A Small Step - Isles Sign Vasicek
Well we all knew this was coming. We all knew this was coming because for the past 48 hours we have been discussing why this shouldn't be coming. And that's what we have become accustomed to as Islander fans.
The "Need for a Center" has been filled by the signing of Josef Vasicek. Vasicek at least gives the Isles an NHL caliber player at center, someone with plenty of potential. Perhaps Nolan can push the right buttons here and Vasicek can finally break out. Or perhaps we've added another disappointing, enigmatic player who will never reach his potential. We've all discussed many other centers who could have filled the Isles' void, and Vasicek was right at the bottom of that list. But you never know, Snow had a knack for pulling the trigger on the right players last season (Kozlov) so perhaps this move will work out as well. This deal is for peanuts in comparison to Tank's deal ($750K v. $2.9M).
A new concern I am beginning to have is one I think is worth mentioning. This team is full of way too many players who will become UFAs at the end of the season. Comrie, Tank, and now Vasicek have all signed one year deals. What if they break out and finally have their best seasons? What if they are only using the Isles as a stepping stone into their UFA period next summer? What if Nolan gets the most out of these players, the Isles have a successful season, and each of these players bolts? It's kind of hard to fall in love with your team when there's a good possibility the team will be scattered throughout the league next season. It's a legitimate concern because it's a fresh feeling. It happened not less than two months ago.
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38 comments:
Justin,
I think the one year deals are reflective of what's going on in the marketplace. It seems like teams will only be signing their "sure thing" players long term and everyone else gets a short term situation.
It's not a bad thing...as someone on another website put it, "Do you really want Dainus Zubrus locked up for 6 years?":)
I have a feeling Comrie walks regardless at the end of this year anyway. He doesn't seem to be overjoyed with being here...don't get me wrong, he's said all the right things so far. I just see him being the next Blake.
Look at it this way...we need to make room for the prospects anyway eventually.
-Frank
Well, let's look at it this way. If you were Neilssen, Noke, Comeau or any of the other high draft picks how do you feel today?
You look at the roster and all you see is a bunch of "has beens" and never was's" and there is no room for you. You can come to training camp and score 10 goals, but back to Bridgeport you go for another year of "seasoning".
You look around and see ONE forward drafted by the Islanders on the big club, Bergy, and he had to force thier hand to make the team.
You see a glut of players that no other team would touch if they were free agents.
You see a coach who apparently has no use for younger players.
You see a GM who is so far over his head he is the laughingstock of the NHL.
You see Jon Sim signed for 3 years for 3 million.
You look around the league and see the sucessful team packed with ten or eleven of their draft choices.
You see guys in your draft year playing in the NHL. Guys you think you are better than.
You see the franchise that drafted you in total disarray.
You see your future in another uniform......BILL
@Bill: Yeah, but read what the blog JUST said: everyone is signed for 1 year. If these 'has beens' and 'C-class free agents' work well together and make the playoffs, you (or anyone else), will not be complaining that Noke isn't playing. If they do suck as a team, its a) just one more year before the prospects can come up and play, or b) fantastic Jan/Feb trade bait for teams decimated by injuries/making a push for the playoffs. Either way, we're looking good. Bill, the team is feeling forced to produce, because they're located in NY and because fairweather/bandwagon fans won't come to the games unless they're winning. Rebuilding with prospects is not an option. The idiotic beat writers of Newsday & other NY area papers will feed pessimism to those casual fans because they don't actually understand hockey, and its easier to pick on a team that is re-building than see raw talent as it is developing. As such, we'll never have a team made up of these draft picks.
Room for the prospects? What prospects are we all so excited about? We have ONE grade 'A' prospect in Okposo. We have a bunch of players who might be able to contribute on a future NHL 3rd line, 2nd if you are really optimistic. Tambellini, Nielson, Nokie, Bergenheim, etc are not projected to be anything more than average NHL players.
Got to agree with Justin here. At hockeysfuture.com only Tambellini and Okposo are rated as 2nd line talent or better. If Tambellini doesn't get his chances next season, Nolan is a jerk. But come on. If the talent is at the same level, any coach would pick a veteran over some low level prospect.
Snolan are in fast rebuild mode. This season will be of the do or die kind. Fortunately the club has short contracts if it's die. If it's do, then Snolan will have a better reputation come next seasons UFA pool, which by the way is a lott deeper. They can use their reputation to keep Comrie, Tank, Vasicek etc if they break out, or they can improve their chances with other UFA's.
At least that's my view of things...
http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/spector
Check this link. Spector of Fox Sports sees Vasicek as a addition to the checking lines. Could Nolan be planning on putting together a strong cheking unit to cope with the super star lines of the Rangers, Pens and Flyers? I could definately see Hunter joining Vasicek on that line. Look what the R. Niedermayer - Pahlsson - Moen line did for the Ducks this spring.
Views on this?
Well, Vasicek was at the top of my list of available centers. I'm happy with the deal. I do agree that all these one year deals do concern me a little but I figure Hunter will be locked up by Christmas and maybe a couple of extensions will be floated around to the worthy.
Sim and Fedotenko will be this years Kozlov...at least 20 goals each, and Vasicek will be a valuable big body on any line. Everyone seems so down...cheer up we have a lunch pail group that could make some real waves.
Well on a positive note, at least Snow is taking a small step in putting together a group that can compete for a low end playoff spot. It's clear however that this team is not built for the long-run. So if all you want is some excitment during the year and a close playoff race then you should at least expect that this season. However, I would have liked to see this team build on last year's success, in a direction towards being a true Cup contender. I feel like this will just be a repeat of last year, with no guarantee that we make a magical playoff clinching run at the end of the season.
By adding Vasicek, we now have way too many players who will be competing for roster spots at forward. We all expect Bergie and Tambellini to be full-time players this season, and perhaps Nokie and Nielson too. But then there would be no room for Hilbert, Park, Bates, etc. Here would be my updated lines:
Guerin-Comrie-Tank
Satan-Vasicek-Bergenheim
Hunter-Sillinger-Tambellini
Sim-Bates-Simon
That leaves no room for Hilbert and Park. Or if you add Hilbert and Park then theres no room for Bergie and Tambellini. So WHY WAS HILBERT RESIGNED??? As of now he is the biggest spare part on the earth. If say Bates goes down I would bring up Park, then Nielson, then Nokie. Hilbert has no use on this team and his resigning shows Snow's inexperience. He has practically no trade value as well.
And all of this and I still feel our offense is inadequate. The Isles can desperately use a good scoring winger. And there is still talk floating around about the Isles still signing Allison. How many 4th line players can we add?????????
Remember how Milbury loved to collect goaltenders. Well we've found Snow's secret obsession - 4th line spare parts.
Justin, I have to respectfully disagree. There are only a handful of players throughout the league, unsigned & signed, who consistently put together the type of year typical of a "1st liner". Everyone has ups and downs. This year, there aren't many 1st liners available, so the only other thing to do is take chances on those who have 'upside', or who have had fluctuating career stats. Nolan is a strong leader and a players coach, and this gives both of the aforementioned types of players the best opportunity to succeed.
That said, these guys aren't 4th liners! If you score 15-20 goals, you are not a 4th liner. Not in this talent-diluted league. Maybe 20 years ago, before teams moved to deserts and tropical locations (I live in Tampa, I'm allowed to say that...), but not now. Look @ the ducks- physical, not many big names, solid goal tending, and BIG. The Isles lost one big player (Poti), but everyone we've added is over 6 ft (except Comrie....right? too lazy to look this up). Stay positive ya'll, we're looking good.
Re: Hilbert, I really have to think Snow has his eyes on trades. There is little talent left to sign without giving something up, but there are many teams out there who NEED to get rid of $$$, and would be willing to take 1 year contracts or the Hilbert/Park type player in return. Otherwise, I do agree with Justin- why a contract?
Justin, Projected? By who? You don't know how a player will react until he actually gets a chance to play. The NHL is full of examples of players who were "projected" to not to make it. Jason Blake comes to mind. Didn't 21 teams pass on Mike Bossy. And oh yeah, Luc Robattile was "projected" not to make it. We all know how that turned out.
Projections are just guesses. I already know what Bates, Simon, Hilbert, and Park can do. Let's see if these high draft picks can kick it up a notch.
Tambellini will score 20 goals this year and top 50 points if used correctly.
I also think Robert Neilson will top 20 for the Oilers this year.
If you can, name me one team that has fewer of their own draft choices on the roster.
The model for a successful franchise, is to build from within and sprinkle a few free agents among the core of homegrown players.
This year, we have a hodgepodge bunch that will not be around next season. I hope that Snow will be gone with them......Bill
Bill,
I guess you mistook the focus of my comment. Trust me, I'm 100% in agreement with you regarding the overwhelming amount of 4th line spare parts the Isles currently have. I definitely believe Bergie, Nokie, Nielson, Tambellini can have very good seasons if used correctly, especially Tambellini (like you said). I dont know why Hilbert is on this team. I don't know why Bates or Park are either.
My point was that the prospects mentioned above are not projected to be top goal scorers, so I just wanted to point out what will be a major deficiency of this team (unless one of them surprises like a Luc Robataille did or a Jason Blake did 10 years into his career). We need a go-to guy who can put the puck in the net (who is not 37 years old). I agree there are no players available on the UFA market, so I was hoping Snow would have tried to cook something up here. I want Tambellini, Nokie, Bergie etc. on the team this season, but it would be nice to have added a legitimate goal scorer. You react as if I said stick all the kids on the 4th line for the season they will never amount to anything.
Justin, That wasn't a slap at you. We are pretty much in agreement as to the makeup of this team. It seems the "plan" is to throw as much crap at the wall and see what sticks.
I have watched this team from the beginning to the glory years, through Spano, the "pigs at the trough", Don Maloney, Mad Mike and now Snowjob.
I was a season ticket holder when there were 2500 of us and this is the worst I have ever felt about this franchise. I was happy when Nolan took over, but now I see another side of him that I do not care for.
If this team cut 6 players off it's active roster, would anybody sign them?
I don't mind Snow signing Vasichek because he is a YOUNG player with a chance to bounce back. It is the roster spots taken up by proven non achievers that I just can't understand.......Bill
Agreed...and I think you hit it right on...it's a plan to throw as much crap at Nolan and let him figure out what sticks...let's just hope he doesn't keep the old trash around and leave Tamb and Bergie with out the opportunity they deserve this season...
On a lighter note>>>>>>>>>>>has anyone seen the new jersey yet?
all these one year deals won't help sales of the new jersey, that's for sure
I guess I am just a old fashioned type. I think the new jerseys are grotesque, garish and just plain awful.
Bring back the original sweater. It was beautiful in it's simplicity.
I, for one, love when the teams wear the old throwback jerseys. That original Maple Leaf is gorgeous and the first Sabre jersey was the best.
If they attempt to change the Blackhawk, there will be a riot in Chicago.......Bill
Wow. I saw a sample of what the new jersey was going to look like a few weeks back, and I thought it was a hoax. These new jerseys are a joke. Bring back the originals.
Guys,
Sorry to revisit an old topic and to piggyback on an earlier post by Justin, but I was just doing some calculations and I don't think we're in as much trouble goal-scoring wise as all the naysayers are predicting.
Let's take the following scenario:
1st line players average 23 goals per
All 2nd liners average 20 goals per
All 3rd liners average 14 goals per
All 4th liners average 11 goals per
That's 204 goals from our forwards.
If we can cobble together 42 goals from our defense and call ups, that brings us to an average of scoring 3 goals per game.
If we get another shutdown D-Man and the goaltending holds up, we should be able to win a few more games this year. Stanley Cup contender? Nope. Baby steps? Yes.
Does anyone NOT see Comrie, Guerin and Satan capable of scoring 23 goals? How about Hunter for 20? Vasicek for 14?
I will allow that 42 goals from our defense/prospects may be expecting a little much...but I still think we're not as bad as people think we will be.
-Frank
Frank, Lets look at our 3 rd and 4 th line players:
Hilbert-8 goals
Park-10 goals
Simon-10 goals
Bates-4 goals
Vasichek-6 goals
Tank-12 goals
That's 52 goals, which is 33% short of what you would like to see (75 goals).
Not counting:
Tambellini- 4
Bergy- 0
Counting on 40 goals from the D may be obtainable with MAB getting 15 and Gervais, Campoli, Martinek and Sutton combining for 25 or so.
Witt will chip in his usual 2 to bring you to 42. I think the top six will average out to 20-25 depending on Sillinger continuing his good play.
So, in my view it is the 3 rd and 4 th lines that are really lacking. This is where I think the infusion of 2 or 3 younger forwards would help. They couldn't do much worse.....Bill
PS I am a strong believer in Tambellini. Nolan should move him into Hilberts spot and he will blossom in a solid 2 nd line player.
I agree with Bill's projections. Frank, I believe you overestimated the production that our 4th line will have. Mostly because, Nolan hates playing his 4th line. The only way the Isles get 40+ out of the D is if MAB notches 20+ goals.
Get Hilbert off this team and put Silinger with Hunter and Tambellini. Bergenheim should be able to handle 2nd line duty with Vasicek and Satan. That leaves Park, Simon, Sim, Hilbert, Bates as leftover 4th liners. In order of production I would rank them as...
Sim, Simon, Park, Bates, Hilbert.
I may have been a tad optimistic about the 4th line:)
And Bill, I am absolutely in favor of playing the kids to see what they have. Definitely agree.
I don't think we're sitting on the next Crosby or anything, but Tamby's speed puts him in a special class of players that deserve ice time.
Maybe one of them makes a splash while Hacksaw Simon is serving his suspension and proves too good to send down.
I've seen a bunch of people on other sites wanting to trade Hilbert, Park and Bates. Who exactly do they think other teams are going to deal for these guys??
I say none of them yields more than a 5th round pick...which I'd gladly take. Gems have been found higher than that.
-Frank
Justin, You really don't expect 6 goals each from Sutton, Martinek, Gervais and Campoli?
I think that it is realistice to expect 20-24 out of them. And who knows, Witt may hit 3 this year.....Bill
I've got these lines in mind:
Tambellini - Comrie - Geurin
Bergenheim - Sillinger - Hunter
Fedotenko - Vasicek - Satan
Sim - Hilbert - Park
Simon and Bates in the wings.
Tambellini scores goals, put him in a position to do that. This second line is real hard working and the third can do damage. Sim will impress, trust me. The guy scored 17 goals with no ice time in Atlanta...Hilbert is not going anywhere, he has a 2 year deal. (Don't forget he was almost a point-a-game with Pitt a couple of years ago) Trade Bates for ANYTHING and plug in Simon as needed.
Ironfist,
There's no way that Satan and Fedotenko play on the third line. They didn't give Tank all that money for him to see 6 shifts a game.
I think we need to come to grips with the idea that, unless Tamby and Bergie blow it out in preseason, they will be relegated to 3rd and 4th line. I don't think it's right, but it's likely to happen.
However, I see Nolan promoting one or both of them if the guys above them struggle or to light a fire under their butts.
I know he appears to be an Anti-Rookie coach, but I do believe he will try to put the team in the best position to win.
-Frank
I'm not against switching the 2nd and third lines...but the third line will get more than 6 shifts, if not those top two lines will be dead by November. You need to, at least, roll 3 and i think this 4th line will see plenty of time because their is skill there.
In Nolans defense, what offensive prospect have we had that deserved a lot of playing time. Tambellini, maybe. On defense, he played Gervais a lot...mostly out of necessity but he still got time.
Bill,
The reason why I think it will be hard for the D to reach 40+ goals is because the D only contributed 20 goals during the entire 2006-2007 season. So to project a double increase in output is a lot to expect.
Here is the breakdown from last season last season...
Poti 6 goals
MAB 6 goals
Martinek 2 goals (43 gms)
Hill 1 goal
Witt 1 goal
Campoli 1 goal (51 gms)
Gervais 0 goals (51 gms)
Meyer 0 goals (35 gms)
Fata 1 goal (3 gms)
Zhitnik 2 goals (31 gms)
So a season's worth of defenseman produced 20 goals. Gervias and Campoli combined for 1 goal last season so it might be a stretch to assume that they would increase that production 12x. On the other hand, I think there could be a good chance to reach 40 goals as long as MAB notches 24 goals on his own. Very possible.
To change the subject, who plays the point on the power play?
Both Hill and Poti are gone, so who fills their spot?
Martinek?
Campoli?
Gervais?
Or does Nolan go with Satan on the point?
Who plays with MAB?
Last year, teams knew that the shot was going to be taken by MAB so they overplayed his point. This means that whoever plays the opposite point must be able to get a shot through. That will open up things for MAB.
Can Sutton play the opposite point?
Can Comrie handle it?
Who plays on the Power Play?....Bill
Justin, To be fair MAB and Martinek didn't play the whole season. And with Hill and Poti gone, Campoli or Gervais will see increased power play time. Don't forget that Campoli scored 9 goals
in his rookie season. Sutton has hit 8 twice and hit 6 last year.
MAB will hit 12-15
Martinek - 5
Sutton 6-8
Campoli 6-7
Gervais 4-5
Witt -3 (Career year, predicted !!)
Meyer, Fata, etc.- 3
Even taking the lowball figures, I expect the D men to account for 35-40 this year. And don't forget that Witt got cheated out of a goal against the Rangers!! LOL LOL....Bill
I hope it works out that way. And it's nice to see your glass half full.
Justin, I still don't see the glass half full. Maybe one third.
I just see the D as producing more because of Sutton and Campoli.
It has occurred to me that a big problem that Campoli had to deal with last year was Nolan. I never realized how bad Nolan was with young players until he refused to play Dubie over Dunham.
Nolan never faced reality and continued to turn to Dunham when it was clear that he couldn't get the job done. Everyone in hockey realized Dunham was finished except Nolan. He just would not go to the younger player.
That pigheadedness almost cost us a playoff spot and it brought to light how Nolan would not play rookies no matter what.
I think this was evident throughout the year, but the Dunham incident really brought it to light......Bill
Bill,
I'm glad you brought back the Dunham situation. Never have I witnessed a more horrible display of coaching in my life as a player, coach, and fan. It was strange wasn't it? Dunham blew about 3 games in a row. He kept giving up wrap-around goals, floaters, etc proving that he was not in game shape. And there he was, day after day, penciled in as the starting goaltender.
In 99 worlds out of 100, the Isles would have missed the playoffs by a point or two, even if they won the last four games as they did last season. That would have fallen entirely on Nolan's shoulders. By memory, Dunham single handedly gave the Panthers a win and took the Isles out of a game against the Sens. The game before those he was horrible. I'm not sure why Nolan wouldn't give Dubie a chance. For all the praising we do of Nolan, that one still doesn't sit right with me.
Dunham...ugh....I had almost wiped that disaster out of my memory banks. Thanks for making me recall the nightmare!:)
Changing gears.....
I've been reading about speculation on another site about a mystery former player to be invited to camp for a tryout. The source said he is a defenseman who played in the Turgeon era.
I have no idea who it could be, but is the answer to our current woes ANYONE who could be found on Sega NHL '95, for God's sake???? Soem of those guys are even dead now.
-Frank
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What in the world is that above????
Um an old defenseman from the Turgeon ere. My guess would be Vlad Malakhov?
My guess is Kasparittis. The Rangers are supposed to have cut him or released him........Bill
Bill,
I believe I read that Kasparitis would be ineligible because the deadline has passed for the Rangers to buy out his contract.
They would need to waive him and I really can't see them doing that because they know where he'd end up.
The whole thing could be (and probably is) pure speculation. I don't think we need yet another older player taking away time from the young guys anyway.
What do you guys think the likelihood of the following scenarios coming true about players joining the Isles:
Jason Allison
Danny Markov
Ossi Vaananen
Nolan Pratt
Hillary Duff becoming an ice girl (kidding...but I worked for Equinox and met her last year...to me, she looked like a child up close. Very sweet kid, but really...airbrushing and makeup does wonders)
-Frank
I am not sure about Kaspar, but I keep reading that the Rangers will cut him loose on other hockey sites.
To be honest, I would not mind signing a D-man but, I really think it is time we realize that these "stopgap" forwards are not helping the cause.
Is there anyone on this blog that thinks the Isles will compete for the Cup this year? I think not.
So, why not work in two or three of our young forwards and see if they can make the leap to the NHL?
Comrie, Tank, Vasicek, etc are just using the Isles to pile up personal goals, and then move on to a bigger payday next year.
Does everyone see that or am I the only one?
Bite the bullet and face the music Garth, and move on.
Sign Hunter, Gervais and MAB to 3 year deals and lock them up.
With Witt, Campoli and Sutton locked up, we solidify the D for the next couple of years. Add a puck moving D man and we would be set.
The goaltending situation is solid so that leaves the forwards.
Simon, Bates and Park are done after this year. Hilbert too, unless he has a sudden burst of actually hitting the net. That means that in the 2008-2009 season will will be turning over half of our forwards. Just like this year.
This is insane. It's like hockey's version of muscial chairs.
Like they say "you can't tell the players without a program."
..........Bill
Completely agree with you regarding our chances and the route we should take, Bill.
It's funny...when the team cut all that payroll in the late 90's and we ended up with mostly prospects, one of them was Olli Jokinen. One wonders what the team might look like today if we had kept going with the youth movement.
However, the real problem is the Islander fan base. No, I'm not talking about anyone on this board. We all passionately care about the Isles and want to right the ship. But we have so many un-informed fans who never quite made it past 1980-83 who would cancel their season tickets and protest vehemently about rebuilding.
With the building barely half full most nights anyway, the Islanders will not risk alienating these short-sighted people by doing things the correct way.
If we were to tank the next two seasons, trade our useless spare parts for picks and re-build through the draft, in 5 years we could be a Cup contender for many seasons to come.
Sadly, Anthony from Amityville and Connie from Commack will never allow that to happen.
-Frank
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