Uniondale, NY -- In a shocking move, the New York Islanders traded starting goaltender Dominik Hasek to the Calgary Flames. Hasek, along with winger Pascal Dupuis and a 2nd round selection in the 2007 Entry Draft, were sent to Calgary. In return, the Islanders picked up starting goalie Manny Legace along with veteran centre Joe Nieuwendyk. "Well it was simple", said Isles assistant GM Igor Larionov. "We wanted an upgrade at our 2nd line centre position, but with Dominik's contract we were never going to have the cap room to make any type of upgrade. We had always liked Joe Nieuwendyk because of his two-way ability and presence in the dressing room, it was just a matter of making the salaries work out. We feel that although we gave up Pascal and a high draft pick, this deal makes us stronger as we attempt to qualify for the playoffs. We now have a starting goalie who is signed at a reasonable rate through the 2007/08 season."
In another recent move, the Islanders used their final 2nd round pick (expected to be in the top 40) along with winger Ville Nieminen to pick up C/W Trevor Linden from the Vancouver Canucks. Linden, a favourite of GM Jones, is expected to slide in as the #3 centre behind Joe Nieuwendyk and Peter Forsberg. With the aquisitions of Linden and Nieuwendyk, a bit of a log jam has surfaced at the centre position. To make room, Mike Cammalleri has been moved to left wing, where he is expected to play either on the 3rd line or alongside Forsberg and Selanne on the top line. With these two moves, the Islanders now boast the more experience and leadership down the middle than any other OTHL squad. Whether this helps them reach the playoffs will be determined in the next few weeks. One thing is for sure... it should be exciting!
Linden is back where he belongs!