On the Islanders Beat

I hit your prized goalie.
You do nothing
The Icechips are weak. No fighters, hitters or guts(not to mention a comical dearth of scoring)

I own the Island.

LOL- you 15yo loser Rags fans are absolutely comical.

Nolan, Lacroix, Gervais, Sim, Snow.. and Katie???

NO ICE GIRLS???

505 will remain in his area code.

Someone ask Nolan about making Comeau the NBR 1 Center.

Now that Ron Wilson has been let go, can Marleau be far behind?
This is a player who could change the face of the Islanders for years to come. he is a true number one center and is signed through then next few years. Sand Jose only has a few months before his no trade kicks in.
Snow needs to bust it to try to bring Marleau here. There are no worthwhile free agents that can step right in and turn this franchise around. Marleau is the one alternative.

Since we will be getting a stud D man in the draft this year, I think that Campoli or Gervais could be traded along with Comeau and a lower pick for Marleau.

Comeau is a promising player but you have to give something to get something. I think that a package of Comeau, Gervais or Campoli and a number 3 pick in this years draft would have to impress San Jose.

Any other thoughts on this? .......Sir William

Hell just froze over.......I agree Billy !!!

Not for Campoli....any of the others!

Good thought SW ~ Completely agree that you have to give to get .... and Marleau is definitely a bonafide #1 center ... but .. I think we give up to much in your proposal ... even if we draft a stud defenseman he'll be 3 years from being that stud at NHL level ... the time line with Marleau's current contract doesn't align with the Isles' defensive development ... and we'll find ourselves once again chasing our tails because we'll have talent not peaking at the same time.... but yeah ... I'd consider your proposal if we can hang onto Campoli or Comeau.

I'll have more thoughts following tonight's open house at NVMC.

Hey everyone, haven't posted in a while..been really busy studying for finals!! I like that Marleau idea, but i think as 19Isles stated, we'd be giving up to much for him..The fewyoung guys I would not offer for a trade would be Comeau, Bergie, Tambellini(one more chance to prove hes an NHLer), Campoli.. I think Campoli is gonna have a breakout season next year, and Hillen is gonna surprise everyone, a diamond in the rough... I would love to Pick up Marleau, but im not sure who i throw in for a trade..well i know(Comrie, Tank, Hilbert, Johnson, Bates, 2nd round pick and next years draft pick), but that wont happen...Im skeptical to give up on Gervais also...I think he has alot of potential too, and im not a fan of giving up young defensmen(Redden, Chara)..it takes to long as 19Isles also said to develop and be effective inthe leauge.....So lets PRETEND we are the GM, and lets throw out some trade talk to SAN JOSE for MARLEAU.....Let the Market Open!!!!

Sorry to disagree.... but,

Marleau is clearly NOT a No.1 center....
He is better than what the Islanders already have... but NOT a No. 1.

He is a career (-12) on a team that has been finishing near the top in the standings the last several years... including an unbelievable (-19) this year on a very good defensive team with a great goaltender.

He is on the downside of his career at a relatively young age, has a lot of "miles" on his legs and scored only 19 goals this year on a very good offensive team - Mike Comrie had a better year.

I wouldn't touch him.

DOC

"I think that Campoli or Gervais could be traded along with Comeau and a lower pick for Marleau."

I'd trade off Tambellini instead of Comeau, either Campoli or Gervais, and 1 2nd and 1 3rd round pick (we have two of each) in this years draft.

I'd prefer to keep Comeau if we can, he can potentially be a good 2nd liner. Tambellini I don't think he will hit his potential here. Maybe its the system Nolan uses, but Tambs is not getting it done with his ice time. Comeau readjusted and finished the year nicely, Tambs did not. He had his chances and didn't make the best of them here. I do think he will flourish in the right system, but its not here.

In addition to trying to get Marleau, the Isles should watch where the Blake Wheeler-Phoenix thing goes. By now, Snow should have Okposo making calls to Wheeler about considering the Isles if he doesn't sign with Phoenix (they both played together in college). He would be another nice pick-up that would cost us nothing more then a rookies salary to get another good prospect in our system.

Doc,

A declining Marleau would be a better 1st line center then Comrie. Comrie is better suited for a 2nd line role, and JoVa would be good as a 3rd line center. Would balance out the lines a little better, then having Comrie try to play up to a position he is not suited for, or JoVa as well. Sign Marleau to a 2 year contract, until we can find a better replacement, or bring up a prospect.

Is this JoVa's last year on contract? Comrie is on contract for what, 2 more years? or 3?

Forgot about Silly, since his injury.

Forget about JoVa, would rather have Silly as 3rd line center, and keep 4th line center open to maybe Walter/Nielsen instead.

Maybe JoVa can still be traded off for a late round draft pick in either 08 or 09 draft? Surely some team can use a 3rd line center.

Katie,

When are you going to write up the web story on Figren, that you mentioned last week?

Dynasty:

JoVas is an unrestricted free agent

Netminder39

My mistake. Some reason I thought he still had a year left on his contract.

In case anyone was wondering who's a free agent for our team, here is the list.

Group 3 (Unrestricted)

BERARD, BRYAN,
BRENNAN, KIP,
DAVISON, ROB,
DUBIELEWICZ, WADE,
FEDOTENKO, RUSLAN,
MORRISON, MICHAEL,
SATAN, MIROSLAV,
VASICEK, JOSEF

Group 4 (unrestricted)

JACKMAN, TIM,
KEITH, MATT,

Group 2 (restricted)

AQUINO, LUCIANO,
BERGENHEIM, SEAN,
COLLITON, JEREMY,
FATA, DREW,
GERVAIS, BRUNO,
JOHNSON, AARON,
MARJAMAKI, MASI,
MOLE, MICHAEL,
NIELSEN, FRANS,
REGIER, STEVE,
SPILLER, MATTHEW,
TAMBELLINI, JEFF,
WALTER, BEN,

Tambellini - Gervais - 3rd rounder for Marleu works for both teams. Get on it Garth.

For a long time I have been saying that we need to look into Marleau. First and foremost, he is truly a number one center and a great player. His numbers have declined because Joe Thornton is getting more ice time 5 on 5 and on the power play. If we bring Marleau here, the change of scenery will allow him to blossom into a true number one center. If we allow him to develop into a voice in the locker room and notice how big of a part of the team he is, he might even consider signing an extension on his contract after the two years are up. That is why I am a huge advocate of bringing back Bryan McCabe. He is a true number 2 defenseman and he can put up 55 points a season as a power-play quarterback, maintain a positive +/- number, and log over 25 minutes a game. The reason he doesnt seem to play well is because for every 10 things he does right, he does one minor thing wrong that gets blown completely out of proportion in Toronto. If I was Garth Snow, I would definitely take into account how anxious both San Jose and Toronto are to get rid of these respective players.

TO NYI: Patrick Marleau
TO SJ: Jeremy Colliton, Bruno Gervais, NYI 2nd Rd Pick 08

They could use a good penalty killer like Jeremy Colliton and a good fourth line center with speed and intensity who really doesnt have a shot with the Isle's because of our overload of 4th liners. As for Gervais, he would do well on there third pairing and one the second pairing of the power play. The second round pick makes it more appealing since they do not have a first this year.

TO NYI: Bryan McCabe, TOR 5th Rd Pick
TO TOR: Joey MacDonald, Ben Walter, NYI 4th Rd Pick

For us to get, we must give. We could use a player like McCabe regardless of what people say. He would truly make our power-play that much better and he can log big minutes along-side of a guy like Bredan Witt. Imagine (Witt - McCabe, Martinek-Sutton, Meyer-Campoli, and giving Hillen time to develop). As for Toronto, they need a good back-up to go behind Toskala after they get rid of Raycroft. Ben Walter could jump into there third-line center position and give them a little depth up the middle, while the 4th round pick just gives them a little depth in the prospect pool. After we re-sign Dubie to a few years contract as our back-up, we will have no need for MacDonald.

I know many are opposed to this, but I think if we are able to grab Marleau, it would be a great idea to re-sign Satan. Unfortunately for such a gifted offensive talent, he had to play defense most of the year. A first line punch of Marleau and Satan, winged by either Tambellini/Okposo/or Guerin could really mix things up and give us some nice scoring. We still need to pick up another scorer regardless, but as for our roster now, I am just throwing out ideas.

Some people want to give up 4 players for Marleau? FOUR? FOUR decent players at that ... look ... I like Marleau ... he's got #1 center potential ... even after a sub par year ... but there is no way I'd give away FOUR young players for him.

Isn't that what we've been screaming about for the last 15 years? Giving up 2 players and two draft picks in a deep draft??? NO WAY!!!

We've all hammered Milbury and Snow for trading away our youth ... also ... we can't sign Marleau ... he's a signed player for the next two years .... we can offer an extension after a trade ... but can't offer him a contract while he's with another team.

Right now ... I'd start with Gervais, Tamby and 4th round pick for Marleau-C / McLaren-D (Both UFA's after 2009 season) ... it's a salary dump for SJ ... and they get 2 solid young players .... if they want the deal sweetened .. we'll toss em Comrie if they add another player ... make them counter offer... and then see what they come up with ... you gotta start a deal where it is an advantage to you and work from there .... I'm not interested in being fair in my initial offers ... I'm interested in coming out ahead.

Remember Matty?

Swedes survive 3-2.........by edging Czechs on Mattias Weinhandl's goal at 3:15 of OT

Since I brought this up, I think that San Jose is in the drivers seat here. They are holding the cards as there will be several teams interested in Marleau. Some of you guys have to be realistic, here.

If I am San Jose I am going to want someone who I think can blossom into a number 2 center behind Thornton. That player is Comeau. Not Tambellini and not Colliton. They are going to want him and so would I if I was making the deal. As for Gervais or Campoli they would be getting a solid replacement for McLaren if he goes or an upgrade in thier depth. A number 3 pick in this years draft puts the deal over the top of anyone elses offer.
The Isles are dealing from a position of weakness here and have to blow San Jose away. Otherwise you will see him in a Canadians uniform next year.
Comeau is a decent young player but he is not Marleau nor will he ever be. Campoli or Gervais are expendable because of the Dman who will step in after this years draft. I disagree that it will take 3 years. Todays stud players step right into the NHL.
Look at Chicago or Pittsburgh.

I have no idea where some one said 4 players for Marleau but that's typical of the people who don't read the entire post.

This is a solid proposal that would cause SJ to look long and hard at it. Trying to substitute weaker players will not get it done.
Ridiculous one sided trades are not made in the NHL unless at the trade deadline and that is not the case here. This is a good offer for SJ and Snow should go for it......Sir William

SW ... I'll try commenting on your post later ... for some reason Newsday is reviewing my posts .... I have no idea why ... it's respectful with nothing close to a swear word.

Catch ya later ... enjoy reading about tonight's Open House.

Weakest team in hockey?
Islanders (even Red Wings have tougher players)

Most irrelevant team in hockey
Islanders

Dumbest fans?
Rags

NY is a sad place for hockey.

thanks for the insight manny, glad your spending time commenting on the the most irrelevant team in hockey.

What...nobody went to the open house today? If so I would love to hear about what went on.

Info is coming themass......this much I know

I was there, but I'm feeling under the weather and just popped some Ny-Quil. I'll update when I wake up and get to work tomorrow.

Tambellini and Walter are 24 years old. If they can't crack the Islander lineup by now, what makes you think they could crack the lineup of a good team?

It's the truth, and you all know it.

Comeau was a healthy scratch in the "A". Why is that? He comes to the next level with basically one supporter (Nolan) in the Islander management regime and prospers. Tambellini has everyone on the Island thinking he's Crosby and does squat,why is that? NOT A PLAYER. To many college guys in your system. DP STOP THE PUCK. WHATS NEXT A DISLOCATED TOE NAIL CLIPPING.

Sir William ... I tried reposting my response to you last night and a couple of times yesterday .. but it still goes to review no matter how I word it ... no questionable words are being used ... so I don't know what gives. .... Maybe this time "you" have taken control over what can be posted on this blog as you have hacked into its admin account in your own frustration with posting on this site at times ... LOL ... of course I'm kidding .... I'm going to try posting my response in individual segments to see if I can get my response through ... I'll also add a few more comments in general to my feelings about trading for Marleau at this time.

Begin .... response to Sir William's post from yesterday afternoon....

*************
Sir W ... in response to your last post yesterday ....

I agree 100% ... it's typical that people usually get the wrong impression when they don't read the entire post ... or even reference a post made by another poster that a person is refering too ... Dynasty was offering up 4 players ... 2 current and 2 draft picks for Marleau .... draft picks are players with equity ... or they would not be sought after in trades.

Now that that is out of the way ....

Help me out here. Where have the Black Hawks and Pens had a recent defenseman draftee make the team right after being drafted to become the big gun on defense for each team?

That is what you were suggesting when you said you disagreed with me that it takes time for a defenseman to step in ... I said it "could take 3 years" ... because that seems to be the average for even big impact defensemen.... you said... "Todays stud players step right into the NHL. Look at Chicago or Pittsburgh."

.... continuted on next post .....

********* continuted from previous post ********

OK ... I looked over Chicago's and the Pens rosters .... and help me out here .... who came in right out of the draft and stepped in with big gun numbers?

(Note: Bar-ker's name below seems to be the trigger word that held up my posts .. so I hyphanated it)

For Chicago we have 3 decent young d-men ... but all 3 of them didn't "step-in" after their draft year .... they are Wisniewski, Seabrook and Bar-ker ... Wisniewski drafted in 2002 didn't play his first full year to this past season ... and still he only had 7G 19A for 26P ... hardly big gun D numbers ...

Seabrook ... was drafted in 2003 ... his first full rookie season .... was last year .... so he didn't step right in either .... his numbers were 4G 20A for 24P and 104PIM ... not eye popping numbers for a big gun .... I'll say this much ... I saw him play two times this season ... he reminded me of Caber ... but still ... didn't come in right after the draft... and his numbers are average.

and that leaves us Bar-ker .... he was drafted in 2004 .... and didn't see much action till this season ... and put up good numbers in 45 games ... 6G 12A for 18P .... but still ... he didn't step right in ....

The Pens have Letang as the only under 25 d-man ... and he was drafted in 2005 ... and played his first season this year ... 6G 11A for 17P and was a minus 1 ... on a power house offensive team ... hardly came out of the gate as a top gun d-man in his draft year.

So help me out Sir W ... what defensemen came out of Chi and Pitt recent drafts and stepped right in during their draft year.

*** end of post ***

On Marleau ....

I never brought up the topic to trade for him ... I feel that it's an interesting proposition for the right swap .... giving up 4 players (2 current and 2 draft picks) is definitely way too steep for a player about to enter his declining years .

*** Keep in mind ... he's never scored more than 34 goals ...and that was in 2006 playing on a strong offensive team in a strong offensive conference.

*** Marleau only has two years left on his 6.3M per year contract ... that might be a steep salary to play with the Isles configured for building as they are .... then he can walk as a UFA with ZERO compensation ... just as two strong 2nd and or 3rd round 2008 draft picks are poised to make the big club.

*** I feel in those 2 to 3 years the Isles will have re-built to a point where they are going to make some noise if they do the right things between now and then.

*** Fast-Forward to 2 years from now ... as those strong picks the Isles make between now and then ... and the aforementioned two strong 2nd round and 3rd round picks ... not to mention the 1st rounders the next 2 drafts .... then the Isles might be positioned to sign a UFA Marleau without giving up anyone. .... Sure .. Marleau's skills might of been diminished by then .. but he might cost less in the long run and be more effective in his assigned role.

Marleau acquistion alone will not do the trick ... he just can't put the Isles on his back and carry the team at this point..... add Cheechoo to the trade .... and you have something .... but what would the Isles have to give up in return? Now you can start throwing in a couple of picks ... Cheechoo is signed for the next 3 season at 3.0M, 3.5M and 3.5M .... the Sharks have lots of cap room ... so you will not see that happen.

19 ISLES, Reread the post again. I said todays stud players step
right in. Do you see the word DEFENSIVE PLAYERS written anywhere? I was speaking about Crosby, Malkin, Kane and Toews specifically. Pitt and Chicago.

As for D men stepping right in, it's a crapshoot. Some guys can jump in and others take some time. Whatever the case, if you can get a player of Marleaus calibre then you have to give something up to get him. Neither Campoli or Gervais is going to make or break the Isles for the next few years.

As for contracts, well who do you see stepping right in and becomming a number one center? I am all ears. Give me a better alternative than Marleau?

You have to move NOW and let whatever other pieces fall in later. You can't worry about who will be signed later on or who will move on. You grab a star player when you can and build around him. WE HAVE NO STAR PLAYER.

That's the first step toward building a good team.

Please list in order the players you would rather the Islanders go after this UFA period who are better suited to lead the team........Sir William

19 ISLES Based on the Isles recent draft history what makes you think that we will have impact players over the next few years. So far the best players the Isles have drafted over the last five years are at best third line players (not counting Okposo because he is new). Neilson? Noke? Bergy? Hardly stars in the NHL.
What leads you to beleive the drafting will be any better?.....Sir William

For crying out loud DO NOT WASTE/SPEND/GIVE UP any prospects or draft picks for Patrick Marleau.

It has been said above that

(1) he is a minus player on a very good team

(2) he disappears in the Playoffs

(3) he hasn't brought his game to any level where he could be called a #1 or even a #2 centre

(4) he has consistently underperfomred based on the level of his compensation

(5) this is a deep draft year, with some significant upside potential. We do not want to give away promising youngsters and draft picks for this guy.

Aren't we still taking a cap hit for some other guy who fits the categories 2-5 above?

Yeah, what would the Isles do with a talented player like Marleau when we can have avergae players like Fedetenko and overaged players like Guerin. Who needs him?

Campoli and Gervais are bound for utter mediocrity in this league. We can't let them go!

Sir william ... thanks for your quick return comments ... I always enjoy your posts ... whether I agree with them or not ... and in this case ... I just don't agree with your criticism ...

You said ~ "19 ISLES, Reread the post again. I said todays stud players step right in. Do you see the word DEFENSIVE PLAYERS written anywhere? I was speaking about Crosby, Malkin, Kane and Toews specifically. Pitt and Chicago."

Yeah ... you didn't mention the word ... DEFENSIVE PLAYERS ... but now you are playing symantics ... because your challenge to me prior to that was regarding defensive players ... you were challenging my comment that it takes 3 years for defensive players to develop... that was the topic ... but of course that is typical of people that don't read the entire post ... right sir william??

For a REFRESHER to you ... here is a portion of my post made at 8:54 yesterday morning .....

I said to you ~ " I think we give up to much in your proposal... even if we draft a stud defenseman he'll be 3 years from being that stud at NHL level ... the time line with Marleau's current contract doesn't align with the Isles' defensive development ... and we'll find ourselves once again chasing our tails because we'll have talent not peaking at the same time"

Now do you see SW? I was bring up defensemen ... not just any position ....

... and your reply was ~ "Campoli or Gervais are expendable because of the Dman who will step in after this years draft. I disagree that it will take 3 years. Todays stud players step right into the NHL.Look at Chicago or Pittsburgh."

So now tell me Sir William ... please ... tell me how the context of even your own sentence before you metioned "Todays stud players..." falls into context of ALL players .... come on now ... really.

We were talking about developing defensemen ..... because even in your original post ... you said this .... "Since we will be getting a stud D man in the draft this year, I think that Campoli or Gervais could be traded along with Comeau and a lower pick for Marleau."

Again ... you are the one that put out the defenseman ... not me ... I was only responding to your original post ... and IMO I just don't think Marleau would be any help if we take steps back on the defenseman front .... our prospects currently are not deep ... so trading away any one of our NHL ready young prospects on the blue line would have to be looked at more deeply ... which is why I also stated that McLaren would be nice to also receive in that trade..

That's it pretty much SW ... and ... as you have so rightously stated .... that is typical of people who don't read an entire post.

Sir William ... and now to address your other concerns ....

As I've stated earlier ... I never said I didn't want Marleau ... I said that he's a very good player ... however he's entering the back end of his career ... the Isles have had ALL to many times picked up "star" players entering the sunset of their careers ... only to put up some good numbers ... but not enough to get the Isles over the top ...

Marleau is a star on a star studded team ... on the Isles he could be a Yashin ... all skills .. but no thrills. I don't even mean this as an attack on Marleau's character ... I'm sure he'd be a mighty fine upper 20 ... low 30 goal scorer ... but is that what the Isles need? Really? I'd take Marleau in a heart beat as a final piece to building a contender ...

But ... Marleau isn't the kind of player you build a team around as you suggest ... Marleau will be in his 30s by the end of the two years remaining on his contract ... a UFA ... he's not going to be happy on a building team ... he'll go splitsville ... that is the pattern ... and we'll be chasing our tail again ... just as Gervais and Campoli will have emerged as players .... and sure ... I know we'll still have one in your proposal ... and I agree ... we can afford to lose one ... but not along with a Comeau and another high round draft pick.

Marleau will not vault the Isles to the next level ... that is what we need if we are going to make a trade.... someone like a Malkin as you mentioned earlier .... because at least he can grow with the team. The Isles need to grow together ... Guerin isn't going to be around when the Isles peak.

We have to build through the draft .... develop those players ... and sure ... it might take a few years ... but those players become more equitable as time goes on. Shedding our prospects before they mature only to watch them blossom with another team has been this team's demise for 15 years.... I'm sick of it.

I was encouraged by Snow's reassersion last night about building the team.

They have 10 picks in the first 6 rounds if I remember correctly... and the cap space to add RFA and can cash in some of those draft picks .... signing an RFA gives them a little more leverage than they would a straight up trade.... so I'd rather spend draft picks and prospects that way .... this way you know you have a player under contract and the player is still young heading into his prime.

Besides ... all this talk about Marleau is for nothing right now .... who said he was on the trading block? SJ has lots of cap room ... more than the Isles infact.

Sir William ... in response to your second post .....

You said ~ "19 ISLES Based on the Isles recent draft history what makes you think that we will have impact players over the next few years. ..... What leads you to beleive the drafting will be any better?.....Sir William"

That is the problem ... the Isles don't have much of a draft history the last few years ... we've traded away drafted prospects ... and draft picks ... how do you get a history?

We also drafted much higher in the draft finishing in the top 30 for a few seasons. Okposo .. as you mentioned is a worthy pick.... why? Because he was a top 7 pick .... and as I stated before ... it takes a few years to develop players .... they just don't step into the NHL as you mentioned earlier ... unless of course you have a Sidney Crosby, 1st overall ... Patrick Kane, 1st overall ... Toews, 3rd overall ... Malkin .... 3rd overall ... we haven't had 1st overall since DP 8 years ago .... so that kind of talk is a waste of breath.

Marleau ... 2nd overall ... but that was 11 years ago in 1997 ... his numbers have declined 2 years in a row .... he's going to 29 before the season starts ... and as I've posted a couple of times before .... the average player peaks at 28 ... so Marleau might be a bit ahead of schedule ... to risky in my opinion for a re-building team to shed prospects, picks and rising NHL talent for a declining skilled player with a 6.3M cap hit and UFA status within 2 years ..... Go Fish.

I'd of loved to have Marleau on the team the last 2 seasons ... but looking forward ... he's on the front end of his down years ... maybe with the right team he'll plateau and keep his numbers steady for 4-5 more years. Not with a rebuilding team.

Nova Scotia ... well said .... You effectively pointed out the cons of Marleau ...

I still like Marleau ... but not for the cost of 2nd round, 3rd round, Comeau and Gevais or Campoli .... big NO SALE there.

BTW .... Marleau is a career minus player with some pretty good San Jose teams .... what does that tell ya?

For a comparison ... Cheecho who came up in 2003 .. is a +45 ... and in that same time frame ... Marleau is a -37. .... debate over.

Now for a couple of comments regarding the Open House ...

I watched the video before .... and I have to actually say ... I like what Chris Dey said .... he had some excellent grass roots ideas.... I think some of us touched on them during the season.

You have to get kids interested in hockey. Giving away a few goals and street hockey sticks is not only generous ... but an excellent way to introduce hockey to young kids.... of course at the expense of parked cars and the garage ... sorry Maaaa!!! LOL!

My brother and I were saying after the 2001 draft party where we were given free "kiddie sized" street hockey sticks that it was something the Isles should be doing at sporting good stores .... they could of been doing something with Modells and or Dicks sporting goods and or Sports Authority in cooperation ... good start Chris .... now to get adults into it too .... Islander sports bar parties .... I've seen some mentions on the Islander site ... time to expand on that .... ticket give aways for who ever can put back 20 kamakazis in 5 minutes ..... kidding .... but you get the drift ... bubble hockey tourneys at the sports bar .... just tossing out ideas ... seeing what sticks.

------------------------------------

Snow seems committed to building .... I like that ... he's also looked outside the box getting some over age FA's that were overlooked in the entry draft ... it's always good to look for late bloomers .... they are an undervalued hockey commodity.

We have to understand the harsh reality that using the UFA pool of players at this stage isn't going to help advance the Isles for the long run .... YES ... the Isles need to compete ... but not at the expense of the future .... and taking huge cap hits to sign players.

I'll have more thoughts later .... time to go out to eat.

Came to check out the Open House. There isn't much on Newsday. Only the Islander website. So anyone go yesterday? I only got the I-TV version.

About Marleau. He was a good player. I don't see him being much more than a drag on the Islanders and the Islanders a drag on him. Not a good match up at this point. As 19Isles and Nova pointed out, he's had better days, and he has disappeared in the playoffs. He'd be a good "Butch Goring" addition to a team looking to make the step from potential to true contender. I wouldn't part even with mediocre talent for him with 3 or 4 players. Package those guys for someone who's still improving and peaks a few years down the road. I'm also afraid Marleau has seen his best days.

19Isles

"now to get adults into it too .... Islander sports bar parties .... I've seen some mentions on the Islander site ..."

Funny you mention that... Hope you plan on attending Draft Day at NVMC. More on that to follow.

"ticket give aways for who ever can put back 20 kamakazis in 5 minutes ....."

How many tickets?

19 ISLES All your points are valid. Name me the players you want that can step into the lineup nex year and do better. Or do we continue to wait another 3 years now for the new "team" to develop.?

You left that part of my question out?....Sir William

19 ISLES, The simple fact remains that the Islanders have no gate attraction. You can give away all the street hockey sticks you want, but the fact remains that the Isles were LAST in the NHL in attendance. That's LAST in case you missed it.

Since you live in NJ , I assume you are not a season ticket holder. Is that correct?

I was, until this year, for every year the Isles existed. And I finally give up. Since I actually plunked down my money for season tickets for all those years perhaps I know a bit more about a cold night in Feb., playing the Panthers, with 6,000 other people in the Coliseum.

How long do you expect fans to wait for an on ice product? Another 3 years, to wait for this draft to come to fruition? You must be kidding. What if our draft choices don't bear fruit. Then what. Start another 3 year plan?

My point is a simple one. If you can get a player like Marleau (who is rumoured on his way out of SJ) who is a proven first line center, you should jump at it. He is only 29 years old.A change of scenery may do him a world of good. So what if he is only signed for 2 years. That gives you 2 years worth of proven talent, which is more than we have now. And in that 2 years you have the chance to resign him if he works out.

Giving away Comeau (who has never really lit up the scoresheet) and Gervais or Campoli plus a 3 rd pick is reasonable to land this type of proven player.

Give me one UFA who will come here and change things. And if you think that Pitt is not resigning Malkin you are dreaming. The UFA talent pool is thin at best. The RFA is no better. All the RFA's will be matched by their home teams and then where will Snow be. Once again, on the outside looking in.

The fan base here is restless. Last season was a disaster. The team needs a spark and a star.

Once again, I ask you Give me the alternative.......Sir William

The idea is this--1st line center is one of many pieces the Islanders are lacking. The team is swiss cheese and there is no hope in sight. Its a sad reality.

Sir William, I understand your point here. The Islanders definitely need a gate attraction, but I need to take issue with your logic on a guy like Marleau coming into the team we have right now.

Your reasoning sounds good, but I have to be honest, it's eerily reminiscent of the logic before the 01 draft, when the Islanders, as we all know, acquired Yashin, Peca, and Aucoin. It was an incredibly exciting year after that, but there's a problem:
1. If Osgood hadn't fallen into our laps, we might not have done anywhere near as well.
2. A lot of guys (cough, Parrish, cough, Bates) had career years
3. The team never made the next leap.

As I've mentioned many times here, I'm too young to remember any of the Cups, and I feel that much poorer as an Islander fan for it. I'm glad Chris Dey talked about bringing youth into the team yesterday, because let's face it we have a whole generation of kids that have David Volek, Shawn Bates, and a whole lot of empty promises to show for following this team. I'm willing to wait the 3 years if that's what it will take, because I don't want to be talking about Bogosian, Filatov, Wilson, Pieterangelo, Hodgson, or Mikkel Boedker the way we all wonder how consistently good the team would've been with Spezza, Chara, Connolly, and Pyatt. There isn't a magic bullet here, and I totally understand the frustration because I'VE FELT IT FOR A LONG TIME. However, this kind of quick-fix thinking got us Yashin, and I think at this moment we need to take an honest look at the team.

Oh - Garth and Josh Bernstein (the new Botta, trust me this is a good thing) both said point-blank it would set the team back immensely if they traded the pick vs. sticking with a cohesive plan of building, something very foreign to Mad Mike.

The swiss cheese comment was not me............Sir William

Nick. The difference is that Marleau is signed for 2 years. Yashin was signed for 10. BIG DIFFERENCE...........

And having attended the Cup Years and the Yashin, Peca Aucoin era, I can tell you that the Toronto seiries was one of the most exciting times I have ever felt at the Coliseum. It was as alive as the old barn has ever been. Maybe that team never played as well again, but for that one moment in time the Isles ruled Long Island.

The last time I felt that excitement was during the Turgeon years when we ousted Washington.

The team needs a STAR player. By all accounts Marleau is available.

If anyone has a better player in mind who can realistically be obtained, then please fill me in. Don't bother with those Bates and Hilbert for Malkin trades. Be realistic.

I only singled out Marleau because he seems to be obtainable. If you have a better suggestion, then by all means, let's hear it..........Sir William

Sir W ... and Nick ...

I was pretty much going to respond to Sir W with what Nick said ... I remember a 28 year old Yashin coming in ... and the Isles also made some other acquistions ... including Osgood falling in our laps .... it was the perfect storm for a come back season ... but after that ... pure frustration.

The reason that I used the Yashin analogy earlier ... has nothing to do with how I think Marleau is as a player ... but only to say that without other star players Marleau will be much less effective ... and then it will be more likely that we'll be screaming about that trade then cheering it.

As I said earlier Sir W ... your proposal deserves consideration ... but it doesn't deserve a stamp of approval the more I think about it ... Marleau wasn't the catylist the Sharks hoped for ... he's a solid #2 center behind Thorton and doesn't face the opposing team's checking line as much as he would as #1 .... and his numbers might look good to us Isles fans because we just don't have any scoring ....

But SW ... I want you to put your frustration aside for a moment ... because I understand why you'd be enchanted by a player with Marleau's ability..... but have a look at the NHL website if you don't believe me ..... You want to replace Comrie with Marleau as the #1 center .... fine ... but consider this first ....

Marleau plays with a much better set of offensive wingers than Comrie ... who we were frustrated with half the time .... agreed?

We signed Comrie for another year ... for what? $4M?

Marleau is signed for $6.3M for the next 2 years .... the length of the remaining contract is pretty desirable ... the salary? Hymmm ... pretty steep for a guy that couldn't even match Comrie's numbers.

Yes... that's right ...

Comrie finished 42nd among NHL centers .....
76 GP 21G 28A 49P and -21 ....
hardly 1st line numbers ... and sure .... Comrie was hurt most of the season ... I actually think it was all season ... but who knows?

Marleau finished 45th among NHL centers ....
78GP 19G 29A for 48P and a -19

Pretty much the same players ... so ask yourself this ... are you willing to mortgage some of the Isles young talent before their fully developed ... for 2 years of Comrie level results?

I'll say it again ... I'd love to have Marleau ... but not for that price... I'd offer less ... and if SJ says know ... try another tactic ... maybe another mid round pick from 2009 ... but Comeau and Gervais or Campoli plus a 3rd round pick ... for one declining skilled player is too steep a price to pay for a team trying to get some legs.

It's hard to argue with your logic about the Islanders' need for a first rate center .... but I think Marleau trade as suggested by you and some others deplete the Isles of prospects ... even mid level prospects retain a certain amount of equity as a commodity.

I want Marleau with Cheech or McLaren ... a blockbuster deal perhaps ... Toss em Tamby, Gervais, Comeau and a second round pick for all 3... Of course I'm half kidding ... I'd really have to give it some real thought if I was the GM.

I'll get back to you tomorrow on your other questions and comments ... I agree with 80% of what you say most of the time ... and 100% of the time with your sense of frustration.

19 ISLES, If the Isles can get him for less then great. If not they will be outbid by Montreal who covert Marleau.
Yes he had an off year last year which is why he is available and yes his stats are comparable to Comries. However he is 6' 2" and 220 lbs whil Comrie is listed at 5' 10 185 lbs (which is really generous).

Marleau has 539 points in 705 career games,

Comrie has 311 points in 462 games.

Close, but Marleau is better.

However, since Comrie is signed for next year you really should be comparing Marleau to whoever will be the Isles number 2 (or number 1 ) center. Not Comrie.

Is the team better with Marleau or with Comeau and Gervais or Campoli? In my mind, Marleau gives you offense where there is none.

Besides there is no one else............Sir William

Marleau is not the type of player to get excited about.... he doesn't do anything all that well. He is not a flashy puck handler, he is not all that fast..., he is an average centerman on faceoffs... and is not particularly sound defensively. So in otherwords... he is a guy that will score a few goals... but I will not pay to see him. I would much rather see Comeau score 18 goals next year, play a tough 2 way game... and develope into a real good 2nd line player for the next 5 to 7 years.

In addition, you are willing to give up Gervais or Campoli and a 2nd round pick for this very average player???

something is wrong here with this philosophy.

DOC

Marleau has 539 points in 705 career games,

Doc, That's average??? Boy, if every Islander averaged that production we would still be playing.

Predicting that Comeau will score 18 goals per year is a bit much.
Especially since he has a whopping 8 goals in his entire career.

Campoli and Gervais are not top 4 D men. Losing one of them would not shatter the team.

3 rd pick NOT 2 nd rounder.

Marleau would be adding some offense. You remember offense, don't you. We didn't see much of it around here last year. His 48 points would have been second on the Islanders, one behind Comrie.

I still await a better alternative............Sir William

ok,

I have heard the debate over Marleau and SW and 19isles bring up good solid points. So what to do? the answer is what I have been posting on here since the season ended. We need to build the team through a combination of drafts, trades and FA acquisitions. You just cant completely put your eggs in one basket. I say this because of how sports in the Free Agent era is today with 30 teams. Back in the 70's there were only 20 or so teams. That means there were alot better players in the talent pool to pick from in the draft. That is how Bill Torrey was able to pick good draft players. You cannot do that in todays world of sports. If the islanders just say we are going to draft players and develop them then that is a risky proposition because there are no guarantees. I would rather see a well rounded team with vetereans, youth and a star player or two. Well we have one star player in DP, is Marleau a star? he has put up some good numbers over the years and he has made an all star team so it is debateable. I would say if you can get him for the right price, lets say 2 bodies players or propsects I say do it. If it doesnt pan out then you only have him for 2 years. Not a bad deal. the upside to bringing in Marleau is that he compliments Comrie. We know that neither one are true number 1 centers but they are more like 1A, or 2 line centers. Both play great against other teams non-checking lines. That means other teams have to decide who to put their checking line out on. Comrie or Marleau? Bottom line is that Marleau is a 30g , 40A guy for his carreer and those numbers dont lie. If he is available do it for the right price.

Lets go Islanders.

Well, this whole Marleau talked stirred up alot of craziness....I will say again i would Love Marleau on the Islanders, but as 19Isles has continued to say, and i agree 10000%.....we cant give up to much for this guy...In no way would i consider giving up Comeau...Sir William, this was Comeau first season, not even FULL season..I watch every Islanders game, as im sure you do...watching Comeau grow as a player, this kid is gonna a very good hockey player..The way he views the ice, his smooth skating, keeps his head up and has a hell of a shot...Im not willing to lose a guy like this at ALL...is he gonna be a 40-50 goal scorer, most likely not..25-30??? i see that being more realistic.....we have given up on way to many young players for washed up VETERANS!!! SIR WILLIAM, along with every ISLANDERS fan on this board, we are ALL as frustrated as you are and WANT a CHANGE NOW......In my first post about this TOPIC...i stated who i would give up and who i wouldnt consider touching...And the guys i would give up, is just UNREALISTIC for a trade...We have NOBODY to trade away for a 1st line player, besides our YOUTH..which we have done to MANY times..and im willing to wait 2-3yrs to have a contender on the ice, then get kicked out in the first round next season, by trading the youth, and getting WASHED up VETERANS again, or declining proven players...I think our best shot at grabbing a FIRST LINE player is through FA'...because again, we have nobody to trade for...BUT SIR WILLIAM, as you also have said, attracting a 1st line FA in this organization is harder then telling a child theres no such thing as SANTA....we have to all face the facts..and that is we JUST dont have what it takes RIGHT NOW to get a TOP player in this league through FA OR TRADE...unless we throw SILLY money at one..HOSSA 3 yr 30mill.......and that leads me to my next point...

WE NEED TO DRAFT A FOWARD!!!!! There will be some highly skilled fowards still left at number 5...I feel we need to draft a foward at 5, and being that defense is so deep in this draft, we can use one of our 2nd round picks to pick up a defensemen, that we can allow time to develop in our system and not rush them....I know some dont like the idea of drafting FILATOV, but if he is there at number 5, we have to pick him up...of all the other fowards not including STAMKOS...this is the kid to get..he may be small, but hes got what it takes to be a 1st line player...I feel all the other top fowards, BEECH, WILSON, HODGSON...are more 2way players...we have enough of those...we need RAW SCORING talent and i thinK FILATOV is our guy...which bring me to my next point....

ENOUGH ABOUT MARLEAU.....Whats everyones opinion on DRAFT DAY...DEFENSE OR OFFENSE...and WHO???

LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!

I apologize, Id like to take back a comment i just made about having ENOUGH 2 WAY PLAYERS!!! I know iwill probably get attacked for that comment, so i will clear that statement up...OBVIOUSLY we dont have ENOUGH TRUE 2 way-players...someone who will scored 30-35 goals, 45-60 assists PLUS 20 on the season...So i will restate my comments as....I believe BEECH WILSON HODGSON are more 2 ways players, which I WOULD also Like, but i would PREFER a more offensive scoring threat such as FILATOV... Ok i think thats better!!

SW ~

I tend to agree with Nick's and Jisles' assesments ...

All I'm tryinig to say is that we can't keep dumping bushels of young talent before they've matured because they haven't blossomed into star players on our timeline.

Yes, we could definitely use someone of Marleau's caliber ... Comrie and him would make a fine 1-2 punch up the middle ... probably even open things up more for a healthy Comrie.

I still think however that Comeau and Gervais or Campoli have more to offer combined with this year's 3rd round pick then what we'd get in return overall for Marleau...

Marleau has poor defensive numbers as illustrated by his career plus / minus on a good team ... do we need that as a young growing team ... those numbers also illustrate lack of defensive responsibility and playing a great deal in your own zone.

I'm not prepared to dump 3 bodies for him ... that is just me .... and well Nick and a few others guys on here.

I'll give you this much ... Marleau would be good to have for faceoffs in certain important situations where you need someone who can be an offensive threat at the same time.... Comrie just was awful on face offs ... and lost a lot of offensive zone face offs ... Marleau brings some respectability in that area at 52.4% ... just an FYI 55% and over is considered very good on faceoffs .. 51 - 54.% is considered just good.

So it's not like Marleau would be a God at the face off dot.

Tomorrow I'm going to pour over Centers in the NHL ... and list those that might be acquirable or headed towards UFA or RFA in the next year .... then I'll rate where Marleau fits and what I think it should take at minimum to acquire ... and what the most I'd give up for said player .....

SW ... I know we have to fill seats ... but we've decimated the team at times for the sake of filling seats ... which in the end always seems to end in a NET loss ... no pun intended.

Have a Great Day!!! And hopefully in 2009 - 2010 season .... you'll have your season tix package again.

Tonysac, Filatov would be great, but I think I have to agree with Garth's logic on this one. Milbury (may his name forever be cursed) made a few boneheaded picks because he was going for a position rather than the best player available. If Filatov is off the board when we get up, but Bogosian or Pieterangelo is available, do we ignore that and take Wilson, Hodgson, or Boedker simply because we want a forward? I just want the best player available when the Islanders are up, I don't want us to force a square peg into a round hole.

And when it comes to Marleau, I also don't think he's a superstar with a reputation for making the players around him better. I don't think he'd be worth it, and the hype could likely crush him.

505 ~ You said ~ "19Isles

"now to get adults into it too .... Islander sports bar parties .... I've seen some mentions on the Islander site ..."

Funny you mention that... Hope you plan on attending Draft Day at NVMC. More on that to follow.

"ticket give aways for who ever can put back 20 kamakazis in 5 minutes ....."

How many tickets?"

That is an excellent question 505 ... I say 4 tickets for adults only ... and put them in a newly established section with barmaid service in "ice girlesque" uniforms ..... this way they can make up some of the cost in adult beverage consumption .... sure SMG gets a huge chunk of that ... but what ever works.

Nick ... I agree with 100% of your last post .....

I have to agree with Garth's position on taking the best available player at #5 ... If you can get a defenseman rated a 9 out of 10 .