Brad Boyes was just one of the signings the Islanders made today as part of Free Agent Frenzy. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

The Islanders were far from quiet on this beautiful July 1, otherwise known as Hell- er, Free Agency Day.

Though his organization lost top line wing PA Parenteau, bruiser Micheal Haley and defenseman Dylan Reese, Garth Snow was able to lock in three would-be replacements. Those guys are Brad Boyes, Matt Carkner and Eric Boulton.

» Continue reading “Isles Make Moves on FA Day”

Casey Cizikas is one of the Sound Tigers who played a handful of games on the Island. (Photo: M Richter/flickr)

Admittedly, I’m not a whiz with our farm system. However, there were definitely some stand-outs from Bridgeport that need addressing, so what better time to address them than now? Let’s get on with it. (I suck at intros, so bear with me.)

Anyway, the biggest standouts in my eyes on the skaters’ side were Micheal Haley and Casey Cizikas. Haley is a no-brainer. His playing style is go-go-go from one whistle to the next. He’ll hit and fight anything that moves, and when he’s in the lineup, there’s an extra edge to this Isles team. His 57 PIM in 14 games attest to this. I only wish he’d played more games than that — it’s nice to see this team just a bit nasty. Grade: A-

Cizikas, meanwhile, had four assists and was a +1 in 15 games. Nothing overly spectacular, but he was certainly efficient. His faceoff numbers could use a bit more stability, but that comes with being a 21-year-old in the NHL. Hockey’s Future calls him a very versatile player and says that if he’s paired with the right players, he can become a legitimate threat. Who knows who exactly the “right players” are — he got paired a lot with Michael Grabner, who as we all know had a lackluster season, and overall he didn’t log that many minutes. But for what he was, he was decent. Grade: B

Other noticeables:

• Rhett Rakhshani played a handful of games, but what I remember most was his willingness to get to the front of the net and try to make things happen. No points in his stint on the Island, but certainly some energy. The Isles had higher hopes for him early on, but six years later, there isn’t much to show for it. Hockey’s Future calls him “unlikely to reach potential.”
• Matt Donovan joined the Isles late in the season, and when he did, he brought some physicality and some backbone to the D. Definitely something we need. I’ll be interested to see how he develops in the near future (and if he’s good enough during training camp to make the team, which I think he may be… either way, we need a solid blueline).
• Aaron Ness also provided some good defensive play in nine games played, as well as disciplined play (two PIM altogether, on a blueline featuring Steve Staios and Travis Hamonic, no less).
• Trevor Gillies… eh.
• Calvin de Haan and Ty Wishart played only one game apiece, so that’s not much of a fair assessment.

Now, on to the goalies. Anders Nilsson and Kevin Poulin each had their tough matches, but they managed to play decently despite those hiccups. Nilsson pulled a .911% and a 2.75 GAA in three games started, while Poulin started six and posted a .907% and a 3.04. (stats here toward the bottom) Each goalie still has a ways to go before challenging for a top position, though Poulin arguably has an inside track (and Nilsson started in a blowout of the Devils, in which he didn’t face many tough shots). Interesting note: HF ranks Nilsson above Poulin in the Isles’ prospect hierarchy, though they each have the same grade. I personally find Nilsson’s size more favorable, but Poulin’s athleticism can’t be discounted.  Grades- Nilsson: B; Poulin: B+

Overall, the Isles are said to have stockpiled a talented group of prospects; with the Islanders mired in the bottom five in the league for a number of years now, homegrown talent is important, and the organization at least understands that. However, without the right veterans to help develop these guys — and that has been a problem for ages —  it’ll be hard to transform this into a winning team. The bright side is that players who have been in the league for two or three years (such as John Tavares, among others) are maturing well, and can perhaps help guide this team in the right direction. Then again, the best players in the league have playoff experience, and… well, it leads right back to the need for a balance of savvy vets and young upstarts to take this team to the next level. Chicken or egg? You decide.

Until next time.

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.

(Photo: Andrew Gardecki/flickr)

Micheal Haley has been recalled to the Islanders on an emergency basis.

Looks like Casey Cizikas is out with that dreaded vague “upper-body” injury, leaving a spot for Haley to bust right through again. This is bad news for Isles and CC fans, but it’s also good news, seeing as Haley always brings that extra edge to his game. We can use that against the Bruins and division rival Devils.

Welcome back, Micheal!

The dagger to the Islanders' hearts. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

You can’t call this team a “closer,” that’s for sure.

The Islanders finally got some offense, but failed to keep a lead (gee, that sounds familiar), losing in overtime to the Rangers 4-3 in a spirited bout at Madison Square Garden. Marian Gaborik beat Evgeni Nabokov high stick side to seal the second point, leaving the Islanders reeling from their third straight loss. Brad Richards also scored twice, and Brian Boyle once, to eliminate 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 Isles leads.

Meanwhile, the Isles’ top line finally got going again. John Tavares opened the scoring, and Matt Moulson had a wonky PP goal which turned out to be the only good break for the Isles on the man-advantage. Overall, the special teams in this one were atrocious- the PK allowed three goals (two by Richards, the last the game-winner) and the PP had to defend more shots than they forced. Though Tavares, Moulson and then Andrew MacDonald should have provided enough offense to seal the deal, and Nabokov made 32 often acrobatic saves, it wasn’t enough. The Islanders are still getting outshot, outworked and outmaneuvered, even when it looks like things are going well.

There has to be some sort of wake-up call. One would think the debacle against New Jersey last night would have been enough, but the response in this game was only minimal in the grand scheme of things. Once again, a penalty was all it took for the Isles to unravel, this one on (who else?) Travis Hamonic, who tripped up Richards with the leg. Though the PK fought bravely for the first minute or so, Gaborik proved to be too much for them, as usual (18 G, 31 points in 26 games played vs. NYI).

Yes, well. I think the Islanders are running out of drawing boards to go back to. On to Washington at home on Tuesday night.

Until next time.

Notes: Micheal Haley and Stu Bickel dropped the gloves in the first period, with Haley landing some monstrous punches. No easy feat, considering he’s a full six inches shorter (at 5’10) than 6’4 Bickel… Tavares and Moulson are each at the cusp of 30-goal seasons, Tavares with his 28th of the year and Moulson with his 29th. It’ll be Moulson’s third consecutive 30-goal season should he score another one in the 13 games remaining.

(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.