Trade Freeze & Cold Wars

The Olympic trade freeze is making a mess out of the March 3rd trade deadline dealings as some rush to make deals now while others are forced to sit on their hands for the next two weeks.

In our own little corner of the NHL, we have a different problem: Our standings prior to Monday will determine whether the Islanders will be buying or selling. (Or so I've heard.)

I've also heard that weeks back, when it looked as if the playoffs were well within their grasp, plans were being formulated by the sales and marketing departments. Perhaps that was the kiss of death to the season as the Islanders then headed into a 7 game losing slump, followed by a shoot out win, followed by yet another regulation loss. Points squandered as other teams bypass them in this insanely tight race for that final playoff spot.

Personally, I don't want the 8th playoff spot if it means they'll play five games in the first round and then get tossed. As nice as it is to extend the season for another two weeks, as a fan, it's painful to get your hopes up only to have them hit the deck by game three. Yeah. Been there, done that. It hurts.

Currently, while all along the plan was to trade Marty Biron and keep Dwayne Roloson, reality has made that plan about as realistic as me losing 15 lbs by June. Sources on the net say the brewing interest is in Dwayne Roloson and not Marty Biron.

On a personal level, I wouldn't mind keeping Marty around to back-up Rick as he can be solid (as proven on Tuesday) and he is great on the bench and in the locker room. But I know the plan all along was to use him as a trade chip when Rick was healthy. (Hence the one year deal for Marty and the two year deal for Roli.) Luckily, it wasn't a secret to Biron either.

But the 40 year-old goaltender with the contract of $3Mil for one more year and the winning record is the one drawing interest. That is going to require a change of strategy for GM Garth Snow.

I'm guessing he's had to change plans a few times these past few weeks as veteran D Brendan Witt didn't draw any trade interest and was put on waivers. He is playing in Bridgeport and it is said the Isles are not planning on putting him on re-entry waivers. As a UFA come July 1st, it seems that Witt will be playing his last days in the organization in a Sound Tigers jersey. Not horrendous, but certainly not the best fate for an established NHLer. .*Never trust information on the web. Just been told he's signed through 2011. Okay, Now I have to go investigate this later when I am on lunch. Thanks Nicky!


While the Islanders are developing the talents of such youngsters as MacDonald, Kohn and newest call-up Matt Martin, Andy Sutton has now become a target for teams looking for a big body with established skills. Uh oh.

Sutton has been reported as saying he would like to stay on the Islanders, however if the right deal comes along, certainly they can't refuse.

I can only assume, privately, there are teams eyeing other Islanders players they feel can fill a grey area on their roster. I won't say 'hole' because for sure the only ones on our roster that are 'hole' fillers, we certainly will not part with. (Kyle is ours, don't even think about it! ANY of you!)

The Islanders play the Lightning on Saturday and the Senators on Sunday. In all honesty, if they can squeak out one point in two days, I'd be surprised. Expect the "For Sale" sign to go up in Uniondale by Monday.

Off The Rush Post Game 11-25-09

Anthony and I met up for under a minute as the Coliseum was emptying out after the 2-1 Isles loss. Even with the loss, people were pushing us out of the way to get to the merchandise concession.

Two points lost, and seriously not Biron's fault. Scott Gordon was visible and audibly upset in the post game. More on that later. For now, Happy Thanksgiving from Anthony and I.

Like searching for the Holy Grail

...the Isles can’t find a Win

Do I seriously need to do a post game? Isles lose. Sabres win. Rookie Tyler Myers was handed the gift of his first NHL goal. It was gift wrapped so well, NHL.com had the video up on their website within minutes.

The Isles played the second period well and spent the rest of the game trying to get out of their own zone. John Tavares gained one goal and missed two open nets.

Sean Bergenheim played his best game yet and while there were no points for him, he was shooting more and screened Miller for one of the Isles goals. Moulson did add to his total with one goal and one assist. That kid has found some sort of puck magnet, I’m sure. Please clone this man.

Roloson was chased from the net after giving up four and Biron let up two more. He probably would have let up more if he knew that Howie and Billy told the world that he came home to Buffalo to be with his family, but his wife left for a horse show or something. (How long you been married, Marty?) I make the suggestion of calling up Nate Lawson. May as well, they haven’t been able to win any way.

I had asked Rechlicz to play smart tonight. He didn’t listen. He made a bad decision, took a penalty that resulted in one of the Sabres power play goals and with only four shifts for the night, Rechlicz became a spectator for the balance of the game.

For some reason, my daughter kept yelling at Martinek tonight. I told her not to worry. It won’t be long before he has an injury that will keep him out for weeks.

There are always positives to take away from these games as the team develops. But how much more can we hold out for hope when they are STILL OH-FER-October??

Isles Cuts & One & One with Biron

Good Morning. Today Newsday reported the latest round of Islanders cuts: Marcinko, Matt Martin, Dustin Kohn, Brett Westgarth, Scott Munroe, Greg Mauldin and quite surprisingly for the Big Angry Man, Michael Haley. All have been assigned to Bridgeport to work with Jack Capuano and learn the system so they are ready to be calledup at any time.

I'm guessing the enforcer job that a lot of them have been auditioning for is the Wrecker's to lose. I'm sure he'll work hard at keeping it. Matt Moulson and his four goals in as many games, looks like he's sticking around and I keep thinking that maybe Calvin deHaan will get the break of his life and stay on the Island or will he go back to Juniors? Has it happened already and I missed it? Hmmmm we'll see.

Meanwhile, late last night I put together a little piece on my three minutes alone with veteran goaltender Marty Biron. Okay, I really wasn't ALONE with him, but while everyone else in the locker room was crowded around John Tavares after his first game in Uniondale, I quietly wandered off to the corner to talk to Biron. It didn't last long of course. Because as soon as they saw I had his attention and was getting a one on one, the gravitational pull kicked in and suddenly that side of the room began to tilt.

Okay, so check it out and have a wonderful Friday.

B to myself

100 Years of Goalies.. and Counting

WTF? Can I just go to a damn concert without the NY Islanders doing SOMETHING to surprise me? Do I have to be on the internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so I don't miss anything?

CAN YOU TELL ME WHERE MY GOD DAMN NYI MOBILE ALERT WAS WHEN THIS HAPPENED??? CAN YOU???

UUGGGGGHHHHHH!!!

Okay, so Garth Snow went shopping and came home with another Goalie that had a price tag he couldn't pass up. Maybe the new strategy will be to put six goalies and Tavares on the ice. I can't tell.

Okay, article up at HockeyBuzz.