Free Agency Review.

Hey everyone, sorry for the length between posts. As i said before I went through some tough times but they seemed to be resolved as of now...
Onto our boys.....

I didn't feel that I had to write about what the Islanders were doing in Free Agency everyday. I knew we were going to shape up our roster. I was disappointed to see Smyth and Poti go. I was also upset that Snow was using the Coliseum as an excuse as to why we were not getting the big name players. But so far we've done a good job.

* Bill Guerin- The new captain can provide us with 30-40 goals if he stays healthy. He is also a good lockerroom guy. He fits into Ted Nolan's mold and will really help this team.

* Mike Comrie- He is only 26. He has a ton of talent. He has been tagged a underachiever. His dad is a billionaire and people think hes a spoiled brat. I think that he will do wonderful here. He has never had the chance to be a top line guy and now he has that shot. He signed a one-year pact which means the Islanders have flexibility and it also puts pressure on him to perform. I think he will feed Guerin and rack up close to 80 points.

* Ruslan Fedotenko- 'Tank' is a European who plays a hard-nosed style of hockey. He only scored 12 goals last year which is the same amount he scored in the Lightning's playoff run to the cup back in 03-04. He is known to be a clutch performer and also is signed to a one year deal like Comrie.

* Jon Sim- Right guy. EXACT WRONG TIME. Sim was the scapegoat for Isles fans during the first couple of days of free agency. He will fit in perfectly on this team. I look forward to a line that I think will compare to the lucky 7's line (Peca, Parrish, Bates) in 01-02. I see Sim on a wing centered by Nielsen with Hilbert on the other wing. That line will be a great two-way line with some scoring capabilities.

If we add one more defencemen (Markov or Souray even Tanabe) we will be a competitive team.

Thanks for Reading.

BORING and A Life Lesson.

The First Round of the NHL Draft was relatively quiet today. With the exception of Esposito and Cherepanov falling a bit. For tomorrow I would love to see the Islanders draft Akim Alui. He is a BRUISER. Straight up nasty player and I would love him to wear the Isles crest. Once again I apologize for being terse.

It is funny what sports can do to a person. I am having some tough times lately and my place of refuge is this blog and the Islanders. I just have no worries besides the Islanders when I get started.

Thanks.

What To Expect Tomorrow.

At the draft in Columbus we could see the isles do a few things:
Stay Put
Move Up- No first round pick, so we could see a move of a combination of Wes O'Neills rights and a current player .
Trades- Campoli, Hunter, Hilbert, or Minor Leaguers could all be dealt tomorrow.

Sorry for being brief....going through some tough times right now...bear with me

Hartnell and Timonen to the Flyers.

The Flyers pulled off a move to get them exclusive negotiating rights with Hartnell and Timonen and signed them both to six year deals.
Check TSN.CA for more

Bergie's Back.

Sean Bergenheim has signed a one year deal with the Islanders today. It was announced on Islanders TV. Probably means the end of Hilbert which is kinda disappointing, but Bergie is a good player and will help this team.

Souray, McCabe, and Peca.

Just some rumors to address quickly:

Sheldon Souray is a great point man on the PP. He can also lay the body on players in his own zone but he is going to get so MUCH more then what hes really worth this offseason. If we sign him for 5 Million dollars or under I'd do it, but nothing more.

Bryan McCabe would cost us 5.75 million dollars if he came here, he also has a great shot from the point and has improved in his own end but still needs to focus more. He also takes some bad penalties.

Mike Peca is coming off an injury riddled year. There is no way I'd pay him more then 1.5 Million dollars for one year. Although with him and Sillinger we would not lose a faceoff all year.

The Islanders have 28 + million dollars to spend if they want to this offseason. That is a lot of money and we should be looking to give it to the BEST UFA's not just the players that we all loved when they were here. Drury, Briere, Smyth, Kariya, Souray, Sarich, Sutton, Gomez, Comrie, Preissing, and Hartnell are all out there. So lets see if we can spend our money wisely.

Okposo Staying In School.

Okposo decides to return to Gophers for sophomore season MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - University of Minnesota hockey standout Kyle Okposo has decided to return for his sophomore season.Okposo was drafted with the seventh overall pick last year by the New York Islanders.He revealed his intention in a prepared statement released by the school this afternoon. Okposo says he spoke with the Islanders and felt it was in his "best interest" to play another season in college.Okposo was named to the WCHA's All-Rookie team after totaling 19 goals and 21 assists for the Gophers.(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/S105244.shtml?cat=10216

My Take- I think this is a good move, let him get even more confidence by having another big year in college before bringing him to the Bridge then eventualy to the Island. He will be on the team in the near future and we can't rush it. Let him go at his own pace.