More New York Transactions/Misc

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/29/2015 12:30:00 PM | |
Barzal stays over Dal Colle for now, but the roster suggests it will not stick without a trade.

This team is struggling, preseason rosters or not. Washington kept them back all night, and a 7th team in a row outplayed the NY Islanders with the game in the balance with nothing close to it's full lineup.

I cannot see a spot for Boulton where he get's an NHL deal but he keeps dressing. No issue with a Carkner-like AHL contract.
Everyone recalled on 9/28 was returned. Halak, Bernier, Hickey hurt or not skating.
Mr Yormark wants to impress us fill in those area's behind the defensive goal with seats on all the sides, the ones behind the goal installed are fantastic and not advertised.

26 days after promising a radio deal shortly, he has not announced one, so we go without in preseason.

I missed the classic goal horn from 1970's to 1997 and may be the only one who recorded it without announcers. Howard Milstein replaced it with a bad fake copy for a year.

No issue with one used 1999 to present but never wanted the original changed.

There are poor goal horns all over the NHL, what we got to see (of course not on television) was a clip which was a perfect match to a video I found from the MTA more not necessary Brooklyn branding.

New York Second Wave Of Cuts/Poulin Claimed By Tampa Bay

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/27/2015 12:43:00 PM |

So Beck goes from a 64 game player with Nashville, to Toronto (who signed him avoiding arbitration) to New York to Bridgeport?

Of the three goaltenders Garth Snow drafted in Poulin, Nilsson & Koskinen, only one is left for this season because he was qualified, as he plays in the KHL (Koskinen)  Greiss has a two year contract.

Of course you move Nilsson to get Nick Leddy.

I have big doubts Greiss is better than Poulin, who is only twenty five, and had a .940 save percentage in December last year on a terrible Bridgeport team. Having written that it's now Williams/Gibson unless Milner pushes out someone.

Williams played well in preseason, so did Gibson. 

Poulin rejected his qualifying offer, and obviously was not an easy signing.

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With only two preseason games left, and frankly the alarming trend of this team being terrible in all six third periods this preseason it is not something that should not be fluffed off (as the opposing teams dominated even in NYI two wins) many players did not step up when games were on the line.

Sorry, but cannot simply keep writing it's only preseason when six games are played, and every time the Islanders are hanging on or simply dominated by the veterans/prospects of the opposition with the game on the line, it was not like they faced many starting goalies beyond Schneider.

It's time to show this team has a sixty minute game (and a dominating third period) in them against Washington with close to their full opening night lineup. 

New York Makes First Roster Moves

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/26/2015 12:14:00 PM |

wralsportsfan.com is streaming (radio webcast) the game in Halifax against Carolina at 5pm.

New York Notables

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/25/2015 12:53:00 PM |
Not much to write.

New York will continue to play out it's preseason, things seem set (on paper for NHL roster beyond Beck, Petrov, Bernier) but if an upgrade is out there we will see.

Trading Grabovski's contract would make the most sense because he has not been used as a center here which is his career position, but there is likely little interest in his services at that price off two concussions.

Management wanted to use Nelson at his drafted position of center last season, it's Strome's drafted position, Nielsen is a center.

It would be fair to write management does not want Pulock, Mayfield or another young defender using up their eligibility sitting in New York as it worked out with Matt Donovan, but Bridgeport is packed with defenders.

I do see an ELC for Anthony Beauvillier given tradition here with top picks likely before he leaves NY.

What obvious is four goaltenders are not going to work for Bridgeport (Poulin, Gibson, Milner, Williams) & Missouri just signed a second ECHL goalie, and has a mostly filled out roster, something has to happen there.

For now let's just see where things stand after Monday's game in NY against Caps because that's when we'll hopefully see some big cuts, and regular season games lines put in place.

This is a roster with a 4th line which appears set in stone, but we all know the injuries will be coming.

George McPhee Hired As Special Advisior

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/23/2015 11:02:00 AM | |


Been writing about this since minority owners were announced.

McPhee looking past his Rangers past, and mostly long term failure in Washington did not leave the Caps with a reputation as someone who worked well with other agents which seems the opposite of Snow.

I know it's been reported Snow/McPhee are friends.

Win or lose, Snow's been exemplary as he keeps negotiations quiet/classy. Even the people who do not sign or resign here make it clear they like being part of this organization which says a lot.

Still this is a win business, and Garth Snow is paid to win, no matter how many smart contracts he signs or trades he makes.

Tavares said it best:

“We really haven’t accomplished a whole lot.”

This could also be a sign Snow is going to wear only the President's hat or moved into that role which in terms of business seems to be Barclay's/Mr Yormark's role. No idea if this changes Doug Weight's title also as a senior advisor.

New York Islanders Lockeroom/Campus

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/21/2015 11:22:00 AM |
Outstanding. More images at teams website.

Game Day New York-Philadelphia x 2/Notables

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/21/2015 09:23:00 AM |
Mr Yormark just released a statement among other things that the divisional banners will also be hung at Barclays center.

Islanders website: Gave out lineups for two games vs Flyers. The over/under Brooklyn spam campaign usually starts with three references per update.

NJ.com reported where the Allentown  game can be seen, and the radio station the Flyers will use for the Barclays center game.

NYIFC Comments:
A few folks were retained from the Islanders part of working with their website, but Barclays controls the website/content, and there are going to be some breaking in adjustments as in not seeing a posted training camp roster among other things last week.


We are well past Mr Yormak's shortly  twitter comment of learning what new radio station games will be on, seems the Flyers will be providing all radio coverage in the Islanders new home Monday which is not appropriate.

On the Bridgeport front, the Ct Post has not assigned a writer to cover camp at all so we lose even more. If Fornabaio is unavailable the fans should not go without as we see update after update about the opposition from the Sound Tigers website but not a group right now that is close to thirty players at Iceworks. 

To the best of my information the Barclay's game on Wednesday will be televised, and despite not on being on the schedule the Devils game at Prudential Center Friday was added to many cable systems.

Only the Islanders know if they wish to use ITV to webcast other preseason games or have the Dolan's permission which has been a past issue.

Oddly the seats behind defensive goal for the game last preseason are being constructed but were not put up for sale on the teams website which cost them revenue/new season ticket holders who would like to sit ice level?

It has been an odd show with the team needing the Nassau Coliseum for media day, and Mike Bossy sitting outside the Barclays center?  No Islander owners at NHL for third jersey roll-out with Bettman and even Bruce Ratner finally seen for the first time in months as his mid-August Coliseum ground breaking is long gone with the contractual deadline for construction to begin in October.

Mr Ledecky (I believe Mr Malkin) at Children Foundation event.

When the puck drops for real all these things have to be sorted out, it should not be this hard without the Nets to do these things.

The Daily News editor Bill Price told me the Islander logo would appear on their main page this week, but the part time at best beatwriter was let go of so I'm skeptical of any real game coverage.

New York Signs Marek Zidlicky, Ho-Sang Sent Down

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/19/2015 07:16:00 AM | |
NHL.com Reports Defenseman Marek Zidlicky agreed to a one-year contract with the New York Islanders on Friday.
bulletnewsniagara.ca: Reports what happened with Ho-Sang via his junior teams gm.  

Sorry folks, mixed up Colton Gillies and Trevor Gillies, who signed with SC.
All signed/traded prospects have been added to prospect blog. Colton Gillies remains an UFA.

NYIFC Comments: If the New York Islanders feel they needed Zidlicky, so be it. The last thing they want is another kid sitting like Matt Donovan. He may not be better than Visnovsky when healthy, but that was the exception, not the rule for two years in a row.

No, Pulock/Mayfield and other prospect agents are not happy.

My twitter comments on Ho-Sang says everything I have on this subject although it must be written Kirill Kabanov did this twice under Scott Gordon in his first camp, and was not sent packing either time which makes me think this is Jack Capuano's decision.

It is one I agree with completely.

Ok (not counting bouns/incentives) Grabner's five million paid Nelson 1.5/Bernier (double Grabner's goals last season) 750k, and Zidlicky 1.5, and puts 1.25 million in bank.

It may not work out on the ice but to me that is excellent management. 

Michael Grabner Traded, Bernier Signed

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/17/2015 02:13:00 PM |
Grabner Traded, Bernier Signed

 The New York Islanders announced today that Steve Bernier has agreed to terms on a one-year/way contract.

The New York Islanders have traded Michael Grabner to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Taylor Beck, Matthew Finn, Christopher Gibson, Tom Nilsson and Carter Verhaeghe.
Beck, a 24-year-old forward, appeared in 62 National Hockey League games last season with the Nashville Predators, scoring sixteen points (eight goals, eight assists). Nashville selected the St. Catherines, ON, native in the third round (70th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft.

Finn, 21, was Toronto’s second round pick (35th overall) in the 2012 NHL Draft. The Toronto, ON, native spent his first professional season with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League last season, recording a goal and two assists in 28 games. The defenseman led the Guelph Storm to an Ontario Hockey League Championship in 2013-14, while posting a league-best plus-57 mark.

Gibson is a 22-year-old goaltender from Karkkila, Finland. In 45 AHL games with the Marlies last season, he posted a 24-17-3 record with a 2.42 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. The Los Angeles Kings selected Gibson in the second round (49th overall) of the 2011 Draft.

Nilsson, 22, played 44 AHL games with Toronto last season during his first year in North America. The defenseman from Mora, Sweden, was Toronto’s fourth-round selection (100th overall) in the 2011 Draft.

Verhaeghe, a 20-year-old forward from Toronto, served as captain of the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League last season. The Maple Leaf’s third-round (82nd overall) selection in the 2013 Draft, Verhaeghe won gold with Team Canada at the 2013 Under-18 World Junior Championships.

NYIFC Comments:  
Fair or not, injuries or not, Grabner was not producing and was going to make five million dollars this season who may well have been in the press box, and likely would have cleared waivers. I know nothing about the players acquired, but do know Bernier outproduced Grabner, and the saving could go to retain players who need to be resigned.

For one I noticed Alan Quine's production and wondered what more he has to prove in the AHL? 

Of course Grabner is a very likable/popular player with the fans. He will be missed but my biggest memory was the thirty games he failed to score healthy which sunk the 2013-14 season.

Brock Nelson Resigned For Three Years

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/16/2015 11:56:00 PM |
The New York Islanders announced today that forward Brock Nelson has agreed to terms on an three-year contract.

NYIFC Comments: 
And now training camp can begin. Enough was written on twitter about third jerseys which are not great, but hardly terrible compared to some past versions. Miracle Snow/staff fought off Mr Yormark's out of control Brooklyn campaign.

The part, part, part time occasional home beat-writer for the Islanders at the Daily News got his walking papers. Peter Botte, Pat Leonard, Filip Bondy should have gotten fired with him.

The editor quickly wrote an article branding the Islanders a Brooklyn team over a third jersey? Seems like the usual cost cutting to keep from hiring a full time beatwriter/blogger.

New York Notables/Now What?

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/11/2015 11:16:00 PM |
Ratner/Prokhorov/Coliseum/Sound Tigers:
Now that Mr Ratner did what he seemingly least wanted to do since early August (cutting Prokhorov a check) the Coliseum discussion has continued (beyond unions) so we shall see who is the sponsor/anchor tenant at some point.

I did not start New York Islander Fan Central for this.
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Twin Rinks:
No idea how Twin Rinks plays out court dates go past opening of camp. Not a bankruptcy/bonding lawyer, and Wang's bankruptcy purchase different than Ferraro's issues. My uneducated guess is this will not be settled by opening of camp.

Like I wrote the team has plenty of practice facilities.
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Nelson:
I have no idea how it will play out with Brock Nelson, we will get that answer soon. If Nelson is locked out for the season, he does not get traded, he can only sign in Europe. Negotiations start again under a new majority ownership next summer, but his 2015-16 in terms of the NHL is over if not resolved.

It is his career, every game could be his last so he has every right to get every dollar.
Just ask Kevin Colley.
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Games/Media/New York/Long Island vs Brooklyn/Yormark:
The days of sticks/pucks updates daily here are long gone.

No interest in treating every three game losing streak like the end of world or winning streak like it's time to plan the parade, all 82 games are not big games.

Perhaps many noticed the updates posted during the season are few/far between, and the playoffs go silent.

The plan has been set folks up as best I can for the season, then let the games tell the story. That is why things are busier during the summer/off-season.

Our team no longer has any true professional media, I do not like linking to anything but smaller market home town newspapers for player stories with direct quotes.

If our one full time professional Msg/Newsday media person (Arthur Staple) has been so offended by my comments, he should not read them or take a good long look in the mirror. My view is he should not be thanked for doing the bare minimum vs his counterparts, but our fans have grown accustomed to less media now with the glass half empty so they do not know any better or accept the notion our team deserves less. 

Folks know where I stand on these subjects back to 2000-2007 we have the least full time media of any professional sports franchise in North America by a mile. I used to write it will only get worse but it finally seems close to rock bottom now beyond Dolan going AP over Staple which could be an improvement?

Today sourced-based tweets are considered media reports where someone can generate full articles off of them? 

In 1972 this team had five full time beatwriters, a few years later it had road games on free television in NYC on WOR. 

Keep that in mind when you read a New York Islander player is considered under-rated or when someone writes if a player was in another market. That's why.

From this day forward it's up to you to advance these points I have made for years if you agree.

Enough people complain, you get the changes you want or you can thank your beatwriter for answering some tweets on a plane twice a month like he is doing you some kind of favor.

No NHL teams fans are getting less coverage than this one, and there is always a negative under current.


To me the New York Islanders are the New York Islanders, and it's the same as any other year, just like every other NY team or the ones playing in New Jersey who are smart enough to brand like they play in Manhattan.

Folks know where I have stood for years on this. It's boring to keep re-writing it.

If you agree the archives with my thoughts will likely be there for you.

I have given my thoughts on Mr Yormark, he has a job to do and the badly flawed plan that has worked with the Nets is all he knows. Yormark was honest enough to ask what if the Islanders draw like the Nets in NJ?

He was not wrong when he said that.

You can bet Yormark has seen the attendance figures at the Coliseum since 1989 or Wang showed him the numbers and asked what can we do to improve this attendance?

Bottom line if you like this teams tradition show up and give Mr Yormark no reason to try his plan which is wrong but worked temporarily with the Nets but is not sustainable because the Barclay's center is no longer new, and the Nets are not a good team that generated even less media than the Islanders playoffs, and are done paying tens of millions in luxury tax penalties. 

Ten other people doing Yormark's job for other local teams tell me he is wrong based on how they market for their NY/NJ franchises. That's my entire counter-point beyond the forty percent of the Islanders season ticket holders in July 2011 came from NYC. 

More folks should have listened for years about showing up if you wanted to keep the team at the Coliseum. You keep boycotting, you keep losing things.

As always my advice is our fans better act like 29 other teams, show up and pay the big boy prices, win or lose. Many other teams fans have who have never won a thing fill their buildings every year.

Go and do likewise in an unobstructed seat or the future changes made will be based upon your decision to not support this team. 

Nassau politicians knew they could lose this team and keep their jobs, they always knew.

After this entry, I'm done on these subjects for good.
I did my absolute best. 
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2015-16 Season:
My view is this team has to show an ability to win low-maintenance games as they did for a few weeks in March-April 2013 to take the next step forward.

That means 20-25 shots against, 2-1, 1-0 games. No regulation losses.
This team earned a lot of shootout win points, far fewer games are going to overtime.

Either the players here are old/developed enough to do this now or the coaching cannot take them to that next level, there can be no more excuses for the special teams/blown leads.

You know I felt Capuano should have lost his job based on this already, but we move forward and hope for improvement as Hamonic, deHaan, Leddy, Hickey enter their prime.

I do believe the bottom teams have improved enough to drop the 8th seed point total a bit, but perhaps not.

This team barely qualified 19 games over with 101 points, they have a brutal schedule  vs other local competition. To win come playoff time they have to learn to play 1-0, 2-1 ugly low-maintenance games.

They do have the offensive game as presently constructed. There will be injuries/significant ones, always have been every year.

Getting in the playoffs is as hard as winning the cup today. 
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New York Islander Fan Central/Twitter Account:
The intention is to renew this site domain through Oct 3rd, 2016 if the blogger outdated renewal system permits, if not this will be the end.

If it renews I only promise the two sites will remain visible to all visitors.
If not I will make the prospect blog invisible to everyone also. 

The twitter account may go to protected tweets. I only have not done this so I can embed my own tweets here. If domain not renewed it will be deleted entirely.

I do not follow anyone or care how many follow me. Those who follow will conduct themselves as adults or they will be muted/blocked.

I intend to be much more quiet either way, and frankly do not want followers who cannot write 140 characters without profanity or are not capable of having discussions like adults.

Never blocked or muted a single person who made a respectful point I did not agree with. In fact the best discussions is where I learn new things.
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Please no advertising, no link exchanges. I do not want anyone's money or business opportunities, nor do I consider myself an editor so I do not want anyone joining my fictional writing staff.

I'm done responding to these e-mails. 

No doubt there are plenty of self-serving fans desperate for attention at any price with their message board owners who would love your money.

My advice....go spend it on tickets.  The name on the front of the sweater is all that has ever mattered to this site owner. 

Here is to a great season, for me 1972-73 or 2015-16 it's just another New York Islander season beyond the enormous loss of Mr Al Arbour.

The header honoring him will remain up until the end of training camp regardless.

As always thank you very much.

New York Signs Mathew Barzal ELC

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/10/2015 12:52:00 PM |

Steve Bernier PTO

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/09/2015 06:04:00 PM |

8/25: Devils GM Ray Shero made clear he was not inviting Bernier back.

NYIFC Comments:  
A PTO is just that, not an NHL contract. Numbers are fine after NHL callup from the Devils who had scoring issues, the past production for years prior cannot be ignored. 

No issue here if he eventually signs a two-way contract, and is willing to play in Bridgeport, but he does not get a one-way deal based on current roster/career numbers.

Ratner Pays Prokhorov 26.8 Million Status Quo/Radio Network Guess?

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/08/2015 08:47:00 PM |


So now with that settled until/if a sale is reached the focus shifts to the Coliseum ground-breaking, with an AHL anchor tennant.
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Judge Puts Twin Rinks Sale To Wang On Hold Due To Bonding Issues/Notables

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/01/2015 09:24:00 AM |
Simply put let's take a timeout on the following subjects until it's officially decided: 
1-What Twin Rinks does with bonding issues to finalize a sale to Wang. That facility does need some renovating to house an NHL team.

Could be a formality/paperwork, and no big deal at all.

Bottom line the last thing the New York Islanders have is a shortage of practice rinks.

2-What Nassau formally announces regarding Wang's ten year lease at Cantiague, and the five million he was to invest from Lighthouse Escrow. Nassau did not award Wang the winning bid, a federal judge did.

What's Mangano going to do but save face over another public-private disaster? He has much bigger problems if Ratner walks away from the Coliseum renovation which the county website says began on August 1st.

3-Coliseum ground breaking non-announcement already half a month late which seems tied to the thirty one million Ratner owes Prokhorov with that deadline pushed back twice already to 9/8.

Both are partners in Coliseum renovation so if this and their stake issues in Barclay's/Nets cannot be resolved a renovation may not happen at all.
 
By the end of the month Yormark was expected to announce a naming rights deal for the Coliseum property, and mentioned the entire 77 acre site.

No, that does not change the Islanders binding lease at Barclay's, what that means is another bid process, and Dolan is selected to make the Coliseum Msg+3 with his AHL team.

3a-Prokhorov buying out Ratner's stake at Barclay's entirely could change everyone working at Barclay's in  management, many are Ratner's people.

Mr Yormark, that means you.

3b-Prokhorov seems to change his mind often but he could sell everything (Nets/Barclay's if he buys out Ratner's stakes in team/arena)  inside a year to someone else entirely. 

4-Any announcement of an AHL team coming to the Coliseum as an anchor tenant much less the Sound Tigers tied to a Coliseum ground breaking.

4a-We have no clue if Wang wants to move the Sound Tigers out of the only facility he manages in Webster Bank Arena until 2021 for another professional team he would not own. 

5-Where Wang's partners stand on any of these issues because in less than a year they are likely tied to many of these agreements.

6-The clock just started ticking much louder on Brock Nelson, only Wang/Snow know where they stand in 2015 on his past rule of locking out players for the season.