New York Players Clear NHL Waivers

SoundTigers website: Report Sean Backman, Colin McDonald and Matt Watkins and defensemen Nathan McIver and Ty Wishart have all cleared waivers and have been assigned to the Islanders' American Hockey League affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

NYIFC Comments:
Francois Beauchemin was placed on waivers by Montreal Canadiens and claimed by Columbus 9/15/2004.

Unlikely under today's circumstances, however it's not impossible for the New York Islanders to put in a waiver claim on a player they would like, the final standings still determining order of claims.

Of course this could lead to some friction with another organization.

Matt Martin:
As for Matt Martin, the teams training camp opening date of 9/21 could still mean a season ending lockout for him regardless of a 9/16 NHL lockout based on team policy.

Matt Martin was qualified, he did not accept his ten percent raise per the current CBA.

It's uncharted waters for management, however New York Islander internal team policy is not CBA related in any way.

To the best of my knowledge a lockout means no business can be announced, even a Matt Martin contract signing later this week starting 9/16 midnight.

Notables:
As of Sunday the only ones hurt to this point will be the prospects, who would have been part of the NHL teams pre-camp, likely participating in some early preseason games.

Now they hang around waiting for AHL camps to open on 9/28, at a point cuts would have been made.

The real date the damage begins would be the opening for NHL team camps which for New York is still six days away.

Donald Fehr appears to be 0-1 based on Quebec labor board.

New York Makes Roster Changes Pending Lockout

Islanders website: Announces it's AHL player list which includes Ryan Strome/Griffin Reinhart returned to juniors.

The players assigned to the Sound Tigers include Marc Cantin, Casey Cizikas, Jason Clark, Calvin de Haan, Brandon DeFazio, Matt Donovan, Mike Halmo, Travis Hamonic, Kirill Kabanov, Jon Landry, Brock Nelson, Aaron Ness, Nino Niederreiter, Anders Nilsson, John Persson, Kevin Poulin, Blair Riley, Johan Sundstrom and David Ullstrom.

The Sound Tigers will begin training camp on Sept. 28

Updated:
Sean Backman, Ty Wishart, Matt Watkins, Nathan McIver and Colin McDonald have all been placed on waivers.


NYIFC Comments:
This leave Matt Martin a contract, who turned down his qualifying offer. Only both sides know if a lockout means his season ends regardless per Charles Wang's rule of players being signed by the official date of Islander camp opening on 9/21.

Of course the question remains does Nino Niederreiter wish to play in the AHL.

Lubomir Visnovsky Officially A New York Islander

Islnders website& USA Today: Reports the arbitrator has upheld the trade between the New York Islanders/Anaheim Ducks.

Neil Sheehy, Visnovsky's agent, said he and his client accepted the decision.

"This was a CBA issue between the NHL and the NHLPA," he said. "The language wasn't clear, it's clear now. The arbitrator made it clear. I fully accept it and Lubo does as well, there are no issues. The arbitrator has spoken."

NYIFC Comments:
Visnovsky can retire, he can opt to play in the KHL if there is no lockout, he cannot play in his home country unless there is a lockout.

The New York Islanders own his NHL rights for the next calendar year whether he likes it or not, in the unlikely event there is a CBA agreement, he is obligated to report.

Anaheim officially has the New York Islanders second round pick in the 2013 NHL entry draft.

Tsn.ca: Reports on the guidelines announced by the KHL which will limit the job opportunities for current NHL players.

NYIFC Comments:
Perhaps I got that one wrong, however there was no KHL in 04-05, this is an established league now that recently has tried to put a stop to the Radulov-like moves by players despite no on-paper agreement.

Boston Globe: Reports Bruins gm, Peter Chiarelli, has told them the NHL has granted its clubs an expanded waivers period meaning once a player clear waivers, they will be free to report to the club's AHL affiliate, and dress for AHL games.

Providence training camp opens 9/28, meaning the Sound Tigers likely will go along the same lines.

Tsn.ca: Also reports the NHL/NHLPA exchanged offers Wednesday.

New York Notables

9/12/2012 10am (Europe time)....Sportky.com: Another Visnovsky interview, he does not know the results of his hearing yet.

I sent Visnovsky arbitrator, George Nicolau an e-mail asking if he can provide a date for his decision, his past work with the NHLPA could be a small factor, however both sides agreed, the resume inside/outside of sports is a mile long.

We know where Visnovsky stands per his words/agent. He wins he goes back to Anaheim, where he would apparently like to stay if management wants him. He loses he reports to the Isles happy per agent, Neil Sheehy.

Personally I'm indifferent leaning toward perhaps wanting back the second round pick more.

A thirty six year old player, coming off a six goal/twenty seven point season is simply not worth this much trouble.
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Updating my recent entry on how things project out now that we have reached past the 9/10 critical point, I did not see Donald Fehr playing the Quebec labor board card, but it just shows how bad things are if that's where he feels compelled to go instead of back to the bargaining table for a sport where franchise players receive a hundred million dollars (or more) front-loaded at this time, getting contracts over ten years where many of those contracts are not designed for the player to be active that long.

Fehr was part of a negotiation that cancelled it's season that was underway, and winning a system in baseball so broken it's not competitive for many teams beyond the check they receive from other corporate teams to this very day.

You can bet it's a big part of his playbook, nor will he accept what will be seen as losing.

Gary Bettman may well have to convince the corporate owners, no more front-loading, no more contracts above five years, he will have resistance from some but not the majority, he will not accept a losing deal.

The players will be unplugged more and more, the media is running along party/market lines with their spin/propaganda.

So far about the only thing I misjudged are the owners speaking out but it's early, plus if Bettman has major fines for them speaking that's a different twist from 2004-05.

Bottom line the owners deserve their criticism for spending hypocrisy, but what choice did Buffalo, Columbus, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Nashville and others have in joining the front-loaded club with most teams having to put out contracts over a hundred million or lose their franchise talent?

Buffalo a few years ago saw their team dismantled to front-loaded contracts in free agency, new owners (like Wang long ago) have their one initial wave of big spending which Terry Pegula did, and already is getting his Lighthouse Pegulaville after one year.

Those teams have no business front-loading, owners with a billion dollars will never get back revenue equal to a hundred million dollar contract for one player, plus that short term front-loaded payment could cripple a non-corporate ownership like Nashville, who has to match or lose their franchise defender to Ed Snider's Comcast/SMG/NBC Sports Network Flyers.

This league has no business having a market where Christian Ehrhoff/James Wisniewski are getting close to forty million dollars with most of their contracts front-loaded, or close to a hundred players receiving NTC/NVC in their contracts.

Yes, the players are entitled to get every dollar they can.

Charles Wang, like Montreal/Toronto never joined the front-loaded club, it would be folly for Wang to do so given unlike many of those above franchises that were handed new or modern taxpayer funded facilities in most cases, and still lose money.

Charles Wang's Neulion invested 160m to secure future Olympic rights recently here.
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James Dolan's Islander assigned beatwriter in their joke of a newspaper has not written one Islander player article since late July, but needs a vacation to where the laughingstock Post has more quotes unless it's Randi Marshall stirring the pot on arena developments to drive away as many people as possible.

If there is a deadline for Matt Martin to sign by Friday or his season is over? No one knows? Updates on players skating locally? Sorry, the Isles are not Cablevision's team.

Most other NHL papers are updating the players skating locally.

Last I looked hiring a full time beat writer or spin against the Knicks new competition cost money, that means Dolan's heavy hitter, Mark Herrmann, will surface often to remind everyone Dolan's basketball team runs this town.
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Funny, last I looked the NHL says there is plenty of time for the Islanders to come to an arena agreement as in three years (just like Pittsburgh) which goes beyond the term of Ed Mangano.

Even more funny Nassau County out of the Kate Murray/Frederick P. Clark Associates of Westchester playbook, has Mangano again going Westchester over anything that would generate local business for a law firm?

I guess only Wang/Rechler had to hire local for their project as a requirement plus Armand D'Amato.

Does Ed Mangano wish to tell the public my administration is bringing in another team to replace the New York Islanders if they do not make a commitment to stay by x date, which would be an all time first for professional sports in the modern era, and a new low for Nassau County?

The same Manhattan media that had nothing but double-standards on the referendum while other local teams got taxpayer money will have no problem with it.

Bottom line Charles Wang does not have to say one word or announce anything until his leases expires in 2015, his control of the Marriott site gives him permanent stake on that property with the connecting Coliseum abatement regardless what Mangano or his successor decides.

Projection/Guesswork?
Could be right or wrong here, but here goes on who becomes replacement Master Developer for Charles Wang/Scott Rechler at the Nassau Hub.

When the RFQ/Master Developer is announced whatever Hofstra President, Stuart Rabionwicz wants will be selected.

Rabinowicz is co-chair of Democrat Andrew Cuomo's funding committee, who all have huge ties to Sterling equities aka Fred Wilpon, who helped settle their Madoff lawsuit issues.

Former Governor, Mario Cuomo, was pictured celebrating with Fred Wilpon at the time in the street after the settlement.

If Syosset developer Ed Blumenfeld, of the Blumenfeld Development Group has any future chance (not now supposedly) of Sterling Equities aka Mets involvement vs anyone enthusiastic about the New York Islanders (not a popular thing in terms of Nassau/TOH) that's the way I see things breaking ultimately.

Rabinowicz clearly was very enthusiastic about the Blumenfeld/Sterling Equities/Mets (University Town proposal) in 2005 to the point he sent Tom Suozzi a letter this blog referenced, he has made clear he wants things built at the HUB site that would benefit his university.

The Sterling Equities/Mets have their own Lighthouse plan in Flushing right now so Blumenfeld by himself may not be as attractive a current proposal.

Where did Ed Mangano have his campaign fundraiser on 7/24/12? At the Citi Field hospitality suite of Saul Katz, one of the New York Mets owners.

Rabinowicz had his three day Met's 50th anniversary tribute in April, Isles got nothing from Hofstra for their 40th.

Feel free to tell me I'm wrong, but expect Ed Blumenfeld to be named Master Developer of the Nassau Hub site when it's ultimately announced unless he's really not qualified by himself.

This is Rabinowicz chance to get what he wanted in 2005.

Updated:
The Isles opened a the pro shop, and thought for sure the person in the image was Ed Mangano, but kind of thought, no chance because the teams website would have written that in the update.

Turns out that was Ed Mangano here at his first Islander-event since the referendum defeat.

Color me shocked, now he's got to attend some games.

New York Islanders Visit to Ground Zero 11/1/2001

The New York Islanders visited ground zero 11/1/2012.

Garth Snow returned to the team yesterday after being with his
family, mourning the loss last week of his older brother, Len, to
leukemia.

Islanders-Sound Tiger archives has many of the comments/articles in original wording from 9/11/2001 at the time the New York Islanders were opening their first training camp with Alexei Yashin, Michael Peca, Peter Laviolette at Lake Placid.