Travis Hamonic

NHL Lockout 2013

September 15, 2012

There is less than 12 hours until the third lockout begins under Commissioner Gary Bettman's watch. The last occurred back in 2004, canceling the 2004-2005 season and resulted in a new salary cap system. However, that system has been failing the smaller market teams, forcing them to keep up with the other clubs who earn more revenue and can afford higher salaries.

The owners and the NHLPA are fine with a salary cap system; they are not trying to reinvent the wheel all over again. But both sides are trying to structure an agreement on how the revenue is shared between the owners and players.

In recent discussions, several different proposals have been thrown on the table but none have come close to settling the disagreement. Bettman has been prepared to lockout his players if a new deal is not reached by the end of today. Although each side is likely to meet with each other before the day is over, it seems very unlikely that an 11th hour deal will be made.

Prepare yourselves for NHL lockout 2013.

Visnovsky's Hearing To Take Place This Tuesday

September 1, 2012

Rob McGowan

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The New York Islanders will finally have a better picture of what their defense will look like in 2013 as Lubomir Visnovsky's arbitration hearing is set to take place in just three days on September 4th. (Photo Credit: Bridget Samuels/Flickr)

As many of you know, Visnovsky filed a grievance with the NHLPA stating that the trade from the Anaheim Ducks to the Isles voided his No-Trade Clause and that the Ducks never approached him about the deal when they should have. However, the Ducks state that his NTC was used when the Edmonton Oilers dealt him to the Ducks in 2010.

If Visnovsky wins the decision, he remains part of the Ducks organization. If he loses, the trade stands and he is a member of the New York Islanders.

Rating the Islanders NHL 2013 Ratings

August 29, 2012

Pete Paguaga

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With all the talk about a possible lockout which could result in a shorten or even a cancelled season, there is one guarantee for the hockey season and that is the release of one of the best video games ever; NHL 2013.

Earlier this month the NHL 2013 ratings were leaked to Yahoo! Sports writer, Puck Daddy and he separated them into two posts, one being the Eastern Conference teams and the other for, you guessed it, the Western Conference teams.

Anyone who has played "NHL" knows how realistic the game can be. When looking at the ratings for the Islanders, there were some questionable choices made by EA Sports, but there were also some spot on ones. Let’s take a look at the ratings for the whole Islanders team.(Photo Credit: Yahoo/Puck Daddy)

Is the 2008 NHL Draft One Of The Best Ever?

August 17, 2012

Pete Paguaga

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In the NHL draft every team has seven picks, since the 2005 draft, and if your team is lucky enough, three or four of the players selected by your team will make it to the NHL.

With Hammer, Isles Retooled for Future

August 3, 2012

Steve Giangaspro

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Travis Hamonic has been growing as a player since the day he was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2008 NHL Entry Level Draft. After playing two more years in the WHL, Hammer floated his way up to the AHL in 2010-11 to play with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the ripe age of 20. The Isles saw enough of Travis in 19 games to believe he was ready for NHL level competition. He started his career with the New York Islanders in November 2010 and has been a staple on the Islanders’ blue line since. (Photo Credit: Flickr/clydeorama)

Travis Hamonic’s impressive play did not stop on defense. He added 21 assists to go along with his 5 goals that season. Most telling of his stellar performance was his +/- which resided at +4 after his first year in the NHL.

In 2011-12, Hammer’s rise up the Islanders’ depth chart continued. He had another promising campaign full of great defensive plays and improvement in all aspects of his game. Hamonic finished with a +6 to go along with his 22 assists. Although, he may have decreased his uniform number from 36 to 3, his play has only increased with time.

But there are traits about Travis Hamonic that go beyond the statistics. On paper, he is a rising star in the Islanders organization and one of the best young defensemen that has donned the uniform in a long time. But his intangibles are what truly excite fans of the Islanders.

One-on-One With Matt Carkner

July 24, 2012

Rob McGowan

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The New York Islanders signed three players on July 1st, including defenseman Matt Carkner. His addition to the Isles will bring a new element of physicality and toughness on the blue line.

A big and strong crease clearing defenseman has been lacking possibly since Andy Sutton was traded a few years ago to the Ottawa Senators. Carkner's grit and willingness to stick up for his teammates will certainly make the Islanders a tougher team to play against.

Carkner and I had a chance to talk on the phone yesterday to discuss what he's been up to this off-season, what happened on July 1st and what he plans on bringing to the table one he puts on the orange and blue sweater.

Ty Wishart Re-signs With Islanders For One Year

July 18, 2012

Rob McGowan

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The Islanders announced today the defense prospect, Ty Wishart has re-signed with the club on a one-year, two-way contract for the 2012-2013 season.

UNIONDALE, NY (July 18, 2012) – The New York Islanders announced today that Ty Wishart has agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way deal for the 2012-13 season.

Wishart, 24, scored 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) with the Islanders’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, during his fourth professional season. The Belleville, ON, native also appeared in one National Hockey League game last year with the Islanders.

Are Carkner, Boulton the Answer to the Toughness Question for Isles?

July 10, 2012

Angelica Rodriguez

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The talk amongst fans all last season was, "This team needs toughness." And indeed, far from embodying Zenon Konopka's "doormat-no-longer" declaration during the 2010-2011 season, the Islanders seemed to take a step back from that mentality this past year.

...What changes this year? Well, Garth Snow must have realized that this squad just does better when their best players aren't being knocked all over the ice, and signed up some tough customers to try and change the doormat-once-more mentality.

The Emergence of Travis Hamonic

July 10, 2012

John Link

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It is no secret to most fans of the NHL, the Islanders defense wasn’t the greatest last season but that doesn’t mean everyone playing back there was bad. Travis Hamonic played his second NHL season this past winter and really started to show his bright future.
Drafted in the 2nd round (53rd overall) in 2008, Travis started this past season with the Islanders and became their top defensive defenseman before the season was over. Playing in 73 games this past season, Travis was not only one of the few Islanders to finish on the + side of the +/- rating but he also chipped in 24 points. (Photo Credit: Flickr/Robert Kowal)

Rounding Out The Isles Defense

June 29, 2012

Rob McGowan

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The Islanders are just a day away from joining 29 other NHL clubs in the festivities of July 1st. To a lot of people, it is just another summer day to be enjoyed outside. For many others, it's a day meant for excitement or anguish which steals one's complete attention for TSN, Twitter and any other fast paced media outlet that will have updates on the opening of NHL Free Agency.

The Isles appear set to be parting ways with Mark Eaton, Steve Staios, Milan Jurcina and perhaps their most important free agent, PA Parenteau. The latter has served as an important member on the team's top line for the past two seasons and is coming off his biggest year, likely to command a long term contract and a significant pay raise on the open market.

The previously mentioned defenseman will not receive any grief for signing elsewhere. In fact, many Islanders fans will probably be overjoyed that they will have the opportunity to see aging veterans replaced by young, upcoming talent from within the organization.