I agree that the Isles are playing it cheap on a great many levels. I think they have many PR issues in the way they treat fans at all levels. There is no doubt that PR remains a gigantic issue — and I suppose when you have largely inexperienced kiddies running PR, mistakes are going to be made. We can only hope that they will eventually bring in a pro to handle PR properly.
But Brooks' position on Bailey and Joensuu is off base and short-sighted, and I can understand why. The Islanders are not his team.
I don't think the Isles suspended Bailey or Joensuu because they wanted to punish them, or penalize them for getting hurt while playing overseas. I think that when they saw both players would be unavailable, and seeing the very thin defensive unit, they used the opportunity of the injuries to expand the roster. be it through trade waiver wire or allowing some young draft picks to stay with the club — the Islanders absolutely did the right thing.
The picked up Finley, Hickey and Aucoin and have the chance to add some depth to the team. While Visnovsky works out his problem, and Bailey and Joensuu heal, the Islanders can take a look at some other players, all while leaving guys like Nino, Donovan, Strome and Reinhart to develop properly (as Brooks points out). If the Isles find that one of their waiver pick-ups pan out – its a bonus. (See Grabner, Michael) And not for nothing — Aucoin is looking reasonably well in his 2 game stint.
