Yes! Islanders

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Hockey thoughts

You knew that the excitement (and Snow-managed uncertainty) about the 2009 NHL Draft, followed immediately by free agency, would mean a certain franchise-defining real estate project would lose the spotlight for a bit.

Now that the Islanders are in wait-and-see bargain-hunting mode (a.k.a. B+ grade from Puck Daddy), and the big names are mostly off the market league-wide (check out Mirtle's post on who has money left; keep in mind the Isles' figure is without the inevitable Tavares rubber-stamp entry-level deal), it's time to surf some Isles links, Lighthouse Project and otherwise.

It's amazing who you can meet at an event like the NHL Entry Draft. In my travels, I bumped into the face and radio voice of HockeysFuture.com, Dustin Nielson. After some very interesting conversation, I passed him a business card and really didn't think much of it.

Fast forward to last night when I received an e-mail from Dustin about doing a short spot on HockeysFutureRadio.com for tonight's show. You can't imagine how stoked I was to be able to contribute to such a comprehensive hockey research website. Make sure to head over to their site tonight and give it a listen.

I'll make sure to post the link once it's up so you guys can listen to it on my site just in case you miss it tonight.

It's amazing who you can meet an event like the NHL Entry Draft. In my travels, I bumped into the face and radio voice of HockeysFuture.com, Dustin Nielson. After some very interesting conversation, I passed him a business card and really didn't think much of it.

If you expected the Islanders to make a big splash in the Free Agent market this year, you weren't paying attention to the plan that's in place. The idea is to build from within, through the Draft, with young players that grow as professionals through the Islanders system.

With a #1-A goalie acquired in the form of Dwayne Roloson on July 1st, the Islanders didn't believe that there would be any other requirements for the upcoming NHL season. However, there were some needs to be addressed for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Here's the Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ISLANDERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH THREE PLAYERS

Team Signs Munroe, Reich And Westgarth For Next Season

UNIONDALE, NY, July 2, 2009 – The New York Islanders announced today that they have agreed to terms with three players. Goaltender Scott Munroe, left wing Jeremy Reich and defenseman Brett Westgarth all have signed one-year, two-way contracts.

Awwweee... It's always nice to wake up at an un-godly hour and see a nice little story that makes you smile, and Point Blank always manages to find them. So it seems that ex-NY Islander Bill Guerin will bring the Stanley Cup to Long Island. Nice of him to do so since we haven't been able to do it ourselves in what? Twenty-five years? But I'm not sure if anyone other than his kids and their friends will be spending any time with it. At least it will see the LIE again.

The bigger question for the Guerin family should be... where are you going to live next season Billy? Have you put your Long Island home up for sale yet? Great guys like you are hard to come by. Sorry to see you go.

For the past several summers, diehard Islanders fans congregated daily at Islanders Ice Works in Syosset for a week to get a look at the organization's young talent. The openness of Prospects Camp, an event which many Isles fans plan their summers around, has been an example of just how amenable the Islanders have been to its fanbase. Now, however, following the addition of #1 overall pick John Tavares, the Prospects Camp has taken a turn for the worse.

"Every time you go into a city, or a new community where you don’t know too many people, it’s always nice to be welcomed by the people you are going to be dealing with everyday and it’s going to be great to interact with them."

I’ve been saying for the past few weeks that the Isles needed to sign a more than competent veteran backup goaltender, one that can pick up the slack if Rick DiPietro is unable to play as much as he would like to this season.

Dwayne Roloson can definitely be that guy.

He’s got playoff experience and has proven he can be more than dependable, especially when on a team lacking offense. This plays a huge role when you consider the fact that even with John Tavares on board, the Islanders offense will be questionable and will be struggling to find its identity this season.

So, I felt a statement was made about Dipietro's situation last Saturday.

We knew a strong back-up was coming in. It happened.

Roloson is older, but he's coming off his best season ever. The numbers were good. He can play 30 or 60 games. It's a good signing. $2.5 isn't cheap, but we're under the cap level, so no problem.

Throw in this kid Munroe, who just went 31-19-4 with an excellent .926 SV% and well, Bridgeport would seem very well stacked, considerin All Rookie Team goalie Lawson is there and Koskinen is scheduled for BPort too.

Now, not even one week later, the statement has become stronger.

Precaution is one thing, but what the Islanders are doing is more than being careful. They're planning as if Dipietro isn't there. They're planning as if they're assuming Roloson will hold the fort for two years, just to clear the way for Koskinen.

Well, I guess it's the safest way to go.

In the days leading up to the draft, Garth Snow was already being lauded for his handling of the first selection. By not tipping his hand at all, he was keeping the Islanders squarely in the spotlight league-wide, while simultaneously piquing the interest of the fan base. Upon converting the tap-in of actually selecting Tavares, Snow has continued to receive praise.

No big news (remember: Rebuild, Year Two, here. Stay focused.), but the Islanders announced a few depth signings inked to one-year, two-way contracts. Two of them spend their share of time in the sin bin. But most notable is ex-Philadelphia Phantom Scott Munroe, a strong AHL goaltender.

As far as playoff-less offseasons go, this year's is unquestionably the most exciting in the recent history of the team. Days after the season ended, we had the drama of the Draft Lottery. My heart-rate increased with each envelope that was opened. I started to settle down a bit after Colorado was revealed at #3, figuring even if Tampa won they would take Hedman. Still, I nearly hit the ceiling when we secured that #1 spot and John Tavares.

ISLANDERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH THREE PLAYERS
Team Signs Munroe, Reich And Westgarth For Next Season

UNIONDALE, NY, July 2, 2009 -- The New York Islanders announced today that they have agreed to terms with three players. Goaltender Scott Munroe, left wing Jeremy Reich and defenseman Brett Westgarth all have signed one-year, two-way contracts.