A Clockwork Blue & Orange
No action is action. Another week has flew by in the NHL and the New York Islanders remain idle, although not complacent, regarding their current roster. The upper management has been very quiet regarding any pending UFA signings or trade talks. It has not been kept secret that the Isles have a strong interest in former Red Wing and current UFA Danny Markov. In many ways, Markov is a great fit for the Isles. He plays a tough defensive game, and he's the kind of hard-nosed player Ted Nolan would love to incorporate into the Isles blue line this season. The stalling here probably has more to do with negotiations regarding Markov's reoccurring health issues and the length of contract, and not his commitment to coming to Long Island. Hopefully Snow will seal this deal in the next few days. But I wouldn't be surprised if Markov hangs around the UFA pool awhile longer while some other teams attempt to clear cap space and reel this big fish in.
Trade winds seem to be non-existent in the recent weeks. The pending deal for Jovo died quietly, and there doesn't seem to be any other big name defenseman the Isles could acquire via trade. Wade Redden's name has been tossed around, but I can't imagine the Sens moving their top defenseman after a run to the Cup finals. Derek Morris probably could be had for the right price. I would trade Meyer and the 2nd rounder acquired for Rourke, for Morris. Probably not too much more than that.
There could be some RFA forwards on the block. There is much talk about the Devils possibly moving some of their young guns. Not that the Devs would trade a top scorer to the rival Isles, but I think Snow will definitely place a call to Lou should someone like Parise become available. What a nice way that would be to rectify a previous drafting blunder. If it's still this slow later in the week, I will work on a funny, yet tortuous diagram of players the Isles passed up on and the players they took instead in recent draft years.
Jeff and I have been working on our own expert predictions. We will put our predictions up against ESPN's and we guarantee victory in terms of accuracy. Please check back at your convenience. As soon as something, anything stirs up we will be right on top of it.
-justin
Trade winds seem to be non-existent in the recent weeks. The pending deal for Jovo died quietly, and there doesn't seem to be any other big name defenseman the Isles could acquire via trade. Wade Redden's name has been tossed around, but I can't imagine the Sens moving their top defenseman after a run to the Cup finals. Derek Morris probably could be had for the right price. I would trade Meyer and the 2nd rounder acquired for Rourke, for Morris. Probably not too much more than that.
There could be some RFA forwards on the block. There is much talk about the Devils possibly moving some of their young guns. Not that the Devs would trade a top scorer to the rival Isles, but I think Snow will definitely place a call to Lou should someone like Parise become available. What a nice way that would be to rectify a previous drafting blunder. If it's still this slow later in the week, I will work on a funny, yet tortuous diagram of players the Isles passed up on and the players they took instead in recent draft years.
Jeff and I have been working on our own expert predictions. We will put our predictions up against ESPN's and we guarantee victory in terms of accuracy. Please check back at your convenience. As soon as something, anything stirs up we will be right on top of it.
-justin
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4 comments:
These past few weeks have been way to quiet. Snolan must have something really good cookin' for it to take this long. While isles trade rumors have come to a stand still, I believe this more of a league wide inactivity as teams as in wait and see mode to see what happens with the arbitation cases.
As Justin said we are working on putting together our predictions, we will try and get a division done per day (don't hold us to this) followed by conference predictions as well.
hey guys....
great work please keep it up..........is there anything that us readers can do to keep this blog going? Im down here in FLA, and i look forward to your posts one quick question any update on hunter yet, as far as rumor mill tyupe stuff?
KEEP IT UP
Laffs,
Keep on reading, keep on responding, and if you're feeling energetic, post our link to places where knowledgeable hockey fans frequent.
As for Hunter, his contract will be determined by a neutral arbitrator. This is pretty standard stuff and doesn't really mean the Isles are hesitant to signing Hunter. The Isles probably believe they can save some cap space by explaining to an arbitrator that Hunter was extremely inconsistent last season and probably didn't really show up until after the all-star break. Hunter I'm sure would like to prove how many of his goals were clutch goals (GWG, GTG, etc.) and how his physical play and steady defense doesn't show itself on the scoresheet.
That being said, I would be shocked if Hunter was moved in a trade because the Isles have so many unproven forwards, who in some ways, are much more desirable to acquire via trade. Look for Hunter to be back next season, playing with Sillinger and perhaps Hilbert on the 3rd line once again.
Here is an excerpt from a Sports Illustrated article about upcomming NHL arbitration cases...
"Trent Hunter, Islanders (Aug. 1): He's a player the Isles clearly need to hold on to, and his last two seasons (35 points each) suggest he's not going to be too expensive. Still, his 20 goals won't be overlooked. He's likely to score around $1.5 million."
That sounds about right in my book...
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