Islanders sign Dwayne Roloson to 2-Year, $5 Million Contract posted by Jeff Ponder

The New York Islanders announced the signing of former Oiler Dwayne Roloson.

Roloson is coming off of a decent year with the Oilers.  Going 28-24-9, the veteran goaltender stole a lot of games for the Oilers.  He is big in important situations, especially late in games or in the playoffs.

New York is still looking for the all-important answer to the question of what needs to happen when Rick DiPietro goes down with yet another injury.  The Islanders starting goalie has suffered injury after injury since signing a 15-year, $67.5 million contract in 2006.  DiPietro has played in just 130 games out of a possible 246 games since signing the long deal.  Roloson may be able to step in and help with the goaltending woes for the Islanders, who shuffled between four goaltenders in 2008-09.  With John Tavares being picked up in the draft and Roloson brought in, this team just got a whole lot better.Continue reading "Islanders sign Dwayne Roloson to ..."

Pressure on John Tavares posted by Andy Charles

If, as expected, he is taken with the first pick of the NHL draft on Friday in Montreal, John Tavares will have the weight of Long Island on him.

The New York Islanders are a franchise coming out of two of the toughest seasons in their history and they need a face – a real star in the making – to be the answer towards finally helping them out of what has been a very dark hockey basement.

But are the expectations of the junior star, probably the biggest name to come into the sport since Sidney Crosby, too high assuming he beats off late competition from Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene to become the No 1 pick.

Although Tavares has put up gaudy numbers on his way to finally entering the draft (a year later than he wanted to) and managed to draw quite ludicrous comparisons to Wayne Gretzky, the transition to the professional ranks is going to be tough, most likely on a team that has forgotten how to win.

The Islanders won just 26 of their 82 regular season games last season, a decrease of nine on 2008 when things looked bleak enough, and although the arrival of Garth Snow as general manager seems to have made things at the Nassau Coliseum a little more professional, this turnaround is not going to be an overnight occurrence.

Tavares scored more goals in his time in the OHL than any player in history, and his experience coming into the bigs will be an advantage when it comes to placing a hockey bet – remember he is older than most players in the draft and was only five days too young to have been drafted in 2008.

Pressure on John Tavares posted by Andy Charles

If, as expected, he is taken with the first pick of the NHL draft on Friday in Montreal, John Tavares will have the weight of Long Island on him.

The New York Islanders are a franchise coming out of two of the toughest seasons in their history and they need a face – a real star in the making – to be the answer towards finally helping them out of what has been a very dark hockey basement.

But are the expectations of the junior star, probably the biggest name to come into the sport since Sidney Crosby, too high assuming he beats off late competition from Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene to become the No 1 pick.

Although Tavares has put up gaudy numbers on his way to finally entering the draft (a year later than he wanted to) and managed to draw quite ludicrous comparisons to Wayne Gretzky, the transition to the professional ranks is going to be tough, most likely on a team that has forgotten how to win.

The Islanders won just 26 of their 82 regular season games last season, a decrease of nine on 2008 when things looked bleak enough, and although the arrival of Garth Snow as general manager seems to have made things at the Nassau Coliseum a little more professional, this turnaround is not going to be an overnight occurrence.

Tavares scored more goals in his time in the OHL than any player in history, and his experience coming into the bigs will be an advantage when it comes to placing a hockey bet – remember he is older than most players in the draft and was only five days too young to have been drafted in 2008.

Oilers sign Khabibulin after losing Roloson

The Edmonton Oilers are turning to another veteran goaltender.Edmonton signed 36-year-old Nikolai Khabibulin to a four-year, 15-million deal on Wednesday. He'll replace 39-year-old Dwayne Roloson, who signed earlier in the day with the New York Islanders.Khabibulin is a former Stanley Cup winner who spent last season with the Chicago Blackhawks.He went 25-8-7 with a 2.33 goals-against average and .919 save percentage despite missing time due to a nagging groin injury. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL

Oilers give Khabibulin $15M over 4 years (AP)

The Edmonton Oilers are turning to another veteran goaltender. Edmonton signed 36-year-old Nikolai Khabibulin to a four-year, 15-million deal on Wednesday. He'll replace 39-year-old Dwayne Roloson, who signed earlier in the day with the New York Islanders. Khabibulin is a former Stanley Cup winner who spent last season with the Chicago Blackhawks. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Tortorella, Gordon join US Olympic staff (AP)

Ron Wilson's coaching staff for the U.S. Olympic hockey team is complete, with the addition of assistants John Tortorella and Scott Gordon. Tortorella coaches the New York Rangers and Gordon coaches the New York Islanders. Wilson, the coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was appointed Olympic coach in April. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Islanders draft Tavares at No. 1 overall

The New York Islanders have selected London Knights center John Tavares with the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NHL entry draft.The Islanders chose Tavares, a high-scoring junior star, with the first overall pick ahead of 6-foot-6, 220-pound Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman, the top-ranked European prospect.Tavares, a 6-foot, 185-pound native of Oakville, Ont., led the Ontario Hockey League with 58 goals this season and broke Peter Lee's 33-year-old league record of 213 career goals. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL

Islandersdraft Tavares at No. 1 overall

The New York Islanders have selected London Knights center John Tavares with the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NHL entry draft.The Islanders chose Tavares, a high-scoring junior star, with the first overall pick ahead of 6-foot-6, 220-pound Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman, the top-ranked European prospect.Tavares, a 6-foot, 185-pound native of Oakville, Ont., led the Ontario Hockey League with 58 goals this season and broke Peter Lee's 33-year-old league record of 213 career goals. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL