Running Low On Goalies, Isles Swing Deal For Al Montoya

When Rick DiPietro is tabbed as your franchise's No. 1 goalie, you become accustomed to having some level of inconsistency in between the pipes. But this year has been a bit ridiculous for the Islanders, who have utilized the services of five different goaltenders this season and tried to enlist Evgeni Nabokov until the should-be Detroit Red Wing reminded them there was no purpose in him being a part of their organization. Thus far, only two of the goaltenders they did use could really be considered NHL caliber - the oft-injured DiPietro and Dwayne Roloson, who was mercifully dealt to the Tampa Bay Lighting where he is now shining even at 41 years old.

New York found itself in an emergency situation on Tuesday when their newest starting tender Kevin Poulin suffered a knee injury in pre-game warmups prior to taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs. That led to the Islanders going with backup Mikko Koskinen. The native of Vantaa, Finland went on to surrender five goals on 26 shots in a 5-3 loss against Toronto. It was revealed Wednesday that Poulin will miss the remainder of the season with a dislocated left knee cap.

In a relative state of emergency, TSN's Darren Dreger reported early Wednesday in The Dreger Report that Isles general manager Garth Snow was looking to swing a "soft" deal for a new body to sport their crease. By "soft" deal, Dreger explained this trade would not include any high-end talent or early round draft picks. According to Dreger late Wednesday, the Islanders managed to get that deal done relatively quickly. By send a sixth round pick over to the Phoenix Coyotes, Snow picked up former New York Rangers first round pick (6th overall in 2004) Al Montoya.

Montoya has never had a real opportunity to play in the NHL and has just five games in the big league to his credit. While he was selected by the Rangers seven years ago with the intention of being grooming into their next starting goalie, Henrik Lundqvist emerged as the King of New York and Montoya was eventually shipped out in a trade deadline deal with the Coyotes in 2008. Montoya's chances of seeing more playing time in Phoenix was slim, however, as the team already had Ilya Bryzgalov in between the pipes.

But in his very limited amount of NHL action (five games - four of which were starts), Montoya put up a very impressive 3-1 record with a 2.08 goals against average, .925 save percentage and a shutout in his very first NHL start against the Colorado Avalanche. With the Isles' goaltending situation completely depleted at this point, Montoya should have no trouble generating legitimate playing time with an opportunity to prove he can contribute over the long haul as he did two years ago.

That is, of course, until DiPietro returns from his latest facial injury to steal a few games before heading back to the shelf with another guaranteed ailment.

Coyotes Bring In Whitney, Retain Morris

 

Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney unfortunately could not bring defenseman Zbynek Michalek back into the fold due to financial constraints, and he bolted to Pittsburgh for a $20 million, five-year deal. But Maloney was able to retain the services of defenseman Derek Morris and bring in the veteran scoring touch of left wing Ray Whitney.

The 31-year old Morris is back on a four-year, $11 million contract that will be split evenly at $2.75 million per season. It's a slight paycut from the $3.3 million he earned last season, but Morris remains in a comfortable situation with Phoenix. When Morris was acquired by the Coyotes last season as a trade deadline addition, it marked his second run with the team. He previously played with them from late 2004 through late 2009. In his return to the Coyotes this past spring, he put up a goal and three assists for four points in 18 games. He totals four goals and 25 assists for 29 points on the season when factoring in 58 games with Boston.

Morris is a solid all-around defenseman who can be good on the offensive and defensive sides of the puck when he wants to be. He's just inconsistent at times, and that prevents him ranking among the elite. At $2.75 million, though, Maloney was able to keep a familiar face at a reasonable price.

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In an effort to boost the league's seventh-worst goal scoring team in the league last year, Maloney brought in one of the more sought after left wings on the market, Ray Whitney, on a two-year deal valued at $6 million. According to TSN's Darren Dreger, this contract includes "a modified no-move clause that includes a small window for a few teams to trade with."

"We are thrilled to sign Ray to a contract," said Maloney (by way of TSN). "He is a terrific offensive player who will help us on the power play. He is a great leader in the dressing room with a Stanley Cup Championship to his credit and will instantly upgrade our offensive attack."

The 38-year old is one of those players that just hasn't run out of steam with age. He scored 21 goals last season - the fourth straight with over 20 scores - and 37 assists for 58 points in 80 games with the Carolina Hurricanes. In a career with 1,072 games played, Whitney boasts totals of 324 goals, 545 assists and 869 points.

The Coyotes will value his veteran presence as the team continues its push to be a serious contender. And even in his advanced age (at least sport-wise), the team need not worry about him being out of the lineup after having suited up for at least 80 games in three of the past four seasons.

Penguins Replace Gonchar With Cheaper Option: Zbynek Michalek

 

The Phoenix Coyotes really wanted to keep him, but there was simply not enough money to do so. Their loss is Pittsburgh's gain, and it appears Zbynek Michalek is headed to the Penguins on a five-year, $20 million deal. He is not as offensively gifted as Gonchar. But at $1.5 million less per season and about eight years younger, Michalek is a solid addition to the Penguins roster. He will add a great deal of defensive prowess to the team, and is able to sport the blue line in power play situation for modest results.

Oilers Acquire Vandermeer For O'Sullivan, Lose Moreau To Columbus Via Waivers

 

The Edmonton Oilers went through some minor roster shakeups one day prior to free agency. In one move, swapped players who just recently cleared waivers with the Phoenix Coyotes. The Oilers sent forward Patrick O'Sullivan to the dessert in exchange for defenseman Jim Vandermeer. According to TSN, the Oilers are expected to keep Vandermeer, while the 'Yotes will buy out the remaining year of O'Sullivan's contract.

This is a solid move for Edmonton and a cheaper one for the Coyotes. In Vandermeer, the Oil get a steady blue line presence with physical attributes. And they no longer need to foot the bill in paying O'Sullivan's buyout. The Coyotes will pay that instead, which comes at a slightly lower price tag than what Vandermeer's buyout would have been. By way of gapgeek.com, O'Sullivan's total buyout will be approximately $1.333 million split at rates of $935,417 next season and $397,917. The 25-year would have otherwise been a cap hit of $2.925 million if retained. Meanwhile, had the Coyotes just simply bought out Vandermeer, it would have cost them $766,667 against the cap in each of the next two seasons, for a total of $1,533,333. The 30-year old will be paid $2.3 million in Edmonton next year.

In addition to this move, the Oilers also saw Ethan Moreau claimed off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets. It would have cost Edmonton $1,166,667 million spread over two seasons to buy out his contract had he gone on unclaimed. But the 34-year old will now earn his full $1.75 million (and $2 million cap hit) with the Blue Jackets next season. Moreau will provide Columbus with plenty of size and another option on the penalty kill. He posted nine goals last season, three of which came with a man down.

Cheechoo, Kotalik Among Five Players Placed On Waivers

 

The waiver wire saw some activity this afternoon as a reported five players were placed on it, according to TSN. Among those players are Johnathan Cheechoo of the Ottawa Senators, who was part of the Dany Heatley trade with San Jose, and Ales Kotalik of the Calgary Flames, who was acquired by the team in an early February trade with the New York Rangers. Petteri Nokelainen and Jim Vadermeer of the Phoenix Coyotes and Florida Panthers defenseman Ville Koistinen were also placed on waivers.

TSN mentions that if these players were to go unclaimed through the waiver process, it is likely that their respective organizations will buy them out and will therefore enter them into unrestricted free agency.

Cheechoo is entering the final year of a five-year contract that will pay him $3.5 million next season (and count as a cap hit of $3 million.) After posting a career-high and Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy-earning 56 goals back in 2005-06 thanks to be paired with Joe Thornton, Cheechoo has steadily declined over the past four years. A year with just 12 goals and 17 assists in 2008-09 made it an easy decision for San Jose to include him and his salary as part of the trade that brought in Heatley. In 61 games with Ottawa last season, Cheechoo only posted five goals and nine assists for 14 points. He also spent 25 games in the AHL with Binghamton, scoring eight goals with six assists for 14 points.

Cheechoo's time as a hot commodity in the NHL faded almost as quickly as it began, and he is no longer considered a top-six forward. At $3.5 million, it would be hard to justify picking the 29-year old up off waivers. But as an unrestricted free agent, it could be worth taking a flier on him at a price tag of $1 to 1.25 million is he is willing to take a sharp pay cut like that. A buyout would cost the Senators about $1.167 million over each of the next two years.

Defensemen Fowler, Gormley Slip To 12th, 13th Picks

 

Every year, there is a pretty much a guarantee that a player or two highly ranked among several scouting services will slip well beyond their anticipated draft position. That was the case on Friday for defensemen Cam Fowler and Brandon Gormley during the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

From the Windsor Spitfires, Fowler was ranked as a top five pick by vitrually everybody. He was fifth on the NHL Central Scouting Service among North American Skaters. He was fifth according to International Scouting Service Rankings. He was third with The Hockey News. And TSN placed him fifth. So by all accounts, he was a top five selection, and should have gone somewhere in the top 10 at the very least depending on team needs. So it came as a pretty big shock that he fell all the way to 12th and the Anaheim Ducks as several teams that could have used his services passed him up.

The knock on Fowler was that his defensive skills were lacking. While his offense is terrific, as witnessed by a 55-point campaign in 55 games with Windsor last year, he is not known as a hard worker in his own zone. But the Ducks, who recently lost Scott Niedermayer to retirement, were more than happy to scoop him up to eventually fill that void along the blue line.

As for Gormley, he went 13th to the Phoenix Coyotes. Gormley was sixth among North American Skaters according to NHL Central Scouting, third by the ISS, seventh by The Hockey News and fourth on TSN's list.

He is considered a jack of all trades and master of none. While a decent threat in all areas of the game, he is outstanding in none of them and lacks a "wow" factor typically looked for in drafts. But the Coyotes are never a team to need a "wow" factor. They want good, hard-working players who play smart, and Gormley definitely fits the mold.

News From Around The Crease

 

~ TSN's Darren Dreger is reporting that the Toronto Maple Leafs have received at least five offers for defenseman Tomas Kaberle. As they stand, none are good enough for General Manager Brian Burke to accept. But some finagling between the draft on Friday and the middle of July, when Kaberle's no trade clause is back in effect, could entice Burke to pull the trigger.

It is believed Burke is looking for a first round pick in a deal, but that is not necessarily a deal breaker. More importantly, Burke wants a scoring threat that can be plugged right into the lineup. While it's likely Kaberle will end up being traded, it is still possible that the Maple Leafs could retain his services and sign him to an extension.

~ The Phoenix Coyotes would like to build upon their shocking turnaround last season and have already made moves to bring back some key components, such as defenseman Keith Aucion, left wing Taylor Pyatt and left wing Scottie Upshall. General Manager Don Maloney focused his attention on mid-season acquisition Wojtek Wolski on Thusday, signing the 24-year old winger to a two-year, $7.6 million contract. The deal will pay Wolski $3.8 million per season - a raise from the $3.1 million he earned last year.

Wolski was acquired by the Coyotes from the Colorado Avalanche at the trade deadline this past March. The Avs received Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter in the deal. In 18 regular season games following the trade, Wolski netted six goals and a point-per-game pace, while adding five points in seven postseason games against the Detroit Red Wings. He totaled 23 goals and 65 points last year between the Avalanche and Coyotes.

And The Winner Of The King Clancy Memorial Trophy Is ...

Shane Doan - Right Wing, Phoenix Coyotes

King Clancy Memorial Trophy (Best Exemplified Leadership Qualities On And Off The Ice)

And The Winner Of The Jack Adams Award Is ...

Dave Tippett, Phoenix Coyotes

Jack Adams Award (Top Coach)

Finalists:

Joe Sacco – Colorado Avalanche

Dave Tippett – Phoenix Coyotes

Barry Trotz – Nashville Predators

Prediction – Dave Tippett

Winner – Dave Tippett