Islanders News: Analyzing Nelson’s “no-brainer” decision

Well, I complain about a dearth of Islanders news, and they go and extend Brock Nelson, much to my delight. Perhaps I should keep complaining until Anders Lee, Robin Lehner, and perhaps even Jordan Eberle are back in the fold.

Where’s all the Islanders news, dammit?!

Islanders News

Brock Nelson called the decision to re-sign “a no-brainer.” Now, the attention shifts to the other 3 big-name free agents in the Islanders stead. [The Athletic]

“It was a no-brainer to do this and not let it drag on,” Nelson said in a phone conversation on Thursday as he and his wife, Karley, went house-hunting on Long Island. They flew in from Minnesota for the day in anticipation of the deal being finalized. “With the kids now (one-year-old Beckett and three-week-old Addie), it’s a great place to raise a family. The on-ice and off-ice stuff all feels great so we knew we wanted to be here.”

— Arthur Staple, The Athletic

• Among Isles fans, most are somewhere between pleased and okay with the Nelson contract; elsewhere, some feel it was an overpay. Carey Haber offers some analysis team context to show that the extension was just right. [LHH]

Casey Cizikas was awarded his second straight Bob Nystrom Award, as voted on by the fans, for the Islander that best exemplifies leadership, dedication, and hustle. No argument here. [Islanders]

• The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies won the tiebreaking game against the Guelph Storm and will have another rematch with the Halifax Mooseheads, whom they defeated for the QMJHL title, to determine the Memorial Cup winner. Oh, also, Noah Dobson played like 35 minutes in the game and is getting praise up the wazoo for his performance. I’m getting giddy! [Sportsnet]
• We have a double dip of Maven’s Memories this week. First, in a new article, Stan Fischler recalls Mike Bossy’s march toward 50 goals in 50 games in the 1981 season. [Islanders]
• And, in an article we’ve linked before, he tells the tale of how the Islanders won their first Stanley Cup; yesterday, May 24, was the 39th anniversary of the championship. [Islanders]
• Michael Fornabaio offers an update on Yannick Rathgeb, who has signed a contract back home, and the count on former Sound Tigers left in the hunt for a Stanley Cup: one. Can you guess who it is? [Soundin’ Off]
• I don’t know if we’ve posted it before, but what the hell: the Sound Tigers are hosting their fifth annual 5K on October 6 to benefit The American Cancer Society, Seymour Pink, and the Get in Touch Foundation. Click here to find out more and sign up. [Sound Tigers]

Beyond the Blue and Orange

• LISTEN: Andrew Berkshire joins Dimitri Filipovic in the latest episode of the Hockey PDOcast to preview the Cup Final. [Yahoo]
• ESPN offers arguments about who to root for in the Stanley Cup Final; I think even they would acknowledge that, based on their arguments, the Blues present a much more compelling case.
• The Bruins hosted a scrimmage between its players to keep their legs fresh and it actually sold out, which is pretty wild. Brad Marchand appeared hurt for a minute, but the biggest win was that they all walked away unscathed. [NHL]
• The Athletic reached out to players, executives, coaches, and broadcasters associated with the Blues at one time or another throughout their history to get their reaction on the team finally qualifying for a Stanley Cup Final, and everyone is happy for them. That doesn’t really do the article justice, but just read it. It’s crazy how much people still care about the Blues, even if they haven’t been associated with them in years. [The Athletic]
• The Sharks cleaned out their lockers a couple days ago and spoke to the media about the season and why they were eliminated; also, Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, and Erik Karlsson addressed their futures as best as they could right now. [Fear the Fin]
• Karlsson was intrigued by the idea of landing with the Lightning last summer before getting dealt to San Jose; it’s possible he could revisit such an idea, depending on how much money he’d be willing to sacrifice to make it work. [The Athletic]
• Bob McKenzie reports it’s mostly a matter of when, not if, that Phil Kessel is getting traded. Of course, though, he acknowledges that Kessel could use his 8-team yes list to strategically block any realistic trade. [PensBurgh]
• We have reached the final four of the World Championships. The semifinals matchups are: Canada vs. Czech Republic; and Russia vs. Finland. The NHL’s site previews the contests.