If It Wasn't For That Contract...

You can call me crazy all you want, but I think Rick DiPietro could still be a serviceable goaltender in the NHL....if it wasn't for that pesky long-term contract. Of course, if this leads to some sort of amnesty buy-out, then it may be worth it to take a flier on him as a free agent. 

The onus of DiPietro is the contract and the history of injuries he has had in the past half-decade. Yet, many forget that after signing that contract he had a career year with a 32-19-9 record. Granted, he's been limited to 50 games (including this season) since 2008, but beforehand, he was a decent goalie-- maybe not for the length of contract, but at $4.5M-- the price was right and would probably be right in this climate. 

Yet, it's hard to separate DiPietro the goalie and DiPietro the contract. With another eight years left on the 15 year deal, many teams aren't going to pick that up, especially since he hasn't been able to be effective in those 50 games (14-27-7)-- which may not make him worth that money, either. That's where the amnesty buy-out could be the only way to get around getting DiPietro off the books, though the Islanders would need that to stay at the salary floor. 

Despite the defense of the Islanders not necessarily being the best, DiPietro didn't do himself any favors when it comes to holding down the Islanders net. His performance may also be tied to the coaching, condition, and handling of DiPietro, as well as the on-going revolving door of goalies-- picked up through waivers and stockpiled in the minors-- that the Isles have had. It can't help an already fragile goalie mentally to know that there's five or six guys gunning for his spot-- thus makes him overwork and over-conditioning and leads to injuries. 

Would he be an asset in a better system and a better way of life?? Only without the contract he currently has. That's the only way that DiPietro will get the fair shake he needs to get his career back on track. However, he's also 31-years-old and that contract will continue to weigh him down if the Islanders cannot deal him and it would be another disappointing footnote on a career of a goalie that had so much promise before his debut. 

A King's Ransom or Risk of Regicide??

We've seen it happen with Rick DiPietro, we're seeing it happen with Roberto Luongo, will we see it with Jonathan Quick?? The "it" in question is the pressure of a long-term deal getting to the performance of a goaltender as the contract carries on and the goalie possibly not living up to the potential and money.

Of course, if you hadn't heard and laughed along with Twitter; Quick is going to sign a contract extension with the Kings for 10 years worth $58M. While Quick is coming off of a Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup winning season, as well as being a very solid performer during the regular season; a raise of that magnitude is one that could make the most harden of Kings supporters scratching their heads.

As the lovely and talented Jen the NHL History Girl tweeted out:

And it's a great point, because, if anything, the goaltending position could be the most volatile as any position on the ice. Hell, I've made a weekly point to show off all the goalies who had a promising upside to them, but were unable to actually get it done when push comes to shove. Not only that-- but the injury rate for goalies could be a little higher than other position players, as they are out there all the time and have to be a little bit more flexible than their teammates. 

Even so, the examples I cited prior are prime examples of how long-term deals not only hurt the team, but could hurt the player's psyche and make the team a little bit of a laughingstock in the end, as they are hamstrung to get rid of the deal.

With the DiPietro deal, we all knew Islanders' owner Charles Wang was a little on the nutty side, but to give a goalie who is oft-injured (putting it lightly) a 15-year deal (albeit at only a $4.5M cap hit) was a bit ridiculous. You can't blame DiPietro for taking the money and running, if it's offered out there-- why not?? But the pressure on him to do something about it is way to high and it wouldn't be as lambasted as it is had DiPietro actually put up a performance.....of any kind. Though, we can probably blame genetics for him only playing 47 games in the past four seasons.

Yet, even the goalies who succeed aren't prone to controversy as we see Roberto Luongo getting the bum's rush out of Vancouver after signing a 12-year extension which started in the 2010-11 season. With his playoff short-comings (sans the 2011 Playoffs, even still with a little help from Cory Schneider) and the play of Schneider-- the Canucks fans seem ready to let Luongo go. Plus, with Schneider signing a three-year extension worth $4M a year-- it seems the Canucks are just waiting for a viable suitor to come along for Luongo and his $5.33M cap hit.

Quick will be on the hot seat next year, as his $1.8M cap hit will go away and people will wonder if the 10 years beyond that will be worth it or not. If he performs as well as he did this year, it could ease some minds. However, watch out if he starts to falter quickly and doesn't seem to regain form. It's a shock that Dean Lombardi, who has looked like a genius when it comes to getting the right personnel on his team to win, would do something with such a lofty expectation for that position which has the most pressure put upon it. For his sake, he better know what he's doing lest he get fired as a result.

Considering that many thought what the Winnipeg Jets gave Ondrej Pavelec was a bit on the crazy side, you have to think that the Kings looked at that as market value and since Quick was better than Pavelec statistically, he was worth the terms given. If anything, Carey Price is licking his lips and wringing his hands when it comes to what he could possibly get for his new contract-- especially if he gets an offer sheet.

While the man between the pipes could be the most valuable on the team, the risk of giving him a long-term extension is very high, even if the reward is there as well. You cannot blame these guys for taking the terms and money-- they are playing a sport where they excel and the general manager is the one who sets the value for their services. However, the pressure to perform is going to be there and if they don't live up to it-- they will be looked down upon-- rightfully or not. It's a double-edged sword they're dealing with, as a lot rests on their shoulders. For Quick, all he has to do is look at those before him and hope he doesn't fall into that same chasm.

The Many Pads of Rick DiPietro

When it comes to goaltenders, there seems to be a lot of times during the season where goalies will switch their pads. Most of the time, it's due to the impact their original set of pads taking so much punishment from pucks, that they need to get better protection. Other times, it's their pad company wanting to roll out their new style of pads for next season.

Most of the time, it's a small change and not many people will not notice it. Yet, for some times, it's beyond noticeable and could be made for fodder by some people silly enough to actually take it and point it out.

Enter Rick DiPietro. DiPietro has played 307 games since he came into the NHL in during the 2000-01 season. This included the combined 39 games he has played in the past three seasons. Yet, in those games-- as well as games played for Team USA in International competition for the World Cup and World Championships-- DiPietro has had a numerous amount of pad changes.

Of course, I'm just talking about a quick Google Image Search, but 26 different sets of pads have been used by DiPietro, by my count. Some times, it's small changes-- other times, the changes are very drastic and noticeable because of the Islanders' colors of blue and orange, with DiPietro utilizing those colors to the utmost. Of the 26 pictures, 24 of him during his Islanders tenures (two from Team USA) and if you do the math, he changes pads almost every 12 games (which I'm sure is wrong by dividing 307 by 24) . That's almost three sets of pad changes for his nine years in the NHL.

However, because I don't want you kids to do all the research-- here's the slideshow of the pads that DiPietro has used over his years-- enjoy.

Of course, the credits varies by picture and because Google Image Search is what I used-- so I couldn't really give proper credit. If you see a picture of yours and want the credit-- drop it in the comments and I'll go ahead and give you the credit. AND-- if you had anymore, please feel free to send me a link to those pads.

I don't know what the purpose of this whole drill was, but I just found it interesting about the frequency that DiPietro changes pads and how drastic he goes ahead and changes them willy-nilly; but it's August and we need some kind of filler with all of this.

Friday Five: Skating and Fighting are Two Things Goalies Do

It's been quite the odd week coming out of All-Star Weekend, which seemed to give a nice punch in the arms to the traditional ASG. Plus, we saw others going back onto the IR after another a poor decision-- which is something you could say throughout his career.

1. Rick DiPietro is back on the IR with facial fractures and knee swelling. How's that make everyone feel??

You have to feel bad for DiPietro, but when you see him make a poor decision like fighting with 17 second left in the game-- you kinda knew something like this would come from it. The knee swelling is nothing new, though and odds are he would probably be out a bit from that, but when he got lit up by Brent Johnson-- you knew it was just a matter of time before this news would come out. Worse off, Evgeni Nabokov still sits-- which maybe isn't a bad thing. As friend of FOHS, Anthony pointed out-- Nabby could ruin the Isles lottery chances if he played out of his mind and got the Isles on a little run-- which would make the Isles fans hate him more.

2. Which was more unlikely to see-- goalie race at the skills competition or the goalie fight??

Both are very rare and should be looked at in awe. However, it's more likely to get the goalie fight than to have a goalie race, that is only one race and happens once-a-year, if the Olympics to see. Even so, unless the games get out of hand-- we won't get a goalie fight in the NHL all that often, because we haven't seen one since 2007 in the regular season. Oddly enough, I liked both sides of things, but the race was more of a dance-off, where the fights are actually settling things once and for all. But the goalie race is all but a guarantee for ASG weekend now, but goalie fights are much more unlikely in the NHL.

3. After this All-Star Weekend, how much more of a change can we expect out of future events??

There will probably be some adjustments to some of the events during the Skills session, but in the end not much will be needed to be changed. The NHL did a lot of tinkering and it seemed to work on an idea that many hate because of the fact it's not real competition. When all is said and done-- the atmosphere was right, the festivities were great by all accounts, and things worked out well. To be honest, I believe you have to have the ASGs in places that are not hardcore hockey moments,

4. With the retirement of Craig Conroy, have we seen the last of the non-cliched players in the league??

I don't think we'll see one that was a good as Conroy. We have the Sean Avery and BizNasty types, but people hate him. It'll be a long time before we see a likable guy who doesn't throw out cliche lines again. With all the media training some people get in juniors and such-- a lot of guys lose their personality and only the muckers and grinders have personality-- but not many care for what they have to say because they're trying to put themselves over. Maybe PK Subban will carry the torch, but odds are he'll get roped in before he could actually make the dent Conroy did.

5. While the Bolts jerseys are getting pans and praised-- are there any jerseys that you hated or liked, then had a change of heart??

First and foremost, I hate the Caps new Edge jerseys when they first came out; as I mentioned when in Sombrero Guy's hotel room before we went to the Draft in Columbus. Yet, I love the Caps unis, especially the weagle patch. I think I finally came around to the Minnesota Wild's Christmas jerseys they use, as I did with the Atlanta Thrashers' baby-blue jerseys with the one-sleeve. At first I liked the Ducks' jerseys when they dropped the "mighty"-- but I turned on them when I thought there were really plain and then realized their alternates are what they should have done. Pretty sure that's all, but probably much more.

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And that's another week in the books. If you have questions or idea-- email me Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com and give me some ideas or whatever. If you don't-- same clap-trap you get every week.

Axing Gordon From His Fishermen

I get puns.

But seriously, the New York Islanders made the first move in the coaching shuffle by firing Scott Gordon. Granted, it's more of a "relief of duties" as Gordon will be an adviser to GM Garth Snow, which means he's just behind Kevin "E" Connolly in that department. Jack Capuano was named interim coach, but Snow wouldn't commit to Capuano for the long-term.

Many fans of the Islanders are question why they are still fans of the team. In fact, Satellite Radio's Gregg "Opie" Hughes of the amazing "Opie and Anthony" radio show pinned most of the blame on the goaltending tandem of Dwayne Roloson and Rick DiPietro:

And Mr. Hughes has a point, that both Roloson and DiPietro aren't the most desirable tandem, maybe they should have had the three-headed-monster with re-signing Marty Biron-- not like they didn't have the cap space, that's for sure. To Roloson's defense, he is 17th in save percentage, mostly due to be barraged with shots.

The team itself has a lot of decent young talent, but normally, you don't have them on the ice at the same time. Usually, you have some decent veteran presence along to teach these guys. Sure, Doug Weight is a nice veteran, but you want to have someone to be able to play alongside of them and not just be the player/coach kind of role. You can have all the great young talent in the world, but you don't have someone there to aid them, it's not going to work out in the short-term.

Of course, injuries play their part, as Mark Streit and Kyle Okposo got injured in the pre-season and that may have helped a little bit, but don't know if it would have been able to completely reverse the woes that the Islanders have had.

Even with all these things, how much does the franchise expect out of Gordon or any coach for that matter?? It's kind of hard to expect the world out of this team when there's so much room for improvement. Even Islanders great Al Arbour may have an issue coaching this team and trying to get them back on the winning track. When you have James Wisniewski as your top scorer....it's a little hard to swallow. Luckily, the goal-scorers are still John Tavares and Matt Moulson, who have six apiece, but it doesn't help the rest of the team has 25 more in 17 games. Only the Maple Leafs and Devils have less goals for than the Islanders so far.

Granted, Long Island isn't the most sought after place to be-- not just because of the arena, but they are in a rough division and are already at a disadvantage; thus going into a bad situation probably won't attract the free agents. Maybe during the 1980s years, sure-- but now, it's like a death sentence. But what can you say about it all, Charles Wang thinks he has everything going the way he wants to and for a second, he did when the Isles squeaked into the playoffs a few seasons back. However, since then-- it's been downhill and rumors are about as to what's next for the franchise in Uniondale.

Larry Brooks has suggested that the team move to Queens, while many say that teaming up with the New Jersey Nets and be like Colin Quinn and go to Brooklyn. Many have thought that the Kansas City option could be there if push came to shove. This is all depended upon what happens with the new arena possibility on Long Island, of course, and the Isles have some years left on their lease at Nassau Coliseum; so we can't put the cart in front of the horse.

The end game now is whether or not Capuano can turn the ship around. If he can't-- what's the next step?? Do they actually make moves that'll benefit the team or do they stay with the status quo and hope that they can have a revolving door of coaches and maybe one will stick. Have to wonder if Ted Nolan could have better with this team if he stayed around.

Now, it's just a wait and see game. It's now up to the players to respond or risk their own gigs in the organization. If they can actually do better-- then it was the right decision. If they stay the same; well....expect this to be going around for some time now when it comes to the Long Islanders.

Friday Five: Injury Bug and Relief

It's the end of another week and time for the F5. First off, thanks to those who enjoyed the story of Matt Mitchell's pads and the goalie himself, as it blew up big time. Sadly, it won't get better than that, I'm afraid-- but hey, I won't stop trying.

1. With Zach Parise and Martin Brodeur hurting, will the bad luck end in Jersey??

At least the Brodeur injury doesn't seem that serious-- though if it is, there's going to be issue, moreso. The Parise injury hurts on the actual team side in terms of scoring, but for the salary-wise, it's quite the relief. Unless there's a drastic change in attitude, I don't know if there's anything that can save this teams right now. It's almost like this is the mulligan year for the Devils after the years of success; which happens every now and again to even the most elite of teams. The ebbs and flows of parity is showing right now.

2. What's Bobby Holik's deal and why does he have such an axe to grind with the Devils??

The thing you have to appreciate is Holik coming out and being the outspoken guy he's become on the NHL Network and beyond. That said, there has to be some kind of underlying issue which makes him more critical of the Devils, a team he has two Cup rings with. Granted, everyone and their mother have been critical of the Devils, but Holik has been beyond that and it's a bit refreshing at one end of it and a bit "enough already" at the other end. We all know the Kovalchuk deal was bad, we're seeing the result on the ice-- but there's a point where it just stops being a topic because it's widely known as a bad move for everyone.

3. Staying in the Tri-State area, are we seeing the true New York Islanders or is it a bump in the road??

This is more than just a bump in the road, but it's not something they can't get out of. The issue I have is that they left Rick DiPietro in for two games in a row after he let up more than four goals. While I know they want to get the most out of his contract and out of his body while he's healthy-- there's a point where you have to switch it up and put Dwayne Roloson in there to help stop the bleeding and give the team a chance to win. The injury issues are a bit much, but at the same time-- guys have to step up and not use it as an excuse. If they don't improve in another month, all is definitely lost.

4. Daniel Briere has been suspended and Joe Thronton has a hearing Friday afternoon-- will this send a message to star players that they aren't infallible??

It's definitely a good message if they actually receive it as something they need to tone down. You look at this week also having fights with Jarome Iginla and Sidney Crosby, which is the way it should be done if star players feel like throwing their weight around-- drop the gloves and settle it the way you can within the perimeter of the rules. If you're cheapshotting guys when you're an elite player, it's silly when you actually have a rule allowing you to settle stuff without resorting to cheapshots.

5. The SPHL has a rule where their overtime is immediately a 3-on-3 situation. Is this the way to go or is there another way??

You have to give the SPHL props for going to this drastic of a measure, skipping over 4-on-4 altogether. However, I'm with JonnyP and other guys saying they should extend the 4-on-4 to a ten minute segment and seeing how that goes before reducing the players or going right to the shootout. The NHL coming out of the lockout was supposed to be about creating chances and while 3-on-3 does create chances in overtime, the 4-on-4 for a longer period of time would do just the same, but closer to the spirit of the game rather than gimmicks.....though I love me some gimmicks

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Another week in the books, and if you have a topic that you'd want to be tackled, you can get in touch with me via electronic mail. Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com is the place to contact me and you can just get your question answered by me.....isn't that thrilling??

Friday Five: When Fans Get Attacked

It's time for the F5, where I question some of the week's happenings and then answer them and then huzzah-- filler blog post. And there's been plenty to talk about, or at least on one topic.

1. So....Rick Rypien, huh??

I haven't talked much on it, because....well, everyone more greater than me have already tackled it. In the end, all sides are stupid: Rypien for actually going after the fan; the fan for actually saying something while that close to the guy and then going the legal action route in order to milk the 15 minutes; and the NHL for not doing enough to send a message to the other players for it all. It's a bad situation all the way around and no one looks good.

2. With the smallish suspension, does this really stop any players from going off the hook??

In the end, I don't believe it will happen again for the short-term, but it's not a complete deterrent and it shouldn't be. If they did something heavier, it would show that, yes, the NHL is doing something to send a message; but it would give the fans the wrong message that they are infallible and can do anything and feel safe. The fans need to use their own discretion and actually not think they are innocent in this whole ordeal. While these guys should be professional, the fans should put themselves in their shoes and wonder how they would react in the same situations.

3. There has been sub-10,000 crowds in Columbus, Atlanta, and Phoenix this week. There's some people tired of harping over the situation, are you??

At least that's less for players to attack. But seriously, I'm not done harping because it is news. It's not new, though-- but it's something to talk and something that needs to be talked about. The fans of those teams hate it because they know how they are going to be roasted, but if they don't show up; they deserve to be roasted. While it's not the fans fault wholly, the team should see this and adjust their marketing and sales process accordingly. However, it's the fans who are going to have to buy into what's being sold and if not-- they have no right to bitch and complain if they were to move.

4. Big talk was Rick DiPietro's pink pads for "Hockey Fights Cancer" month, though he didn't use them yet. Can we look forward to see other gear going into the pink form to follow what the NFL does??

We've seen the pink sticks over the years with guys like Rick Nash, Henrik Lundqvist, and the rest of the TPS Hockey roster; but outside of that, I don't think we'll see much equipment being pink, aside from laces. You'll see a lot of major junior teams and minor league teams do a special jersey night were the teams will wear special pink uniforms on the ice and auction them off. While it'd be something to see the pink gloves and all of that, it's something that doesn't need to be done. You can wear whatever to create the awareness, but if you don't actually donate (either time or money)-- it's meaningless.

5. Apparently, the Edmonton Oilers are going to be the first Canadian team to have cheerleaders. Huh??

Well, are cheerleaders and ice girls different, because the Flames have their own ice girls already. In any case, the ladies and some of the hardcore fans will complain about this not being a part of the game and it needs to be taken out-- but it's not something bad about it. The game should be an event, especially for all the money you're paying for the game. If they aren't distracting the game-play, then I don't see an issue with it. It's a bit better than watching the players stand at the bench during a TV stoppage.

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That's another week......huzzah. If you want to chime in with a topic, email me at Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com for your question/topic/ranting. If you don't and you hate this-- then change it, dummies-- be dialin'!!

DiPietro's Plight

On Friday, Rick DiPietro made his first start in almost an entire calendar year, in a losing effort against the Dallas Stars. For most of the Islanders fateful, the return of DiPietro is a hope that he will remained uninjured for the duration of the season and for the duration of the remaining 12 years in his record 15 year deal. For the others, it's just fodder to wonder when the next time DiPietro will go down to injury and for how long he will be out. If nothing else, it will get people buzzing about DiPietro and the Islanders.

Yet, you wonder why there's such an uproar against DiPietro and why there is so many who are against DiPietro. While we were talking about DiPietro a few weeks ago, it seemed that consensus was that he came off a little too egotistical and really hadn't done much to earn the stripes he has gotten. Greg Wyshynski said he was a guy who was born on third base and thought he hit a triple, which is pretty much the vibe he gives off with his swagger he puts out there. I've never met the guy, so I'm not really one to talk, but he seems like the kind of guy who could be a little over-the-top into himself.

Even with all of that, you have to be rooting for him to actually get better. While there are many who like to bring up the disappointment other top picks like Alexandre Daigle and Jason Bonsignore have brought about and the fodder that comes along with the flops they became, there's a little part of me (at least) who hopes that not all of the hyped top picks will falter and fail. Yet, the cynical part of me wants to, just to have some kind of jokes to bring to the forefront. With DiPietro, there's some people who may hold something against him; especially when the Islanders chose him over Roberto Luongo when it came to who the goalie of the future would become. Of course, who's to say that Luongo would be the goalie he is if he stayed in the Islanders system or if he would have been overworked and them faltered because of the lack of support he would have gotten. Yet, hindsight being what it is-- Luongo is an all-world goalie while DiPietro is the hospital-ward goalie. See, cynicism.

Even with DiPietro coming back, the Islanders were doing pretty well with Dwayne Roloson in net. Is there going to be a point where Roloson will be be deemed the #1 goalie over DiPietro, even if DiPietro is the franchise goalie?? If DiPietro continues to start and continues to struggle, there's a point where you have to do what's best for the team and put Roloson back in the net, but will there be a move like that in time or will it be too little, too late?? Of course, there's a chance they'll platoon and as they get closer to the end of the season; then the real starter will emerge to give the best chance to the Islanders.

Whatever may happen, DiPietro coming back is the first step in his recovery to repair his first-overall pick status and to warrant his 15-year deal with the team in order to keep him with the team forever. I'm sure that's something Charles Wang is thinking, especially since he wanted this to be a steal of the century and it's turning into the dud of the decade. Still, if nothing else-- the fodder DiPietro's injuries have created will give many a lot of material every time he steps out onto the ice.