Visnovsky Drama Part II (MOD WARNING #119)
- Thread starter Isles Junkie
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The situation is disturbing. With Visnovsky, this team looked to be entering the season with only five viable NHL Dmen and a spot to be obtained by one of our kids, with de Haan held by many as the most NHL-ready candidate.
Now that number has shrunk to four and de Haan is out for the season.
AHL play has shown that none of the other candidates is truly, truly ready to step up and contribute in a manner necessary for a team with winning aspirations - not even Donovan, who is the best offensive Dman available from within at this point.
Throw on top of that the fact (or what should be considered a fact by those who watched the WJC closely) that Reinhart is hardly NHL-ready in the eyes of any team interested in nurturing its prospects properly and this team is seriously in need of signing several NHL-capable bodies.
On top of it all, there's not even the odd 'Reese' or 'Staios' hanging around to round out what should be 7 Dmen on the Island at all times. Looks very possible that Martinek could become that man (again).
Don't know if Visnovsky will some how be required to report and play with NYI, but the team on this day looks very 'unready' for serious NHL play.
In addition, I'd hate to see BPort lose out considerably so that NYI could throw an inadequate six Dmen out on the ice.
Just some thoughts at the moment... could change in a jiff as one would have to think that stuff will be going down quickly over the next 10 days.
Now that number has shrunk to four and de Haan is out for the season.
AHL play has shown that none of the other candidates is truly, truly ready to step up and contribute in a manner necessary for a team with winning aspirations - not even Donovan, who is the best offensive Dman available from within at this point.
Throw on top of that the fact (or what should be considered a fact by those who watched the WJC closely) that Reinhart is hardly NHL-ready in the eyes of any team interested in nurturing its prospects properly and this team is seriously in need of signing several NHL-capable bodies.
On top of it all, there's not even the odd 'Reese' or 'Staios' hanging around to round out what should be 7 Dmen on the Island at all times. Looks very possible that Martinek could become that man (again).
Don't know if Visnovsky will some how be required to report and play with NYI, but the team on this day looks very 'unready' for serious NHL play.
In addition, I'd hate to see BPort lose out considerably so that NYI could throw an inadequate six Dmen out on the ice.
Just some thoughts at the moment... could change in a jiff as one would have to think that stuff will be going down quickly over the next 10 days.
blitzkriegs
Registered User
Snow's teams annually lack depth bc Wang will not let him spend "x" cash to ice a legit team.
This D was on thin ice coming into a 82 (yes, that's right 82) game season. It always relies on everyone will be healthy and then we'll call up BSTs bc it's the cheapest way to ice a team.
IslesNorway
Registered User
The NHL may or may not have "poached" players in the past, but they have for many years had transfer agreements in place with the European leagues that guarantees the clubs money for each player that ends up in the NHL and those players have always moved at the end of the seasons. That is not the case here and doesn't belong in this discussion.
Although I can understand that Faterson is upset that Visnovsky might leave his favourite team in the midst of a playoff hunt, I find it hard to believe that they never thought this would happen. If Visnovsky is so effing homesick then why the hell did he sign a long term NHL deal in the first place? He is in the final year of his contract and will only be playing for another three or four months in NA before he can head home and to the wonderful world of the KHL and play there until he retires.
He should behave like any other normal, grown-up human being and stop acting like a child. He is being paid millions to have fun so grin and bear it!
Although I can understand that Faterson is upset that Visnovsky might leave his favourite team in the midst of a playoff hunt, I find it hard to believe that they never thought this would happen. If Visnovsky is so effing homesick then why the hell did he sign a long term NHL deal in the first place? He is in the final year of his contract and will only be playing for another three or four months in NA before he can head home and to the wonderful world of the KHL and play there until he retires.
He should behave like any other normal, grown-up human being and stop acting like a child. He is being paid millions to have fun so grin and bear it!
Moosie
Registered User
ebis
Registered User
He signed a long contract because it was a retirement contract in LA where he wanted to stay. The contract extension he signed had a NTC so he even bought a house there. Then LA backstabbed him by trading him hours before the NTC came into effect. And back then he had no idea that his hometown club would join KHL this season.
Richie Daggers Crime
Rugged individualist
Fantom
Registered User
- Jan 5, 2006
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ebis
Registered User
It's relevant to his questions about why Vis signed such a long contract and why he didn't want to play for his hometown before.
IslesNorway
Registered User
Not really the point because he has since played for both Edmonton and Anaheim. The Kings may have backstabbed him but that's many years ago now. That his hometown team plays in the KHL is also beside the point bescause he would've wanted to stay anyway.
It all boils down to the fact that he doesn't want to play for the Islanders and is willing to go to great lengths avoiding to do so, and he doesn't want to accept the very deal that he once signed in the process.
It is just sad to see a grown man acting like a spoilt teenage brat.
Space Herpe
Arch Duke of Raleigh
- Aug 29, 2008
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PROMputt
I promise to never forget.
It's about 4 months of hockey to collect around 2 mil. Is life so terrible on the Island that he could not grin and bear it and go play for his hometown team next year? No wonder fans think the players are overpaid brats after this lockout.
ebis
Registered User
No he wouldn't. Really, all you Islanders fans are not even trying to see it from his perspective. He would have done the same to any team, not only Islanders, this has nothing to do with them. This is about his hometown and family and frankly, at his age, after the way they treated him in NHL, I don't blame him. Do you really think that he would walk away from 3 million dollars to play in a team with the lowest budget in KHL just to avoid playing for Islanders?
ebis
Registered User
The team needs him for a tough playoff race right now, not next year. I know that Islanders need him too, but hometown is hometown. His behavior is unprofessional, but understandable.
SI90
Registered User
http://islanderspointblank.com/
KHL President now throwing shots at NHL.....
{MOD EDIT: http://islanderspointblank.com/news...-strong-statement-schedule-rumors/#more-38209 Direct link to the article}
KHL President now throwing shots at NHL.....
{MOD EDIT: http://islanderspointblank.com/news...-strong-statement-schedule-rumors/#more-38209 Direct link to the article}
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He and his agent should have made the NTC he signed on his contract immediate. With no far off NTC date. Then this could have been avoided. The fact that he signed this contract ( with the possibility of being traded before the NTC clause kicked in) is his fault and he needs to honor the terms of it.
Or retire already. END OF STORY !
IslesNorway
Registered User
No he wouldn't. If he'd been an Anaheim player at this point he would've returned but he is pissed off at Anaheim for trading him to the Isles. Now he's back home he's found out that he wants to stick around and doesn't fancy playing the final year of his deal, and thus he is seeking a way out.
He has said repeatedly that this is not about the Islanders, but what else can he say? He knows he'll be ripped apart in that locker room if he'd said anything else and must try to cover his ass as good as he can.
Strummergas
Regular User
Sorry, but his perspective is irrelevant. Whether or not he signed that contract with the Isles, the Kings or anyone else is also irrelevant. He made a commitment to the NHL and now he's not honoring that commitment. He challenged the Ducks' interpretation of the contract after he was traded (as was his right) and lost.
Bottom line is that he's under contract and he should honor the very lucrative contract that he signed before he's able to play anywhere else. When the season is over, he can do what he pleases. Either that and forfeit the remaining millions left on the deal, retire from the NHL, and stay in Slovakia. That way, if he ever wants to come back to North America, he still has to go through the Islanders organization.
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SI90
Registered User
If the man wants to be closer to his family and where is from fine, but he should have done so at last seasons end before letting another franchise give up assets to aquire his services....
I understand the man has been moved a bunch of times but forgive me for not feeling alll that bad for a millionaire pro athleate.....
Im more pissed that these things keep happing tothe Isles....
I understand the man has been moved a bunch of times but forgive me for not feeling alll that bad for a millionaire pro athleate.....
Im more pissed that these things keep happing tothe Isles....
Quicklime
Registered User
The way they treated him was giving him a contract that he had several years to beef about before but only chose to now. It may not be an anti-Islander bias, but when he was in California, he never said a thing.
You can keep putting as much spin on it as you want, but it doesn't hold water against the fact that he tried to re-invoke his NTC years after the initial error/malfeasance on either the part of LA or Edmonton, the fact that the trade was considered valid after he tried to fight it and lost, and the fact that he's trying to put professional window dressing on a very unprofessional move. The validity in that rationale disappeared the minute he didn't try to go drum up the NHLPA to go toe-to-toe with the League after he was sent to Edmonton. This is two trades and several seasons later.
And anyone trying to hang the Malkin incident on the hook of 'fair play and turnabout' is obviously ignoring the lack of a transfer agreement and Malkin making the choice during that time to do what he did. There was an agreement that Medvedev, like the 'honest' businessman he is, just crapped all over in the process of basically initiating a 'mine's bigger than yours is' conflict with the NHL. Both he and Visnovsky lack some varying amounts of propriety, as Visnovsky picked a 'convenient' time to complain (somewhat justified by the lockout even though the Islanders are the last team that should suffer because of it) and Medvedev, who obviously should not be trusted by the IIHF given his stance.
There's no spin on that. LV had long enough to push a grievance. When he finally got around to it he lost, and now the KHL obviously isn't much of a credible league when Medvedev's "screw the west" bluster more than subtly makes him look like he thinks he's still in the era of Rocky IV.
"All you Islanders fans"........I wonder how the
crowd would react if the shoe was on the other foot and someone were trying to stay in the NHL rather than go back home, post-Malkin.
CREW99AW
Registered User
- Mar 12, 2002
- 40,928
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How is not going to Sochi going to be a big financial loss for the NHL?
It's not like the games will be played in NA, where NA fans and sponsers can catch the games live, in prime time. With the time difference, most games will be played between 8 am-2 pm.
Bettman's previously pointed out, that except when the Olympics are in North America (Salt Lake City 2002 and Vancouver 2010), the NHL doesn't get much pop out of the Olympics. He doesn't think they got much out of disrupting their season for Nagano, for Torino and doesn't expect they'll get much out if they disrupt their season for Sochi.
It's also been pointed out, that some teams will have 6-9 players in the Olympics,while others will have 1-2. That's a lot of extra playing time and travel for key players, when the NHL owners are more concerned with the NHL playoffs.
thedonger
Registered User
- Mar 4, 2007
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i believe i also read that he took extra money on the la deal so the ntc would kick in later on in the contract. if that's the case, you can pretty much throw that argument out the window since he knew it was still possible to be traded, even taking extra money for it.
original islander
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- Oct 12, 2011
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I agree with your statement that his behavior is unprofessional but understandable. From his frame of reference he feels justified. He feels that he was cheated by the Kings so he feels justified in breaching his contract with the Islanders.
There's a saying "adversity introduces a man to himself". There have been several other players that were unhappy with leaving their teams to come to the lowly Islanders- Kirk Muller and Ryan Smyth come to mind immediately and others like Brian Rolston become dissatisfied after not getting the ice time that they would like. Adversity revealed the true character of these men, Smyth acted with honor in his short stay by playing hard even though he wasn't in his beloved Edmonton while Muller and Rolston played without honor and were exposed as selfish people.
Some players are committed to their teams that pay them and work out in the offseason to become better players like Tavares, Moulson, Martin and Strome and others like Lubo race their sports cars and crash them.
A saying which I dislike because of the circumstances is "one person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter". Perhaps we should have a saying in hockey "one fan's hometown hero is another fan's weasel". Whether he reports or not Lubo can be a hometown hero to his fans and forever be known as "Lubomir the Weasel Visnovsky" to Islanders fans and they would both be right depending on their frame of reference.
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blinkman360
Loyal Players Only
How awkward will it be if he is forced to come back? I can't imagine what that locker room would be like. Maybe it's better off he just stay put. Move on.
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