That's easy to say since it can't be proven. My original point was that there was no way the team and MM weren't going to come to an agreement, while some people on this message board were screaming about how "disrespectful" it was to Martin that he wasn't signed prior to the "11th hour". It wasn't "disrespect". It was a negotiation. The Isles had leverage and used it, just as any other team would have.

You might not believe this, but every team in hockey actually strives to sign players it wants at the lowest possible cost to them. That's good business. No team says "I can sign this guy for X, but we'll pay him more than we have to and pay him Y for the heck of it". One day, MM will have leverage on the Isles when he's a UFA and can use other teams to drive up his salary. Do you think MM will be giving the Isles a "hometown discount"? My thought is "No"...
- Jethro09

I agree to an extent. Waiting to the last possible minute was a little scary. I was never worried about "disrespecting" Martin I was concerned with him just getting re-signed. I wasn't as confident as you were.

To me, when the PP is stale and everyone's trying to make the pretty pass, never hurts to change things up. When the PP is 0 for 8, put Martin in front of the net.....certainly couldn't hurt.
- kindlyrick

The couple times they did do it he looked pretty good to me. One game against Toronto(I think?) then even though it looked pretty good we didn't see it again?

Might as well make the guy wait if the end result is getting him for $1m/yr for four years, no? I said when the offseason started that I didn't think Martin's contract would be a quick, easy thing since his agent tried to play hardball with his ELC. This is a win for Snow and the Isles if holding out for this long resulted in $1m. I'll say this for Snow, he doesn't really blink in the contract negotiations. Gets good deals...and even better deals when the process drags on longer than it should (remember Bailey's last contract negotiation?).

Interesting article in Newsday regarding LI losing revenue because of the lockout...

http://www.newsday.com/sp...lion-in-revenue-1.4008466

Interesting article in Newsday regarding LI losing revenue because of the lockout...

http://www.newsday.com/sp...lion-in-revenue-1.4008466
- kear20

They think it's bad now what happens if the team leaves? Ridiculous

That's easy to say since it can't be proven. My original point was that there was no way the team and MM weren't going to come to an agreement, while some people on this message board were screaming about how "disrespectful" it was to Martin that he wasn't signed prior to the "11th hour". It wasn't "disrespect". It was a negotiation. The Isles had leverage and used it, just as any other team would have.

You might not believe this, but every team in hockey actually strives to sign players it wants at the lowest possible cost to them. That's good business. No team says "I can sign this guy for X, but we'll pay him more than we have to and pay him Y for the heck of it". One day, MM will have leverage on the Isles when he's a UFA and can use other teams to drive up his salary. Do you think MM will be giving the Isles a "hometown discount"? My thought is "No"...
- Jethro09

Hometown discount??? This guy clearly wants to get paid. What I said was disrespectful was the fact that they should have extended him. He deserved that from his physical play. Clearly the isles had leverage because he was an RFA. A guy like Brandon Prust who is a similar player with similar stats just got 2.5 million from the habs. That's 2.5 times the money Martin got. Would you say Prust is 2.5 times the player MM is? I would not. The isles got MM cheap.....that same cheapness is why he waited till the 11th hour. You can't say there's no way that a deal was t going to happen with Wang and his rules. Anything can happen, as seen by the bergenheim debacle. Based on that alone, I was worried this situation could have been the same.

Might as well make the guy wait if the end result is getting him for $1m/yr for four years, no? I said when the offseason started that I didn't think Martin's contract would be a quick, easy thing since his agent tried to play hardball with his ELC. This is a win for Snow and the Isles if holding out for this long resulted in $1m. I'll say this for Snow, he doesn't really blink in the contract negotiations. Gets good deals...and even better deals when the process drags on longer than it should (remember Bailey's last contract negotiation?).
- UIF

Snow signs some good contracts(Tavares, Moulson). I'll give credit were credit is due. On the same note who cares? We perpetually are in a battle to reach the floor. I can't see us having a hard time with salary cap restrictions anytime soon. I could care less how much money Wang saves as long as he signed. They could have paid him 5million per for all I cared

Might as well make the guy wait if the end result is getting him for $1m/yr for four years, no? I said when the offseason started that I didn't think Martin's contract would be a quick, easy thing since his agent tried to play hardball with his ELC. This is a win for Snow and the Isles if holding out for this long resulted in $1m. I'll say this for Snow, he doesn't really blink in the contract negotiations. Gets good deals...and even better deals when the process drags on longer than it should (remember Bailey's last contract negotiation?).
- UIF

It really boils down to this......these guys are RFAs so they aren't in the driver seat as far as leverage goes. Snow lowballs them and ultimately they have to take it because it's either 4 million or no million (Martin). Great deal for snow and the isles but when these guys become UFAs they wont be so accepting of that lowball contract. I.E every UFA that's left...

I agree to an extent. Waiting to the last possible minute was a little scary. I was never worried about "disrespecting" Martin I was concerned with him just getting re-signed. I wasn't as confident as you were.
- Cptmjl

Again, I don't know anything more than anyone else who posts here, but I just couldn't see both sides not coming to an agreement. It made too much sense for them to get together on a deal.

Again, I don't know anything more than anyone else who posts here, but I just couldn't see both sides not coming to an agreement. It made too much sense for them to get together on a deal.
- Jethro09

I hear you but coming from the wackiness that is the NY Islanders you never know what to expect? Just glad it got done. I like Martin. I know him for what he is but you need that element on the team to be succesfull IMO and I think he may have more than we've seen? At the very least he is a good fourth liner and worth every penny of that mil per.

Hometown discount??? This guy clearly wants to get paid. What I said was disrespectful was the fact that they should have extended him. He deserved that from his physical play. Clearly the isles had leverage because he was an RFA. A guy like Brandon Prust who is a similar player with similar stats just got 2.5 million from the habs. That's 2.5 times the money Martin got. Would you say Prust is 2.5 times the player MM is? I would not. The isles got MM cheap.....that same cheapness is why he waited till the 11th hour. You can't say there's no way that a deal was t going to happen with Wang and his rules. Anything can happen, as seen by the bergenheim debacle. Based on that alone, I was worried this situation could have been the same.
- kindlyrick

He did get extended. And he deserved it not only because he threw his body around.

Prust was a UFA. He had bargaining leverage. MM did not. That's why Prust got what he did. If Purst was an RFA, do you think he signs for $2.5M per? No way. in 4 years when MM is a UFA, he will get a much larger payday if he keeps progressing as a player and it will likely be for a salary that people will consider him "overpaid" at. And he'll get that because he'll be a UFA at that point, able to get other teams to bid on him and drive his price up.

You keep calling the Isles "cheap". And I'll admit they are in many respects, but not in the MM instance. They waited until the "11th hour" just like a bunch of other teams did and any other team would have. Why overpay someone if you don't have to? Again, no team looks at their players and says "Boy, this guy's only worth X but we're going to pay him more than that and pay him Y even though we don't have to".

It really boils down to this......these guys are RFAs so they aren't in the driver seat as far as leverage goes. Snow lowballs them and ultimately they have to take it because it's either 4 million or no million (Martin). Great deal for snow and the isles but when these guys become UFAs they wont be so accepting of that lowball contract. I.E every UFA that's left...
- kindlyrick

But every team handles this situation the same way. You act as if the Isles are the only team not backing the armored truck up to a RFA to sign him long-term. Every team "low-balls" its depth player RFA's. Its not just the Isles. This is the way its done. RFA's get low-balled and UFA's get overpaid.

But every team handles this situation the same way. You act as if the Isles are the only team not backing the armored truck up to a RFA to sign him long-term. Every team "low-balls" its depth player RFA's. Its not just the Isles. This is the way its done. RFA's get low-balled and UFA's get overpaid.
- Jethro09

This is true for the most part. I'm just happy he got signed and didn't fall victim to some Wang rule or something else. I think he's a big part of this team and may become even more so moving forward.

He did get extended. And he deserved it not only because he threw his body around.

Prust was a UFA. He had bargaining leverage. MM did not. That's why Prust got what he did. If Purst was an RFA, do you think he signs for $2.5M per? No way. in 4 years when MM is a UFA, he will get a much larger payday if he keeps progressing as a player and it will likely be for a salary that people will consider him "overpaid" at. And he'll get that because he'll be a UFA at that point, able to get other teams to bid on him and drive his price up.

You keep calling the Isles "cheap". And I'll admit they are in many respects, but not in the MM instance. They waited until the "11th hour" just like a bunch of other teams did and any other team would have. Why overpay someone if you don't have to? Again, no team looks at their players and says "Boy, this guy's only worth X but we're going to pay him more than that and pay him Y even though we don't have to".
- Jethro09

Everything you're saying I agree with.........my issue was the comment about "disrespect". Clearly noone wants to overpay for a player.......thats an elementary argument.

As for the 11th hour........im pretty sure it wasnt "they" who waited, but MM, who at the last minute probably said, screw it, i'll sign, because again he had no leverage, and 4 million is better than no million.

MM did not get extended in the same manner, that Grabner, or Okposo did. Those guys got extended during the season, because it was a thank you of sorts........it was showing them they were wanted. I never said to give MM 2.5 million, but to me, when you want something, or someone you "get er done".

Either way, the isles signed a much needed guy, for cheap.....

But every team handles this situation the same way. You act as if the Isles are the only team not backing the armored truck up to a RFA to sign him long-term. Every team "low-balls" its depth player RFA's. Its not just the Isles. This is the way its done. RFA's get low-balled and UFA's get overpaid.
- Jethro09

Im not acting like the isles are the only team low-balling their depth players. My original point months ago, was that Martin, like Grabner should have been extended during the season. To me it says thanks for bringing it night in and night out. Thanks for being the only physical forward on this team......

Hometown discount??? This guy clearly wants to get paid. What I said was disrespectful was the fact that they should have extended him. He deserved that from his physical play. Clearly the isles had leverage because he was an RFA. A guy like Brandon Prust who is a similar player with similar stats just got 2.5 million from the habs. That's 2.5 times the money Martin got. Would you say Prust is 2.5 times the player MM is? I would not. The isles got MM cheap.....that same cheapness is why he waited till the 11th hour. You can't say there's no way that a deal was t going to happen with Wang and his rules. Anything can happen, as seen by the bergenheim debacle. Based on that alone, I was worried this situation could have been the same.
- kindlyrick

So the Islanders should overpay Martin because Montreal overpayed Prust?

This is true for the most part. I'm just happy he got signed and didn't fall victim to some Wang rule or something else. I think he's a big part of this team and may become even more so moving forward.
- Cptmjl

When the isles make the playoffs one day........a guy like MM will be worth every penny of that million. His style of play is what succeeds in the playoffs. Its why a guy like Milan Lucic is getting 500,000 a year more than Tavares. Clearly he's not a better hockey player, but he brings that "element" thats needed. The isles dont have enough of that "element".

When the isles make the playoffs one day........a guy like MM will be worth every penny of that million. His style of play is what succeeds in the playoffs. Its why a guy like Milan Lucic is getting 500,000 a year more than Tavares. Clearly he's not a better hockey player, but he brings that "element" thats needed. The isles dont have enough of that "element".
- kindlyrick

When the isles make the playoffs one day........a guy like MM will be worth every penny of that million. His style of play is what succeeds in the playoffs. Its why a guy like Milan Lucic is getting 500,000 a year more than Tavares. Clearly he's not a better hockey player, but he brings that "element" thats needed. The isles dont have enough of that "element".
- kindlyrick

Absolutely. Martin could be one of those PO players. Said that all along.

So the Islanders should overpay Martin because Montreal overpayed Prust?
- PeteM

Who said that????? My point in bringing up Prust is that when a "serious" team wants a player they get them. They dont nickel and dime............they pay up.

But every team handles this situation the same way. You act as if the Isles are the only team not backing the armored truck up to a RFA to sign him long-term. Every team "low-balls" its depth player RFA's. Its not just the Isles. This is the way its done. RFA's get low-balled and UFA's get overpaid.
- Jethro09

When you do business like that, there's a risk that comes with it. The risk in this situation "could" have been MM decided to say screw you im going to play overseas, like Bergenheim did. I dont like any situation when theres that kind of risk, because even if its a .0001 percent chance, the risk is still there.

To me, I say figure out who you want.......who's part of that core going forward and lock them up. Whats the upside in negotiating?

Absolutely. Martin would be one of those PO players. Said that all along.
- Cptmjl

Hopefully this is the year we get to see that (playoffs). Anything can happen, but on paper, the isles are clearly overmatched against every team in their division.

Hopefully this is the year we get to see that (playoffs). Anything can happen, but on paper, the isles are clearly overmatched against every team in their division.
- kindlyrick

and about 24 other teams in the league

and about 24 other teams in the league
- Cptmjl

T minus 5 minutes before the "we're too negative" replies start pouring in. Because since Snow took over,we've had soooo much to be optimistic about...(prospect pool aside)

They think it's bad now what happens if the team leaves? Ridiculous
- Cptmjl

Agreed...