Bits: Suppose you're an agent, and suppose you've an agenda. But I repeat myself.

Two things have defined the Islanders of this millennium: losing and Rick DiPietro. I think to have DP pushed aside by a guy brought in by a sixth round pick under emergency circumstances is surprising to people who didn’t see us the last two months of the year. Especially when said guy has had little prior success at the pro level.

I did see a lot of previews slotting Nabby or DP as the starter, not so much Montoya. I guess I’m just still perplexed by two games. Two games! It’s a long season, and having three goalies means they have options.

After discussing (very briefly) the Islanders-Wild game, Patrick had the surprised about Montoya reaction, but then followed it up with something like “Certainly they can’t hope to ride Al Montoya all year” with so much derision that it cannot be reproduced in prose here. Olczyk said that Nabokov would eventually be the starter because he’ll give them them the best chance to win and that they could look to trade Big Al. By the time it was done, my brain was spinning in so many different directions i didn’t know what to yell at the guys on the TV that can’t hear me.

The “winner” and “loser” tags stick a whole lot longer when the TV talking heads, aka the guys who are supposed to know everything, just keep hammering them home. I’ve never seen Nabokov as anything more than an asset to trade for spare parts. Last season, the Islanders just needed a body (preferably human) to play goalie. Plus he was cheap and available for nothing. Turns out, so was Montoya, who actually wanted to play for the Islanders.

Would it really be that shocking if Montoya, who was on depth charts behind two guys names Lundqvist and Bryzgalov, turned out to be a perfectly competent starting goalie?

Every year the NHL has some points in its season where some teams have played up to 4 or even 5 more games than another team. Just ridiculous.

The NHL should make its games events by having hockey always on certain nights. None of this seemingly random scheduling – If I want to know when the Isles are on, if I’m not near a computer I have no clue.

Make hockey always played for every team on specific days of the week like say M-W-Fri-Sat. Or you can have two teams play sunday instead of saturday each week. The current system is just stupid.

His ahl career is unimpressive. The skills are there though, if Monty can or keep putting it together, the recognition will come.

I’ve noticed the same thing. I was talking about it during the Wild game.

It’s nice our writers talk about our team when they write and not make stuff up about the other teams. Well, unless it’s the Pens. And they don’t have to make it up. ;o)

Do remember to support those blogs getting low amounts of comments if the contents good. I’ve been following LHH since near the beginning (it started in November and I found it in March) and I couldn’t believe how quiet it was. Now it’s nearly impossible to keep up with the comments, and I’m more then willing to admit that the discussions in the comments are just as much fun as reading the stories themselves.

while its great that he would be playing, he needs to play on the smaller surface, not the bigger ones used in the sel

even the NFL’s lions can’t shake it, and they’re 5-0 this year! it takes time to wash the stink off

October twentysomething for Strome and Nino. Otherwise they have to stay for the year.

I wondered that about KK too when I saw Keith’s comment about him going to the SEL on the other KK post. Seems like not starting his ECL would be the only reason to send him there as opposed to the AHL because it seems like either way he’d have to be released by his Q team.

rick’s exit interview last year where he assumed he was the #1

Ah yes, that interview where he didnt say that at all but it was spinned that way anyway.

seeing KO on the top line, and PAP on the third, but more for Bailey’s sake than anything else. Although it would be interesting to see if KO could mesh there.

Rolston with FN and MG? FnGRo? Scoobie Snacks anyone?

My only guess is that they don’t want to disrupt the first two lines and wanted to see whether Rolston is a good influence on JB/BC.

I kind of like Ben’s thought of mixing up the bottom six though. And if they force Nino to the top line (I don’t think he’s ready for that) when healthy, that might allow PAP to help Bailey. Even the current setup I’d give more than two games though, even though it feels like deja vu.

make the 3rd line Pap/Rolston/BC
1st MM/JT/JB, 2nd FNGO, 4th Martin/Reasoner/Pandolfo

Until niño is ready, this shelters everyone. And we can still roll 4. Whoever stinks worse in this alignment gets demoted to Pandolfo’s spot or bench to make room for Niño.

But I agree, enough with trying to find the right consistency…give em a couple of weeks in a position to succeed and make a decision.

Its early, but so far those who would trade him for a Kick-Ass D, are looking good.

Except for the GM giving up the Kick-Ass D, of course.

Once promising but now out of grace player plus other spare parts and picks for your top player.
Those thinking Bailey would fetch an established top 4 defenceman live in fantasyland. I wouldn’t expect more than a promising prospect on the verge of the NHL. Nashville has a surplus of those defence prospects and would be a perfect trading partner.
That being said, I wouldn’t trade Bailey right now.

When I was a kid I wanted to live in a bottle with Barbara Eden… I spent 15 years in the bottle… no Barbara Eden… get over it kid!

Seriously, that article, from what i gathered from a poor Babelfish translation, appears to be Kabanov attempting to make up for his previous comments toward the KHL and Russia in general.

Which is almost certainly more likely to do with him rehabilitating his image to make him allowed to play on future national teams than an interest in the KHL. He’s already signed his ELC here, and says good things about Strome and Tavares in the same article.

I was saying, Myers, okay[this scenario would have been better]… myers PLUS Hamonic and Petrov (because they still get them after trading down twice)
Myers is an all-star level defender and he’s 22. I could only imagine a team with very few defensive woes with Myers, Hamonic and Donovan from that draft, and then deHaan (maybe they don’t fall in love with dehaan if they already have Myers). But the draft itself may have been different if they go D first… maybe they pass on Hamonic… and Hamonic is well on his way to becoming my favorite Islander… so.. I, personally, like the way it turned out.
…and… any evaluation of that draft from where all the picks are RIGHT NOW would be insane not to rate it as an A+ for the Isles.
13 picks…6 have played in the NHL 2 years after the draft (I’m including Spurgeon). Ness, Petrov, Donovan and Ullstrom are almost guarenteed to get NHL shots within the next two seasons. These kids are 21-23 years old so this is where they are supposed to be professionally productive, and you have potentially 11 of 13 in the NHL before they are 25 (I include Niemi, but I haven’t really followed his AHL career). So really the only kids who haven’t popped up on te radar are Trivino and Toews… and they might surface with another organization eventually. THAT is a tremendous draft class.
To put it into a different perspective, if you just got Bailey, Hamonic and Petrov it would have been considered a pretty good haul for a 6 pick draft class.

The problem has stopped for me — though I was trying that workaround you mention the other day.

http://mobile.newsday.com/inf/infomo;JSESSIONID=BDBE27341B06743927FB.3151?site=newsday&view=sports_blogs_item&feed:a=newsday_5min&feed:c=sports_blogs&feed:i=1.3240464

Rolston’s got a hell of a shot and will probably do wonders for our PP1.

Rick is making it EASIER on a coach… Cappy can roll out of bed tomorrow knowing that Nabakov can get a shot against the non-division rival Lightning, and El Cubano gets a chance to be a hero at home against the team that drafted him. All with Ricky in the press box unable to complain to Charles about not starting, because he has Islander face.
Hope you’re okay Rick… maybe instead of the owner’s booth you can watch the game with Howie and Butchie. It will be good practice for when you retire.