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The next couple of games before the Olympic break in Philadelphia and New Jersey will obviously give a further hint. Currently, Milbury is getting ready for GM meetings in which he was quoted last week as saying he believes a lot of player movement could take place before the roster freeze mid-Friday. That's only two days away. According to Newsday's Alan Hahn, Phoenix scout Rich Sutter has been dispatched to Nassau Coliseum the past two games by Coyotes general manager Michael Barnett to monitor the Islanders. Pending unrestricted free agents Mark Parrish and Shawn Bates and defenseman Brent Sopel are believed to be the potential targets. Minnesota, which also had a scout at Monday's game, remains interested in Parrish. Once again, I stand by my previous remarks that Parrish and Bates are FAR from the problem with the New York Islanders. In fact, you would be hard pressed to name two other players in the Islanders dressing room who play with more passion. There are times though that you can question Parrish's loyalty as he has been quoted a few times that he either wouldn't mind playing in Minnesota, his home state, or if traded then he would except it. Milbury recently told Islanders color commentator Joe Micheletti that the team may offer those unrestricted free agents they want to keep contracts before the trade deadline. Only Parrish, Bates and Radek Martinek will be unrestricted this summer. The big question is should the Islanders part with Parrish who is clearly their biggest trade commodity? He's also one of the best goal scorers on the team and has often been compared to Dino Ciccarelli for his ability to deflect shots into the net. While he doesn't have Ciccarelli's demeanor, Parrish is still a valuable asset. All that being said, who could the Islanders get in return? Let's look at Phoenix first. We all know the Islanders most pressing need is on defense. John Erskine, Joel Bouchard and Tomi Pettinen are not the long term answer. The Coyotes have some talented young guys along the blue line and their GM Michael Barnett has proven that he does not shy away from pulling the trigger. Another big question is could the Islanders receive back anything more than draft picks for a player that just might be a rental the rest of the way. Keith Ballard would be a nice addition to the Islanders defense corp. But it's doubtful the Coyotes would give up the second leading scorer among rookie d-men in the NHL. Paul Mara could be a good powerplay quarterback, but he has almost equal amount of points to Parrish. Rookie Zbynek Michalek has 9 goals for the Coyotes and could be a possibility. Two more intriguing names are Derek Morris and Denis Gauthier. While both play a sound defensive game, Gauthier is more of a banger and accumulates more PIM's. If the deal became larger than expected, remember names like Jamie Lundmark (5 goals in 37 games), the much traveled Steven Reinprecht (10g, 29pts in 55gp), Oleg Saprykin(10g, 22pts in 49gp) and even Dave Scatchard(11g, 22pts in 45gp). As far an Minnesota, they are not too much better off than the Islanders right now. Even though they are 4 games over .500, the Wild are currently 5 points behind Los Angeles for the 8th and final playoff position in the West. They do have another top rookie defenseman in the NHL, Kurtis Foster, who yes, is the same kid that gave Jason Blake a concussion earlier this season. He would be another nice young guy the Islanders could build their defense around along with Chris Campoli and Bruno Gervais. Unlikely though that Minnesota would give up on him. Past rumors have centered around Philip Kuba, who has 6 goals in 50 games. Willie Mitchell is a veteran defenseman whose name has come up as of late that may be available. Up front is a bit of slim pickings with the Wild. Would they be willing to give up a Pierre-Marc Bouchard(10 goals in 54 games) in a deal?
Alan Hahn of Newsday recently suggested that the extra ice time Weinhandl has received as of late could be a showcase to a team like the Vancouver Canucks. Weinhandl's former junior linemates, the Sedin twins, apparently put in a good word to their GM Dave Nonis about Weinhandl. The Islanders have been looking for some defensive help but whether Weinhandl is enough to pry away a Sami Salo or Nolan Baumgartner is highly doubtful. It would probably have to be part of a bigger deal.
But it is believed the Islanders are looking to receive back a big defenseman in return in any deal they make. So in that light it doesn't seem like the Blackhawks have exactly what the Islanders want. Her are Chicago's blue liners: 33 Adrian Aucoin 32 6-2 215 R Ottawa, Ontario 7/3/73 Seabrook sprained his knee on December 22nd and will miss the next 4-6 weeks, so the Blackhawks will probably be looking for a defenseman in return. Niinimaa? Chicago has raved over the play of rookie Duncan Keith so it's doubtful they would include him in a deal. For Islander fans who would love to see Adrian Aucoin return, it's very unlikely the Islanders would make that move. For one, it's kind of like a been there, done that scenario. While we're sure GM Mike Milbury wouldn't rule it out if it would help the Islanders, you have to take in salary considerations as well. Aucoin makes about $4 million with the Blackhawks. Niinimaa and Kvasha combined make toughly $3.5 million. Since the Islanders don't have much cap room to play with, don't expect this type of move. Also, Aucoin has not had much better of a season than most of the current Islander d-men, having only recorded 1 goal and 6 points in 21 games. None of Simpson, Vandermeer or Spacek would be the answer for the Islanders. Barinka is very inexperienced but does have some potential. He wouldn't be able to help the Islanders much this season. The Blackhawks also have highly touted prospect Cam Barker, who has good size at 6'3", 213 lbs. and is currently a member of the Canadian Junior Team. Even if he's not ready, if the Islanders could acquire him in a deal that may be a steal. One little note about Barker. Some may remember he criticized the Islanders following the 2004 draft for what he called some odd interview tactics preceding the draft. Up front the Blackhawks only have one player in double digits in goals with LW Mark Bell, who has 14. Their top three scorers are Bell, C Tyler Arnason (9 goals in 33 games), and LW Kyle Calder (6 goals in 30 games). One of these players could be a welcome addition to the Islanders if a larger deal is made. In the article, Tallon made it clear that he may be willing to part with goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin who is making $6.75 million. Obviously the Islanders would not be interested in him, but if Milbury gets creative it could be the workings of a three way deal if another team gets involved. The Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers are rumored to be interested in a goaltender. As for Kvasha, it has also been rumored that the Calgary Flames might be interested in the big, enigmatic Russian. If any trade was to be made it will have to wait until the holiday roster freeze is over on December 27th. Niinimaa has been better the last month for the Islanders, but he is currently nursing a very sore ankle which he sustained in a collision with Toronto's Jeff O'Neill back on December 19th. Surely by now GM Mike Milbury sees that he needs to do something to make the Islanders better. They are a step below the elite teams in the Eastern Conference and it seems more and more that if they do contend to make the playoffs, and right now that's a big if, they may only finish 8th or at best 7th. Frustrated Tallon puts Blackhawks on alert Dec. 27th Update: Well, the roster freeze has been lifted and no moves have been made as of yet. Though Blackhawks scout Rick Dudley did take in his third straight Islander game Monday night in Buffalo. As I mentioned late last week, the Islanders would have to get rid of equal value or more to take in Adrian Aucoin's $4 million contract. Newsday's Alan Hahn recently suggested that the Islanders may be more interested in 6-5, 224 lbs. Jassen Cullimore, whose $1.881 million salary may be more suited to the Islanders needs. I mentioned the Islanders possible interest in Barker, but another Blackhawk prospect RW Michael Blunden is currently tearing up the OHL with Ryan O'Marra's Erie Otters and is also currently taking part in the Canadian National Junior Tournament with Canada. The Islanders are already deep on right wing, but a spot could be made for him.
As for Witt, he's considered to be more of a tough stay at home blue-liner with some leadership abilities. He can also play a chippy game as noticed when he almost hit Jason Blake knee on knee earlier this year. He often holds a grudge, is a good character player and doesn't mind dropping the gloves. Defensively, he's much like Brad Lukowich. It was reported in Newsday last week by Alan Hahn that Witt hasn't backed off his August trade request but it seems the Caps may retain him until the March trade deadline. Hahn suggests Witt would make a welcome addition to the Isles blueline but GM Mike Milbury claims he hasn't spoken to a rival GM about any deals since late August. It has been rumored that the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to deal for Witt. Montreal Canadien's general manger Bob Gainey has reportedly shown interest in both Witt and Niinimaa.
- It was reported by the Post's Evan Grossman that on Friday GM Mike Milbury informed Wiemer that he would either be put on waivers and possibly lost for nothing in return, or traded by Tuesday. Alan Hahn of Newsday followed up the story on Monday with a few disparaging quotes from players behind the scenes as this move is reminiscent of the move the Islanders made last March when they traded away Claude Lapointe to the Philadelphia Flyers, saving only a few thousand dollars in return. "We heard that they were going to dump salary," one player said. "We figured it was the guys who were making money . . . No team keeps two extra young guys on the roster just to watch." Another report is that Wiemer is disliked by many of his teammates, including Michael Peca and Alexei Yashin. Despite the fact that Wiemer fills a leadership role on the team with his physical play, one players was quoted as saying Wiemer has "alot to say for someone who averages 9 goals a season." It is believed Islanders owner Charles Wang has given the order to Milbury to cut the Islanders payroll by about $5 million dollars. Tonight, the Islanders official website had statements from Milbury that he did plan on getting rid of Wiemer and his contract and wanted to keep the player informed out of respect. Unfortunately the story leaked somehow and as of Monday night Wiemer has been held back from accompanying the Islanders on their road trip for Tuesday night's game in Philly. As the Islanders look to dump Wiemer's $1.6 million contract, he may not be the only one on the block. Mark Parrish, the Islanders best goal scorer from in close for the past three seasons, and his $2.5 million contact is reportedly another target. Eric Cairns could be on the block as well. The Islanders would have fans believe that this is a good move since they now have young players ready to step in. They will have a tough time selling that to the fans, who already have decided to stay away from the team and their rising ticket prices. This move could be a potentially damaging move for the moral of the team. Depth is supposed to be used to make your team better. The emergence of young players should not be a reason to dump veterans. Has Parrish had a poor start with 4 goals? Hell no. Don't let anyone tell you he has and don't believe that should be a reason for him being moved. Trent Hunter has been great and Sean Bergenheim has played well. But does that mean we should part with our higher priced veterans who have been there for us because these younger players are suddenly ready and cheaper options? Hell no again. Once again, try selling that to the fans. Wang, who recently put in a bid to buy the NBA's New Jersey Nets, has reportedly been losing $20 million a year on the Islanders. The team is in a financial chokehold by SMG, the organization that holds the lease between the Islanders and the Nassau Coliseum. When Wang took over the ownership in 2000, he agreed to back off of SMG and make the team better. The pursuit of a new building was put on hold. Since then SMG has made absolutely no effort to renegotiate and the Islanders still suffer as they gain basically nothing from parking, concessions and even have a portion of their ticket profits taken by SMG. With the state of the NHL as a whole and the looming CBA expiration and lockout, diehard Islander fans may be forced to accept another payroll slashing. It's just unfortunate this will take place despite their good start. Teams rumored to be interested in Wiemer have been Calgary and Dallas. So the Islanders might dump Cairns and call up Mattias Timander, who Mike Milbury and crew stupidly signed to a $1.2 million contract, just because Bridgeport coach Greg Cronin said he has played well? What is this team coming too?
- And rightfully so. Hamrlik is the best offensive defenseman among the Islanders highly regarded top four. Before last season's trade deadline leading up to March, the hot rumor was the Islanders would consider moving Hamrlik to Tampa Bay in exchange for left wing Fredrik Modin and defenseman Pavel Kubina. Well, the Islanders are still reportedly interested in Modin. In 2000-01 Modin, who has a wicked shot, netted 32 goals. Since then he had registered 31 goals over the last two seasons. But that may not deter Milbury from pulling the deal because some may feel perhaps Modin can play with Alexei Yashin. - And rightfully so. Hamrlik is the best offensive defenseman among the Islanders highly regarded top four. Before last season's trade deadline leading up to March, the hot rumor was the Islanders would consider moving Hamrlik to Tampa Bay in exchange for left wing Fredrik Modin and defenseman Pavel Kubina. Well, the Islanders are still reportedly interested in Modin. In 2000-01 Modin, who has a wicked shot, netted 32 goals. Since then he had registered 31 goals over the last two seasons. But that may not deter Milbury from pulling the deal because some may feel perhaps Modin can play with Alexei Yashin. Rumor has it that Feaster offered Milbury Modin and right wing Sheldon Keefe, a scrappy player who you may remember got Garth Snow a suspension early last season when he crashed the net. But Milbury has become more interested in some of the younger talent the Lightning have to offer like big Russian power forward Alexander Svitov, another big Russian winger Nikita Alexeev and possibly even, as has been rumored, center Vincent Lacavalier. Milbury is also looking to peddle Mattias Timander, which would be a good move. As for the Lightning, they decided not to offer a few of their depth defensemen qualifying offers and are even more desperate to acquire a defenseman than before. Free Agency & Qualifying offers For the first time in a decade, the supply of available talent looks to be greater than the demand, and that could result in a flat market. Teams are already tightening their purse strings heading into the final year of the existing collective bargaining agreement (CBA), telling some players they will not be offered contracts at all. More are expected to get this news than ever before. Some teams have already begun to not make qualifying offers to players deemed to be making to much money. Therefore those players become unrestricted free agents. It will be interesting to see if the Islanders offer all their free agents qualifying offers. A guy like Randy Robitaille, making around $800,000 a season could be a question mark. Though the Islanders did acquire him knowing this. Also, the Islanders still have not made a decision whether they will activate the option year on goaltender Garth Snow.
From Larry Brook's in today's NY Post: "It is a fact that the Islanders were rebuffed by the Blues on Friday in their attempt to deal Mike Peca as the centerpiece of a package in exchange for Pavol Demitra, whom St. Louis GM Larry Pleau doesn't want to deal but probably will have to if he can't get anyone to bite on Keith Tkachuk or Doug Weight. It is a fact that the Islanders have decided to build around Alexei Yashin and believe it imperative to move Peca, who just a year ago was a legitimate Hart Trophy candidate, but whom management now perceives as a divisive force within the club's dysfunctional room." islesinfo: Various sources have reported that Peca and Yashin have not spoken to each other much since early in the 2001-02 season. There was recently a report that Yashin actually went to Peca last season in an effort to resolve a helmet throwing incident in the locker room and supposedly Peca refused to help. There were the reports that Peca lost communication down the stretch with former head coach Peter Laviolette and that supposedly Peca was the only friend of Jason Blake, who many of the team if not all happen to not like, further making Peca a divisive force. So Islander fans, don't be shocked if our captain Michael Peca is dealt by the end of the entry draft. And if you can't believe what you are reading you are not the only one. Stay tuned for more here on islesinfo.com. - In other short draft news, Mike Milbury tried to deal up into the top 5 yesterday but said in the end the asking price was just too high. He was unwilling to trade all or most of his three second round picks to move up. Also, he cites that the financial concern throughout the league is very high and more teams are looking to dump players than teams looking to add. That is the reason there have not been many moves the first day of the draft regarding NHL players when some thought coming in that there would be many moves over the weekend. Finally, Milbury was seen in discussion with Calgary head coach Darryl Sutter following the selection of Nilsson but it seemed most likely they were just discussing Nilsson. The Flames acting GM is currently Tim Button, brother of recently relieved Craig Button.
- Peca has three years and $13.75 million remaining on his contract. He had an off year in 2002-03 largely in part to suffering a major injury back in the 2002 playoffs that caused him to have major reconstructive knee surgery. After hitting the wall in the final 25 games this past season, some have question Peca's leadership abilities especially after he allowed the locker room to become split among the players and the now fired coach Peter Laviolette. islesinfo comment: If this was to happen then the Islanders better get back something major in return. This just about borders on the absurd. Peca was a great leader in 2001-02 and won the Selke Trophy. If it wasn't for him coming back early in 2002-03 the Islanders quite possibly would not have made the playoffs at all. He came back to early and paid for it. Overall it was not the season he or the Islanders would have liked. But don't look to trade the guy already. The Islanders preached stability two years ago. Peca will return to form. Don't turn this team into a revolving door of players and coaches in and out. Also, I feel that some of the criticism Mike received for some of the quotes he said down the playoff stretch were totally taken out of context and misconstrued, especially by the part of the media that heads up the MSG Network and the Islanders cross town and playoff rival this past season, the Rangers. Peca never predicted the Rangers would lose to the Devils in the final Friday of the season. He was commenting on the mental state of the Islanders as a group wrongly believing they wouldn't have to work hard in their own games because the Rangers had a tough match up against the Devils coming up.
- The Islanders are steadfast in coming out of this draft with a winger to play alongside Alexei Yashin and Demitra could be a good addition. A sticking point though could be that even though the Blues can qualify him at $3.95 million by June 30, he is arbitration eligible and could receive a payroll-bursting raise. Hamrlik is due $3.6 million for next season, the final season in his contract. Any possible raise Demitra could receive could be a deterrent to the Islanders. Milbury has shown that he may be willing to make this deal and part with one of his top four defenseman because "we may not be able to pay all four down the line." The Islanders have a second-round pick, the one acquired from the Blues in the Osgood trade. Center Michael Peca reportedly is available, though the three years and $13.75 million remaining on his contract is imposing. The trade talk surrounding winger Jason Blake seems to have died down, but the Islanders still are reportedly dangling Mark Parrish to the Florida Panthers for the #1 overall pick. Milbury would like to either deal for the winger Yashin needs, or move up and draft a winger that can be groomed into the position. Even though Milbury believed the draft is deep and some good young players will come out of it, he also stated that there really isn't one winger who will come out and score 25-30 goals a season within the next 2 to 3 years. But the strategy throughout the entire draft for the Isles will focus on scoring wingers, with a minor emphasis later on on defenseman. But look for the Isles to focus heavily on scorers. Some speculation in the draft is where will the #1 rated goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury go. If the Islanders do somehow gain the #1 overall pick do not expect them to draft Fleury. Milbury, with DiPietro in the fold, stated he has no interest in this years top goaltender. Important Draft This could be the most important draft of the 2000's decade and most important since 1999. Milbury seems to target certain drafts as his cream crop. He did just that when he stockpiled picks in the 1999 draft and this year he has 10 picks with 3 in the second round. Also, with the deals he made acquiring Yashin and Peca during the 2001 draft and really only DiPietro and prospect Sean Bergenheim to show for the last 3 drafts, Milbury will be looking to build up the Isles depth, minor league system and the Islanders with good, young and inexpensive talent. Take into consideration with every trade rumor and draft pick made that the CBA expiration is scheduled for the summer of 2004 and many teams, not just the Islanders, are looking to slash payroll with all the uncertainty. Teams will be making financial decisions they never have before and some free agents may find themselves with one year deals, or none at all.
- The St. Louis Blues interest in Chris Osgood is reportedly waning. Apparently they are unsure about Osgood's health and quite frankly believe he is just an average goaltender. Their #1 choice is Sean Burke from Phoenix, but that has not happened because the Coyotes believe Burke is their superstar and want a lot back in return. They have supposedly asked for top rookie defenseman Barrett Jackman in return but St. Louis is not having any of that. Bryce Salvador has drawn some interest as well. Rumor has it that the Blues are looking towards Edmonton and the availability of former Islander Tommy Salo. Of course if this is done, St. Louis goaltender Brent Johnson or Fred Brathwaite would go back to Edmonton in the deal. But still most believe that the Islanders would be hard pressed to get anything more than a 4th round draft pick for Ozzie. But depending on the direction the Islanders want to go in, getting rid of Osgood would obviously free up $4 million dollars. That could go a long way towards possibly acquiring a winger. The Islanders are still interested in defenseman Janne Niinimaa, but so are the Rangers according to some sources. In fact, it's been rumored that the Rangers are willing to part with defenseman Tom Poti, who they made such a big deal to acquire last year to keep the Islanders from getting him, for another scoring winger. - Rumor has it the Islanders are looking at San Jose winger Teemu Selanne. As of yesterday the hot rumor was that the Islanders were hot for Vincent Damphousse. But it's hard to believe that this was ever really a true rumor since Damphousse is 35 years old and not a big goal scorer. Plus word has gotten out that he is looking to cash in on a contract extension for somewhere in the $4 million range and that has apparently delayed a trade to the Colorado Avalanche. Last week San Jose was reportedly in no way thinking of trading Mike Ricci, but that may change as well. Another player the Islanders may want to look at is Marco Sturm, a left handed center who can also play the wing. - Interesting to see today that Buffalo GM Darcy Regier is willing to trade away Stu Barnes for nothing but draft picks to Dallas, but when it comes to dealing with the Islanders and GM Mike Milbury, who fired him back a few years now, Regier would like nothing but to bleed as much as he can get. Not that they shouldn't get something in return for Miroslav Satan, but apparently now the only way the Sabres will give up on Satan is if they can package Alexei Zhitnik in the deal. - A few people took the Islanders trading of Claude Lapointe as dropping some salary which may have helped in acquiring a scoring winger or defensive defenseman. Lapointe was making $1.2 million this season for the Islanders. Randy Robitaille is making $820,000 a season. That's a savings of $380,000. That's not going to go very long into acquiring anybody. - So Tony Amonte gave up a chance at playing in New York so he could sign a big contract in Phoenix, a team that at best was going to squeak into the playoffs or most likely miss out. One would have to think that it turned out to be a good move for the Islanders not signing Amonte. He has had a very sub par season. There was no guarantee that he would have been the scorer to play on a line with Alexei Yashin, or would have been able to help shake Yashin out of his scoring fog. Amonte has only 13 goals in 56 games, 2 less than Yashin has this season. Amonte agreed yesterday to waive a no trade clause in his contract and was sent to the Flyers for two draft picks and a minor league prospect. To think Islander fans wrote this guy a letter begging him to sign with the Islanders. - All day I've been listening to Ranger fans and other sources making fun of Milbury for referring to Randy Robitaille as a "gifted offensive player." Plus I've heard the "was he thinking he acquired Luc?" And Islander fans like to joke around referring to an old Don Maloney quote: "We feel we got the better Robitaille." All jokes aside, wouldn't it be nice to see if Peter Laviolette has tap something out of this guy that all the other teams he was with could not? He scored over 100 points in the AHL. Kip Miller scored over 100 points in the AHL and we all know what happened to the power play when he left. The Isles think perhaps Robitaille can add something to the power play. Let's wait and see.
- You pick the team, Brad Isbister has been dealt there or rumored to be dealt there at some point this week. Tuesday night, Isbister was scratched when the Islanders faced the Tampa Bay Lightning at home. In fact, he was told to not even take part in the pregame skate. This ignited the trade rumor spark and the hot rumor was the Islanders were close to dealing Isbister to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Kristian Huselius. But Florida has reportedly backed off of their willingness to give up Huselius who apparently the Islanders wanted. They've also been rumored to like big Swedish defensman Andreas Lilja. And of course there have been those Valeri Bure rumors, large contract, injuries and all. - Then came Wednesday. The hot rumor that day was that the Islanders were apparently "close", where have we heard this before, to landing Miroslav Satan from the Buffalo Sabres for Isbister and a pick. By the end of the day there was no trade. On Thursday it was mentioned that the Sabres management supposedly laugh at the though of that deal, remarking why would they be interested in trading Satan for Isbister. - The hot rumor during the weekend was that the Islanders were talking with the Edmonton Oilers. GM Kevin Lowe is reportedly interested in Isbister and the Islanders have been reportedly interested in Anson Carter. Though Carter is a right handed shot. The Islanders need a left handed shot. The Islanders have always coveted D Janne Niinimaa. He would round out the Isles top 4 on defense pretty nicely. Also, the Oilers have been rumored to want Dave Scatchard included in a deal. Something GM Mike Milbury most undoubtedly is unwilling to do. Lowe has also asked for Raffi Torres and the Islanders have balked at that as well. - The latest rumor has the Isles interested in San Jose's winger Vincent Damphousse. They think perhaps he could be the winger Yashin needs to produce a first line. But Damphousse is 35 years old and at best is a 20 goal scorer. He is nowhere near what the Islanders really need and that's a Zigmund Palffy or Miroslav Satan. Damphousse also makes at least $3 million, which is not far off of what Satan makes. The Colorado Avalanche are also interested in Damphousse's services. - Rumor has it that the Atlanta Thrashers are looking to lock up wingers Shawn McEachern and Slava Kozlov to long term deals. They might be interested in giving up Kozlov, but they want a young player back in return. We all know McEachern has played before with Yashin, but it doesn't seem likely the Islanders would be able to pry him away. - The fans would love to see the Islanders re-acquire Zigmund Palffy from LA. But nobody knows if whether the Kings will be buyers or sellers. They are 8 points behind Edmonton for the last playoff spot in the West, yet they are talking about signing Palffy now to a long term deal. Palffy is slated to make $7 million next season, a contract that he originally signed with the Islanders. - Geoff Sanderson, Ray Whitney and Andrew Cassels could all be on the block in Columbus. Sanderson has just about as many goals as Satan and could be a good rented gun as he is an unrestricted free agent this summer. But Columbus GM Doug MacLean is known for demanding a lot in return for his players. Sanderson will most likely call for a second round pick, possibly a couple picks. MacLean would probably be as crazy to ask for a prospect in return. - According to rumor, the Calgary Flames have penciled Chris Drury into their plans for next season, which could kill any possible chances of him being dealt. - The Islanders missed out a chance to trade for a tough physical defenseman when San Jose dealt Bryan Marchment to Colorado Saturday for a second and fifth round pick. Sunday, Carolina traded Glen Wesley to the Leafs for a second round pick. - The Islanders have been rumored to be interested in Calgary defenseman Denis Gauthier, who was quoted during this week as saying he wanted to be in the playoffs and spill some blood like a Darcy Tucker. Would be a great match with the Islanders. The Flames also have Bob Boughner. - The Phoenix Coyotes recently acquired Brad Ference from Florida, which means they could be looking to get rid of a defenseman. Todd Simpson could be available for a cheap price if the Isles are interested. - The Islanders have called up Rick DiPietro to accompany them on the 6 game road trip. Some may believe it's as backup in case one of Chris Osgood or Garth Snow get hurt. But that has never made the Islanders consider doing that before. And if one did get hurt they could always call the player out to meet them in a certain location. It seems more like that the move was made just in case Mike Milbury is given an offer he can't refuse involving one of his three goaltenders. Most likely it would be either Osgood or Snow. The St. Louis Blues have reportedly been asking about Osgood. He seems to be the second choice though to Phoenix's Sean Burke.
Here is a list of the players currently rumored to be on the block that the Islanders could be interested in: 1. Alexei Kovalev, PIT: The Penguins are looking to deal Kovalev because they just can't afford to keep him. He will be a restricted free agent this summer with the opportunity to become unrestricted in 2004. But Kovalev could stand to cash in before he becomes a UFA because an arbitrator would reportedly most likely award him a contract somewhere within the 7-10 million range after assessing his worth compared to other players in the market. Reports have it that Pittsburgh GM Craig Patrick is looking for money, about $4 million, in return along with 2 young close to NHL ready prospects. Now Kovalev may be the 4th leading scorer in the NHL and a great addition to the powerplay, but he's also one of the worst minuses in the league as well. 2. Miroslav Satan, BUF: The Buffalo Sabres are in trouble financially as recent bidders have failed to prove they can purchase the team. The Sabres are about to go on public auction. Because of this, the NHL has informed the Sabres not to trade any players. But sooner or later the Sabres may start to unload some of their stars for young talent. Satan does not make as much as Kovalev, but Buffalo GM Darcy Regier is notorious for asking too much in return in deals. Satan has averaged over 30 goals a season for each of the last 4 years. 3. Zigmund Palffy, LA: Wouldn't it be an interesting full circle of events if the Islanders actually re-acquired Zigmund Palffy?? The former 3 time 40 goal scorer with the Islanders has only had two 30 goal seasons with LA. But word out of LA is that if they should slip out of the playoff race, Palffy's contract could be dumped. Palffy stands to make about $7 million next season. While it would be nice to have the fan favorite back, Palffy could be too rich for Islander blood. 4. Chris Drury, CGY: There has been some rumbling across the internet that even though Drury was acquired at the start of the season, he could be had for the right price as Calgary currently has the worst record in the West. At 26 years of age Drury has perhaps not seen his best years yet. He's only reached 24 goals once and is a 4 time 20 goal scorer. Maybe he could be had, but the Flames gave up a lot for him, even if it was a holdout, Derrick Morris. Some other possibilities: 5. Radek Bonk, OTT: There's still always a chance the Islanders could acquire a player like Bonk and move Yashin to left wing. The Senators are also going through some financial problems right now, but are always reportedly looking to make deals. They currently are on a mini slump. 6. Geoff Sanderson, CLB: The Islanders tried to acquire him last season at the trade deadline, but Columbus GM Doug McLean admittedly wanted a lot in return. Would he be willing to come down on his demands this year for the speedy goal scorer? 7. Sami Kapanen, CAR: With the Canes dropping out of the playoff race, they may be looking to peddle off Kapanen before the deadline. I don't know if the Isles should bother with him as his skills have seemingly diminished over the last couple of seasons and it seems as though he only scores against the Isles. 8. Shawn McEarchern, ATL: Don't rule out the possibility of this still happening if the Isles find themselves out of the bidding for other top profile players come the deadline. Final Thoughts: Will the Islanders look to make that next step which could make them Stanley Cup contenders? They need a scoring winger and possibly a crease clearing defenseman. It doesn't seem possible that they will get both this season. If the Islanders do make a move for a scoring winger, they may also decide to try and get a lesser known tough defender like Bryan Marchment or Bob Boughner. But the biggest question of them all: will Charles Wang make the financial move in order for the Islanders to get better? They will probably have to add some payroll in order to acquire the scoring winger that they need. A move for Kovalev would eventually cost $8 million in salary, not to mention the $4 million they would give up in a deal. The Isles would send back to Pittsburgh anywhere in the neighborhood of $3 million in players. Another question is who would the Islanders be willing to give up and would Charles Wang fork over another $5 million a year for this team to get better? - Brad Isbister's name has been prominently brought up in any trade speculations. While the Islanders do have young tradable commodities in Raffi Torres, Mattias Weinhandl, Rick DiPietro and draft picks. Personally I don't see Weinhandl going anywhere. After watching his performance in the young guns game, is it too far of a stretch to believe he could be of Kovalev caliber someday on his own?
DiPietro rumors: The Boston Globe reported on Christmas day that the Boston Bruins may be growing tiresome with their goaltending tandem of John Grahame and Steve Shields. After getting off to a great start, the Bruins have cooled off as of late and even have been overtaken in the conference by the Ottawa Senators. DiPietro, a native of Winthrop and former BU star, has been a target of Boston GM Mike O'Connell for some time now. They view him as a possible future franchise goaltender and are offering D Kyle McLaren, a free agent holdout, in return. McLaren is considered a heavy hitting defenseman, witness his hit on Montreal Canadien Richard Zednik in last seasons playoffs. But he's often been injured throughout his career and offensively he's nothing to really get excited about. Another recent rumor had the Isles involved in a three way deal with Tampa and Boston. The deal would see Isles defenseman Roman Hamrlik sent to Tampa Bay for a package that could include one of or both of D Pavel Kubina and LW Fredrik Modin. Kubina would then possibly be sent to Boston with DiPietro for McLaren and another player to be named. The problem is, do the Isles get enough back in Modin and McLaren while giving up Hamrlik and DiPietro? Definitely not on the blueline. Hamrlik for McLaren is a downgrade in my eyes. And Modin is not enough in exchange for DiPietro. - The Ottawa Sun recently reported that the Minnesota Wild are interested in acquiring DiPietro, but did not state for what in return. Interesting. Unless his name is Marion Gaborik there is no chance Minnesota acquires anybody in an Islander uniform. - Other ramblings from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun have the Senators interested in dealing for the Islanders Brad Isbister. Garrioch has mentioned more than once this season that the Islanders have inquired about the availability of Ottawa C Radek Bonk. The premise behind this is perhaps the Islanders are not comfortable with the output they have gotten from Alexei Yashin at center. Acquiring Bonk could possibly precede a move of Yashin to the left wing where perhaps he could contribute more naturally. The Isles have also been rumored to be interested in Senators D Curtis Leschyshyn, who has been scratched on a regular basis as their 7th d-man this season. This would be a mistake in my mind because reportedly Leschyshyn does not want to be traded because his family is firmly based in Ottawa and has stated he would be a problem for whoever dealt for his services. Sounds like a possibly Kirk Muller situation. No thanks. - Why is Ottawa so reportedly eager to trade? They are the best team in the Eastern Conference. They don't need to trade anybody. And why trade with the Islanders? They have owned the Isles for years. Perhaps that doesn't account for anything. - The St. Louis Blues, who have recently let Tom Barrasso go on waivers, are reportedly keeping an eye on the Islanders and Chris Osgood. Here is a reprint of Alan Hahn's possible trade acquisitions for the Islanders as listed in Newsday December 26th with islesinfo comments: LEFTHANDED-SHOOTING FORWARDS comment: Just can't see this happening. Maybe if
Pittsburgh totally dropped out of the race, which seemed possible last
week when they were mired in a 10 game losing streak. But the streaky Pens
have bounced back to win 3 straight and pull back to .500. Plus,
Pittsburgh may look to resign Kovalev through arbitration next summer if
they feel they can handle his contract. The cost seems too high as well,
as clearly you could fill in the names Brad Isbister and Roman Hamrlik
into the cost column. comment: This is more likely to be a real
possibility as the deadline approaches and the Sabres sink more and more
into despair in the standings as well as in Buffalo. It's unfortunate for
the franchise, but not for whoever acquires the services of Satan, who
just about a lock to get dealt before the deadline. A goal scorer, Satan
could fit nicely on the top line off Yashin's wing. But there are some who
believe the Isles need to get somebody who can get the puck to Yashin, not
the other way around. But we weren't complaining about that when we wanted
Tony Amonte were we?? Even though attaining the services would probably
bump down rookie Mattias Weinhandl to the third line behind Satan and Mark
Parrish, that wouldn't be such a bad move for the first year pro still
adapting to the NHL game. Buffaol GM Darcy Regier would most likely ask
for Weinhandl in return, in which Mike Milbury would then commence to give
Regier the hand. Regier has a history of asking for the farm as we saw
with the Peca deal. This time we could be talking two out of Raffi Torres,
Trent Hunter and Justin Mapletoft. Which still may not be enough to get it
done if Buffalo gets a better offer. Would they take Kvasha and Torres?
The reason I include Torres is because I believe the Islanders did not
totally want him in the 2000 draft. An article was written recently that
the Isles were prepared to draft Gaborik with the first pick that they had
won through the lottery and DiPietro at #5. But supposedly after making
the deal of Kevin Weekes to Tampa Bay to acquire the 5th pick, Milbury
learned that Atlanta was going to select DiPietro at #2, which changed the
Isles plans. Atlanta ended up taking Heatley after the Isles selected
DiPietro, leaving the Isles with Torres at #5. Now Torres is a good
prospect, don't get me wrong. But there is some question if he will ever
contribute offensively at the NHL level. comment: He's been hurt a lot lately and his
overall production is down over the past two seasons. But there is no
questioning he has one of the best and hardest shots in the NHL. But he
doesn't use it enough. Giving up Roman Hamrlik for him just seems like
really overpaying. comment: When Bonk was young and playing in the
IHL, he was touted as one of the next great power forwards. It took him a
long time to even contribute on a regular basis and has turned into a
really nice center. If the Islanders finally get tired with Brad Isbister,
you can't fault making a deal like this. Bonk may be more consistent and
could round out the Islanders attack more evenly with a move of Yashin to
left wing. comment: You want a guy who has sustained enough
injuries to last a lifetime? I'll give you one. McLaren has only reached
70 games in the NHL twice in his 7 year career with the Boston Bruins.
Last season he only got in 38 games. The 25 year old has never scored more
than 8 goals and 25 points in a season. That would be a considerable
downgrade if the Isles had to part with Roman Hamrlik to get McLaren. Kyle
is considered to be more physical of a defenseman but has been often
criticized by Bruin fans and media for not making the most intelligent
moves on the ice. comments: If the Islanders can steal away one of
these two defenseman in an even bigger Satan deal with Buffalo, it would
be a great move. The Islanders are still in need of a big crease clearing, mobile
defenseman ever since they dealt Zdeno Chara. Warrener, not overly known
for his offense but can chip in, is 6'9" and 209 pounds. McKee is
similar to Warrener defensively at 6'3", 195 pounds and is better
physically along the boards. If it would only cost an extra 2nd or 3rd
round pick you'd have to consider it. comment: I can see more of a swap for one dimensional players. Kvasha for Kubina? Though Tampa may not be willing to trade one problem for another. And do the Islanders really want to take any defenseman off their roster and replace him with Kubina? And where is Tampa getting the money all of a sudden for Roman Hamrlik anyway?? hmmmm.
- Tampa Bay has been looking to deal big defenseman Kubina for a while now as coach John Tortorella has grown impatient with him. This would be a mistake if you ask me because Kubina could be their most talented defenseman. He has scored 11 goals in each of his last two seasons. This year he is 2-7-9 in 25 games and has been scratched for a couple of games. Modin has always been a pretty good goal scorer but does not have as many over the last couple of seasons. The left wing this year is 7-9-16 in 25 games, he scored 32 in 2000-01. IslesInfo comment: Obviously Milbury wouldn't be doing his job if he wasn't watching and monitoring other players in the league. You never know when a player may become available. With the Islanders playing much better as of late there may be no rush to make a deal to change the makeup of the team. Especially any deals involving Brad Isbister. Acquiring Kubina would most likely mean someone on the current blueline for the Isles would possibly get dealt back. I don't see a deal like this being made unless the Isles start to falter once again. But if the team can start to climb over .500 then don't expect any deal like this to take place.
- But surely when dealing with Buffalo and their GM Darcy Regier, he most likely would demand the farm for their most prized asset. Hypothetically, if there was to be any kind of deal with the Islanders, Regier would most undoubtedly ask for Mattias Weinhandl first in return and that obviously would be out of the question. Which brings up another point of how the Islanders are already pretty deep on the right with Mark Parrish and the addition of Weinhandl. Satan is already a proven scorer at the postion, so stay tuned to see how things play themselves out. But right now I would say it's most unlikely Satan would get traded to the Island. - Secondly, Regier would continue to ask for young talent as he did with the Michael Peca for Tim Connolly and Taylor Pyatt deal. He would probably look at Raffi Torres and then either one of Justin Mapletoft or Trent Hunter. But neither of those might be enough to get a Satan. Regier may ask for Rick DiPietro in the deal to peddle him off to another destination, since Buffalo is already deep in goal throughout their system. But like I said, don't expect anything to happen there. Buffalo has been playing better as of late but are still a long ways from a playoff spot. Reportedly a few teams have contacted the Sabres regarding Satan. No word if the Islanders were among any of those teams. - Of course plenty of teams are interested in Brad Isbister right now, but don't expect Milbury to trade him. Not after the way he is playing right now.
- Which most likely will not happen. And it is ridiculous to think that the Islanders would send Ozzy to the Flyers, a team they are copmpeting with in the same conference and division, UNLESS they had no chance of making the playoffs. And then I STILL doubt it. Supposedly, Osgood would be very difficult to deal because of his $4 million contract. Some speculation is that he would only garner a draft pick in return. So when it was mentioned that the Flyers would be interested in dealing players for him this became an issue as of late. It was reported that the Islanders were interested in defenseman Dan McGillis, who the Flyers recently swapped to San Jose for Marcus Ragnarsson. Milbury stated that he contacted Flyer GM Bobby Clarke shortly after the rumor was made public and that Clarke denied they were interested. But it was shortly after that they dealt McGillis. Milbury told Osgood during a meeting last week that there was nothing to the rumors and not to worry about getting traded. Osgood, in a recent interview remarked that he wanted to stay with the Islanders and finish what he started when he came here. He has no aspirations of becoming a goalie for hire and after getting dealt here from Detroit, wants to make this his last stop. - But the Islanders offered the goaltender a three year extension on his contract this past summer for slightly under what he is making now and Osgood turned it down. He admitted recently that he may have made a mistake by turning the deal down since it would have given him some longevity with the team. As we all know, the Islanders will have some big decisions to make about goaltending, if not at some point during the season then definitely during the offseason when Osgood and minor league star Rick DiPietro become free agents. Garth Snow becomes an unrestricted free agent. Some speculate that the Islanders cannot afford to keep both Osgood and DiPietro since they both make $4 million at the NHL level, DiPietro mostly through bonuses. IslesInfo comment: I don't see the Isles dealing DiPietro. So here is my prediction. The Islanders will at some point find a way to resign Osgood, most probably another year or two at the same $4 million salary. The Islanders will hope DiPietro resigns for about $1 to $1.5 million without all those crazy bonuses, so he can backup Osgood in the NHL next season. Most contacts will be 2 years the most with the impending lockout possibly coming in 2004. Snow, who has been a serviceable backup as well as a great guy for the team, will most likely have to look for a job elsewhere.
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1998-2007 Tom Mascioli
