Danis Heads To New Jersey

Yann Danis officially became an ex-Islander today, signing a contract with the New Jersey Devils. It was clear he wasn't coming back, and if there was any chance of him re-signing, it went out the window when the Isles signed Dwayne Roloson. Danis now takes his trade to the Devils, where he'll likely back up Martin Brodeur.

Danis didn't have much help last season with the Islanders, but still put up fairly respectable numbers. Now, he heads to the Prudential Center, where he'll make a handsome salary to operate the door of the bench. He actually might see more playing time than is customary for a Devils backup if their next coach wisely gives Brodeur a rest every now and again. And no team will make Danis look as good as the Devils will.

There's one absolute certainty in all of this. The Devils will sit Brodeur for at least one Islanders-Devils game this year, and Danis will come in and absolutely stonewall his former team. How could Islanders fans expect anything else?

Ales Kotalik...

Well, he's no Alex Tanguay, but Ales Kotalik is now a New York Ranger. He comes fresh off a 43-point season (in 75 games), but he scored 11 in 19 after being sent to Edmonton from Buffalo. In fact, he's had 2 43-point seasons in a row and has only cracked 60 once, in 2005-06, where he had 25 goals. That was the only season of his career where he's had a full docket of 82 games also.

So another injured player for the Rangers, another 3rd liner for John Tortorella's "system," but I do like him. It's an upgrade over Aaron Voros, Donald Brashear, and Mark Bell.

The term is suspect though - 3 years, $9M. Are 43 points really worth $3M per year? (His Cap hit was $2.333M last season.) I hope this doesn't screw the team at the trade deadine, when they'll need to get a scorer on the market to make a push for the playoffs. I'm afraid they won't have any cap room to get a player they need, because they also need to make atleast one more medium-sized signing this offseason (a center or a defenseman, I would guess). To be honest, I was hoping for a 2 year, $4M contract (or maybe $5M for a Cap hit of $2.5M per).

He is 30, will be 31 in December, but he's a fast player and he's big. He's 6'1", 230 pounds. He also plays the power play - of his 43 points last year, 23 were on the power play. (For comparison, Scott Gomez had 17 of his 58 on the power play, and he played nearly every power play.)

I'm not upset about this at all. Nik Zherdev will be gone, a right winger who can pot 20-25 can be a positive move. Hey, there were worse options out there, right? And while he had a -5 on the 2006-07 Sabres, his +/- was better in 05-06 than Chris Drury's on the same team.

But now, the real rivalry begins. Who will wear #21, Kotalik or Chris Higgins?

So Long, Claude Lemieux

Today, Claude Lemieux announced his retirement. Again.

Those of you who have read this blog for a while know that we're both big fans of the man known as "Pepe". He was the typical pest - great if he's on your team, a nightmare if he isn't. Modern-day agitators such as Sean Avery only wish they could have been as effective as Claude Lemieux.

Quite frankly, if the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2012 does not include Claude Lemieux, something is seriously wrong. And how fitting would it be if Lemieux were to be inducted alongside his former Avalanche teammate Joe Sakic? Of course, there will be plenty of detractors who will call Lemieux a dirty player. These are the same people who gushed over players like Bobby Clarke and Scott Stevens, so there you go. Anyway, let's take this moment to go over some of Lemieux's Hall credentials.

- Four Stanley Cups (1986, 1995, 1996, 2000). It should also be pointed out that each of these Cups came on different tours of duty. As in, he helped make four different teams into winners. Also, he never lost in a Stanley Cup Final.

- 80 playoff goals, good for 9th best in NHL history.

- 1995 Conn Smythe winner.

- Nine seasons with 20+ goals and 100+ penalty minutes. To put that into proper context, only five players accomplished this feat in 2008-09.

- Nine trips to the conference finals or beyond.

- 379 regular season goals. Not bad for a guy primarily known for his playoff scoring.

- Came back to the NHL at age 43 and played a regular shift on a team that won the President's Trophy.

That last one might be the most significant one of all. Even though his skills had largely eroded, Lemieux was still able to show something to a group of players who weren't even alive when he was drafted. It's a shame the Sharks choked in the playoffs, as is customary for them, because Lemieux winning a fifth Cup would have been such a great story.

As it is, Lemieux retires with his head held high, knowing he could still do it. Truth is, he always could do it. He just had the misfortune to have high goal totals in an era where goal totals were extremely high, then nearly killed Kris Draper. There wasn't a period in Claude Lemieux's career where he wasn't an underrated player. I hope his retirement will educate some of the nay-sayers - as well as the aforementioned haters who claim Lemieux was a dirty player - on what was a spectacular career.

As one of my favorite non-Islanders of all-time, I always wonder what might have happened if things were different. It's a little-known fact that Claude Lemieux was an Islander for a very brief time. The Islanders acquired Lemieux from New Jersey after the 1995 season, then immediately shipped him off to Colorado for Wendel Clark. (Trivia question: Who went to New Jersey in exchange for Lemieux?) Surely, Lemieux wouldn't have won a Stanley Cup with an awful Islanders team in 1995-96, but I would have cherished the chance to watch a true great, a legitimate Hall of Famer, for 82 games. Lemieux always shined in the playoffs, but he was never anything but a tremendous talent who could do it all.

Free Agents Still Available...

Hope everyone had a good weekend celebrating America's birthday. And what's more American than hockey?! Okay, a lot, but what's more American than getting paid a ton of money to play a game?!

Don't forget that I made a list of still-available free agents the other day (before Day 2 of Free Agency). Keep it on hand - it comes completely with my impressive HTML knowledge, which consists mainly of only strike-throughs).

Names still available that could help the Islanders or Rangers...
... Alex Tanguay; Saku Koivu; Paul Mara; Derek Morris; Ales Kotalik; Blair Betts; Brendan Shanahan; Chris Chelios; Corey Murphy; Mike Comrie; Brendan Morrison; and if Glen Sather wants another 4th line player, Travis Moen is indeed still out there, unsigned and waiting.

Ryan Smyth

If this blog existed on July 1, 2007, I'd have written a post about the mass exodus from Long Island. On that day, all of the one-year contracts Garth Snow signed prior to the season expired, and just about every free agent bolted from the Island. Viktor Kozlov and Tom Poti went to Washington. Jason Blake went to Toronto. Richard Zednik went to Florida. Arron Asham went to New Jersey. In essence, the Islanders were gutted, and the only player they acquired that day was Jon Sim - the same Jon Sim who would suffer a season-ending injury in the Islanders' home opener.

As all of the other players left, the Islanders sort of shrugged and looked at the real task at hand. That, of course, was signing Ryan Smyth to a long-term contract, giving him the "C", and making him the focal point of the Islanders. In the weeks leading up to free agency, the Isles attempted to sell Smyth on Long Island and the future of the franchise. It was a future that wasn't overly compromised by the trade to acquire Smyth, as history shows that both Robert Nilsson and Ryan O'Marra have been busts. The Islanders ended up offering Smyth more years and more money than anybody else... but Smyth decided to go back out West and sign with Colorado.

Though Smyth handled the situation really well, praising the Islanders organization on his way out, Islanders fans were devastated. This was their one serious chance to land a marquee free agent, and yet this player took less money to go elsewhere. To put it mildly, that Snow lost maybe his five best players on July 1, 2007 and only walked out with Jon Sim did not make Islanders fans very happy.

Fast-forward to present day. Garth Snow is no longer in the position of handing out one-year contracts to veterans with something to prove just to make a run at the eighth seed. Snow has a team full of young players and quality veterans, all of whom are on manageable contracts. Now, imagine if Ryan Smyth were among those players.

If Smyth were an Islander, the Islanders would be committing upwards of $6 million annually to an injury-prone player who hasn't exactly lit the lamp on a regular basis. Smyth's 40 goals over the past two years would have cost the Islanders around $12 million. For a team that loses money even with a payroll at the salary floor, Smyth's deal would have been crippling. Not to mention that he couldn't have gotten the Islanders teams of the past two years by himself. The Islanders would essentially be replacing Alexei Yashin's inflated contract with another huge deal that couldn't possibly come close to paying dividends. And perhaps, like the Colorado Avalanche have just done, the Islanders would have been forced to trade Smyth for pennies on the dollar in order to start rebuilding.

This isn't intended to trash Ryan Smyth. This is just the reality of the situation. Garth Snow, the Islanders organization, and Islanders fans everywhere should be very thankful that Ryan Smyth spurned the Islanders two years ago. Smyth's decision was a big part of the Islanders' realization that they had to rebuild, and perhaps if Smyth stayed with the Islanders, they'd keep signing crappy veterans in an attempt to win now. By moving on, Smyth saved the Islanders a lot of money and a lot of heartache.

A Guide to Day 2...

Sorry for the influx of posts, but here is a list of the free agents still available who can help a team. Or, in the case of Ryan Hollweg, Marek Malik, Yann Denis, and Thomas Pock, a list of ex-Islanders and Rangers of whom it will be interesting to see if they sign anywhere.

Ales Kotalik, Alex Tanguay, Alexandre Giroux (AHL MVP), Andy Hilbert, Antero Niittymaki
Blair Betts, Brendan Morrison, Brendan Shanahan
Chris Chelios, Cory Murphy
Dan Fritsche, Dean McAmmond, Dennis Seidenberg, Derek Armstrong, Derek Morris, Dmitri Kalinin, Dominic Moore
Eric Perrin, Eric Reitz
Jed Ortmeyer
Ken Klee, Kevin Weekes, Kurtis Forster, Kyle Calder
Manny Legace, Manny Malhotra, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Martin Biron, Mats Sundin, Maxin Afinogenov, Mike Peca, Michel Ouellet, Mike Comrie, Mike Grier, Mike Sillinger, Mike York, Miro Satan
Olaf Kolzig
Paul Mara, Petr Sykora, Philippe Boucher
Richard Zednik, Robert Lang, Ryan Hollweg
Thomas Pock, Todd Bertuzzi, Travis Moen
Yann Denis

Quick Thoughts on Free Agency...

Well, I'm a lot happier today than on July 1, 2008, when the Rangers signed Wade Redden and I started ripping apart my girlfriend's house in anger. By the way, she was mad.

Let's put it this way. If I had told you 3 days ago that the Rangers were going to trade Scott Gomez and his $7.357M Cap hit over the next 5 years for Marian Gaborik and his $7.5M Cap hit over 5 years, would you? And as an added bonus, Long Island-native Chris Higgins would be on board, adding grit, passion, energy, and a few goals. Sounds like a good deal, right?

Indeed it is. Glen Sather got it right - get Gaborik and his frail body for just money, and ignore Dany Heatley and his mind games when it would have cost money AND a few players.

Donald Brashear... whatever. It's going to be very hard to root for him, but he'll protect Gaborik, Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, and whatever Russian named Nik ends up on the team.

I would like to wish a fond farewell to Freddy Sjostrom, though, who is off to Calgary, where he will no doubt be beneficial to their defense-first movement and can also play first-line winger with Jarome Iginla, if need be. Better him than Jamie Lundmark with Iginla, no?

And while I'm upset that Mike Cammellari signed in Montreal, he did get a very high deal from them. $6M for him is too much I think. If he signed in New York for $5M, okay, but not that much.

I also think Gomez and Cammellari, if teamed up, should do very well. If nothing else, a power play with Gomez dishing to Cammellari and his old buddy Brian Gionta will be spectacular. With Andrei Markov and possibly Alexei Kovalev on the ice then also, that could be killer.

Oh, and about the Hossa deal. It's not 12 years. It's 8 years. Well, it's 12 years, but it's a fake 4 years at the end. He'll be making the league-minimum for a player over 35 then, and he might not even play. Either him or Chicago probably said, "Ok, 8 years for 7 million each year." "No, better idea, higher amount, 4 longer years, $5.2 million Cap hit. Detroit did it, why can't we!"

* * *

So this is how the Rangers roster shapes up, as of now. Don't pay any attention to lines or positions, and keep in mind trades can still happen. Last year, if you remember, Ryan Hollweg was traded to Toronto on like July 14th.

Avery - Dubinsky - Gaborik
Higgins - Drury - Callahan
Voros - Anisimov - Boyle
Korpikoski - Brashear - Zherdev

That's 12 forwards, but we don't know about Zherdev. Brashear and Voros won't be everyday players, and who knows about Boyle. We also don't know about Hartford and who might make the team (P.A. Parenteau? Mark Bell? Jordan Owens? Dale Weise?) So we have 8 forwards to play everyday, possibly 10, but there still is a need.

Expect atleast one or two more forwards, hopefully a puck-carrying, first-line center, if there are any available. Not everything happens on July 1, remember. Markus Naslund was signed July 3 last year. Uh, so was Dmitri Kalinin.

On D...

Redden - Rozsival
Staal - Girardi
Potter - Gilroy - Sanguenetti - Del Zotto

No room for a big D really, especially since the money should be spent on offense instead. Mike Komisarek would've been excellent, but maybe Rob Scuderi can be signed on the cheap.

* * *

Should make for an interesting Day 2. I would definitely expect 2 forwards to be signed, and maybe a veteran 7th D so that there aren't too many rookies on the backline. Hey, maybe Paul Mara will take another discount to play here.

The Latest Signings

Earlier in the day, we had a thread that we'd update anytime something big happened. Well, since then, we've seen quite a bit of activity. So let's pick up where we left off...

- Marian Gaborik to NY Rangers, 5 years, $37.5m ($7.5m/year)

This is the big one for Rangers fans. This is the reason they traded Scott Gomez. Was it worth it? Only time will tell. On one hand, Gaborik is the scorer the Rangers need desperately. On the other, Gaborik is extremely injury-prone and might not be able to handle the New York pressure cooker. I can easily see Gaborik being the latest target for the Garden faithful's boos. Many will point to his track record of injuries and his 17 games played last year. Optimists will note that Gaborik scored 13 goals in those 17 games. Either way, Gaborik fits a hole on this team that Scott Gomez never came close to filling - that role, of course, being a pure goal scorer.

- Mike Komisarek to Toronto, 5 years, $22m ($4.5m/year)

A lot of Islanders fans were hopeful their hometown boy would come home, but it was never going to happen. That's life. I guess it's appropriate that Komisarek ended up in Toronto, though. He gets his big pay day, but with that salary comes a ton of pressure. When the Leafs struggle, fans are going to point to Komisarek's meager point totals and criticize his play, fair or not. Honestly, I don't see him playing the full five years in Toronto. But the truth is, someone was going to overpay for Komisarek's services today, and I'm glad it's someone outside of the Atlantic Division.

- Mike Cammalleri to Montreal, 5 years, $30m ($6m/year)

After a 39-goal season in Calgary, Cammalleri cashes in and heads to the greener pastures of Montreal. The Habs essentially fell apart last year, but they hope Cammalleri can provide the offensive ability to return them to their 2007-08 levels. The money is about right, but the years are a bit much. Then again, the same can be said about pretty much everyone. I can't even remember how many times I've said/typed/texted "(x) years is a lot for a player who (some sort of comment about a player's one-dimensional style)" Earlier today, Botta called to mind the putrid 2007 free agent class. Hopefully, this one isn't as bad. But there have been a lot of lengthy deals today, and more than a few are destined to backfire.

- Scott Clemmensen to Florida, Mike Rupp to Pittsburgh, Brian Gionta to Montreal, John Madden to Chicago.

These deals are all wonderful for the teams who are receiving these players. Each one of them fills a need. But the Devils are letting a ton of "their" guys go. Rupp and Madden are the defense-first forwards the Devils have built the last fifteen year of success upon. Gionta was one of their only dependable scorers before an off-year in 2008-09. And Clemmensen kept the Devils in the playoff race last year while Martin Brodeur was injured. What's going on with the Devils? They suddenly have a ton of cap room and can make a serious splash in any number of ways. My gut tells me they have a trade in the works. Lou Lamoriello does not let loyal players go for just any reason. There's got to be more to this story.

- Nikolai Khabibulin to Edmonton, 4 years, $15m ($3.75m/year)

So let me get this straight. The Oilers wouldn't give Dwayne Roloson a second year, but they're willing to give four years to Khabibulin? Let's count the ways in which this is a horrible move. First, Khabibulin will be forty years old when this deal is over. He was drafted by Winnipeg, for Christ's sake. Second, he has a history of not playing very well when his financial security is guaranteed. Look at his numbers. His three best years were the three years he was playing for a new contract (1998-99, 2003-04, 2008-09). Third, he hasn't exactly been stellar since the lockout. His number of games played has dwindled over the past three years, going from 60 in 2006-07 to 50 in 2007-08 all the way down to 42 in 2008-09. Yes his GAA and save percentage have gotten better in those years, but so have the Blackhawks. How will he do on a team with far less talent and where he has to be the number one guy? This deal isn't one I would have made, let's put it that way.

- Brian Boucher to Philadelphia, 2 years, $1.85m ($925k/year)

This is the move that will solve all of Philadelphia's goaltending problems. Oh wait, this is 2009, not 1999. Never mind.

- Dany Heatley to... Edmonton?

Dany Heatley deserves a special spot on in the Primadonna Hall of Fame, along with the likes of Eric Lindros, Terrell Owens, and Chad Johnson. For those of you who don't recall the whole Heatley saga, here's a refresher. After Heatley's car accident in Atlanta which killed teammate Dan Snyder, Heatley requested a trade. He was sent to Ottawa for Marian Hossa. After two straight 50-goal seasons, Heatley signed a six-year, $45 million extension to his then-current contract, which had one year left. The deal had a no-trade clause. After the 2008-09 season ended - the first season under his lucrative extension - Heatley requested a trade. Ottawa moved to make a deal before July 1 in order to avoid paying him a $4 million roster bonus.

That takes us up to last night, when Ottawa made a deal with Edmonton for Heatley. So what happened? Heatley invoked his no-trade clause and killed the deal. Rumors state that Heatley is just trying to screw the Senators out of $4 million and will approve the trade after Ottawa is officially on the hook for this money. If you believe what you hear, the Rangers were so turned off by this display that they removed themselves from the Heatley sweepstakes.

To me, it doesn't work both ways. You can't request a trade, then conveniently cite your no-trade clause as a reason for nixing a potential deal. If Heatley refuses to go to Edmonton, if I were Bryan Murray, I'd take Heatley off the block and force him to play for Ottawa. After all, Heatley did sign a no-trade clause.

Free Agent Frenzy

We're past 12 PM on July 1, which can only mean one thing - deals are being made by the second. We'll try to give our thoughts on some of the big moves of the day as they pop up.

1:10 PM: Mattias Ohlund to Tampa Bay, 7 years, $24.5m ($3.5m/year)
- Bryan: Um... interesting? On one hand, Ohlund is the first casualty of the long-term deals given to the Sedin twins and the rumored long-term deal the Canucks are working on with Roberto Luongo. On the other, seven years is a lot of years, particularly for a 32-year-old defenseman. Hey, you know who would have been a great fit for Tampa Bay? Dan Boyle! Oh, wait, nevermind...

1:18 PM: Colton Orr to Toronto, 4 years, $4M ($1M/year)
- Bryan: This one comes from Darren Dreger's Twitter and a text from Zach. Leafs fans will expect the world from Orr with a 4-year contract, then will promptly turn on him when they realize he isn't a superstar. Four years is a ton for an enforcer. But God forbid Brian Burke doesn't make a splash on July 1.
- Zach: Wouldn't call him a "splash" but he is a big loss to the Rangers. Not points wise (1G, 4A, and an awful -15 last year), but they should try to pick up a big-name medical staff for their players with all the cheap shots Chris Pronger is going to take on them next year. Who's going to protect them? Aaron Voros? Wade Redden? Get real.

1:58 PM: Craig Anderson to Colorado, 2 years, $3.6M ($1.8M/year)
- Zach: Not huge news, but I think the Islanders probably wanted him, and he would've been good there if Rick DiPietro can't play this year.
- Bryan: Anderson would have been great for the Islanders to nab, but this is actually a good signing. It sets a fairly low price for whoever they end up signing. Besides, if Anderson actually plays well for a depleted Colorado team, he'll be in line for a big payday in two years.

2:07 PM: Marian Hossa to Chicago, 12 years, $62M ($5.2M/year)
- Bryan: Chicago is aware that they have to sign Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to long-term deals, right? The Hawks are starting to make the Rangers look like a fiscally responsible team. That said, Hossa should fit in great with the high-flying Blackhawks. And the price isn't bad at all.
- Zach: Contract is probably front-loaded like Zetterberg's so that in 8 years if they have to buy him out or trade him, it's a lot easier. Still, 12 years for someone who hasn't been a point-per-game player in 2 years is crazy. Some might also argue he is a loser, being on the losing end of the Finals twice.

- Bryan: As per Darren Dreger's Twitter (ugh), the first eight years of the deal will pay $59.3 million, while the final four will pay $3.5. Smart move by the Hawks.

2:18 PM: Ty Conklin to St. Louis, 2 years, $2.6M ($1.3M/year)
- Bryan: Obviously, this is a temporary move, as Conklin will be moved to one of the Winter Classic participants before long. Conklin might have found himself a home in St. Louis as the team grows, but he probably deserves more money after having a fine season in Detroit.

2:21 PM: Dwayne Roloson to NY Islanders, 2 years, $5M ($2.5M/year)
- Bryan: I can get on board with this. The money is a bit steep, but you're getting a guy who will play at least 25 games each of the next two years. Roloson can also provide some veteran leadership, as he was part of the 2006 Oilers as well as some Minnesota teams who have made deep playoff runs. As per Darren Dreger, Roloson wanted a second year, which the Islanders were willing to do and the Oilers were not.

2:58 PM: Donald Brashear to NY Rangers, 2 years, $2.8M ($1.4M/year)
- Bryan: Great recovery from losing Orr. Brashear wore an A in Washington and could provide the Rangers with some good leadership as well as some toughness. Not exactly the big splash Rangers fans were looking for (or dreading, as the case may be), but there's still time.
- Zach: In the past 3 years, Brashear has been suspended twice for actions he has done AGAINST the Rangers! He sucker-punched Aaron Ward (something we all wanted to do) and then tried to decapitate Blair Betts. One, I assume Betts won't be back. Two, it's a decent move from a hockey sense (he is more talented of a player than Orr) but I'm not sure I'll be able to root for Brashear, especially when he fights Orr in Toronto. Of course, I'll always root for the Rangers, but rooting for him will be very hard.

3:48 PM: NHL Network needs new commercials
- Zach: If I see the "new" NHL.com commercial with Eddie O or a 2-minute commercial for debt reduction starring a Barack Obama speech, I might give Donald Brashear $1.4M to attack Bob McKenzie.

And I love that commercial of everyone lifting the Stanley Cup, but I've seen in 9 times today alone.

By the way, it's so awkward watching McKenzie, Pierre McGuire, and Darren Pang banted while no news trickles down.

Jaroslav Spacek just signed in Montreal and they said, "Finally, we have news to report."

Islanders Free Agent Predictions

Zach has already made his predictions for what we might see on July 1. The trade of Scott Gomez for Chris Higgins gives the Rangers plenty of room to make yet another July 1 blunder. That much we can all agree on. But the Islanders? It's a little tougher.

For the Islanders, money isn't going to be an issue insofar as the salary cap. By the time the Islanders sign John Tavares and sign their restricted free agents (Blake Comeau, Jack Hillen, etc.) to qualifying offers, the Isles will be at the salary floor. I can't see them having a payroll higher than $45 million for the upcoming year.

The Islanders will have two pressing needs this year - a backup goalie and an enforcer.

Backup Goalie

Joey MacDonald and Yann Danis are both unrestricted free agents; both will test the market. Their respective stocks will likely never be higher, as both hit career highs in games played last season. You've got to figure both of them are out of the picture.

The Islanders need a goalie who can carry the load if Rick DiPietro can't play, but won't mind being second fiddle to DP and his enormous contract. A one-year deal to a guy like Olaf Kolzig wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Kolzig will want to prove he's still got it after losing his starting job in Tampa Bay, he's got a two-syllable name the fans can chant ("D-P", "Jo-ey", "Da-nis", "Du-bie"), and he's more than capable of playing for a stretch when/if DiPietro is on the shelf. There's also the possibility of a Wade Dubielewicz return to Long Island. Other options, who will probably want more money or a better chance to win, include Dwayne Roloson and Ty Conklin. In Conklin's case, though, look for him to sign with whoever gets the Winter Classic this year.

Enforcer

Last year, just about every Islanders regular saw at least ten minutes of ice time per game. That's all four lines and all three pairs of defensemen. The only two players who didn't make the ten-minute mark were Mitch Fritz and Joel Rechlicz. While every single other Islander saw valuable minutes in the third period, but Fritz and Rechlicz were chained to the bench in important situations. If the Isles are to carry an enforcer - and with guys like John Tavares and Josh Bailey, they're pretty much going to have to - they need someone who can actually play hockey as well.

The two players that come to mind for the Islanders are Chris Neil and Colton Orr. Neil is a guy who can play as well as fight; he scored 16 goals for Ottawa in 2005-06, when he saw regular power play time. He's been injury-prone, but saw plenty of ice time even when Ottawa was stacked. Orr didn't score a whole lot on the Rangers, which only makes him like every one of his teammates, but he's got more talent than your average enforcer and would come cheaper than Neil. I honestly can't see Neil coming to Long Island when he'll get plenty of offers from top teams, but Orr could be had. He knows the Atlantic Division opponents well and could stand up to the heavyweights on rival teams.

The Unknown

There are a ton of guys that are going to be looking for new teams. The Sedin twins, Marian Gaborik, Martin Havlat, Mike Cammalleri should be on the move. In the comments section of his July 1 post, Zach suggested that landing the Sedins could put the Islanders on the map immediately. That said, I wouldn't count on any of these guys. The Islanders have to build toward the future, and part of the future in the "new NHL" is being able to sign the players you've drafted to long-term contracts. The Islanders would do well to avoid any long-term commitments unless they're sure these players are part of the future. They already made one mistake with Rick DiPietro. Let's not see another one.

In the end, I'd look for them to pick up a goalie, but maybe not right away. Same with some offensive muscle. I could see them re-signing Andy Hilbert, but Hilbert might want to test the UFA waters. I see the Islanders being quiet, but making solid moves that will pay off over the course of 2009-10.

In 13 Hours...

In less than 13 hours, free agency will start. Last year, on June 30, 2008, this web site probably had 10-15 posts.

In fact, I remember one that I wrote about the 4 big free agents for the Rangers: Sean Avery, Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, and Martin Straka. I presumed Straka would leave if Jagr stayed, that Shanahan would not be back, and Avery wouldn't either. What I didn't predict was that Avery would sign elsewhere, get banished from the NHL, and return half-priced in February. But, really, I doubt many people guessed that. I remember I also put a good word in for Mark Streit in hopes he would be a Ranger. And I said that Wade Redden was awful and no team, especially the Rangers, should overpay for him. Well.

Anyway, this year, not as many posts. The Rangers, up until about 6 hours ago, were up near the Cap, and the Islanders appear to be growing from the inside, or at least attempting to. Besides some fillers and 4th line players, the big news would be which players wouldn't be returning.

Well, with Scott Gomez gone, $5M is freed up. The 3 players I would love to see don Rangers blue next season are, in order...

Mike Cammalleri, Mike Komisarek, Rob Scuderi

Cammalleri adds instant offense at a reasonable price. He scored 39 last year and had his 2nd 80+ point season (out of 4 career seasons). Plus, he's only 27, so a 5-year deal for $24-25M wouldn't be insane.

Remember how well Komisarek would shut down Jagr? He isn't going to give you many points, but he will crush opponents, clear the crease, kill penalties, and he would go a lot way to shutting down Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin 6 times a year. Ah, but would he and Avery get along?

Scuderi will probably come cheap, maybe $1.5-2M. I think he grew up an Islanders fan, but even so, he can be enticed to playing in Manhattan. He did great in the Stanley Cup Finals, and gives his best every single shift. He would make a great 4th defenseman.

The only problem with signing D is there are so many of them. Redden, Girardi, Staal, Gilroy (according to reports, he is looking good), and Rozsival will all be on the team next season. That leaves just one or two spots and not much money to spend, since most of the Cap space should be used for scoring help (with some saved for emergencies and the trade deadline).

Should be an interesting day. Even though nothing happens until about 1:30, I'll be tuning in at noon to see how awkward it gets when nothing happens. Can't wait to see Bob McKenzie text messaging people on-air to see what's going on.

(I was happy that Dany Heatley was being sent to Edmonton, not because I want him in the West, but because I don't want the Rangers to trade a lot for him. The Rangers don't need a different $7+M deal for 5 years, especially one who requests trades from everywhere he has played. If they wanted a headcase with talent that he sometimes uses, hey, Alex Kovalev is a free agent tomorrow, too.)

Gomez Traded...

There are 2 big things in the Scott Gomez trade (to Montreal, for Smithtown's Chris Higgins, as you all know by now).

1) As we know, cap space. Higgins is making $1.9M against the Cap, and I'm trying to find out how long he has left on his deal. However, they save $5M by doing this move. If they don't get Dany Heatley, Mike Cammallari would be a good fit for that $5M. I would much rather have Cammallari and Higgins as opposed to just Gomez, wouldn't you?

2) The other big thing is Ryan McDonagh. He was drafted 12th overall in 2007 (5 picks before Alexei Cherepanov, 8 before Angelo Esposito). According to a Montreal Canadiens fan I am friends with, this was one of the big pieces and he was very sorry to see him go. He was their highest-rated prospect at any position, and he is incredibly fast. He is also big, a very physical player, and very offensively talented.

So, a good trade for the Rangers. How Bob Gainey was roped into this, I'll never know. Maybe Glen Sather let him take credit for catching a shark on a fishing trip one day. Beats me.

Anyway, look for McDonagh next year. He could be another young D-man on the blueline, probably not next season but the year after.

Bryan's Take: I have no idea how this trade went through. The Rangers got the two best guys in the deal and shed some serious salary in the process. Of course, you know this means the Rangers will sign another underachiever to an absurd contract tomorrow, but still. Sather is absolved of one of his biggest blunders and actually looks good in the process. And I guess we can put the "Lecavalier to Montreal" rumors to bed once and for all. Just think, for just about the same money as they'll pay Gomez, they could have a perennial All-Star. Aside from Montreal fans, probably the most upset person is Stan Fischler, who can't be all homoerotic with Gomez during their intermission interviews anymore.

What I Expect on July 1...

This is what I expect to happen on July 1 at noon, the start of free agency...

- TSN/Versus to have awkward coverage from noon until 2:00, when the signings start to happen. People like Ed Olczyk and Pierre McGuire (whose real name, by the way, no joke, is Regis) will sit talking about what might happen and periodically write text messages to other people, fishing for a story, while on the air.

- Colton Orr will not be offered a contract with the Rangers. On a related note, expect a lot more mangames missed in 2009-10 to injury without an enforcer in the lineup (remember the awful decision to sit him in Game 6 and what Donald Brashear did to Blair Betts?).

- The Islanders will sign an enforcer to protect John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, and Josh Bailey, much like the Capitals did when they signed Brashear to protect Alex Ovechkin. By the way, Orr and Brashear are both unrestricted free agents.

- Marian Hossa will sign on in Pittsburgh, citing "I think the Penguins give me the best chance to win a Cup, and I'm just happy to be here... again."

- The Rangers will not make a big splash in the free agent pool for once, mostly because they'll have no Cap-space due to 4 big splashes in the past 2 Julys.

- Noticing that they only have Aaron Voros, Mark Bell, and Brian Boyle under contract, the Rangers will go and sign another "gritty" 3rd/4th line winger who can't fight and won't score. Oh, what? Ryan Hollweg is a free agent? Quick, give him a million dollars!

- Glen Sather will once again laugh at Nik Antropov wanting $5M for his 59 points last year, while basking in the fact that he gave Chris Drury over $7M for comparable numbers.

- Bill Guerin will stay in the Atlantic division, either re-signing in Pittsburgh, or heading to Philadelphia or back to New Jersey.

- No free agents will want to play on Long Island again, regardless of who they drafted 1st overall.

- Both the Islanders and Rangers will want Mike Cammallari and his 40-goal season, but won't be able to sign him. The Rangers won't because they have no money, and the Islanders won't because, well, see above.

- The Sedin twins will not get their 12-year contracts because no GM in their right mind would give away two contracts to people who will be 40 when they expire. And no GM would be willing to pay $6M against the Cap to two different players when they are 37, 38, 39, or 40. Except, of course, Glen Sather, but luckily, the Rangers have no Cap room.

- Blair Betts and Freddy Sjostrom will not re-sign in New York. On a related note, the #1 PK will fall to around #15 or so, and Drury, Brandon Dubinsky, Michal Rozsival, etc., will be too tired to do anything on offense from playing so much PK-time.

- Journeyman Mike Sillinger will retire.

- Sather will forfeit 4 1st round draft picks by sending a $6.5M offer sheet to Vancouver for horrendously out-of-shape Kyle Wellwood.

- Instead of big, mean, passionate Antropov, Sather will opt for gutless, fancy, non-scoring Nik Zherdev.

- Instead of going for a good defenseman like Rob Scuderi, Mike Komisarek, Mattias Ohlund, or Francois Beauchemin, they'll probably take a salary-eater like Hal Gill or Marc-Andre Bergeron.

- Scuderi... Islander? He's in line a for big raise and they have the Cap-space, and he's from Syosset.

Speechless

I don't really know how to explain the emotions that come with the Islanders taking John Tavares with the first overall pick.

This is as much as I know right now. We broke out a bottle of champagne in the parking lot after the pick was made. As people looked on, half mocking us, half admiring us, we said that this was our Stanley Cup. And I stand by that. Like I said earlier, we don't dream of Stanley Cups, just the chance to be relevant again. After tonight, we've earned that right.

I'm watching the Draft on DVR right now, and I can hardly believe my ears as the hosts praise the Islanders. I'll admit, I don't know much about Calvin De Haan. But the moves that led to his drafting were made with house money. All of that moving down last year set the pieces for this year's activity. If it doesn't work out, it's okay. The story for tonight is Tavares.

The pick was made six hours ago, and I still can't believe it. For once, the Islanders are the talk of the NHL, but for all the right reasons. If this is as good as it gets, I'll take it.

Coming Up...

I find it very amusing that 40 minutes from now, Islanders writer Bryan, will be either celebrating with thousands of other fans - by the way, apparently the way to sell out an Islanders game is to give away free tickets - or drowning his sorrows in pretzel twists.

Contrary to popular belief, I am not rooting against the Islanders picking John Tavares. I am hoping they do, and I'm hoping that all the "will they/won't they" about Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene will go the way of the Mats Sundin to NY stories (as well as the Michael Peca and Dave Scatchard to the Rangers rumors).

No matter who they pick, they'll be getting a great player. Hedman is a beast and very well could be their #2 guy behind Mark Streit tomorrow, and Duchene could be a nice compliment to Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey. However, Tavares is the real deal, and I've been saying for 2 years now that I think he'll be better than Sidney Crosby.

Enjoy the show.

P.S.: Hey, you think Olli Jokinen will be moved again? I think he has been traded 3 times on draft day: from LA to the Islanders; from the Islanders to Florida; and from Florida to Phoenix.