Newsday hurting Islanders perception

New York Islander Fan Central | 6/30/2008 07:50:00 AM | | |
Since we have nothing from Newsday to talk about today like all the major hockey centric markets that do not have Yankees-Mets all over the paper I thought NYI Fan Central would have a little fun and see if other teams writers were reporting no one wanted to sign with those clubs as hard as Newsday/Greg Logan has pushed this viewpoint since Garth Snow last summer talked about the lockeroom area after the first day of free agency?

Of course for those who recall the actual article this was one issue with some free agents after the gm was shutout on day one of free agency despite Garth Snow making up for it quickly signing Bill Guerin, Mike Comrie, Andy Sutton, Ruslan Fedotenko, Josef Vasicek, shortly after those comments and Brendan Witt, Mike Sillinger, Tom Poti ect signing the previous year.

Now we have Kristian Huselius not being able to sign within seven minutes as more proof free agents want to come to New York.

What gets lost in all the negativity and spin is going back through team history in unrestricted free agency it's more than fair to write the last two summers have been the clubs best ever compared to the days Mike Stapleton or one of the Ferraro twins were all Mike Milbury could find using his corporate bicycle.

If no one wants to sign with the New York Islanders as Newsday pushes on the fans as often as possible after four playoffs in six years of course there must be a lot of team beatwriters printing the same thing about those teams being that many of them have not even approached the Isles marginal success on the ice?

I thought I would take a look.....

Lets start with the Buffalo News because here no doubt John Vogl or Bucky Gleason (if he still updates on a regular basis) somewhere will tell us that after the team lost almost all its star UFA players last summer and missed the playoffs this year the Sabres as a signing destination is about as attractive today as the old Buffalo Aud which is now set for demolition to begin in October 2008?

Nope.

Carolina Hurricanes beatwriter Luke DeCock in the News observer after an epic collapse where they failed to make the playoffs that here would never have been forgotten come July 1st here must be telling his readers it's highly unlikely anyone would be interested in signing with the Canes?

Sorry, not quite.


How about the Los Angeles Kings, a team that made it's management changes the same summer Charles Wang hired two general managers and Ted Nolan, who already fired Marc Crawford and seem no closer to contention? Surely Eric Stephens or Lisa Dillman will report to it's readers no one will want to sign and be part of a club like that here.

Afraid not.

Ok, so no doubt the Atlanta Thrashers who traded Marian Hossa when they could not apparently resign him, had a terrible season from beginning to end with Bob Hartley's firing who just hired the Isles AHL counterpart to Steve Stirling in John Anderson will not be an attractive destination for free agents as Mike Knobler will report here especially especially after Don Waddell took an even bigger gamble than Garth Snow when he traded for Keith Tkachuk and lost Braydon Coburn?

Nope. Mr Kobler even apologized to his readers for only a few days off from blogging while our newspaper blogger................back on topic.

All right, so in Florida there is absolutely no doubt after Olli Jokinen had to be traded to Phoenix and with years of the prospect movement plan not producing a single playoff spot since the Clinton administration with a general manager/coach tandem who has done a terrible job (Jacques Martin) who just hired an inexperience coach (Peter Deboer) that just bought out Jozef Stumpel beatwriter Brian Biggane
here must be telling his readers signs have been posted for future generations warning fans no one will sign with the Panthers at any point much less come July 1st 2008?

Sorry, not here.

In fact, Mr Biggane reported a few days ago in his blog former Leaf Wade Belak was trying to get Mats Sundin to come down and work on his tan year round here and sign with the Panthers.

All right, so Steve Gorten in the Sun-Sentinel broke the bad news to Panther fans here because Mr Biggane did not have the heart to right?

Wrong.

Our friends in Columbus who signed Michael Peca last summer who have never seen a playoff game and even were criticized a little for drafting Nikita Filatov who just had Adam Foote escape from Columbus quicker than Kurt Russell absolutely would have beat reporters Aaron Portzline, Tom Reed, and columnist Michael Arace telling Blue Jacket fans in the paper/blog here here that there is no chance any major free agents will be signing with Columbus on July 1st, right?

Wrong again.

All right, here's one team for sure, the one that just lost one of it's owners who did his John Spano impersonation and has been a club rumored to leave for several years and had to give away some of it's players to Philadelphia a year ago
here absolutely no doubt John Glennon told his readers given the circumstances unrestricted free agents will not be signing to play for the Nashville Predators any time soon?

No dice.

So there we have it folks, lots of clubs, all with some very tough circumstances on and off the ice and not one of those beatwriters have been pushing on the public the view point no one wants to sign there. In fact, I could not find anything this week where anyone came close to making that point.

Only our friends at Newsday.

It just begs the question what's going on at Newsday with their coverage of the New York Islanders?

Wonder if Mr Wang sent in the check for advertising at Newsday early for all the staffs good job keeping people away?

Updated 10:30am
It looks like I found another beatwriter in North America who will say their club is not an easy sell to free agents here as Ed Willes in the Vancouver Province reports.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Of course you can bet Mr Willes does not do articles like this as often as Newsday.