Rumor: SI reports possible Phil Kessel to Isles

[Abe Vukota]

You were not around during the days when the Isles traded for Yashin. I was on this board every day at the time, getting abused by my fellow Islander fans. Nobody could understand why I was so angry at trading a relatively unproven second pairing defender and a pick for a established number one center.


I was also angry about trading for Peca, because I thought Connolly would be a number 1 center and Pyatt would at least be an effective 2/3 guy.


That's the thing about prospect deals. You're playing with the odds . If you draft well (and if you are not drafting well, you prospects have no value anyway), those sort of deals will bite you in the butt over the longterm.

Personally, I'm tired of watching kids we draft develop and star in other organizations. I went through that agony for years under the Milbury and Maloney regimes.


I propose we build a team with a novel strategy: Draft well, carefully develop, and then add vet savvy with smart signings and a few Boychuk-type of deals.


Wacky scheme, I know, but it just might be crazy enough to work.

I was. I remember thinking, "Huh, we might make the playoffs this year."

The catch in your thinking is the assumption that these players were going to turn into stars in this organization. The Islanders were a laughingstock owned by a criminal and run by a mental patient. Getting proven talent (even a head case like Yashin) meant something, since the players who panned out so well weren't slam dunks to do so here.

I don't disagree with keeping this year's team intact because we have a very good to excellent team AND youth. In 2001, we had youth and a whole lot of suck.

Anyway, I'm thinking Strome+Nelson+Pulock+Dal Colle for Jay Bouwmeester. WHO'S WITH ME?

 

[BroadwayJay*]

I was. I remember thinking, "Huh, we might make the playoffs this year."

My recollection was something like "wow, Yashin! So offense! Much goals!"

 

[The G Man]

I was here. My recollection was it went something like "WTF is Milbury doing???"

 

[eoin92]

I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty stoked when they traded for Yashin.

 

[BillD]

I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty stoked when they traded for Yashin.

Me too, and then the Peca signing on top. After we got Ozzie I thought that we were going to compete, but Wang/Milbury stopped a bit short.
Those days were bbig spending around the league (no cap) and the Rags and Flyers were killing the salary structure.
Yashin got a lot but there were others getting even more, some $11MM!

The current salary structure for this years Isles is $64MM, about $5MM short of the ceiling. I do not want Kessel and we do not need him. He makes too much and he is terrible model for conditioning for young players to be around. The guy can flat out play offense but we need a solid all around player.........we have him in Okposo.

 

[Darth Milbury]

I was here. My recollection was it went something like "WTF is Milbury doing???"

Punk!

 

[The G Man]

Punk!