Quick View: Trevor Gillies, Saturday's enforcer
So the Islanders have rediscovered the enforcer role, signing AHL Bridgeport's Trevor Gillies to a NHL contract and calling him up in time for Saturday's matinee in Philadelphia. (Tim Jackman, who had become the Islanders' resident enforcer-by-default, is still injured.)
When Gillies (no relation to Jethro) plays, this will be his second NHL game, at age 31. His first was with Mighty Era Anaheim and featured this line:
4 shifts, 2:40 TOI (allegedly 1:21 on the powerplay?!), 1 shot, 5 penalties, 21 PIM.
Here is his HockeyFights.com fight card, and here is a lengthy fight from that first NHL game, where scary Wild Derek Boogard got him pretty good in the end:
h/t to readers Nystrom and Hanz und Franz for some links and insight from Thursday's game thread. Time to put on the foil.
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Nice move
I’m very excited by this, this is one of the guys i’ve had the pleasure of watching around here for several seasons. He was out a good portion last year because he suffered a nasty concussion, but he doesn’t shy away from the fray. Think of the aggressiveness of Morency and the size of Rechlicz combined. He can win fights. Did I mention I was excited?
Better than Jackman/Wrecker... Still need Tambi
I’ve seen him play a few times and Trevor is much more of a weapon than those other guys not to mention a much better fighter than Jackman(Wrecker is pretty good).
However the teams offense has been whats holding us down the last few games not our ability to scrap. So I say scratch Comeau & Sim (since they would never scratch Hunter Weight or Park) and inject Tambi and Bergie on the line with Schremp and throw Gillies in Bergies spot on the Park/Weight line that is basically useless 5 on 5 anyway (Weight is a PP guy and Park is an SH guy strictly).
But since Gordon has a stink eye on Tambellini and all offensive players we will probably see the Isles scratch Schremp because hes not big enough and because he made one big turnover (the kind Comeau makes regularly) and I will have a miserable time watching the Matinee game,
DRESS TAMBI!!!
some size might clear some open ice
I like having one big guy, but I agree that Tambi shoul dbe in more, and maybe for Comeau.
by Rickfansince76 on Jan 29, 2010 4:56 PM EST up reply actions
Next Steve Webb
If this guy has any skating ability he can easily turn the tide against top lines. Whereas the other team only had to look out for a bunch of stick checks and an occasional body tap they now have to look over their shoulder when chasing pucks into their defensive zone. Now if he can manage to fit into the role that Flash Gordon gives him, which I am sure will be similar what Webb used to do, he could open some doors for the Isles.
When you think about the timeline on this one; Gordon makes a public statement about knocking people on their a$$e$, the Isles struggling to make it into the playoffs and Snow issuing his proclamation to add some people for the playoff push.
Can this guy skate and does he have enough endurance to fill a skating roll rather than a traditional enforcer roll. I really can’t see Snow signing a traditional enforcer after all of the statements he has made.
Will work...for playoffs.
Can this guy skate and does he have enough endurance to fill a skating roll rather than a traditional enforcer roll. I really can’t see Snow signing a traditional enforcer after all of the statements he has made.
I’ve seen enough of him over the course of two seasons in the AHL to say this: he is a traditional enforcer, unfortunately. That’s why I was surprised to hear he was signed last night. i have a feeling it’s one game in Philly and back to the Port for him.
To fight the horde, sing and cry: Valhalla I am coming!
by David Hanssen on Jan 29, 2010 6:11 PM EST up reply actions
That’s kind of what I was figuring (particularly after your report). Bring him up as a low-cost temporary move to reincarnate the Fritz/Rechlicz Shuttle. A guy who’s older and might appreciate any remaining stops in the show.
At 31, if they had bigger plans for him I think we would have heard more about him by now.
Lighthouse Hockey: Under contract through 2021, knees and hips be damned.
The Trevor Gillies era
Don’t blink you might miss it.
Total Waste.
This team can’t afford to waste a forward slot on an enforcer. It just can’t. Teams like the Penguins can, because their top 3 lines are so productive.
We’re more varied in our lines’ production (first 25 games of the season excluded). We can’t afford to waste a roster slot on him. Who gets pushed out? Weight? (Doubt it). Bergie (Really?), Shremp (uh, no.).
Maybe Sim at best…and he’s been fine lately. Sigh. Just awful.
Then there's this from the official site
Gillies skated with John Tavares and Josh Bailey today as the regular on the right side of that line, Kyle Okposo had the day off.
I’m assuming that’s just because 21 sat out practice.
I’d love to be a fly on the wall for how this decision went down, as far as how much is Gordon and how much is Snow. I imagine Gordon will go back to the Rechlicz era of using three lines and mostly double-shifting someone with the fourth line while Gillies gets one shift or so per period.
The NHL enforcer system is so completely broken. I actually think there would be fewer enforcers if they removed the instigator at this point — then regular players would fight (like the original Gillies) and fight only when necessary, and we wouldn’t have this weird dynamic where when something “over the line” happens, two guys who had nothing to do with the infraction pair off because that’s their role. But I’m an idealist.
And what if this happens: What if they throw Gillies out there when things get Flyer-iffic, but no one fights him? What if he then draws an instigator? What if the Flyers do no typically stupid Flyer things (except Pronger, who won’t fight anyway) and just decide to play hockey, and then a spot is wasted on an enforcer who has nothing to do?
Just thinking of different possibilities … and repeating that the policing system is broken. I don’t completely dismiss the group psychological aspect of this — if players believe something is so, then it is to some degree so — but I do think its effect is highly exaggerated for today’s game.
Lighthouse Hockey: Under contract through 2021, knees and hips be damned.
Any reason they just couldn’t bring up Riechliz? I mean it sounds like a bit of a waste of a spot. I know its Philly, but like I’ve stated a ton of times before, the way you make teams pay for taking stupid penalites is via the PP, not putting someone on the bench who can’t skate.
"So basically, the Stats make no sense whatsoever."
Rechlicz hasn't played much
14 games for Rechlicz, 18 for Gillies. I suppose go with the veteran? Either way, I hope Reich is able to fill this role if they turn to it more as the season goes on. He looked like a more complete player.
Lighthouse Hockey: Under contract through 2021, knees and hips be damned.
Theres not a huge difference between 14 and 18 games, I dont hink thats it.
Im OK with giving Gilles a look in theory, but we already have the Wrecker signed. I admit I wish it was him coming up.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Jan 30, 2010 9:02 AM EST up reply actions

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