Abandon Ship?
July 3rd, 2007 by murph
No, we’re not giving up on the Isles. Either we are too loyal, too dumb, or some combination of the two. However, we must admit the situation for 2007-08 is pretty grim. Have you seen what’s left of our roster? Now starting for the New York Islanders: Sim-Sillinger-Satan? GM Snow and Coach Nolan did a pretty good job with the players and talent they had last year but instead of building on that success, we’re starting all over again. It feels like last summer - lots of holes, lots of question marks, and lots of writers and bloggers down on the Islanders.
From J.Rolfe at CNN.SI, “Dark Daze On The Island”
If you’re old enough to recall the Islanders’ dynasty, this perpetual swamp of questionable ownership, front-office bungling, and misfortune is utterly mindboggling. It’s like former GM Bill Torrey and former owner John Pickett made a deal with the Devil for those four Cups and the bill has been coming due ever since. With each new development like the Smith hire-and-fire and the Smyth defection, the team’s reputation as a backwater of ineptitude in a crumbling arena with a fair-weather fanbase continues to hinder the ability to sign the kind of marquee character players like Smyth and Drury who can help restore the franchise to some semblance of glory.
From Greg Logan at Newsday.com, “Islander Nation a Tough Sell”
Although the Islanders offered Smyth a five-year deal worth $32.5 million, he took Colorado’s five-year offer for $31.25 million. Asked if he considered upping his offer to Smyth to see if that would make the difference, Snow said, “No. We knew our offer was better than anything else out there.
“I’ll be honest. One of the reasons for Ryan not coming back was the facility that’s here right now. We all know we’re trying to put a new Coliseum up. It seems to me the common theme of why players aren’t coming here is not because of Long Island or the organization. It’s the facility when visiting players come here.
“I don’t want to make too much of an emphasis on it, but we do need a new Coliseum. The agents I talk to tell me the same thing.”
From Mark Herrmann at Newsday.com, “Islanders, Coliseum Can’t Attract Star Players”
The Islanders, having their own roster gutted and seeing the Rangers sign two superstars on the same day, are back to square one. They also still are on Long Island, which isn’t the hockey destination it used to be. There’s no partying like it’s 1983, that’s for sure.
“It’s not Long Island in general, everyone knows it’s a beautiful area,” Islanders general manager Garth Snow said. “A lot of it has to do with our building. That’s a big obstacle.”
The Islanders offered Ryan Smyth more money than the Avalanche did, and that didn’t help. The Islanders offered a few big players more money than they ultimately signed for elsewhere. Although Snow wouldn’t name names, you might take a wild guess. If a player has his choice between the Garden and Nassau Coliseum, which is he going to pick?
From Eric McErlain at the AOL Fanhouse, “Can the Islanders Survive Another Rebuild?”
The most logical course at this point would be to embark on yet another rebuilding program, something Islanders fans have been asked to endure a number of times since they last saw their team win a playoff series in 1993. But remember, this is a franchise that’s seeking to convince the locals to help pay for a new arena, a prospect that’s daunting even in good times, never mind when the prospects of a winner on Long Island have never seemed more remote than they do right now.
The difference from last summer is that I (unfortunately) have to agree with the predictions of doom and gloom in 2007-08 for the Islanders to some degree. We entered last season with a good bit of talent on our roster and a coach known for getting the most out of his players. We knew it wouldn’t be easy, but it was possible for the players to come together and play as a team and have success.
In the past 48 hours, a lot of the talent and scoring (114 goals/46%) on this team just walked out the front door and we received no compensation at all. Our division rivals have bought brought in some of the top UFA players on the market to face us 9 times a year. Our conference rivals (Toronto) who we barely edged out for the final playoff spot have signed our hardest working player. Another conference rival (Washington) appears playoff bound in 2008 by adding two players from our roster (and some other excellent signings) to complement their young superstar Alexander Ovechkin. Will it really take a new arena before we can get the franchise moving forward in a positive direction? I hope not, because the new arena deal is nowhere in sight.
No I’m not giving up on the Islanders, but if you thought last year was a roller coaster ride, you better buckle up for 2007-08.
