On the Islanders Beat

Good signing. A Powerplay specialist. Received only about 11 minutes a game at even strength, the least of the Habs defense. Was minues 6. Played with one of the most talented groups of forwards in the league. Interesting how many points he can put up playing with a weaker group of forwards.

I was thinking the same thing, Anon. His numbers are great, and they definitely helped MTL's awesome power play, but MTL's awesome power play also probably helped Streit's numbers. Maybe we can't expect those same numbers, but at least it is definitely someone who knows what to do on the power play, and that's worth the price tag especially given how much space the Isles have. Beyond just Streit, this move will help Campoli be the PP QB of the future. Players that can still bring it are the ones that will help young players learn the game.

Ok, we have a power play QB, I like our D this year, we just need to stay healthy. Hillen is the wild card too, he may surprise people this year. Get another solid centerman, Doug weight would be fine with me, I know people think he is washed up, but he can still play! Great leaderdhip skills too!

Good signing. Congrats. Would have liked to had him on our team.

What I like most about this signing, is his totals have gone up steadily each year. He will always be compared to the other UFA's of this class - but he has the chance to develop with the younger guys coming up so his point totals shouldn't suffer too much.

http://www.islesblogger.com

Interesting no more news since Streit....Are people waiting for dominoes to fall, or did every GM go out to dinner at the same time?

We now have our PP quaterback. Good signing and compared to what the market was, we did not overpay.

Decent signing. Of course, Streit now has to pass the puck on the PP to the likes of Park or Jon Sim, so I wouldn't go banking on 60 points from him on a team that had NO ONE (D, forwards, hip-impaired goalies, etc) reach 50 last year
I mean, not to be a buzzkill or anything.

Okay, I'm on board with his one. The dollars are a bit high for his minutes, but the cap is a non-issue for the Isles, so it doesn't bother me.

What bothers me a little is his plus minus. Sure, I want a PP quarterback, but MAB taught us all (all right, I suppose Steady already knew) that a defensive liability on the blue line can be a nightmare.

It'll be interesting to see how he does on a PP that doesn't have a very hot Kovalev.

Contiued from other blog:

agreed. DG ... It is still a nice signing though...What scares me is if he was so good, why would MTL let him go for short dough???

That does not make sense for a team on the cusp!

Somthing smells fishy!

He obviously has offensive prowess, but I think we may have another Campolli on our hands when it comes to strength and checking! With that said...Still a nice signing by Garth!

Ryder to the Bruins. Was hoping he would land on the Island.

Last year on the first day of UFA's signing we got the immortal Jon Sim.
This year we actually signed a player who filled a role we desparetly needed filled.
This is progress. Carry on, Garth..........Sir William

More I'm reading, the more it looks like Streit is a 6th d-man, or 4th line forward. Also a PP specialist. Take that for what it's worth. The years are more of a concern to me than the dollars.

We needed a PP quarterback and Snow got us one ...no one said Streit plays a great evenstrength game, but really, how many Isles D-men do?

As long as he produces on the PP it was worth it ...good signing ...

Nice signing. Cost effective (probably). only time will tell.
the team is impacted in a positive manner, no doubt. If they can grab a guy like Huselius for 9-10M for three years the team would be in a nice position going into a series of trades that are going to happen before OCT.
It looks as though the economics of the salary cap may leave the upper tier of players with limited new address possibilities. Thanks to some frugal management the Isles will be one of those teams that can fit two cars in their garage.
If they can deal a few roster spots, sign huselius and re-sign Vasicek this team would only be lacking one thing going into the season..
A HEAVYWEIGHT... and they are once again COMPETETIVE in their "REBUILDING" years... who could ask for more than that.

STAY TUNED... this could get interesting !!!

AZS: "As long as he produces on the PP it was worth it"

That's a valid point.

I just gotta say .... Kevin M. who posts here when he feels like it ... told me at our own team meeting last night ... after seeing all the names we had thrown out there for our UFA wish list ... to expect Snow to make a good under the radar signing on D for a player like Streit .. he said it will probably happen after players like Liles, Redden and Campbell are signed .... I gotta say ... very well played my friend ... very well played.

I've been trying to keep my trap shut about signings today ... because there is still work to be done ... but it's hard to complain or boast about this signing ... I think it's a good solid signing ... and Streit may lose about 10 points this season on the Isles ... but that is still 52 points ... I'll take it ... I think a lot of other teams paid wayyyy toooo much for what they got ... they'll be eating those salaries a few years down the road.... for instance ... Redden now becomes the Rangers less expensive version of T.O.'s McCabe in 3 years... Campbell becomes Chicago's McCabe in maybe 4 years .... T.O. may feel they have company now.

So in comparisson ... the Isles got them selves a bargain ... leaving lots of room to finish up with a good center signing ... and left winger perhaps.... I'll wait till the end of the week. Still some names out there. The beauty is ... his contract is easy to move for the right trade a year or two down the road if the right opportunity comes.

19Isles....Rags are in a win now mode....Plus they got some youth...We all hate them, but they did a greeat job I thought...Redden and Rosi locked up....Not bad...Not bad at all!

If they lose Jagr and Avery, that will be a major blow! We shall see....

I like the Streit signing. Probably the smartest signing of the day considering the player and the position of the team.

Dumbest signing has to go to Redden. Not that he isn't a guy the Rangers can't utelize but the ammount and the length is enough to make you vomit.

WTF are they doing in MSG? Count Redden as another guy that will be on that team till he's too long in the tooth. The Rags right now have three guys taking up 21 mill of cap space. That's not even including Lunqvists contract.

It seems that when teams go into UFA day frugal they make the right signings rather than homeruns which come up empty whence the season starts.

Although I think if Boston gets Hossa they will be scary with Bergeron coming back.

Good signing for the Isles though. Just what they need to bridge them over as their new draftees develop.

I don't understand the Islanders Logic with this signing - Snow & Nolan both did not like Bergeron - so instead they sign a guy just like him, very bad in his own zone - Streit's numbers look good on paper b/c he was playing with a very offensive Montreal Team - he will not put up 35 points on the Islanders....this doesn't make sense - Streit is not that good of a player...I would rather have McCabe and his large contract for 3 years, than Streit for 5 years.What happened to the youth movement, at least if they would have just Signed Hainsey - he is only 27.

this guy Streit is a #5 defenseman/4th Liner - This doesn't look like a wise signing - I would rather have spent this money on Brian Rolston (20 mil for 4 years)

THEY SHOULD NOT SIGN DOUG WEIGHT -THIS GUY WAS DONE 3 YEARS AGO...SIGN BRENDAN MORRISON to a 2 year Deal - Snow has been preaching to everyone how he wants to go with a young team and he signs Streit, up next a 38 year old, over the hill center.

The Rangers have 6 million cap space(not including Valliquette) left to sign Avery, Jagr and a few other players. Now is the time for Snow to hit Dawes with an offer sheet that they cannot match. This guy is a pure goal scorer and would be the steal of the RFA's. C'mon Garth. Dawes is the perfect fit for a team that can't score and he is young enough to grow with the team.

I would rather have him than any of the free agents left (no Hossa is not coming here). A three or four year deal backloaded would get him and with minimum draft picks going the other way. This is the play to make...........Sir William

Steady ... I agree ... the Rags are swinging for the fences .... what else is new? LOL!! I just think Redden is going to be that smelly fish that will not go away for them in about 3 years ... perhaps 4 ... he's been getting worn down year after year ... and has seen his best days ....

On the other hand ... the Rosi signing ... that was a great signing ... durable and productive ... good salary terms ... and good length ... infact .. I'd rather have Rosi than Redden at this point... he should of been the one to cash in more than Redden ... but I guess Redden has a richer history ... and is cashing in for what he's done for Ottawa during his career.

Ceasar ... I'm with ya ... and we'll see what else is coming down the pike ... we still need a Left Winger and a Center.

VERRRRRYYYY Interesting Sir W ... Verrryyyyyy .... They'd have to insure that contract is structured so NOOOOO 1st rounder is part of compensation ... Nick and I already shared this nightmare scenario for Dawes in a previous thread.... because it would be conceivable to hear .. and the Rangers take the first overall pick in 2009 ... John Tavares ... with the NY Islanders' pick as compensation .... now that would be a bad trade off ... but I like how ya think.

19;

I hope this is the only signing we make. We could use a goon but that's about it.

Let the kids play.

Question though Sir W ..... Did the Rangers throw him a qualifying offer???? That would pretty much put that on hold if they beat the deadline... and we'd have to wait and see.

MON let Streit go because they are in the Sundin and Hossa stakes. They need to save that cap space. Nothing fishy just business. And Streit is not like MAB. MAB did not put up that good of numbers even with his blast of a shot. Streit can pass, shoot and exploit Defense on the PP. Which we all know was the absolute worst and the biggetst problem. I dont think he will be that bad in his own end. You dont put up 62 pts by being bad 5v5
so I am not worred about that.

Weight I dont like at all. If we are going to go with an exeprienced center why not go after Peca? I know he left on bad terms but Snow is the GM not MM and he has played here before. He still only 34 thats 4 years younger than weight and can really set an example for the young guys on how to play and compete and win. He will play here if the salary is right.

What does anyone think about Bertuzzi? Another guy who may have some game left in him. He still a monster and can give dmen all sorts of trouble. He seems to fit the grinding style Nolan likes to play. He is 32. I would take a shot at him but I see a signing like this if Huselius does not come here or if a trade cant be worked out for a scoring winger. In any event we need another center and a scoring winger.

Keep up the good work Garth

lets go islanders

19 Isles Up to 2 million per year is a SECOND ROUND PICK as comp. This is a real opportunity for creative thinking on Snow's part. If he doesn't do it I am sure someone else will.....Sir William

No they did not qualify him.....Sir William

Wrong, sorry the Rangers qualified him today according to Newsday. Damn it............Sir William

Even more interesting today. Looks like not one team has an iota of interest in Avery.

Sure glad we haven't signed that headcase.

Berry Berry Interesting Sir W ... and Shanny even with his UFA free agent status has bonus from last year applied to this years cap I believe ... and again ... he said he'd retire if not resigning with Rags .... well ... we'll see how accurate that is ... b/c I think there is no room for Shanny at this point .... depends on Jags and any other moves they make.

I have been more interested in what other teams have been doing that finished around the Isles or worse ... lots of improvements ... rising tide floats all boats ... but I see more parity I think so far.
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Kevin M. joked with my yesterday to watch for Ottawa to be the surprising tanker this year for the John Tavares sweepstakes .... that's a stretch ... but the way they finished ... not that big of one with the Conference getting much improved teams.

The Isles will have their hands full .. but the Streit signing helps our depleted PP .... oh ... and we can't put Streit in the same catagory as MAB ... MAB was totally one dimensional ... and Streit is muchhh quicker to get back .... yeah ... he'll need to go to the Kenny Morrow school of defense to improve... I'll admit that ... but he's not nearly as far off as the mad bomber.

Snow should throw an offer sheet at LW - Ryane Clowe from San Jose - 3 year 2.6 a year - that would only cost a 2nd round pick. This guy plays on the Power Play - Hits - and also Fights....Go for it Snow

I thought teams had till yesterday to qualify their RFAs? I guess I was wrong on my end too Sir W.

I would absolutely throw an offer sheet at Dawes right now - hell, I wanted to do it to Prucha last year for the same reason. If he accepts, you get a great up-and-comer for a 2nd round pick (maybe 4 years/10 million backloaded will do it?). If the Rags match, their cap problem gets worse. I would call that win-win and smart playing within the cap.

Now that Huselius has gone a day without signing, do you think Garth's push will intensify on him? Or do you think he's waiting for Jagr and Hossa to sign so whatever team loses out on both of them will panic and overpay him?

Brian G ... that is a great under the radar proposition ... he plays the left side ... and he can put the puck in the net ... I'm not sure he's played a full season yet ... he has the tools to be a Malone type of player .. I like that idea.
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I agree Nick ... but according to Sir W... Newsday qualified Dawes ..... I think Huselius is holding out till Jagr and Hossa make a move .... and lets not forget Naslund and Morrison dangling from Vancouver ... when those guys start flying off the shelves ... Huselius' offers start getting more lucrative.

I think we'll see some more movement tomorrow and thursday before a lull in signings commences .... a lot of clubs really need to do some creative shifting of players to fit the pieces the way they need to in order to make their signings... so these players may need to sit tight.

Do qualifying offers preclude offer sheets? I thought arbitration was the only thing that precluded an offer sheet...or am I off on this one?

Okay, I just read up on qualifying offers. The qualifying team reserves the right to MATCH any offer sheets. If they do not match then the qualifying team is awarded compensation according to the NHL guidelines.

So the short answer is that Snow should go for it. Giving up a 2 nd round pick for Dawes is a no brainer and at the very least you back a division rival into a salary cap corner......Sir William

i like when our "outstanding, and hall of fame bound"GM basically says i dont want to sign a goal scoring wing b/c we need our young guys to get ice time - hello Garth - we didnt have a scoring wing last year and Tamby played 5 mins a game! I like the Streit pick but why not still go after Hainsey and then send some money to Avery and either Morrison, Naslund, or Even better Huselius??? Oh thats right - some have grit, some have character, and some have heart but nont have all three

Rob Grit, character and heart are nice. How about players that have TALENT. That's my benchmark.............Sir William

i agree Sir William it was a sarcastic remark about how stupid our owner is - he creates a slogan and then when we make a minor move talk about how we have grit, character and heart - what about talent - our slogan should be like the Yankees in the late 90's were - Mariano Duncan said "we play today, We win today" - that should be the goal - and they should stop at nothing including signing SCORING FORWARDS who are legit SCORING FORWARDS - not a nice complimentary player like Comrie, Sim and a Guerin who's best suited to be a role player on a contender - which if we made the right moves he could be - anyway - Streit was a nice addition - too bad we wont be the winners of the free agency period - not that we ever are...

We'll i'm glad we did something. Our PP is in dire need of help and Striet fits the bill perfectly. However he is a maybe #4 but rather a 5-5 dmen who can play the wing. Makes a great first pass, especially out of the zone. kids like comeau and tambs should have ample 2 on 1's if they can keep up with him. hes smallish and somewhat soft but we need the offensive help. this will allow garth to have all 6 of the regular dmen, witt, martinek, sutton, meyer, campoli and gervais dress if streit is on the 4th line. hilbert, tambellini, comeau, opokso or neilsen have to woory about thier job in the bigs more becasuse of this move. anyone of them who doesnt have to clar waivers will see the birdge 4 sure. overall, im happy, hoperully we land a 2nd line centre ( a real 1st i wish) and maybe weight will be the only taker. doubt morrison will entertain LI, maybe they can put a package together for bouchard, hes a ufa next year, it might be reasonable, just lock him up. silly will probably be gone at the deadline for another kick at the can.

I'd be very wary of Huselius... He has the knack of going cold at the wrong time... One center to dish the biscuit is all I really want know... Weight wouldn't be that bad for the right term. Or just let Neilsen and Walter play.

To all of the above,

The dawes move is a great idea! problem is that a real trend will be started and outsiders will laugh at the ny area teams inflating their payrolls. might be some unwritten rules between some of the bigwigs. snow may burn alot of bridges, this is politically decided. too bad, bobby clarke woulde do it in a heartbeat. f@@k them, go for it! just remember if it doesnt and probably wont everyone has seemed to really big up one of the enemies well face, too bad...

To all of the above,

The dawes move is a great idea! problem is that a real trend will be started and outsiders will laugh at the ny area teams inflating their payrolls. might be some unwritten rules between some of the bigwigs. snow may burn alot of bridges, this is politically decided. too bad, bobby clarke woulde do it in a heartbeat. f@@k them, go for it! just remember if it doesnt and probably wont everyone has seemed to really big up one of the enemies well face, too bad...

Here's some mark streit highlights.... Borrowed from youtube...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ScEMx00sTU4

Montrsl Gazette on Stret:

Montreal Canadiens defenceman Mark Streit, who had 62 points last year, got a staggering $5 million a year with the New York Islanders, even though he's basically a power-play specialist in today's NHL. Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau would play the Swiss player on wing on the fourth line in large part, rather than have him take a regular shift on the blue-line.

Brian G,

Regarding the issue of the points Streit put up with MON and whether he could do that here ....that logic could be used with literally every player out there - every year!

The Isles can sign anyone good and we can say "yeah, but the Isles suck so they may not repeat that here" ...well, it's Nolan's job to set up the PP to make it to fit Streit's skills ...

The Isles could sign Hossa and he may not put up the same numbers ...you see what I mean? Let's just let Streit play his game ...and we've got him for 5 years so he'll have time to learn how to forget to play any offense and play Nolan's "gritty" style of hockey ....

I do agree about the MAB comparison - but I think he was handled wrong. MAB is an offensive D-man, and you have to take the bad with the good - he'll get you points and help the PP but will be a liability defensively ...so, I guess they realize that having a risk on the back line is worth it if the Isles pathetic Nolan led PP improves

In the playoffs, the Habs dressed 7 defenseman for each game. Streit averaged 14 minutes of ice time. During the playoffs he was a pointman on the powerplay and played on the 4th line. He got zero ice time on defense during even strength.

So is a forward or a defenseman?

AZS said ... "Regarding the issue of the points Streit put up with MON and whether he could do that here ....that logic could be used with literally every player out there - every year!

The Isles can sign anyone good and we can say "yeah, but the Isles suck so they may not repeat that here" "

and AZS also added ... "The Isles could sign Hossa and he may not put up the same numbers ...you see what I mean?"

AZS ... I see exactly what you mean ... I think the same thing when I see people post negative comments about Streit ...

But .. the fact is ... because of the Isles' lower octane offense ... Streit will have some diminishing of his numbers ... but ... he'll still inject some offense and help the power play .. infact ... there should be a NET GAIN for the Islanders' offense ... because he'll also boost the numbers of a lot of the players that wouldn't see that boost if a player of his caliber wasn't setting up the PP.

Bottom line ... it's a win ... a positive. Garth ... good job ... and he's still got plenty of cap room.

Well said 19,

I'm curious to see once the roster is determined after camp who'll play on the PP ...I think we'll all, or mostly all of us, will agree that the personal choices for the PP time weren't always the best options ...

Obviously Okposo better see a ton of time, but I would hope that while Guerin and Comrie will obviously see time, that some time on the next unit is reserved for the likes of Tamby and Comeau or some other young guys ,,,,if you want to see what the kids can do you have to put them in positions to succeed ...

Thoughts on PP lines?

It is a nice signing to fill a need this team desperately needed.....I just do not want everyone breakdancing in the streets (no pun intended) over this guy....

We need to stop comparing him to Redden and thinking he is a savior....NO other team went after this guy before going after the others....Reason being he is a one trick pony.....HE is PP QB which we need, but not a good defensmen. Yes, I remember watching him play last year and all the hype he got filling the role for MTL....Yet, also remember he was put on off. at times and did not get a lot of minutes....Reason being he was not that good on DEF.....

So again....Nice move getting him for the role we need. But, lets not go crazy over this guy as an all around player. Rangers, Mtl, and others did not go after him for a reason! We shall see and I hope he can flourish on the island.

**Sign King George TODAY !!! I will buy his jersey the second he signs.....Ohhhhhhh the fun of seeing him pounce on someone at msg......Would help from looking at the score board unless we get offense! **

Posted by Brian G | don't understand the Islanders Logic with this signing - Snow & Nolan both did not like Bergeron - so instead they sign a guy just like him,...

Like Bergeron, Streit is not a tower of strength in his own end, but Bergeron was simply was shooter, a blast from the point on the power play, not a power play "quarterback." That's what Streit is, so they are very different. The problem will be depth, as it has been. If Streit gets hurt, what then? To ensure at least a reasonably competent power play, they still need more.

Not one bit on "ink time" for the Isles in the Post or the top stories here in the sports section on Streit....Not on ESPN....

No respect I say....No respect

Go get Georges Laraque, Garth !!

Great signing by Garth. Filled a need very nicely.

I must say as of right now, the roster is looking a bit full. Unless there are a ton of waivers during training camp, i wouldn't be surprised to see a trade in the near future.

If Weight is signed, that means Hilbert and Walter are going to be expendable.

This whole rest of the week will be curious to see, which steps Snow takes.

What happens if Streit gets hurt?
Hillen gets called up and plays.

One thing that puzzles me though. On the Islanders website, after the announcement of Streit, or any player, you usually see Garth make an announcement about a trade or signing. Instead, I saw Morrow. I wonder if Garth has another splash he is working on, that he can't take a minute or two, for Islanders TV.

Hehehe Im getting giddy.

The Isles have no cap issues, so the dollars aren't really a concern wrt overpaying. As I said before, I just hope the years on this contract for a guy that, from what I've read, hasn't yet been able to be a full time d-man doesn't come back to bite the team.

I doubt they'd pay $4m+ to play Streit on the fourth line wing, but it's probably up to Nolan to slot him in where he sees fit. I hope they don't pair him with Campoli at even strength though. Maybe pair him with Meyer? I thought Meyer played great in his own end last year, and he has more speed than Sutton to cover for Streit's expected defensive lapses. Sutton could pair with Campoli, and then Witt and Marty.

I can see Gervais being traded. I like Gervais - he's responsible out there and he's a good skater and can pass, but he just has a dreadful shot. They could probably package him with a vet (a useful vet to other teams...obviously not Hilbert or something like that) at some point and get a halfway decent forward prospect - maybe someone who is ready to play full time in the NHL but is being held up due to a full roster (you kind of get jealous knowing there are teams that are overflowing with NHL-ready forward prospects...). I've always liked Clark MacArthur on Buffalo, and they love mobile defensemen (Gervais?) and need veteran leadership...but they keep a death grip on their young, cheap players so that probably wouldn't happen. It'd probably have to be darn good vet (which I'm not even sure the Isles have) for someone like MacArthur too, as he's put up some nice goals every time he's been called up.

For someone who followed the Habs closer than I did...what was the deal with Streit on the power play? Was he the true QB back there, or was Markov? Did they play the point together, or were they on different units?

HE SORT OF REMINDS ME OF M.A. BERGERON,GREAT ON THE POWER PLAY,BUT WEAK IN HIS OWN END.AFTER HIS FIRST GIVEAWAY WILL HE END UP IN NOLANS DOGHOUSE LIKE MAB DID.
\

We need Laraque...Steady stole my thunder....Having Laraque and a power play that actually scores will keep teams from taking cheap shots at our young guys...You guys remember the devils last year spearing comeau that cannot happen. There needs to be consequences to their actions.

Campoli or Gervais needs to be traded. They are the same player. I prefer Campoli stay.

hossa just signed with red wings for ONE YEAR at 7.5 million, turning down a 5 year 35+ offer from the Pens....does this make sense?? who does that?? Pens are good too...Isles woulda had to pay him a billion dollars to sign him...

all i can think is he has a deal on the table to go to russia but he wants to try to win the cup first....

okposo - totally confused as well...this guy could have cashed in long-term, so why the 1 year deal?

Also, that 1-year deal probably complicates other signings because teams will want to probably keep cap space open in case Hossa is available after next year...odd twist on this one...but hopefully it means things start moving some more...

someone needs to explain this move to me....Pens fans cannot be happy...I think Vancouver offered a boatload of cash as well...

Maybe he gets some pizza franchises as well...

Lets see if Sundin decides to go there on the cheap now too to try to win a cup

they need an enforcer to keep these kids healthy,would love for them to take a run at laroque who is a f/a and come the trading deadline would bring a pretty high draft choice to a team that needs a fighter,a 4 or maybe even a 3