Uniondale, NY -- The New York Islanders did not wait for free agency to begin before making their first big splash prior to the 2006/07 OTHL season. The Islanders have brought back former Islander Teemu Selanne to help put some more pucks in the net. Along with Selanne, the Isles acquired journeyman defenceman Sean Brown and highly regarded dman prospect Yuri Alexandrov from the Ottawa Senators. Going back to Ottawa are veteran dman Sven Butenschon, right winger Stanislav Chistov, and prospects Ron Hainsey and Martin Hanzal.
The Islanders struggled to score last season, and it is hoped that Selanne, along with emerging star in the making Ales Hemsky can help fill the net from the right wing position. Selanne, in fact, was once a member of the Islanders, but was dealt to Ottawa due to the Islanders being out of contention for a playoff spot at the time. Now, Selanne is back again, but the situation is different this time. Since his departure, the Islanders have re-tooled and now have a full cupboard of emerging prospects as well as plenty of payroll flexibility and some emerging young players as they head into GM Jones' second full season as GM of the Islanders.
The other major piece coming to Long Island is budding young defenceman Yuri Alexandrov, the 27th overall selection in the 2006 OTHL Entry Draft. The Islanders are very excited about this prospect, and have been targetting him since draft day where they actually traded the #16 overall pick with hopes of moving down and drafting Alexandrov with the #31 overall pick. "Perhaps we should've known that a player of Yuri's potential wouldn't have lasted that long", said coach Keenan in an interview Wednesday. "This kid is special, and we were very disappointed when he was taken at 27th overall. We are now very excited to have him on our team, and he will not be rushed to the pro team. With prospects such as Erik Johnson and Braydon Coburn ahead of him on the depth chart, he will be allowed to take his time developping." The Islanders have now added three top defenders from the 2006 draft with hopes of filling a relative weakness in the organization.
The major piece going back to Ottawa was young centre Martin Hanzal, currently leading the WHL's Red Deer Rebels with 19 points in 10 games so far this season. Hanzal, the 17th overall draft pick by the Islanders in the 2005 draft, seems to have been dealt due to the apparent strength the Islanders have in terms of minor league centres. Hanzal, although very talented and projected as a top line centre, had found himself behind many on the centre depth chart. Among those, he was behind Jiri Tlusty, Marek Zagrapan, Travis Zajac, Valterri Filpulla, and Mikko Koivu. With the strength at centre, the Islanders were able to deal from strength to improve their present team, which finished a dismall last in the East last season. The Islanders have now made it clear that they have hopes of a playoff birth this season.
With free agency already under way, there is a bit of a buzz in the air on Long Island. A buzz that has not ever been visible during the tenure of GM Jones. It is well known that the Islanders have made several offers, and while they are realistic in their goals, they are hoping to land some new names and help restore some of the pride of this once great organization.