Stat Of The Day

In the past two games - last night and tonight - Sean Bergenheim has three breakaway opportunities while shorthanded. Of the three, one ended when his contact lens came dislodged, one resulted in a penalty shot, and the other resulted in a goal, his third shorthanded goal of the season. Bergenheim is now just one goal off his career high of 10, which he set last year, but has played 29 less games this year.

Oh, and Bergenheim is signed through next year and has gone on record saying he wants to stay on Long Island and make it work with the Islanders. We need more guys like Sean Bergenheim on this team.

Isles Lock Up Another Young Player

This time, it's Frans Nielsen who will benefit from Garth Snow's signing spree. Four years for $2.1 million... not bad.

Here's the big part of the news, though. It's a one-way deal.

You know what that means? They're actually doing it. They're going to rebuild the right way. They're going to throw the young guys in there, and even if they lose their first 25 games, the young guys aren't going anywhere. And, dare I say it, it's about f'ing time.

A one-way deal means you can't be sent down unless you clear waivers. That's why over the last couple of years, you'd only see guys like Neilsen if someone got hurt and they needed a quick fix. Nielsen was one of the guys who performed really well in spite of his prominent role on the Port Jefferson Ferry. Not only did he hold his own in the NHL, but he averaged roughly 0.8 points per game in Bridgeport - not bad, especially considering the AHL is often even more physical than the NHL.

As much as I love all these one-year deals the Islanders are giving out, perhaps the biggest subliminal effect will be the message these deals send to the fringe players under contract - contribute, or else. Now that it's clear what direction the Islanders are going in, they will want veterans who can not only play well, but who can teach these kids something. It's going to be interesting who ends up making the team out of training camp. I've got a feeling we'll see some surprises.

While it's nice that we're seeing guys like Nielsen, Jeff Tambellini, and Sean Bergenheim receiving rewards for their hard work, it's also becoming clear that we should expect significant growing pains this year. This only makes Snow's job of finding a new coach more difficult. Not only is this new coach coming into an environment of chaos (that's the perception of our team outside of Long Island), but he's also going to be losing a ton of games in his first season. As we all know, coaches are evaluated based on wins, even if the team is making a clear youth movement. Who wants to set himself up for failure? That's a very good question.

We should also look forward to a mass exodus at the trade deadline of the veterans who won't be back next year. As the Islanders get ready to bring up the next crop of youngsters over the next year or so, the Isles will need to make room for them somehow. No better way than to rent out the veterans, get some draft picks, clear out some cap room, and get ready for 2009-10. By that time, it's possible that the Islanders will be seen as a team on the rise; a year of stability on the management front won't hurt, either. They might even be able to attract a marquee free agent or two. Even if they can't, they may have an elite goalie in Rick DiPietro and one of the game's emerging stars in Kyle Okposo, not to mention some good young players with experience and not a whole lot of aging veterans taking up roster spots. Who knows what could happen?

Either way, if you're a real Islanders fan, you have to be happy that they're finally committing to youth. I think we can all deal with a bad season in 2008-09 if it leads to bigger things in the years that follow. It certainly beats treading water and praying for the 8th seed like we've been doing for the past five years. Maybe Zach was right - there could be a bright future for this team, and it might not be all that far away. We just have to pay our dues first.

Busy News Day On Long Island

Sorry to usurp Zach's post on jerseys. I'd advise reading it; it's something I think we can all relate to. I can't say the same thing about liking Ryan Hollweg.

Anyway, it's been a pretty big day in Islanders Country. Who knew we'd have so much to talk about? I figured we'd have broken out the summer reading and NHL 08 stuff weeks ago.

For those who missed it, here's what happened today...

- It wasn't exactly publicized, but "The Committee" is no more. Charles Wang insists that Garth Snow is in charge of hockey operations going forward. Good for him. This "business model", which Wang insisted was the future of hockey, lasted almost exactly two years and resulted in exactly one playoff win, not to mention a ton of scorn and embarrassment. Thanks a lot, Charles.

Party on, Wang! Party on, Garth! (Sorry. That cracks me up every time.)

- The Islanders signed Jeff Tambellini to a two-year deal. It's a one-way deal that will pay Tambellini $550,000 this year and $625,000 the next. If nothing else, this guarantees that Tambellini will be on the Island for the next two years instead of riding the Port Jefferson Ferry a dozen times a year. For his development, it's huge; however, it's time for Tambellini to show he's worth it. Four goals in 79 NHL games doesn't cut it.

- The Isles also inked another of their restricted free agents - Sean Bergenheim. It's funny how firing your agents changes things. Just a week ago, Bergenheim was headed for a bitter arbitration hearing. Now, he's got a deal for 2008 and 2009 that will pay him $800,000 and $925,000 respectively. It's not confirmed anywhere, but we can only assume it's a one-way contract. This does a lot to convince Islander fans that the marriage between Bergenheim and his team can be a long-term one; it also shows the other young players on the Island that the team is committed to youth. Thank God.

- Buzz on The NHL Arena suggested that some of the NHL schedule would be unveiled today. The plan, as was speculated, was to announce the home openers today and the rest of the schedule tomorrow. Well, we never heard anything from the Islanders about this (yet), but we have been able to confirm that the Islanders will be visiting the Prudential Center on October 10th as the Devils kick off their home campaign. As is always the case in New Jersey, great seats are still available. Greg Logan of Newsday states that the Devils game will be the Islanders' first, with the home opener being played the following night against St. Louis. At least they're burning one of their non-drawing Western Conference games with the home opener, which will most likely be a sell-out.

Also, the worst-kept secret in hockey was confirmed, as the Red Wings and Blackhawks will be facing off at the 2009 Winter Classic, which will be played at Wrigley Field. I know a lot of us wanted the Islanders to be included, but this is great for the game. There's a serious hockey revival going on in Chicago, and this is the icing on the cake. It's great to have another Original Six city re-embracing the game. With an team full of emerging young stars, every game on TV, and now the Winter Classic, hockey is back on the map in Chicago - and not a moment too soon.

We should see schedules unveiled for both New York teams tomorrow. At this point, all we know is that the two teams will have six games against each other; common sense dictates that these games will be played on weeknights. Let's hope for some more home-and-homes like we saw down the stretch last year.

Bergenheim Headed For Arbitration

If you're an Islander fan, odds are pretty good that you're happy with the way things have played out since July 1st. You're probably ecstatic over the Mark Streit, and you probably can at least live with the Doug Weight signing. However, a dark shadow is about to come over this whole thing - Sean Bergenheim's arbitration hearing.

Nobody really talks about arbitration and the damage it does, which is a shame. Basically, imagine you and your boss sitting down in front of an independent party to discuss your salary, and imagine the things you'd say about each other with thousands of dollars on the line. Now, multiply that monetary figure by a few hundred, and you've got the arbitration system of professional sports.

When hockey fans think of arbitration, the example everyone thinks of is Tommy Salo, the former Islanders goalie who was so overwhelmed by the criticisms levied against him that he actually cried during his hearing. That's not every case, but the nature of arbitration is not exactly a glamorous one. Last year, Sean Avery had a rather contentious arbitration hearing with the Rangers. You don't think some of that bad blood remained alive as Avery negotiated with other teams just a week ago? The bottom line is, no matter what people say, it gets ugly.

Bergenheim's handlers are saying all the right things, but we must remember that Bergenheim's relationship with the Islanders isn't exactly peachy. Rather than accept a two-way deal heading into the 2006-07 season, Bergenheim bolted, choosing to play in Sweden instead of riding the Port Jefferson Ferry between Long Island and Bridgeport. While everyone bashes Bergenheim for this decision, let's not forget that the Opening Night roster for the 2006-07 season included the likes of Mike York, Chris Simon, and Shawn Bates. Never mind the insult of being offered a two-way deal four years after being a first-round pick, and never mind the fact that Denis Grebeshkov did the exact same thing. Bergenheim took less last year to make peace with the Isles' brass, but nobody has forgotten what's happened.

The good thing is that while Bergenheim is going to arbitration now, the Isles have his rights for the next four years. So the two parties would do well to settle their beefs sooner rather than later. That said, a scandalous arbitration hearing would only make a bad situation worse. What would stop Bergenheim from immediately demanding a trade if he doesn't like what he hears? Just because he's committed to playing for the Islanders in 2008-09 doesn't mean he has to be happy about it.

Ultimately, it comes down to this. If the Islanders really want to do this youth movement correctly - and honestly, we have no proof that they do - Bergenheim is a key to lock up for at least the next couple of years. However, now that they've put matters into the hands of an arbiter, God only knows what will happen next. Whatever happens at arbitration, Garth Snow's next move has to be to work on a deal that will make both parties happy beyond this year. It would be a great sign of faith to the fans, not to mention the Islanders' other young players, that the Islanders know what they're doing. Quite frankly, some of us have our doubts.

Looking Toward The Future

After watching tonight's stinker against the Flyers, it seems safe to say that it's over. There will be no miraculous charge to the eight seed, no Wade Dubielewicz pokechecks in an Easter Sunday shootout. Instead, there will only be a scene we're all too familiar with - observing the playoffs from an outside perspective and getting an early start on preparing for the draft. For the umpteenth consecutive year, the highlight of the spring for the Islanders will be their draft party.

Why should we have ever expected anything else? If you saw tonight's game, you saw everything you needed to see. An anemic offense and stupid penalties are not the recipe for a deep playoff run. The games Rick DiPietro stole in the first half are now the games where the Islanders get blown out. Need proof? The Flyers had four power play goals tonight. The Islanders have only scored three in their last twelve games.

So, if this season is a wash, now what? Good question. Because the truth is, for a team that says all the right things about rebuilding, there really isn't a ton of depth in the organization. The majority of this team is grizzled vets, with a few prospects here and there. While it's wonderful that Sean Bergenheim and Blake Comeau have made tremendous strides this season, that's really about all the Isles have left in terms of young players. Jeff Tambellini is just starting to learn the NHL game, and Jeremy Colliton and Frans Neilsen are too green to judge fairly.

However, what is clear is that the Islanders, despite having had some favorable draft picks, haven't done all that much with them. This is a team that drafted Robert Nillson in 2003, forgoing future stars such as Zach Parise, Ryan Getzlaf, Mike Richards, and Corey Perry. Whoops. They also could have gotten Andrej Meszaros in 2004, but settled for Petteri Nokelainen. Remember him? While they did manage to get Comeau in the second round of that 2004 draft, the fact remains that the Isles should have more to show for their mediocrity over the past five years. Doesn't it seem like the Isles should have more to show for their first-round picks this decade than DiPietro and Bergenheim?

Of course, there is Kyle Okposo, their 2006 first-round selection. And that's where the Islanders should be looking - not just for the future, but for the rest of this season. We all know the Isles aren't going anywhere, so why not bring up Okposo for the final twelve games? Take one of the many unproductive veterans, tell him to sit in the press box, and send Okposo a one-way ticket to Long Island. Why not? He won't lose his rookie status, and he'll only benefit from seeing some action on the NHL level. You can always send him back down to Bridgeport for the playoffs (they'd be the eighth seed if the season ended today). It would the best possible scenario for all parties involved - Okposo gets valuable experience, the organization saves face with the fans, and the fans get a look at the team's future.

Will the Isles do the right thing and bring Okposo up? Probably not. But they really ought to consider it. What else do they have to lose?