Last weekend, the New York Islanders traded a conditional third round draft pick to the Anaheim Ducks for James Wisniewski, a 26 year old, 5′11″ 205 lbs powerhouse of a defenseman. In the press release, Garth Snow praised the young defenseman saying “We see James as a key addition to our team and we feel our fans will connect with his style of play,” and also that “He is a solid puck-moving defenseman who can bring an added element of toughness to our blue-line”.

Toughness seems to be the focus this offseason, having already added Milan Jurcina and Mark Eaton to the defense, as well as Zenon Konopka, Jeremy Yablonksi and just this week the resigning of Jon Sim to the forward corps – Wiesniewski certainly brings an extra element of toughness, just check YouTube for some highlights. But he’s not just a physical defenseman, Wisniewski had a career-high 30 points (3 goals, 27 assists) in 69 games with the Ducks last season and logged over 27 minutes a game. Should he be paired with Mark Streit, especially on the power play, they could become quite the prominent force for the Islanders.

Something else “The Wiz” brings to the organization, a winning attitude – the man spoke nothing but praise for his opportunity to be a first pairing defenseman, his desire to restore both glory to the franchise and most importantly, his desire to win. He said all the right things during his introductory interviews, and it was no different this evening with me as we had a brief one on one phone interview.

I understand that you’ve been trying to find a place here on the Island? How’s that going?

Yes, my wife and I for the last couple of days have been looking, well today I played golf but we’ve gone to a few different towns looking at different houses to get a feel for the area.

Have you experienced Long Island at all, prior to this?

No, actually I have not. This is the first time, and I tell you what – it is quite underrated. This is by far one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to.

Glad to hear that! Have you gotten a chance to check out the beaches yet?

Nope, we haven’t been down to the beaches yet – we have spent a lot of time up on the North Shore around Huntington, Oyster Bay and Old Brookville, played golf at Sebonac today so I kind of did the whole tour of the Island so it’s been quite beautiful.

I read what you had said previously on being traded to the Islanders, You’re excited to play for the Islanders, can you tell me a little bit about how you feel this opportunity is going to be?

It’s kind of what I had been through before in a way, obviously I was part of a young core with Chicago and now I am more of a veteran guy coming into a team that is on the rise and has all this skilled talent and I am really looking forward to playing a big part and a big role in the rebirth of this organzation.

How do you feel moving into the Eastern Conference, especially the very tight Atlantic Division?

I would personally have to say that this is by far the hardest division. If you look at the teams, just the grind of every game and a bunch of teams making the playoffs. Obviously we get to play these teams six times each but the travel is going to be way better though, coming from the Western Conference where you have to take a flight everywhere, except obviously LA where we would bus up there but other than that we had one flight that was an hour, mostly two and often four hours everywhere else.

I know you spent time in the Chicago organization where you got to experience the Blackhawks – Wings rivalry, are you excited about the Islanders – Rangers rivalry and have you heard anything about it from some of the other guys?

Well yea, they asked if I liked the Rangers and I said – no! [laughs] Then they all said good, and after listening to them explain there is a lot more hatred for the Rangers then there is for the Hawks and Red Wings, so I am looking forward to coming into one of top rivalries in all of sports.

Now that guys like Chris Pronger are on the East Coast, he’s given the Islanders some trouble – especially with some hits on John Tavares last season. Will you be answering for these types of hits on the younger talent on the Islanders?

I think a lot of it is, what you have to try to do, is you answer by being physical with their forwards. You have to finish all of your checks no matter who you’re playing, and you know, that’s part of my style of play is to be physical. I’ve played with Pronger when I was with Anaheim and everyone knows that’s how he is going to play, so you’ve just got to play the same way.

Garth Snow definitely changed the physical element of this team, they recently resigned Jon Sim, brought in Milan Jurcina and Mark Eaton as well as Zenon Konopka, and Jeremy Yablonski. What do you feel you add to the organization in addition to those other guys?

Well, everyone brings a little bit of size and physical play. Eaton won a cup with Pittsburgh and Jurcina was part of the Capitals resurgence, myself I think I bring an all around element that’s part of my game – I am very physical and have a lot of offensive ability and great leadership. I think a lot of the guys are going to bring different things and I think they all look forward at taking part in turning this organization around.

It sounds like you will fit into Scott Gordon’s system. Have you gotten a chance to talk to Coach at all about what he expects from you or just given you a heads up on his style of play?

Actually, I have not! I’ve not really had the chance to talk to anyone on the coaching staff. I am looking forward to playing for him though, I love his style of play, I am a big fan of his [Scott Gordon's] he’s a very demanding coach, he expects a lot out of his players and wants high offensive players and you’ve got to be creative. It’s something I look forward to, playing in that style of play that he has.

What are some areas you feel you need to improve on personally?

Personally, I feel that everyone could work on becoming a better skater so, one thing I work on during the summertime is explosiveness. I want to be reliable to play 25-30 minutes a night because that’s the role I want to play, I want to log a lot of minutes so I want to focus on making sure that I am not tired or fatigued come the third period or throughout the season.

Do you have any goals for the upcoming season?

Honestly, my goal is just to WIN! When you win, everyone is happy. It doesn’t matter to me personally, I just wanna help this team win and you’ll get rewarded with your personal stuff when teams win.

Do you look forward to playing with the young talent the Islanders have? Specifically in a veteran role being you’ve been through a similar situation with the Blackhawks?

Oh absolutely, I see myself as having leadership qualities so, these kids can be really fun to play with, being part of the young talent is great and obviously it will be great to give advice. It’s also interesting not knowing anybody, I think I only know two guys on the team. For me it will be a little different not knowing anyone, going to Anaheim from Chicago I knew some of guys. So only knowing two guys it will be different, but, that’s the duty about being a professional athlete, you get to make new friends. You’re usually not going to be on the same team the whole time, so it’s going to be fun to meet new guys and build some chemistry with them and the organization.

Nobody Beats the Wiz!

James Wisniewski is genuine when he says he wants to win, I’ve heard many different players say that over the years – but the passion behind his voice is different. He believes in what Garth Snow is trying to accomplish here on Long Island, he’s willing to prove his value to his new team and for the first time he will be given his chance to shine. Garth has a pretty good track record when it comes to finding diamonds in the rough, Mark Streit, Matt Moulson and Rob Schremp to name a few – so it’s not out of the question that Wisniewski could find his home here on Long Island.

It’s true what they say though, Nobody Beats the Wiz.

The Islanders will be a different team when they play Dallas during the 2010/2011 opener in a few short months, I doubt the final roster is set – but I like what Garth Snow has put together so far. Is it October yet?

2 Comments »

The Islanders have traded their 95th pick of the fourth round to Colorado for a third round pick in 2011.

No Comments »

The New York Islanders have traded both of their second round picks (35th and 58th) to Chicago and move up to the 30th overall and select Center Brock Nelson. Just a note of interest, Kevin Connolly announced the pick at the podium.

Some info on Nelson, according to Hockey’s Future:

2009-10: Played for Warroad High School in Minnesota. In 31 games for Warroad, Nelson scored 53 goals and added 42 assists for 95 points. He finished with a +55 rating on the season. Nelson was a finalist for the Mr. Hockey Award as Minnesota’s top high school hockey player. Nelson is the nephew of former NHL player and 1980 Team USA member Dave Christian.

Nelson is committed to play for the University of North Dakota next year.

Here is a photo of Brock Nelson on the phone with Kyle Okposo, a fellow Minnesota resident.

No Comments »

Today is the day, the day of craziness that NHL fans have come to know and love.

Today is Trade Deadline Day, somewhat of a National holiday in the US and Canada. Teams have until 3pm Eastern today to make final roster adjustments and in the past we have seen quite a bit of movement.

I wouldn’t expect too much from Islanders General Manager Garth Smow today, although he already made his first move yesterday by trading Andy Sutton to the Senators for a second round pick.

What other players are available? Here is a short list, which is my opinion of course:

Dwayne Roloson wasn’t a lock to be moved earlier in the season, as he had signed a two year deal in July. However, solid play through this point has really increased his value to teams looking for solid veteran goaltending here for playoff stretches.

Martin Biron was considered trade bait from the second he signed with the Islanders in July. Biron hasn’t played spectacular this year, and sat in the pressbox when DiPietro returned. He could be moved to a team looking for a quality backup, seeing he is an unrestricted free agent in July.

Curiously, Sean Bergenheim was a healthy scratch last night against Chicago. Word on the street is that there was some interest for Sean recently, who hasn’t been able to live up to his potential under Scott Gordon.

Jeff Tambellini is an odd man out, used sparingly by Gordon, Jiffy Jeff has been scratched for 3/4 of the games played so far and has taken it like a pro. Another underachiever coould spark interest from another club willing to give him a shot.

Brendan Witt has been playing in Bridgeport since passing through waivers. He’s got a year left on his contract and more than $3 million remaining. If the Islanders were to bring him back up on re-entry waivers, perhaps someone may be interested in the gritty defenseman.

Jon Sim has, at least to me, worn out his usefullness on the Islanders. The return on this role player won’t be much, but with Matt Martin waiting in the wings, he is taking up a roster spot. I could see a playoff bound team bringing him on for depth.

The Islanders don’t really have the assets to be real players this deadline. A majority of their players are more valuable to them than the rest of the league, which is a bit of a problem. one big plus for Garth Snow is that he has PLENTY of cap space to play with, so if a team needs to shed salary, he can pick up a player that may not fit somewhere else.

The day has only just begun, let’s see what happens.

Stay tuned throughout the day and I will update as often as I can!

No Comments »

The first Islanders chip has fallen. More on this to follow!

Per an Islanders release:

The New York Islanders have traded defenseman Andy Sutton to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a second round draft pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

The pick was originally acquired by Ottawa along with Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo from San Jose in exchange for forward Dany Heatley and Ottawa’s fifth-round draft choice in 2010 on Sept. 12, 2009.

Sutton was signed by the Islanders on August 10, 2007 as a free agent and has played on Long Island over the past three seasons. Over the course, Sutton has played in 135 games for the Islanders, scoring seven goals and 23 assists. This year, Sutton totaled four goals and eight assists for 12 points in 54 games with the Islanders.

The Islanders have recalled defenseman Dustin Kohn from the team’s American Hockey league affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

No Comments »

You know I barely paid any attention to my phone today and I missed out on the start of action, albeit a small one. The Islanders have traded forward Ben Walter and a contional pick in 2012 to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for the rights of 2006 6th round pick Tony Romano.

Just got a confusing press release from the Isles that says WE got the conditional pick:

The New York Islanders have acquired Tony Romano and a conditional pick in the 2012 National Hockey League Entry Draft from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for center Ben Walter. 

Romano played the last two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League.  The Smithtown, NY native was the leading scorer for the Peterborough Petes last season, scoring 36 goals and 33 assists for 69 points in 65 games.  The year prior, Romano skated in 66 games for the London Knights and registered 22 points (12 goals and 10 assists).  Romano was drafted in the sixth round (178th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and played that same year for Cornell University where he totaled nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points in 29 games. 

Walter spent the last two seasons with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers where he accumulated 116 points.  He played in a total of 12 games for the Islanders during his two seasons with the organization scoring one goal. 

Per NHL.com:

The New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders swung a small trade Tuesday. The Devils sent Tony Romano to the Islanders in exchange for Ben Walter and a conditional draft pick in 2012.

Walter, a former fifth-round pick of the Boston Bruins, has 22 games of NHL experience spread over four seasons, including two with the Bruins and the last two with the Islanders.

He played in four games last season while also wracking up 50 points in 65 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League. Walter has averaged 20 goals and nearly 56 points per season in the AHL since turning pro in 2005 after spending three seasons at UMass-Lowell.

Romano, 21, the Devils’ sixth round pick in 2006, has spent the last two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, first with the London Knights and then with the Peterborough Petes. He had 69 points in 65 games last season with Peterborough.

Ok so Romano is a 21 year old prospect (and Smithtown, NY native) who has not played at all in the NHL just yet, not really any different then Walter and his cup-o-coffee. Romano is listed at 5′7″ and 170lbs but his offensive numbers seem to indicate he uses his lack of size well enough to get to scoring areas. I am unsure if he played with Tavares at all, but it just seems they seem to be targeting players from the same systems and organizations – for whatever that is worth. You can read more about Romano on Hockey’s Future.

Like I said, this isn’t exactly the same as the Rangers shipping Scott Gomez off to Montreal for Chris Higgins, but it’s a start. Only two more days till the free agent frenzy begins.

3 Comments »

The Islanders have traded the 91st overall to Phoenix for a 3rd round pick in 2010. The Islanders have the very next pick, so why not see what you can get – right?

No Comments »

The Islanders have traded the 56th pick to Columbus for their 62nd and our old 92nd pick. So they decided to move down six likely figuring they could still get their player and add their previous 92nd pick back as an added bonus.

The story gets more and more interesting as the day goes on.

No Comments »

The Islanders have just traded the 16th, 77th and 182nd picks to Atlanta for the 12th overall and select defenseman Calvin De Haan.

Picture of the interview

No Comments »

The Islanders have just traded the 26th overall draft pick, 37th, 62nd and the 92nd to Columbus for the 16th overall and the 72nd pick.

Picks now in the fold (updated follwing De Haan trade):

(Round 1) 1st Overall (John Tavares)
(Round 1) 12th Overall (Calvin De Haan)
(Round 2) 31st Overall
(Round 2) 56th Overall (Formerly belonged to Boston)
(Round 3) 91st Overall (Formerly belonged to Pittsburgh)
(Round 5) 122nd Overall
(Round 6) 152nd Overall

It appears as if there is a plan in action here, or could the Lecavalier rumors be true?

In all seriousness, who do you think will fall into the Islanders lap at the 16th pick? Do you feel they will make a trade to move up even more? Interesting situation going on here in the first round.

Time for a poll!

 Loading ...

While we are at it here is another good question:

 Loading ...

No Comments »

About to call into the conference call to hear everything that has or has not transpired today.

I am going to record the call with my fancy device that allows me to do so with my digital recorder. I will either transcribe it or post the clip in it’s entirety.

More in a few!

Update: Well there were technical difficulties in the call. I think I heard Garth Snow say three of four barely audible words. Guess I have to wait for the press release – nothing went the Islanders way today, clearly.

Update #2 Per the Islanders official press release:

The New York Islanders have traded Bill Guerin to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a conditional 2009 fifth round draft selection. The team has also activated defenseman Thomas Pock and center Nate Thompson from the Injured Reserve while reassigning winger Jon Sim to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League.

The conditions of the Guerin/Pittsburgh trade are as follows: If Pittsburgh reaches the playoffs, the draft pick is upgraded to a fourth round selection. If Pittsburgh advances past the first round and Guerin plays in 50 percent of those first round games, the draft pick gets further upgraded to a third round selection. The fifth round selection originally belonged to Tampa Bay.

“The entire Islanders organization has the utmost respect for Bill Guerin and we sincerely thank him for his time on Long Island and as the team’s captain,” said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow.

Guerin recorded 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points in 61 games with the Islanders this season. Since signing with the team as a free agent on July 5, 2007, he played in 142 games and recorded 39 goals and 41 assists for 80 points. Guerin was the 11th captain in franchise history.

Pock has played in 41 games this season and has scored one goal with two assists for three points. He missed the Islanders’ last 13 games with a hand injury. Pock was claimed off waivers from the New York Rangers on September 29, 2008. In 100 career NHL games, Pock has scored eight goals with nine assists for 17 points and 51 penalty minutes.

Thompson has played in 28 games this season and has scored two goals. He missed the Islanders’ last 12 games with a shoulder injury. Thompson was claimed off waivers from Boston on October 8, 2008. In 32 career NHL games, Thompson has scored two goals and registered 42 penalty minutes.

Sim, who cleared waivers earlier today, has played in 49 games with the Islanders this season and scored nine goals and six assists for 15 points. In 51 career games with the Islanders he has scored nine goals with seven assists for 16 points and 44 penalty minutes. Sim was signed by the Islanders as a free agent on July 1, 2007.

No Comments »

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.

6 Comments »