Trade Rumors and Free Agent TalkTrade rumors, transactions, and free agent talk. Rumors must contain the word RUMOR in post title. Proposals must contain the word PROPOSAL in post title.
there are a ton of number 4 5 and 6 dmen available i free agency this up coming off season signing any of them as replacements for jurcina eaton or staios doesn't count as a major change i say the isles should resign jurcina, and than sign gilroy, souray and wideman, kubina or sarich
Not to be a total D*** but that line-up has 1 top line player, 2-3 top 6 forwards and a group of 2/3/4th line tweeners. Defence has 3 2nd pairing guys and some ????'s and average at best goal-tending. Without some fairly significant additions I can't see that team being competitive next season.
Moulson scored 36 goals this season.5 more then Tavares.
Moulson has had 3 straight season's, of at least 30 goals.
isles top 2 defensive prospects,De Haan and Donovan,were ahl rookies this season.De Haan was named to the all-star team and Donovan was 8th in scoring,among ahl defensemen.Both look nhl ready.
Brock Nelson,Kabanov and Nino are all Bridgeport bound.
isles top 2 goalie prospects,Nilson and Poulin, are having strong AHL seasons.
That may be true but the Islanders have hardly been known as the best team to utilise players properly and whilst that could change with the likes of Strome and Nino coming through It remains to be seen.
How long will the Islanders fans take continually being at the bottom end though as they are proud hockey franchise but there's only so much a fan can take and if they're not expecting anything until 2015 it doesn't sound good for the future of the franchise. I don't expect them to move but should they fail to get that new arena I could see them playing out of state or in New York itself.
There are 1,possibly 2 local billionaires interested in buying th eteam:Repole and Peltz.Wang has bushed aside Peltz.
There are also execs at Barclay's wooing the team.Let's not turn this thread into an relocation thread.There is one on the business board.
If Snow finds a deal that fits into the budget,makes sense for both the long term and short term,he'll take it.If not,he'll count on his youngsters.
Do you know how silly that sounds?Wang is trying to make his team a semi-laughingstock as he tries to pout his way to a new arena?
Wang's lost millions over the yrs with the team,wants to keep payroll as close to the cap floor as possible and will do so,by going with home grown youngsters.
The last guy you want to believe when reporting financials is Wang. After all we're taking about the same guy who lied to the SEC for years to inflate his personal wealth and got other people he made rich in the process to take the fall for him.
I'd expect little different from the Isles this off season then what we've seen in the past several years. Sign aging vets that would have normally been retired had the Isles not offered them a deal and market them as veteran leaders and mentors. Sign AHL, tweener, UFAs to equally low contracts. Fill the ranks with young players that should be maturing in the minors. Hope that the puppet GM, Garth Snow, doesn't commit other on-the-job training mistakes like repeatedly trading down his 1st rounder for a bunch of extra 2nd rounders.
It's sad what Wang has done to the Islanders. A real estate investment gone wrong and he has no business in the NHL. So he's going to ride the profit sharing train to ensure zero financial loss, until he gets what he wants or gives up waiting. Perhaps he needs to look out at the Northrup Grumman property or better yet a power plant in Shoreham. Sadly, Long Island politics can easily out wait Wang no matter what the negative impact there is to the local economy or cost to tax payers.
The Islanders have the potential to jump forward and become a playoff team similar to what we witnessed with the Panthers this season, but they need to fill some holes on the roster (2nd line C and scoring beyond Tavares, Moulson and Parenteau), but if they are going to just stick with what they have and not add that necessary support, then I'm not sure they're going to be capable of making that critical next step towards playoff contention.
The last guy you want to believe when reporting financials is Wang. After all we're taking about the same guy who lied to the SEC for years to inflate his personal wealth and got other people he made rich in the process to take the fall for him.
I'd expect little different from the Isles this off season then what we've seen in the past several years. Sign aging vets that would have normally been retired had the Isles not offered them a deal and market them as veteran leaders and mentors. Sign AHL, tweener, UFAs to equally low contracts. Fill the ranks with young players that should be maturing in the minors. Hope that the puppet GM, Garth Snow, doesn't commit other on-the-job training mistakes like repeatedly trading down his 1st rounder for a bunch of extra 2nd rounders.
It's sad what Wang has done to the Islanders. A real estate investment gone wrong and he has no business in the NHL. So he's going to ride the profit sharing train to ensure zero financial loss, until he gets what he wants or gives up waiting. Perhaps he needs to look out at the Northrup Grumman property or better yet a power plant in Shoreham. Sadly, Long Island politics can easily out wait Wang no matter what the negative impact there is to the local economy or cost to tax payers.
Wang's owned the team for 10/11 yrs.The lease ends in 3 more yrs.You are wrong when you say the County can wait Wang out.
Wang knows there is a light at the end of this mess.The County wishes there were another decade to string this out.
Wang will either sell or move the team to Brooklyn.Then Nassau County pols can try to find another tenant for the arena,replace the revenue lost from the taxes the isles paid,try to boost local businesses that relied on the Isles.
The Islanders have the potential to jump forward and become a playoff team similar to what we witnessed with the Panthers this season, but they need to fill some holes on the roster (2nd line C and scoring beyond Tavares, Moulson and Parenteau), but if they are going to just stick with what they have and not add that necessary support, then I'm not sure they're going to be capable of making that critical next step towards playoff contention.
Isles have two centers they are extremely high on:Strome and Nelson.Both have top 6 potential.
I don't see the isles making a big trade for 2nd line center,with these two in the pipeline.Strome will either be in juniors or on LI.Nelson will either be in the AHL or on LI.
Moulson scored 36 goals this season.5 more then Tavares.
Moulson has had 3 straight season's, of at least 30 goals.
isles top 2 defensive prospects,De Haan and Donovan,were ahl rookies this season.De Haan was named to the all-star team and Donovan was 8th in scoring,among ahl defensemen.Both look nhl ready.
Brock Nelson,Kabanov and Nino are all Bridgeport bound.
isles top 2 goalie prospects,Nilson and Poulin, are having strong AHL seasons.
I never said I didn't think Bridgeport couldn't have a strong team, and I'm not arguing that the Islanders don't have talent in their system, I'm just pointing out that with no significant upgrades I don't think the Islanders will be able to compete with the top 8 teams in the East next year. The Islanders may very well be a force to be reckoned with in 4-5 years, but that's a long time for a fan base that has seen the playoffs once since 2003.
AHL success is crucial for player development, but having good AHL players doesn't always mean you have good NHL players or they may not have an immediate impact in the NHL. I think the Islanders have a lot of players with good potential, I don't see many game changer type players in their system, and potential doesn't always translate to NHL talent so I would be tempted to use some of my prospects/picks and cap space to try to add more proven pieces to the equation. I'm not suggesting moving everybody, but with CDH, Donovan, Ness, Katic, Hamonic, Mayfield - maybe Snow should look at moving 2 of those guys out for someone more proven. Same with forwards the Islanders have JT, Bailey, Grabner, KO, Strome, Nino, Nelson, Cizikas, Kabanov, Ullstrom - maybe a couple of those guys could bring back some established NHL talent.
My comments aren't meant to be critical, just responding to the fact the Snow see's no significant changes coming and that could mean a few more years of futility for the Islanders and their fans.
The Islanders have the potential to jump forward and become a playoff team similar to what we witnessed with the Panthers this season, but they need to fill some holes on the roster (2nd line C and scoring beyond Tavares, Moulson and Parenteau), but if they are going to just stick with what they have and not add that necessary support, then I'm not sure they're going to be capable of making that critical next step towards playoff contention.
The Panthers made that jump after bringing in Flash, Versteeg, Upshall, Jovo, Campbell, Kopecky, Samuelsson, Goc, Bergenhiem, Theodore, Sturm, Wolski, Smithson, Madden, Bradley and probably some I forgot all in 1 season - so I think your correct to think that without any significant moves they will have a hard time taking that step forward.
I never said I didn't think Bridgeport couldn't have a strong team, and I'm not arguing that the Islanders don't have talent in their system, I'm just pointing out that with no significant upgrades I don't think the Islanders will be able to compete with the top 8 teams in the East next year. The Islanders may very well be a force to be reckoned with in 4-5 years, but that's a long time for a fan base that has seen the playoffs once since 2003.
AHL success is crucial for player development, but having good AHL players doesn't always mean you have good NHL players or they may not have an immediate impact in the NHL. I think the Islanders have a lot of players with good potential, I don't see many game changer type players in their system, and potential doesn't always translate to NHL talent so I would be tempted to use some of my prospects/picks and cap space to try to add more proven pieces to the equation. I'm not suggesting moving everybody, but with CDH, Donovan, Ness, Katic, Hamonic, Mayfield - maybe Snow should look at moving 2 of those guys out for someone more proven. Same with forwards the Islanders have JT, Bailey, Grabner, KO, Strome, Nino, Nelson, Cizikas, Kabanov, Ullstrom - maybe a couple of those guys could bring back some established NHL talent.
My comments aren't meant to be critical, just responding to the fact the Snow see's no significant changes coming and that could mean a few more years of futility for the Islanders and their fans.
Okposo started the season 0 goals,3 assists in 15 games.He ended the season with 9 goals in his last 9 games.You don't think starting the season 9 goals in 9 games would not have had a huge impact on the 2nd line?Helped Grabner and Nielsen get off to solid starts?
The lack of secondary scoring was a big problem all season.
Can 24yr olds Okposo be and Grabner, be more consistent?Isles are counting on them to be so.
Isles defense is turning over this summer with only Streit/Hamonic/MacDonald signed for next season.Isles think very highly of pmd De Haan and Donovan.Can they be any worse then Eason,Mottou,Staios and Jurcina?
So it's going to take another 4-5 yrs for Strome,Nelson,Kabanov to make an impact?Funny because within 2-3 yrs of being drafted the isle have gotten positive contributions from Hamonic,Tavares,Cizikas,Ullstrom.
I'm not counting on Strome or Nelson next season,but I do expect at least one will be in the NYI top 6 by 2013-2014 and contributing.
The same for one of Poulin/Nilson.
Just because Snow says don't expect major changes,does not mean he does not expect improvement.He expects it to come from his young players.Instead of fans acting like lemmings "omg,Snow's not going to do anything to improve the isles',fans should read Snow's comments and realize he's putting his team's improvement in the hands of Okposo,Grabner,kids like Hamonic/De Haan.
I never said I didn't think Bridgeport couldn't have a strong team, and I'm not arguing that the Islanders don't have talent in their system, I'm just pointing out that with no significant upgrades I don't think the Islanders will be able to compete with the top 8 teams in the East next year. The Islanders may very well be a force to be reckoned with in 4-5 years, but that's a long time for a fan base that has seen the playoffs once since 2003.
AHL success is crucial for player development, but having good AHL players doesn't always mean you have good NHL players or they may not have an immediate impact in the NHL. I think the Islanders have a lot of players with good potential, I don't see many game changer type players in their system, and potential doesn't always translate to NHL talent so I would be tempted to use some of my prospects/picks and cap space to try to add more proven pieces to the equation. I'm not suggesting moving everybody, but with CDH, Donovan, Ness, Katic, Hamonic, Mayfield - maybe Snow should look at moving 2 of those guys out for someone more proven. Same with forwards the Islanders have JT, Bailey, Grabner, KO, Strome, Nino, Nelson, Cizikas, Kabanov, Ullstrom - maybe a couple of those guys could bring back some established NHL talent.
My comments aren't meant to be critical, just responding to the fact the Snow see's no significant changes coming and that could mean a few more years of futility for the Islanders and their fans.
What would you want for a package of Strome and CDH? Grabovski+?
The Panthers made that jump after bringing in Flash, Versteeg, Upshall, Jovo, Campbell, Kopecky, Samuelsson, Goc, Bergenhiem, Theodore, Sturm, Wolski, Smithson, Madden, Bradley and probably some I forgot all in 1 season - so I think your correct to think that without any significant moves they will have a hard time taking that step forward.
The Isles had tons of holes to fill, clearly, but the Islanders have much less to do if they are able to retain Parenteau. They have a top line in place and they have a good supporting cast in Okposo, Grabner, Bailey, Nielsen, etc. They don't need to go on a big spending spree, but adding a few pieces to that roster can really go a long way in improving their chances of making the playoffs.
I think Moulson has good chemistry with JT and without him I would be shocked if he was a 20/20 guy. This is just an opinion, but I wouldn't swap many other legit top 3 forwards for Moulson 1 for 1
Sounds like same thing people said about Sharp after his big year with Toews/Kane in 07-08
The last guy you want to believe when reporting financials is Wang. After all we're taking about the same guy who lied to the SEC for years to inflate his personal wealth and got other people he made rich in the process to take the fall for him.
I'd expect little different from the Isles this off season then what we've seen in the past several years. Sign aging vets that would have normally been retired had the Isles not offered them a deal and market them as veteran leaders and mentors. Sign AHL, tweener, UFAs to equally low contracts. Fill the ranks with young players that should be maturing in the minors. Hope that the puppet GM, Garth Snow, doesn't commit other on-the-job training mistakes like repeatedly trading down his 1st rounder for a bunch of extra 2nd rounders.
It's sad what Wang has done to the Islanders. A real estate investment gone wrong and he has no business in the NHL. So he's going to ride the profit sharing train to ensure zero financial loss, until he gets what he wants or gives up waiting. Perhaps he needs to look out at the Northrup Grumman property or better yet a power plant in Shoreham. Sadly, Long Island politics can easily out wait Wang no matter what the negative impact there is to the local economy or cost to tax payers.
Not a fan of Wang.... but there's so much wrong with what you said, I don't even know where to start.
Depends on who you ask. Some Isles fans insist on referring to Moulson as a career AHLer who is only scoring because of Tavares. Others believe he's a legitimate top line NHL sniper.
I personally believe he falls somewhere in between those two extremes. I think playing with Tavares has made him a 30+ goal guy, but I think even without Tavares, Moulson's got the hands to score 20+ in the NHL (assuming he gets the same kind of top line PP minutes as he does with the Isles).
With regards to the Isles as a whole, as an outsider who happens to catch a fair share of Isles games, I see their roster as lacking at least 2 top six forwards (probably 3 better all around forwards), at least 2 top six defenseman (including 1 top 4 defenseman), and of those 4 players, the added dimension of physicality.
I know these aren't the lines that the Isles use, but this is, to me, how their end of the year roster looks in terms of where they should play, not necessarily where they did play:
1st line - Tavares
2nd line - Moulson, Parenteau
3rd line - Nielsen, Okposo, Bailey, Grabner
4th line - Martin, Ullstrom, Haley, Reasoner, Pandolfo
(Niederreiter in junior)
With regards to the forwards, I think it would be okay to have one of Moulson or Parenteau on a top line, but I think they're too flawed to have both take up flanks on Tavares' wing. Everyone else is either not gifted enough to be a natural second liner (Nielsen, Bailey at this point), or not consistent enough to rely on them (Okposo, Grabner).
I don't see the Isles having a legitimate #1 right now. Hamonic could grow into the role, but IMO he's not there yet. Streit's offense is still good, but he's a bit too much of a defensively liability to be a guy you want on the ice in all situations (like what a #1 would). After those two, you've got a usually solid (but unspectacular) Macdonald, then a bunch of guys who are better suited to the 6th or 7th defense spot.
Anyway, that's what I see. Am I being too harsh in my assessment?
Islanders will be fine, they have great kids coming up. as long as they continue to develop them correctly and dont rush them into playing bigger roles than what theyre ready for, they will all develop year after year and soon teams will be looking out for them.
Bring in veterans that they can look up to, and I give them 2 seasons and they will be in the playoffs
PA Parenteau's agent Allan Walsh will take every last dollar. One of the more difficult agents. If it was up to Walsh,the 2004-05 lockout would still be going on.
