Destroying a Rotten Core: The 08-09 Islanders Today
by Mark D on Aug 21, 2010 10:00 AM EDT
in Roster Manoeuvres in the Dark
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PrintEntering the 08-09 season the Islanders weren't definitively in rebuild mode. The 07-08 team only fell apart once Rick DiPietro went down. He was rumored to be returning at full health and the Islanders had added some grizzled vets to the roster. They even looked to the past in picking up Doug Weight, hoping he and Bill Guerin could catch some of the old magic. Although no one thought they would be a playoff team, they were expected to at least be competitive.
Unfortunately reality came crashing in hard for the Islanders. A new young coach clashed with some of the vets. DiPietro not only missed all of preseason but in his rare appearances during the regular season did not look good. The plan of letting Wade Dubielewicz escape to Russia meant the crease was filled by two goalies who should have never left the AHL. The grizzled vets quickly broke down as the season went on, including an injury to Mike Sillinger which ended his long journeyman career.
Without further ado, your "Where Are They Now?" for the 08-09 Islanders is after the jump.
The list is ordered by games played. Italics is with the team and Strikethrough left via Trade, FA, Waiver or retirement.
Mark Streit
Today: Still with the Islanders, the one bright spot for the team that year.
Richard Park
Today: Unsigned Free Agent, appears to be the end of the line with the Islanders
Tim Jackman
Today: Signed with the Calgary Flames after becoming a UFA this offseason.
Bruno Gervais
Today: The Chef continues his Islanders career, despite fan horror when he's anywhere on the ice.
Joshua Bailey
Today: Part of a group of youngsters who hopefully will lead the Islanders to the promised land.
Andy Hilbert
Today: Took a one year hiatus with Minnesota (well the AHL) before coming back to likely play in Bridgeport.
Brendan Witt
Today: The Islanders finally bought out the elder warrior. Rumors have him winning a string of demolition derbies.
Jeff Tambellini
Today: Allowed to leave the team as a UFA, Tamby signed with the Canucks this offseason.
Kyle Okposo
Today: Another of the important youngsters for the teams future.
Bill Guerin
Today: Traded to the Penguins during 08-09, Won a cup with Sid The Kid. Currently a UFA
Thomas Pock
Today: The Austrian left North America after 08-09 and spent last year in the Swiss League.
Sean Bergenheim
Today: Allowed to leave as a UFA this offseason. He signed with "Genius GM of the Moment" Stevie Y for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Frans Nielsen
Today: The great Dane is still an Islander and should be for a long time.
Trent Hunter
Today: Looks to be an Islander for at least as long as his current contract (expires in 12-13) and possibly longer.
Blake Comeau
Today: Still an Islander, but with an expiring contract looming he is looking to prove he is more than a two-month (March and April) wonder.
Doug Weight
Today: The Islander Captain and JT's tutor should be back for at least one more season.
Radek Martinek
Today: The oft-injured defenseman is hoping to return to form in a contract year.
Chris Campoli
Today: After being traded to the Senators, Superstar Chris Campoli actually turned down some reasonable offers from the Sens and nearly went to arbitration with them before signing a one-year $1.4 million deal.
Joey MacDonald
Today: Allowed to walk away from the Islanders, he signed with Toronto and was traded twice during the season. Is back in the Red Wings system for the 2nd time in his career.
Jon Sim
Today: Is still with the Islanders, but signed a two-way deal. Looking as though he might spend most of the year in Bridgeport.
Nate Thompson
Today: Claimed off of waivers by the Lightning, he's still there today.
Mike Comrie
Today: Traded with Chris Campoli, he's a UFA who recently married Hilliary Duff.
Jack Hillen
Today: The promising youngster suffered a bit of a setback after stopping an Alex Ovechkin shot with his face. Still with the Islanders.
Yann Danis
Today: Allowed to walk following his one season, signed on to be the Devils backup. After a season in which he basically was a glorified season ticket holder, Danis has signed on to play in the KHL.
Freddy Meyer
Today: Played another season with the Islanders before becoming a UFA and signing with the Thrashers.
Andy Sutton
Today: Traded last season to the Senators. As a free agent he signed with the Ducks.
Mitch Fritz
Today: Not retained following the season, he's now gooning it up for the Lightning AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals
Joe Callahan
Today: Not retained, signed by the Sharks and played for their AHL team. A UFA this offseason and signed with the Panthers to a two way deal.
Dean McAmmond
Today: Was acquired in the Campoli/Comrie deal simply because of his expiring contract. Spent last season with the Devils and is now a UFA.
Joel Rechlicz
Today: The "Recher" was recently bought out of his contract by the Islanders.
Brett Skinner
Today: After his stint with the Islanders, spent the last two seasons playing in the AHL. Signed to play in Europe this offseason.
Mike Iggulden
Today: Spent last season playing in the KHL for the Riga Dynamo, a team that also had Marcel Hossa and Sandis Ozolinsh.
Trevor Smith
Today: Was mostly a Bridgeport player for the last two seasons. He's signed with the Ducks, most likely to play in the AHL.
Mike Sillinger
Today: The much respected and traveled Sillinger had to call it a career after suffering an injury in 08. Funny enough he moved to the front office of one of the teams he never played for, the Oilers.
Jesse Joensuu
Today: The talented youngster is still trying to prove he can make it in the NHL.
Jeremy Colliton
Today: The former Islanders 2nd round pick has moved his game to Europe.
Rick DiPietro
Today: Still an Islander and still recovering
Ben Walter
Today: Signed with the Devils last season and played mostly with Lowell. This offseason he signed another two way deal with the Avalanche.
Kurtis McLean
Today: The Ontario native has moved his game to the European leagues.
Peter Mannino
Today: After nearly setting a record with the highest recorded GAA in league history, he joined the Thrashers organization where he continues to play today.
Andrew MacDonald
Today: The hard working defenseman proved he had what it takes to be an NHL player and was rewarded with a multi-year contract.
Jamie Fraser
Today: He signed with the Wild after his one game appearance. Is still with them today.
Sean Bentivoglio
Today: The one game wonder played last season in Bridgeport and is currently a UFA.
Out of 43 players who played at least a game for the Islanders in 08-09, only 15 players are still (or have returned to) the Islanders organization. Out of that, a few of them are question marks as to whether we'll see them in the NHL at all next season. That means roughly two thirds or three quarters of the roster has turned over in two seasons. It makes you wonder how different the team might look in another two seasons.
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And I’ll bet everyone is thrilled to know Pburgh got Aron Asham.
Get out of the sticks, Charles, move to Queens!! Come, Get some respect a Professional team deserves!!
Another good pickup for Pittsburgh. It’s amazing how much they’ve added.
Now all Asham needs to do is sign with the Rangers and he’s played with every team in the Atlantic.
Dominik signed me for 20 years, and all I got was a press conference and a voided contract...
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Good luck to asham,
I always loved his style of play and toughness on the isles. Either way, now he’s got a part time job protecting crosby, and that’s usually a heavy hour job. lol
Go isles or Go home.
You gotta love Ash. He’s been dropping the gloves with a lot more regularity the last couple of years on Broad Street. I’d love to see him and Martin have a go at it.
BTW
I went to hockeyfights.com to see if they had fought last year, I thought I remembered Martin and Ash going at it. They didn’t, but I re-watched the Matin/Thompson match. That was my favorite fight from last year, not just for the actual fistacuffs but more for the respect the two players showed each other afterwords. I think I actually teared up when I saw those guys telling each other ‘good job’ from the penalty boxes after pummeling each other.
lol,
tearing up may be a little much but that was nice to see. I think martin will be an average middleweight fighter. Asham though has been ranked as a top end middleweight for a while. If the scenario plays out though, I wonder who will get first dibs: Konopka or Martin?
Go isles or Go home.
Okay, I didn’t actually cry; just making a point that it was nice to see. Fighting gets such a bad rap in hockey, that scenario shows the true nature of the reason hockey players drop the gloves. Tavares was hit hard into the boards. For most of the season the Isles would of let that go but not on Martin’s watch. He and his buddy Thompson knew they were going to have square off. It had nothing to do with anger or hatred. They did their jobs and then commended each other on a good fair fight. Conjures up images of two guys with blackened eyes laughing and sipping beers at a pub after the game. I’m old school when it comes to the issue of fighting in hockey and I feel that it still has its place in the game. I was a terrible hockey player growing up and the only way I ever got any ice time was by going out there and knocking players over and getting under the opponents skin. While most of my teammates where dreaming of being the next Turgeon or Thomas I was dreaming of one day being the next Mick Vukota. No joke. Fighting was allowed in the leagues I played in as a kid but I saw myself as that type of player.
Nice list,
makes me realize we were had some old “grandpa” hockey players 2 years ago with mccammond, guerin, sillinger, and weight. Nice to see how far we’ve jumped with our starting lineup in 2 years. It’d still be nice to pluck a superstar from someone. Corey Perry and Marc Staal and Hornqvist(who’d I’d trade schremp in a hearbeat for because of his age, 2-way play, and heart) are still on the RFA market so I can dream.
Go isles or Go home.
In Fairness, McAmmond was part of the Comrie/Campoli trade, and the only reason the Islanders got him was due to his expiring contract. I’m sure the Senators wanted to get rid of him to clear up room for Campoli.
Dominik signed me for 20 years, and all I got was a press conference and a voided contract...
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Would have liked
To see Iggulden get a shot. He was a big body and didn’t look out of place. Good numbers in the AHL & KHL but is now 28. Another person that I think the team around him was a bit better, could have been pretty productive. In NHL w/Isles, 11g 5 pts.
by Keith Quinn on Aug 21, 2010 1:51 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I think his problem was that he was an Undrafted FA. You really have to be head and shoulders above everyone else to stick around with an organization looking to promote it’s own draft picks.
I always take KHL stats with a grain of salt. Their goalies are pretty much 3rd stringers from the NHL. I mean both Dubie and Danis have played over there. If you ever watch a highlight reel of goals from the KHL, it’s obvious the goalies are pretty bad.
Dominik signed me for 20 years, and all I got was a press conference and a voided contract...
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Things aren’t going in the right direction for Iggulden. He signed in Switzerland with Langnau. In case you aren’t familiar with Swiss hockey (I’m shocked), the Tigers hold a strange record of mediocrity that consists in failing to qualify for the playoffs (8 spots for 12 teams) while still avoiding the relegation in second division : 12 seasons and counting.
It might be an opportunity for Iggulden to be in the spotlight.
Well, we have that one prospect of ours (A former Milbury pick) who has been lighting up the Italian Hockey league for 2 or 3 seasons now. So he hasn’t hit the bottom of the barrel yet.
Dominik signed me for 20 years, and all I got was a press conference and a voided contract...
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Iggulden
I would’ve liked to see him get a longer organizational look, too. He had some real skills. Hardly a wasted gem or anything, but he fell in that vast AAAA pool where he might have made an NHL career for himself with some different breaks.
Lighthouse Hockey: More defensemen than we know how to spell.
Was Iggy
Trevor smith’s center at Bridgeport? That may explain his drop in play
by Keith Quinn on Aug 23, 2010 2:29 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
sillinger
faceoffs have been atrocious since we lost him. he was aging but still a great pk man as well. i miss him
by Lakewood Islander on Aug 21, 2010 10:40 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
'Silly'.....
…..was one of my all-time favorite Islanders and an all-around nice guy, from all I’ve heard…..absolutely missed, could’ve been a very effective counsel to the young’uns concerning faceoffs…..
I was really surprised the Isles didn’t keep him around as an assistant coach.
Dominik signed me for 20 years, and all I got was a press conference and a voided contract...
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
I got the sense during his retirement conference call that he was eager to move his family back closer to home.
I do miss him though. Minus the hip plague he could very well be playing today.
Lighthouse Hockey: More defensemen than we know how to spell.
I didn’t feel optimistic about the Islanders entering the 08-09 season. A core of Guerin, Weight and Comrie didn’t thrill me. Even had they all been in their prime its not the most formidable offensive juggernaut ever assembled, by a long shot. I thought getting Streit was smart; but keep in mind that his role with Montreal had been very different then it had become with the Islanders. He saw limited minutes with the Habs and I didn’t expect much more than a PP specialist/third pairing guy. If you had told me he would of lead the team in scoring that year I’d be pretty surprised. Being an Islander fan I have learned to always look for the silver lining in any situation. Going into that year I was really excited to see how Kyle would play, as well as Bailey when he made the roster. I had also been following a young junior hockey phenom named John Tavares and knew that he was eligible to be drafted in the following off-season. While I have never rooted for the Islanders to lose; knowing who was available in the draft took the sting out of the losses. All this being said 08-09 was the first season since I had graduated from College six years before that I had missed watching most games. I had to move to California and could not yet afford the center ice package. (Following what was going on the ice that year I can’t say I was too tempted to scrape together the money needed) So I was spared much of the pain many fans had to endure that year. And bottoming out was what the organization needed to get past the mentality of putting together just enough talent for an eighth seed.
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Islanders Schedule
Next 5 Games
@
Philadelphia
|
Tue 02/07 | 7:00 PM EST |
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Montreal
|
Thu 02/09 | 7:00 PM EST |
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Los Angeles
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Sat 02/11 | 1:00 PM EST |
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Florida
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Sun 02/12 | 3:00 PM EST |
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@
Winnipeg
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Tue 02/14 | 8:30 PM EST |
Last 5 Games
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Buffalo
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Sat 02/04 | SO - L 3 - 4 |
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@
Ottawa
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Fri 02/03 | OT - W 2 - 1 |
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@
Carolina
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Tue 01/31 | W 5 - 2 |
|
Toronto
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Tue 01/24 | OT - L 3 - 4 |
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@
Toronto
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Mon 01/23 | L 0 - 3 |
Atlantic Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New York Rangers
|
50 | 33 | 12 | 5 | 71 |
|
Philadelphia
|
52 | 30 | 16 | 6 | 66 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
53 | 30 | 19 | 4 | 64 |
|
New Jersey
|
52 | 30 | 19 | 3 | 63 |
|
New York Islanders
|
51 | 21 | 22 | 8 | 50 |
(updated 2.5.2012 at 4:42 PM EST)
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