MEDIA ALERT: XM Radio's "Power Play" at 5:25 pm

Presumably because they couldn't track down Milbury, Olczyk, Jonesey or Jaffe on 4th of July weekend, the good folks at XM Radio have invited me to go on "Power Play" at 5:25 pm today.

I'll be speaking with Mike Ross and Mick Kern about the NYI. Finally, my dream chance to carve Garth up.

I'm telling you, this could be dangerous. It's one thing to try and be the semi-under-control former Islanders "executive" while writing this blog, but radio? We'll see.

Can you curse on XM?

Gettin' Iggy with it: a (CT) Post Exclusive

This is one of those wacky things that happen at the Islanders. It happened a few times when I was there, and I find it a source of minor amusement now.

Apparently, the team has signed a former San Jose prospect named Mike Iggulden. My hunch is the Islanders wanted yesterday to be about Doug Weight, which is classy and understandable, and figured they'd save the announcement of Iggy's addition for another day.

The problem with this, however, is once a contract is filed with the NHL or NHLPA, the player's name starts popping up on league and union websites. Resourceful folk, like the beautiful maniacs on Islandermania, find this stuff and start talking about whether Iggulden is going to play for the big club or the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

That's okay. Nothing wrong with the die-hards digging hard and coming up with a scoop.

But this is where it gets kinda topsy-turvy. The Islanders have not announced the Iggulden signing. The Sound Tigers have not announced the Iggulden signing. But there it is, in the Connnecticut Post, Bridgeport staff openly discussing, um, the Iggulden signing. You do have to give credit to Sound Tigers beat writer Mike Fornabaio, who I know from painfully first-hand experience out-works just about every hockey reporter on the planet. Still, this is a little bizarro.

Is it a big deal? I guess probably not. But I will say this: there is something to be said for organeyezational discipline, of which I admittedly am no master.

As of this morning, no Iggy story on the Islanders website. No story on the Sound Tigers website. No announcement for Logan, who lives for this stuff, and the rest of the media, who, alas, do not.

One thing's for sure. If this sort of thing happened on Lou Lamoriello's watch, he'd freak.

The Weight is over

I thought it might go past the July 4 weekend, but the Islanders got the deal done a few minutes ago. Point Blank has learned that the Islanders have signed veteran center Doug Weight to a one-year deal.

As I wrote 48 hours ago, this is a no-lose deal for the Islanders. Early on, Weight will not be taking away anyone's icetime. Should one of the kids earn it down the line, that's what I would call a good problem to have.

Doug's arrival on the Island is a welcome one. He is a class act, and you can never have enough of them in your room. Especially class acts who can still skate.

In Weight and Mark Streit, I'd say the Islanders have had two solid days to start UFA week. They are a better team than they were before noon on Tuesday, and they haven't done anything to screw up the plan and hinder the development of their prospects.

What a drag

Jim Kelley has a must-read column on Sportsnet that looks at yesterday and wonders what happened to the battle for "cost certainty" and the hilarious "drag on salaries" that cost the NHL and its fans a year of hockey.

Although I don't agree with many of Jim's player evaluations - Wade Redden may have some issues, but he's a better defenseman simply falling out of bed than Brooks Orpik - his point is strong.

Remember the talk during the lockout of a $40 mill max cap? Now that's just the floor.

The revenue generation in other sports is at a level where the NBA, NFL and MLB can look you in the eye and say semi-sincerely that their fans won't pay the price for player salary escalation.

The NHL is my favorite league, but you know who's ultimately paying the cost for Manic Tuesday. Can't wait to see what Hainsey and Orpik get today.

Let's sleep on it

How about two former agents-turned GMs – Mike Gillis in Vancouver and Brian Lawton in Tampa Bay – giving money away like it’s not theirs? Oh yeah, it’s not. If in the next two years the Canucks and Lightning meet in a Cup Final, Mark Gandler will get a GM job.

I really don’t want to go after the Jeff Finger signing. But I will say that if you took the career stat boxes of Finger and Mark Streit and put them side-by-side, you’d think the Islanders made the deal of the decade.

I would have loved to have been there when JD got the news that Vancouver signed 24-year old grinder Dave Backes to a three-year, $7.5 million offer sheet. Gotta give Gillis credit: he’s going into the job not worrying about making friends. Good for him. Financially, not great for hockey. PR-wise, it’s priceless. Can’t wait to see what he’s going to do next.

Ok, one more thing on the Finger signing. Here’s what happens when a deal like this goes down: in Toronto, the pro scouts are patting themselves on the back for unearthing an underappreciated gem. In Colorado, they’re sitting around saying, “We love Fings, but are you frickin’ kiddin’ me? Ah, never mind. Good for him. SOB’s buying the Molsons when we play there.”

In my new consulting gig, I announced some news today. I can’t wait to see whose paragraph is bigger in the city tabloids – the thing I released or the Streit signing. Results tomorrow.

Sorry for the tease before. Have to believe there won’t be another announcement tonight out of Uniondale. I’m told, in the immortal words of Don Maloney – doing a nice job in Phoenix, by the way – the Islanders have nothing imminent. Besides, Garth has to know if he’s going to sign somebody who can make an impact, there’s no sense making a formal announcement after Newsday goes to press. Right?

Goodnight.

Garth is still working

I have an observation I'd like to share. It comes from years of hanging out on the perimeter of the GM's office at the Coliseum during the first week of July.

I'm not saying the Islanders will announce another signing tonight, but I can tell you this:

When the team signs a player to a five-year, $20-million contract and Garth doesn't even have two minutes to do an interview with Islanders-owned ITV, sending out chief pro scout Kenny Morrow instead, it only means one thing.

At 10:15 pm, the store is still very much open.

I refuse to use a silly Streit play-on-words for a headline

Nothing wrong with tempering expectations, as Garth Snow did this weekend. The Islanders needed offense, power play help, a veteran defenseman and some flash and got all of that in one package called Mark Streit.

Let’s get all the quibbling out now: too much money, blah blah, blah…too many years, wah, wah, wah…he’s coming off one big year and he’s no Kenny Morrow in his own end, yadda, yadda, yadda...

This is unrestricted free agency in the National Hockey League on July 1. You see a player you want, a player who fits your team and fills a need, you simply go out and blow everyone else away with your best offer.

That’s what the Islanders did with Streit and this is what happened with every single signing that happened today. The teams that are waiting until tomorrow are going to find that the prices haven’t come down. Wait ‘til August if you want to go bargain-hunting. Richard Park aside, you usually get what you pay for.

I doubt Streit felt it necessary to tour the facilities on Hempstead Turnpike before agreeing to terms and saying, “I am an Islander.” I suspect Garth told him, "We really want you, we're prepared to do everything to get you, you'll play 25 minutes a game and we'll be counting on you."

My friends at the Montreal Canadiens love Mark Streit. They’re proud of the player he’s become the last few years. They knew he would be gone and are wishing him well. Across the board, you will hear raves about his integrity and, most crucially, his ability.

(Inevitable bitchy column out of Montreal about the Islanders over-paying for a one-dimensional guy from Switzerland in 5 seconds, 4 seconds, 3...)

I wrote yesterday that there were plenty of reasons for the Islanders to step up the plan and go after a Brian Campbell. Streit is not Campbell - despite the obvious stat comparison, let's be clear about that - but he's a terrific addition. As a bonus, he's a fun player to watch.

The Islanders work is not done with Streit. You don't just sign a player and stand by and watch him. I don’t care that Streit’s 30, accomplished and seasoned. Now it’s on the Islanders to put him in position to succeed. Now it’s on Ted Nolan and the coaches to get the best out of him. No one wants to hear that he got 60 points last season “because he played in that fast and wide-open Montreal system.” Nonsense.

You went after Mark Streit for his talent and his 60 points. Make it work.