Sorry for the delay. Sec. 105, the warning about possible flying electronics is reiterated.
Had a bunch of notebook leftovers from last night ready for today’s blog entry. Jon Landry, talking about picking up his physical game in his own end to compete at the NHL level…
And not 12 hours later he was back in Bridgeport. Ah well.
Landry was one of eight defensemen on the ice this morning. The bigger action was up front: John Persson (lower body) skated before the team. Matt Watkins returned to the main group in a red no-contact jersey. It might’ve been Max MacKay’s red jersey; MacKay got the go-ahead for contact again and was skating in the spot that had been Persson’s earlier in the week, with Johan Sundstrom (who made some sick moves to win the team shootout) and Sean Backman.
No decisions on any of them for the weekend yet, Scott Pellerin said. They’ll see how they are tomorrow; Pellerin said Watkins may be a Saturday-morning decision.
Action up front up top, too: Keith Aucoin, Islander. Have been on that bandwagon for a while as you guys know, so it’ll be interesting to see what he can bring to the Big Club. He seemed to do a fine job for the Capitals last year. We know the skill level. He’s getting older (wait, if he’s 34, that makes me…), but it’s a little-risk pickup.
Now, would you take a chance on Wade Redden or Scott Gomez at post-buyout prices?
If I have counted right and adjusted charts correctly, with Ryan Strome and Griffin Reinhart headed back to junior and thus not counting, that’s 45 Islanders contracts at this moment. They’re carrying 25 in the NHL right now, but presumably some combination of suspension/injured reservery can get them as low as 22 (Joensuu, Visnovsky, Bailey). All starts Saturday for them.
Yann Danis going up to Edmonton.
Special Olympics Floor Hockey at Fairfield University on Saturday morning. A neat event the past two years and surely again this year.
Belatedly from last night, prescout. After that horrific relief appearance that was the only AHL game he played in three months, Nathan Lawson is 2-0 in two starts.
And RIP, Fred Talbot, Conrad Bain and George Gund III.