NHL Agent, Allan Walsh
summed it up for the casual fan. “The ‘Trade
Deadline’ … is not really a deadline. Teams can trade players after (Tuesday)
at 3:00pm. The ‘Trade Deadline’ should
really be called ‘Playoff Roster’ Deadline. (Players) must be on team’s roster
by 3:00pm to be eligible for playoffs.”
I was ready for the
Islanders to do little or nothing as this afternoon’s 3PM trade deadline passed. I said, “Realistically, getting KO &
Zeeker back will have more return than the Isles could afford in a trade. It's all about culture Snow wants here. Won't
move bodies for shake up or short term gain unless price is right. We have seen
costs.” I was pleasantly surprised to
see Garth Snow did indeed make some quiet moves that I think will benefit the
Islanders in a big way this season.
The first trade hit with
time already winding down on the day. Tyler Kennedy (28) was acquired from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for
a conditional pick in the 2015 or 2016 NHL Draft. Conditions
meaning that the Isles will surrender their seventh round selection in the 2015
NHL Entry Draft, or the Isles seventh round pick in 2015, previously acquired
from the TBL, unless they win the Cup
and he plays 50+% of games in final. If
that’s the case, then will cost them a 3rd-rd pick. So how much more do you like this trade now? I am a fan of Kennedy, who will bring even more grit and a potential scoring touch to the Islanders depth at the forward position.
Kennedy has 4 & 5 for 9pts in 25 games
with San Jose. He won a Stanley Cup with
Pittsburgh in 2009, who selected Kennedy in the fourth round (99th overall) in
the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. In 464 career games with Pittsburgh and San Jose, he has
84 & 110 for 194 points in 464 games and 12 & 15 for 27 points in 76
playoff games with the Pens.
To follow up, Snow shored up concerns he had
about the backup goaltending situation for New York by adding 26 year old, Michal
Neuvirth. Neuvirth was acquired for goaltender,
Chad Johnson and a conditional 3rd round pick. He was Washington’s 34th selection
overall in the second round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and is another guy I always wanted to see on the Islanders after I saw him dominate in Hershey, winning the Calder
Cup in both the ‘09 & ‘10 AHL seasons.
Neuvirth had a 6-17-3 record, with a 2.99 GAA
and a .918Sv% with a struggling Buffalo Sabres team this season and could
really break out as a 1A goalie with a much better Islanders team in front of
him. Neuvirth: "I know Jaro is the number 1, but
you never know what's going to happen."
It is bound to spur some good goaltending competition between Halak and Neuvirth
going into the playoffs and that would seemingly mean a win-win situation for
the Islanders.
Carey Haber (@HaberMetrics5) summed it up
well. “Isles traded Pedan for a 3rd in '16, two 3rds in
'16 for Neuvirth and Kennedy. That's some seriously good maneuvering.” I would have to agree. The players are both pending UFA’s and will
have an audition with the Isles to see if there is interest in having them
remain on the team for the future. The moves
will add $3.6M to the Isles cap situation for this season.
In other moves on the
day, Cory Conacher was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for C, Dustin Jeffrey. Jeffrey, 27, has 31 points in 124 career NHL
games with the NHL Stars and Penguins. He’s spent the entire
2014-15 season in Utica with the Canucks’ minor-league affiliate,
for which he has 17 goals and 24 assists in 49 games. Jeffrey has been assigned to the BST.
Goalie David Leggio was
traded to the Arizona Coyotes for 6’4, 229# physical defensemen, Mark Louis. Louis has 174 games in the AHL with 1 &
14 for 15 pts & 349 penalty minutes and will probably be heading to
Bridgeport for assignment.
Garth Snow pulled off a
"redo" of this summer’s underachieving moves by adding quality depth
without losing a regular player on the roster or key prospect. I think that under the circumstances, without
losing too much, Snow kept the focus on the long term and still improved the
Islanders chances to go deep in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. Yes!Yes!Yes!
Isles Notes:
Anders Lee named NHL
Rookie of the Month for February.
The Bridgeport Sound
Tigers could be on the move as AHL experiences continued upheaval according to
The Connecticut Post.
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