Gameday & Hockey Night Long Island

Another reminder that I will be guest co-hosting the Hockey Night on Long Island show today with Steve. We will be interviewing Bill from NewYorkIslanderFanCentral.com.

You can find a link to the show on the HNLI web page at hockeynightonlongisland.blogspot.com.

I know I didn't post anything following the game Thursday night against Pittsburgh. It was so frustrating to watch and in my mind may have been one of the most embarrassing games in Islanders history. Watching Crosby & gang laughing it up all night long and Pascal Dupuis, let alone Petr Sykora, notch hat tricks was quite humiliating. Lets hope the gang puts up a little better defensive effort in Columbus tonight.

Sim Clears Waivers; Scratched

Just in as reported by Newsday...Jon Sim has cleared waivers. He has been scratched for tonight's game in Pittsburgh in favor of Mitch Fritz and Nate Thompson.

Some more fallout over Josh Bailey remaining with the Islanders today and not having been sent to Ottawa for the WJC's. The Islanders happen to be paying Robin Figren $585,000 to play in Sweden this season and Jack Hillen $875,000 to play in Bridgeport, so this can't be a money issue. It's only 3 weeks guys....send the kid to Ottawa.

Chris Botta in his blog today mentioned another Islanders veteran could be on the way out before the Christmas trade freeze. I know the losing is tough but I feel the Islanders would gain more from another team by waiting until February or March at the trade deadline to start dumping veterans.

Here's who I feel should go:

Andy Sutton: was much needed a year ago for his size and toughness on defense. But he doesn't play a smart physical game and takes too many penalties. Mike Komisarek would look much better at that position next season. If the Islanders can get him for $5 million a year I would make the offer in a heartbeat.

Brendan Witt: Garth Snow just extended him for 2 more years before the season started. Even though he provides leadership, Witt is terribly slow, often injured and no longer drops the gloves. I'm not sure he's really useful anymore.

Weight & Guerin: These guys are having very good seasons for the Islanders. But if the Islanders could get something for them you'd have to consider it. It would be nice if maybe they would possibly agree to coming back next season as free agents because lets face it, the Islanders are going to need some kind of leadership in 2009-10 since the team could likely be even younger than it is now. There will also be a cap minimum to reach.

Mike Comrie: Doesn't fit the Islanders and Scott Gordon's system. Too much flash and dash without results. Too inconsistent. He has to go.

Mike Sillinger: I'm not in the same opinion on Sillinger as some others are. I would love for the Islanders to keep him. He's a quality person, a great leader as witnessed by his mentoring of Chris Campoli and other young players, and plus Sillinger could be 50 years old and he will still win 10 out of every 15 faceoffs. That being said, I think Sillinger should consider retiring soon and moving behind the bench as an assistant to Gordon.

Sim/Hilbert/Park: These guys in my mind don't have much open market value and will get weeded out in time. Hilbert and Park actually do have some value as fourth line penalty killer type players, but shouldn't be used as anything more.

As far as tonight's game, it should be a tough as the Islanders will attempt once again to contain Malkin and Crosby. Pitt is starting rookie netminder John Curry in net so it should be interesting.

Jon Sim Waived

Jon Sim has been placed on waivers as reported by Point Blank, and Islanders blog run by former Islanders VP of Marketing Chris Botta.

If you saw the play that led to the Flyers first goal against the Islanders last night then you probably can understand why. Somehow, Sim found himself the lone man returning to retrieve a puck dumped into the defensive zone by the Flyers. He skated in gingerly only to get plastered behind the net by an opposing player. Sim attempted to drop the puck back but it ended up going nowhere and the player who hit Sim sent it back up the middle to former Islander Arron Asham, who then rifled it past Yann Danis to begin the Flyers comeback.

Clearly, it was a play that would normally get a player traded or benched.

Botta also reports that this could be the first of a roster re-shaping.

Sim is currently in the second year of a three year deal in which he makes $1 million a season. If he is not claimed within the next 48 hours he will apparently remain with the Islanders. The organization is obviously hoping he will be taken off their hands.

This season Sim has recorded 5 goals and 7 points, including 3 power play goals. He has 8 points in 30 career games as an Islander, a short stint after missing all but 2 games in 2007-08 due to reconstructive knee surgery.

Josh is a Keeper, but right Now?

Well, I've been wanting to post something about Josh Bailey for a while now and I am finally getting the opportunity (or time). Last summer you all may remember how the Islanders traded down twice in the draft after holding the 5th pick overall. And pretty much everyone, including me, raked the Islanders over the coals for not selecting Nikita Filatov. Well, it's time I gave the Islanders credit for finally making a good selection. Josh Bailey is a keeper.

Not only has he shown signs of maturity at such a young age, but he's shown flashes of brilliance with a high level of ability and skill, as well as hockey sense. I am finally giving GM Garth Snow and the scouting staff a thumbs up on this one.

That being said, I am worried about the kid. He only has one assist in the last 5 games and he's still struggling to score his first NHL goal. Recently, in a big interview involving former NHL coach Barry Melrose, he remarked on #1 overall pick Steven Stamkos and said he believes the kid is not ready to play in the NHL. Melrose believes Stamkos is not yet physically mature at 18 years old to beat out defensemen in the NHL who are 6'3" and bigger. I don't know if the same can be said for Bailey, but there may be some validity to it.

I'm on the fence because I don't believe Bailey had nothing left to learn from going back to junior and playing with the Windsor Spitfires, who are a powerhouse and possible Memorial Cup favorite this year. And I think he could have received a great experience in going to the World Juniors.

Now that he and the Islanders are struggling a little, there are some whispers he still could be sent to play with team Canada in the upcoming weeks. My question is would the Islanders reconsider and bite the bullet of the first year of his contract by sending Bailey back to Windsor following the tournament? The time for the Islanders is not now. It is the future as they rebuild. Josh Bailey is part of the Islanders future. I just don't want to see the Islanders rush a kid like they have so many times in the past.

HNLI Appearance: I am pleased to announce that I will be co-hosting the Hockey Night on Long Island Show this coming Saturday, December 13th at 3:30pm. I will be joining Steve with what should be another packed hour of Islanders talk. So make sure you tune in. Just follow the link I've provided to the show page.

Other news & notes: I am pleased to see Blake Comeau back up and scored a goal last night at Philadelphia. Sorry to see that it was at the expense of Jeff Tambellini, who was sent down to Bridgeport for a 2 week conditioning stint. Time is starting to run out for Tambellini, who can't seem to translate his AHL game to the NHL. It seems to me that he is just not big enough to get to where he needs to be on the ice so he can get off that great shot of his.

I am so jealous of the Boston Bruins and all their fast, big, young talent with guys at every position like Lucic, Kessel, Wheeler, Chara, Krejci and Savard. If only the Islanders could build a similar team.

When the Islanders drafted Bruno Gervais and Chris Campoli in the late rounds they saw something they liked about these kids but lets face it, they both were project defensemen. In my book, it takes a project defenseman a good 200 games in the NHL to really take that next step. Last night Campoli played his 200th game. What bothers me is I feel like they both still can be useful players but neither one has really stepped it up consistently yet. Plus, they both as witnessed by their horrible plus/minus are constantly on the ice for opposing goals.

I saw the recent articles by Chris Botta and Darren Dreger about the two unsigned college seniors that the Islanders and reportedly just about every one else are interested in. From everything I have heard, Matt Gilroy, the BU defenseman grew up on Long Island AND was an Islanders fan. So I believe if the Islanders offer him a fair deal it should be a given that he will sign on board here. Like everyone else I'm not so sure about Tyler Bozak.

Something that I really believe will be a savior for the Islanders going into the future will be the development of home grown Long Island talent. Just like the Islanders thanked him in 1980, you can give another big thank you to the efforts of Bob Nystrom, and Gerry Hart, for beginning to plant the seeds for youth hockey back in the late 1980's. Now we are seeing a boom in hockey players from Long Island good enough to turn professional. The Islanders need to capitalize on this movement. It is something that I believe can continue to revitalize the organization as they move forward into the future. Adding a kid like Gilroy and making a summer pitch for Mike Komisarek, if he is still available, would be a start in the right direction.