All the build up and speculation and it’s hard to say that I am impressed with the deal Garth Snow has swung with Pittsburgh for Bill Guerin.

The details:

Islanders trade Bill Guerin for a conditional 5th round pick that can go as high as a third rounder.

If Pittsburgh makes the playoffs, it turns into a 4th rounder.
If Pittsburgh wins a round, it turns into a 3rd rounder.

Not really anything major, but I would have thought the return would have been at least a second rounder.

Bill Guerin was just on TSN when asked how it felt to be in limbo:

It was a pretty painful process. We thought we had a deal done with another team a couple of days ago.

Greg Logan has the whole exchange on his blog:

Asked about the wait to learn his fate since being scratched on Saturday night, Guerin said, “It was a pretty painful process. We thought we had a deal done with another team a couple days ago. Then, it just kind of made things a little awkward, so, I sat here in limbo for four days or so just kind of waiting for something to happen. I’ve been through trade deadlines before, and a lot of things wait until the last second to get things done.

“I’m excited about going to Pittsburgh. It’s a great opportunity for me to go to a talented team like that with their experience in the Finals last year. They’re in a dogfight right now for the playoffs, but they’re playing great and I’m really looking forward to it.”

On whether he expects to help the Pens with leadership: “I just go in and be myself. I’ve always been a vocal guy, not afraid to say anything. You just play it by ear. They get you for a specific reason. The best thing you can do is be yourself and support the leadership they have there.”

See ya on the flip side Billy.

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For the third season in a row, I have made my own holiday (and taken the day off from work) to celebrate one of the craziest days for the NHL – trade deadline day. Next to July 1st, which is the beginning of unrestricted free agency, we see plenty of player movement as teams dump players for picks and/or prospects or just players for players as other teams bulk up or re-tool heading into playoff season. It is truly an exciting day.

Last year, my first with Islesblogger and as a member of the Islanders Blog Box – I spent the entire day at Nassau Coliseum live blogging the events of the day. We were interviewed by Jim Baumbach of Newsday – whom live blogged our live blogging and even had a run in with several Pittsburgh players asking if we knew if any of them had been traded. However, because this year the Islanders do not have a game, it is impossible to be allowed access to the Blog Box for something similar. Obviously this is dissapointing – but I pledge to carry on from the comfort of my own home with access to the same Canadian television, the internet and hopefully better food then what will be available to the media and Islanders Point Blank who will be crammed into Room Six.

What’s even more exciting, is now that I have access to everything on SB Nation – I will be part of their deadline day special through Lighthouse Hockey! I will have a running post of any and all the large trades made by the Islanders and may do something similar for the division rivals. I will also have a few opinion peices in addition to updating everyone here on Islesblogger – it will be a lot of work, but Dom and I promise to bring to some great stuff tomorrow later today.

Stay tuned for the fun stuff! Remember, you can subscribe to my RSS FEED or EMAIL UPDATES as well as follow along on TWITTER if you will be stuck at work without constant access to the internet!

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For the second time this season, veteran winger Jon Sim has found himself exposed to the waiver wire.

Sim, who had three assists last night and three goals in four games before last nights three point outburst, has one year remaining on his contract at an affordable $1 million dollars.

I have two games worth of quotes from Jon Sim that I have yet to post – I guess today is the day. Look for those a bit later tonight.

More as it develops, I’m almost positive someone was interested in acquiring Sim without giving up anything in return.

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This has been an interesting 24 hours, let me tell you.

It started with sitting in my seats in section 309 last night and my seat neighbor Anthony from Brooklyn and I are talking about alternate captains and who else is wearing an “A” other than Hunter with Witt out. We canvass the ice and bench and cannot find anyone. Tony from Islesnation (who sits directly over my left shoulder) says – “Uh, where is Guerin?”. The three of us break out of phones (two iPhones and a Blackberry) and begin to read every website for a hint of information. We find out that Guerin took place in the warmup and was removed after a conversation with Garth Snow. Cue bells and whistles.

Ok, we knew Guerin had agreed to waive his no movement clause for only Eastern Conference contenders – so he was likely on the move someplace. A few phone calls up to my contacts in the press box produced nothing concrete – everyone up there was scrambling as much as we were. Chris Botta, as always seemed to have his finger on the pulse of the situation and began frantically exploring every angle possible, but would not get positive proof of any specific move. Cue drama music.

Based on some of my own guesswork, I had narrowed the teams down to three, possibly even four based on the mileage factor. Earlier in the week I had heard something about a possible deal with Montreal, but heard nothing of specific names involved. Earlier yesterday I had heard that there were two Islanders scouts in attendance at the Washington – Bruins game. Why would TWO scouts be at that game? Perhaps they were each scouting a different team? I added those two teams to my list.

Just about everyone on the net seems to have a different opinion on what is going on, so that is what makes the speculation fun and exciting. However, everything seems to move back to Washington and Montreal and it can only mean one thing – Garth Snow has a bidding war on his hands and is playing this hand of poker absolutely perfect. Has he bluffed his way into having the better player muck his winning hand?

Let’s think this through hypothetically, Bill Guerin is going to be moved – you know it, I know it, Billy knows it – the league knows it. Snow’s phones begin lighting up and he has a few deals that interest him. He talks to team A and they offer X – team B offers Y – Garth tells team A that he has a better offer on the table and in an attempt to fire up both pulls Guerin from the warmup to make it appear a deal is imminent. Perhaps he is playing both teams (or even a third team?) and forcing them to up the ante. This is what makes an excellent GM in my eyes – the ability to squeeze the most out of any deal (look no further than last weeks transaction with Ottawa).

Where we stand today is even more confusing as Greg Logan wrote an article claiming a divide in the locker room. I already posted that I was concerned with three players speaking out against Gordon (Comrie, Campoli and Witt), this would make four if true. Could it be sensationalism to sell the Sunday editions or drive traffic to the Newsday site? Certainly, but what I don’t understand is that two to three weeks ago Guerin was apparently content being an Islander and preferred to remain one for the future. Logan even cites an anonymous player as another veteran whom has questioned Gordon – which could make five players. To quote a great movie line that needs no explanation “What we have here is a failure to communicate”. Something that needs to be taken into consideration is that Scott Gordon is a rookie coach in a really tough situation. His is in the middle of a full on rebuild and playing the kids as much as possible – he works well with the kids because he was in the AHL. Maybe he has been making assumptions about the veterans not needing the same type of attention – which by the article seems to be the case. Who knows, it’s another story line we must keep an eye out for.

Update 1:05pm -Everything just came full circle, Greg Logan updated his blog while I was typing this piece. Seems he is also thinking the way I am in terms of the two teams being Montreal and Washington.

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What a crazy night tonight, first it starts with a little news from Greg Logan about DiPietro seeking a second (or is it a third?) opinion on his swelling surgery repaired knee. The discussion shifted about the now real possibility of shutting DiPietro down the remainder of this season. Shortly after that, news hits the wire (once again, Greg Logan) about ex-Islanders Wade Dubielewicz in possible talks with the Islanders about a return, now having been bought out of his Russian KHL contract. If you are still with me it get’s even better….

Around the five minute mark of the first period against the Rangers tonight, MacDonald somehow injured his groin and could no longer continue. In his place Yann Danis jumps into the game. Now the curious case of who will serve as backup to the backup in case something should happen to Danis. Howie and Billy joked when the camera went to the skybox where both Dunham and Garth were sitting that either would be more than capable. Seems someone in management was listening, because Dunham disappeared and would be named emergency backup – you know, just in case.

It appears as if the Islanders will be giving many fans their wish if DiPietro is indeed shut down. In a pregame interview with Billy Jaffe, Garth Snow admitted concerns over DiPietro and insists that his best interests and safety are in mind with any decision. He also admitted that there may have been errors made in their decisions with DP in years past.

Shut him down and allow him to FULLY recover for next season, this way we don’t have a repeat – or should I say THREE-PEAT?

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Just got word of a small trade involving the New York Islanders and the Atlanta Thrashers.

The Islanders have traded AHL Defenseman Brett Skinner to the Thrashers in exchange for right winger Junior Lassard.

Per the Islanders release:

The New York Islanders have acquired right wing Junior Lessard from the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for defenseman Brett Skinner. Lessard will report directly to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League.

Lessard (leh-SAHR) has played in 41 games with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League this season, recording six goals and five assists for 11 points. The 28-year-old Quebec native has played in 27 career NHL games with Dallas and Tampa Bay, scoring three goals and adding one assist for four points during parts of three seasons. Lessard has also played in 298 career AHL games, recording 86 goals and 92 assists for 178 points in five seasons.

Lessard went to college at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as Top United States Collegiate Player in 2004. Lessard played 45 games in that season, scoring 32 goals with 31 assists for 63 points. He was also honored as WCHA Player of the Year and was named to the WCHA First All-Star Team, NCAA West First All-American Team and NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team. The Stars signed Lessard as an undrafted free agent out of college on April 15, 2004.

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News has hit the wire that former Islanders forward Mark Parrish has been signed to a tryout contract with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Parrish will play 25 games with Bridgeport and could then be tendered offers from rival clubs – but it is a safe bet that he could land a spot with the New York Islanders.

Earlier this summer the Minnesota Wild bought out the remaining three-years of his contract (estimated worth around $9-million). I had mixed feelings when the buyout occurred, but apparently his offensive ability trailed off the last several years and no longer fit in with the Wild’s plans. Glad to see Parry is getting a chance to get his foot back in the door – although I wish he never left.

Should he be brought up to the Islanders at some point (after 25 games?) – he will retake his old office in front of opposing goaltenders and help on the power play. What about the youth movement? Well, Parrish isn’t exactly a senior citizen at 31-years old, but Mark Parrish isn’t the same player he was. However, if the Islanders can pick him up without losing a single prospect, player or pick – AND have a chance at dictating his salary, why wouldn’t you do it?

The Islanders lack goal scoring, plain and simple. They also need that front of the net presence that Parrish was known for in his time here. He won’t score 30 or 40 goals, but anything he pitches in is that much extra compared to what was there.

This is a low risk move and hard to fault.

It also adds a known player to your back pocket, once the trade deadline comes – he can be offered a contract when some of the veterans are moved.

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According to Andy Strickland’s blog, the Islanders have claimed Nate Thompson off waivers from the Providence Bruins.

Thompson was drafted in the 6th round 183rd overall in the 2003 draft, he plays center and had 19 goals and 20 assists for 39 points in 75 games with the P-Bruins last season.

Not a bad pickup, obviously this is a Gordon choice with all his experience in the Bruins organization.

Apparently, Thompson is quite the scrapper – as evident in the video below:

Greg Logan also had an interesting update in his blog this evening, seems as if Brett Skinner was returned to Bridgeport and Thompson will take Skinners place in the pressbox. He also claims that this move will not affect Bailey’s playing time and had some good quotes from Gordon.

It’s uncertain how quickly Thompson will fit into the lineup, but for the moment, the Islanders are carrying 14 forwards and only seven defensemen since Brett Skinner got sent down to Bridgeport to make room for Thompson. If Thompson performs well, it wouldn’t be surprising if general manager Garth Snow looks to trade a spare forward.

Emphasis added in the last sentence of the quote, but it appears that Garth Snow has really grown comfortable in the GM role and had set the Islanders up in good position should the need arise to ship players out or form a package deal for scoring.

Does anyone else think Friday, Saturday and Monday cannot come soon enough?

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According to Greg Logan over at Newsday and the Islanders Official Release today, the team has trimmed their roster down to 23-players by assigning several players to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. This isn’t surprising as the NHL deadline for rosters is tomorrow (Wednesday 10/8). The part that is surprising to many is how 2008 1st round draft pick Josh Bailey remains with the team.

Logan had this to say today on this very subject:

In a bit of a surprise, Islanders first-round draft pick Josh Bailey was named to the 23-man NHL roster, released by the club moments ago.

Why keep him if not to play him? Under NHL rules, Bailey can play nine games and still remain eligible to return to his junior team. Since he only made two exhibition appearances, the Islanders might want to take a longer look before making a decision on where he spends the rest of the season.

Obviously, the plan is to give Bailey a few games at the NHL level to really see how he is doing – as he hasn’t had all too much time on the ice for the Islanders during the preseason. Checking in on Bailey’s stats (only last nights game had any stats recorded), he has accumulated 17:37 minutes of ice time, he is -1 and has zero shots on goal. Some call it a PR move, but others may see the value in giving a talented young player some ice-time before he heads back down to juniors. If anything, it will motivate Bailey that much more during his time in juniors and he will work even harder at getting ready for the Islanders.

In other non-Bailey news, sticking to a plan nobody would see as being necessary last season, Garth Snow has also kept eight defenseman on according to Logan – including rookies Jack Hillen and Brett Skinner. Obviously, with injuries to the defensive corps before the season even began (Chris Campoli and Andy Sutton), having the extra bodies on the back end cannot hurt. This is compounded even further by the strong play of both Hillen and Skinner.

With almost five days between their final preseason game and their season opener on the road in New Jersey on Friday, Coach Scott Gordon is likely pouring over tape and finalizing the lineup. This is also a great time for the players to work with who they will be paired with – another positive.

According to Chris Botta on his Brand Spankin’ New Blog – Islanders Point Blank, these are likely the lines we are to see on Friday:

Jon Sim – Doug Weight – Bill Guerin
Jeff Tambellini – Frans Nielsen – Trent Hunter
Mike Comrie – Richard Park – Andy Hilbert
Sean Bergenheim – Josh Bailey – Kyle Okposo

Blake Comeau

Brendan Witt – Radek Martinek
Jack Hillen – Mark Streit
Freddy Meyer – Bruno Gervais
Thomas Pock – Brett Skinner

Rick DiPietro – Joey MacDonald

There are a few things that need to happen by Friday if the Islanders are to open the season with a win in New Jersey. Stick to Gordon’s system, control the flow, generate chances and capitalize on the power play. Oh, and one last thing – DiPietro needs to somehow find his MoJo, and fast.

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