It still amazes me as to how a player this good and this dominant, and at a position of such importance, could be traded -- twice! -- for such awful returns.
When discussing Zdeno Chara and Jason Spezza in my top 50, I made mention of how then-Islanders general manager Mike Milbury traded the future Norris Trophy winning defenseman, and the pick that was used on Spezza for Alexei Yashin, and how infamously bad it ended up being. Not even that was bad enough to make up for the sting that was his June 24, 2000 deal that sent Luongo -- and Olli Jokinen -- to the Florida Panthers for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha. Luongo, of course, blossomed into an elite goaltender for the Panthers, while Jokinen eventually developed into a consistent 30-goal scorer.
The New York Islanders have been mum on the subject of Rick DiPietro and his injured knee and hips since the goaltender was shutdown for the season back in January. Since then, rumors have floated around the internet of fans seeing DiPietro still on crutches as recently as May and other unfounded rumors. Nothing has been confirmed and no official word has come from the team aside from repeating their statement that 'DiPietro will be with the team at training camp.'
After yesterday's signing of Martin Biron to a one-year deal valued at $1.4 million -- can TSN please, please stop using the phrase "voted on/off the island" in their headlines? -- the team doesn't need to release any statements about their oft-injured star netminder. They sent the media and fans a message as bright as a billboard in Times Square indicating that DiPietro's return may be anything but soon or smooth.
John Tavares has yet to step on the ice for the New York Islanders, but he's already making an impact for the once-proud franchise that has been aimlessly stumbling along a path of mediocrity for the past decade-and-a-half. This is, after all, a franchise that hasn't won a playoff series since David Volek beat Tom Barrasso in double-overtime way back in 1993.
Can Tavares, an 18-year-old phenom, change all of that? Well, he certainly can't hurt. Heading into Friday's NHL Entry Draft, there were rumors that the Islanders might be leaning toward either Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman or Brampton center Matt Duchene with the top pick. In the end, the team selected Tavares, and already Islanders fans are roaring their approval in the form of cold hard cash.
The Montreal Canadiens, host team for this year's NHL draft, made the final pick on Saturday afternoon, selecting Finnish goalie Petteri Simila 211th overall, bringing the first part of the offseason to a close. The second day may not have the appeal or star-power of the first round, but there's always the possibility of finding the next Henrik Zetterberg, Henrik Lundqvist or Luc Robitaille at the bottom of the pile.
While Chris Pronger and Jay Bouwmeester have new homes, Dany Heatley, Vincent Lecavalier, Tomas Kaberle and Ryane Clowe are in the same cities they were during the season (for now). After the jump, a recap of the trades that did happen, as well as some of the noteworthy picks in rounds two through seven.
It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We continue our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Atlantic Division.
It will be an interesting summer for the five teams in the Atlantic. Four teams made the playoffs, including the eventual Stanley Cup champion, and the one team that didn't make it -- the New York Islanders -- holds the first pick in Friday's draft, which isn't a bad consolation prize. All around it was a pretty successful season for these five teams.
Over the next week, FanHouse will preview the top players and teams in next Friday's NHL Draft. This is the first post in a six part series.
The New York Islanders had an abysmal 2008-09 season, falling to last place in November and hanging on with ease throughout the rest of the season. For their efforts, and by way of the draft lottery, they were awarded the first overall pick in this summer's draft. Islander fans everywhere are holding their breath, afraid that their team will, somehow, mess this opportunity up.
No, it isn't a summer movie blockbuster, but a storm is brewing off the shores of Long Island and it's going to make a direct hit on land in the coming months. The New York Islanders and the Nassau Coliseum are at the eye of the storm. By the time the team takes the ice again in October, we'll be able to assess the damage.
For the first time in recent memory, the Islanders have a chance to significantly change their fortunes for the better in one fell swoop. However, if they make the wrong choices, they could set the franchise back a decade or possibly to Kansas City, Hamilton or Parts Unknown.
We're less than one year away from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Once again, the NHL will take a mid-season break and allow its players to participate in the Games.
After a wonderful run to silver in Salt Lake City back in 2002, Team USA was nothing short of disappointing in Torino three years ago. The Americans went just 1-3-1 in pool play, including an inexplicable tie against Latvia, before dropping a 4-3 decision to Finland in the quarterfinals. Heading into 2010, general manager Brian Burke has plenty of decisions to make, mainly surrounding the question of age.
Finally, the New York Islanders are making one of the smartest moves they can make this season. Whether or not you think that it's come too late, the team has officially announced what most fans and media members have been thinking for the last month or so -- they are shutting down franchise goaltender Rick DiPietro for the rest of the season.
For a guy as competitive as DiPietro, it's got to be a tough decision, but it's good to see him and the team make the logical one. It's a simple math equation, really. Last place team + star goaltender's complications with knee surgery = don't try to be a hero, big guy.
It's one thing to be a Hall of Famer. Mats Sundin, Joe Sakic, Martin Brodeur, and (soon) Brendan Shanahan are examples of active players who will definitely be enshrined once they are done. It's another to be a young superstar. I'm talking about the kind of player you can build a team around for now and the future.
No disrespect to the veterans, but this roundtable is centered around the players we would want to build a new team around. Sure, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Alexander Ovechkin (in no particular order) are widely recognized as the best players in the game today.
But would you pick them first when trying to build a new franchise?
FanHouse's Adam Gretz takes a look at his top 50 players in the NHL. No. 6 is Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo.
The New York Islanders have been mum on the subject of 
The Montreal Canadiens, host team for this year's NHL draft, made the final pick on Saturday afternoon, selecting Finnish goalie Petteri Simila 211th overall, bringing the first part of the offseason to a close. The second day may not have the appeal or star-power of the first round, but there's always the possibility of finding the next 
It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We continue our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Atlantic Division. 
Over the next week, FanHouse will preview the top players and teams in next Friday's 
We're less than one year away from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Once again, the NHL will take a mid-season break and allow its players to participate in the Games. 
Finally, the New York Islanders are making one of the smartest moves they can make this season. Whether or not you think that it's come too late, 
