like to know what numbers will be lucky for me. In all seriousness you have very valid points and I hope to see a couple deals myself.
Grit. Heart. Character. These 3 words are on the home page of our beloved team. They are also the 3 words I would use to describe Bates. I would've kept him if he came to camp at 100%. He was supposedly in good shape recently. Has the league become that young that the excuse to dump Shawn was he's now 33? That must mean we only have Sillinger and Guerin primarily to chaperone road trips and to sign as a legal guardian for the "kids" at hotels. A youth movement is not terrible...when its done in increments. To save money, Reebok should just make us reversible jerseys, NYI on the outside, Bridgeport on the inside. Garth, I love Guerin and Sillinger to death, but, let them finish their careers with a team that won't be battling for next years first overall pick. I also love the way Hunter was thanked for his service with a 5 year extension. By letting the only 2 linemates that clicked last year walk. Say what you will about Fedotenko and Vasicek. They played real well at the end last year when they got put on the same line. Not for nothin', but Vasicek was pretty damn good in the faceoff circle too. Yet another stat our team needs help with. The first being someONE to be able to make it to 30 goals or more. What I don't understand, is if it was already known Fedotenko, Vasicek, Bates, Spiller, Reiger, Johnson were not going to be back, why were they not traded at the deadline or for draft day? We probably could have traded down enough to control the seventh round! I'm not knocking Garth for the draft...yet. Time will tell, as in every draft. Scott Scissions? Brett Lindros? What I REALLY want to know is, why did we pass over Jared Staal TWICE in the second round? I know the scouts said he's not as good as his brothers, but still, how bad does everyone think he can be? He gets to work out and train with his 3 NHL starter brothers in the offseason. He's gotta learn something. Whatever, I'm not an NHL scout for a reason. Can Alan Hahn come back to cover this team? Just curious. That guy was great at his job....
Unfortunate buyout...but one that needed to get done
Why does so many people have their jock all up in a bunch about Bates?
I loved the guy. He's not Shawn Bates circa 2002-3 or even 4 for that matter.
He had a sports hernia injury. Even recovered he'll never be the same.
BTW. Todd Bertuzzi was just bought out by the Ducks. So Shawn's in good company.
How about picking him up after he clears waivers tomorrow morning? Then he becomes a UFA. I threw that at 19 Isles at practice tonight. He's not sure going back to the future is the best thing. But these kids can use a mentor like Big Bert. A power forward with a mean streak. These kids are gonna get torn up if the roster resembles what it is right now.
Chris in SC. Listen. Regarding Staal. Going with your logic every player that works out with a star should become one too?
That would mean about 90% of the NHL's draft picks and mid level players would become stars.
Most of hockey is in the mind. It's your quick thinking and ability to process the information faster than your opponent and have your body in the condition to perform those moves at high speed that sets players apart. Jared just might not have that in him.
Our coach told us tonight. Hockey players are the rocket scientists and astrophysists of the sports world. All jokes aside he's not far off.
505. 19 Isles said to me after our coach said that. That you'd really appreciate what our coach said. He was cracking up. What's the inside joke? I don't get it. Are you some sort of rocket scientist? 19 Isles wouldn't let me off the hook.