Islander Offseason of Change Begins

The previous 2 offseasons have seen the New York Islanders forced into making moves of key guys due to contract issues. Fans of the club were hoping this autumn would see their club remain stable, and things looked bright early in the offseason. The team quickly agreed to 4 yr deals with RFA’s Daniel Sedin and defenceman Karel Rachunek. “Getting these 2 kids linked long term was key for us, as both played big roles on our top 2 lines. Sedin brought some defensive responsibility to Yashin’s line, allowing Hossa to really open up his game creatively. Meanwhile Rachunek was 2^nd on our club in scoring for defenceman”

The quick progress got mired down however, when a pair of key role players were looking for guaranteed top line ice time, and the money that went along with it. Winger Nik Sundstrom, who’s defensive prowess was fundamental to the Islanders’ lowest GAA the past 2 seasons. However after spending last yr on the 3^rd line behind Martin St. Louis and Marian Hossa, Sundstrom refused to sign a contract and demanded a trade from the team.

Goaltender Dan Cloutier did agree on a new deal, however at $4.2million per year, he was no longer a viable option to play backup to starter David Aebischer. Realising GM Ryan Long soon began seeking out a trade, and was able to work out a deal with Chicago’s Paul Chistos, shipping both Cloutier and Sundstrom to the Western Conference.

In exchange, the Islanders received backup goaltender Martin Prusek, holdout defenceman Kimmo Timonen, and Jr Dman Anton Kadeykin.

Martin Prusek is a true backup, with a wealth of international experience and a bargain at only 750K. The Czech will get 10-15 starts, with Aebischer getting the majority of the games.

Finnish defenceman Kimmo Timonen was expected to push Andy Delmore for the right to quarterback the Islander powerplay. However he has yet to agree to a deal, and could end up missing the entire season. “We had great expectations for Timonen. However, we’ve got our entire blueline back from last season, so if Kimmo wants to play hardball contract wise, we got all the time in the world.”

Anton Kadeykin is an up-and-coming 21yr old defenseman, and will spend at least the next 2 yrs trying to help the Junior Isles win a championship.

Despite these moves, the Islanders kept the majority of the core that helped them to reach the conference finals last year. However, expect more moves, as the team tries to keep pace with the recently improved Washington Captitals.