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.

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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

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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!

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While we are at it here is another good question:

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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.

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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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12:47pm

Well, there is nothing really huge to report for the Islanders here this afternoon. I have been glued to my computer constantly refreshing the typical trade deadline sources that have been awesome in the past. I am lucky enough to have dual monitors so I can have an internet browser open on the left, and AIM, TSN’s streaming coverage in a small window and their live tracker next to that.

What we do know:

• Jon Sim has cleared waivers – I know Big Jayy (a loyal commenter) will be mad if he stays, but he has been producing for us as of late. If he doesn’t move – hopefully he continues to contribute. Not much there except for he may get sent down to Bridgeport for all we know.
• Miroslav Satan cleared waivers as well – check out the piece I did for Lighthouse Hockey on that.
• Still no word on Bill Guerin – the boys on TSN spoke about him earlier but even they don’t know whats going on. They did say there shouldn’t be a problem with him remaining an Islander for the rest of the year. Couple that tidbit with what Greg Logan got out of Doug Weight the other night.
• Still no word on other Islanders on the market such as Radek Martinek, Andy Hilbert, Doug Weight, Dean MacAmmond or Brendan Witt – time will tell.

More, if and when it happens.

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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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After what has transpired over the last – almost 48 hours now, one question remains and it’s not even about the destination of Bill Guerin.

Browsing many of the Islanders blogs and message boards, a certain contingent of fans who always focus on a negative (real or assumed) seem to be doing the same thing with this situation as well. In a world wrought with economic hardships and uncertainty and a league with some teams under salary cap scrutiny – how would a trade that is seemingly taking a long time automatically fault to the general manager of the Islanders?

Whenever the Islanders face any kind of adversity, the stigma that this team is a “Mickey Mouse Organization” seems to be thrown about with reckless abandon. I just don’t get it. I am a fan of this franchise and have been for pretty much my entire life. I was alive for the tail end of the dynasty and lived through the same negative stuff as everyone else during the early 90′s to mid 90′s (the ownership changes, Mike Milbury, Spano – you get the idea) as well as the questionable contracts (Yashin and DiPietro). I don’t wear orange colored glasses by any means, I just don’t understand this way of thinking. Why is this situation being questioned?

Let’s take stock of what we do know:

• Bill Guerin acknowledged he would waive his no movement clause for the right deal.
• It was speculated as many as eight teams were possible destinations – based only on being in the Eastern Conference.
• At some point before the game on Saturday, a deal was either imminent or agreed on in principle. In order to protect their “asset”, the Islanders chose not to dress Guerin to avoid injury – common practice this time of year.
• Elsewhere in the league, Derek Morris has been scratched indefinitely till the trade deadline. Notice that the Coyotes aren’t being blasted for that decision.
• Little to no details have emerged on the progress of the trade, just speculation and the rare instance of actual sources. Perhaps this is the problem?
• Deals sometimes take days to broker, especially when that team has too many contracts and/or they are too close to their salary cap.
• Bill Guerin and perhaps even other players may also be involved in this deal, so it could be complicated.
• Not many people have taken into account that the trade partner may even be waiting for another deal to occur first before trading with the Islanders.

Patience is a virtue that many followers of this franchise clearly don’t possess – what I really don’t understand is how people who preach that they wish this organization would just do the right thing would bash them when they are actually doing the right things. If Garth Snow wasn’t actively looking to make the team better through trades – the fans would be bashing him for not doing anything. If he decided to trade a player – he would be bashed for moving the wrong player, or for not getting enough return in the eyes of the fans. It just seems like this contingent of fans will NEVER be happy with the decision made by the team. It’s disheartening and really frustrating.

Just know this, come Wednesday at zero hour of the trade deadline – Garth Snow deserves to be evaluated on whatever he did or has not done – and no sooner. In terms of draft picks garnered last year and in the last week. Glen Sather told Tom Liodice and I at the airport in Ottawa last year “Ask me about how I did at the draft in five years” – he’s right, you cannot judge draft picks until they are ready to play in the NHL.

Bash me all you want for feeling this way, I just get sick and tired of the negativity.

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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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Real quick, Bill Guerin is apparently on the move having been pulled from the warmup here tonight.

No solid confirmations from anywhere just yet, but we expect news really soon. It all begins now.

GUERIN IS STILL IN THE BUILDING. Ignore the site that shall not be named regarding anything said other than Andy Strickland.

Picture is from the locker room!

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BREAKING NEWS

The Islanders have traded Mike Comrie and Chris Campoli to the Ottawa Senators for a 1st round draft pick and Dean McAmmond!

The first round draft pick originally belonged to the San Jose Sharks.

Per the Islanders Website

Per the Islanders official press release:

The New York Islanders have acquired center Dean McAmmond and a 2009 first round draft pick from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for defenseman Chris Campoli and center Mike Comrie.

“We’re excited that we are able to add another piece to our rebuilding plans while bringing in someone like Dean who will provide additional depth for our team,” said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow. “The Islanders organization would like to thank Mike and Chris for their contributions both on and off the ice over the past few seasons.”

McAmmond has played in 44 games with the Senators this season, scoring three goals and four assists for seven points. In 916 career NHL games, the 15-year veteran has recorded 176 goals and 246 assists for 422 points and 442 penalty minutes. The 35-year-old Alberta native was originally drafted by Chicago in the first round (22nd overall) of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft.

The Islanders also receive a 2009 first round draft pick, which originally belonged to the San Jose Sharks.

Campoli was drafted by the Islanders in the seventh round (227th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. In 228 career NHL games – all with the Islanders – he recorded 20 goals and 63 assists for 83 points. Comrie was signed by the Islanders as a free agent on July 5, 2007. The 28-year-old Edmonton native has played in 503 career NHL games, scoring 151 goals and 180 assists for 331 points with Edmonton, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Ottawa and the Islanders.

Per TSN

Botta has his take on this as always, claiming Campoli had asked to be traded for a change of scenery. Interesting development, as Campoli was a puck mover, seemed to fit into Gordon’s system and was doing fairly well this season. This makes two jersey’s I own useless now (authentics too…) a Satan and now my Campoli. Good thing that DiPietro I have isn’t ever going to go out of style….

Somehow Garth Snow was able to squeeze a first round draft pick out of Ottawa for this pair of players, perhaps he tried for a prospect in addition to the pick but likely couldn’t get the coveted first rounder. Comrie fills a much needed center void, the Sens are familiar with what he can do during his last tour of duty there and with Campoli they get a quick puck mover who has a reasonable contract and one year remaining.

Sure, as IslesFaninCA points out we shipped out two relatively young players who could have been key to the rebuild. However, Jack Hillen has been making great strides and Bruno Gervais has been improving steadily defensively. This is also a good chance for another young player to make his break into the Islanders lineup – even though MacAmmond clearly gets his due.

Greg Logan now weighs in on his blog with his take on things – reminding everyone that the Sharks are a powerhouse and the pick would be the 29th overall should it be held today. Logan also claims that both players were unhappy playing under Scott Gordon – which I have to admit concerns me. This makes three players (that we know of) unhappy with Gordon’s systems – how many more are there?

To me the best part of this trade is that the Islanders have FOUR picks in the top 50 if not top 40 of this years draft!!! It could be conceivable at this point that Garth can package that first rounder he acquired today with another roster player for a bigger forward…..one who could make an immediate impact.

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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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