Contract Talk

With an 8-4 record after 12 games thus far, the New York Islanders have managed to elicit both a feeling of euphoria and of paranoia among the Isles community. The euphoria is an easy one to discern—competing with elite teams, sporting a top winning percentage, and beating the Rags twice will surely give fans their money’s worth. But a hot start for the Isles is a double edged sword because it begs the question: Will this be the only year we get to see this group together?

After Garth Snow offered a plethora of one year contracts, this may in fact be the lone year this particular group is allowed to remain intact. Let’s look at some of those players whose contracts expire at the end of this season.

1. Mike Comrie – With 5 goals & 10 assists in the team’s first 15, Comrie has certainly proved to the east coast that he’s the real deal. A very shifty and quick natural center, Comrie has all the tools to be a point-per-game guy for years to come. He’s not going to blast through any goaltenders a la Miro Satan, but Comrie has shown he has a knack for scoring big goals in big spots late in the game. His playmaking skills make any one of the lucky players to get a shift with him that much better. Yet with only 26 shots on goal so far, I’d like to see him get a few more shots off per game. Comrie is superb at making a quick move before releasing a deceptive shot, which keeps goaltenders on edge whenever the puck is on his stick. His contract situation is tricky—he signed a 1 year deal to play alongside his Edmonton buddy Bill Guerin for $3.375 million. We all know Comrie has a boat load of money waiting for him back in Canada, so it’s refreshing to see a player compete at such a high level knowing money is far from a priority. At 27 years old, Comrie is entering the prime of his career. And now that he has proven he can handle the responsibility of being the number one center, Snow needs to lock this guy up for 4-5 years. I would say a ballpark offer should be around $20 million over four years. He would probably command much more than that if he were allowed to test the free agent waters this summer.

2. Ruslan Fedotenko – What Isles fan this year hasn’t been impressed with the play of Ruslan Fedotenko? This guy works his rear off every shift, banging, cycling, shooting, and scoring. His two goal effort in Tampa’s Stanley Cup decisive game 7 victory in 2004 carries a resume of being a big game clutch performer. Tank’s huge tying goal against the Rags this past Tuesday proved that he can play in the big spot in New York. The Tank bashers have been on his case for years, claiming he’s just another prospect bust who will never amount to his potential. On the other hand, the Tank supporters have been commending this guy for years, claiming he’s been playing in the shadows of elite players like Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Good thing Tank has proven the latter to be correct. The hockey world ripped Snow for signing Tank to $2.9 million one year contract after a mere 12 goal effort last year—a 14 goal drop from his previous season’s total of 26 goals. I believe ESPN rated this signing as the WORST of the off season. Thus far, Ruslan has put up better numbers than each of Tomas Vanek, Chris Drury, and Scott Gomez. Each of those players makes more than double what Tank makes. At 28 years old, Tank is the type of guy you go to war with. He seems to be a natural fit with Comrie. My offer is for a 3 year extension at $3.5 million per season.

3. Josef Vasicek – There’s something about this guy that makes you want to root for him. At 27 year’s old, Vasicek is also entering the prime of his NHL career. And with four goals and a plus rating as the team’s number two center, I’d say the Isles are getting their money’s worth here as Vasicek makes less than $1 million per year. He’s crafty, quick, and huge, and you can tell he’s really enjoying his time on Long Island. Radek Martinek, who is Vasicek’s best friend in hockey, is signed through the 2010-2011 season which makes me think Vasicek will be looking for a commitment from Snow. This guy might not end up with as many goals as Victor Kozlov did a year ago, but he sure isn’t prone to as many defensive lapses. I would offer Josef a 2 year extension worth $2-2.5 million per season.

4. Trent Hunter – Good old Trent has been scoring clutch goals for the Isles ever since he arrived on the scene back in the Leafs series of 2002. I’m never going to be a big Hunter advocate, but this guy has shown he can score the big goal in an Isles uniform. Although not blessed with great speed, Hunter makes up for it with a quick release and an uncanny ability to deflect pucks past goaltenders. He battles hard and at 27 years of age, has his best years ahead of him. As one of the longest tenured Islanders, Hunter is worthy of an extension. My offer is for 5 years at $2.5-3 million per season. That would nearly double his salary from this season and keep Trent on Long Island for the foreseeable future.

5. Miro Satan – Miro has seen it all and has played with them all. After a hot start to his Isles career as Alex Yashin’s wingman, Satan has only recently seemed to find his game again. He’s battling, shooting, scoring—scoring the way Miro Satan can score. Not many wingers in the NHL can come from a straight on angle and beat the NHL’s best goaltender with a wrist shot from 30 feet out as Miro did on Tuesday against Lundqvist. Now it’s too early to be thinking long term with Miro, but if February comes around and he’s on pace for a 30+ goal season, then a 3 year extension is a must. Guys who can score consistently in this league don’t grow on trees. We found one and we should keep him. Miro is making $4.5 million this year and will probably not accept a pay cut. I would offer 2 years for $10 million, but my gut is that Miro will test the waters this summer looking for a 4 year deal. I’m not sure the Isles want Miro locked up till he’s 37 years old. Tough call.

Final thoughts: Although Brendan Witt’s contract is not up until after the 2009-2010 season, he has proven to be the heart and soul of the Isles. At that time he will be 34 year’s old. I think Witt has earned himself a 2-3 year extension. He doesn’t rely on speed so I don’t see his age being too much of a factor in his mid thirties, and anyone who has watched Witt play hockey knows he isn’t going to be any less tough the older he becomes. Witt does all the little things—blocks shots, draws penalties, and plays a solid defensive game in front of DP. Speaking of DP, how nice is it (for now) to have an elite NHL goaltender locked up at $4.5 million per year. Charles Wang put his faith in DP and DP has returned the favor. Last but not least is Bruno Gervais. This kid has shown he can play at this level, something we all were unsure of before the season started. Bruno is a RFA this summer, so look for Snow to offer Gervais a multi year contract. My offer is for 5 years at $2 million per season.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts,

-Justin