Botta claims in his blog deal is done, one year deal.

More in a bit

Confirmed! Check out the Islanders Website!

Once again I ran out to take care of something and signings break! We all knew this was coming, it was rumored to happen back at the trade deadline when talk of a Guerin/Weight reunion was spoken about. Doug Weight is another great veteran presence at the center position who can dish the puck off and position his wingers correctly. His experience and skill is invaluable to the younger players and this is another good signing for Garth.

Greg Logan has the breakdown of the contract on his blog, but it appears to be a one year deal worth $1.74-million with the opportunity to reach $4.3-million in performance bonuses. I am also not the only one speaking the praises of signing Weight, check out Chris Botta’s blog and while your at it fellow Blog Boxer Okposo Net.

Per the Islanders official statement:

The New York Islanders have agreed to a one-year contract with four-time NHL All-Star center Doug Weight. A Stanley Cup champion with Carolina in 2005-06 and Olympic Silver Medalist with the United States in 2002, Weight brings a total of 1,131 NHL games to the Islanders along with 265 career goals and 704 assists for 969 points in 16 NHL seasons.

“Bringing Doug aboard was a priority for us. He not only brings a wealth of NHL games and experience with him, but he’s the type of player we want our younger players to learn from,” said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow.

Last season, Weight split his time between St. Louis and Anaheim and scored a total of ten goals with 15 assists for 25 points in 67 games. The 37-year old is among the NHL’s all-time active leaders in assists and points, ranking eighth with 704 assists and twelfth with 969 points. Weight is also among the all-time United States-born leaders, ranking fifth in assists and eighth in points.

Weight has played on the United States Olympic Team twice, in 1998 and 2002, and also represented the United States in the World Cup of Hockey in 1996 and 2004.

A native of Warren, Michigan, Weight played collegiate hockey for two years with Lake Superior State University from 1989 to 1991. After the 1990-91 season, Weight was named to the CCHA First All-Star Team and the NCAA’s West Second All-American Team.

Ken Morrow on the signing of Doug Weight on Islanders TV:

In a confusing bit of news, it appears the Islanders have signed former Canadiens goaltender Yann Denis. No official word, but a sharp eyed poster on Islandermania spotted him on the players page.

Nothing more than a depth signing I am sure, but some theorize he will make things harder on Joey MacDonald now. We shall see.

More as it develops.

Confirmed!

Per the New York Islanders website:

The New York Islanders have signed goaltender Yann Danis to a one-year, two-way contract. A former NCAA All-American with Brown University, Danis has a record of 81-67-18 in 176 career AHL games with a 2.78 goals against average and a .908 save percentage.

Following a standout four-year career at Brown University, Danis signed as an undrafted free agent with Montreal in March of 2004. In his time with the Canadiens’ organization, Danis played in six games with Montreal and had a record of 3-2-0 with a 2.69 goals against average and a save percentage of .908. Danis, a native of Québec, Canada spent the majority of the last five seasons with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League.

During his time at Brown, Danis played in 100 games and finished with a record of 43- 43-12. He also had 13 shutouts to go along with a goals against average of 2.19 and a save percentage of .930. Danis won several colligate honors, including being named as an NCAA All-American in 2003-04 and received All-Conference honors in 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04.

Thanks to CMB for the heads-up!

EVERYTIME I walk away from the computer, something happens!

The Islanders have just signed 30-year old defenseman and former Montreal Canadien Mark Streit to a 5 year deal worth $20.5-million. Streit was ranked second among all defenseman last year in points and is that power play quarterback the Islanders have sorely needed the past several years. Streit was originally drafted by Montreal in the ninth round (262nd overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. If you read the quotes from Greg’s blog below, it seems that the Islanders may have gotten themselves a steal.

A bit of video first:

Per Greg Logan’s blog entry:

Streit’s 62 points tied for third in the NHL behind Detroit’s Niklas Lidstrom (70) and Pittsburgh’s Sergei Gonchar (65). His 13 goals tied for seventh, and his 49 assists ranked fourth. More importantly, Streit’s play was one of the major reasons Montreal’s power play ranked first in the league with a 24.1 percent success rate compared to the 29th-ranked Islanders power play (14.6 percent).

The Swiss native made just $600,000 in his third full NHL season, so, he’ll be making a big leap with a five-year contract for $20.5 million. But when you look at the deals the other top offensive defensemen have received today, Streit’s $4.1 million average salary ranks just a tick ahead of the $4 million average Colorado’s John-Michael Liles got to re-sign with the Avalanche. Yet, Streit had more than double the six goals scored by Liles or, for that matter, the six goals scored by new Ranger Wade Redden, whose six-year deal averages $6.5 million. Redden also brings the physical element, but Streit is a young 31 in terms of wear and tear and should be a good puck-mover on the third pairing for the Isles.

In an interesting bit of semi-off topic news, someone has already edited Streit’s Wikipedia entry. How funny is that?

Per the Islanders official release:

The New York Islanders have signed defenseman Mark Streit to a five-year contract. Last year with Montreal, Streit played in 81 games and scored 13 goals with 49 assists for 62 points. A specialist on the power play, Streit scored seven goals with 27 assists for 34 points on the man advantage.

“Mark was someone we targeted from the beginning and we’re thrilled he’s an Islander,” said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow. “Mark provides us with the stability on the blueline that we were looking for.”

Said Streit, who agreed to the contract at 2:00 AM in Switzerland on Tuesday: “It’s late in Europe right now, but I’m really happy to be an Islander. The whole day, the Islanders showed interest in me and this is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

A native of Englisberg, Switzerland, Streit is a veteran of 205 NHL games and has scored 25 goals and 84 assists for 109 points. On the power play over the course of three NHL seasons, Streit has scored a total of 11 power goals with 45 assists for 56 points.

Last season, Streit finished tied for 11th in the NHL in power play scoring and finished tied for second among defensemen.

Streit also has eight years of experience in the Swiss league where he scored a total of 57 goals and 139 assists for 196 points in 363 games.

The 30-year old Streit was originally drafted by Montreal in the ninth round (262nd overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Ken Morrow statement on Islanders TV:

To add a little bit of an opinion to all of this, there will always be a comparison to the other UFA defenseman of this class - there just will be. Despite the fact that Streit is 30, he has only been in the league 3 years and was drafted at a late age (26). This wasn’t because he was a late bloomer or not skilled enough, it was because he decided his place at the time was in Switzerland. He has posted respectable numbers (57 goals and 139 assists for 196 points in 363 games) prior to his time in the NHL - so there really shouldn’t be an issue now that he is not in Montreal.

Do the Islanders lack the skilled forwards that the Canadiens have? Yes, but for how long is anyone’s guess. Streit has ample time to grow with the up and coming batch of future Islanders - he could very well surprise everyone and make those around him that much better. You watch.

Great job today Garth, please keep up the great work!

The Islanders announced this afternoon they have signed this years Canadian Collegiate points leader two a two year contract. Rob Hennigar had 15 goals and 43 assists while playing for the Varsity Reds in the CIS league.

Per the Islanders Website:

The New York Islanders have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with center Rob Hennigar, the all-time points leader at the University of New Brunswick and the 2007-08 Canadian College Hockey Player of the Year.

A 25-year old native of Ontario, Hennigar just completed his fourth year at UNB. In 2007-08, Hennigar led the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) – Canada’s equivalent of the NCAA – in scoring, tallying 15 goals and 43 assists for 58 points. His 43 assists broke the school record for most in a single season and helped lead the Varsity Reds to a 26-2-0 record.

Hennigar helped lead UNB to the 2006-07 University Cup title and claim the Silver Medal at the 2007-08 CIS championship. His outstanding play earned him First Team honors on the 2007-08 CIS All-Canadian squad as well as the University Cup All-Tournament team. Over his career he tallied 37 goals and 122 assists for 159 points in 100 games.

Hennigar led Canada to the Gold Medal at the 2007 Winter Universiade in Italy, where he tied for the team lead with nine points in six outings.

Prior to joining the UNB Varsity Reds, Hennigar played four years with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League where he compiled 82 goals and 138 assists in 246 games.

I posted this earlier today from my phone and have been meaning to update with more info all night - it was a combination of forgetting and playing way too much Call of Duty 4 (those new maps are awesome!).

I have heard a few different reactions to this trade, but like I mentioned in my comment section - I like this move. We cannot ever have enough depth players and we will definately need some replacements next season in Bridgeport with so many players slated for the opening night roster. With the recent signing of Hillen and now Hennigar, it just goes to show you that Garth Snow and his scouts are busy at work even though their season is over. These moves, plus the addition of whomever they add through the draft on June 20th - will definately stock our cupboard full of prospects.

Imagine the surprise of Islanders fans everywhere, when on April 1st (also known as April Fools Day) and at this stage of the season the Islanders announced they signed an NCAA prospect defenseman out of nowhere. Well, I know that I was surprised and did a bit of a double take when I read the headline.

After doing a bit reading up on Hillen, he was apparently a sought after prospect whom decided to sign with the Islanders - citing Snow’s “honesty and commitment to building around youth”. To me that’s a pretty good sign when scoring leader of all d-men in NCAA division 1 hockey signs on with your club as a free agent. Hillen will be thrown right in the fire on Thursday night when the Islanders host the rival New York Rangers. Welcome to New York, Long Island Jack!

Here is a bit more information from the Islanders website:

The New York Islanders have agreed to terms on a 2-year contract with Jack Hillen, the leading scorer among defensemen in NCAA Division I hockey.

The 22-year old Hillen, who completed four years at Colorado College by being named Defenseman of the Year in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in 2007-08, will join the Islanders for practice on Wednesday and could make his NHL debut later this week. The Islanders host the New York Rangers on Thursday at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and play the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

In 41 games this season with Colorado College, the 5-11, 200-pound native of Minnesota had six goals and 31 assists for a Division I-leading 37 points among defensemen.

“We are very proud that Jack made the decision to join the Islanders,” said general manager Garth Snow. “He was one of the prized college free agents for good reason. He is an excellent puck-moving defenseman and our scouting staff is really impressed by his competitive spirit. Jack Hillen becomes a major addition to our list of top prospects.”

“I liked the way Garth Snow and Islanders management came after me with honesty and a commitment,” Hillen said this afternoon, soon after signing his contract. “They are building a team around a core of exciting young players. I know Kyle Okposo well from playing against him and he had many glowing things to say about how the organization has treated him. The Islanders were the perfect fit for me.”

If this prospect pans out, you can add him to an ever growing list of prospects who continue to impress. The season may be ending in 3 games, but it will be little bits of good news such as this that will keep Islanders hockey interesting throughout the off season.

I know you likely just got finished reading some negativity about the recent stretch of games, but how about some positives?

The Islanders and Finnish forward prospect Jesse Joensuu have agreed to terms on a 3 year entry level contract. While this may not be help for “today”, it is great to see the Islanders locking up some of their more talented prospects. They have really decimated the talent pool down in Bridgeport due to injuries and you will likely see some of the call ups - Tambellini, Comeau, Nielsen and Colliton try to make the team out of camp next season.

Per the Islanders Website:

The New York Islanders have agreed to terms with Finnish right wing prospect Jesse Joensuu on a three-year entry level contract that will begin with the 2008-09 season. Drafted in the second round (60th overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Joensuu is coming off a breakout season for Assat Pori of the Finnish Elite League where he led his team with 17 goals with 18 assists for 35 points in 56 games.

Playing for his hometown team in Pori, Finland for the past four seasons, the 20-year old Joensuu (pronounced yo-EN-su) has already played in over 200 professional games in his native Finland. In that time, he has scored a total of 43 goals with 44 assists for 87 points.

“We are excited to have Jesse signed as an official member of the New York Islanders organization,” said Ryan Jankowski, the Islanders assistant general manager and Director of Amateur Scouting. “We have seen Jesse’s commitment and improvement since drafting him and along with his talent, Jesse brings to our franchise many aspects we are looking for in future Islanders.”

Brendan Witt nominated for Masterton Trophy

In another bit of positive news today, Greg Logan reports on his blog that the PHWA has nominated Islanders defenseman Brendan Witt for the Masterton Trophy, which represents perseverance and dedication to hockey. Witt has been playing through various bumps and bruises all year and just recently through a sprained knee. Witt is the type of guy who throws his body around to block shots and take his guy out of the play when he can - so I am not really surprised to see him recognized for his selfless efforts.

Per Greg Logan’s blog entry:

Following the Islanders’ practice this morning, I had the pleasure of informing defenseman Brendan Witt that he is the Islanders’ nominee for the Masterton Trophy for perseverance and dedication to hockey. The award is sponsored by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, and while it has been perceived as an award for a player coming back from injury, the plan this season is to emphasize the contributions of players who have maintained a high standard of play over a long period.

Witt fits that description perfectly, and he also has maintained a community service commitment that the PHWA takes into consideration in determining the eventual winner out of the 29 players nominated (the Rangers chapter chose not to submit a nominee this season). There will be a story in tomorrow’s Newsday that includes Witt’s reaction to the nomination and coach Ted Nolan’s comments praising one of his alternate captains, but since the full interview couldn’t be contained in the newspaper story, I’ll include more of Witt’s comments here.

Congratulations Witt, hopefully you’re a lock for the hardware! You actions certainly don’t go unnoticed here. While I don’t fancy myself a professional althlete by any means - I look up to your dedication and strength to play through injuries. I have the utmost respect for playing with an injured knee, because I have been nursing my knee for a while (MRI shortly - wish me luck).