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

2016-17 Isles report cards: Dennis Seidenberg

April 24, 2017, 8:21 AM ET [181 Comments]
Noel Fogelman
New York Islanders Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Follow me on Twitter @thefirstnoel19

Update: Isles re-sign Dennis Seidenberg to one-Year deal worth $1.25M

Dennis Seidenberg used the World Cup of Hockey as an NHL audition. The Boston Bruins bought out the 35-year-old defenseman following the 2015-16 season. He played well enough to earn a one-year/$1 million dollar contract from the Islanders.

It surprised many when general manager Garth Snow signed the defenseman. Seidenberg's play had been trending downward for the past few seasons. The Isles also had eight defensemen fighting to make the team. But it had been Snow's M.O. over the past couple of seasons to add an aging defensemen (Lubomir Visnovsky and Marek Zidlicky) to the bottom six.

The move also sealed the fate of Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield, as the trio started the season in Bridgeport. Seidenberg's signing pretty much wasted a season of Pulock's career.

Seidenberg surprisingly led the Isles with a +25. He had a nice little stretch in late October/early November where he had four goals and four assists in eight games. He metrics, which were awful the last three seasons with the Bruins continued to be bad. But with the struggles of Thomas Hickey and Travis Hamonic, Seidenberg was one of the team's better defensemen.

Although the question has to be asked, was the team better off with a one-year rental in Dennis Seidenberg or a year of development in Ryan Pulock?

Knowing Garth the way we do, a multi-year contract for the aging-defenseman is quite possible.

2016-17 Grade: C+
Join the Discussion: » 181 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Noel Fogelman
» Report: Lou Lamoriello to run Islanders
» The waiting is the hardest part
» "The Architect" passes away
» Isles Buzz Podcast - Lottery Losers and Ray Ferraro
» Isles will draft back-to-back in June