It's here! IT'S HERE!!!11 Draft day has finally arrived and Islander country is excited! Another piece to the puzzle, tool for the toolbox and hopefully another bit of magic worked by Garth Snow and staff for us to ponder and explore for the next couple of seasons. Many feel the Isles are on the precipice of greatness; is today the day the team breaks through that barrier? We already had a bunch of inter-division good fortune from our Philadelphian nemesis that we'll recap below...but first, some draft prep work. Round one begins tonight at 7pm from the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul Minnesota (where Dominik will be covering the event) and be aired on Versus (Ch. 146 in New York). I will be going to the draft party at the Coliseum and hope to meet up with some of you there. Let's try to make a meet up place in comments.
Here is the Islander pick order.
Here is the complete LHH mock draft.
I guess the big question is; did yesterday's moves impact today's draft logic for the Isles and around the NHL or is everyone standing pat? Interesting to note that two powerhouses like Boston (9) and Philadelphia (8) are now among the top ten in what is considered to be a deep draft.
On to the bits:
For those that missed the pre-draft fireworks yesterday, I say, congratulations on your bender. There were a bunch of signings, rumors and the two show-stopper trades made by the Philadelphia Flyers who sent captain Mike Richards to the LA Kings for prospect Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds, and a 2nd round pick and Jeff Carter to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Jakub Voracek, the 8th overall pick and a 3rd rounder. As Elliote Friedeman reported, this saved the Flyers $110 million in cap space over the lifetime of the contracts which the Flyers, in turn, immediately pissed away on the Ilya Bryzgalov signing at 9 years $51 million ending when he is 40 years old. This amused Ryan Lambert (of The Two Line Pass and Puck Daddy) who noted via titter that; "the flyers now have about $7m in cap space to re-sign voracek, simmonds, carcillo, powe, nodl, leino and two D. lol good work, homer". The contract is front loaded which makes a late buyout more appealing. Carter and Richards were moved one year in advance of their NMCs/NTCs kicking in...apparently, when traded, those do not apply to the next team.
Additional moves yesterday:
The Montreal Canadiens re-signed defenseman Andrei Markov to a 3 year $17.25 million deal after two years of surgery.
Robyn Regehr was asked to waive his NMC (or NTC, something) to be traded to the Buffalo Sabres...pending.
The San Jose Sharks re-signed Devin Setoguchi for 3yrs. $9 million.
Ryan Smyth continues to be in the rumor mill and a trade is expected to be either back to the Edmonton Oilers or to the Calgary Flames as he would like to be closer to his family.
Chris Versteeg had a false trade rumor yesterday (to Florida by ESPN's Steve Levy), so we'll see if anything comes of that
The bitter, stunning end of Richards, Carter in Philadelphia - Puck Daddy - NHL Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Comprehensive National Hockey League news, scores, standings, fantasy games, rumors, and more
How, and why, the Los Angeles Kings acquired Mike Richards - Puck Daddy - NHL Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Flyers notes: Pronger gets C?; Cap & draft updates
With the departure of former captain Mike Richards, sources say Chris Pronger will now wear the Flyers' "C." By Tim Panaccio
NHL News:
NHL Super Schedule breaks down 2011-12 travel miles by team - On the Forecheck Fantastic work by Dirk Hoag to get this together already. The Isles have seven less back to back games next year (13 down from 20) and are the 3rd least traveled team behind only the NJ Devils and the Toronto Maple Leafs. That alone may give us a 6-8 point boost in the standings!
Hockey Prospectus mock draft (1-10)
The Hockey News: THN.com Top 10: THN.com Top 10: Draft day steals
Not only do NHL superstars come out of the first round of the draft, they can also be found in the much later stages.
NHL maps out major changes | Hockey | Sports | Ottawa Sun
The NHL could be ready to make drastic changes with a major realignment for the 2012-13 season.
Isles News:
The Official Web Site - New York Islanders - Vote 'Yes' on 8/1 for the new arena
Vote 'Yes' on August 1, 2011 on the referendum to build a new arena for the New York Islanders on the site of the existing Nassau Coliseum
Daily News Reporter Nick Hirshon Commemorates Coliseum History in Book | June
And a fantastic three part interview with the great #22 Mike Bossy by CBS NY Jeff Capellini @greenlanternjet on twitter).
Islanders Legend Mike Bossy Reflects On His Storied Career In Exclusive Interview With WFAN.com " CBS New York
Mike Bossy's career was the stuff of make-believe, because when you are done assessing his statistics, trophies and all other accolades in between, one very important factor is sometimes lost in the shuffle. He was forced to leave the game he dominated at the age of 30.
WFAN Exclusive With NY Islanders Legend Mike Bossy, Part 2: Trading In A Sweater For A Necktie " CBS New York
After leaving the game at the conclusion of the ’86-’87 season, Islanders legend Mike Bossy began a strange journey that featured him trying a little bit of everything.
WFAN Exclusive With New York Islanders Legend Mike Bossy, Part 3: The Young And The Restless " CBS New York
Mike Bossy was cautious when asked about what he thinks Garth Snow’s game plan will be. He took a wait-and-see approach, but also emphasized that it takes two to tango when it comes to acquiring talent.
Updates:
Info on the Isles Blue Vs. White scrimmage and skills competition with picks and prospects.
Islanders TV for prospect profiles
Anyone who still needs to get draft party passes can find the info here. I got mine last night, so they should still be available.
Happy drafting everybody! In Garth we trust! As it turns out, my work day was just cancelled, so I will be around updating things as they happen.