Comments on: Two Weeks 2 Go! ***Revised for NYI

By: JuicemaN

JuicemaN — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 08:01:36 +0000

I respect your wishful thinking but if you were yashin making 7.6 million a year for the next handful of years would you renegotiate for 2.5 million? I sure as hell wouldn't. It's the organizations fault for being stupid enough to keep Milbury on board long enough to offer that contract and for allowing it to happen.

just like the leafs will have to put up with paying Kubina 5 million for the next 4 years while getting only about 2.5-3 million worth from him; it's their own fault and have to live with it.

I know what you mean but as an organization; without buying out the contract (which I realize you mentioned) you can't just say "we've seen enough, time to renegotiate" especially with yashin who is the same a** hole who suddenly decided while in Ottawa that he wanted to renegotiate....good luck with that one.

I dont think anybody expected the Isles to finish last, I certainly didn't.

By: NYIsles16

NYIsles16 — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 23:03:23 +0000

First things first, I think it is only proper to give a lot of respect to Garth Snow for first and foremost, coming into the general manager job and taking all the heat he did. Not only did he handle the problems with class, but he came through successfully. For a team that was supposed to finish dead last in the entire NHL, we are looking pretty good. Unforunately for us, the luck has shifted and we find our Islanders sitting between a rock and a hard place. With only a few games remaining and a completely injury-ridden squad, we find ourselves in desperation. Although I feel there is still hope at making the playoffs if the team can come together, along with a little bit of luck, I feel that we should also focus on the offseason. I really hope someone in the Islanders Organization will see this...

First, I think we have seen enough Alexei Yashin on the island. His 7.6 million dollar salary just does not do justice to his play. He is just not worth that much. If he would like to re-negotiate for maybe 2.5 million a season, then we might be in business, however, I feel it is best we part ways with Yashin and buyout the contract, therefore opening 7.6 million dollars under the cap. Secondly, we need to consider the fact that the cap is increasing from the current 44 million to around 47 million next year. According to the records, our payroll without Yashin's salary would be around 35 million. In that case, there is no reason we cant give Smyth the 6 million a year he wants for 5 years and we can also keep Jason Blake for 3.2 million a year for 4 years. Two heart and soul guys who could become the true face of this organization! I also find it highly important to re-sign Sean Hill to a multi-year deal and let him retire as an Islander. He has been nothing but solid. Re-signing Poti is huge as well as locking up Hunter long term and even offering Randy Robitaille a contract. Robitaille has been so solid for us this season in the games he has been in. He is fast and smart with the puck. If all these contacts are distributed evenly, we would still find ourself with about 4 million dollars of cap room. With that 4 million, there is no reason we cannot be in the hunt for another big name player this off-season. I really do think its time to make a true statement. In conclusion, dumping Yashin along with a salary cap increase would equal long term deals for Smyth and Blake, along with re-signing important key players, along with the opportunity to make another nice acquistion for next years team.

Although this is speculation, I stick by it. More importantly, I think it's time the Isle's show some guts and get us into this year's playoffs.

By: wheresthesoda

wheresthesoda — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 20:35:19 +0000

we wont lose to the islanders

By: JuicemaN

JuicemaN — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:51:54 +0000

No no, I'm not saying I agree with him, just explaining what I think he means.

But yes, the Vancouver Canuks (or as like to call them the Luongo Canuks) have exploded as have the Wild; which of course makes life a lot harder for the Flames.

I definitely agree with him though on the part of Sutter being coach, if he was still coach they wuoldn't be in 8th right now...Calgary is not an 8th place team; I'd say they're 5th at worst.

By: FlamingHomer

FlamingHomer — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 10:39:19 +0000

So Calgary would be a better team with Lundmark, Kobasew and Ference instead of Conroy, Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau? You are entitled to your opinion of course, but I can't agree with it. Perhaps Vancouver and Minnesota got better.

By: JuicemaN

JuicemaN — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 10:18:47 +0000

He's talking about this years trades of 2007, not the trades from the past three years.

I see your point in that the flames have made very decent trades over the years but he's talking about the boston deal and possibly the conroy deal, just the 2007 deals in general; he thinks that if Sutter was still the coach those trades wouldn't have been as nessesary and the flames wouldn't be trying to clinch a playoff spot still because they would've already clinched a week or so ago.

By: FlamingHomer

FlamingHomer — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 09:58:48 +0000

Again, I ask, which trades were counter productive? Huselius for Steve Montador? Kiprusoff for a second rounder? Langkow for Denis Gauthier and Oleg Saprikin? Tanguay for Leopold? Give me a hint.

By: JuicemaN

JuicemaN — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 09:40:22 +0000

Where's the confusion...the trades they made were counter productive...he said it pretty clearly.

No offense, but he said it pretty clearly.

By: JuicemaN

JuicemaN — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 09:39:06 +0000

I don’t have a pen…sorry.

By: JuicemaN

JuicemaN — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 09:37:53 +0000

I'd just like to correct the above post:

"Looks like the habs, canes, lightning, LEAFS and rangers will be battling it out for the last 3 spots."

Just because you don't like the Leafs doesn't mean they're not fighting for one of the last three spots.