Smyth An Islander

Not official, but Islanders have dealt former picks O'Marra, Nilsson, and this years first rounder for Smyth.

This puts the Islanders ahead of a lot of teams, and it doesnt matter where they finish in the top 8 because they're now contenders. More analysis coming shortly.

Perreault Returns To Toronto

Toronto aquires Yanic Perreault from the Coyotes for Brendan Bell and a second round pick in 2008.

This will help Toronto in their faceoffs as Perreault is the best there is, and he can still score.

Buffalo Gets Zubrus

The Buffalo Sabres made a splash aquiring Dainus Zubrus, and a prospect from Washington for Jiri Novotny, and a 1st round pick.

With the injuries to the Sabres, Zubrus will be slated in the top six forwards. This should help them win first place in the conference and very dangerous in the playoffs.

Atlanta Adds Another Defenseman

Atlanta gets Pascal Dupuis from the Rangers for a prospect.

Atalta has done a good job making a statement that thy're playoff bound this year.

Bertuzzi A Wing

Former Islander Todd Bertuzzi has been traded to the Detroit Red Wings from the Florida Panthers.

If i'm a hockey fan, i'd be watching the Western Conference in the playoffs this year.

Ducks Make Minor Move So Far

Ducks aquire forward Brad May from Colorado.

Ottawa Adds Depth

Ottawa recieves Forward Oleg Saprykin and a 7th rd pick from Phoenix for a 2nd round pick.

This is a depth for the playoffs move and you can never have enough depth.

Ward To Rangers

Aaron Ward is traded from the Rangers to the Boston Bruins. Rangers get Paul Mara.

This certainly helps the Bruins defense as Ward was a distraction in the Rangers locker room. I feel that Ward is a better fit in Boston and will produce better in Boston. Mara will be a good depth defenseman for the Rangers.

Guerin To Sharks

Bill Guerin has been traded to San Jose from St. Louis. As of now a 1st round pick and future considerations.

This was the trade eveyone has been waiting for. Let's find out what kind of effect this will have with Blake, if any.

Pittsburgh Just Got Tougher

Penguins aquired Forward George Laraque from Pheonix for Dan Carcillo, and an 8th round pick.

Update!!! 12:35pm Penguins send Dominic Moore to the Minnesota Wild for a 3rd round draft pick in this years draft.


Crosby now has protection in case anyone trys to go after him. Still doesnt fill their need for more defensive help though.

Biron To Philly...Conklin To Buffalo

Buffalo trades Biron to Philly for an undisclosed draft pick. Also Ty Conklin now traded to Buffalo.

Buffalo has extra cap room now with Biron gone. Great move by Philly and if they can sign Biron to a lomg term deal, this team has turned themselves around and should look good next season.

Roberts A Penguin

Roberts waived the no-trade clause to play with Cosby and company in Pitsburgh.

I've noticed that a lot of Eastern teams are getting better on offense right now. Atlanta got both defense and offense, but the focus really has been on offense.

Three Way Trade

Wings get Kyle Calder, Chicago gets Jason Williams, and Philly gets Kukkonen.

The Wings get experience in Calder, Chicago gets younger and promising Williams while Philly continues to rebuild by getting Kukkonen a possible top six defensman.

Blake Going To Anaheim, & Now Detroit

I know that basically the top Western Conference teams are in the hunt for Blake. However, it's been said that Nashville, Vancouver, Detroit, San Jose and Dallas all have interest. From another "source" of mine, the Islanders are ready to trade Jason Blake to the Ducks. Please stay tuned...

UPDATE!!! IF the Ducks cannont get there hands on Geurin, then Blake is their next option. But who will they give up? sounds like a first rounder. But I would like to see the Isles get their kid Cory Perry.

UPDATE!!! This coming from the Detroit Free Press: The Red Wings are still looking around for more depth in the hopes of adding another forward before this afternoon’s NHL trade deadline. The New York Islanders have called and offered Jason Blake; he doesn’t have much size (he’s listed as 5-foot-10) but he put the puck in the net 29 times in 62 games this season.

Smolinski & Sopel To Vancouver

Vancouver Canucks acquire Bryan Smolinski from Chicago for a 2007, 2nd round draft pick.

This will only help out the Canucks. Being a former Islander and have watched him play, he should be a good playmaking center for the Canucks. The one thing that has me going in the trades right now are just really draft picks, and other than St. Louis made a big splash getting quite a bit for Tkachuk everyone else is just a second rounder.....more trades to come....enjoy.

The Vancouver Canucks Have re-acquired defenceman Brent Sopel from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a second and fourth round picks.

Well I think that should solidify what Vancouver was in need for. Both former Islanders should be a big support to the Canucks chances, and do make them cup contenders.

Zednik Is An Islander

Washington just traded Richard Zednik to the Islanders for a 2007 second round pick.

Well this means one of two things Islanders fans: One...he'll replace Blake on the first line cause Blake is on the verge of being traded. Two....he'll be on the first line with Blake and Yashin, and that could be a nice first line if Zednik gels with his new line mates. Zednik, when healthy, can produce 20+ goals a year and could be a force on a powerplay. More analysis after the trade deadline is over, but dont be surprised f the Blake rumors continue for now.

What A Wave Of Players

the following players have been placed on waivers: "Michael Leighton - Flyers, Denis Hamel - Thrashers, Jason Krog - Rangers, Niko Kapanen - Thrashers, Marc Chouinard - Canucks, Aaron Downey - Canadiens, Brian Boucher - Blackhawks, Bryan Berard - Blue Jackets, Petr Cajanek - Blues" according to TSN.

This is only marketable for teams who actually have room in there cap to aquire these players. It will be really interesting to see who picks up these players.

Trade Deadline News

Starting now, and up until the trade deadline is over, I will be helping cover the trades that go on. Please stay tuned for the latest news, and trades that are made.

Quick note on the Rivet trade: Montreal did aquire a number one draft pick, which certainly means that Montreal is not done dealing yet, and may be in pursuit of another "big" name player. Another good guess, is that with Rivet's contract no longer in Montreal, could be a sign that Montreal may try to sign Souray sooner rather than later.

Blake To Be Traded

Lets also remember fans that Yashin is returning soon from his knee injury, and there are only two players in this organization who can play with him: Blake and Nilsson. Having Yashin back is like a major trade that never happened but will help the team. If you trade Blake now, and that first line doesnt gell, this could be a short post season. Snow must be very careful who he wants for Blake. Draft picks/prospects dont help a first line right now, they're good for the future, which this team already has. If Snow does pull the trigger, make sure it's for a top six forward, preferably a winger who can score. What also doesnt make sense is that if the Islanders are trading for offense, which is what they need, why are we giving up our top goal scorer this season? Are we gonna rely on Nilsson to suddenly put up big numbers when he gets here. Do the Islanders want to risk that? Another question into consideration is will this next person be able to play with Yashin? My best example: Miro Satan. The Islanders brought him here for Yashin and it never really panned out. Fans will have to watch what happens next, but I dont see the Islanders trading Blake.

Ride The Wave

Before the season started, most columnists and hockey "experts" had the Islanders going dead last in the conference, possibly the league. The only two people to save the season were Nolan and DiPietro. Now that the Islanders are not even close to the cellar and are possible post season bound, the same two men will be the ones that the rest of the team will ride with. DiPietro will start against Toronto and Montreal, he'll demand it. So scratch off Dunham starting. Nolan will continue to work his players and the Islanders will soon be getting ready for the post season.
Now about the trade for Bergeron. A day after he was traded to the Islanders, Martinek was lost for the year, so Snow had to have known in advance that he needed to make that trade. If Nolan continues to work with Bergeron, he'll improve in the system. For the exception of this year, he as been on the plus side for his defense. Grebeshkov has shown promise, but not at the NHL level. We needed someone to replace Martinek and win now.

Another Move On The Way?

Glad Snow finally made a trade, and a good one. Now he has maybe one more to go. In all honesty since going 6-2-2 in the last 10 games, including Pitt today, eventually getting Yashin back will be like making a trade. Many of you already think that Blake does work well with Yashin, so why not keep both, and make one more trade for that winger that we're all craving for? That would give the Islanders four solid lines that could really make it difficult for any team to beat us. I'd hate to ruin the speculation but i dont forsee Blake leaving anytime soon, he's the only one working with Yash. You know if Blake wants to stay loyal with the Islanders, Wang will resign him. Having said that....Look for the Islanders to make one more trade for the forward to play along side Yashin and Blake. The Islanders do have quite a few defenseman on their team so the obvious thought is that one of them will be dealt. But this blogger will not get into speculations.

Make The Trade Now

If Garth Snow wants to make a trade, do it now. Whoever he wants to get, make the trade before the Islanders start on their 7 game home stretch. The Islanders have three great lines with Tambellini, Kozlov and Satan. There is no need for a second line center at this point with Tambellini forming a great mix on that line. Go for the big gun Snow, just dont trade away the farm. Ever since Yashin went out with the knee injury, everyone has contributed. Now its time to get someone in for Blake and Yashin when he returns so the Islanders really have a legitimate scoring first line. Okay now I have mentioned before who we should get, but if I had to go for two guys with the most availablilty right now, it would be Guerin or Anson Carter. I think Guerin could be a great "dream" move and if the Islanders aquired him, this is a post first round team in the playoffs. Carter is the wild card. When Carter is on, he finds the back of the net often, but he's not as physical as he should be. Either way, he's a better fit for a first line then Chris Simon is. Carter may also be more affordable then Guerin as well. But if the Islanders really want to make a statement in this years playoffs, then get a big gun winger and do it now. This team is ready to break out and make a big push during the homestand and need the firepower now.

Buyers Or Sellers

The Islanders sit 4 points behind Carolina for the 8th seed in the conference as of this post, and are currently undefeated in regulation going 4-0-3. They play Philly tonight, which should help the Islanders in the standings. The question is simple: Should the Islanders be buyers or sellers? My answer is.....buyers, but i think the Islanders should look at low-risk, high reward player(s), or in hockey terms, a rental player(s). So what do the Islanders need then if they are to be buyers? Garth Snow has already indicated a second line center and a winger for the top line. Defense according to him from Newsday, said he likes the defense as it is with the return of Poti, and Gervais returning. I think with the unrestrited free agents out there, the Islanders most pressing need would be a top winger. Ther're a ton of wingers out there, but I think the Islanders will persue the following: Bertuzzi, Geuren, Lapointe, Carter, Doan, and maybe Modin. Yeah I know big splash there. The problem is, the teams trading these players will want more in return then the players worth. That's why bringing up someone like Jeff Tambellini from the minors is a good move for now. The kid has 3 points in 3 games, ride with the kid and maybe you wont need to trade for one of those big name wingers. As far as a second line ceneter goes depends on the winger the Islanders get in the trade. The Islanders should look at bringing back a former Islander: Bryan Smolinski, or...... yes, i'm saying this, Pierre Turgeon. Smolinski, Satan, Kozlov will definitly have teams paying attention to that line. If Smoliski is not available, or if we get a star winger, and need an inexpensive rental, and probably sell a few more tickets at the coliseum to give him a fond farewell, then I think the Islanders should go after Turgeon. He's been a healthy scratch in Colorado, and would only be worth a low draft pick in this years draft. He knows the atmosphere at the coliseum during the playoffs, and will defenitly give the fans something to watch. Now, i know Snow is not really looking for blueline help, but i would love to see if he could pick up Bryan Berard for the playoffs. He hasnt played at all this year, would prob be worth another pick, and Berard can at least come back for the playoffs, and showcase what he still has left. Berard would certainly help out on a powerplay that has not been great with scoring defensman on this team, and Berard would only be used on the third defensive pairing when Martinek returns, so Berard wont be under a lot pressure coming in. The Islanders would be more solid with Berard in the lineup than Gervais. If the Islanders do get players of this caliber, then they will give Buffalo or New Jersey a run for their money in the playoffs. But this should not hurt the core of the team, and if the Islanders do lose in the first round, then they would've only given up low round picks, and nothing else....depending on if the Islanders get a top name winger of course.......stay tuned.