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!

Listen to Greg Logan on HNLI Tomorrow at 3:30 PM!

Be sure to tune into a special guest event on Hockey Night on Long Island tomorrow, 3/28, at 3:30 PM EST as Steve and guest co-host Ken Rosenblatt (Islanders Outsider Blog, NYI Blog Box) will be joined by Greg Logan, the Islanders' Beat Writer for Newsday. We will talk with Greg about the Lighthouse Project, including Thursday's Educational Outreach meeting and of course New York Islanders hockey. They will look ahead to the remainder of the season and continue to preview the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal. As always, listeners are encouraged to call in, IM us and participate in the HNLI Chat Room during the show. Be sure to tune into what should be a great episode of HNLI tomorrow, 3/28, at 3:30 PM EST. To listen, click here.

Exciting Greg Logan Piece in Sunday's Newsday, Guerin Trade "In Place"

Update (Monday 9:50 PM)
I am finally back on Long Island after a long day in the deep south. On my flight, I was tuned into the NHL Home Ice channel on XM radio where Guerin talk was in full force. Still, despite the talk, there is little new information. Both my co-host Steve and I are predicting that Guerin will not be dealt until Wednesday (aka Deadline Day). He was out of the lineup again tonight during the 4-2 victory over the Avalanche and has likely played his last game as an Islander. With Chris Botta officially ending his live Guerin updates, I expect bits of information to be few and far between until Guerin is actually dealt. So, I guess that means this blog post must come to an end as well. Still, be sure to keep checking back here for commentary and analysis as the trade deadline approaches.

Update (Monday 1:10 PM)

I am currently sitting stranded in Atlanta, GA due to the inclement weather in New York that is delaying my return flight. Needless to say, I have had plenty of time to keep up on all things Bill Guerin over the last 48 hours or so. So (also needless to say), I am as frustrated as the rest of the Islanders faithful with the lack of developments since Guerin was pulled from the lineup against Buffalo on Saturday night. And according to a recent TSN.ca story, Guerin is as irked as the rest of us. The article states that "sources tell TSN that Guerin has become frustrated by the ongoing uncertainty and has done nothing to complicate, or stall the trade from going through." Speculation by Chris Botta, among other hockey pundits, points to the Washington Capitals as the Islanders' trade partner. Still, there is very little certainty about that or anything else in the Guerin situation. Assuming I'm not lucky enough to get on a plane back to New York anytime soon, I'll have commentary and analysis here as it breaks on islanderspointblank.com or tsn.ca. Stay tuned!


Update (Sunday 10:27 PM)
When I wrote my last update just over 12 hours ago, I truly believed that I would have an update a few hours later at most with commentary on the Bill Guerin trade. The entire day, however, has been nothing more than an over-hyped period of silence. The most sickening "development" came just hours ago when Chris Botta reported that according to the team "there will be no news tonight" and "there is no timeline for any announcements". While Botta still is holding out belief that we'll know about the deal tomorrow, I'm growing more and more pessimistic. While some seem to believe the delay is being caused by some kind of bidding war or finalization of terms, I'm starting to lean towards the notion that the deal simply fell through. I'm hoping some news tomorrow will prove me wrong. In the meantime, I'll be checking Botta's blog for the latest.

Update (Sunday 10:26 AM)
The Greg Logan story is up on Newsday.com and it was certainly worth the wait. The piece reveals an incredible deal of turmoil between Scott Gordon and his veteran players. The details outlined by Logan certainly do not bode well for this organization. As Logan alludes to, it is going to be even more difficult than usual for the Islanders to sign veterans if the team has a reputation for treating the vets poorly. I encourage you to read the article. After reading it, my views of Scott Gordon have certainly changed.

Meanwhile, there is still no further information (of substance) on the ongoing Bill Guerin trade saga. Chris Botta at islanderspointblank.com has a great "live blog" going on for this saga that I currently recommend as the primary source for the latest updates. Once the deal is done, be sure to check back here for commentary and analysis.

(Saturday 10:45 PM)
Those who tuned in for today's episode of Hockey Night on Long Island expecting to hear from Greg Logan were unfortunately disappointed as he was forced to cancel the appearance due to intense work on a major piece for tomorrow's paper. With the fury of news and speculation going on in Islanders Country tonight, it appears Logan's absence on today's HNLI will be well worth it.

According to Greg Logan's blog on Newsday.com, the piece will feature details of the "rocky relationship" between Bill Guerin and head coach Scott Gordon. The story is said to be a feature regarding tensions between the Isles' veterans and Gordon. Logan's foreshadowing of the story comes with the news that Bill Guerin is said to be contemplating a trade that is "in place".

For the latest on the Bill Guerin trade situation, I highly recommend checking islanderspointblank.com as often as possible and heading back to Hockey Night on Long Island for commentary and analysis. It is sure to be an exciting evening and early morning for the Islanders!

Greg Logan of Newsday to Join HNLI SATURDAY

For a very special Trade Deadline Preview episode this Saturday, Hockey Night on Long Island host Steve and HNLI regular guest Tom Liodice (TheTigerTrack.com, NYI Blog Box) will be joined by Islanders beat writer Greg Logan of Newsday for an action packed segment of hockey talk. Logan, who has made several HNLI appearances in the past, always provides great insight into what is going on behind the scenes and makes for an outstanding guest. Like always, you can talk to our special guest by calling in and we will be taking your questions via IM and the HNLI chatroom. In addition to the upcoming trade deadline, this week's HNLI will cover everything from the Islanders' most recent games to the recent Lighthouse Project progress and of course to the latest on John Tavares and the NHL Draft. Be sure to tune in for an intense episode of Hockey Night on Long Island this Saturday at 3:30 PM EST.

HNLI joined by Greg Logan Saturday!

Things couldn't get much better if your an Islanders fan right now. The Isles are off to an outstanding start and just beat the Rangers! As if things couldn't get any better, this Saturday will bring a very special episode of Hockey Night on Long Island. Tune in at 3:30 PM EST for a very special appearance by Greg Logan, the one and only New York Islanders beat writer for Newsday. Hosts Alex and Steve will talk with Greg about everything Islanders including the emergence of the newcomers, the defensive combinations, the play of Rick DiPietro and much more! And of course, it wouldn't be HNLI without our listeners getting into the mix. Greg will take your questions via telephone or IM. In addition, the HNLI chatroom will be up and running for some serious fan banter. Be sure to tune in for an awesome hour of hockey talk this Saturday at 3:30 PM EST at show.hockeynightonlongisland.com.

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!