Wisniewski Goes, Hamonic Stays, Expecting Rolston or More Moves

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Folks, this season is over.

I have been writing that for quite a while.

Demote Hamonic, the only defender here, who did not have to clear waivers or trade Wisniewski heading into UFA in sixty odd days?

I liked Wisniewski, he was the closest thing the team had to Mark Streit in terms of a veteran pp point man and player who could absorb his minutes.

Bottom line James Wisniewski had zero even strength goals this season. He had only eight points at even strength and out of his twenty one points, most of them were in October. Anaheim moved him so Andy Sutton could get a two year contract to play forward.

Wisniewski was minus eighteen, Mark Eaton is minus one and has had only one negative rating game since mid November and even managed a +2 with no points Monday in a 7-2 loss.

Eaton, Jurcina, MacDonald are three of the six defenders when Martinek returns, that leaves a choice of Hamonic, Gervais and Hillen for the fifth/sixth spot.

Bottom line, Montreal's supplemental pick at 50th and a possible 5th in 2012 and Hamonic stays with MacDonald.

Streit, Eaton, Mottau, Hamonic, MacDonald are all signed for 2011-12. Hillen is an RFA and there is deHaan, Kohn, Katic and others.
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I can absolutely see Brian Rolston being claimed by Garth Snow on re-entry waivers Wednesday at 2.5m to help Tavares/young players. Well-regarded veteran who scored twenty goals last year and is very durable. He comes in with much better numbers than Guerin or Weight a few years ago.

This team desperately needs a character veteran, it's not easy to find without a front-loaded contract.

Rolston's signed for 2011-12, he is over thirty five and will get his 2.5m regardless so to sign him is a big risk. The Devils pay the other half if claimed.

Updated:
I'm aware less than two weeks ago I wrote an entry on 12/15 titled No thanks to signing Rolston I just don't see another veteran scorer who they can sign this off-season.

Also, I will admit he was more durable and productive than I had thought when I did that entry on 12/15. At five million I would not take him under any circumstances, at 2.5m given the twenty goal seasons virtually every year I would now take a chance.
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Marek Svatos re-enters the NHL via Wade Dubielewicz rules a few years ago from Europe, but is only signed for this season. For the Islanders a season going nowhere in terms of playoffs if they put in a claim. It takes Sim off that third line and down to Bridgeport but blocks Joensuu/someone else.

Updated:
New York passed, Nashville claimed him.
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Quick Hits:
Frankly I saw the Islanders play better in many of their one-goal losses, than the 9-1 combined wins over the Devils and Canadians. Scoring flash goals are fine, but they were outshot and dominated for long-stretches of both games to where, despite winning the game seemed a mismatch. It extended into Monday and Jack Capuano sounded a like lot Scott Gordon when the team was 4-1-2 about how his team was being outplayed, outworked after the Devils/Canadian games.

Monday night it caught up to them on the scoreboard. Wining 5-1 at Devils and being out-shot 35-14 does not impress me. The Islanders played far better in the first Coliseum game against Montreal where they carried the play but only had Matt Martin's goal to show from it.
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I have no idea where the Islanders go from here if Rick DiPietro's knee swelling acts up again. Nate Lawson got to sit on Bridgeport's bench Wednesday the first time he has done anything since his start here.

Too long. The three goalie system is too big a drain in Bridgeport.

If a contract cannot be done with Roloson, it's time to make a trade.
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Parenteau is outproducing Kovalchuk and on pace for 15-20 goals season with forty plus points, after Moulson obvious this gm/staff can identify talent.

Schremp has fourteen points/twenty games, Grabner eight goals. Comeau has picked up his game/scoring and Bailey looks good. Tavares is around net and had ot winner against Tampa, creating chances.

Eight losses by more than one goal/open nets all season, Frans Nielsen one even strength goal. He got his best chance of season in New Jersey and turned into Viktor Kozlov, actually taking himself to a poor angle.

Can they put defense and scoring together now?
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Wang said he's not selling, glad because reality is no one is buying this team and gutting prospect pool to spend 50-60m for mediocre UFA. Only a corporate owner can offer front-loaded contracts.

Too bad no one asked Bettman about front-loaded contracts/old buildings but he did press Wang-Snow on questions.

If you believe Jaffe-Goring was about anything other than Msg saving money on their own employees contracts you are kidding yourselves. The Islanders do what they are told or will be hidden even deeper on Dolan's network-newspaper.

Have a Happy New Year.



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Scoring From Defenders A Huge Problem

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Milan Jurina is back in the lineup, granted he has a one year contract but does not have much value in trade market.

Unless Radek Martinek and James Wisniewski can come to terms on a deal one of them will likely be moved before the trade deadline, do you even want to sign players who could get hurt for 2011-12 before this season ends?

Eaton/Mottau, both are signed for 2011-12. Could be traded, but perhaps not.

Short term (barring injury) this team should get back it's full starting defense from opening night (less Mark Streit) so again it will come back to Gervais on the sidelines with likely Jack Hillen, however an interesting choice will have to be made.

Do you send back Travis Hamonic or leave him with Andrew MacDonald? If Hillen/Gervais are already sitting, who sits so Hamonic can stay in the lineup?

Plus next fall likely brings deHaan, Streit and perhaps a defender as a top pick, to say nothing of Bridgeport/college prospects/UFA market.

For those scoring at home, New York goals in 2010-11 season from defenders?

Even Strength: Jurcina/Martinek, one each.
PP: James Wisniewski, two.
Shorthanded: Jurcina, one.

Total goals from defenders, thirty games: Five.
Scoring among NHL defenders.

Fair to say, it's a factor in the offensive struggles. Cam Fowler has three goals in Anaheim.

MacDonald can score from point but injury set him back in that department.

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DiPietro Knee Swelling Returns, Nate Lawson Starts

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Islanders website: Reports Rick DiPietro has minor swelling in his knee, and made clear it's nothing serious. Nate Lawson recalled and is expected to make his NHL debut.

Lawson is expected to start over a very rested Dwayne Roloson.

Jon Sim may have been a paper transaction and is with the team.

Islanders website: Nate Lawson discusses his first pro start, Rick DiPietro discusses his injury and Lawson.

NYIFC Comments:
Sadly, if this problem has returned after all this time, and if it's the same knee he had surgery on, it could well be the beginning of the end, unless this is a short-term issue or very precautionary which is what DiPietro is taking about.

Having written this nothing minor about a player who has had knee swelling issues over two seasons after two surgeries having swelling, the past has taught us that much.

Very strange Lawson is in goal over Roloson, who has had more than enough rest recently.

The NHL roster freeze for the holidays begins at midnight, so any trade for Roloson would have to happen today, after perhaps losing Rick DiPietro?

Lawson starting makes little sense, he relieved Mikko Koskinen Friday night and allowed a goal on his first shot, he has been injured and plays in a three man rotation for Bridgeport.

In short if Roloson is healthy/not being traded, Lawson is starting because he was due to start in AHL?

Of course, let's call a spade, a spade. Roloson age/UFA status, the teams record, and the current standings scream it does not matter who starts one game.

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Glendale Pays Over 220m/Nassau-TOH Nothing For Wang

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Our fans should stop blaming Charles Wang and take the fight to save this team to Ed Mangano and Kate Murray's doorstep daily, it's been going on long before Wang bought this team.

Bottom line in a town that already has a new modern arena Glendale government has agreed to give incoming owner, Matthew Hulsizer close to 200m dollars and control of revenue from facility.

This was after Glendale paid the NHL 20-25m to guarantee any possible losses for them running the team for a second season.

Meanwhile all we get here after Charles Wang has lost hundreds of millions, in the league's second oldest building (while Dolan's get their tax exemption from NYC) is he should spend more or fans will not support the product. Nothing from Mangano, Murray or the Nassau/TOH politicians that have given this team nothing but Smg-controlled lease that Wang (and or Scott Rechler) will pay 17m to make back some revenue from events at Coliseum or Kate Murray's LH project, which was designed to be rejected, and never made it to a public hearing.

Smg only agreed to this deal because of fear or losing revenue during a renovation, Wang/Rechler don't make back 17m or become profitable from agreeing to this. Smg losses money on the Nassau Coliseum also.

Forget the weak UFA player market last summer, all the front-loaded contracts it requires today to sign a quality player, and forget the Islanders depth chart going into camp.

Every other local/NJ team that got taxpayer money in bonds/tax breaks or infrastructure to build new facilities here, Glendale stepped up for it's team and it's modern building to keep it's primary tenant.

Why won't Nassau County/TOH do the same for a man who has lost hundreds of millions, who would never see a dime of profit in his life-time if the Wang-Rechler full LH project started construction tomorrow?

Charles Wang is sixty six years old, if construction on original LH started today, was rented/financed/competed on time/budget (all economic/construction miracles) by the time Wang paid back banks for his share of financing (with Scott Rechler) he would not see a dime of profit (to say nothing of money he's lost over a decade running the Islanders) in likely two life-times.

Yet some maintain he bought the team for the land and only to make money. Comical, given the man also has a lease in Bridgeport until 2021 for the Sound Tigers to save that team from late Roy Boe and has no real estate projects there.

What happened to all the people who were blaming Nassau/TOH and saw the real problem that has gone on here for closer to twenty years? The one that even Glendale paid huge to fix for an owner who will lose plenty of money in this deal, regardless of what they give him.

Same as Charles Wang.

Meanwhile, Mangano/Murray are barely mentioned anymore. Our fans got lazy in that fight and would rather blame a man who was told in 2003, Nassau/TOH cannot do anything for the Coliseum which is the only reason Wang/Rechler were approved by Nassau as LH developers or why there was ever such a plan to begin with.

Meanwhile the same short-sighted fans come off like Kate Murray and demand Wang, simply lose more money and renovate Nassau/TOH building for them, plus take the full hit on the teams payroll.

Sadly many of the same fans/media dumping on Wang, sound more and more like Howard Milstein and demand the building be filled before they invest in the team, except they they demand Wang spend 50-60m and gut their prospect pool before they will fill the seats.

In short, they will not return under Wang, unless the same Milbury plan they reject to this day happens here again.

Charles Wang is spending the same 40+ million he did before a salary cap, a little fact lost along the way.

While the same fans/media say we don't care, lose more money, don't leave spots for prospects or worry about paying them down the road.

What part of there is no MOU/LH project without Scott Rechler don't these same fans or media understand?

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Real Development vs Surviving A Season

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I keep getting the same comments, the New York Islanders have been rebuilding/developing for years, then comes the no playoff wins since 93 mantra.

This is simply not true.

My response to this always is when they were making four playoffs in six years, that was not developing. They did have some prospects who could contribute at this level, however most did not make it.

The verdict is in on the drafts from 2002-2005, outside of Blake Comeau, Frans Nielsen or Bruno Gervais, it's not looking very good in terms of impact players in New York or around the NHL.

In Ted Nolan's final year when they lost a league leading 402 man games to injury or a league leading 582 in 08-09 that was not developing.

Those seasons (especially 08-09) were about finding enough healthy bodies to fill out a lineup with Tim Jackman playing five games in five days for the Islanders and Sound Tigers. In 07-08, the injuries hit hardest the final month so they stayed in contention to a degree.

Last year with only 250 man games lost to injury, that was more about development, the proof was in the improvement in the standings, and the wins against all of the top teams.

This year ended before it got a chance to start in many ways, it's very much like 08-09 now even with the scoring problems surfacing early, and the reality check that many of the past picks/some via trade (Nielsen, Comeau, Hunter, Tambellini) did not step up and produce at a time they had to for this to have a chance.

I don't see 2010-11 as developing, as much as I see it as again surviving a season.

That may happen along the way but Travis Hamonic is here because practically every single defender has been out or injured/suspended or playing hurt.

The hard, bitter truth is Florida never got there with development, and a decade later are still working through it. Phoenix, Los Angeles, Chicago took close to a decade, and a lot of steps backwards along the way. St Louis, Columbus, Nashville and many other franchises could still go either way.

One year, one eighteen point improvement, sandwiched between three years decimated with injury is not real development or giving a plan a chance. It's not even the start of real development/improvement until these players not only produce at this level, but learn to win, and have a healthy supporting cast to help them.

Right now this is only surviving a season, and seeing what some of these kids can do.
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Glendale stepped up and invested in saving the Coyotes franchise, for better or worse their new owner (when approved) will be willing to bleed millions for likely a decade plus.

Nassau/TOH are not giving Charles Wang (or Scott Rechler) the time of day for free, Wang and/or Rechler are paying Smg 17m for what some claim are a gift.

The clock is ticking.
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To the best of my knowledge, it's Calvin deHaan, Casey Cizikas, Brock Nelson, Nino Niederreiter representing New York at the WJC starting Dec 26th.

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