Part
2: Defense
Over the last few seasons, the Islanders defense
has been a major reason for the teams failure to take the next step. Comprised of a few core pieces, the rest was
a patchwork stop gap made from waiver wire pick ups and inexperienced prospects. A surprise to no one, the Isles sink or swim
method of defense has yielded some results, but ultimately failed to produce on
a consistent basis.
A big trade or free agent signing is a move that
the Islanders have to make on defense. A possible
trade on draft day, like the one made for Lubomir Visnovsky could do
the trick. Visnovsky is a strong PP
quarterback and a great leader on the blue line, but his concussion history
leaves him questionable for the job next season.
That leaves anchorman, Travis Hamonic as the
point to build from. Hamonic is a solid and intimidating force on the Isles defense. One time waiver
addition, Thomas Hickey plays a
consistent game for the Isles in my opinion. He has improved with each shift and has done well in big time situations when called upon. What else can you say about how well Calvin
de Haan (RFA) has fit in since being called up to the Islanders? Simply put, he has secured a spot as a top
D-Man with this team. Matt Donovan
(RFA) has proven he can play at the NHL level and seemed to find his game by
season's end. It is my hope that he gets to stay with the organization. As much as defense is a team
weakness, the system does have some quality players that are gaining experience
and getting noticed.
Add in Kevin Czucman & Scott Mayfield who
performed very well in their limited auditions with the big club. Czucman seemed ready to compete for a spot
while Mayfield should see a first chance call up at very least if he doesn't make the team. Griffin Reinhart should make the team out of
training camp while guys like Ville Pokka, Ryan Puloch, Andrey Pedan, Loic
Leduc & Adam Pelech will push the envelope throughout camp.
Matt Carkner (1 yr remaining) & Brian Strait
(2 yrs remaining) play limited roles with the team and may find themselves
moved as the prospect pool yields NHL ready players. Radek Martinek is a UFA that should not be re-signed.
Even with all these assets, I feel Garth Snow
needs to sign or acquire a top tier D-Man.
In
free agent or possible trading scenarios, there a are a couple of guys I think
would be a good fit with the Islanders.
1. UFA, Matt Niskanen of the Pittsburgh
Penguins is an offensive defensemen that seems to be hitting his stride at the
right time. The 27 yr old Niskanen
scored 10 & 36 for 46 pts with a +33 in 81 games including 9 pts in 13 playoff games
this season. He also isn't afraid to drop the gloves when he feels the need. Niskanen made $2,300,000
last season.
2. RFA, Un-drafted. Tory Krug is a 23 yr old defensemen for the Boston Bruins that would
fit very well with the Isles. Even
though he is small at 5'9, Last season Krug scored 14 & 26 for 40 pts
in 79 games at a +18 and scored 10 pts in 12 playoff games. He is due for a big raise (Krug made $916,667 last season), but is a good
gamble to take for N.Y.
He wont be easy to attain and will probably cost some quality compensatory draft
picks if the Isles offer was successful and wasn't matched by Boston.
3. UFA, 35 yr old Andrei Markov of the Montreal Canadiens
is a top PP QB and a solid top pair D-man.
In 81 games, he scored 7 & 36 for 43 pts and a +12 and has scored 5
pts in 13 playoff games so far this season.
Markov made $5,750,000 last season at 35 yrs old.
5/23 UPDATE: The Monreal Canadiens re-sign Andrei Markov to a 3yr/ $17.25M contract with an average of $5.75M/ssn.
5/23 UPDATE: The Monreal Canadiens re-sign Andrei Markov to a 3yr/ $17.25M contract with an average of $5.75M/ssn.
4. UFA, Ron Hainsey of the Carolina Hurricanes
is a 33 yr old defensive minded defensemen who is still under rated in my opinion. Hainsey can do it all and do it well for a
lot of minutes. While very limited on
offense, he is a top caliber shot blocker and do the dirty work while an
offensive defenseman joins the rush.
Hainsey made $2,000,000 last season, making him an experienced value.
6/24 UPDATE: Carolina Hurricanes re-sign D Ron Hainsey to a 3 year, $8.5M extension.
6/24 UPDATE: Carolina Hurricanes re-sign D Ron Hainsey to a 3 year, $8.5M extension.
5.
UFA, Anton Stralman is a second pair D-Man for the New York Rangers. So far at age 27, Stralman has seen a lot of
minutes for the Rangers and played well even and on the PK. He has 13 pts in 81 games at a +9 and 5 pts
and a +7 in 16 playoff games so far this season. Stralman is a bit of an un proven commodity and has a limited
offensive touch. Stralman made
$1,700,000 last season and rejected a 3yr, $9M extension from the Rangers.
Isles Notes:
Voting is now open so
let your voice be heard as to the Isles Awards "Player of the Year!"
Isles
fans voted for Travis Hamonic for the "2013-14 Goal Of The Year."
@GriffinReinhart
& the @EdmOilKings
wrap-up round-robin play in the Memorial Cup tonight against Val-d'Or at 7 PM.
Four time Olympian,
four time medal winner, Stanley Cup Champion & two time all-star, Miroslav
Satan retires after a 14 year NHL career.
IIHF Notes:
@USAHockey
finished second in Group B and will play Czech Republic in the Quarterfinals on
Thursday.
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