Time to start up the blog again!!!!


- jimmc7722

there will be something up tomorrow..you'll get like 2 to 3 a week during the offseason

Time to start up the blog again!!!!


- jimmc7722

What does that thing run on?

there will be something up tomorrow..you'll get like 2 to 3 a week during the offseason
- Dan Petriw

Sounds good... let's rock and roll!!

According to numerous reports, Nonis had a deal in place with the Islanders for winger Thomas Vanek, who was not going to re-sign in New York after being acquired from Buffalo in November, but the Leafs did not have the room under the cap to fit Vanek’s $5.75 Million salary.

The deal with Toronto would have entailed the Islanders paying a portion of Vanek’s contract or taking a salaried player back, which is something that Isles GM Garth Snow did not have to do in the deal that sent the pending UFA to Montreal for prospect Sebastian Collberg and a second round pick.

According to numerous reports, Nonis had a deal in place with the Islanders for winger Thomas Vanek, who was not going to re-sign in New York after being acquired from Buffalo in November, but the Leafs did not have the room under the cap to fit Vanek’s $5.75 Million salary.

The deal with Toronto would have entailed the Islanders paying a portion of Vanek’s contract or taking a salaried player back, which is something that Isles GM Garth Snow did not have to do in the deal that sent the pending UFA to Montreal for prospect Sebastian Collberg and a second round pick.
- jimmc7722

Franson?

There wasn't a high demand for Vanek. I don't see Toronto offering much here. But if it were for an nhl dman of any sort, snow is a fool to not grab him. If it came down to retaining salary to get a d-man, he needed to

Franson?

There wasn't a high demand for Vanek. I don't see Toronto offering much here. But if it were for an nhl dman of any sort, snow is a fool to not grab him. If it came down to retaining salary to get a d-man, he needed to
- Dedshark

Maybe it was Clarkson. Who knows and who cares. Its not confirmed and I wouldn't blame them if they didn't want to take back a bad contract.

Maybe it was Clarkson. Who knows and who cares. Its not confirmed and I wouldn't blame them if they didn't want to take back a bad contract.
- Vukota

I'm not sure why TO would even want him at that stage of the season, were they not out of the playoffs then? He was too hung up on Minny as well so it would have been a bit of a waste to get him then regardless....doesn't make a lot of sense?

Maybe it was Clarkson. Who knows and who cares. Its not confirmed and I wouldn't blame them if they didn't want to take back a bad contract.
- Vukota

We have enough of them now.. FFS

Franson?

There wasn't a high demand for Vanek. I don't see Toronto offering much here. But if it were for an nhl dman of any sort, snow is a fool to not grab him. If it came down to retaining salary to get a d-man, he needed to
- Dedshark

There was a high demand for him... but not his salary. Teams couldn't fit him under the cap.

Toronto wanted the Isles to hold some of the contract so Vanek would fit under their cap.

I have mentioned this on here before... but a few guys didn't believe me...

Wang is too cheap...

I don't understand why we HAVE to trade Bailey.

I understand we have too many forwards for the roster but Bailey is better than Martin, Boulton, Cizikas and McDonald. He would be a very good fourth liner and it’s not like his cap hit is hurting us. If we can get somthing useful for him, fine, otherwise he is a damn good fourth liner and can step into a middle 6 role incase of injury. I’m far from a bailey fan but he does have value in a bottom line role and injury replacement.

He might not be you're "prototypical" fourth liner but he is a good defensive player. A fourth line of Bailey- Cizikas/Conacher- Clutterbuck is a huge upgrade over last season.

I don't understand why we HAVE to trade Bailey.

I understand we have too many forwards for the roster but Bailey is better than Martin, Boulton, Cizikas and McDonald. He would be a very good fourth liner and it’s not like his cap hit is hurting us. If we can get somthing useful for him, fine, otherwise he is a damn good fourth liner and can step into a middle 6 role incase of injury. I’m far from a bailey fan but he does have value in a bottom line role and injury replacement.

He might not be you're "prototypical" fourth liner but he is a good defensive player. A fourth line of Bailey- Cizikas/Conacher- Clutterbuck is a huge upgrade over last season.
- Dgmilazz

Nobody said Bailey has to be traded. He is most certainly a better player then the four players you listed. The point is that we have a glut of forwards and a guy like Bailey, and possibly Grabner, are guys that have value but are not integral pieces of the organization.

Sure we could dump Boulton or Martin to clear roster space but their value is zero and next-to-zero, respectively.

I don't understand why we HAVE to trade Bailey.

I understand we have too many forwards for the roster but Bailey is better than Martin, Boulton, Cizikas and McDonald. He would be a very good fourth liner and it’s not like his cap hit is hurting us. If we can get somthing useful for him, fine, otherwise he is a damn good fourth liner and can step into a middle 6 role incase of injury. I’m far from a bailey fan but he does have value in a bottom line role and injury replacement.

He might not be you're "prototypical" fourth liner but he is a good defensive player. A fourth line of Bailey- Cizikas/Conacher- Clutterbuck is a huge upgrade over last season.
- Dgmilazz

I agree... but will Bailey accept the role?

Hopefully he is working out hard this offseason, and get his mental game straightened out.

Bailey has talent... but plays with no emotion out there.

He just goes through the motions.

I think if he could play with a little bit of an edge... it would be great for his career!!!

I agree... but will Bailey accept the role?

Hopefully he is working out hard this offseason, and get his mental game straightened out.

Bailey has talent... but plays with no emotion out there.

He just goes through the motions.

I think if he could play with a little bit of an edge... it would be great for his career!!!
- jimmc7722

He needs to do more chain push-ups IMHO.

Nobody said Bailey has to be traded. He is most certainly a better player then the four players you listed. The point is that we have a glut of forwards and a guy like Bailey, and possibly Grabner, are guys that have value but are not integral pieces of the organization.

Sure we could dump Boulton or Martin to clear roster space but their value is zero and next-to-zero, respectively.
- eichiefs9

I understand that and I'm all for trading Bailey for somthing useful, however I doubt we will be able to get a 2nd round pick or a top 4 defensman for him. He does not have much value right now. I'd rather see him in a reduced role than traded for someone who will have little or no impact on the team.

He needs to do more chain push-ups IMHO.
- eichiefs9

Needs to go Rocky 4 style in Russia with the full beard working out in a blizzard...

Picture of Cappy in the mirror!!!

I understand that and I'm all for trading Bailey for somthing useful, however I doubt we will be able to get a 2nd round pick or a top 4 defensman for him. He does not have much value right now. I'd rather see him in a reduced role than traded for someone who will have little or no impact on the team.
- Dgmilazz

I disagree on his value. He's a young, full-time NHL'er on an extremely cap-friendly deal that can play second or third line minutes. Given a fresh start in a new system with the right players/coach he could end up reaching his full potential, which I would say, realistically, is a good, solid second line player. His advanced possession numbers are very good and indicate that he has a strong defensive game to go along with the potential for a fair amount of offensive production. Isles fans have soured on him because he hasn't lived up to the expectation of a top-10 pick, which is partly the organization's fault and partly his own fault.

He may not bring back an all-star defenseman, but Bailey and a decent prospect should be able to fetch us a top-4 defenseman that greatly improves our defensive competence/depth.

I disagree on his value. He's a young, full-time NHL'er on an extremely cap-friendly deal that can play second or third line minutes. Given a fresh start in a new system with the right players/coach he could end up reaching his full potential, which I would say, realistically, is a good, solid second line player. His advanced possession numbers are very good and indicate that he has a strong defensive game to go along with the potential for a fair amount of offensive production. Isles fans have soured on him because he hasn't lived up to the expectation of a top-10 pick, which is partly the organization's fault and partly his own fault.

He may not bring back an all-star defenseman, but Bailey and a decent prospect should be able to fetch us a top-4 defenseman that greatly improves our defensive competence/depth.
- eichiefs9

I don't think that's entirely the case at all. Islanders fans have soured on him because we've seen what he can do, and are frustrated that the vast majority of the time he can only reach that level in low-pressure situations.

Also, for all of his undeniable intelligence, which is an asset when he's actually going, we've seen it get in his own way in very straightforward situations more often than not...he looks for some fancy extra pass that's not there instead of shooting from the slot with a lot of open net to look at, for example, then dwells on doing that and the next shift he shoots from a bad angle with someone wide open in front of the net calling for the puck.

edit -- if Bailey had shown from the beginning that he could be no more than a solid defensive bottom-six forward, I don't think there'd be as much controversy about where to play him. He'd still have his detractors for being a a top-10 pick playing bottom-six minutes, sure. But the big arguments among fans seem to be about...if he does stay, should he play on the third or fourth line or be given second or even first-line minutes to try to get his offense going.

That's the thing...we know that skill-wise he can be a top-six player. The frustrating thing about him is that too often he's not, and it's all mental.

It's a Monday! Had someone run me over in net yesterday, tweaked my knee. This morning was a screw in the front tire on the ninja. New tires were almost due I guess, but taking the car on a nice sunny day is painful.

I disagree on his value. He's a young, full-time NHL'er on an extremely cap-friendly deal that can play second or third line minutes. Given a fresh start in a new system with the right players/coach he could end up reaching his full potential, which I would say, realistically, is a good, solid second line player. His advanced possession numbers are very good and indicate that he has a strong defensive game to go along with the potential for a fair amount of offensive production. Isles fans have soured on him because he hasn't lived up to the expectation of a top-10 pick, which is partly the organization's fault and partly his own fault.

He may not bring back an all-star defenseman, but Bailey and a decent prospect should be able to fetch us a top-4 defenseman that greatly improves our defensive competence/depth.
- eichiefs9

The problem with that trade is the only way a team is going to give up a top 4 guy for bailey is to shed salary and it's not like josh is cheap for a cap strapped team.

The problem with that trade is the only way a team is going to give up a top 4 guy for bailey is to shed salary and it's not like josh is cheap for a cap strapped team.
- Dgmilazz

That's why I think a couple of D prospects might be more attractive to a cap-strapped team. An NHL-ready (or close to it) prospect, one that's a bit further off, and a very cheap roster player, like say Martin, for a solid (not elite) cap-casualty d-man. We can throw around names to see which prospects we'd be comfortable parting with. Someone like Reinhart would obviously fetch a better return for the near-ready prospect part of the deal, but someone like Donovan might be easier for us to part with.

I don't think that's entirely the case at all. Islanders fans have soured on him because we've seen what he can do, and are frustrated that the vast majority of the time he can only reach that level in low-pressure situations.

Also, for all of his undeniable intelligence, which is an asset when he'a actually going, we've seen it get in his own way in very straightforward situations more often than not...he looks for some fancy extra pass that's not there instead of shooting from the slot with a lot of open net to look at, for example, then dwells on doing that and the next shift he shoots from a bad angle with someone wide open in front of the net calling for the puck.

edit -- if Bailey had shown from the beginning that he could be no more than a solid defensive bottom-six forward, I don't think there'd be as much controversy about where to play him. He'd still have his detractors for being a a top-10 pick playing bottom-six minutes, sure. But the big arguments among fans seem to be about...if he does stay, should he play on the third or fourth line or be given second or even first-line minutes to try to get his offense going.

That's the thing...we know that skill-wise he can be a top-six player. The frustrating thing about him is that too often he's not, and it's all mental.
- UIF

The skill is there, but yes, many times he looks disinterested and tries to hard to make an extra pass when he should have shot. I'm not arguing that Bailey is some sort of super-talented player. But I think his value, in a small package (inappropriate joke goes here), is enough to get this team a reliable second pairing defenseman.

"Top 4 defenseman" is a buzzword that get's thrown around here 30x daily and I think a lot of people assume that label is referring to a big-name, all-star defenseman. Johnny Oduya is a top-4 defender, Boychuk is a top-4 guy. They're not household names but both are guys that would add depth and improve the overall defensive competency of our blueliners.

As far as him "showing from the beginning" that he could be a bottom-6 player, that is virtually non-existent in the NHL. It generally takes years for young guys to develop their defensive game and Josh was thrown into a tire-fire as an 18yr old on the Islanders. He's just now starting to prove that he is solid defensively.

I think that the fact that a lot of his problems seem to be mental only strengthens my point that a change of scenery may do wonders for his career. He gets a fresh start on a new team and he can re-establish himself as whatever type of player that he wants to be.

Plus let's all remember that occasionally a GM likes to fall asleep on the job and trade Ryan McDonagh+ for Scott Gomez

The problem with that trade is the only way a team is going to give up a top 4 guy for bailey is to shed salary and it's not like josh is cheap for a cap strapped team.
- Dgmilazz

Bailey for Phaneuf!!!

Bailey for Phaneuf!!!
- jimmc7722

Not happening.

The skill is there, but yes, many times he looks disinterested and tries to hard to make an extra pass when he should have shot. I'm not arguing that Bailey is some sort of super-talented player. But I think his value, in a small package (inappropriate joke goes here), is enough to get this team a reliable second pairing defenseman.

"Top 4 defenseman" is a buzzword that get's thrown around here 30x daily and I think a lot of people assume that label is referring to a big-name, all-star defenseman. Johnny Oduya is a top-4 defender, Boychuk is a top-4 guy. They're not household names but both are guys that would add depth and improve the overall defensive competency of our blueliners.

As far as him "showing from the beginning" that he could be a bottom-6 player, that is virtually non-existent in the NHL. It generally takes years for young guys to develop their defensive game and Josh was thrown into a tire-fire as an 18yr old on the Islanders. He's just now starting to prove that he is solid defensively.

I think that the fact that a lot of his problems seem to be mental only strengthens my point that a change of scenery may do wonders for his career. He gets a fresh start on a new team and he can re-establish himself as whatever type of player that he wants to be.

Plus let's all remember that occasionally a GM likes to fall asleep on the job and trade Ryan McDonagh+ for Scott Gomez
- eichiefs9

Good points all around. I'd point out though that on that "tire-fire" team Bailey was thrown into, he was actually a bright spot...leading I think to some of the higher expectations placed on him.

Not happening.
- Dgmilazz

It could still happen, just depends on the Leafs view of him & team w/consideration of salary cap. The Leafs want to rid themselves of him & contract but are going to try to replace him/his role before trading him away.... If the Leafs season started tomorrow and Phanuef got traded, their only defensive Dmen are Polak & Robidas which 1 is considered injury prone in the past couple of years.