Beggars Can't Be Choosers: The Dany Heatley Saga

In possibly the most intriguing storyline of the opening day of NHL Free Agency, Dany Heatley has refused to waive his no-movement clause to go to the Edmonton Oilers despite demanding a trade out of Ottawa. In an extremely unique situation, because Heatley was not traded before 12AM EST Tuesday, the Senators are contractually obligated to pay Heatley a $4 million bonus. Realistically speaking, this could very well increase what the Sens feel they need to compensate losing Heatley and ultimately could ruin any chance Heatley had at getting out of Ottawa.

Clearly, Heatley is not familiar with the old addage that "Beggars can't be choosers." Presumably, Heatley must've been pretty desperate to get out of Ottawa if he had to resort to demanding a trade. So, clearly Heatley shouldn't feel that he is in a position to pick and choose potential destinations. The Senators were much more accommodating than they needed to be in going out of their way to shop Heatley and they managed to find a suitor in Edmonton. Heatley does not have the right to say "I don't like Edmonton, try again." Beggars can't be choosers, and if Heatley really wants to leave Ottawa, he is certainly a beggar.

1-A Goalie in the Bag: Dwayne Roloson

The Islanders answered a major question heading into the upcoming NHL season by signing goaltender Dwayne Roloson to a 2 year deal worth $5 million. Props to HNLI Guest and Newsday Beat Writer Greg Logan for being the first to break the story.

All in all, a decent signing by Garth Snow. The need for a solid backup goaltender was there with the question marks surrounding Ricky's health, and Roloson is certainly a guy who can step in a perform. Roloson played extremely well for Edmonton last season and posted very good numbers.

28 Wins-24 Losses
2.77 GAA
.910 SV%

Granted, he's 40 years old, but for 2 years and a relatively small cap hit, the age is a non-issue. Roloson has proven to be a true professional throughout his career and he is somebody who will be able to step in and perform when if DP gets hurt again.

Keep following HNLI Alex's twitter updates today at twitter.com/hockeynightli or in the blog post below!

Alex Twitters July 1st Free Agency

Be sure to follow Alex's Free Agency thoughts and scoops throughout the day on July 1st! Also, check out the Scott Clemmensen rant in the post below.

Alex's UFA Udpdates

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SPECIAL HNLI EPISODE THURSDAY 7/3 AT 7:30 PM

Be sure to tune into a special weekday episode of Hockey Night on Long Island on THURSDAY 7/3/08 at 7:30 PM EST. Steve will be joined by special guests Bill (Newyorkislanderfancentral.blogspot.com) and Ken Rosenblatt (Islandersoutsider.blogspot.com) to discuss everything that has happened during the NHL Free Agency period, including the signings which the Islanders have made. Also, he will talk about everything surrounding the New York Islanders. As always, listeners are encouraged to call in (718-664-9597), IM (AIM: hockeynightli) and be part of the HNLI chatroom during the show. To listen, visit www.show.hockeynightonlongisland.com or click on this button:

Kukla to Precede "Roundtable" on Saturday's HNLI

CLICK HERE TO TUNE IN TO TODAY'S EPISODE!!!!!!!

Breaking News:
We are pleased to announced that to make Saturday's HNLI Free Agency Preivew Special even more....well...uh...special, the show will start strong by bringing in Paul Kukla of Kukla's Korner right at 3:30 PM EST to kick off the show with a bang. Paul, one of the most prominent hockey bloggers in the entire hockey blog-o-sphere, will share his thoughts on the upcoming class of unrestricted free agents and shed some light on several players that the Islanders might have interest in. Callers, IMers, and HNLI chatroom chatters are invited to ask Paul your questions about free agency or voice your free agency views on air! HNLI is very excited to once again be joined by the great Paul Kukla.



Also, as previously announced, Saturday's episode of HNLI will also feature a roundtable of Islanders analysts who will discuss their thoughts on free agency and make their predictions on what direction the Isles might be headed in. The members of this roundtable are still "on the down low", but will be released sometime before the episode airs Saturday. So, keep checking hockeynightonlongisland.com for the latest guest updates and most importantly, make sure not to miss a second of Hockey Night on Long Island at 3:30 PM EST.

Free Agency #3 Episode Preview

Be sure to tune into Hockey Night on Long Island Thursday 7/26 at 5:30 PM EST for a 30-minute Free Agency edition. Alex and Steve will discuss all of the news and signings that have occurred within the last two weeks in Islanders Country, including Al Arbour, Chris Simon, the new Assistant Coaches, Chris Campoli and much more. As usual, we will take calls (718-664-9597), IMs (AIM: hockeynightli), and e-mails (show@hockeynightonlongisland.com) throughout the show. To listen, visit http://www.show.hockeynightonlongisland.com/.

Isles Ink Campoli

The Islanders announced today that they have singed young defenseman Chris Campoli to a 3 year contract that will keep Campoli on Long Island until 2010. Campoli, who impressed with a solid rookie year in 2005-2006, struggled a bit in 2007 after missing the first 30 games of the season due to injury. Along with Bruno Gervais, however, Campoli was impressive in the playoffs against the Buffalo Sabres.

Campoli has shown shades of brilliance in his short NHL career and it is good to know that he'll remain with the Islanders. At the same time, however, there is still a lot of development needed. During the next few years, Campoli could become a big time player if he just improves his defensive play and continues to shine offensively.

Free Agency #2 Episode Preview

Be sure to tune in Thursday (tomorrow) 7/12 at 5:30 PM EST to the second Free Agency edition of Hockey Night on Long Island. Alex and I will discuss all of the news and signings of the week. Also, we will discuss the recent press conference that introduced the newest Islanders. Of course, we will be taking calls (718-664-9597), IMs (AIM: hockeynightli) and e-mails (show@hockeynightonlongisland.com) throughout the show. To listen to the show, visit www.show.hockeynightonlongisland.com

Episode #20 Recap

The 20th episode of Hockey Night on Long Island was one to remember. Alex and I were joined at a special day and time by guest Andy Facini (nyicastaway.blogspot.com) to discuss all of the news and signings that had occurred so far during this year's Free Agency period. We started with all of the Islander's free agent losses and signings and then moved onto notable signings that occurred in the Atlantic Division. However, while we were about to discuss about some other signings, there was breaking news. We were thrilled to report that the Islanders had just signed veteran Bill Guerin to a two-year, $9 million contract. Guerin had produced decent numbers last season playing with the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks. This was the biggest signing so far that the Isles have made this Free Agency period. How nice to have this signing occur during this special edition of HNLI. Throughout the episode, we were joined by many knowledgeable callers and IMers. If you were not able to listen to this episode live, be sure to listen to it archived in the "archived segments" tab of www.show.hockeynightonlongisland.com, in the iTunes Music Store by searching "Hockey Night on Long Island" or by using the player on the right column of this website. Be sure to keep checking this website or subscribe to our e-mail updates for updates of when the next episode of Hockey Night on Long Island will take place.

FREE AGENCY UPDATE #1

Hi! It has been a while since I was blogging but Alex and I have been preparing a lot for the summer episodes of HNLI. The last few days have been very sad in Islanders Country. After an extremely busy opening day on Sunday, the Isles had fallen short of signing all the top unrestricted free agents that were out on the market. It started with Jason Blake, signing a five-year deal worth $20 million with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Although it seemed as if Blake was not going to re-sign with the Isles, it was still sad to see him leave Long Island, where he just experienced a career season and many good ones before that. Also, Tom Poti, by far the most underrated Islanders defenseman of last season, signed with the Washington Capitals a four-year, $14 million contract. I would have liked to see Poti be an Islander for the future because he was very quietly successful and seemed to always have a good shift on the ice (he had a lot of ice time). All hockey fans knew that the Isles were desperately trying to resign Ryan Smyth, who was acquired minutes before the Trade Deadline from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for three first-round prospects (Ryan O'Marra, Robert Nilsson, and a 2007 First-Round Draft Pick). However, it was devastating to see Smyth sign a five-year contract worth $31.25 million with the Colorado Avalanche. It was reported by Newsday's Greg Logan that the Isles actually offered more money ($32.5 million for five years) than the Avs but it seems as if Joe Sakic and others in Colorado were able to successfully lure Smyth back to the Western Conference. When the signing was announced at about 11:00 PM Sunday, Isles Country froze and was dead silent. The trade had brought so much noise and attention to the Island on that afternoon in February and that noise seemed to escape just as fast it came. As Isles fans were use to seeing not too long ago, the media has began to bash the Islanders for not being able to sign any of these big free agents. To add to all of these names the Islanders missed on, many of them were able to find their way to the Atlantic Division, with Chris Drury and Scott Gomez both being signed by the Rangers (17 minutes apart to be exact), Daniel Briere signing a huge deal with the Flyers, and the Devils who today signed Dainius Zubrus. And we can’t forget the Penguins, who seem to be quickly fitting all of the pieces of the puzzle with Crosby, Malkin, and Staal. It was amazing to see the Islanders roster to shrink and become much weaker than the other teams in their division all in one day. Sunday felt like one of the longest days and it kept getting worse for Islanders fans. With a lot of negativity being expressed towards the New York Islanders by their fans, the Islanders have been expressing patience and that the team is searching for the players that will fit into the Ted Nolan game-style. I think that the Isles were alarmed by how much money was being given to these players but that should be no excuse. They should have been able to get at least of these players. Also, Greg Logan reported today that Garth Snow, Islanders GM, thinks one reason some of the top free agents would not sign with the Islanders was because of the facility that the team plays in (the aging Nassau Coliseum). I guess we will just have to wait it out and see who the Islanders sign...

Notes:
*The Islanders signed winger Jon Sim to a three-year $3 million contract, and Andy Hilbert to a two-year deal worth $1.35 million.
*Victor Kozlov, who also had a career season with the Isles last season, signed a two-year deal worth $5 million with the Washington Capitals. Richard Zednik, who was acquired before the Trade Deadline and was only to play a few games with the Isles, signed a two-year deal, $3.25 million contract with the Florida Panthers.
*HNLI announced that the next episode will be a 60-minute edition on THURSDAY 7/5/07 at 5 PM EST. Be sure to call in, IM or e-mail us during the episode with your questions and comments.
*HNLI will publish Free Agency Updates throughout the summer when important Islanders signing are made. Remember, you can sign up for e-mail updates with our blog entries in the e-mail by typing your e-mail address in the Feedblitz box which is located on the right column of this site. This is a very useful tool especially during the Free Agency period and it allows you to read our blog entries while reading your other e-mails.
*Have a Happy Fourth of July!

Episode #19 Recap: Roarke Wows with Free Agency Views

Hockey Night on Long Island's nineteenth episode was clearly one of the best yet. After updating listeners on the ongoing Islanders Prospects Camp and Hockey Hall of Fame inductions, hosts Alex and Steve were joined by Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com. Shawn shared his views on everything from Ryan Smyth to Jason Blake to the rest of the free agent market. The trio discussed the holes that the Isles need to fill in free agency and who could possibly fill the voids. In addition, Shawn shared his thoughts on last week's NHL Draft and the new salary cap. In addition, Roarke shared his feelings about an HNLI favorite, James Marcou, who Shawn has been watching since Marcou's junior hockey days. This wide array of topics made for an incredible episode of HNLI.

To listen to today's episode, go to www.show.hockeynightonlongisland.com and click on the archived segments.

Saturday Show 3 PM EST: Free Agency Special with Shawn P. Roarke

Be sure to tune in to Hockey Night on Long Island on Saturday, June 30, at 3PM EST. On the eve of an exhilarating free agency period, hosts Alex and Steve will be joined by Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com to preview all the madness that July 1st will surely bring. We'll talk about Smyth, Blake, Gomez, Drury, and a whole bunch more. In addition, Alex and Steve will share their thoughts on the Islanders Prospects Camp and take calls from listeners about everything hockey.

Be sure to tune in at: show.hockeynightonlongisland.com.

Jason Blake: Keep Him or Let Him Walk

According to TSN, Jason Blake is "all but gone from Long Island". According to the article, negotiations appear to be at a standstill between Blake's agent and the Islanders.

Of course in Jason Blake the Islanders might lose 40 goals, 65 points, a fan favorite, and a real energy player. At the same time, however, Blake isn't worth what he's asking for. At the age of 34, it would be unreasonable for the Islanders to offer Blake the 5 year contract that he is seeking. To one of my favorite Islanders ever I say..."there's the door". If Blakey expects a 5 year contract, he should look for it elsewhere.
If he decides that he'll settle for 2 or 3 years, however, I'd love to see Jason in Orange and Blue for a few more years.