David Ullström in the fold: 3-year deal with Islanders
by Dominik on Jun 1, 2010 12:51 PM EDT
in Roster Manoeuvres in the Dark
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PrintTurns out those fears of HV71 have been realized: The Islanders have signed big winger David Ullström from Sweden with a three-year entry level deal. He has told his hometown fans via jnytt.se [Google Translate]: "It's a dream come true," and "It's hard to say no to an NHL contract." [Check another local article about it via Hans und Franz's FanShot, where it's noted a loan back to HV71 is out of the question.]
As we discussed last week, the new transfer agreement with Sweden meant the NHL club had to decide on the 2008 draft pick (4th round, #102) by this month or lose his rights and see him re-enter the draft. Because I like the idea of a 6'3" winger with good hands joining the fold, I'm happy to hear the Islanders believe in Ullström enough to give him the entry-level commitment. (I'm also happy to have cause to continue using umlauts at random intervals.)
Figure him to be in AHL Bridgeport in 2010-11, where he'll continue the tradition -- to my eyes, anyway -- of Nordic wingers like Sean Bergenheim, Jesse Joensuu and Robin Figren trying to make it big through the Islanders system. As those others have shown, making it all the way is no smooth path, but that's alright: Making the NHL isn't supposed to be easy.
This leaves Jared Spurgeon as the only one of those 13 Isles 2008 picks still due a decision (or rather, an announcement if signed). Four are in the NCAA and still have a couple years on their clock, while the rest have been signed to the required three-year entry level deal.
Anyone remember him in the 2009 WJC? Have any hopes or dreams?
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The thing that worries me about Ullstrom is this: In the first 10 game of the season he scored 14 points. Then he got injured, missed about two weeks recovering and only scored four points in the remaining 37 regular season games and two in 16 playoff matches. Hopefully that was more a result of HV71 telling him to concentrate on his defense and his removal from a line ex-Islander Johan Davidsson (Milbury traded a Jonsson to get him, Jorgen Jonsson) than the injury lingering.
Due to his size and experience playing in the Elitserien and Allsvenskan I liken him a bit to JJ, in fact they started their North American careers at the same age (21). As with JJ, patience will be the key in his development. He’ll need at least one full year and possibly more in Bridgeport before he will make an impact with the big club.
Friends don't let friends buy from CA.
Oh and don’t worry about not checking the fanpost. I was doing my morning reading of Scandinavian newspapers (yes, I do that) and saw that. Ain’t water off my back. Just happy I could provide the info about the no deal on the loan back. It was pretty interesting his reaction to the question, like no chance in hell its happening.
Friends don't let friends buy from CA.
by David Hanssen on Jun 1, 2010 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions
One of the things mentioned was that Kris Beech (?!) joined the team and bumped Ullstrom’s playing time down, so hopefully that was part of the dip in production
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Well HV 71 just had a very veteran team last year with Beech, Davidsson, Bjorn Melin, Andreas Falk and Teemu Laine. They didn’t win the Elitserien with scrubs. Ullstrom was also fighting for playing time with Matthias Tedenby, the Devils’ 1st rounder from 2008.
Friends don't let friends buy from CA.
by David Hanssen on Jun 1, 2010 11:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Very good news...
There are a couple of RFA decisions to make in BP, and it looks like for the second year running there will be a little turnover in BP. That’s good.
NHL 500... Let the Less Filling vs Tastes Great debate begin!
I think Smith, Rajda and Maudlin are all off for greener pastures and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bentivoglio either not tendered a contract as an RFA or traded for a low pick/low level prospect. There are some interesting questions though, like does the organization think Tomas Marcinko can finally take that next step and I think its time to fish or cut bait with Rechlicz.
Friends don't let friends buy from CA.
by David Hanssen on Jun 1, 2010 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions
It is exciting to see that the Tigers have some options.
It is about time that there is a flow of prospects going through the farm system. Perhaps Snow can get a few more draft options with the surplus prospects. However, with the turnover what will that do to the chemistry of the team? You would imagine that they would be better but what if they happen to go to 6-7 new players in the system?
Sending the Isles to China was Wang's vision of making Strange Brew 2: Stranger Brew.
From the little chit chat I had with Fornabaio a few weeks back, he made it seem like the Tigers would like to retain Mauldin and perhaps Smith if they could. It would be interesting to put out an all-behemoth like line of Ullstrom – Marcinko – Joensuu however. Bwaha, just wishful thinking, but if nothing else, there is some size in the front end that they can build off of.
I cannot wait for Rakh-tober.
My guess as to Spurgeon
He was drafted as a 6th rounder but is playing more like a first rounder or at least an early second. His agent is no doubt looking for him to get paid more like an early draft pick and the Isles are resistant. I know I mentioned the idea of a trade, but Isles should sign him and have him and DeHaan battle it out for a roster spot in September.
Hey BC, is it possible his production is high due to playing for Spokane? This year 5 of their top 14 point getters were Defense, and 3 of their top ten. Last year it was 4 of their top 11, but 07-08 is mostly forwards in the top ten.
The Islanders went from Marty McInnis and a 2nd Overall pick to Jesse Joensuu.
article I read said he was their best player
not their best defenseman, their best player. The kid is good and he is about the same size as DeHaan. No reason why he shouldn’t be able to take a serious run at a roster spot.
I hope...
you’re talking about a roster spot in Bridgeport… and I don’t think deHaan is eligible for the AHL.(just turned 19).
With $15M to spend and a 4 F/T roster spots spoken for (Streit, Hillen, Marty, MacDonald), Bruno signed and Meyer an excellent 5-6 option as a UFA…
I really don’t think I want to see either KID rushed… especially when the first rounder is coming off a season with injury issues.
Spurgeon can battle with Katic for the call up when the Islanders need somebody crawl into a basement window….
NHL 500... Let the Less Filling vs Tastes Great debate begin!
You consider Martinek’s spot spoken for? I wouldn’t be surprised if they try to trade him, or if DeHaan and Harmonic outplay him, him getting waived. Too many injuries. At the very least we should carry a 7th dman for when he goes down.
I do agree though, unless DeHaan has an insane camp he should be back in Jrs.
The Islanders went from Marty McInnis and a 2nd Overall pick to Jesse Joensuu.
You consider Martinek’s spot spoken for?
ha! martinek’s still too good to waive outright, but his IR tendencies make everyone crazy, but he’s still a vet and still you can’t count on young D men to go all year as studs, more oft than not they will need games in the press box every few weeks
clean and sober for 2 months and change... only thing different is that now i KNOW i'm the asshole everyone says i am :-)
I bet Martinek stays right where he is (well, on the roster I mean, not on IR) and he becomes part of the “we’re better than last year because of X, Y and Martinek” talking points.
I imagine he’d have to “prove” his health first before another team would be interested.
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IF Radek stays healthy and plays to his usual standards
and Garth is inclined to sell at the deadline, he might get something, but with Radek’s injury history, it won’t be much.
I see no reason why they cannot compete for a spot on the parent club
If they don’t make it, they don’t make it. But it is not as if the team is so deep in ultra talented NHL-ready defensemen that they can afford to just assume neither player is ready and send DeHaan back to juniors and Spurgeon to Bridgeport.
Not the point
My point is; with $15M to spend Snow needs to find two capable defensemen, and I’m okay if one of them is Meyer.
I agree with [almost] everybody above. Radek is the third best “D” on this team when healthy… and that’s giving Hillen the edge because he’s younger, quicker and makes better passes. If you can get Radek for 40 games, it’s 40 games you’ll have four above average defenders… and from there Snow has to go forward.
I really don’t want to see young players going from juniors to the NHL. There are the exceptional cases, but better teams allow their charges to mature physically and mentally with less pressure in the AHL. PLUS… they need SIZE on the backline more than anything. They have four guys who can move the puck, nobody who can move a body.
I really don’t see the harm in letting a 20 year old play in the AHL for a year. You make it sound like a death sentence. Give Freddy a year or two… let Spurgeon and Hamonic improve themselves and the Tigers for a year… at least until injuries mount.
NHL 500... Let the Less Filling vs Tastes Great debate begin!
Garth is crazy if he starts the season with less than 8 defensemen on the roster
Streit, Martinek, Gervais, Hillen, MacDonald, maybe Meyer. That leaves two slots to be filled. Meyer and Gervais should be depth guys if anything. Make them 7 and 8. Who are the other two? You need someone big and strong enough to keep the crease clear. You can try to get Volcenkhov, bring back Andy S, or…? But even if you sign a FA to do that, you still have another spot to fill. Do you leave it open and rotate Bridgeport guys in that spot? I just think that DeHaan and Spurgeon deserve a shot at that.
Magic 8 ball logic
I understand the 8, but I’m not sure they have a need for two press box residents unless they start the season on a long west coast trip.
1. Streit…. no brainer.
2. Hillen… he’s earned it.
3. Marty starts game one unless he’s hurt in camp… possible… let’s hope not.
4. MacDonald… signed, and has proven he can play in the NHL.
5. There has to be a UFA that will take a Wang overpayment.
6. Meyer owes Snow for giving him time on North American ice to prove he even deserves a phone call in July. If Snow makes a fair offer, and I bet he will, Meyer is an Islander next year.
7. Last week Katic was the best thing since mini muffins… I don’t buy it, but he has paid some dues in the AHL… and was an AHL all-star.
8. There are two guys who will be fighting for this spot… maybe literally. Brendan Witt who accounts for 15% of the $20M Wang loses annually. He probably doesn’t need conditioning… so if you stick him in the press box it’s just more time for him to feel “healthy”… the biggest question on a move like this is re-entry waivers. I’m not sure how they work in the off-season.
8b. Travis Hamonic. The only defenseman with any size will be one they sign. Hamonic is no GIANT, but he is a strong kid and he has some grit to him. They need that more than somebody who can skate the pivot if one of the ice girls goes down (no pun intended).
If I am correct you said you didn’t want to see AHL level talent in goal on this team. Why then, do you wnat to see Junior level talent defending that goal… on a team who really hasn’t become an offensive juggernaut. They especially need big bodies on the PK.
This is where patience starts to be important. Now that they can ice a pretty good team, why rush prospects. They made a point of setting up a parallel system in bridgeport so they could stage in draft picks…. let them use it… it’s worked great so far.
NHL 500... Let the Less Filling vs Tastes Great debate begin!
I was referring to goalies who are career AHL talent
and either Spurgeon or DeHaan would have to earn their spots. Unless Witt shows me something different from the last two years, there is no way I want him lacing up in Uniondale. Rather have a smaller player with some game than a pure pylon. Unless…that business about the playoffs was just a smokescreen and the real plan is to be able to draft this guy next June:
http://www.faceoff.com/hockey/columnists/story.html?id=43a87376-7d79-48e2-a34d-7f6d6bce47d5
Re-entry waivers
It all starts over, so if the Islanders wanted to start the season with Witt in the NHL, they wouldn’t have to expose him to the re-entry risk (and the risk of having to pay half his salary for someone else).
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Witt's End
So, you’d have to believe that having him at camp, and then keeping him on the NHL roster for an emergency for at least 20 games is fine. After that they can send him down if he’s not getting any playing time. they should have a full roster of development projects in BP…. Witt was a pretty damn good D, so maybe his value is helping the kids down there become NHL defensemen.
NHL 500... Let the Less Filling vs Tastes Great debate begin!
maybe his value is helping the kids down there become NHL defensemen.
Yes, his days as an NHL defenseman are really over.
Sadly, yes. Unless he was playing through some major and repairable injury the last two seasons. I gave him a long benefit of the doubt because he was quite effective three years ago, but by every measure the last two seasons it just wasn’t working. I don’t know if there is a stronger reflection of that than the Isles actually deciding to eat his salary to play in the AHL.
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I don’t think they overpay for an FA. I think they would try getting an unknown who they think has upside before overpaying a vet FA.
The Islanders went from Marty McInnis and a 2nd Overall pick to Jesse Joensuu.
they will likely need to overpay for one proven vet
Volcenkhov? Michalek? But they should also bring in one or two unknowns ala Moulson.
Hamonic is a different type of player
Moulson isn’t likely to be competing with Bailey for minutes—they are different kinds of players. Hamonic is a shutdown guy with some offensive pop. DeHaan and Spurgeon are more two way defensemen relying on speed and skill. Jared Cowen was drafted 8th overall last year by Ottawa and is just as big and physical as Hamonic. The article I read suggests that Spurgeon may have been the more effective of the two pairing partners.
That they’re different types is exactly why I’d figure Hamonic as more likely to break camp with the team than either of the undersized juniors. He’s older, more developed, bigger, and a less complex role will be expected of him.
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I guess my point is that they won't be competing with Hamonic for a spot
they will be competing for #2 PP QB. Unless Garth brings in a Babchuk of (very unlikely) a Gonchar, I don’t see a lot of competition.
I’d bet on that.
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by Dominik on Jun 1, 2010 8:24 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Anyone try to get tickets for the Draft Party? I tried twice but no go.
Get out of the sticks, Charles, move to Queens!! Come, Get some respect a Professional team deserves!!
Affirmative.....
…..don’t know if you tried at a bad time for the system, Marty, but was able to secure my free ticket around 4 a.m. this morning – looks like it’s going to be QUITE the happening……Dom, thanks again for the previously-discussed assist:)
No problem!
And I’d read there was a glitch in getting tickets, but that it was resolved. I confess I didn’t look into it at all since I can’t go.
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