Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Matt Martin Remains an Islander & More

September 16, 2012, 9:46 AM ET [83 Comments]
Dee Karl
New York Islanders Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
7:16 pm: The hockey man in Russia has Tweeted some interesting information.

Dmitry Chesnokov‏@dchesnokov

Hockey agent Sergei Isakov tells SovSport #Habs Andrei Markova is not coming to the #KHL; #Isles Nabokov is entertaining offers.


So let's add Nabokov to the list of defectors.

Also, according to Katie Strang of ESPN, Steve Fehr and Bill Daly spoke by phone today and will resume converations on Tuesday. Monday is a Jewish Holiday. So we get to wait a little longer.

10 am: It is the classic "I've got good news and bad news, which do you want first?" sort of morning.

Good news is that RFA Matt Martin signed a new contract with the NY Islanders with only minutes to spare before the CBA expired. The news broke at 11:19 pm, 50 minutes before the NHL and the players broke ties.

Martin's signing was only one of many new contracts ratified by the NHL and the NHLPA under the old CBA agreement. That begs the question -- why? Shouldn't the NHL stopped ratifying contracts on Friday or earlier? Or maybe that would have been illegal. For whatever reason, owners were handing out money left and right. Martin only received $1 million a year for four years. A number that, as IslanderMania administrator Lisa remarked, will not break Charles Wang.

At 11:47 pm, Matt Martin took to Twitter to say he was happy to resign with the Islanders and looked forward to the next four years because he truly loves the team. "One deal done, one to go #CBA #Nolockout" was how he ended it.

But at 11:59 pm, the NHL closed their doors to the players and all bets are off. We don't know how long this will last: weeks or months. But we do know that as of Monday morning, people who can't afford to will lose their jobs or have their work hours and pay cut. These are not the people making $1 million a year. These are people making far less. They are the ones that will suffer while rich NHL players fret over keeping in shape and renting ice time away from their rinks.

Evgeni Malkin and others waited only a few moments after midnight for their new KHL contracts to be announced. Pardon me as I look at that as rats leaving a sinking ship. The NHL is where Malking made his money and his fame, but he wasn't willing to hang around a few days to see how things would shake out. Then again, many didn't even wait for the negotiations to start before signing in Europe. Oh well.

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers now have one hell of a roster. They will be fun to watch. The Islanders who are here on the Island are looking for ice to rent outside of IceWorks in order to not have any conflicts with the rules of the Lockout. So you may well see one at your local ice rink.

The Charity golf event is still on and there will be plenty of Alumni attending. There is still no word on whether the first hockey game to be played in Brooklyn will be changed to an AHL game. I have been called "relentless" on that question.

I have been called worse by NY Islander PR directors. I'll accept relentless.

Have a pleasant Sunday








Join the Discussion: » 83 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Dee Karl
» Boychuk for Seven
» Good Ain't Good Enough NYR 2 - NYI 1
» The Return of Isles' Capt. America
» The JT Show in TO in OT
» Kennedy's Debut