Fisticuffs specialist Brett Gallant has agreed to terms on a one-year entry level contract with the Islanders. (Photo: M Richter/flickr)

• Brett Gallant has signed an entry-level deal with the Isles, good for one year. The third-year Sound Tiger is third in the AHL in penalty minutes with 174. 
• Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma had some nice things to say about the Isles earlier today, according to the Pens’  Twitter. 
• Oh yeah… there’s a game tonight.

The Penguins are looking for some redemption after losing to the Isles 4-1 last week. Since that loss, they’ve been on a tear, winning three straight and outscoring their opponents (the Rangers, the Devils and Washington) 14-4. Yowza.

While the Pens did manage to double up the Capitals on Sunday, they had let a 3-1 lead slip away prior to a Chris Kunitz hat trick. Playing on Sidney Crosby’s wing has definitely sparked Kunitz’s game (as it should); he has seven points in his last two games.

Meanwhile, the Isles are tweaking some things. We’re finally going to get a sustained look at Brad Boyes on the top line with John Tavares and Matt Moulson, as Kyle Okposo is demoted to the second line. Eric Boulton’s a scratch tonight, as Colin McDonald returns from suspension and bumps Casey Cizikas back down to fourth-line wing. And Joe Finley is still out of the lineup, while Radek Martinek is on IR (my reaction: LOL ARE YOU SERIOUS HE HASN’T EVEN PLAYED A GAME… oh, right. Visnovsky’s coming.).

In goal, it’ll be Marc-Andre Fleury, who had a miserable outing last time, against Penguin killer Evgeni Nabokov. (PETA, please don’t come after me for that one. I don’t mean those penguins.)

That’s about it from me. I’m looking forward to actually being able to watch this one on Gamecenter! Enjoy.

Newly-extended defenseman Brian Strait and the Islanders face off tonight against New Jersey. (Photo: Natalie Litz/flickr)

Defenseman Brian Strait has agreed to terms on a three-year contract with the Islanders. The team announced the signing this afternoon, and Bob McKenzie added that the deal averages out to about $775,000 per year. After  six games Strait has an even plus-minus and no points, but has exhibited a decent shutdown style of play and has hovered around 20 minutes of ice time a night.

Tonight, he’ll need to be solid, as the Atlantic Division’s first- and second-place teams clash at the Rock. The Devils outwilled and outplayed the Islanders, 2-1 on Opening Night at Nassau Coliseum, but the Islanders are fresh off of a resounding 4-1 win in Pittsburgh, so that might do something for their confidence.

Seeing as it’s around 3 p.m. and there are a plethora of previews better than what I can come up with, readily available, here are a few I think you should check out:

• islanders.nhl.com’s preview;
• Lighthouse Hockey’s take, complete with the lineup after Colin McDonald’s suspension;
• Arthur Staple’s bite about the Devils’ game, with quotes from Jack Capuano;
• SB Nation’s Devils site, In Lou We Trust, with a breakdown of what to expect.

Matt Martin and the Islanders managed to get just under the wire with a four-year contract, as announced only a few minutes ago. This means Martin, currently an RFA, will be signed until he’s 27 years old. This is great news for the Isles, as Martin is a fan favorite and a great player in his role on the team.

Now…

As you are probably well aware, in just about 20 minutes the NHL, barring some miracle, will head into another work stoppage. We all know the circumstances around this issue, and none of us know for sure when it will be resolved. There is, however, one thing to consider, and that’s the coverage on this blog. Got some news for ya, and you can take it well or hate me for it — it’s completely up to you.

While the Islanders and the NHL will be on break, Arbour Day will not be. We’ll be set to cover the Bridgeport Sound Tigers’ season starting in October, as well as some updates on how prospects are doing in juniors and European leagues. We’ll also have some new features up on the site, centered around hockey history and other fun stuff.

So please, stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy.

Journeyman Jon Landry signed a two-way contract with the Islanders on July 1. (Photo: Les Stockton/flickr)

Amidst all of the hullabaloo surrounding guys like Zach Parise, Ryan Suter and Alex Semin, not to mention the less flashy signings the Islanders themselves made on July 1, came a depth signing with a bit of a colorful background.

Jon Landry, a 29-year-old defenseman hailing from Montréal, signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Islanders after playing for AHL affiliate Bridgeport for half of 2011-12. This is the first NHL contract of his career, which started at Bowdoin College in 2002-03 playing mainly forward. After graduating, he played two games for the Portland Pirates of the AHL and two games for the Augusta Lynx in the ECHL, and then jumped all the way across the country to play for the Arizona Sundogs back in the A. He stayed there for four seasons.

» Continue reading “AHL Defenseman Signs Two-Way Contract”

I wonder if Jesse's ever played this before...? (Photo: yourdoku.com/flickr)

After a year spent playing in Sweden, Jesse Joensuu has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Islanders.

The 24-year-old winger has played three seasons previously with the Islanders and amassed eight goals and five assists in that time span. He played for HV71 Jonkoping last season, tallying 29 points in 50 games played (13 G, 16 A). He also played for his native Finland in the IIHF World Championships last month, eliminating the U.S. in the quarterfinals with a two-goal night.

It’s been pretty much slow-going for him in the NHL so far, but I guess the Islanders are hoping this will be his season. His size is definitely an asset, but he’ll have to work on his scoring touch and his skating in order to make a really big impact on the team and in the league. On a team that sorely needs consistent secondary scoring, I’m not sure how this will pan out.

(Also, I’m not going to say that this is a means of altering the roster to make up for PA Parenteau’s imminent absence, but… maybe… just maybe…)

The Islanders have signed gritty forward Blair Riley to a two-way contract for the 2012-13 season. (Photo: Andrew Gardecki/flickr)

The Islanders have signed forward Blair Riley to a one-year, two-way deal, according to Roberto Scalia of Islanders Hockey Blog.

Riley split his time between the ECHL and AHL last year, and scored eleven points (7 G, 4 A) in 55 games for the Sound Tigers (AHL). He also has had a few fights in his time with Bridgeport, as HockeyFights.com indicates. Nonetheless, his career stats indicate he also has skill to add to the toughness.

Overall, there’s not a lot to tell about this guy. He’s a bit older (26, turning 27), but even so, if he gets time with the Isles this coming season, it’ll be nice to see what he can bring.

(Photo: ndotetim/flickr)

The Islanders and OHLer Mike Halmo have agreed to terms on an entry-level contract.

The 20-year-old winger hails from Waterloo, Ontario, and in his four-year OHL career has shown improvement statistically. In his current season with the Owen Sound Attack, he has posted 84 points (40 G, 44 A) in 64 games played. (Yow.) If you look at those stats, you’ll see that his PIM have also spiked dramatically. He even has his own section on hockeyfights.com and a “fight card” on dropyourgloves.com, leading me to believe he can be a Milan Lucic-type player- an “enforcer” who can score. Matt Martin has attempted to fit that mold currently, but we can always use some more toughness, even if it does come in a smaller package (5’10″, 190 lbs.).

Unfortunately, Halmo has also had the league come down on him for reckless hitting. Two years ago, this hit led him to be suspended for five games. Though he’s known for his hitting (as this blog suggests- look further toward the bottom in the “Honorable Mentions” section), it’s unclear to say whether this could put a damper on his appeal for me. I mean, plenty of players have slipped up in the past, so I’m hoping this was just a very bad decision on his part and not a recurring trend.  (Fun fact: Halmo also played with current Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw, who is quickly becoming a solid forward in Chicago. The two played very well together, so I’ve gathered.)

(And as I write this, I find this article, which mentions in passing Halmo’s running of the opposing goalie during a delayed-penalty situation in a Memorial Cup playoff game. Oh, nice. Isn’t the Internet fun?)

As far as I can tell, this can go either way. We can be getting either a scoring forward who leaves the feet every once in a while, or a  ”plug” who can pot some goals. Considering his “fight card” for this season isn’t quite as full as in seasons past, it looks to me like Halmo could be reforming (but the penalty minutes…), but who knows for sure? This kid is still relatively unknown to most Islanders fans, so he’s got that much going for him… for now.

Notes: Micheal Haley was recalled from Bridgeport for tonight’s game against New Jersey. Casey Cizikas and Matt Martin are both out with the flu. Oh, goody. Look for Michael Grabner to make his re-appearance in the lineup as well.