I cannot say that I saw this coming, at all.

Brendan Witt who has been tough as nails for the New York Islanders the last few years (including a run in with a Chevy Tahoe in Philly this season) has found himself activated from the IR and right onto the waiver wire.

Newsday’s Katie Strang has some great stuff on her blog today regarding this development.

In 42 games this season, Witt has 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 PTS and is a -18. Witt’s play this season has fallen off to what we have seen in recent years – likely attributed to the knee that has bothered him for the last few weeks (he also played through the injury for an unknown amount of time).

Witt has one year and $3-Million left on his contract and was apparently shopped around by Garth Snow for some time. Should Witt clear waivers, he will join Martin Biron in Bridgeport who was recently sent down for conditioning. When and if Witt is recalled, he will be exposed to re-entry waivers where a team could pick him back up at half the price of his contract.

According to Chris Botta of Islanderspointblank, the Islanders could eventually wind up trading Witt at his bargain basement cost of half price.

Something that bothers me a little, is what Snow explained to Katie Strang today:

Snow said the move is less of a knock on Witt’s play and more of an indication of how far along some of the Islanders young defenseman have come and the organization’s confidence in their play

As I said in the Nick Boynton post earlier this week, while the play of MacDonald has been outstanding, giving Dustin Kohn MORE time now isn’t the best option for this club. The team needs help and they need EXPERIENCED HELP.

What do I know though.

Odds are that we will see some moves made with our Islanders before the Olympic break, stay tuned.

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Breaking news folks!

Just received word that Islanders goaltender Martin Biron is en route to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League for a two game conditioning stint.

Biron, who dressed in the last two Islanders road games as a backup, last played December 27th in a loss against the Flyers.

Biron left the team in Florida today and will begin practicing with the Sound Tigers for their game on Friday against Springfield and Saturday against Manchester. Biron is expected to dress in both games.

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I didn’t get the opportunity to post up a preview for this, I got called into work on an emergency today and haven’t had much time. However, I just did a quick Islanders chat with The Hockey Guys on their radio show. Be sure to check out the site and the replay of the show when you get the chance.

Once it’s up I will post the link.

Big thanks to Anthony Curatolo, Brandon Augienello and Dustin Leed for having me on today, I look forward to appearing again!

Update!

You can listen to the show in the player below:

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Unfortunately big hits and injuries are part of the game we have all grown to love and respect, it’s also unfortunate that sometimes they both go hand in hand. Such is the case for Andy Sutton who laid a booming hit on the Penguins Pascal Dupuis in a 6-4 loss last night. Dupuis was hit from behind on the play and lay crumbled, disoriented and bleeding as a result of the hit. Sutton was given a five minute major and a game misconduct on the play. Dupuis was helped off the ice and did not return.

Sutton attended a disciplinary hearing earlier today and learned he has been suspended for two games as a result of his hit.

My reaction and opinion are up over on Bleacher Report.

Sometimes, it’s best to just accept your punishment and this is one of those times for Islanders defenseman Andy Sutton.

Last night in the Islanders 6-4 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sutton laid a booming check on Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis. This isn’t far from the norm for Sutton, as he hits players hard and quite often on the regular (Sutton is in a three way tie for ninth in hits on the Islanders with 44 and is six shy of the team lead). However, this time he caught Dupuis in the numbers and in a vulnerable position.

Read the entire article HERE and be sure to vote in the poll!

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Last weekend Islanders General Manager Garth Snow reportedly refused to allow defensive prospect Anton Klementyev to attend training camp for the Russian national team at the request of the KHL. This was done to protest the previous denial by the KHL to allow prospect Kirill Petrov from attending Islanders camp in years past as well as his recent demotion.

Citing Petrov’s three year contract and the lack of a transfer agreement, Snow was using Anton Klementyev as bait in an attempt to get Petrov out of his contract and under Islanders development NOW as opposed to when his contract is over. Petrov was recently taken out of the elite league and placed in a lower division, creating concern over the forwards development.

According to Newsday’s Katie Strang’s Twitter feed today, Anton Klementyev was granted permission to attend his homeland’s camp and in return the KHL may allow Petrov out of his contract.

This was a very bold and strong maneuver by Snow, who selected the highly ranked Petrov in the third round in 2008. Petrov had slipped to the third round due to concerns over the lack of a transfer agreement with the KHL. Petrov has maintained his desire to play in the NHL ever since.

Petrov has been an intriguing prospect to me for quite some time now and had the size and skill the Islanders need at forward. if he can come over and play in Bridgeport now – he may be NHL ready by next season if his skills shine as much as I hope they do.

Garth Snow may be setting a new precedent in terms of how to deal with the KHL, despite the lack of a transfer agreement should this work. I guess that MBA really comes in handy!

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In an attempt to give my blog a new element and “voice”, I have finally started a video stream. I have been meaning to do something like this for a long time, but like everything else I never got around to it.

As an iPhone user, applications such as USTREAM allow me to stream video LIVE or upload content while on the go – so I felt this was a great solution and opportunity for me.

My first video is off center, you can only see part of my face – but the content I felt was worth a listen. I am sure it will get better once I figure out how to hold my phone and record myself.

You can check out my USTREAM page here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/islesblogger

And here is the video:

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