As excited as the Islanders were to acquire Ryan Smyth on Feb. 27 at the trade deadline, that’s how depressing it was to lose him to Colorado as the first day of the NHL free agent market drew to a close tonight. But it wasn’t money that made the difference.
Smyth signed a five-year contract worth $31.25 million with the Avalanche. The Isles offered $32.5 million for five years.
Islanders general manager Garth Snow compared the loss of a player he and coach Ted Nolan hoped to make the leader of their team to the emotion he felt as a player after losing a big game. “As a player, you work as hard as you can, and sometimes, you come up empty,” Snow said. “We offered a very good contract. There’s still players out there who can help us win, and we’re pressing on.”
Comments (230)
Pretty bad gamble by the Isles. Why would Smyth sign here? The recent history of this team is horrible. This team put all of its eggs in the Smyth basked and looked horrible today. However, they had time to sign Sim. Nice move on signing a player they could have signed 1 hour before camp.
DAMN YOU MIKE MILBURY! YOU'RE THE WORST GM EVER AND THE SOLE REASON THE ISLES ARE SUCH A LAUGHINGSTOCK!!
Wait, what? Mike's no longer with the team? Who do we blame now?
Do you really think offering me a contract for 1.25M more than a true cup contender would sway me to sign? Come on now. Jokes on you.
7M per year would have done the trick. Better luck next time backup goaltender.
This management team has failed the fans. There is no team here, no chance at a competitive season. Complete failure is the order of the day.
So, lets start it up! What's going to keep you going to Isles games? The GRIT? The HARD-WORKING style? The SCRAPPY play?
The only thing that will get me back there one day is seeing a team that consistently WINS GAMES. For that day, I dare not hold my breath.
A sick, disgusting joke of a franchise is all that remains here. A sad, sad day for its fans.
So....the Smyth deal is final, eh? That's an absolutely crucial blow to the Isles. We have nothing, and we'll have to do our usual oversigning to get anybody over here. So much for giving Smyth an "offer he couldn't refuse." Way to go, Smyth, for stringing us along for 12 hours and likely keeping us from making runs at other players, and Garth, for not wowing him from the start. Let's not even go into what the Rangers are doing...
Kariya? Guerin? Souray? Let's hope we sign actual scorers and not more scrappy third liners.
What a devastating day (again! of course!) for the Isles and the fans. Adios to our cred.
Eklund has the Blues signing Kariya to a 3 year deal...
Oh jeez...
Eklund has the Blues signing Kariya to a 3 year deal...
Oh jeez...
Eklund has the Blues signing Kariya to a 3 year deal...
Oh jeez...
Way to convince Smyth that you're committed to winning by signing Jon Sim.
"Come up empty?" Have you looked at the roster? My rec team has more scoring and the potential to fill gaps quicker.
Sorry for the repeat posts.
Sorrier for our team.
It's a sad day for this franchise. Losing Smyth and watching the Rangers sign Drury and Gomez is embarrassing. Not to mention watching Poti and Blake leave. Now, they'll be forced to sign fourth liners to inflated contracts. They should have offered more years or more dollars. I'm canceling my season tickets effective tomorrow.
You know, unlike fans of other teams that look forward to WINNING, we Isles fans have to settle for the feeling that we CAN win...which lasts for one solid month of any season. We flirt with respectability every few years, when we play competitively and freefall to the 8th spot and bow out in the first round. Then we suck. I don't get it. Snow couldn't get his 'friend' Schneider to come back. Come on!! Show some iron, some cojones!
Islander fans come back off the cliff. Holy Cow. I am as disappointed as all you that we couldnt land smythe or Gomez. But lets really look at this in reality. Smythe was number one priority and we lost out. Gomez signed with the rags. We were not in for dury or briere. Are we crying over Kozlov going to the caps? We got yashing outa here. Logan stated correctly the loss that will be overlooked is Poti. tough to replace 25 min per game. So it is not like the islanders were in the runnning for all of these FA. It was just smythe and maybe gomez and that was it. We have alot of money in our pockets. We can use it to sign some very good players and fill the roster out rather than pay one or two guys. I think it is imperative to get souray now. I think that will happen. I can see some RFA being offered some dollars. So in reality we lost out on smythe and poti. We can replace them. This whole notion that nobody wants to play on LI is just dooky. When The isles pony up and they will play here. plain and simple. I am now moving on to see who we get to play on the team and I will make a final anlysys then. Lets go Islanders
well u can kiss kariya goodbye...he signed with the blues for 3 yrs...no way the islanders will be able to replace the lost offense with just free agent signings...extremely bleak outlook
The Islanders seemed to maintain hope throughout the day even after losing Poti, Zednik, Blake, and Kozlov. Reality set in once Smyth was gone, but now the only other quick skating playmaker left who would fit into an Islanders uniform just signed with the St. Louis Blues.
Paul Kariya, as stated on the Blues website, has been inked to a three year deal. It is apparent that the Islanders do not have many options left. Bringing in Souray just to fill a spot on defense is a poor choice, regardless of how many goals he can put up. His minus 28 last year is more then the 25 or 26 goals he may have scored. Bill Guerin is an option, but who is going to be the playmaking center, Shawn Bates? Brendan Shanahan is available, but only to the Rangers from what many sources are informing us. And then that leaves not to many UFA's who have established themselves as premier players. As of right now, our top line would be Sillinger in the middle with Satan on left and Hunter on right. I am sorry, but that line is a third line for most teams.
As for Garth Snow, I don't believe it is his fault. I have season tickets for 6 years and I feel that this organization itself is the laughingstock of the NHL with no future plans to win a cup, just each year to buy whatever they can and try to call themselves a cup contender. No player who is a premier talent wants to be a part of an organization with no plan to win a cup and no idea on how to build a team to win that cup. As for these Ted Nolan players, the only Ted Nolan players we are going to have are going to be straight from Bridgeport considering no one wants to come here anymore. I see the optimism with many people telling me to hold on and wait to see what happens, but the biggest deal they could make would be to bring in Nylander and Zubrus, but in all honesty, how big of an impact can that have? If anyone truly can sit here and tell me the Islanders have a legitimate shot at being a winning club next season, please tell me how. I truly am open to all suggestions.
Yours Truly,
Another Sad Ticket Holder
islanders.com says they have an offer to atleast one all star on the table. now here are the free agent all stars out there shannahan, selanne, neidermayer i dont think it will be one of those 3 for a # of reasons. now the last 2 all stars are souray and guerin. i hope they sign both of them plus zubrus or nylander.
Wow, jisles, I applaud your optimism but I'd like a toke of whatever it is you're smoking.
The Isles have: money in their pocket, no chance at many of the top FAs we had targetted, just lost 110+ goals, no chance at many of our OWN UFAs and RFAs, just been outbid by teams that finished worse than we did last year for those players (Toronto, Washington, Colorado), and now have huge wholes to fill.
We need top scorers and playmakers. Have you seen the list of the rest of the free agents? Besides Kariya and Guerin and maybe Nylander, do you see top, playmaking forwards? I don't. I bet with D, we'll just hope and pray that Martinek doesn't break himself for the last two months of this season--which, of course, will happen anyway.
Where are the rest of these "very good players"?
Islanders are done, this is the worst shape the Islanders have ever been in, Garth Snow fucked up this team when he traded Smyth for those 3 first round picks
Isles are done, I see them moving off the Island in the next 4 years
It's time to look at some of the "restricted" free agents. Why not give up the draft picks it would cost to sign one or two? We'd trade the picks down the road, anyway.
How about that rookie GM getting taken to town first by the Oilers GM Kevin Lowe then by Ryan Smyth's lying agent Don Meehan: Way to Go!! I especially like the Jon Sim signing replacing 100 goals between Blake, Smyth and Yashin with a career 15 goal scorer on a team that was already starved for goals..They can't even depend on their draft picks because they gave 3 away for a 5 game first round nothing. The Rangers found a way to sign Drury and Gomez what a pathetic franchise we are I think its time for chants of WANG MUST GO!!!
Wang is the only reason we still have a team. Relax. It's day one. I have faith in the Garth man.
The Islanders seemed to maintain hope throughout the day even after losing Poti, Zednik, Blake, and Kozlov. Reality set in once Smyth was gone, but now the only other quick skating playmaker left who would fit into an Islanders uniform just signed with the St. Louis Blues.
Paul Kariya, as stated on the Blues website, has been inked to a three year deal. It is apparent that the Islanders do not have many options left. Bringing in Souray just to fill a spot on defense is a poor choice, regardless of how many goals he can put up. His minus 28 last year is more then the 25 or 26 goals he may have scored. Bill Guerin is an option, but who is going to be the playmaking center, Shawn Bates? Brendan Shanahan is available, but only to the Rangers from what many sources are informing us. And then that leaves not to many UFA's who have established themselves as premier players. As of right now, our top line would be Sillinger in the middle with Satan on left and Hunter on right. I am sorry, but that line is a third line for most teams.
As for Garth Snow, I don't believe it is his fault. I have season tickets for 6 years and I feel that this organization itself is the laughingstock of the NHL with no future plans to win a cup, just each year to buy whatever they can and try to call themselves a cup contender. No player who is a premier talent wants to be a part of an organization with no plan to win a cup and no idea on how to build a team to win that cup. As for these Ted Nolan players, the only Ted Nolan players we are going to have are going to be straight from Bridgeport considering no one wants to come here anymore. I see the optimism with many people telling me to hold on and wait to see what happens, but the biggest deal they could make would be to bring in Nylander and Zubrus, but in all honesty, how big of an impact can that have? If anyone truly can sit here and tell me the Islanders have a legitimate shot at being a winning club next season, please tell me how. I truly am open to all suggestions.
Yours Truly,
Another Sad Ticket Holder
So now Snow is in a position to really overpay for second class talent because he has to do something to placate all these irate ticket holders.
Snow's only real option is to tender offer sheets to restricted free agents . There are plenty of teams right at the cap limit that have RFA's available.
Lets sign some of these players to 4 or 5 year deals now. I would rather see that, then have Snow overpay for the leftovers.
Let the kids play. We will win 22 games get a shot at the #1 pick. What else we playing for? I see the Isles dumping players at the trade deadline for prospects and picks. One step back, 2 steps forward. Introducing the 2011 Stanley Cup Champions, The New York Islanders.
Calm down, folks.
Smyth opted to go back to the Western Conference. That's all. Snow did everything he could, and the 'Lanche isn't winning a Cup this year, either.
Gomez and Drury will help Rangers. But if I were Glen Sather, I'd sure hope someone doesn't make an offer to my All-Star RFA goalie. And if I were LA or Phoenix, I'd take a blank check to Lundqvist and stay until he signed it. Rangers might have a hard time matching.
Biggest lost today is Poti, though whether I'd have given him $14M/4 years is a question.
Snow's first move has to be to find a No. 1 center (Nylander?). Might try bringing back Hamrlik at the right price. He's got $$ to spend; it's a question of spending it smartly.
These 7- and 8-year contracts are absurd. I wonder what the owners who shut down the league to get a salary cap are thinking now. Isles are better off for now not being tied down with them. The deal for Ricky, though longer, is much more cap-friendly. Just hope he stays healthy.
That sentiment of thanking Wang for keeping the Isles here is done. If the franchise can't survive and isn't supported then by all means move away. You can't keep praising mediocrity unless your content to live your life as a loser.
Discontent, it's day one. Wait until Snow fills out the roster before you bitch yourself to death.
I never thought I would say this, but I miss Mike Milbury. He at least would have overpaid Kariya to come here!!!
OK -- I'm ready to turn the page. Of the UFA's left, here's who'd I'd like to see the Isles push for:
Todd Bertuzzi & Tom Preissing
Bertuzzi is for some reason under the radar right now, and will have a chip on his shoulder. Plus it'd be a nice story to bring him full circle to where he career began (especially now that Milbury is totally out of the franchise ... as i recall, the reason Bertuzzi was shipped out originally was friction with mad mike). It wasn't that long ago that bertuzzi was one of the best players in the leage (before he went apes?*%t on Steve Moore). Plus you could probably get him for a 2 or 3 year deal.
As for Preissing, I think he's an underrated D-man, who could make up the ice-time we lost with Poti going to the Caps ... forget Souray, we don't need another pointman with a huge shot but defensive liabilities (we already have bergeron)
well...this is going to be a very disappointing season..atleast his year when they predict that the isles will finish last overall..they will be right
Well, on the good side we don't have any overpaid players anymore. On the bad side, we basically don't have any players at all anymore. Maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but this team doesn't look like it has a chance in H**l of even competing for a playoff spot. Bill, maybe you're right. I'll check back with you (and the Islanders) in 2010. At least I don't have to try to remember what channel Versus is on anymore.
A devastating day for the franchise. Signings were dizzying all day and night and the Islanders took a big punch. They put WAY too many eggs in one basket with Smyth...a bad way to approach free agency. Garth Snow had this lunch handed to him today....but it's not just him. It's an organizational failure. I mean...think about it...how can anyone take a franchise seriously that signs Yashin to a 10-year deal and DiPietro to a 15-year deal.
Bertuzzi, fantastic! Then we can resign Chris Simon, get Sean Hill back, maybe teach Tank Johnson how to skate...?
No, let's not be the thug squad. But...signing Bertuzzi is better than nothing. Why can't we resign Asham?
As an Islander fan for 35 years, I am simply disgusted by the fact that this team just lost its only two real superstars (pardon me Mike D.) and the only real faces of this team. While the rich get richer, our management signs middle of the road free agents for ridiculous money. They should have overwhelmed Smyth and Blake to keep them here so that we could attract other players. This team will be competing for last place next year and if there is no movement on the arena, I would not be surprised if the team leaves the Island. Attendance will be atrocious. Garth gambled and lost big time!!!
This team makes me sick, a player named What? Sim! is all we can sign on day one, when the rest of the division is getting stronger. What a joke this team is!!!!!
Logan, Please call your contact in the Islander PR department and have them remove that story about signing Jon Sim. It's embarrassing....
You know what's absolutely sickening, on top of everything else?! The AP story breaking the Smyth-to-Avs deal only quotes Garth, talking about what Smyth wanted. No quotes from Colorado, no quotes from Ryan. That ticks me off, that we--the losers here--have to come across and weepy losers.
Way to put together "competitive" offers, not overwhelming offers for the guys we really, truly needed to have. Arrrrghhhhh!
Really, as this point what kind of difference can anyone make?
In case you missed it, here's what happened: Everyone on the team that was worth anything has left, no free agents that were worth anything have signed, and none worth anything are going to.
What's worthwhile? Alison? Nylander? Peca? Hamrlik? You could add all four to this team and it wouldn't make a 3 game difference in win/loss for next year. There's no core leader there. There's nobody there to build a competitive team around, only big opportunities to overspend for inferior talent (and insult the fans in the process).
Just put whatever is laying around in Bridgeport out on the ice for the league minimum, don't sweat the attendance, try to draft well, and pray that some real players will for some presently unknown reason decide this IS a viable place to play next year.
At least that way they could say they have a plan, and they could actually do it, even if free agents are avoiding Long Island like it was Plum Island. I'd rather see that than some pathetic, conciliatory roster of overpaid has-beens that will just prolong the now seemingly endless suffering that's been happening here.
Garth, Ted, and the franchise got smoked. Nobody wants to play here. They failed to make this an attractive enough place to good players. They tried to sort of squeeze one into coming here and they failed miserably. Own up to it and try again next year. But whatever you do, don't start telling us stuff like "Islander Pride is Back!!!" and using words like "competitive" or "contender" when describing the team. Its just one more season the "Franchise" goaltender, for whom MUCH was surrendered, will not have any real chance to lead this team to a championship.
What does that leave, anyway? 13 more years?
The clock is ticking, Charles. Best get to work.
Greg, I have to disagree with you, I don't think the team has the firepower to compete for last place. I don't think it will even be close.
On the positive side, the Isles have about $30 million of room to play with, so they can overpay for all the remaining second, third and fourth tier players remaining. They still haven't re-signed Trent Hunter - can't figure that one out (not that he's the answer, but I'd like to see him back next year). Guess we'll definitely be re-signing Simon and Hill. The rebuilding theme has been the motto they've been giving since the early to mid-90's and I don't have the patience to watch another 2-3 years of rebuilding at this point. I don't think I'll be purchasing the NHL Center Ice package this year to watch my team. It's not worth the reasonably priced $149 to watch a team that will struggle to complete against professional NHL teams. If they're not going to sign top caliber players, maybe they can sign some goons and beat up all the other teams. At least we'll have a reason to watch. Brendan Witt will clearly be the Captain of this team for 07/08. I'd say that the Isles can improve themselves via trade, but who do they have left to trade with? The only players left are in their farm system. And giving up any possible future to sign a second or third rate player isn't the best option either.
You freaks are making me laugh. So we didnt get the big names and we lost Smyth/Blake, Wahhhhhhhh. Be a fan of the team and let Garth do what he has to,to build a new team here. He tried to sign Smyth but Smyth wanted to go west. Alot of teams tried to and couldnt sign him. Garth can go after restricted free agents from other teams that they couldnt afford to match because of the cap.I would like to see Nylander in orange and blue and I would like to get Hammer and Peca back. Mike doesnt have the skills that we lost with Smyth, but he does have the leadership now that Yashin is gone. Get over the "whoa is me" attitude and see this as a chance for Nolan to get a hard working team. SUPPORT THE SWEATER,NOT THE PEOPLE WEARING IT.
I don't understand what happened here. The Isles were doing everything right. They bought out Yashin, publicly announced their plans to make the Smyth signing and captaincy the priority, and then position themselves as an appealing market for other top flight free agents. I believe the Isles fell asleep at the wheel after shipping out Yashin. Smyth should have been signed within a few days afterwards, $7.5-8 million per for 5-6 years. No way Smyth waits until today to test the market with those figures thrown his way. Then you have the cornerstone piece and build from there. There would have been several big name free agents interested in signing here today if the Isles did their part with Smyth. I feel they blew their chance weeks ago. No way was Smyth going to stay here for an extra 250k per verses a hockey hot bed in Denver. Where were Bossy and Trots and the Islanders people during the past few weeks. The month before the opening day of free agency is not the time to be on vacation. Poor job by Mr Wang on this. Ryan Smyth should have been his best friend the past month. I see no hope in the near future with what we have left to put on the ice. There are no top tier free agents left that can help this team. Who will be the captain next season? Sillinger, Hunter, please not Peca - he's done. Where will the goals come from? Who's going to pick up Poti's ice time? Where's the on ice leadership? What a shame. If Ricky stays home in net against the Canadians, the Isles are a hair from the 6th seed and possibly the Eastern finals this past season. How everything has suddenly changed. I've been an Islander's fan since the beginning in 1972 and have stuck by them through thick and thin and will continue to do so. But this team is in serious need of a personality makeover. No one wants to play here. It needs to start with a new arena and start filling up the building. Mr Wang, you are a great businessman, but there is something that happens in the sports business that doesn't happen in the computer business, it's a passion to win! Money will not buy that passion, the right employees(players, coaches, etc) will bring that. You needed to overpay Smyth for that, because there has been no one with that passion here since Pat Lafontaine. I'm not surprised that Lafontaine smelled something rotten and jumped shipped at the beginning of last season, Smyth just did the same thing. I appreciate Mr Wang saving this team from leaving or going belly up, but when your biggest and closest rival has an all-star team to begin with and is still adding the top free agents available, it's embarassing to admit you're an Islander fan. Thank goodness I live in Arizona now so I don't have to face Ranger fans in person. This has been a very sad day for Islander fans. I'll still be watching and rooting, but this one feels rotten.
It's easy to get depressed and frustrated. I can understand that. And Islander fans have been walked on for the last fifteen years, between criminal ownership and incompetent management. Still, screw all of you that're writing the team off this year. You need some big name to drag you into your seats? Snow and Nolan are clearly doing as well as they can under the circumstances. Everyone's clamoring for Smyth to have been signed for $8 million? Two days ago, he wasn't worth signing for $6m according to some of the same people. Let them finish their business, let them play the season, and if they can't get it right then we'll call for their heads.
How about this: you have the right to complain about today's inactivity so long as you also give up the right to gloat when the Islanders beat the living piss out of the Rangers' hodgepodge of a team next year.
I have to admit, it would be hilarious if some team could successfully tempt Lundqvist to sign a ridiculous offer sheet, because I don't think they'd have the cap room to match --- and without him they'd be worse than us next year
I have to admit, it would be hilarious if some team could successfully tempt Lundqvist to sign a ridiculous offer sheet, because I don't think they'd have the cap room to match --- and without him they'd be worse than us next year
SUPPORT THE SWEATER,NOT THE PEOPLE WEARING IT
Sweaters don't win hockey games. Teams with good players win hockey games.
Give up on the idea that Peca and Hamrlik are still franchise players in their primes and get with the program.
The Islanders played this as though Smyth was theirs. They let all their free agents plus all the best available free agents get signed by other teams. Did Smyth wait to see who the Islanders signed before leaving to go to Colorado? If that was the case, did Islanders management realize free agency started July 1st. Oh, wait a minute, they knew it started, we got Jonathan Sim...I feel better now.
You need some big name to drag you into your seats?
Nope. We need good players to form a competitive team that will be worth the considerable amount of money we pay for those seats. The problem is, we don't have any.
Come on and get serious for a minute here. What do we got? Jeff Tambellini? Franz Neilson? Bergenheim? Nobody even knows what Bergenheim looks like these days. I'd hold off on your assurances of beating that "hodgepodge" team in Manhattan if I were you. It seems they just picked up two of the best and most sought-after players in the league within hours of each other. And it wasn't the regular big-name money-toss from them, either. Those guys they got can play.
i want some of whatever the positive morons on this blog are smoking...
our team at this point would have a hard time being competitive on the AHL level much less NHL....
this is a black day in islanders history where a billionaire with no hockey history decides to call all the shots and his ex-goalie GM dancing monkey makes comments about how "it wasnt about the money"
of course it wasnt about the money... it was watching the team hang its 40 goal scorer out to dry with lowball offers and letting every other potential player of importance hit free agency without a care in the world....
i wouldnt have signed with that team either...
so smyth signed with a team for less money and for less years than we offered...
no that had nothing to do with the comments made leading up to free agency about how we were giving up on our top player.
yay garthwang
lol
do we even hit the league minimum on salary cap at this point?
lol
Enough Already:
I'm not against healthy skepticism and moderate discussion. The Rangers clearly improved their team, and they will definitely be a force next year. At the moment, we don't have a competitive team. Those are problems that even I can see. If I can see there's a problem, I imagine the people in charge can see it too. Let's let them figure out their solutions before we start bawling.
What sickens me is the nihilism and despair. You'd think the Islanders announced they were packing up and moving to KC this afternoon. Some negative moves happened. It's not the end of the world. While the primadonnas cry, I imagine the smart fans will be watching over the next few weeks to see how Snow and Nolan dig their team out of this hole.
Jeusus!!!!
The managment of the Isles just can't win with the fans no matter what.
They build thorough the draft everyone runs the players out of town because they are not patient with the processs.
They go the UFA way and everyone is pissed off when that doesn't seem effective either.
WTF do you guys want!!!!!
Smyth is an idiot for choosing to go to Colorado. Lets face facts, he's a classy guy but just not very bright. That's really all there is to it.
In 04/05 I was happy when this team was letting the kids play. I was hoping that would continue into this year. Unfortunatly that didn't work and we signed a slew of players that used us as a stepping stone.
I'm glad this didn't work out as I don't wanna wind up like the Rangers. In case no one noticed they're back to their old tricks again.
Looking at the ridiculous contracts handed out today I'm glad we're not on the hook for the next 5 years with any of those guys.
Let's get back to the meat and potatoes of building through the draft.
In response to Ryan...as far as waiting to see what Garth and Ted do and how the team that is assembled plays next season...I fully plan on doing that, as I'm sure are many other posters here. But what I'm frustrated by is where is the on-ice leadership, and of the remaining free agents, who has that quality to be alluring to other players to want to play here. There is no foundation. We have a solid goalie, barring injuries, for the next decade, but we need more. Smyth embodied all of what was needed by the Islanders at this point of the franchise. If the man was offered $8 million a year and walked to sign for $6 million elsewhere, there's nothing you can do. But that wasn't the case, the money was virtually equal. Why would anyone want to play in what is virtually hockey siberia when they can play in hockey paradise for the same money. The Islanders have to overpay for those qualities at this point and that's where it starts. Everything that the Islanders have built the past 7 years, including the Yashin/Peca foundation has been erased by not signing Smyth before July 1st. And the Islanders have nothing positive to show for it except a big fat wallet. Maybe Mr Wang needs to pay off his old partners at computer associates and doesn't want to put the money into rebuilding the team, I hope that's not the case. There will be 2nd and 3rd tier free agents signed by this team in the next few days I'm sure. They will expedite bringing some kids up from the minors, and who knows, the Islanders may compete for the last playoff spot again next season. I doubt that at this point, looking at what their competition has done today. But think about it, everyone on this blog...did we really think the day Ryan Smyth was introduced as an Islander that we would be a skeleton of a team come July 2nd? We have lost/shipped Smyth, Blake, Poti, Yashin, Kozlov, Hill, and Zednek...at least. That sounds like a pretty good power play unit in this league. I'm sorry, but I'm truly embarrassed right now.
Since we're in the mood for realism, I'll also admit I fully expect the Atlantic to be the most competitive division in the _league_ next year. Pittsburgh, Philly and the Rangers all look like contenders at this point, and the Devils can't ever be ruled out while they have Brodeur backstopping.
Still, the Rangers and Pittsburgh have gaping holes on defense. The Devils will be in rebuilding mode this year, and I'd be surprised if they top 200 goals on the season. Philadelphia? It's a crapshoot right now. They've signed some big names, but there are still a few question marks about depth and consistency.
The game's not over. Let's hope for the best. With any luck, we'll all be a little less depressed tomorrow.
Right then, time to complain that Yashin was bought out. It's been almost a month since everyone was showering accolades upon Wang, right?
Face it, if they'd grossly overpaid for Smyth then in a year or two we'd very well have been deriding the team for entering into another Yashin contract. The right move is to spend the smart hockey dollars. I imagine that Garth et al. had a last crack to outbid the Avs and decided that the market had gone high enough. Bravo to them for showing restraint.
And we have Jonathan Sim, now!
I'd be willing to bet that in the next week you see a couple of trades, with Shawn Bates particularly on the chopping block.
Nylander signed with the Oilers, so forget him. He was one of those players that benefitted by playing with Jagr, anyway.
Listen, I advocated letting Smyth and Blake go. They signed for ridiculous money and neither is worth the tab. But I did want to see some signings on defense.
Snow should have used the money on Hannan, Schnieder and Preissing. He did not because he got suckered by Don Meehan.
He can still get Preissing
and he better start scouring for RFA's whose teams are near or over the cap.
I bet Yashin signs with Washington to be with his buddy, Kozlov.
Alright...lets breath. I kind of like that the Isles didnt go crazy. There's still alot of quality 2nd and 3rd liners that are young that are looking to shine, Mike Comerie comes to mind, that would flourish under Ted Nolan. I kind of like that we DIDN'T put everything into 1 or 2 players. The Isles are gonna put a true team together and have these guys grow together like the yankees of the early 90's. When you look at it only Philly really stepped it up. Drury and Briere were just medicore when they got to Buffalo. That club is very deep talent wise. Smyth wasn't staying here period. I could understand why he went out there , its gorgeous and is closer to home. I don't believe players don't want to play here, look at Montreal nobody is signing there. Gomez I'd love to have but at 7mil?... He only scored 20 or more 6 out of 8 seasons, kind of risky! The Isles are gonna put a tough team on the ice. Just remember the puck drops in October not tomorrow.
Ryan, I think you and others may vastly underestimate the hit this team took today. This isn't just about Ryan Smyth not signing here, its much bigger and far-reaching than that. Not only did they not sign any significant free agents, they couldn't retain any of their own. Now the roster is almost completely devoid of proven NHL talent, and it appears to be looked upon most unfavorably by NHL players and their agents. In addition, the front office and rookie GM in particular look completely bewildered. This is all bad, bad, bad. The fans were promised an improved team, but there us simply no way to absorb the combination of talent loss by exodus and failed attempts at signings. Not with the best of what they have in the minors, not with the best of every remaining free agent out there. Now consider your divisional rivals. Rangers, Flyers are MUCH improved. Pens are Crosby-scary. Devils come with Brodeur. What do you think Snow and Nolan are going to do, exactly? There's nobody worth signing and no assets to trade. And trying to make this team better through trades would take a LOT of assets. That's three things: talent loss, a negative rather than positive impact on reputation, and vastly improved opponents in the division. But the most important one of all is this: nobody wants to play here! And I can tell you something for sure, it doesn't get worse than that.
Seriously, what plan do you have in mind that doesn't involve a headline like "Three Islander Rookies Tied for League Scoring Lead"? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen.
Enough;
Why should anyone regret and of this today?
There are plenty of RFAs going to arbitration still. Many teams are going to be over the cap as a result of their rewards. The spending frenzy today didn't help those guys out much.
Guess who in a great position to catch those RFAs falling from the apple tree.
US!!!!!!
Gomez and Blake signed for ridiculous money today. I'm happy to have no part of that. Wait till february when half these teams are looking to sell.
enough already said it best.
this team has been gutted and believe me the view the rest of the league has of long island right now is a smoldering ruin with beginners running the show and nothing but kids and third liners.
the only thing we have is a great coach but that only gets you so far.....
i guess i am back to following the team in the stats pages because i will be damned before i contribute one dollar to tickets or the nhl package
wang hasnt earned it.
as far as rfa's falling from trees....
great... waiting for arbtration boards (who are infamous for over-rewarding) to set the going prices.... how about ten gets you twenty wang is already on the phone to his old buddy yashin
enough already said it best.
this team has been gutted and believe me the view the rest of the league has of long island right now is a smoldering ruin with beginners running the show and nothing but kids and third liners.
the only thing we have is a great coach but that only gets you so far.....
i guess i am back to following the team in the stats pages because i will be damned before i contribute one dollar to tickets or the nhl package
wang hasnt earned it.
as far as rfa's falling from trees....
great... waiting for arbtration boards (who are infamous for over-rewarding) to set the going prices.... how about ten gets you twenty wang is already on the phone to his old buddy yashin
according to gregs numbers in his current story, we lowballed both blake and poti who had a great year and really did fit in our system, we REALLY lowballed kozlov with a "modest raise" from 860k (this is a 25 goal scorer) the only one that got "crazy money" in relation to his production was zednik... and smyth signed for a smaller deal to get off the island to what he thought was a contender and who wouldnt with the knowledge (and trust me, he knew) of the numbers being thrown at the supporting cast that would obviously be leaving... smyth didnt want to be stuck on a team of AHLers either...
greg you nailed it on the head....
it was a mass exodus.
Let me start: Garth Must Go!
I don't believe you guys. The players who were signed today were chased by a multiple of teams. Even if every team chasing Drury, Briere, Smyth etc. each had the same chances of signing them, there still, statistically, wouldn't be more than a 50-50 chance that one of the top names would end up in LI.
So we missed out on Smyth. It's a blow, but today Guerin will be announced. At half the price (at least if that price was to be 8, as someone suggests it should) he brings just as much leadership and scoring ability, but is of course older.
Some say look to the Rangers. Yeah, look to the Ranger blue line. What a joke. I guess they're planning on keeping the puck in the offensive zone for 60 minutes. Good luck...
No players on offense, suspect defense but a really solid goalie. Is it 1998 again?
I'm sorry but Kozlov at 2.5 per is just nutz. Same for what Toronto signed Blake.
Even at our current pace Blake would not have been prodictive by the time this team was contending.
You'll see these guys on the market again come February when the hangover hits. Happens every year. Chances are we can land one and have their former team eat a portion of the contract.
Drurry got a 5 year deal at 7 mill per. We just got rid of a ridiculous contract like that. Brierres is absolutely nutz.
Not to mantion Smyth got five years with 8 mill for the first season.
I'm glad the Isles displayed some restraint. It won't be long before the belleaching starts in Toronto, Philly and NYRags. It happens more often than not.
I can't believe Smyth left for less money... is he even gonna wear the "c" in colorodo? To me its not the lack of signings that hurts, its that no one wants to play with the isles. Come on garth!!!! Change the mind set of these players... oh wait... you were a backup goalie before last year
First off. Whats up Steady and the regulars that I don't recall reading much from. Hope you guys are having a good summer.
Second, To address some of the rambles here. Lundqvist??? Is not going anywhere. Neither is Shanny. I do find it funny though that during a conversation here near the end of the season I was t