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Is John Anderson and Stan Drulia still around?
Just kidding Mr.Handlebar Mustache must be turning 60 by now.
Willis would not be bad but just way to many injuries sustained at this point.
How about Brining back Eric Bogunicki at this point to be the Veteran offensive presence.He is a local kid that can make plays and has a bit of a competitive side to him,he also was pretty good at getting teams to take stupid penalties.He is small but has talent.
He has also sustained some injuries in the last couple of seasons.
He is playing in germany presently i believe but is of course injured.
i wouldn’t mind willis, but he has a brutal track-record of injuries.
Fine, I guess I’ll change my comparasion:
Rullier is a solid defenseman, but no Dan Jancevski or Sheldon Brookbank. Joe would have helped, but he wouldn’t have been the difference between april hockey and april golf (or in regier’s case asphalt laying-see mike, people do actually read your blogs and don’t just use them as a place to rant). Brookbank, Jancevski, Hutchinson, and anybody else you could think of on this list of desired d-men would have extended this team’s season at least a week.
Another forward I would like to see, though he doens’t have nearly enough scoring touch as Krog, is Shane Willis. I loved watching him play for the Beast of New Haven, and though he is getting old and broken down (bad shoulder injury at the beginning of the year), I do think that he would bring a lot to the table next year. He’ll scrap and score goals (hopefully the anti-Bootland-more goals than fighting), and be an overall good mentor to our kids.
The Rangers assistant general manager is also Jim Schoenfield, former head coach for Hartford. The only reason why he probably got that job is for the sole purpose of keeping Hartford competitive. Sather and the rest of the Ranger organization couldn’t give a damn about Hartford. The Dolans probably don’t even care about the Rangers; let alone Hartford.
Krog stated he wants to be in the NHL or he is going to SEL.
Rullier was the most sound defensman they had and was also playing the point on the PP when he was there.
You can`t compare wolfpack players to Bport players.The rangers put players in Hartford everyear that give the team a chance to win.The Islanders don`t seem to care if there farm team wins.If you look at the rangers history.The rangers make 1 or 2 deals everyear just to help there farm team.Hence this year trading Montoya and bringing in toughness at the deadline and arguably a better goalie then Montoya ,whom is quickly becoming a bust.
Hutchinson is basically a guy who will never make it in the NHL but is a great AHL Defensive QB.
Hartford also aquired Partenau for basically squat.
Almost any player on Bport has a chance to play in the NHL not only because of injuries but because the isles are just bad.
The Rangers have said before ,your prospects build confidence and get better by winning and scoring and playing with players who overall help them in every aspect of the game.That is why the pack brings in solid veterans compared to bport bringing in guys like wotton.
That means making the playoffs and playing hockey not golf as of the second week of April.
I’m not saying rullier was a bad pickup, but he was not the end-all, be-all of defensemen. He was a solid 3rd pairing defenseman. Not a big-time powerplay qb along the lines of Andrew Hutchinson that we’re looking for.
The point I’m trying to make is that there will be no veteran players available during the season that will be a necessity for the team to sign. And if there are, we’ll probably have to acquire them through a trade, which means we’ll probably have to give up a veteran in return. Therefore saving 1 or 2 of those spots during the season (just in case) is practically wasting them. W/ this many youngsters, you’ll need as many experienced guys as possible.
“Krog is a no go.He already said if he does not get a NHL deal this year he is off to europe”
Also, did Krog want a 1-way NHL contract, or did he say he’ll settle for a 2-way deal. Technically, he could get the NHL deal he’s looking for and never even suit up for the Isles.
Krog is a no go.He already said if he does not get a NHL deal this year he is off to europe along with 1 of his chicago counterparts.
I was a huge fan of Rullier.Hated when his ATO wasnt renewed.
We all know Wotton will be there next year but it is wishful hoping that he would be sent to UTAH.
You’ve got 5 veteran spots (260 games or more) and one more spot for a player who has played in less than 320 games. Taking those spots up would be Regier, Spiller, Wotton, FA forward, and FA defenseman. You have room for one guy who’s played under 320 games (Regier would work, but also Brennan is in that category as well). If Wotton is sent down to Utah, a veteran spot is open, and Brennan is basically a lock for missing about 10 games for a suspension (opening up another veteran spot). This team is so young, that there are plenty of veteran spots to work with. Also, what veterans would they go out and get midseason…Rullier again?
Is Jason Krog a free agent, and, if so, could it be in the cards for him to come back to Bridgeport?
I left Marcinko off for now because he has yet to make the team.Even though he has a contract with the Isles he can still end up in Utah along with 1 or 2 others.
As fun as Morency is to watch he is not a enforcer.He is a antagonizer that will fight anyone there is a huge difference.Morency does not strike fear in anyone on the ice.If it comes down to Morency or no one then i will gladly have Morency in the Port.Also i dont think Bport will use a Vet spot on Brennan when this team will need more Offense next year.
If it were up to me and it not.I would send wotton to Utah along Mcdonald unless Mcdonald makes some huge strides in his game in the offseason.Let Wotton be the captain there unless there is a under 34 age restriction which i doubt because Kimbi Daniels has to be 35 by now playing for Alaska.
Then there is Bentivoglio , he is like the invisible man most nights.I can only recall 2 or 3 games all year he was better then average in.He has more pucks and passes roll of his stick then anyone in sports.He recieves passes like he has a hole in his blade.lacks good passing skills and his shot is very inept.He needs to add muscle learn puck control and figure out how to stop and turn without falling.He also does not use his speed often enough to generate scoring chances.
These are My opinions and as we know opinions are like A$$%^&*les.
That goon spot should be filled with either Brennan or Morency. They played thier hearts out all year long and deserve another contract with the team.
Another FA forward who could score every now and again would be nice, but (because I’m hoping that my Islanders get some top-notch forwards) Okposo, Frans, and Comeau could (and should) be shuttled back and forth from the Island to Bridgeport.
B. Calamari, you forgot marcinko in your lineups, and I can’t possibly see fata being higher in the depth chart than kohn.
I just realized this, but this team will be extremely young w/ 5 rookies (Hillen, Hennigar, Marcinko, Joensuu, and possibly Figren) and 3 sophomores (Benti, Trevor Smith, Kohn) and all of these guys will see a good chunk of playing time. I don’t think that there are many other teams that will be in the playoff hunt who will have this many young guys getting a ton of playing time.
I have looked at your line possibilities and came up with my version:
Reiger-Smith-Figren
FA-Walter-Bentivoglio
Colliton-Hennigar-Joensuu
Pitton -(Goon)
Fata-Hillen
Spiller-Fraser
Kohn-Wotton
Figren still needs to sign.I dont picture Kohn as a 5th d man either more like a 1-3, so we just have to wonder whats going to happen to Bports blueline going into next year.
Fraser and Wotton played together all year and seemed very ineffective because neither play the body well or if at all and cant muscle players away or in the corners.If they were talented at making plays like Martinek it would be a different story.
I feel Mcdonald will be a overall bust.
Also it is way to early to speculate but this team may actually have to many players and u may see some surprises in Utah.
Bport needs to be a solid playoff team next year.
so here’s a little looking ahead towards next season if RFA’s and other FA are re-signed.
LW C RW
Line 1=Smith Hennigar Bentivoglio
Line 2=Regier Walter Free-Agent Vet
Line 3=Marcinko Colliton Joensuu
Line 4=Pitton double-shift Morency
D Pair 1=FA-Fata
D Pair 2=Hillen-Kohn
D Pair 3=Wotton-Fraser
Starting goalie=FA
Backup=Morrison
Spares=A. MacDonald, Haley
Veterans(4)=Wotton, Regier, FA forward, FA d-man
yes marcinko is a center, but where would he fit in on this roster??
Really? Figren seemed to me like the Robert Nilsson “lets see exactly how many points I can possibly rack up” type player. Then again, the only thing I saw of him is his youtube video where he pulls off his best Robert Nilsson impression.
The Sound Tigers could dress 5 veterans and 1 320 veteran. Right now, we have 1 veteran currently under contract (Wotton). We will probably get Regier back because he’s the only one who is an RFA.
Keith is a solid player, but there are other forwards out there who are also veterans who can bring more to the table (especially in the scoring category) than Matt Keith.
I do think that they’ll resign Spiller and Jackman. They know our defense would take a huge hit w/o him, and I think that Jackman impressed a lot of people as a extremely solid 4th line forward on the Island. There is a good possibility that Jackman comes back on a 2-way.
Which leaves 2 open veteran spots. I would love to see guys like Hutchinson, Jancevski, and/or Brookbank come to play for us (filling up 1 of those veteran spots), but I also think that the Sound Tigers management will try to keep Brennan in a Sound Tiger uniform. The fans loved him, and the increase in fights this year seemed to increase the crowd size. Also, Okposo and Comeau will spend some time in the AHL (not much, but I wouldn’t be suprised to see them play in a weekend series/ be on the clear day list). I love the tandem of Haley and Morency, but those two just won’t deter any goon that Hartford dresses to take a run at Comeau or Okposo (or anyone else on our team). Brennan is one of the more intimidating players in the league and will basically insure that no one pulls any funny business on our guys.
Yah ,thats a nice idea Brennan is slated to be a good top pairing AHL guy or maybe a 5-6 NHL`r.
I am thinking Hennigar is going to be in Bport ,to turn some of the players into shooters.He seems like more of a playmaker which may help a Josenuu develop better sniper skills.
I am also wanting Figren here.They say he is very fast,Hits,antagonizes,has a big shot and can do everything asked.
You can dress more than one guy who’s in that 260-to-320 range; it’s just that one qualifies as that 320 guy, while the other one is a regular ol’ veteran. So no, it’s not an either-or. And vet status is based on your service at the start of the season, so no, if you hit the mark mid-season, you don’t immediately become a vet. (Regier and Brennan both hit it during the season, for instance.)
I definitely see the islanders keeping Regier over Brennan definitely.
I hope they do have a Brennan for 08-09, Mike Brennan of BC. I hope the Islanders sign him to a 2 yr entry deal. we could use another young defenseman. He’s also from smithtown ny so hopefully the islanders sign a local guy.
Thank you for the Clarify.
So its Either Brennan or Reiger coming back?
I will assume they won`t resign Keith.
If u become a 320 during the season does it become active at that point or after the season?
If it does not become active Wonton,Jackman and Spiller can stay and play reiger will probably stay and Bport could dress 1 more.
Veteran status=more than 260 regular-season games’ experience at the NHL, AHL, real IHL, or European Elite League level. (European experience while of junior age doesn’t count.) You can have five of those players, plus one more who has up to 320 games’ experience, dress for each game. Goalies don’t count.
Wotton, Jackman, Keith and Spiller (320) were veterans this year; Spiller loses the 320 exemption next year. Brennan and Regier hit the mark this season and would be 320-vets next year.
An AHL veteran is someone who has played 260 games at the NHL, AHL, old-IHL, or Pro Euro Leagues
I was not a huge Mccarther fan either but lets see what he can do in a full season.
Mosieko > Mccarthur from what i saw
I agree that brennan wont be brought back because of Vet status but I am not 100% sure of the rule of what makes them a Vet.
Is it a UFA status is a vet?
Lets get someone to clarify.
I’m actually not a macarthur fan at all really, i thought he would’ve added more offense, he did have a good college career which makes me want to see what he can do in a full season.
I will be counting on Rob Hennigar to provide a lot of offense, and think he is more than capable of providing that just by viewing his stats at the U. of New Brunswick and when he played in the OHL.
Hopefully Figren will play here instead of going back home to Sweden. Hockeysfuture.com has him ranked as the islanders NO. 3 prospect, and i’m sure that they will want him to stay in N. America.
As far as Tomas Marcinko goes, I think he has potential to be a solid 2-way player, and could have decent leadership skills as he was the captain of the Barrie Colts.
Of course I hope we can find a solid netminder, an offensive defenseman and at least two high scoring veterans. (junior lessard, mathieu darche, ryan bayda, jamie lundmark, zenon konopka, mark hartigan, mike iggulden, etc..)
Enforcers: I’d like to have a rotating tandem of Morency/Haley. I love Kip Brennan but he eats up a veteran spot, and of course the suspensions. The Morency/Haley combo would be cheaper too.
For Depth in Utah I’d like to see on 2-way deals: Sertich, Ford, Haskins, Daine Todd, Ryan Cruthers, Labelle and a goalie with backup experience in the AHL)
I would actually like to see Mo come back. I think he did a somewhat solid job in net. Yes, there were games where I was wondering what was going on…but there were a lot of games like that this year and it wasn’t all his fault.
I don’t like Fraser all that much. Yes, he can score, but at the same time, he was a -17 for the year… I’d rather take MacArthur over Mosienko just because I think Mac fit into the system better and seemed to adjust well in his first few games. He’s a fast skater and doesn’t seem to shy away from the puck or any kind of physical play. I like Haskins. I think he can bring a bit of energy plus a little bit of a scoring touch as well. Everyone else is pretty much ditto from Cal. I’d also like to see Daine Todd added on. I think he could bring in a good scoring touch with Jeff, Blake, Kyle (and I would think Fransy too) gone.
2 new Goalies(hopefully a solid number 1)
D-Kohn,Fata,spiller,Fraser,Ford
F- Walter,Neilson,Smith,Jackman,Colliton,Fretter,Morency,Brennan,Reiger,Joensuu,Pitton
Haskins also assuming he adds some muscle.
Reiger hopefully he adds size and a bit of a mean streak.Not a fighter but more of a antagonist.
Mosienko-he looked solid and fast
Figren-hopefully he signs
Labelle-I liked what i saw from the few shifts he played
A.Johnson-If he is on a 2 way deal and there is no room for him in the Isle.
I left off Tamby,Okpo,Comeau just because they will be in the NHL next year.
I am not a Bentivoglio or Wotton fan from what i saw on the ice but they r under contract…gggrrrr
First off…Mike: thanks for everything. You’ve always got the good inside info that us hockey fans crave for. Keep up the awesome work!
Secondly: Can I just throw this out there and see which players people want back? Some of them are probably pretty obvious, but it would still be intersting to see what everyone else thinks…
Thank you Mike, Without you I don’t know where the BST fans would be!
No i think they give out bed pans for that
They give out Calder Cups for that?
Well that is not great news.He is the 6th best d-man on the team.I guess he will once again be the whipping boy for our section next year.He makes some very bad decisions on Defense.When to pinch ,when to drop back.He never seems to get those correct.
I do have to give him credit ,he is the most down to earth guy to have a conversation with.
Yeah, I just saw that. I don’t think he should get a ton of ice time. I don’t really think he’s an awful captain, but at this point in his career, he’s just an awful defenseman. He can’t keep up with anybody, and gets deked out too easily.
I never really thought about Fraser being the pp qb, but he would be a really good fit. I know he was a forward for a little while in juniors (which makes for his prowess in the offensive zone), and he’s shown a knack for making good set-up passes to open guys.
Wotton is indeed returning next season.
I think Wotton has 1 more yr on contract
This team in in need of a Al Tuer type captain.Someone as tough as nails that knows he is on the downside of his career.Someone to teach the kids how to get to the next level.
Lets say next year in the Port we have Hillen,Fata,Kohn,Spiller,Fraser.Mccdonald being signed but a ? at best.I felt he was terrible this year when he played,Not as bad as Dwyer but bad.
IMO Hillen would be the PP qb with Kohn or Fraser being his counterpart.
I also know Fata likes to turn the puck over on occasion but he has a bomb of a shot why not give him a bit of a try on the PP.
I am a huge fan of Kohn.I think he was the quickest of the D-men this year when not hurt.He definitely showed his wheels getting back on 2 breakaways late in the season.It seems he lacks the confidence in his skills sometimes.He should shoot more from the point instead of always looking pass.
D-lines next year
Hillen-Spiller
Fata-Kohn
Fraser-?
Thats assuming Fata,spiller resign as RFA`s
I haven’t seen much of Stafford, but Jancevski, Brookbank, and Hutchinson would all be terrific additions to the team. The only problem is that if the Islanders’ defensemen go down like flies(which seems like a ritual for them), they will be seeing a lot of time in the Nassau Coliseum than at the Arena at Harbor Yard.
Hillen put up some impressive numbers in colligiate hockey, so I don’t think that he’ll be a bad fit on the powerplay. 31 assists in 41 games for Colorado College last year means he could be a solid fit for our 2nd pp unit.
Wotton is going to be gone after this year. He’s too old, and there is no way that they would keep him around to waste a roster spot when they could sign guys like Jancevski, Brookbank, or Hutchinson.
I also have a feeling that, because the Sound Tigers’ main goal is to develop players for the Islanders, Dustin Kohn won’t be a secondary guy. He will start almost every game and play around twenty minutes in all of them. He was a 2nd round draft pick, and the Islanders probably want to see how long it’ll be before he is NHL ready. If he’s not by the end of the summer, Wang, Snow, and Co. will definitely make sure Kohn has more than enough ice time to get better.
Mike, I agree with you about the need of a power-play QB defenseman. Hutchinson is an intriguing name, I would love to have him. However I do think he will end up playing somewhere next season in the NHL. Other options I like are Garrett Stafford from Grand Rapids, Dan Jancevski of Iowa or Sheldon Brookbank of the NJ Devils.
I also feel that Jack Hillen will to be to us: as Peter Harrold is to the Manchester Monarchs.
We really just need one good puck-moving defensman. We have some decent secondary guys that are capable. (Fraser, Hillen, Kohn and Wotton)
Thank you for your great coverage this season Mike, and thank you for the last day lockerroom images; I wish I was in there, it sounded like the guys were enjoying themselves. You don’t happen to have a picture of Kip in his wig do you 😉
Good job keeping us abreast of the Tigers
Outstanding work all season top to bottom.
Thanks and great job getting us player contract status as usual.
One interesting one from the Isles website is a mystery-Emile Axelsson drafted in 2004
Not signed, not Russian exempt from rules, so why is he still listed at all?
Thanks for all the great coverage this season. It’s much appreciated.
Thanks for all your hard work on the articles and the blog. It was one of the few lifelines I had to the BST, since I’m so far away.
Thanks for all your hard work and great features. I always loved reading your articles in the paper and your blogs were always an added bonus. Can’t believe hockey season is over for us.
Thanks for your many updates on the team during the season. I really enjoy your articles and appreciate the effort you put into your job.
Keep it up, please!
Thanks for all your hard work & effort. As I have told you in the past your the only reason I subscribe to the paper during hockey season. Well the season has ended and until October the paper will be in hiatus. I am sure I will see you at some of my ball games during the summer.
Rob
Going to triple OT in Fresno and I think I should be sleeping. Kinasewich is hurt (day to day) so he’s doing a live interview during the fifth intermission. Even without him in the lineup there are 10 former Tigers playing in this game.