Thanks And Best Of Luck: Katic, Rakhshani, DiBenedetto, Gillies

 NHL.com released it's 2012-13 schedule quickly and quietly.

Just as quietly the team announced it's blue-white scrimmage game will be played on 6/28 for prospects the team never formally announced are having a mini-camp despite player tweets here.

That game will be played at Iceworks,  there are only 250 tickets available for the scrimmage due to seating capacity. The Nassau Coliseum is booked June 26th-30th.
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One thing I have been a bit regretful for over the last few days in somewhat of a rush to put out entries, is not thanking our players who have signed with other organizations.

Whether they are qualified, or not by 6/25, Mark Katic, Rhett Rakhshani, Justin DiBenedetto, and Trevor Gillies were here for a long time, and gave everything they had to offer.

Katic/Rakhshani were all stars for Bridgeport, all of them were part of the Sound Tigers only first place team since their inaugural year. DiBenedetto had twenty goals/forty one points in fifty five games last season.

Ct Post Michael Fornabaio had DiBenedetto's comments.

 "I just think it's a good opportunity for my development as a player. I'm looking forward to it," DiBenedetto said. "I just explored all my options at the end of the year, and this opportunity came. I'm just looking forward to getting over there. The main thing's to become a better player every day, every year. That's the main thing, and go from there."

Folks can argue the suspensions of Gillies, which could not be defended based on his actions, but he was a very popular team player here, and will be missed at the Coliseum on Friday.

Zenon Konopka's comments did register with me last year here.

" You look at Trevor Gillies,” Konopka said, according to the Ottawa newspaper. “He’s a first-time offender. He hits a guy, throws a few punches, he gets a nine-game suspension. The guy’s got a wife, two kids and plays in the East Coast Hockey League and AHL most of his career and now he’s going to lose $35,000. And it’s not right. Obviously, the league has their job and not mine, but in here, we feel for him. It hurts not to have Trevor in lineup for nine games. It hurts me, personally, my buddy, out $35,000.”

Their new teams will be even better with them, the enormous reaction from Berlin over Katic signing makes me nothing but thrilled for their fans.

Want to thank all of my teammates, staff, & fans from #BST & #Isles for all of the memories and love over the past 2 yrs. I'll miss u all!
— Rhett Rakhshani (@itsrhett) June 21, 2012

I wish them nothing but the best of luck moving forward, which of course extends to any future departures.

Rhett Rakhshani signs with HV-71 for 2012-13

HV 71 SEL  Official website reports they have signed Rhett Rakhshani for the 2012-13 season.

NYIFC Commets:
This is a big loss to the Islanders, and why you never have enough prospects.

Their number one scoring right winger on a point per game pace the last two seasons, who improved every year in college. Like Jesse Joensuu who signed with the same team, if the Isles qualify Rakhshani, they retain his future NHL rights.

This could also make the Isles negotiations with Parenteau more urgent for them unless they have an alternative.

Bottom line a lot of players who have waited for years see the depth chart, there is a reasonable chance of an NHL lockout, the players need a guaranteed income.

Our Sulia feed has translated article on Trevor Gillies official signing in the KHL.

Updated: Anders Nilsson signed/Islander Notables/Looking Ahead

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Updated 6pm:
Islanders website: Report goaltender Anders Nilsson has been signed to a three year entry level contract.

See twitter for link: Nilsson received a max contract, the highest awarded since lockout ended for a third round pick, and will be in North America next season per his agent.

NYIFC Comments:
That puts Nilsson, Koskinen and Poulin in Bridgeport with Montoya, Nabokov and DiPietro in New York. A lot of surgery/injury among current Islander goaltender ranks, but a signing that had to be done this summer or rights of a high draft pick would have been lost.

ITV: Released Doug Weight's complete press conference.

XM: Had an interview with Kyle Okposo on his new contract, Doug Weight and other items.

Will be toning down blog entries or posting them via twitter. NYIFC is supposed to be more of a blog that's an extension of it's twitter page. It has been a very busy stretch so more has been written here lately.

Setting the agenda:
NYIFC is a hockey blog, not a political blog. Entries have been written on the politics behind this, so from here on we're not going that deep into the political end of things, the recent/past archives have plenty on the Coliseum issue.

The order can suddenly change depending on sudden signings, trades or organizational changes. Bridgeport needs a head coach. RFA/UFA have to be signed or qualified and prospects have to be signed.

Seems every day something is happening, it was not this active during games.

1. The Memorial Cup and Casey Cizikas has to be signed by 5/31. St Michaels Majors plays semi-finals Friday night against Kootenay.

Toronto Sun: Terry Koshan had his usual issues with the Islanders, but Casey Cizikas comments on signing with the club on Wednesday.

2. 5/31 is the next Nassau County legislature chance to vote for a referendum vote happening in August, after last week who knows if that will be delayed again?

Instead of waiting on twitter updates/articles from this blog/wherever go to NassauCounty.ny.iqm2.com and simply watch meeting/hearing/vote live for yourselves.

3. After that no doubt more financial articles and spin in Cablevision's newspaper and a ton of rhetoric both ways. You know where this blog stands on these items, Mangano/politics/ect.

4. Draft updates/possible signings or qualifying offers to RFA or UFA. NYIFC has opened it's draft sections here and at the prospect blog.

As for UFA The Province: Zenon Konopka's comments on Trevor Gillies, and other subjects.

Notables:
It's great the Islanders locked up Grabner, Okposo and likely will do so with their other RFA. The backloaded contracts speak a great deal to Charles Wang's time as owner whether a Coliseum referendum passes and receives approvals or not.

Charles Wang may not be around to pay those players for a lot of reasons, he will be seventy two come final year of those deals.

It also has to be written who is going to buy this team from him if he becomes in effect, the next Smg with a lot of the property/hotel revenue going to him? It's obvious around the NHL simply owning the building and getting all event revenue is not enough to make owning a team self-sustaining, even when it's new.

When details come out from credible media (source free) with direct quotes regarding financing there will be more to read, not before.
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My initial reaction was taken aback when Doug Weight was assigned assistant coach/assistant to the gm. I wanted a reaction from Jack Capuano, who is now the full time head coach who has Scott Gordon's staff. Sometimes a general manager/coach relationship goes south which could be a problem for someone in that mix if Weight is in the middle which his role clearly suggests.

Doug Weight is as visible and respected a figure as there is in hockey. If there was an issue he would be outspoken so I do not foresee a problem here. Weight will not pull punches.

Previous assistant's to Garth Snow seemed very peripheral or not much detail was brought out or confirmed by articles vs what was advertised. If Weight will be behind the bench for every game we will see. Weight's efforts regarding pp at end of last season failed as someone behind the bench with a lot of injuries in a limited body of work.
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If a job is available elsewhere for Scott Gordon, he should be let out of his contract immediately. If one is available here, and he wants it, he should be retained.
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Put no stock on players invited to draft party who are UFA, some can be retained, others let go.
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The silence is deafening out of Atlanta and very sad for their fans. If ASG can own and pay for the Hawks, they can pay for and operate the Thrashers, it's not the NHL's call until they have a sale to approve or reject.

Bill Daly's comment about Seattle were unexpected for a deputy commissioner who is usually guarded with his statements.
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Tsn.ca: Absolutely hit a home run adding former referee, Kerry Fraser. His work is fresh, ground-breaking and comes from a hockey viewpoint few can relate to. I loved his story about Al Arbour and every entry is very good where we learn things.

No, that site does not have hockey centric rss and badly needs a redesign.

Tsn.ca: On the other side of that coin is Scott Cullen, who refused to acknowledge the Islanders 600+ man games lost to injury when we discussed them, but defended the Blues, John Davidson for not spending and cited injury several times when going through players.

NYIFC Comments:
All I ever ask is the playing field be level for all teams in viewpoints. If Scott Cullen wants to do thirty team reviews and he writes the Islanders season was over by the time Andrew MacDonald got hurt, of course I'm going to point out the club was 4-1-2, in first place when he got hurt in October.

If that bothers him to where he is defensive about it, that says something about his viewpoint not being informed, fair or objective.

Sorry.




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Trevor Gillies Suspended Another Ten Games

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NYIFC Comments on Colin Campbell's latest suspension to Trevor Gillies.

NYIFC Comments:
Beyond my twitter update....This was entirely different from his head-shot against Pittsburgh.

From the right side view, you see Gillies hit Clutterbuck an instant after DiBenedetto got boarded as part of the play going on. Gillies it him clean with the right shoulder and he did not jump into the player.

With his left arm there is no elbow, high stick, or cross-check. Gillies does clearly raise his left hand in a punching motion and drive his gloved hand into his head in an uppercut motion, that combined with Gillies hitting him from behind drove Clutterbuck into the boards.

I have seen a lot of hits like that in this league go without penalties, much less a ten game suspension. Gillies head-shot, punching and subsequent actions against Pittsburgh/combined with taunting cannot be defended, this is something different.

Lot's of similar hits and worse not being called much less suspensions give.

For those who would like a nice team photo of the 2010-11 New York Islanders from Friday 3/4/2011 that included most of the long-term injured here.

I'm pretty sure that's Mark Eaton in the photo also with Weight, Hunter, Streit, reportedly no one got injured when photo was taken. Rick DiPietro has returned to practice which likely means he is on time-table to return of 4-6 weeks.

Nothing on any recall as of this writing. If Haley is still out, the club no longer has a Joel Rechlicz to recall and Yablonski has not played in months for Bridgeport, so they may be short an enforcer.

Schremp is in Atlanta off waivers, so it's Joensuu, Rahkshani seven defenders or someone about to make a debut.

The twitter box will return on Saturday morning.


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Suspensions Announced: Gillies Nine, Martin Four, Godard Ten

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NHL.com: Reports Penguins enforcer Eric Godard has been suspended 10 games, while the Isles' Trevor Gillies has been suspended for nine games and the Isles' Matt Martin for four games. There is also a $100,000 fine for the Islanders.

NYIFC Comments:
About what I expected, apparently the NHL wanted to send a financial message to the Islanders, which will likely be reduced quietly upon appeal later. Gillies did not help his cause standing off ice, jawing at the player he hit. Martin did not merit four games for not hitting someone with a punch after what Jordan Staal got a complete pass for on 2/1.

Apparently, Dan Bylsma escaped the supposed mandatory penalty for his player leaving the bench, begging the question who will be next now that this dangerous precedent has been allowed to go by without the coach being held accountable?

Colin Campbell's comments/explanation:

"The actions by the Islanders' Gillies and Martin were deliberate attempts to injure by delivering blows to the head of players who were unsuspecting and unable to defend themselves," Campbell said in a statement issued by the NHL. "The message should be clear to all players: targeting the head of an opponent by whatever means will be dealt with by suspension.

"With respect to the Godard suspension, there can be no circumstance that allows for a player to leave his bench for the purpose of coming to the aid of a teammate."

The Islanders were also fined $100,000.

"The Islanders also must bear some responsibility for their failure to control their players," Campbell added.

NYIFC Comments:
Like when Mike Mottau hit Frans Nielsen in his head/neck, or the countless other head-shots we see Campbell simply ignore where a players head is targeted?

Was Pittsburgh controlling their players properly with Johnson at center ice again while Koskinen was in his net?

Dan Bylsma's player left his team's bench, he did not control his player, he should be accountable along with the Pens organization. I like Godard same as when he played here and was thrilled for Bylsma when he got Pens job and won cup.

I know it's not an easy job, but Colin Campbell has made one thing clear to virtually everyone over the years, what he says vs what he does are two different things.

Rules are supposed to be same rules for everyone.
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Unless there were other Islanders injured Saturday, Ty Wishart, Rob Schremp and will be available to the team Sunday.

Islanders website: listed everyone who participated in morning skate on Saturday.

The twitter box will return Sunday.

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