Post by mike2005rulz on Feb 27, 2007 19:23:10 GMT -5
The team slogan is “We’re All Islanders.”
Well now Ryan Smyth is, too.
First-year Isles General Manager Garth Snow made his first trade deadline a memorable one when he pulled off a League-rocking blockbuster late in the day that landed Smyth on Long Island. Edmonton received back prospects Ryan O’Marra, Robert Nilsson and a 2007 first-round pick in exchange for arguably the elite power forward in the game today.
The move, on the heels of several shrewd trades orchestrated by the goalie-turned-GM, is consistent with Snow’s commitment to bringing a Stanley Cup back to the Island. So far this season, his first in the executive suite, Snow has swung deals for Freddy Meyer, Randy Robitaille, Richard Zednik, Marc-Andre Bergeron, and then completed the biggest one of all at Tuesday’s deadline.
“It came together pretty quickly,” Snow said of the 11th-hour trade that took place just before the 3 p.m. EST deadline. “Ryan Smyth was a player we respected tremendously and I think we sent a message to the players in our locker room and our fans that we were able to add a piece to the puzzle without deleting anyone out of our locker room.”
Smyth, a 31-year old who is in the final year of a contract with the Oilers, will be an immediate upgrade on the left side for the Islanders, a team poised to make the playoffs this season after missing last season. Smyth, known around the league for his ability to station himself in front of the net and redirect pucks, had been the face of the Edmonton franchise, the only organization he’s ever known since being drafted sixth overall in 1994. Smyth could still return to the Oil as a free agent this summer, but with all they gave up the Islanders will likely make him their top off-season priority.
In 53 games this season with the Oilers, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Smyth had 31 goals and 53 points and was named to his first All-Star Game in January. An 11-year veteran, Smyth scored 265 goals and 549 points in 770 career games. In 24 playoff games last year, he scored seven goals and 16 points and helped the Oilers to reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The Oilers got a pair of prospects in return, obtaining former first-round picks Ryan O’Marra and Robert Nilsson, whose father Kent, nicknamed the “Magic Man,” has been called the most skilled player to ever play the game by former Edmonton teammate Wayne Gretzky. O’Marra, an Edmonton Oiler-type player, was selected by the Isles with the 15th overall pick in 2005. Turning 20 later this year, O’Marra, a character guy, was averaging about a point per game (25 in 26 games) with Saginaw of the Ontario Hockey League. Nilsson is in his second season with AHL Bridgeport, where the 15th overall selection from the 2003 draft had 12 goals and 45 points in 50 games.
In 53 NHL games last year, Nilsson had 20 points. He has spent all of this season in the minors.
“For us, we’re looking to win a Stanley Cup like the 29 other teams and this acquisition makes us a better hockey team,” Snow said. “You have to give up something good to get something good. It’s a fact of life.”
Source
www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=289744&page=NewsPage&service=page
Well now Ryan Smyth is, too.
First-year Isles General Manager Garth Snow made his first trade deadline a memorable one when he pulled off a League-rocking blockbuster late in the day that landed Smyth on Long Island. Edmonton received back prospects Ryan O’Marra, Robert Nilsson and a 2007 first-round pick in exchange for arguably the elite power forward in the game today.
The move, on the heels of several shrewd trades orchestrated by the goalie-turned-GM, is consistent with Snow’s commitment to bringing a Stanley Cup back to the Island. So far this season, his first in the executive suite, Snow has swung deals for Freddy Meyer, Randy Robitaille, Richard Zednik, Marc-Andre Bergeron, and then completed the biggest one of all at Tuesday’s deadline.
“It came together pretty quickly,” Snow said of the 11th-hour trade that took place just before the 3 p.m. EST deadline. “Ryan Smyth was a player we respected tremendously and I think we sent a message to the players in our locker room and our fans that we were able to add a piece to the puzzle without deleting anyone out of our locker room.”
Smyth, a 31-year old who is in the final year of a contract with the Oilers, will be an immediate upgrade on the left side for the Islanders, a team poised to make the playoffs this season after missing last season. Smyth, known around the league for his ability to station himself in front of the net and redirect pucks, had been the face of the Edmonton franchise, the only organization he’s ever known since being drafted sixth overall in 1994. Smyth could still return to the Oil as a free agent this summer, but with all they gave up the Islanders will likely make him their top off-season priority.
In 53 games this season with the Oilers, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Smyth had 31 goals and 53 points and was named to his first All-Star Game in January. An 11-year veteran, Smyth scored 265 goals and 549 points in 770 career games. In 24 playoff games last year, he scored seven goals and 16 points and helped the Oilers to reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The Oilers got a pair of prospects in return, obtaining former first-round picks Ryan O’Marra and Robert Nilsson, whose father Kent, nicknamed the “Magic Man,” has been called the most skilled player to ever play the game by former Edmonton teammate Wayne Gretzky. O’Marra, an Edmonton Oiler-type player, was selected by the Isles with the 15th overall pick in 2005. Turning 20 later this year, O’Marra, a character guy, was averaging about a point per game (25 in 26 games) with Saginaw of the Ontario Hockey League. Nilsson is in his second season with AHL Bridgeport, where the 15th overall selection from the 2003 draft had 12 goals and 45 points in 50 games.
In 53 NHL games last year, Nilsson had 20 points. He has spent all of this season in the minors.
“For us, we’re looking to win a Stanley Cup like the 29 other teams and this acquisition makes us a better hockey team,” Snow said. “You have to give up something good to get something good. It’s a fact of life.”
Source
www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=289744&page=NewsPage&service=page