Coliseum Asbestos Issues Could Be A Problem--Or Nothing

Updated Saturday PM:
Nbc New York: Released a video on New York State, and Federal Investigators doing an investigation of asbestos issues at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

"The Islanders expect that the building owner, Nassau county and the building facility manager, SMG will review the allegations and take any and all appropriate action. The safety of our fans, players and employees is paramount."

-Islanders senior vice-president, Michael Picker.

NYIFC Comments:
Interesting, however this likely means absolutely nothing.

If events/hockey games are cancelled there is a problem.

Just to refresh folks memory Msg had to cancel a game last season because of asbestos related issues here.

What's also mildly interesting here are the Islanders, (the primary tenant), commented before Nassau County, (owner), who are responsible for capital repairs to the Coliseum with possible lawsuits, (not Smg), who manage the facility and are only responsible for minor repairs.

Some will recall on 7/10/2011 the Nassau legislature approved four million dollars in repairs/upgrades.

It would be presumptuous/speculation at best connecting Smg announcing they were bringing in a new general manager for the Coliseum to book events a few weeks ago here as a sign the Isles want out of their sublease based upon this.

Bottom Line:
The New York Islanders can opt of their sublease without an asbestos issue, we all know Mr Wang's comments on honoring his lease. The team has given no indication they want out of their sublease.

If that were to happen, the Isles could move immediately only if Nassau County approved such a request. Smg would receive it's money through 2015.

Recently this blog did an entry with links to the sublease agreement.

The Islanders letter to ticket holders also give the impression once again they are ready to upgrade Nassau County's facility at their own expense, teams wanting out of a sublease don't spend money for their landlord.

In the event the Coliseum were closed for an extended period due to this issue it does Charles Wang's Marriott hotel harm financially.

If this becomes a major issue it forces Nassau/Mangano to perhaps put this back in the taxpayers laps without referendum, done behind closed doors as all other local teams received.

New York Resigns Evgeny Nabokov

Islanders website: Announced goaltender, Evgeny Nabokov has agreed to terms on a one-year contract for the 2012-13 season.

“I’m thrilled to commit to this team for next season,” Nabokov said. “We have a great group in the locker room of young, talented players and we’re heading in the right direction. I’m excited to have the chance to help get this team back to the playoffs.”

“Evgeni has proven that he can still play at an elite level in the NHL,” Islanders General Manager Garth Snow said. “He’s given us a chance to win every night and we’re excited to have him back for another season.”

NYIFC Comments:
The ultimate sign many of those in professional media circles create issues for their own profile without really knowing anything about the circumstances.

This was a player two summers ago who did not take Ed Snider's money in Philadelphia and went to the KHL.

Another huge endorsement of this teams management, Nabokov had options this summer.

This was a player the Islanders forced to play here this season for only five hundred thousand dollars. His contract was tolled, he could have come here with a horrible attitude, and was not given the starters role out of camp.

He got his chances, got hurt again, returned and finally the rust came off his game and management saw the durable goaltender he was in San Jose.

We also saw something else, a player who looked like he was enjoying his time here and wanted to stay with some excellent prospect goaltenders management needs to make some tough decisions on.

This could backfire next year, not a lot of players are as durable as Dwayne Roloson
was in his forties, but on paper it's the right signing for this franchise at this time.

Long term, not sure what this means for Poulin, Nabokov, Koskinen besides someone's going to be moving on but that would have happened anyway.

Can make no projection on Al Montoya or Rick DiPietro beyond one is signed, the other is a free agent.

New York 5, Toronto 2: Individual Progress Not Team Building

So do we double-down after Saturday, again beating up an Islander team that won, despite giving up a season low in shots against, plus closing out the game very well?

Afraid so.

With respect to PA Parenteau, who made an excellent rush, or Moulson to give the Isles the 3-2 lead with his usual great work in front, it was far from a good team effort against a tired club that lost 8-0 the night before.

I watched the 2010-11 New York Islanders play out the second half and came away convinced that very hard working team was something built to last, despite the late season wave of continued injuries before they finally fell back.

I see nothing happening here aside from the natural progression of individuals, or anything positive on a team level that will carry over to 2012-13.

The Isles breakdowns were noticeable, the Leafs having the extra man around the pucks in the walls/corners stood out the most even when they did not get shots.

Both New York goals before Moulson scored illustrate where I'm going.

Center Josh Bailey returned from injury and was placed on right wing, where he scored some recent goals and many started forgetting he is a center. Now the last two games he's on left wing where he started as a rookie?

Despite Tavares feeding Bailey for a nice finish, how is this good for him moving forward?

David Ullstrom broke in as a center. This blog asked earlier why is he coming up to play left wing? We were told he was switched there by Bridgeport, the Isles played him as a left wing before his concussion.

Makes sense.

Now the last few games Ullstrom is playing right wing which begs the question why? Who cares that Grabner made a nice poke check and he tapped in his centering pass.

That is not progress for Ullstrom, just as it was not progress to move Matt Martin to right wing for a few shifts recently.

I fail to understand this kind of coaching, many other former Islander coaches played forwards on off-wing, it never worked.

It's not a new NHL concept or only about the Islanders.

Bottom line this club has to get better on the walls, they have to get more numbers around the puck and work as a unit. Moving players off their natural position and switching them around usually brings a franchise nothing but confused players and a team that does not read or react well.

That means many games you are chasing the puck, or outnumbered.

When you are small, slow, not very physical, with a low scoring defense it's just another obstacle for these kids.

It's kind of the same philosophy you use with Hamonic-MacDonald, put them together and leave them alone unless one get's hurt, don't make one play the opposite side.

Sorry folks, that is what stood out most in the 5-2 win.

Okposo worked hard early, when he got hurt he did seem to fade. When Tavares hit the boards hard making his usual brilliant move it made me wonder should he be playing any more twenty minute games at this age?

The fourth line goals against were on breakdowns, to put that on one player would not be fair but it begs the question why not put Reasoner in the stands if simply to balance the forward lines?

Moulson-Tavares-Parenteau
Bailey-Nielsen-Okposo
Grabner-Cizikas-Ullstrom
Martin-Reasoner-Niederreiter

vs...

Moulson-Tavares-Parenteau
Grabner-Nielsen-Okposo
Ullstrom-Cizikas-Niederreiter
Martin-Bailey-Pandolfo

Despite the late pp goal, it did not look good watching Streit skate right into two Leafs in front of his own net.

Bridgeport plays Wednesday.

New York Trades For Alexandrov, John Persson ATO Bridgeport

NHL.com: Report the Boston Bruins traded defenseman Yury Alexandrov to the New York Islanders for future considerations.

NYIFC Comments:
Alexndrov left the AHL last August after playing a season in Providence and returned to Russia for 2011-12 despite being under contract. The Bruins trading his NHL rights to another team do not mean he is obligated to return to North America and apparently he signed a two year contract in the KHL last summer.

In terms of signing Alexndrov, if he has a two year agreement in the KHL, think of it along the same lines as Kirill Petrov last summer.

Alexandrov is likely a restricted NHL free agent this summer despite leaving under contract for 2011-12 to Boston. This means the Isles must qualify him as a RFA to retain his NHL rights here.
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Bridgeport Sound Tigers: Report Islander 2011 draft pick, John Persson has been signed to an amateur tryout contract (ATO) with goaltender Dan Clarke.

NYIFC Comments:
For those who follow these transactions a few past Islander prospects have signed an ATO with Bridgeport before signing with the Isles and played in Bridgeport.

Persson is not on the Sound Tigers clear day or residence list, meaning it would take many injuries/all residence players to be used for Persson to participate in Bridgeport's playoffs if they qualify.

In the case of John Persson his deadline to sign a contract with the Isles would be the 6/1/2013 under the current CBA.

The signing of an ATO goaltender means Anders Nilsson is likely unable to dress Wednesday at the very least after an ankle injury Sunday, but the comments from the Bobcasts website indicate Clarke is a prospect and perhaps more than a fill in.

The Isles also still have Mikko Koskinen under contract playing in Europe.

New York Playing Out The String: Misconceptions/Fabrications

New York has ten games left in the 2011-12 season.

Anything can happen in terms of the final seeding, projecting out the remaining games has no value because any club can beat another.

Trends:
The seventy two games played suggest the Islanders likely will finish out of the lottery despite their present standing because this is a club that has mostly fluctuated between six under and five hundred all season.

Some other clubs are in a more pronounced free-fall.

The trends also suggest this club is incapable of more than a three game winning streak.

Trends always change so a lot cannot be read into them.

Misconceptions:
NHL franchises/players do not tank games.

Those writing players/coaches who are fighting for their future employment have no interest in winning every single game are only kidding themselves.

How some players produce are everything come contract time or what other organizations find out via scouting when they decide on signing or trading for a player. Someone mailing it in will not be the player a gm wants to build around or spend their limited resources on, much less have around their prospects.

The list of players signed (or not) are playing for their future and how they finish mean everything.

Fabrications:
NYIFC will still use it's twitter account to refute fabrications/bias and writers with obvious agenda's in some of the worst articles out there on occasion.

Having written this NYIFC has done enough of that here, our goal has been to use our important time/space for credible, relevant journalism that's fair.

There are years of archives responding to those only interested in tabloid journalism who fail to practice professionalism desperate for pageviews above anything else.

Unfortunately our archives are still completely correct most of the time which says everything about the writer/publication/agenda/double-standards and virtually nothing about the New York Islanders.

All our welcome to view the archives here back to 2007.
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Moving Forward:
New York plays it's final game of the season in Canada vs Toronto.

Bridgeport with a six game losing streak (some OT games) absolutely could use back David Ullstrom/Casey Cizikas to strengthen it's tenuous spot.

Anders Nilsson hurt his ankle on Sunday, it's reported not serious.
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