Lighthouse Hockey, a New York Islanders community

In Garth's final season as the Islanders' goalie he and I were waiting for a faceoff in his end zone following a commercial timeout. The Islanders were a struggling team at that point and a pretty frustrated bunch of players. Snowy said to me, "You want to know a scary thought Frase? Things are going so bad for us right now that I'm the toughest guy we have on this team and I'm the bloody goalie!"

I'd love to tell you the Capitals' general reaction [to the Bolts acquiring Roloson], because it was pretty funny. But the one word is somewhat unprintable on a family website. Let's just say they have a healthy respect for Roloson.

We asked the agents: Which GM gets a bum rap from fans and the media but is actually quite good at what he does?

Two answered immediately and emphatically: New York Islanders GM Garth Snow.

"The most underrated GM in the business," said one agent. "He knows every nuance of the CBA. He has confidence in his five-year plan and is methodically implementing it."

Another agent said that Snow is a straight-shooter with a "player's mentality" rather than a Harvard education [...] "He gets a player's ear by being aggressive," said the agent.

"Our fans have embraced the direction we’re going in," Snow said. "It’s always neat when you’re walking down the street or going into a restaurant and someone stops you to say, ‘We like what you’re doing. Keep it up.’"

"First, thank you for the patience you've exhibited. We're going to make some mistakes, we're going to do some very smart things. We're going to stay the course, we're going to build this team with the younger players, through the draft, and sprinkle in the kind of free agents we believe will add to the team."

"The biggest thing is we don't want him to feel like he's got to be the guy every night. We want it to be a smooth transition for him ... He's a pretty mature kid. He's been through a lot ... I'm sure if there is anybody that is going to be quick to handle everything, it'll be him."

[Duchene and Tavares agent Pat] Brisson said he usually knows by now, adding that Garth Snow's cone of silence act is something he's never experienced in 20 years at the draft.

"I'm told fan polls and surveys and such won't affect the decision. But honestly, I think the environment surrounding the pick will be super-heated by June 26th. Who knows whether Charles Wang will suggest that Tavares could be awfully good for the box office? ... If they go a different direction, it will be out of a very strong conviction because they'll need a lot of backbone to back it up and explain it to the fan base."

"I showed them Long Island because you don't get a good feel for it if all you see is the Coliseum. They all loved Long Island. I talked them through my experiences from when I first signed with the Islanders in 2001.

"All I knew about Long Island was the Marriott hotel and the Coliseum, but you come here and fall in love with Long Island. That's not to say this was a recruiting mission. It's not like free agency. These kids are going to be happy anywhere they go. But it's a chance to get to know them."

Listen, the way -- I won't even mention the name -- but the way he does his business is the polar opposite of the way I do things. I'm not going to sit on a soapbox, a grandstand, and announce any of my intentions. We like to keep our business in house, and whether it's talking to another manager... one of my players, one of my coaches, in my office, it stays within the four walls. That's just the way I am ... the way we operate.