Ryan Whitney A Fit On Long Island?

ryan whitney may be taking one-yr contract to sign somewhere. carolina or isles seems possible fit
— Jim Matheson (@NHLbyMatty) July 24, 2013

My take: I wanted Whitney for the playoffs. Don't know where you can put him with most of the roster filled out. Still interesting enough to ponder and a one year deal would be par for the Islanders course. If the Islanders wanted to go 8 defenseman, then sure, take a shot. Thoughts?

Bailey Added To Isles Core

From New York Islanders.com

The Islanders locked up another home-grown core player to a long-term deal Monday.

“Obviously I’m very excited,” Bailey said. “I have to thank the organization – Charles Wang and Garth Snow, as well as the whole coaching staff – for believing in me and committing to me for another five years. It’s a really special, incredible feeling.”

Islanders General Manager Garth Snow extended a verbal vote of confidence to the forward the Islanders selected ninth overall in the 2008 NHL Draft.

“Josh has become an important member of the young core of the players we have in our dressing room,” Snow said. “We’re excited to come to terms with him on a deal that will ensure he is a member of this team as we solidify ourselves as consistent playoff contenders.”

My take: This core of players should excite Islanders fans for years to come. Fans have finally seen the maturation process of this organization and the fact that both fans and the organization wanted him signed, means that this was a good pick after all in 2008. Personally I was going for Colin Wilson, but for those who wanted Nikita Filatov, don't quit your day jobs ;-)

 

Thoughts From Isles Free Agency: Earn Your Keep

Letting free agency soak in a little gives me a little more perspective on the type of general manager Garth Snow is. He always has had a plan and he has stuck to it. What I realized after some of these signings was that not only is Garth going to let his young prospects marinate in the minors, he's going to make them earn their spots. Don't get me wrong, I like the moves made so far as I will discuss each one, but at some time these kids are going to have to show they belong in the NHL. Maybe winning a playoff round or two in the AHL may help with that. Either way this organization is full of talent and ready to roll. Let's go over the signings starting with goaltending:

Free Agency Continues for Isles

#Isles sign F Pierre-Marc Bouchard to one-year, $2 million deal.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) July 5, 2013

Yeah this is a big gamble. This is the low-risk/high reward most fans were expecting. I'll have more on this later, but I'm not sure. For now, If he stays healthy this was a great smart move by Snow. There is enough depth in this organization that if he does get injured, the Islanders should not miss a beat. What this is doing is keeping the prospects in Bridgeport and develop, which is still the plan.

Islanders Sign Regin

#Isles sign former Sens F Peter Regin to 1-year deal worth $750K.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) July 5, 2013

I think the Islanders may have found their third line RW, but he can also play C. More on this later, but it looks like Cal Clutterbuck is the new RW for John Tavares,

Nabby To Return

#Isles have re-signed G Evgeni Nabokov to a 1-year, $3.25 million deal.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) July 5, 2013

That's a good start to the day. Nabby despite a poor playoffs, helps this club especially with the lack of options in this free agent pool.  More to come.

DiPietro Officially Bought Out

ISLANDERS TRANSACTION: #Isles announce compliance buyout on goaltender Rick DiPietro's contract http://t.co/5BR7VAuZir
— NYIslanders (@NYIslanders) July 3, 2013

Best of luck to Rick. I hope he finds a job somewhere soon. A backup role in the NHL but a AHL or Europe deal may be the best for him right now. At 31 still has time for a comeback.

Scuderi Appears A Non Option For Isles

Hearing if Rob Scuderi doesn't return to #LAKings, #NYIslanders not an option, team happy with defense, has similar players.
— Dennis Bernstein (@DennisTFP) June 25, 2013

My Take: I've said this before folks, Brian Strait is their number 4 and he should be. I've seen him play too many times up here in Pennsylvania and many Penguins fans believed he was an NHL defenseman when he was there for the baby Penguins. The talent pool was just too much in Pitt and the Isles made a great move. This is where fans are really gonna have to start trusting Garth Snow some more. Could the Isles use a little more size on defense, agreed. Do they need to do that now, or in July? No. Give Strait a chance over the full season and you'll see why players like Scuderi are not needed on the Island.