Where Do The Islanders Go From Here

I tweeted something to the affect of “It doesn’t get any worse than that” referring of course to a goal that no one saw and it was awarded to the Colorado Avalanche after they had just beat the New York Islanders by a final of 5-3. Thomas Vanek threw his stick in the direction of the puck, so it’s awarded to the opposing team. No one realized it until later on that the final score had changed. That was quite possibly the lowest point for the Islanders this year. Now what? What do fans look forward to for the rest of this season? Continue Reading....

Kevin Poulin: The Unknown Goaltender

Kevin Poulin: The Unknown Goaltender

http://islestalk.com/?p=1737#more-1737

Why fans are looking for another "Known" backup goalie.

Isles Have Interest In Tim Thomas

From the Boston Globe:

If an NHL club comes calling at this point, it might only be to extend Thomas a training camp invitation, no money guaranteed, with a shot at winning a backup job. Many, if not most, European jobs are locked up by Aug. 1 at the latest. The Islanders and Flyers have been rumored to have interest in Thomas.

My Take: This is indeed going to be a huge camp for the New York Islanders goaltenders. I'll go on record now, it's Kevin Poulin's to lose the backup job and not to beat anyone else out. Anders Nilsson hasn't really played due to an illness & Thomas hasn't played, period. I like the idea of at least bringing in Thomas on a tryout, to increase the competition, but if Poulin does as well as Thomas then there should be no debating that Poulin should get the nod. I would expect him to get 20+ games in this season. 

Coming up tomorrow, my new write up will be on Kevin Poulin and why I believe he should be the back up for the Islanders this season. Don't forget to follow me @Netminder39!!

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:

Isles Not Interested In Luongo

League source says #Isles not one of the teams inquiring about Luongo. That certainly doesn't mean they won't try to upgrade in net
— Brett Cyrgalis (@BrettCyrgalis) June 26, 2013

My take: there's two possibilities here: 1. Nabokov is still close to signing 2. The Islanders may have their eyes on someone else for the short term. But at least now, as of this post, the Isles will not be pursuing Luongo. Could that change on draft day, maybe, but not likely. The longer Nabokov goes unsigned, the less likely he is to return. But if the Islanders stick to their plan, then the Poulin/Nilsson combination will be the future of the organization and there may only need to be a short term goaltender for this coming year. If Nilsson has a season worthy of being brought up, then the Isles will not need a starting goalie for more than a year. I also believe that is why DiPietro may not be bought out until next year. DP could at least be a backup to Poulin this year if something happens to the starter. If it's clear Nilsson is ready, DP will be bought out next year.  

Update 5:30pm

Talks between the #Isles and Nabokov have come to a standstill. The soon-to-be 38yo goalie with test the free agency market come July 5
— Brett Cyrgalis (@BrettCyrgalis) June 26, 2013

Well, there goes possibility number one. I'm going to say this now: The draft on Sunday will be interesting. Given that Snow has made trades before draft day, look for something to start by Saturday. If a trade does not work out...we'll worry about that on Monday.... 

Isles Chances At Bernier

Photo courtesy of ilovegoalies.blogspot.com

Islanders fans, including myself have agreed that the goaltending situation is to be the biggest mystery this coming offseason. There's no secret that many Isles fans would love to get their hands on Jonathan Bernier, the Los Angeles Kings backup goaltender who could be a starter for any team in the NHL right now. But the Islanders would are not the only ones that want Bernier. According to Pierre LeBrun, ESPN and TSN analyst had this to say about Bernier's trade status:

DiPietro On A List Of Potential Buyouts

From Le Journal De Montreal: A good list of potential buyouts around the NHL include some interesting players. The ten mentioned are as follows: Tomas Kaberle (Montreal), Mike Komisarek (Toronto), Ilya Bryzgalov (Philadelphia),  Keith Ballard (Vancouver),  Brad Richards (New York Rangers), Daniel Brière (Philadelphia), Anton Volchenkov (New Jersey), Rick DiPietro (New York Islanders), Dany Heatley (Minnesota), Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay).

My take: I don't see Lecavalier nor Volchenkov being bought out. It's been reported that Briere will be bought out. The others will remain to be seen. This just makes a point that this offseason will be different in that these free agents are now being added to a group that before the end of this season, was not looking good at all. It's not a major improvement, but you should see a trend of teams making moves to get under the new cap ceiling. That's where the Isles come into play. As of this writing, Capgeek.com has the Islanders payroll at just under 36 million for net year. Even on a budget, the Islanders can absorb a decent contract and still be near the budget they want to be at and resign their free agents as well.  As for DiPietro, he should be on this list, but for some reason (call it a gut feeling) I don't think the Isles will buy him out this year. Management may want to see what they have in Poulin and a healthy Nilsson next year and make a decision on Mikko Koskinen, who is playing very well over in Europe. The Islanders have the option of buyouts either in this summer or next, so there is no pressure for them (except from the peer pressure of the fans) to make a move like that just yet.