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.

Currently unsigned Isles winger Matt Martin, shown here trying to muscle Alex Ovechkin off the puck, has more value than meets the eye. (Photo:Clyde/flickr)

In the midst of all the headlines regarding the NHL’s current labor issues and (on a more specific scale) the Isles’ arena woes and trade drama lies the rather important footnote known as Matt Martin.

One month ago, Martin was one of two Islanders players to reject their qualifying offers. Since then, defenseman Ty Wishart (the other player) has agreed to terms and signed. The last that’s been reported on Martin is that the two parties are negotiating a contract, but nothing’s been set in stone.

» Continue reading “Martin Remains RFA; What Would Isles Lose Without Him?”

Ty Wishart (6) and Matt Martin have not accepted their qualifying offers from the Islanders. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

The Islanders reported via Twitter and their website that forward Matt Martin and defenseman Ty Wishart did not accept their qualifying offers, and thus remain restricted free agents.

So for those of you unfamiliar with RFA status, what does this mean?

Well, a number of things can happen, according to About.com. Another team will be able to extend an offer sheet to Martin or Wishart, which the Isles will have to respond to (either by matching the offer or letting the player walk) within seven days. Offer sheets are relatively rare in the NHL these days, so no telling if that will happen.

Arbitration was also an option (basically re-negotiation of the offer between player/agent and original team), but the deadline for that was over a week ago, and as far as I can tell there was no mention of either Martin or Wishart going. A follower of mine on Twitter clarified, “No arbitration. The Isles have a no-contract, no-play policy, so they sit [until a contract is done].”

So… I guess we all sit on our hands until this is all worked out. Mind you, both players have until December 1 to make up their mind on whether to play or not (for the Isles, the deadline is the start of the season), otherwise they can’t play for the rest of the year. Slightly frustrating, but nothing seems outwardly negative just yet, so we shall see.

UPDATE: (7/18/12) The Isles announced that Wishart has agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way deal with the club. One down, one to go, and Ty joins the fray of prospects aiming for the #6 D spot on the team (Aaron Ness, Matt Donovan, and Calvin de Haan among them).

Matt Martin was one of eight players to receive qualifying offers from the Islanders. (Photo: Clyde/flickr)

Eight young Islanders players/prospects received qualifying offers from the team this week.

Sean Backman, Justin DiBenedetto, Mark Katic, Mikko Koskinen, Tomas Marcinko, Matt Martin, Rhett Rakhshani and Ty Wishart all received QOs, according to SoundTigers.com. Martin has become a mainstay in the Islanders’ lineup, while Rakhshani, Wishart, Koskinen, Katic and DiBenedetto have all seen ice time on the Island in recent seasons. Of the remaining players, Marcinko and Wishart may be looked at more closely soon, as Wishart was a solid defenseman and Marcinko had a career year offensively (as well as in PIM) with Bridgeport this past season. The latter may serve us well as fourth-line center at some point next season (provided Marty Reasoner is a disappointment again… hey, a girl can dream, can’t she?).

Katic, Rakhshani, and DiBo will be playing in Europe next season, so the Islanders retain their NHL rights to those players as well.

John Tavares and Matt Moulson provided a combined 34% of the Isles' entire goal production this season. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

Let’s start off with the bad news: the Islanders were second-worst in the league in goals forced with 196. That’s 29 fewer than last season, which means that Michael Grabner’s bust of a sophomore season made much more of a difference than some might have originally thought.

Now, the good news. The Isles still had four 20+-goal scorers, including two 30-goal scorers in John Tavares and Matt Moulson. Kyle Okposo, Michael Grabner and Josh Bailey helped out in the back half of the season as well, but the fact remains that this offense is wildly inconsistent. Let’s go through it player by player and see where things even out.

Josh Bailey, C/LW: This guy is definitely better at the wing than at center, and it should have been evident since last season. This year, he scored 18 points in the final 20 games, playing with Frans Nielsen. He also found his chemistry with good buddy Okposo for part of the year. For much of the beginning of the year, he played a bit lazy (though maybe that’s more accounted to his assertion that center was tiring him out) and he held onto the puck too long; he slowly began hitting his stride, and though sometimes his cutesy-ness with the puck wasn’t warranted, he managed to score three lovely shorthanded goals. Grade: C+

Michael Grabner, LW/RW: Oh, boy. Opposing teams found him out quick. His slump is mainly due to a mix of savvy D staying back on him and his own hands failing to catch up with his skates. Either way, he got to 20 goals, but that’s 14 fewer than last season. We needed him to be stellar, and unfortunately that did not happen. Credit to him for still making the 20-mark, though. He needs to work on finishing his chances, particularly on the breakaway. Grade: D

Matt Martin, LW: Not a goalscorer by any means this year, the 22-year-old still managed to win the Bob Nystrom Award, and for good reason: he racked up 121 PIM and led the NHL (and broke records) with over 360 hits. He’s hustled and worked hard, and you rarely see him take a shift off. Would we like to see some scoring? Sure, since we know he can do it, but if he keeps doing what he’s doing now, that’s okay too. Grade: A-

Matt Moulson, LW: What more can we say about Matty Moulson? Three straight 30+-goal seasons, a durable and consistent presence in the lineup, and definitely a Lady Byng candidate- and STILL no All-Star nod? That had better change next season. But this guy is everything we could have asked for and more. Never afraid to provide the dirty work for John Tavares, either. Just solid. Grade: A

Nino Niederreiter, RW: This should have been a breakout year for Nino according to most people, but after a groin injury and then being stuck on the fourth line for most of the season, that didn’t exactly happen. I’d suggest a year in the A to get him going. Grade: D

Frans Nielsen, C: A career year in goals (17) and points (47), and solid two-way play as usual- the Danish Prince rarely if ever falters. He wasn’t as flashy as far as shorthanded scoring went, and he also was a minus on the year (-3), but that’s still decent compared to some of the ratings on the roster. Plus, only 6 PIM this year (tied with Moulson for fewest on the team). Grade: B+

Kyle Okposo, RW:  It was a tale of two KOs this year- sluggish in the first half, strong in the second, scoring 20 of his 45 points in the span following the All-Star break (and the bulk of his goals). His hustle and defensive play improved over that time as well, and you have to give him points for finally getting to that 20-goal mark. Grade: C+/B-

Jay Pandolfo, LW: Obviously in the twilight of his career, Pando nonetheless provided some decent PK and defensive hockey. Three points all season, however (1 G/2 A) doesn’t really do anything for a goal-starved offense. Grade: C

PA Parenteau, RW: An ankle sprain cut his season at 80 games, but up until that point Pierre-Alexandre had proven to be durable and dependable. He covers the ice well and works hard every shift, and had 67 points this season (49 of them assists). Some explain away his recent success as a result of being on a line with John Tavares, but he’s a good player in his own right, scoring on the second line as well during a stretch in which Kyle Okposo played alongside Moulson and Tavares. Grade: A-

Marty Reasoner, C: It took 77 games into the season for the man to score a goal (against Pittsburgh, no less). It also took him a while to get situated as a fourth-line center, and while he did as well as he could in the faceoff circle (see last column), I feel like he had bigger shoes to fill than everyone expected (ahem, Zenon Konopka’s, I mean). He does decent defensive work, but after ZK’s season on the Island I feel like anyone else in the fourth-line center position is just a notch below. Maybe that’s just me. Grade: D+/C-

John Tavares, C: Best for last? Maybe so. His first 30-goal season, his first 80-point year and his first All-Star nod- all of it well-deserved. He’s also emerging as a leader on the team, which is encouraging. Seven PPGs (which can be better), eight game-winners (which is just splendid) and a new edge to his game, including better skating and tons more confidence. And the best part is that he’s still not satisfied. I look forward to seeing what JT will bring next year, and I know other Isles fans out there are, too. Grade: A

Overall Offensive Grade: C+/B-

Too much inconsistency, even with the few bright spots. The top line can’t do it all.

Stay tuned for some thoughts on the defensive end and how it can (and should definitely) improve for next year.

Milan Jurcina was one of the three goalscorers in the Isles' last game of the season, a loss to Columbus. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

82 games is all she wrote for the New York Islanders and the Columbus Blue Jackets… but at least the latter team showed up for the final puck drop.

Milan Jurcina, Kyle Okposo and Michael Grabner were the only Isles to get past Steve Mason, while Al Montoya was lit up by the Blue Jackets’ offense and defense alike, in a 7-3 drubbing at Nationwide Arena. Cam Atkinson scored two goals (one on the power play), while Rick Nash, Vinny Prospal, RJ Umberger, Jack Johnson, and former Isle James Wisniewski also tallied goals for Columbus. Shawn Hunwick would replace Mason for the last few minutes of the third, but it wouldn’t matter; the Islanders were not on their game offensively at all.

This game also saw three fights break out- two of them between Matt Martin and Derek Dorsett, one between Micheal Haley and Jared Boll. Other than that, there wasn’t a whole lot of nastiness or penalties for that matter- but both Wisniewski and Atkinson made good on their man-advantage chances, while the Islanders went 0-2 on the PP.

Can I say much more about this game? No, except for the fact that it’s definitely discouraging to see the Isles drop their season closer, especially after the emotional high of the win against Winnipeg two days ago. It’s as if no one thought this game was that important- and even though it wasn’t, not really, what happened to wanting to win anyway? Just because this will be the last bit of pro hockey you’re going to be playing for a few months doesn’t mean it doesn’t count somehow. I just found it very underwhelming and not at all a good way to end a year of hockey.

At any rate, the Isles’ season is over, and when it reconvenes for training camp, it will likely be missing a few faces from this year’s camp. That can be a good or a bad thing, depending on the player; I’ll explain why as the draft gets a bit closer. In the meantime, I’ll have to find an Eastern Conference playoff team to root for (the Blackhawks are my choice for the West, of course); if anyone has any suggestions (NO ONE IN THE ATLANTIC, PLEASE), I’ll be grateful.

Until next time, Isles.

Orlov doesn't know it, but that hit he's about to take is one of Matt Martin's record 360. (Photo: Clyde/flickr)

Well, once again, thank goodness for small miracles.

I spent the day playing and then watching lacrosse (we won, Buffalo Bandits lost), so I didn’t get to see the Isles get stung for two last-minute goals by the Bruins. But I kind of wish I had.

Why? Well, PA Parenteau scored twice, Kyle Okposo is adding to his career totals, and Matt Martin set a league record in hits with 360, shattering Cal Clutterbuck’s record of 356 in 2008-09. Also, Al Montoya got his second straight start (though unfortunately, it wasn’t that auspicious).

You can view the recap and boxscore here and see who scored when. As for me… I’ll just direct my attention to today against Ottawa. Enjoy.

(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.