Islanders Free Agent Predictions

Zach has already made his predictions for what we might see on July 1. The trade of Scott Gomez for Chris Higgins gives the Rangers plenty of room to make yet another July 1 blunder. That much we can all agree on. But the Islanders? It's a little tougher.

For the Islanders, money isn't going to be an issue insofar as the salary cap. By the time the Islanders sign John Tavares and sign their restricted free agents (Blake Comeau, Jack Hillen, etc.) to qualifying offers, the Isles will be at the salary floor. I can't see them having a payroll higher than $45 million for the upcoming year.

The Islanders will have two pressing needs this year - a backup goalie and an enforcer.

Backup Goalie

Joey MacDonald and Yann Danis are both unrestricted free agents; both will test the market. Their respective stocks will likely never be higher, as both hit career highs in games played last season. You've got to figure both of them are out of the picture.

The Islanders need a goalie who can carry the load if Rick DiPietro can't play, but won't mind being second fiddle to DP and his enormous contract. A one-year deal to a guy like Olaf Kolzig wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Kolzig will want to prove he's still got it after losing his starting job in Tampa Bay, he's got a two-syllable name the fans can chant ("D-P", "Jo-ey", "Da-nis", "Du-bie"), and he's more than capable of playing for a stretch when/if DiPietro is on the shelf. There's also the possibility of a Wade Dubielewicz return to Long Island. Other options, who will probably want more money or a better chance to win, include Dwayne Roloson and Ty Conklin. In Conklin's case, though, look for him to sign with whoever gets the Winter Classic this year.

Enforcer

Last year, just about every Islanders regular saw at least ten minutes of ice time per game. That's all four lines and all three pairs of defensemen. The only two players who didn't make the ten-minute mark were Mitch Fritz and Joel Rechlicz. While every single other Islander saw valuable minutes in the third period, but Fritz and Rechlicz were chained to the bench in important situations. If the Isles are to carry an enforcer - and with guys like John Tavares and Josh Bailey, they're pretty much going to have to - they need someone who can actually play hockey as well.

The two players that come to mind for the Islanders are Chris Neil and Colton Orr. Neil is a guy who can play as well as fight; he scored 16 goals for Ottawa in 2005-06, when he saw regular power play time. He's been injury-prone, but saw plenty of ice time even when Ottawa was stacked. Orr didn't score a whole lot on the Rangers, which only makes him like every one of his teammates, but he's got more talent than your average enforcer and would come cheaper than Neil. I honestly can't see Neil coming to Long Island when he'll get plenty of offers from top teams, but Orr could be had. He knows the Atlantic Division opponents well and could stand up to the heavyweights on rival teams.

The Unknown

There are a ton of guys that are going to be looking for new teams. The Sedin twins, Marian Gaborik, Martin Havlat, Mike Cammalleri should be on the move. In the comments section of his July 1 post, Zach suggested that landing the Sedins could put the Islanders on the map immediately. That said, I wouldn't count on any of these guys. The Islanders have to build toward the future, and part of the future in the "new NHL" is being able to sign the players you've drafted to long-term contracts. The Islanders would do well to avoid any long-term commitments unless they're sure these players are part of the future. They already made one mistake with Rick DiPietro. Let's not see another one.

In the end, I'd look for them to pick up a goalie, but maybe not right away. Same with some offensive muscle. I could see them re-signing Andy Hilbert, but Hilbert might want to test the UFA waters. I see the Islanders being quiet, but making solid moves that will pay off over the course of 2009-10.