Some Islanders fans refer to defenseman Brendan Witt as “Braveheart,” and after 12 NHL seasons, he has more than enough dents in his armor to merit such an honorific. Considering the wear and tear on his 33-year-old body, there was ample reason to wonder whether the last year of Witt’s original three-year contract with the Isles meant he was destined for the trading block in February.
Witt wondered, too, which is why the decision by general manager Garth Snow and owner Charles Wang to give him a two-year extension worth $6 million that will keep him on Long Island through the 2010-11 season is so meaningful. “I was surprised when they told me,” Witt said last night from his summer home in Florida. “I was like, ‘Wow.’ Most teams, the way they operate is they don’t make that decision until Christmas when they realize which direction the team is going, and they ask what you can get for them.
“Snowy has always complimented me on the way I play, the ‘warrior-type mentality.’ I appreciate that, and I appreciate Charles agreeing to do it, too. That shows a lot of loyalty, which you do not find in major league sports too often. It’s really nice. I’m honored. They didn’t have to do anything at all, but they chose to and that shows a lot of commitment to me.”
If nothing else, it shows that Islanders management has identified at least one strong leader in the locker room, and they understood the value of locking Witt up. Because he’s a defensive defenseman, Witt tends to fly a bit under the radar. With the exception of certain nights when he made life absolutely miserable for Rangers forward Jaromir Jagr, Witt generally lets the goal scorers and goaltender Rick DiPietro take the bows after wins.
But after the worst losses, alternate captain Witt often is the one who speaks for the team and puts the blame where it belongs. Behind closed doors, Witt is a powerful force, and over the past two seasons, Snow and Wang have come to understand his passion for winning and his commitment to the team very well indeed.
Thanks to a third-degree sprain of his right knee, Witt was forced to miss the final 11 games of the season and played only 59 total. But he has been working out since May, and he’s running again. “It’s good, it’s strong, back to normal,” Witt said.
Lately, he’s been following Snow’s offseason moves, and he’s pleased with the signing of offensive defenseman Mark Streit and veteran center Doug Weight. “We needed a power-play-type defenseman,” Witt said. “By getting Streit, who had a great year last year with Montreal, we’ll add that. To have him for five years shows the team’s commitment to getting a solid defenseman. Doug Weight adds another veteran to us, and he will be helping the younger kids develop.”
Asked where he thinks the Isles’ scoring will come from now that Miroslav Satan, Ruslan Fedetenko and Josef Vasicek have moved on as free agents, Witt said, “It’s going to be interesting to see young guys step into their roles and take advantage of situations. I think Kyle [Okposo] showed how well he could step in. Even though he was only with us for a month, he stepped in and made an impact. It’s interesting. Who knows? They may still be trying to add a couple pieces here or there. You never know what can happen from now to training camp.”
No, but you do know there will be plenty of rough spots, especially for such a young team. It’s good to know the Islanders have a leader in place who will set the example for toughness.
Comments (51)
could you love this dude anymore??? it sounds like he's been reading the blogs...
Witt, you win. I'm getting your name on the throwback this August. Let's put the C on it next year.
Also talk to Snow. It sounds like you might have some good ideas for the development of this team.
HAHAHA FIRST!!!!!!!! (first post ever as well)
...so am I a "bobblehead" now?
Welcome to the blog loudest....
And yes,,,, we can love that guy Witt anymore.
And BTW Loudest.....
Becoming a "bobblehead" takes quite a bit more work.
First you must become a NIMBY.
And to do that ......go over to the right hand side here..
to the archives...click on November 2007.
Go to the 4 blog from the bottom.
Click on the comments section.
Find the 3 comment posted by Steady...in chronological order going frontwards after one by me.
And cut and paste it over here...
You will then be a NIMBY..
And well on your way to "Bobblehead" Status.
Brendan RULES.
I couldnt be happier about this! :)
I dont think I can remember any other extention/signing/whatever that has been so highly approved by Isles fans. Its nearly unanimous :)
If i'm not mistaken, our defense is now locked up for at least the next two years.....except for Gervais.
I wonder how long of a contract, if any, he will get.
Thoughts anybody?
I think Hillen may slide into Gervais' spot, if Gervais doesn't have a good start in camp and the start of the season. I like Hillen and he just may fit into this type of defense.
Witt - Martinek
Sutton - Campoli
Hillen - Striet
Gervais can still go down to the Bridge on a two deal I think, and Meyer can go in and out of the lineup as needed.
But that's just my thoughts on it. Anyone else have thoughts on this?
First, JP IN VA from you previous post you mention 3 times that Nolan went with vets. Did you intentionally leave out the immortal Chris Simon or did you just want to forget about him?
Nolan's very misguided loyalty to this thug, I think, opened Wang's eyes to what kind of coach Ted had become.
To me, nothing was more damaging to Nolan than bringing back Simon after the Ruutu incident. Yes, Snow and Wang went along but that was out of loyalty to Nolan. In the end, I think that this is what will be later seen as the beginning of the end.
NETNINDER, I think that Gervais will be offered the same type of deal that Campoli signed. To me, they are almost interchangeable players with a slight edge toward Campoli. If the right deal comes along one or the other will be traded. You may see Gervais go for McCabe and a prospect or pick. The Isles have to give Fletcher something in return, so that Fletcher can justify the pick or prospect that would be included in the McCabe deal.
If nothing overwhelms Snow, I think Gervais will stay. As proven last year, you can never have enough D-Men......Sir Will
Sir William:
I'll add to that McCabe debate.
That trade only goes down if Sundin does not sign with Toronto.
Vancouver and Montreal are still in talks with him, and Sundin can make or break Toronto into the playoffs. Fletcher has enough cap space to still sign Sundin, but will be tight. If Toronto does want to make the playoffs, then they would need both players to do so. If they are truly in a rebuilding mode, then both will not be in a Leafs uniforms.
But as previously stated, Toronto needs to really add something extra if we're to take on that amount of money.
Also: If we signed Streit, why do we need McCabe?
NET, Do we need McCabe ? Maybe not, but he does give you a second option on the PP or he can run the second PP unit. He also is a pretty big body, who can clear out the front of the net. Streit, Gervais, Campoli and even Martinek are not really strong enough to move some of the bigger forwards in the league.
So perhaps you would be looking at :
Witt- Martinek
Sutton- Streit
McCabe- Campoli
FMV
Hillen
Gervais
That looks better to me than what we have now. I would be very much in favor of the move because it makes the team better right away. We have seen enough of Gervais, Campoli and FM V to know what we are getting from them. The "D" is a much different situation than the forwards, who are untested as yet.
It also frees up one of the extra Dmen for trade bait, should Snow wish to go that way.
Do we need McCabe?
To me he is an upgrade over what we have now.
He has a booming shot from the point and that should result in juicy rebounds for the forwards and hopefully some more scoring.
I also am a firm beleiver that it is not my money being spent. If Wang wants to spend his money then great. I know that no matter what the Isles payroll ends up being, the ticket prices will remain the same. So, let him spend it and make this years team more competitive. Perhaps Hillen and Campoli can learn from McCabe how to run the PP.
Since it's only money, I say go for it.........Sir William
Sir William:
As it stands now the Isles are about 36 million in payroll with the youngsters still unsigned. Even with those signings, may not reach the cap floor.
If we do swing a trade for McCabe this would remind me of Montreal, from two years ago and last year, in the sense that they made their living off the powerplay, and needed to rely on the youngsters to step up their game to make a decent push.
Now i'm not saying that this team will be a 100 point team or even a 95 point team, but by swinging this trade, people may have to consider the Islanders as a possible playoff team.
The youngsters are faster and should generate more penalties from other teams to allow enough powerplay time for the Islanders to ge ta goal or two to ease the pressure off a little for the kids.
The defense, if healthy, should be able to shut down most of the offense coming at them, and again if healthy, you always have DP.
Am I off on my assessment or have we hit something here?
NET, Simply put McCabe improves the team. Anything that makes the team better, I am in favor of......Sir William
Giving up Gervais in a deal for McCabe? Never. He can not skate and is slow. And if the 2009 #1 pick does not come back to the Isles in a deal, that Toronto is desperate to make, then forget it. Let's see how desperate the Loafs are to get rid of that salary.
I would not want to give up yet on Gervais. He too is "home grown" and he's not quite "grown" completely. He's good for the organization on and OFF the ice. Don't give him up.
Hey the Islanders had another really great off season. Replacing all that talent that left a year ago has gone very well. It's just so hard to believe that the Island is on all the UFA's radar. Snow and Wang are doing fantastic work finding strong talent to fill the holes. trading and bring in young talent from around the league is brill~ wait, awesome.
Considering all the names that were on the hunting list on July 1st, was there anyone of superstar caliber that even considered signing here on the island. I'm sure there was. Most likely they all considered it, and thought better of the idea.
Well, taking the Pens and Caps approach to the season seems to be the best way to build a team that will succeed nightly.
I can't wait to finish last in the east and have a chance at another top 5 draft pick. I also can't wait for them to trade down that draft pick next draft day.
Better to have a center that wasn't on anyone elses radar than a cornerstone defensemen or Filitov, a winger, that could have been playing 1st or 2nd line duty as early as Oct.
Man, I love the islanders. They are awesome.
Hats off to Wit--have to wonder why anyone frankly would play on Long Island. The fan base is tiny(albeit passionate) and the team is irrelevant.
I want more guys like Witt and less sissies like Tamby. This youth movement idea scares me because outside of Kyle, I just dont see solid players. Hope Im wrong.
I love the Rag fans on this site--are you that bored? I know schools out and Mom forgot you sign your permission slip for camp, but, c'mon.
I was wondering if there's going to be a going away party or if they're just going to sneak away in the night?
The Colts and Dodgers did it.
Rangerblazer......Rangers had one of the worst off-seasons I can recall for years!! Went from cup hopefulls to I don't know what ???
They lost the heart and soul of the their team = AVERY
They lost their best skill player and dominant factor = JAGR
and They most likely are losing their sniper = SHANNY
**Go check your teams record when Jagr and or Avery do not play !!!
***So pipe down and worry about your own squad....I can here Drury and Gomez all the way up in New Enlgand "Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" !!!!" *****
Your team was supposed to be a cup contender last year...NOT
Now your team is ???????? No identity. No nothing. Stuck in neutral !!!!
I say forget about McCabe.
No rehires.
Defense is fine...
Need a boxer and a 1st line center.
(SIlly ain't comin' back....Just my opinion),
Hey the Rangers had another really great off season. Replacing all that talent that left a year ago has gone very well. It's just so hard to believe that Manhattan is on all the UFA's radar. Dolan and Sather are doing fantastic work finding strong talent to fill the holes. trading and bring in young talent from around the league is brill~ wait, awesome.
Considering all the names that were on the hunting list on July 1st, was there anyone of superstar caliber that even considered signing here on Manhattan. I'm sure there was. Most likely they all considered it, and thought better of the idea.
Well, taking the Pens and Caps approach to the season seems to be the best way to build a team that will succeed nightly.
I can't wait to finish last in the east and have a chance at another top 20 draft pick. I also can't wait for them to take a flyer on another "lazy" prospect that was passed up by teams with more knowledge.
Better to have another "lazy" defenseman that was avoided by other teams like the plague than a bruising defensemen or an offensive sniper that could have seen 2nd line duty as early as Oct.
Man, I love the Rangers. They are awesome.
From the last post:
JP - The Dumham fiasco in '07 and the unchanging PP lineup game after PP-goalless game in '08 shouldn't be looked at lightly. Those 2 glaring mistakes reveal just the obvious weaknesses of this coach. I was one of the 1st to sing Nolan's praises both when he was hired and during the past 2 seasons, but these types of thing shouldn't be overlooked when evaluating a coach for an extension.
The next few years are absolutely crucial to the survival of this team. And the path Snow/Wang/Whoever has taken in favor of a more home-grown foundation only serves to leverage the bet that much more. Nolan has obviously been at odds with Snow regarding the experience level of the lineup on the ice. Regardless who is ultimately correct, the path has been chosen and it can't be denied that a question exists as to whether Nolan is the right coach for this particular team at this particular time. Bottom line... a 2 year extension for Nolan is far from the slam dunk decision you and others (Steady?) make it out to be.
Sure, a season with a lame duck coach is not optimum. But it's far better than losing the bet and tacking on 2-3 more season with might ultimately be the WRONG coach. I'm sure we'll have a lot more information after 40 or so games that will provide more than enough indication of what the decision on Nolan should be. I personally hope he buys into the team plan, uses his ample skill to enhance that plan and lead the Isles to success over the next 10 years. But considering what's come to light over the past few weeks, the jury is still out (as it well should be).
What’s up Steady –
Camargo CC is a tough course. Located in Indian Hill, home of the Cincinnati elite!!! Steady was rubbing elbows with the privileged!!!
Sir Willy,
Usually I'm right there with you. Not on Simon though. If you've read my posts over the past 3 years you'd know exactly how I felt about this.
I didn't want Simon when they signed him. Over his first three months with the Islanders, if you rememeber, he was everything Chris Simon was supposed to be... INCLUDING a jump start to a sputtering PP... YES... look back at those games.
A lot of that had to do with the relationship between he and Nolan. The Hollweg incident was a huge turnaround. I really think Chris may have had some depression issues and the public perception of that incident, and the jackassery of Campbell pretty much killed him as an NHL hockey player.
The fact that Nolan stuck with him was as much to do with loayalty as it was with paying him back for being a QUIET LEADER on a team that didn't have all too much talent (come on, our leading goal scorer was Jason Blake).
That team went to the playoffs in some measure due to the pre-Hollweg Chris Simon (remember who scored the first goal in that game) as it was to the Smyth deal and the outstanding play of Dubie down the stretch.
He really didn't have a lot to go by, as to determine how to use Simon, but who was he going to replace him with. He was a fourth line enforcer(?)... and a damn good one before teh Holleweg incident.
I may be in a monority on this, but I stand in pretty good company. Don Cherry has expressed similar sentiments for Simon, and we all know how steady feels. :-)
Cincy,
good to see you back. I think you may have missed my point. I don't really think those were mistakes. My point is that those situations may have been lose-lose, and either choice he loses. Anybody can second guess, becasue we don't have the power to make our changes and replay those games. I was trying to add a little perspective.
Dunham was brought in to do exactly what Nolan needed at the time. Sure we all saw him dead on the third rail, but the whole organizatio had to give him a chance to shake the rust off. I'm not going to throw Nolan under the bus for that train wreck.
As far as not fixing the PP... that team was talentless from head to toe. The only good things on the PP were MAB (as much as he sucked, he was the leading PP scorer) and good saves on break aways. I don't think personel changes woudl have turned that around.
I'd let Trotts help with what should be a more talented PP this year, but I would not have him behind the bench any time soon.
Sometiems great players don't have the chops to be head coaches. If the opposite was true I'd have lobbied to get the all time greatest islander out of a southern broadcast booth.
It jsut don't work that way. Nolan may not be the best coach in the NHL, but he has done a good job with this team, and should be given a chance... IF HE EVEN WANTS IT.
I had no clue that he was only 33. He's got some good years left.
As you all know I agree with JP on this one.....Except about Simon.....Last of a dying breed that hung on too long and had some issues. Our team was going no where and our coach gave the old salt one last dance....He was not the cause of our success or demise. Just my opinion.
Ruutu and Hollweg deserve everything they get!
MY other point on Nolan is this....The team really needs a FOUNDATION....That goes for Snow also, even though he is not my favorite....Can't we just have some stability for a few years or more ??? What if the next coach stinks? What if the next GM stinks ???
We made our bed with these two guys. A coach that was banished, a GM that never was, and an owner that knew nothing about hockey.....That's us....So let's take this land of misfit toys and keep it for awhile and show F.A and kids that although not perfect it is SOLID and here for awhile....That along with a new barn just might be enough to tweak a few interests!
Get it done my land of misfit toys....Get it done TOGETHER !!!!
I like the islanders. When they make the playoffs they are always going to be cup contenders. Not like the Rangers who finished 13th in the east. Those toolboxes can't even get qaulity talent to stay in the door, let alone sign some off the UFA market.
I mean, really when was the last time they even won a playoff series. They used to be the pride and joy of NY. Too bad their attendence is so low. Hamilton here they come. I can't wait for the Rangers to be shipped out.
No team will surive the new NHL without ticket sales.
Does Dolan have a plan, or is he going to fool the fans again with anothor " for the team", "Renney Type Player" filling the roster with 3 4th lines mumbojumbo. Nothing like a team full of old washed up talent. Those Rangers are good at that. Not like NYI, were re-org of the team was a neccesity after building the team around Smyth.
the sooner the Rangers leave town the sooner the Islanders can make a difference again for Long Island.
Can I get a crowd shout out of Kumbya for our brother Steady!!!
they Ruutu and Hollweg deserve to be sword chopped in the face with a stick and have there foot stomped of with a razorblade. Steady your a crazy person.
We made our bed with these two guys. A coach that was banished, a GM that never was, and an owner that knew nothing about hockey.....That's us....So let's take this land of misfit toys and keep it for awhile and show F.A and kids that although not perfect it is BUSTED and here for little while longer before moving to Hamilton....That along with a new bagel barn just might be enough to tweak a few interests to help us cry in the giant parking lot when they leave in the middle of the night.
Get it done my land of misfit Nolan Type Players... Get it done TOGETHER !!!!
A Quick interjection on the Nolan debate ... once again.
It is VERY easy to question Nolan's moves after he's made them ... but in essense ... that is what he also deserves to be judged on. Where I think some people are missing the boat is ....
Dunham .... Playing Dunham when DP was hurt WASN'T Nolan's fault .... it WAS HIS PROBLEM ... Dunham let Nolan down ... and the whole organization ... any one of us would of thought Nolan was nuts to put in Dubie over Dunham in the home stretch in the 06-07 season ... so lets not play the great Nostradamus or Edgar Cayce and say I told you so.
For those with a short memory ... Dunham did a good job prior to that stretch. Infact ... if you recall ... I think DP started out 0-3 in the Fall of 06 when Dunham stepped in and shut down the power house sharks on the road to start off Nolan's tenure almost 2 years ago..
So let me ask you this. Would you use Dunham .. or Dubie when DP got hurt in the late winter of 07? Think about this a minute .. Dunham ... good backup goaltender ... plenty of NHL experience ... team USA goaltender ... Got the Isles their first win of the season after DP couldn't get it done ... or would you go with Dubie at that time ... a player with a 3-3-2 lifetime record and just over 400 minutes of NHL experience.... and you are going into the final stretch with a fragile hold on 6th place?
Sure ... it's easy to pick Dubie now that you know the outcome. ... but to say you'd of put Dubie in right away instead of Dunham is a bold faced lie and you are only lying to yourself.
The Simon thing. Come on ... WE ALL LOVED that Guy ... just like Nolan did and he was producing before the Hollweg incident .... Infact .. most of us agreed what a bone head and selfish thing that was for Simon to do ... and couldn't wait for him to get back into the lineup .... MOST of us felt the suspension was excrusiatingly too long and that Campbell screwed the Isles and Simon. So is Nolan at fault for not wanting to see Simon back in the lineup? Sure ... Simon is Nolan's poster boy for redemtion and aboriginal pride ... and Nolan should of been proud of Simon ... why not??? But lets not forget ... Snow and Wang also were pulling for Simon ... WE ALL WERE!!! So I think it's unfair to blame Nolan for Simon trying to bash in Hollweg's brains in after Hollweg blind sided Simon ... Simon acted truely sorry. It was actually interesting to hear DP once say that a lot of players lose it for a second when they've been cheap shotted.
I can speak of this myself once that earned me a permanent ban from an arena. You lose it and go caveman on the perpetrator.
However .... then came 26 games into his reinstatement .... Ruttuu ... the famous foot stomp ... and stupid as that was ... and dangerous ... I think it was a few degrees lower in magnatude then what he did to Hollweg ... but considering the short term inbetween incidents it was apparent that Simon didn't learn his leason ... and you can't blame that on him snapping after being torched with a bindside hit.
We knew right there that Simon didn't deserve wearing an NHL jersey. The funny thing was ... Snow, Wang and of course Nolan all supported getting Simon anger management classes .... all 3 of em ... not Nolan's .... We as Isles fans were p/o'd at Simon for letting us down .... I know that I for one put partial blame for the Isles' late season collapse in 07 on Simon .. b/c we needed him ... he was a contributor at the time ... and his stupidity with Hollweg cost us a 4th - 6th place finish in the conference and inevitably got us 8th place by an ice shaving and another first round departure.
When Simon returned .... the boos weren't b/c of what he did to Ruttuu .. they were a compilation of the fans feeling betrayed by Simon's actions once again. Nolan was surprised .... and that is my only big surprise and critique of Nolan ... what did he expect?? We've been following this team for eons and Nolan has to know we don't like the constant disappointments. I'm sure deep down inside Nolan felt disappointed and betrayed by Simon and only wanted Simon to prove to us that he's a good man and a good player .... and he never got that chance ... because Snow correctly traded away Simon for a draftpick... As much as I enjoyed the pre-Hollweg Simon ... I knew there was no more chances left for him .... and best to say goodbye.
As far as Nolan's commitment to play the vets. Come on now .. Nolan wants to win ... and that is the RIGHT coach right there. You can't blame him from wanting to play proven seasoned vets when the Isles are in the thick of a playoff race... it would be stupid to say .... "ya know what? I know we're in 8th place.... but we are only winning games 2-1... and Satan, Vas and Tank just aren't putting the puck in the net .... Garthy ... bring me up Tamby, Walter and Jackman (only RW avail at the time) so that we can crank up the offense."
Now be honest with yourselves here ... I'll admit ... I wanted Tamby up and playing regularly .... but HE didn't make the most of the chance he had at the time when he was ... infact no shots on goal in a few games.... so where were Snow and Nolan supposed to pull out this offensive rookie phenom from that was going to save the Isles???!! Where I ask you? Snow already traded away 2 former 1st round picks and a 1st round draft pick .... where were they going to get this phenom from??? Okposo was still getting used to playing in the AHL .. that wasn't the answer either.
DP gets hurt and once again the season spirals out of control... we had no chance then .. our VETS let us down ... and our ROOKS just didn't have the chops to save the seaon this time.
So lets stop saying Nolan made wrong moves ... Nolan can't work with kids .... (He did that pretty well in Moncton if you need to be reminded) ... I think this team was caught in transition last year ... and admittedly ... Nolan wasn't sure if he was coaching an NHL team or an AHL team ... Nolan was focused on making the playoffs .... and he did that with the BEST talent available ... with a team with no true PP pivot ... and no true PP QB.... the power play and special teams were ultimately what crushed the season ... more that just the injuries.
I posted way back last fall that the Isles season will live and die by their specialty teams .... and it did.
Lets get behind Snow and Nolan and show them that we support them .... and the kids that are going to be a huge part of this upcoming season ... win or lose .... because Nolan knows ... his success as a coach is more to do with how the kids progress more than wins and losses.
I just had to write all this out to remind everyone of the path we took to this debate about Nolan and Snow .... So sorry for the long post ... I know that is not like me. ;)
505 said ~"Can I get a crowd shout out of Kumbya for our brother Steady!!!"
Sure can ... Kumbya my brother Steady....
Steady is right ... stability is the key to getting this club going ....
I also want to throw this out there .... Tampa Bay .... all they did is draft Stamkos .... they are changing owners ... changing coaches .... and for some reason ... that instability did nothing but attract a slew of FA signings ... and pending FA signings... was it more b/c of Stamkos then stability?? Has Stamkos even signed on the dotted line yet? I'm not saying he's going to pull a Blake Wheeler ... but what is the deal with Tampa able to re-build so quick with new ownership and a new coach ... btw ... Barry Melrose is not a beloved coach ... there are players who actually despise him ... but this is a new generation ... and another former coach entering the fray after more than over 10+ years out of coaching.
BTW ... Babcock extended by Blue Jackets ... is Wang giggling to himself calling Columbus stupid??? Or is he saying ... Oh boy ... why did they have to do that?
Interesting take by BD Gallof at Hockeybuzz re: the Witt signing...essentially saying Snow is locking up "Ted-guys" in case Nolan is gone before or during the season.
An interesting take, but I almost wonder if the opposite is true? If Witt came to play for Nolan, maybe he got some guarantees that Nolan would be around for the duration of Brendan's extension? Although, if Snow told me that, not sure I would trust him given his tendency to "stretch the truth" (see Yashin buyout, staying pat at #5, etc.)
I'm not crazy about PAYING McCabe, because it makes it less likely they will have the resources to go after a top forward next year and the year after when they will have more of a base to compliment.
There are too many ifs that come with the can opener.
Is he as bad defensively as he was last year. Probably not.
If the NHL slows down on expanding cap numbers his contract is an anchor for years to come.
How will Hillen develop this year?
What players will be avaiable, and EXPENDABLE at the trade deadline. If tambellini turns a corner and has 20 by xmas and we are in the 4th playoff spot... Toronto will still be shopping him... and if he's a need... then it would be a sounder deal. If not, then he's a waste of money that we saved in July.
I obviously do not like how the Nolan situation is being handled, but I'm really starting to get excited about October... and also seeing Bridgeport.
Another standing O' steady. way to pass the peace pipe and great great post. Don't go to soft on us though. We need your grit. lmao
19,
I guess you didn't read my post from the previous thread... or somehow you figured that my telling of the story wasn't good enough.
Well... either way, I'm glad to see you're on my side of this.
:-)
JP ... I did read your post ... and agree with it ... after reading a ton of posts both on here and on Islandermania regarding the issues surrounding Nolan and his blind loyalty to vets I wanted to put it in perspective ... and if my post supports your post ... then so be it ... I'm a firm believer in role players ... and Simon played a certain role.
Speaking of role players ... I'm curious to see how the current squad fits into certain strategies ... like plays along the boards.... which players are going to be the tie up guy and who's going to pick up the lose change guy trailing the play with the quick puck pick up to either setup a pass or shoot the puck on goal. It's a fundamental play that I noticed the Isles had trouble with last season.
Kozlov, Blake, Simon and even Satan as a finisher were big parts of that play. Sillinger and Guerin seem to be the only ones on the club now that I can think of that are effective with that kind of setup. I think that Okposo is good off the boards and I know Petrov (3 years from now hopefully) will be good off the boards.
This concerns me because plays off the boards are much more common than a rush.
Those muckers and grinders are essential to get some scoring ops off the boards.
Do the McCabe deal. He is not expensive when compared to the latest contracts. He's a good player that the Toronto fans and media have racked over the coals.
Guacamole Lover!
HI JP I had no problem with Simon when he cracked Hollewg. If you re read my post you'll see that I wrote AFTER THE RUUTU INCIDENT. Once Simon did that, I think he deserved to go. I can well understand how a player can get carried away after getting cheap shotted into the glass from behind. I am probably guilty of going after a guy like Holleweg myself on more than one occassion. Holleweg is a back shooter and always has been. He got what he deserved in my book.
But what Simon did to Ruutu is inexcusable. Right then and there he should have been sent packing. Loyalty is one thing, but Ted's loyalty belongs to the team first and Simon second. Simon became a distraction and the Islanders and hockey in general suffered because of it.
I want a coach who puts the team first and friendship second.
19 ISLES I think what you said about Dunham was incorrect.
It was obvious to anyone that he had sat too long and was not the same player that started the season. No one can fault Nolan for using Dunham in the first place. But after he got shelled Nolan was way too slow to switch to Dubie. After two games he should have realized that Dunham was not in shape to play in the NHL anymore and made the switch.
I can't criticize him for trying Dunham but I do for not making the change soon enough...........Sir William
I don't like Sir Williams's line with McCabe/Campoli down there 5th and 6th defensemen. Alot of money for that spot. I don't think the Isles D is going to be a problem. There really isn't much room for McCabe.
I wonder how Sutton is going to turn out this year.. and who is Streit going to play with? How about a line with Streit / Martinek.. 3 Things this does 1 splits up (witt/martinek), puts Streit on the Left side, Martinek experience along side Streit, his 2 on 1 play is good, his breakout passing would help launch a 4 man rush. I also think Witt could play with almost anyone and make a strong Defensive pair.
19 ISELS Doug Weight is going to be the set up guy. That's why the signed him. Bergy and Comeu both look pretty strong along the boards. Colliton also looks like he may fit that role if he makes the team. And Parkand Hunter have always been reliable board players.
Neilsen and Tamby look to be more in the transition type game players. They will score off speed and passing
Okposo looks like he is a natural who has the knack for getting open in a shooting position. I think this is where Weight comes in.
Sillinger is the big question mark to me. Does he come back and how much does he have left if he does..........Sir William
19 ISLES "BTW ... Babcock extended by Blue Jackets ... is Wang giggling to himself calling Columbus stupid??? Or is he saying ... Oh boy ... why did they have to do that?"
Babcock coaches the Red Wings. Hitchcock coachs the Jackets.
Do you have your CO*KS mixed up. LOL LOL LOL....Sir William
Just to clarify my thoughts:
1. Yes, Nolan took too long to pull the ice out from under Dunham. My point is that I feel as though the relationship between Dunham and Snow may have influenced that lag. If you're goign to burn Nolan for hanging on to Simon too long, then toss the ax on Snow for Dunham. When all was said and "dun" they eventually went the right way... sure the fans would have done it sooner, but there are so many factors that a guy with a beer in one hand and his john henry in the other (I'm just talking about myself here...) don't have to deal with...
2. Willy, I felt the same way about simon after Ruutu. This guy had completely lost his self control. Do a search on YouTube for Cherry/Simon/Ruutu... His spin on the subject comes from a dissertation on what a jerk Avery is(so it's worth the price of admission just for that). These are guys that just dig and dig and dig...and then laugh at you in the penalty box. Simon was a ticking time bomb... every one of those little craps was giving him sh#t when he came back... who knows what Rutuu said to him.. Well.. I don't agree with what Simon did, but I can understand Nolan giving him one last chance.
Like a few folks here have said about the Hollweg situation... there have been a few Hollweg's in my life that rolled the dice once too often..
I think Sir William is right on the mark in the Dunham issue. Dunham was the natural choice to start once DP was injured. However, it became painfully clear after those first 2 games that Dunham just didn't have it anymore. I keep thinking of that game where we scored 5 goals and lost 8-5 to Florida. That's the kind of game a team battling for its life and a playoff berth needs to win. As dramatic as Dubie's poke-check was, we wouldn't have needed it if the team had won a game like that. I killed Nolan at the time for that decision, if only because it was clear Dunham had nothing left. It sounds like specious logic to a degree, but Dubie could not have been any worse than Dunham, but since he was used to handling a starter's load in the AHL you at least knew he'd give you something.
I'm glad Dubie was able to save the season, and I'm sorry to see him go. However, the fact remains that it never had to come to that, and Nolan did the team a great disservice by letting Dunham do his best sieve impression for too long. Nolan was one of the main reasons they made the playoffs, but he was also the main reason they almost missed.
19 Isle -
Just to emphasize my agreement with both Sir Willie and Nick... I think the Dunham fiasco was the 2nd most important reason why Nolan failed to get an Adams nomination that year.
One of Nolan's greatest strengths is said to be his undying loyalty. Strengths unchecked often can become weaknesses.
transfer agreement reached....here's the link
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=243045&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_nhl
In my post regarding Dunham .. I was making note about the choice of picking Dunham first over Dubie ... I wasn't giving Nolan the all clear for using Dunham ... yes ... MD should of been yanked actually in the 8-5 loss to the cats ... that was the second game for Dunham when he replaced DP who we were told had a "stiff neck" ... that is the game our old friend Jokinen picked us apart.... It was 3-3 at the end of the first period ... and then Dunham settled down in the second ... so was Nolan to start MD or Dubie in the 3rd? That is the million dollar question that we have 20/20 hindsight.... BTW ... Florida scored 2 empty netgoals ... MD gave up 6 goals .. not 8. Still sucked.
DP came back after that game ... and won 2 games and lost 2 in OT before the "stiff neck" somehow became something else .... remember??? That was after that last Ranger game where Avery ran DP.
I think MD played the next game against the Devils and played better .. but took himself out because of leg cramps.... I think that is what was said .. he gave up I think 3 goals.. maybe 4 .. I don't remember exactly. Then the next game was against the mighty Sabres and they picked MD apart.... Then the rest was ALL Dubie who the next game got picked apart by Ottawa... before he ended the season with 4 consecutive wins to get the Isles in by the skin of their teeth.
So I don't think it was as cut and dry as it was being portrayed ... Dunham played 2 games ... got blasted by power house Ottawa ... then 6 goals by Florida ... then DP came back for 4 games ... then a good game in a loss to the Devils ... then he got blasted by powerhouse Buffalo before he got the permanent heave ho.... Nolan can't be faulted for giving MD the game against Buffalo after having a decent game against the Devils... infact Dube did no better his first full game in. So as much as MD let the Isles down ... I'm not ready to kill Nolan for it... MD should have been able to handle his duties.
Also, as JP noted .. Nolan's loyalty to Dunham was probably more influenced by Snow's relationship to Dunham ... for those who don't know .. they were both teammates at Maine.
I also have to say ... if anything ... what was the reason Dunham got that way in the first place??? A light workload??? Dunham was kicking ice in the first month of the season ... Oh .. and I think I mistakenly mentioned the Sharks when I said Dunham saved the day in the previous post ... but it was the powerhouse Ducks ... not Sharks.
SW ... LOLOLOL!! yes ... I got confused with the C*cks ... I was thinking Bab when I should of been thinking Hitch .... and speaking of the Blue Jackets .... the signed Filatov .... which I wonder how much that new Russian Transfer agreement had an impact.
Oh ... with Filatov signing that 3 year standard entry contract ... I wonder if that means he's going to play in the NHL this season ... he looks like he'd get crushed .... he'll probably be headed to the AHL ... Columbus pretty much gave Filatov's OHL team the bird with that signing.
Ought to be interesting.
SW - I know that weight is the setup man .... but there is a very important play in hockey ... the puck support guy .. the guy that follows the play to the boards as the puck carrier gets angled off the puck along the boards.... a special type of player that is the third man in on the boards and digs the puck loose as the first two players (ala doc emrick call) cancel each other out. ... A very underated by important skill. On the rush we know how Weight will be.
Also ... I did forget to mention Bergy ... he should be good at that kind of play.
One of the strategies my team uses is to go wide on the boards if 2 defenders have clogged the passing lanes well .. so we end up going along the boards and drawing in one of the defenders ... and we have a trailer to that dig out the puck as our puck carrier gets tied up by the defender ... we actually do that to decoy the opposing team ... I want to know who on the Isles has that uncanny skill at getting in their and plucking the puck onto his stick to set up a scoring chance.
I think we have about 3 or 4 guys that should be good at that. Hunter would be good at that too ... I think he got a lot of assists this season because of that.
Lets play a game ...now this game can cause fighting - but hey, why break with tradition right? ;-)
Name the 3 current players on the Isles roster that you just can't stand...ya know ...the player that everytime he's on the ice you sink in your seat ...or when he touches the puck you get ready to yell something vulgar ...I mean, not that a classy fella such as myself would do such a thing ofcourse ;-)
Here are my three in no particular order ...
1) Bruno Gervais - I think he's so overrated ...he really hasn't shown anything special as far as skating or any real skill at all ...I think he's a 6 or 7 or maybe an 8th D-man who sees plenty of ice time because of our lack of any real D-prospects
2) Andy Hillbert - I mean ...jeez what's not to hate about stone hands? I'm not sure if it's his fault or if his being on the PP or getting minutes makes me hate him ...or maybe it's the precious way he misses empty nets?
3) Trent Hunter - I like what he COULD be ...but I hate the fact he refuses to be that guy. He could score 25 a year - easily - but would rather go for the meaningless check than fight for pucks, park himself infront of the net - or take the puck and bully himself to the net ...he's big and strong and has great hands ...but has been a major dissapointment and now is going to be a 3rd liner for the next 5 years with us ...
Ok, some of you may disagree ...but lets hear your top (or should I say bottom 3) ...
19 ISLES From what I saw last year, the Isles used the "Left Wing Lock" most of the season. I am guessing that they will use the same attack this year only with much faster skaters.
I am really anxious to see how Tambs and Neilsen play the transition game. With Streit making the first pass out of the zone
(something the Isles lacked all year last year) Tambs and Neilsen should be flying by the time they hit the opposing blue line. I am envisioning lots of 2 on 1 's. And lots of garbage for the third man into the zone.
One thing for sure is that team speed has greatly increased this year. Last year the faster teams gave us fits. Losing Tank, Satan and Joe V (who signed in Russia or Europe) has made the team much faster and we should be able to kkep up with the quicker teams.
I also see the Islander "D" joining the rush more. Streit adds that dimension and Campoili and Gervias have the capability but have been held back somewhat. With Berard gone, Campoli has to step up this year. Hopefully his rehab included putting on some muscle and adding to his upper body strength.
I still like McCabe and hope that the trade takes place. I don't see how he can go back to Toronto after everything that has gone on.
Man, if you think Yashin was a whipping boy, you ain't seen nothing like a Leafs crowd. They will be killing him every day on the radio, on TV and in the papers. I think Fletcher has made it impossible for him to play there again. I can only hope that it works out for us...........Sir William
AZS.....I'll play
1) MAB 2) Davison 3) Gordie Lane
Ohhh wait my bad....Current guys:
To be honest I do not have a target yet....They got rid of the guys I could not stand....No MAB No Davison....All is okay
***One thing I will say...We ALL except Miggsey killed Campoli before he made a 180 last year.....Let's hold judgement on Gervais fo a little big...I was the biggest culprit of all saying Campoli was a wet rag on the ice and he really stepped up in 07 before the injury.....Yah never know!