With the NHL Trade Deadline fast approaching speculation has dogged the New York Islanders over which of their eleven potential unrestricted free agents they’d retain or trade.
The Isles scratched one name off the list, re-signing forward Trent Hunter to a five-year, $10 million contract extension. Hunter’s new contract will break down as $2 million per season against the Isles cap, beginning in 2008-09. It’s a modest raise over the $1.55 million per season he earned on his current contract.
Hunter had a promising rookie season in 2003-04, with 25 goals and 51 points with a plus-minus of +23, but he’s been unable to match those offensive stats since.
He reached the 20-goal mark against last season with 35 points, and while he’s on pace for only 11 goals this season he’s also on pace for 41 points, which would be his second-best single season total.
The reason however why Hunter hasn’t returned to the lofty stats of his rookie season is his all-around play, which at times seems to go unappreciated by some observers.
It’s that versatility combined with his desire to remain with the only NHL team he’s ever played for that made him a worthwhile re-signing for the Islanders.
In trade rumors regarding the Islanders Hunter was usually mentioned as an after-thought, with much of the attention focused on Mike Comrie, Miroslav Satan, Ruslan Fedotenko, Bryan Berard and Josef Vasicek, all of them also UFAs this summer.
Goes to show that sometimes the guy you don’t hear much about is the guy who gets re-signed first.
It now remains to be seen which of the remaining UFAs the Islanders re-sign. It’s believed GM Garth Snow is in contract talks with Comrie and it’s also believed he might retain Fedotenko, but the future appears uncertain for Satan, Berard and Vasicek.
It's a shame, I was hoping Hunter would hit the FA market and be a possible target for the Rangers. With smallish scorers like Prucha, Gomez, Drury, Callahan, and Dawes, Hunter would have been the perfect power forward to keep other teams from taking liberties with them.
I've always been a fan of Hunter's game, with the physical energy coupled with a great deal of skill. I think it was a smart move by Snow (still can't believe I am typing that) to retain his services. One of the unintended consequences is that with the Isles overachieving to some extent this season, they are going to have difficulty spreading the money around without making some tough decisions. This one was one of the right ones, however. I also think that the idea of who they might keep and who they might let walk referenced here is just about right. One thing is clear: no Mike Milbury has been a GOOD thing for this bunch.
Signing Hunter is a great move by how long for a lot less money then what he could have gotten on the market. You have to keep someone who wants to play for the Islanders. Now if he get's two solid forwards to work with him, he's a steal for that amount of money.
I'm really scared to say this, but in the back of my mind I think I'm trying to curse the Islanders.
Garth Snow has impressed me as a GM. Other than the DiPietro deal, he's made some rather slick moves that have put the Islanders in surprisingly good shape in the East. Not quite Atlantic Division champions, but they're also not exactly the Eastern Conference cellar dwellers they were in the Milbury years.
Speaking of Milbury, I can barely stomach the Bruins intermission reports these days. Between him, Middleton and the broad, it's almost unwatchable.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
