Plans For Isles411 This Upcoming Season

Just wana thank you all for reading my blog that I recently created. I'm a long time teenage Isles fan, I follow them all the time, I barley miss a game on tv. I attend about 10-20 games a season. I also write for IslandersHockeyBlog, and Christian, the editor of it, is joining the blog box this season. He can interview the players and has more team access. I will be writing for IslandersHockeyBlog and Isles411 when I can, bringing you pre game blogs, possibly live blogs, and live chats during games. Whatever I post on IslandersHockeyBlog, I'll try to get up here as well. This is just a blog I created for fun, and I enjoy writing about the Isles.

I also have Dave who as well writes for IHB, along with another writer Rob. Then, I have two NHL writers, Merson and Chris. Merson is the editor of HockeyJunkYard. He will be stopping by once in a while so we can look forward to that.

As far as camp invites go, Katie Strang should have names of players soon. Still hoping we'll see some former Islanders.

Looking forward to the upcoming season, thanks for reading. Feel free to email me, or @ me on twitter.
IHBNick@aol.com @IHB_Nick

Could Guerin Be Heading Back To Long Island?

Wouldn't it be nice to see him in in these again?

The Penguins have informed forward Bill Guerin that they are not going to sign him. Interesting. Guerin was a great fit, in my opinion, for the Isles and he is considered to be a top 6 forward at times. Scoring 21 goals and 24 assists last season for the Penguins, he still has it going. While he played for the Isles, he didn't miss much time. He loves Long Island, and the Isles love him, so I would expect to see him at camp if he doesn't sign with a team soon. Sources say the Isles are certainly not out of the picture, and maybe they'll even sign him before camp.

Is this why we haven't resigned Weight yet?...

Start of Camp Brings Questions, But Few Answers

Summer time is a very dull time for hockey fans. We all crave for October to come and bring along a new season. Watching a game from last March in which Blake Comeau scores a hat-trick against the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks can only keep our cravings satisfied for so long. But thankfully, training camp is right around the corner to bring some hockey news back into our lives.

By now, I'm sure we all have heard that Garth Snow has extended invitations to a few unnamed free agent players to come to training camp on a try-out basis. From what I have seen, quite a few people have questioned this idea, but this can certainly work out well. Will these invites bring in a top-six forward for the Isles? Maybe not, but it can certainly add depth to the team. The Islanders made this same move a few years ago, and it resulted in the signing of Richard Park, a fourth line center who could score occasionally and play very strong on the penalty kill. Park eventually became a fan favorite before being let go this summer. The Islanders also invited Mike Dunham to training camp, signed him, and now he is the Islanders' goalie coach. Most likely, we will not see one of these camp invites become a top-six forward, but these players can certainly add depth to the Isles, or at the very least, bring in competition for the many young prospects who have thoughts of possibly making the team out of training camp.

Training camp in September should also give us a good indication of Rick DiPietro's health. He said in a Twitter question-and-answer session that his surgically repaired knee feels great and he will be ready, but only actual time on the ice can prove that claim. Hopefully, for all involved, Rick is ready to go and can play for more than the eight games he managed last year, because this team is much better with him in net. Is Rick ready? Time will tell.

There are other questions surrounding this year's training camp that in about a month will be answered. Will Kiril Petrov be able to get out of his KHL contract? It is believed that he is ready to make the Isles on the third line, but it is unknown whether he can get out of his contract. His coach had recently made it clear that Petrov will play out his remaining year in the KHL and then head to the Islanders. This is good and bad, as it gives Petrov another year of free development, but it also means that he won't be scoring goals for the Islanders this year. It is also possible that Kiril Kabanov or Nino Niedereitter could make the team out of camp. What about Travis Hamonic or Calvin de Haan? Those two players both have a chance at skating for the Isles this season. There are many questions heading into camp, and in another month we will have answers to those questions.

One thing is for certain heading into training camp: Butch Goring is now the new color commentator, replacing Billy Jaffe on Isles telecasts.

My Thoughts On The Signings So Far, DP, Camp

So, in this offseason, the Isles signed forwards PA Parenteau, Zenon Konopka, Jon Sim, Andy Hilbert, and Rob Hisey. They also resigned Trevor Gillies.

Obviously, the resigning of Sim and bringing back Hilbert are for Bridgeport and will be call ups when needed. They also signed Hisey, along with Hilbert and they are all on 2 way contracts for one year. Some people say Hisey could be like Schremp, we'll see.

Training camp is coming up, and there still hasn't been names of the players attending for a "tryout". I guess we won't know for sure untill September. Katie Strang should find out, as her Twitter status says.

So, atleast we know the Isles will get a foward, and HOPEFULLY a top 6. The problem is, Snow has offered alot to already signed players like Frolov, but they just don't wana play on Long Island. I wonder why...

On DP- Let's just see if he really will come back for training camp, and if he doesn't play any of the games in the first week or so, then we know something is up. The has been multiple rumors if the Isles will sign Niemi or not...I think they're just waiting to see DP's status, and hopefully, he'll be 100 percent this season. I know I've been doubting him alot, and it's certainly hard not to, as he has played below 15 games the past two seasons, coming back and injuring himself again, but hopefully, this is the year where he stays healthy.

I doubt we'll be hearing any more rumors regarding the Isles, since they're shooting to get their guy in training camp, but we might hear a little something spark regarding trades, or goaltending. Nothing much, though.

Isles Sign Hilbert, Hisey

The New York Islanders have agreed to terms with center-men Andy Hilbert and Rob Hisey, both to one-year, two-way contracts. Hilbert played four games last season, and spent most of his time in the AHL. I would imagine that they both will be spending most of the season in Bridgeport since the contract is two way, like Sim...I would expect them to be injury call ups.

Wow. Guess Snow has other plans.

Niemi To The Isles Rumor Sparks;Konopka Answers My Question

The New York Post has reported that the Isles have a chance at signing Antti Niemi. Katie Strang reported that the Isles weren't interested from a well placed source, so this rumor is going up and down. I don't know why the Isles would do this though, if they expect DP to be 100 percent by training camp.. Unless they're trying to use Roloson as trade bait for some reason?

Also, I've heard that the Devils could trade Zubrus to the Isles in order to clear room for Kovalchuk...We'll see about that one..

Thanks to the people who joined my live chat yesterday, was hoping to get more people in, but I will be hosting another one sometime this week and this time one of Isles411's bloggers will join me...

*** I asked Konopka a question via Twitter

Q: How excited are you to play with the Isles and guys like Gillies this season?
A: I'm excited about Gillies because of the warrior that he is, and he is also a good friend. It will be fun to cause trouble for other opponents.

Live Chat

Wheres That Top Six Forward? He Isn't Sim, Konopka, Yablonski, or Parenteau

So, a few weeks ago, Snow resigned Sim to a two way contract. That means he could either play on Long Island for the Islanders or in Bridgeport for the Sound Tigers. He is a great agitator, and can find the back of the net at times, but why would we need another enforcer/fighter/agitator or whatever Simmer is. We have Konopka, Gilles, plus Yablonski (as a call up), so why do we need Sim? We need scoring, not agitators. If this was the Isles "rebuilding plan", it's not going very well this summer.

And then the signing of PA Parenteau, who we honestly don't need becasuse he's obviously going to end up like another Jeff Tambellini, scoring in the AHL but not finding the net too much in the NHL. Yes, Parenteau's good in shootouts, but so was Tambellini. Good move there, Garth, eh?

The Isles are inviting any unsigned players to camp for a tryout, as you know. So who's going to be there? We need our top six forward, but were not going to see one there. All the top six forwards are obviously going to be signed by September. The only decent forwards I would expect to see are Guerin and Comrie, maybe Satan, all former Islanders who are having trouble finding a home.

Hmm. So.. whens Doug Weight going to be signed? I would expect sometime this week, according to HockeyBuzz Dee Karl. We'll see. But hopefully, we get our guy that could add up more than...12 goals is it? Yep, that's the total of goals we have added so far with the new signings..Oh wait, Sim isn't in there, well, actually, he wouldn't add much more.

So what do you think? What do you wana see the Isles do with Sim? Have him play on LI or play most of his season in Bridgeport..Tell us in comments.

Isles Looking At Kaberle?

There are several reports from sources that the Isles are one of the teams in the Kaberle sweepstakes. I wouldn't doubt it but what do they need another defensemen for? Unless they trade away some defensemen like Bruno or Radek. Kaberle is likely to get traded today, and the Isles are in this,so stay tuned.

***Also, put Willie Mitchell on your Isles rumor list. Isles are considering him, from what I'm hearing.***

More coming as I hear. Follow me on Twitter @IHB_NICK

Guest blogger Merson from HockeyJunkYard talks Isles

 (Thanks to Merson from HockeyJunkYard)

Why the Isles are on the right track.

If your an Islanders fan their is plenty to complain about when it comes to how life has been after Edmonton in 83. The reality is whether Snow planned it or not the Islanders are actually back on track. The young core is starting to form with names like Tavares, Moulson and Okposo. The blue line is really shaping up lead by Streit, and former Anaheim Duck James Wisniewski. The theme seems to be build young, now this is not the most attractive or fastest way to build a franchise but it is the recipe to build a dynasty. Now obviously the Isles are a long way off that but Snow is taking the proper steps to get them on the right track. 

What the Islanders should look for this summer.... 

Obviously Stempniak is the name everyone in Long Island is screaming for but I think Snow should tip toe through this situation. Stempniak is looking for big time dollars which is the major hold up between every team and Stemp. Lets not forget how streaky this guy has been in his career. He has only had one 50 point season and has had trouble cracking the top 2 lines consistently his entire career. The way I think the Isles should go is goaltender and they should look no further then this past seasons Stanley Cup champion goaltender Antti Niemi. With the Isles being one of the few teams with financial flexibility I think it is imperative for them to jump on this guy before anyone. With his poise and ability to make the big save, he is definitely someone to build a young team around. 

Although many cannot see it now I believe that things may just be starting to look up for the New York Islanders.

If Not Now, When? : A Proposition to Garth Snow

“An ostrich with its head in the sand” wouldn’t be too far a metaphorical euphemism from what Garth Snow has been acting like, of late.

Balking at a deal with Kovalchuk, failing to land Paul Martin, failing to present a deal to Stempniak, having yet to offer anything to Antti Niemi...

And we’re supposed to pat him on the back for landing this guy.

The Islanders need to get serious, now. They need to make an offer to Niemi, and make the right moves to land Stempniak, or else, we’re looking at another grim season on Long Island.

We have the money, but the problem is, so do many other teams–Namely, the Coyotes, who have offered Stempniak a low paying deal (ostensibly so the 28 goal scorer will lower his asking price).

On the Niemi front, there is no word whether talks are going on or not between the Islanders’ management and the goalie. Many teams have expressed in Antti’s services, including the Sharks, Capitals, and Oilers.

It’s time to act. Mr. General Manager, here is my apostrophic proposition to you:

Us Islanders fans have remained loyal throughout the last 28 seasons, and no exception to the past few that you have served as our GM. It has not been a glorious 28 seasons, in fact, we’ve reached the playoffs a total of three times since we last hoisted the cup back in Edmonton in 1983. You promised us a new team, you promised us success. You know just as well as I do that Jon Sim and Dustin Kohn are not “stanley cup caliber”. There’s quite a lot leaning on these next few seasons. They will determine whether we remain at the bottom of the NHL, whether Charles Wang decides that losing millions per year on a dead-end franchise is “worth it”. Your job, Mr. Snow, leans on it. The future of the Lighthouse leans on it, the future of the Islanders leans on it. If you do not make this team substantially better by dipping into the plethora of free agents currently available, 2015 will be here in a flash, and in a flash, the Islanders will be no more.

Get out there, make the calls, and land the players. Because if we do not act now, then when? More importantly, get your head out of the sand.

Who would YOU want to see the Isles sign or trade for?

The regular season is about two months away, and in that time, the Isles still have time to get a top 6 forward. Rumors went from them offering Stempniak a deal, which was however false, to them bringing back Satan or Guerin. I doubt Guerin will make a return to the Isles as they're planning on signing Weight sometime next week, according to 7thWoman.

So instead of just voting in a poll that I previously made,  we want your opinion on who YOU want to see the Isles sign or trade for and what would YOU send in return if you want a trade and why. Rumors appear to be heating up so this would be a perfect time to discuss this.

Looking forward to seeing your responses in comments.

Isles Inviting Unsigned Players To Camp?

Eklund from HockeyBuzz reports "A few player agents contacted me today saying they received an email from the NY Islanders stating that if they have any unsigned players those players are welcomed to come to Long Island for a camp tryout. While the concept of certain unsigned players going to camp tryouts for teams isn't new, the agents I talked to had never heard it done in such a general way. and at a big scale". 

Now we know Eklund isn't the best at rumors, but this seems legit. If so, even though this is a weird way of signing free agents, this would be brilliant by Snow. The point is, we need a top 6 forward to compete for a playoff spot. Maybe we'll be seeing Miro Satan at training camp, since he's having a hard time finding a team.

Also, sources are reporting that Eric Belanger has signed with a team, but that "team" needs to make a trade, and then the signing will become official. I would expect the Leafs, because that's basically the only team we now of that's rumored to trade.

Is DP ever going to come back 100 percent?

Over the past two seasons, Rick DiPietro has only played 13 via Islanders Point Blank. The Isles staff keeps saying that he's ready and excited to come back, this and that, but he never comes back for more then, what, five games? I understand it's hard for him especially with his knee, and hips but it's been quite some time now. This certainly didn't help Biron or Roloson last year as he says it didn't really work out the way he wanted it to. "I was in a situation with the Islanders where there was the possibility of going with three goalies all season," said Biron. "There was also a lot of upside to signing there last year, but unfortunately for me and for everybody else, it didn't work out the way that I was hoping to with that team. It was an experiment that didn't work out for me or the Islanders, but that's OK.".

I know if I had hip surgeries, and knee problems that I woud need some time to come back 100 percent in the NHL.Certainly. But he keeps coming back and hurting himself. He keeps saying he feels fine, and then comes back into action, and hurts himself again. On Twitter, when he answered questions, he said he's ready for training camp and has been skating. I would expect him to either get hurt in training camp, or come back opening night and be healthy. We'll see.

Roloson has been great for the Isles last season, for his age. I'm happy that we have him this season again, but what happens if DP gets hurt again? We can't go to the Bridgeport guys who never played an NHL game. We went to MacDonald and Dannis two seasons back, and they hardly stopped anything. They weren't quite ready, in my take.


There was rumor that we were seriously interested in Niemi.He didn't only play well because of the Hawks defense. He made some great saves, not involving any help. He would be great for the Isles, coming off of a great record and winning the cup. Roloson isn't going to play a full season, the guy is in his 40's. But if Snow want's to go like that, and call up Lawson, fine.Just make sure you have a trade or something up your sleeve after the guy plays a few games, Snowie. So, will DP play at all this season? Even the home opener? Let me know what you think. Leave your feedback in comments.

Stempniak/Isles potential deal was false but Stempniak could consider the Island; Will Garth Snow get his forward?

For now on, I will post most of my writings from IHB up here as well. (Post via IslandersHockeyBlog)

Katie Strang has informed me that the 3 year worth 9.5M deal that the Isles apparently offered Lee Stempniak is false. My sources who seemed to have credibility, basically B.S'ed and played me. It's ridiculous how one minute you can trust your sources and the next, they're just making it up just for hits and credibility. My apologies for this, and next time, I will certainly be aware. I did email a few sources, including the one first to report this deal. His response stated that there was unofficial discussions. Okay so if it's unofficial, then, why would you post on your blog that the Isles offered a deal to Stempniak without including that it wasn't official? I'm not trying to criticize anyone here, but come on now. They also state that they claim to know agents that are close to other agents and NHL players, which I'm not going to doubt. They guy seemed very nice and legit in the email, but obviously he made a mistake in his story. Next, I contacted Todd Cordell. He tells me that if the Isles offered anything, the numbers would be lower. I think that he was the one person that wasn't making stuff up, and was serious. So, I'll put him on my list for top 5 sources. When first reported by HockeyFuzz.ca, I asked another source about it and he stated there was talk but nothing was official.Then, a bunch of other sources, including HockeyLiveWire said that they really did offer something. So things were basically flip flopping around. Now even though it took some time for the wild rumor to be declared false,this doesn't mean the Isles won't actually offer something to Stempniak, as they did offer deals to some of the already signed free agents. Now for Snow and him landing a top 6 forward, I quote Chris Botta of IslandersPointBlank, "The Islanders need a top six forward. The regular season is still two months away, and Snow continues to prove what he's capable of. The General Manager shouldn't stop now."  And I 100 percent agree with Chris, they certainly need a top 6 forward, like I've been saying for the past month on Twitter. He's right, Snow shouldn't stop now, and hopefully won't. The Isles GM says he wants the Isles to compete for the playoffs this upcoming season, so he definitely should add one more piece to the puzzle, and that is, scoring. So stay tuned, as I heard that the Stempniak talk could heat up sometime this week, and maybe even a decision. Also, things could heat up with Kovalchuk, and wouldn't it be nice for the Isles to get back in bid for him? Maybe. I believe it was Chris Botta who asked Garth Snow about Kovalchuk, after the Orange and Blue Scrimmage, and his response was "Maybe".

Bloggers Wanted

This will be an Islander rumor blog. I will blog about rumors and all Islanders news. For now, please go to IslandersHockeyBlog.com as this site continues to be under construction. I should have it all done later. Also, if your interested in blogging, please contact me at IHBNick@aol.com, no experience is needed.

Follow me on Twitter: @IHB_Nick