New York's Plan For Free Agency on 7/1/12

On Thursday, the New York Islander prospects played a game on ITV at Iceworks.

It's almost fair to ask are the players developing here a better choice than who will make up a very weak UFA market again that opens at noon on Sunday?

But let's take an outsiders look at how the New York Islanders likely will operate when the market opens.

Islander News Articles 3/11

Scott Gordon did not seem to like being asked about tanking in his press conference.

Newsday: Greg Logan's game coverage of Islanders 3-2 overtime loss at Toronto Tuesday night with comments from Kyle Okposo and Mark Streit.

Toronto Sun & The Star & Globe & Mail with
National Post covers the Toronto Maple Leafs on their overtime win.

Sun Media: Eric McRae has Mike Bossy's comments on why he hit so often with his shot vs today's players among several subjects.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Dave Molinary reports Miroslav Satan has not reported to the AHL and could face suspension.

Globe & Mail: Tim Wharnsby on Tuesday had an article on Mike Iggulden about the last time he played at Air Canada Center as he comments about the Islanders. Brendan Witt had pregame comments on Nicklas Hagman and his suspension.

ECHL.com: Islander prospect Rob Hennigar was ECHL player of the week ending 3/8 with eight assists and 10 points in four games as the Grizzlies picked up road wins at Ontario and Phoenix. He leads the ECHL in March with eight assists and 12 points and is tied for the lead with four goals in five games.

AHL.com:Recaps Bridgeport 2-1 win at Lowell Tuesday night.

1. LOW Ruggeri, (1) (Bergfors, Tallackson), 8:42
2. BRI Sim, (5) (MacDonald, Colliton), 16:20
3. BRI Lessard, (8) (Wotton, Colliton), 17:40

Peter Mannino had thirty saves in goal.
Jon Sim had his fifth goal for Bridgeport.

Ct Post: Michael Fornabaio has coverage of Bridgeport's 2-1 win at Lowell Tuesday with comments from goaltender Peter Mannino, Junior Lessard and head coach Jack Capuano with blog entries here.

Lowell Sun: Has Devils coverage of their loss on home ice.

Islander News Articles 1/12

Newsday: John Jeansonne has Bill Guerin's comments about the role of captain and how tough it's been with a team struggling badly while head coach Scott Gordon also discusses the role of captain in a teams structure.

Freddy Meyer and Rick DiPietro are out for Tuesday's game.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Bottom line if Guerin-Gordon are not on the same page, the lockeroom will be in question. Both Weight and Guerin have praised this coach repeatedly but this is a results oriented business and there is supposed to be a lot of frustration.

It's kind of funny we do not see Newsday staff do these kind of articles on the Cablevision owned Knicks virtually every other day which would hurt ticket sales and the club's perception with the public and advertisers. Guerin and Gordon's comments are fine here but the writer quips are pathetic with the old movie and Titanic references.

The writers in Atlanta, Tampa do not pull this in the local paper on the Thrashers and Lightning.

This kind of treatment only seems reserved for the New York Islanders among struggling local clubs. Former Islander beatwriter Alan Hahn was lobbing some big time softballs for Knick gm Donnie Walsh in a similar article today when the paper is not running down Stephon Marbury in a staff effort to save the company money in a future buyout.

National Post: Tom Blackwell has Mike Bossy comments on the advantages of playing at home vs the intimidation of playing in Philadelphia back during his playing career.

NY Times: Nathan Sandals in the Times hockey blog had a few words on Islander prospect David Toews scoring in a win.

Ct Post: Michael Fornabauio has Trevor Smith's comments about his callup to the Islanders, his first NHL goal and what it was like watching Bill Guerin and Doug Weight. Head coach Jack Capuano also comments.

Islander Sunday Notables

Islanders website: Jason Lockhart has an article on first round pick Josh Bailey which wraps up prospect camp with his comments as he looks ahead to training camp.

Point Blank: Mr Botta decided to keep his blog going for a while longer and has a few words about what the club should be looking for in it's next head coach and takes a look at the current names scheduled for interviews.

Ottawa Sun/several sources: Has more on IIHF suspending several players (including Nikita Filatov) from international competition which does not have the NHLPA happy given the recent agreement for all leagues to respect contracts already signed with other leagues.

Montreal Gazette: David Yates reports on Mike Bossy taking part in the Chevrolet Safe and Fun Hockey program with women's national team star Caroline Ouellette and coaches from Hockey Canada with his comments.

Islander Notables

Islanders website: Has an update on ticket sales with comments from said Executive Director of the Islanders Business Club Mike Bossy.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
They need that number to get to 10,000 somehow which seems impossible for all the hits they take in the media pushing them back two steps for every one step they try and take forward.

Islanders website: John Hill has the first update on the clubs prospect camp which will run from July 14th to July 18th with a partial list of the players attending. Bryan Trottier will be at the rink all week helping out the young Islanders, while Ken Morrow will be on-site from Wednesday to Friday with a number of media outlets on hand.

St Pete Times: Damian Cristodero blogs on the resignation of general manager Jay Feaster with his comments how he was left on the sidelines for all the recent moves by the Bolts after Tsn reports on the settlement of his contract terms here.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Can you imagine the shockjocks in the local media and in Canada that would have killed Charles Wang in print if he pulled what Tampa Bay's new ownership just did? I did not see the writers down there trashing the club like we see here and that franchise is coming off a season they finished 30th that let the staff run everything at two of the most critical times of the year while it's gm was on the outside.

THN.com: Ryan Dixon does an article critical of the club in what he feels is an astonishingly sad series of moves with the latest signing 37-year-old Doug Weight over Kristian Huselius that signals an official organizational commitment to acquiring B-level talent, as he goes on to review the late nineties moves and takes numerous shots at the clubs impact in the region.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Fine line for me including a writer and copy editor for THN magazine in with the main news media content but I'm not going to keep something off the blog just because it's negative about the club.

Having written that if Doug Weight was signed last summer statistically it would have been a good signing much less comparing it with Columbus signing Huselius and I did not read these shock jock tactics with regard to the Devils signing Holik. All this other stuff from almost a decade ago is completely worthless today with almost all of those players having moved on to multiple clubs since leaving New York and none of them with a cup ring to date.

Seemed to me like the writer needed the " what if " game just to make up for his current knowledge of the club and half of Yankee Stadium would have been filled with Yankee fans if the Islanders played an out of market team in an outdoor game.

Of course when Adam Proteau of the THN
here produced his worst signings in UFA Doug Weight did not make the list.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
If I recall correctly Fedotenko made this list a year ago from some writer, I do not remember if it was Adam Proteau. Likely Scott Burnside but what else would be new if it were him?

Fedotenko I believe got 2.5m from Pittsburgh.

Orange County Register: Dan Wood reports Brian Burke one day after suggesting that the NHL look into a potential Edmonton Oilers tampering violation regarding right wing Corey Perry, said Friday that the Ducks will file a formal charge with the league.

A day after all sides said they would respect the other leagues contracts Alexander Radulov under contract to the Nashville Predators signed with Ufa of the Russian Superleague here.

Predators Website/other outlets: Have a statement from Nashville gm David Poile and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly that Radulov is expected to be in Nashville next season and that the RHL is expected to abide by it's agreement made yesterday.

NHL.com: Now lists Islanders defenseman Aaron Johnson with the Chicago BlackHawks.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Aaron Johnson did a good job for the Isles when he was finally healthy, by all reports he was a classy individual and I hope he finds a team that will give him more minutes. Best of luck to Aaron Johnson.

Open House II Highlights

Islanders website has the video of Wednesday nights open house at the Coliseum, video runs about thirty three minutes.

Michael Bossy appeared briefly in the video late and talked about the year he was drafted.

Time for a little trivia for the blog readers here.

Who was the player the Islanders were considering with Mike Bossy before scout Henry Saraceno talked Al Arbour into getting him the home run hitter with the fifteenth pick?

NHL.com: Adam Kimelman has a full feature on Bob Nystrom with his comments on the 1975 comeback against Pittsburgh.

St.nu spors: Elite prospects.com has this as a doubtful rumor but does have an article from a newspaper a few days ago on Frans Nielsen going to Timrå.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Take it with a major grain of salt but it is an article from a newspaper with what appears to be a professional writer which is the criteria I use reading rumors. I cannot even tell you what it says and eliteprospects has Yashin's rumors right next to it and lists this as doubtful. This could be a Bruce Garroich kind of article but what's notable is it's about Nielsen.

Having written that all I do know is Frans Nielsen may have to play in the NHL next season or be close to a situtation where he needs to be exposed to waivers to play for Bridgeport.

Boss, Bergie, AHL, WC, Mr Prospects & Tom Liodice

NY Times: Jeff Hale, staff editor on The New York Times sports desk did a blog on former Islander Michael Bossy Saturday and what his current role is with the club in the business department as the talk turned to hockey.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Good interview and as always great stuff from #22 who's never been shy about talking about the game and being frank about some things he does not like. I missed his blogs last season when the club had him doing that as part of his role.

HockeyCanada.ca: Reports Sean Bergenheim played in Saturday's World Championship exhibition with Finland vs Canada and had a penalty in the 3-2 loss.

Ct Post: Michael Fornabaio is doing his usual great job on the AHL playoffs and filling in the blanks on contracts regarding some Islander-Sound Tiger players and elgibility.

Noteable:
With prospects Jason Gregoire and Blake Kessel still playing games I followed through on my message board change. Mr Prospects did such a great job on that thread here all season for everyone, my thanks again to him for a fantastic job.

Like Tom Liodice over at Tiger Tracks both have a great talent. Tom in live blogging and writing, Mr Prospects in following prospects daily which is not something I had the time for here besides some articles.

IIHF.com: Released Germany's World Championship roster with former Islander Uwe Krupp as head coach and I think former Islander Jason Holland on the roster. (if it's same Jason Holland?)

Team Switzerland : Also announced it's lineup with Paul DiPietro. (It's the same Paul DiPietro who killed the Isles in 93 playoffs w/Montreal)

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Yes, I'm still annoyed with Paul DiPietro. Mike Lupica ripped him big time back in those days but back then the Isles actually had writers who got behind the team.

Finally:
Great turnout on the poll. No, I cannot alter the choices once it's started. Maybe I should have broken up the top three but I kind of felt those three would not drop to the Isles or most would have voted Stamkos.

Only going to get tougher next year when the Stanley Cup Champion New York Islanders select 30th.

Updated Sunday:
Victoria Times Colonist: Sharie Epp has a full interview with former Islander and Sound Tiger, Kevin Colley who is an assistant coach with the Isles ECHL affiliate in Utah.

Vancouver Province: Ben Kuzama had an article on new Canucks gm Mike Gillis that also had a lot of comments from Garth Snow and some of his experiences as gm in his first two seasons.

Islanders announce fan fest/draft party

Islanders website: Announced a fan fest on April 16th with lockeroom tours, a Q & A with Garth Snow and Ted Nolan online. Chris Dey comments about why the club is doing this.

The team also announced there will be a draft part this June at the Coliseum.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Good idea and a chance for the fans to fire away at the coach/gm in person and on-line. Media is not going to tell the Isles story so the fans might as well get it directly from them and I like Mr Dey's concept about looking people in the eyes and telling them what you are planning to do. You can believe them or not, but at least they are trying to connect with the fans and tell their story as best they can.

I guess that means no one is being fired until April 16th. Hard to see the organization doing something like this if they were dissatisfied with the people making the decisions.