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The inevitable question: Now that the Islanders have an arena....
I think the Islanders will start attracting Free Agents if players see them not be a cap min team. I think the biggest turnoff for any player when it comes to the Islanders is you have to know that they won't do much unless they are willing to spend.
If the Islanders spend more then cap min they will come, if they continue being a cap min team then they will stay away
I think the biggest problem wasn't the arena itself, but the fact that a player signing today, could end up living in Kansas City 2 years later. Wich is a risk some players (especially those with families) wouldn't have taken.
Now every player will know that the team will be locked in brooklyn for the next 25 years, on top of that in a new Arena. This will be a huge factor, IMO.
I think the biggest problem wasn't the arena itself, but the fact that a player signing today, could end up living in Kansas City 2 years later. Wich is a risk some players (especially those with families) wouldn't have taken.
Now every player will know that the team will be locked in brooklyn for the next 25 years, on top of that in a new Arena. This will be a huge factor, IMO.
Theyre now closer to manhattan than the devils ...theyre on the 2 express train...
Living in the city, im totally psyched about this....cant imagine it doesnt make a difference for rich young athletes to be so close, its always been part of the rangers' allure, even when they were terrible
The Isles would be a decent team to go to now, they have a good prospect pool... They just need a definite number one goalie, this Arena should help a lot though.
you have apparently never been to the north shore of Nassau, LI. Absolutely beautiful homes and area.
The arena will hopefully bring in more customers will will hopefully bring in more money which will hopefully be spent on a better team.
And the City of Detroit is a giant wasteland. But the team is in a stable situation and there are nice places to live outside of the city.
Players haven't wanted to sign with the Isles because they might be in Seattle or Quebec to Houston the next season. Now they're locked down, in a better arena and should pull in more revenue. Which means better players and more winning.
....will they be a team that attracts free agents?
And even more in depth, will free agents come in the next two offseasons or wait until the offseason before the move (2015-2016)?
Discuss....
By now, we have all seen that location makes no difference to free agents. How well the organization is run makes the difference.
Why else would a player choose Detroit over Miami or Phoenix?
You cannot deny the fact that the arena will at least help along the process. Just keep building a good foundation and this team is on the rise. I could see a couple awesome FAs going there in 3-4 years.
You cannot deny the fact that the arena will at least help along the process. Just keep building a good foundation and this team is on the rise. I could see a couple awesome FAs going there in 3-4 years.
It may. It depends on how the team is run. If the team doesn't win, fans are not going to come (especially when there's going to be an increase in ticket prices, concessions, parking, etc). It doesn't matter what building they play in. The Mets saw the novelty and interest in Citi Field dry up pretty quick.
I'm sure NVMC was a reason players didn't sign here. But the team sucking for the better part of 20 years is the real reason no one signs there.
The Islanders have a great prospect pool. They have to make a trade for a big player to pair with JT. you do that and you turn an already really good 1st line into a great 1st line. Then a UFA 2nd line center won't scoff at the idea of signing there.
Before FAs are attracted to the team, the Isles will need to show them something & that means they're going to have to trade for someone. Relying on prospects only will never work.
I think the biggest problem wasn't the arena itself, but the fact that a player signing today, could end up living in Kansas City 2 years later. Wich is a risk some players (especially those with families) wouldn't have taken.
Now every player will know that the team will be locked in brooklyn for the next 25 years, on top of that in a new Arena. This will be a huge factor, IMO.
This is the main factor, which leads to a bunch of other factors:
1. Fans will no longer sitt on their money because they feel uncertain about the team's future.
2. The fact that the team has locked up their core (Tavares, Nielsen, Okposo, Grabner, Martin, Moulson to a lesser extent) means that there will be a perception that there is a team to build around.
3. By 2013-2014 you can add a bumper crop of prospects all of whom will be ready or nearly ready - Strome, Nino, Reinhart, Donovan, Poulin, Nilsson, Nelson, Ullstrom, and Cizikas. There will be absolutely no need for bottom-6 forwards on this team. There will be defensive depth. The team will have two clear needs: a top line RW, and a top-pairing D. At the end of the 2014 campaign there will also be a bumper crop of UFA's. I'd be shocked if the Islanders aren't a hot team going into that offseason.
Basically, I expect the free agent train to get rolling not after this season (if there is one), but before the 2014 season.
It may. It depends on how the team is run. If the team doesn't win, fans are not going to come (especially when there's going to be an increase in ticket prices, concessions, parking, etc). It doesn't matter what building they play in. The Mets saw the novelty and interest in Citi Field dry up pretty quick.
I definitely agree with you, but the reason I think it's different than Citi is because the significantly less amount of seats. I mean, this stadium is literally a 2 second walk from one of the subways, I believe (saw an interview on CNBC). That attraction right there might make the arena look bigger even if they still aren't drawing well.
But you make a good point on how important it is to win to attract the additional players. Especially role players.
I definitely agree with you, but the reason I think it's different than Citi is because the significantly less amount of seats. I mean, this stadium is literally a 2 second walk from one of the subways, I believe (saw an interview on CNBC). That attraction right there might make the arena look bigger even if they still aren't drawing well.
But you make a good point on how important it is to win to attract the additional players. Especially role players.
My point about Citi is the Mets overestimated the draw of the new stadium — and the ticket prices showed it. And now the empty seats show it. For that matter, the ticket prices at Yankee Stadium have had an impact as well. Lots of empty seats during the playoffs.
I think the biggest problem wasn't the arena itself, but the fact that a player signing today, could end up living in Kansas City 2 years later. Wich is a risk some players (especially those with families) wouldn't have taken.
Now every player will know that the team will be locked in brooklyn for the next 25 years, on top of that in a new Arena. This will be a huge factor, IMO.
I agree that the lingering questions of where they'd end up was probably one of the biggest hindrances to attracting UFAs, if not the biggest. Sure, winning matters, but we're also coming off an offseason where the two biggest UFAs signed with an organization that hasn't won a playoff series since the 2002-03 season, and hasn't qualified for the playoffs in six of the last eight seasons.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ogopogo
By now, we have all seen that location makes no difference to free agents. How well the organization is run makes the difference.
Why else would a player choose Detroit over Miami or Phoenix?
I disagree that it makes zero difference. Buffalo frequently loses out on top-tier free agents because of their location, even now when we have a great owner. Buffalo will never net the Zach Parises and Brad Richards of the world due, in no small part, because of where they're located and the type of city Buffalo is.
And I think the Detroit v Miami/Phoenix comparison is a tad disingenuous. While Detroit is not a nice city and they have a winning tradition over the last couple decades, they're also an Original Six franchise which has some allure. Further, many players don't sign in Phoenix because, like the Islanders, they have no clue where the franchise may be in a year or two. Also, players probably don't want to play in front of a half-empty arena 41 nights a year.
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I think, overall, this is a couple steps in the right direction for the Isles. Their location is now stable. They're much closer to Manhattan, and that's an advantage when it comes to attracting players. They'll also be playing in a modern, state-of-the-art arena, and will probably be able to pack the house on most nights.
They'll need to improve in the standings, certainly, to gain further credibility, but I don't think you can discount location and facilities in the analysis of what players may be looking at when considering the Islanders now.
Sure they will be closer, but it isn't like they could not have already been living outside of right next to the arena. Most of the Wings live upwards of at least 20 to 30 minutes commute from the Joe Louis.
Living in downtown Detroit? Not sure if serious...
Obviously winning solves everything, but the state of the franchise has to be a factor. No one wants to sign a long term deal only to move their family across North America half way through the deal.
Winning and money are two things that will always attract free agents.
Winning might be a couple years off, but looking at the collected youth...It's going to happen eventually, my guess is the next year or two.
Money is a different matter. Wang is still in charge, and my opinion of him has been that of a cheapskate. I could be totally wrong, or maybe the new arena will spur him to do right by his team, but I know him for the Doug Weight style, short term, high cap hit, low salary type deals, or the Snow/DiPietro thing, but he has landed a few big name free agents, Boyes and Streit being among them.
Spending money, not necessarily on players salaries, but with in the team for new/better facilities goes a long way too.
I think it will have the inverse effect if it has any effect. We're talking about an arena that wasn't made for hockey at all and will most likely feel awkward to play in. I feel free agents avoid the Islanders mainly because of management and Mr. Wang's hockey reputation, not really where the team plays or is located.
