Simon headed to Russia

Former Islander and Wild (Wilder?) Chris Simon has signed to play in the Continental Hockey League, formerly known as the Russian Super League.

Simon will play for Vityaz Checkhov, whose GM is Alexei Zhamnov, one of Simon's former teammates when he was with the Blackhawks.

Do svidanya, Chris!

Simon, Pronger and Campbell - not a tasty soup

So before we get our first look at Kyle Okposo tonight I wanted to weigh in on the Pronger stomp and say that I agree with our man Chris Botta that the punishment didn't seem to fit the crime based on what Chris Simon got. But I'm not surprised in the least.

Yes, the actions were very similar. In fact, you could make the argument that Pronger's was worse in that, on the video, it looks like he makes two attempts at stomping on Ryan Kesler's leg, while Simon looked like he tried to get away with something on the way into the bench. But basically, they were the same -- identically illegal and offensive.

And while Pronger has his own disciplinary record and reputation, Simon's is longer and darker, and at the time he was coming off the long suspension. So to step on a guy so soon afterward called for a longer suspension, hence the 30 games. Should Pronger have gotten more? Sure -- 12 or 15 games, which would have included playoffs, seems more fair.

But here's where the real problem is -- Colin Campbell and how the NHL deals with discipline.

Having Campbell as judge, jury and executioner, in what is really a closed process, is just plain bad as policy. Having Campbell in charge only makes it worse because, from what I've seen, he is thick-headed and arrogant and probably not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Read Scott Burnside's take on the situation on ESPN.com. I don't agree that these things should be trials, but there is plenty of room for transparency and openness, which is the exact opposite of how discipline is currently meted out.

Trade deadline day madness

So at 4:07 p.m., more than an hour past the NHL trade deadline, the burning question for me was -- WHAT THE DEVIL IS GOING ON IN ROOM SIX?

You see, unlike five of my Blog Box brethren, I had to follow the deadline day doings from work while they got to spend the day at the Coliseum, rubbing elbows with the likes of Newsday's Jim Baumbach as they monitored the day's events. So like a good little Blog Boxer I kept tabs on all their blogs, as well as ESPN.com, TSN.ca, SI.com.

So on Baumbach's blog and on The Tiger Track, right around 3:30 they say that everyone was called into Room 6. Was it to talk to Ted Nolan or Garth Snow about the trades involving Marc-Andre Bergeron, Chris Simon and Rob Davison? Was there bigger news coming?

I had no clue and it was KILLING ME ... until Baumbach posted an update at 4:15 that they talked with Snow about the deals, and how he said there was one big deal he tried to do that fell through that involved a player that ended up not getting traded anywhere. Bryan McCabe? The return of Olli Jokinen? Perhaps we will never know.

So, as to the trades that DID happen -- no surprises. A couple of small deals, all solid. Bergeron has been expendable almost from day one this season and has been a defensive liability. The fans' reaction to Chris Simon sealed his fate but he also had no role on this team any more. Getting a third-round and sixth-round pick for the two of them in a deep draft is good business. Dealing a seventh-round pick for Davison to add needed blue line depth was also a no-brainer.

The biggest news was the signing of Mike Comrie to a one-year deal, which took him off the table. Comrie brings plenty to the club, is the team's leading scorer and is a Nolan favorite. He's been essential in the team's recent resurgence and I'm glad he's staying.

Fedotenko, Vasicek and Satan were all rumored to be available but they're not going anywhere now, so this is your team heading into the final stretch. It's a team that will be without Sillinger for the rest of the way, and that hurts, but I've always liked this group of players and we'll see how they respond now that the deadline is passed.

The biggest deal of the day came at the deadline, with Marian Hossa going to the Pens, who are tonight's opponent. So the trade deadline could help the Isles in the very short term, as the Pens will be shorthanded without the three guys they dealt, no Hossa (unless he's on a flight RIGHT NOW) and Sid the Kid still hurt.

It would be great to see the Isles come out blazing at home tonight and grab two points against Pittsburgh for their seventh win in eight games. Faceoff in 2 hours and 30 minutes and counting...

And to the Blog Boxers who toiled all day -- great job, and thanks for helping me keep tabs on all the action. You lucky stiffs.

Going nowhere? Hah!

Break up the Islanders?

That's how it looks after a six -- SIX! -- game winning streak that has the club a point behind the eighth-place Rangers and a point ahead of the slumping Flyers.

Hard to believe, but when this streak began, against those Flyers, one of the big debates in the Blog Box was what the team should do at the trade deadline - buy or sell? One of the bloggers -- you can guess who if you're an avid Blog Box reader -- said that night that "this team is going nowhere" and that Garth Snow should essentially hold a fire sale and deal anyone with value, including players like Brendan Witt (who got hurt that same game), Mike Sillinger, etc. Who knew they'd rattle off six straight while the injured kept piling up?

One player who won't be dealt anytime soon is Trent Hunter, who inked a new five-year deal. Snow called him part of the Islanders' core, and I like Hunter as a player -- he plays hard all the time. I just wish he'd produce more than the 8 goals and 24 points he currently has.

One of those assists came on the game-tying goal against the Capitals, Josef Vasicek's backhanded flip off the hip of Olaf Kolzig. Hey, it counts. Mike Comrie -- another player mentioned as possible trade material who has been playing extremely well -- scored the winner on the final shot of the shootout.

Thursday's night's 1-0 win over the Lightning not only marked Chris Simon's return from suspension but Rick DiPietro's third shutout of the season. Both teams looked tired having played the night before so fans were treated to a cautious, defensive game, but an entertaining one nonetheless. DiPietro made 32 saves, 14 in the third period alone, and Radek Martinek had another huge game after helping shut down Alex Ovetchkin.

Some fans booed Simon, and while I wouldn't have been among them, I can't blame them. Simon seems like a good guy who has made some terrible decisions, and getting suspended doesn't help the club. But Nolan has his back, and I expect him to be on this team through the end of the season. Jeff Tambellini was sent down to make room.

Sunday afternoon's game at New Jersey is the last before the deadline, but don't expect anything earth-shattering. Then again, we didn't see Ryan Smyth coming last year, either.

Isles lose Simon, lose to Sabres, but gain Okposo

While it may seem hard to believe that Chris Simon got an NHL-record 30-game suspension for what he did to Jarkko Ruutu, I can't argue with the decision by Colin Campbell. This is the new NHL, after all, and you have to take into account a player's past transgressions, and Simon is currently one of the league's worst offenders and should not -- cannot -- be on the ice.

Simon's seventh career suspension in 15 seasons was his second in nine months, coming on the heels of the 25-gamer for whacking Ryan Hollweg in the face. I thought that suspension was a bit harsh considering the circumstances, but the league has a zero-tolerance policy now and all the players know it. And while tripping Ruutu and then stepping on his foot isn't nearly as bad as the fouls committed by Jesse Boulerice or Steve Downie, or the cowardly hit by Dale Hunter on Pierre Turgeon, or Todd Bertuzzi's sucker punch of Steve Moore, it's still, in Campbell's words, "repugnant and totally unacceptable."

It's good to see that Simon will undergo counseling "at the behest of Charles Wang" according to Newsday, and everyone who knows the Islanders knows Simon is well-liked and respected by his teammates. Here's hoping he can resolve whatever issues he has, but his time on the Islanders is very close to an end.

Regarding Campbell's comment that Simon would meet with "drug and alcohol doctors," that's typical Campbell. The guy seems to be a few cents short of a dollar, and Ted Nolan was right on the money for calling Campbell's comment "idiotic" as well as racially insensitive. But we're not surprised.

Meanwhile, the Isles fell to .500 with a 2-1 loss to the Sabres at the Coliseum Wednesday night, despite outshooting Buffalo, 43-17. Credit Ryan Miller for making several big stops, but it's the quality of chances that count, not the quantity. The power play lost its recent momentum, going 0-for-5. Brendan Witt, of all people, scored the only goal with a great screen by Sean Bergenheim, who has really played well lately.

All those shots couldn't get the Isles the lead, and then Maxim Afinogenov provided the backbreaker with a backhander with 2:17 left in the third. A 6-on-4 with DiPietro pulled came up empty, and now the Islanders have only won two of their last 10 games. The offensive problems are really taking their toll now.

But help COULD be on the way in the form of Kyle Okposo, which is making our pal Ken at Okposo Net a happy man - even moving him to compose poetry! The seventh overall pick in the 2006 draft was struggling in his sophomore year at Minnesota after a fine freshman year, and decided to call it quits and go pro. Unhappy playing center for coach Don Lucia (and with the Golden Gophers playing like, well, gophers) Okposo will represent the U.S. at the Under-20 World Juniors next week in the Czech Republic and could be an Islander (or at least a Sound Tiger) in January, if they can work out a deal - which they should.

The 19-year-old Okposo is a stud, a guy who can really help on the right wing, and the Isles could use some new blood up front. With Freddy Meyer and Blake Comeau playing against Buffalo, is a major shakeup coming? Probably not, but some change is needed to snap this team out of the goal-scoring doldrums.

Just one last note on the attendance Wednesday - just over 10,000. Not horrible, but the pattern of sparse weekday crowds and big weekend crowds at the Coliseum was not lost on Mike and the Mad Dog, who opened last Friday's show -- believe it or not -- talking about the Islanders. Francesa actually watched some of the game against the Coyotes, and - admitting he knows almost nothing about the Islanders - had praise for, as he put it, "number 28." Told it was Tim Jackman, Francesa said he liked what he saw from him, but didn't have much to say about anyone else.

Thanks for the insight, Mikey.

Russo harped on the attendance, noting that it was terrible weather against a Western Conference opponent, but he still didn't think those were reasons enough for so many empty seats. He has a point - you would like to see more fans and it's something I've noticed - but the weather combined with the who-are-these-guys Coyotes PLUS the way the Isles have been playing lately doesn't add up to a sellout, no matter how you slice it.

So should we be happy that M&MD took some time to talk Islanders hockey? Or should they stick to football, tennis and horse racing?

Game recap: Penguins 3, Islanders 2

Plenty of Islanders fans and personnel (and this blogger) have defended Chris Simon these last few months, noting that he is a good teammate and person and shouldn't be judged for the swipe he took at Ryan Hollweg's head last season. And by all accounts, Simon is a good guy who has made some bad decisions.

What he did against the Penguins, however, goes well beyond that and there is no defense for it. Slew-footing Jarkko Ruutu as he's stepping into the bench is one thing. Intentionally stepping on his foot with your blade while he is down is quite another.

It doesn't matter what the situation is, or how tense the game is, or who the opposing player is or what he may have said or done to possibly instigate such an act (and Ruutu has a rep) -- it's wrong, and Simon had plenty of time to think about it. That it happened with less than six minutes left in the third and the Isles down a goal makes it more mind-boggling. What was accomplished? How does that help the team? You have to be smarter than that, there's just no excuse.

The five-minute match penalty just about killed any hope of an Isles comeback, although they did have some shorthanded chances, including a great one on a breakaway by Mike Sillinger that was stopped by Dany Sabourin.

That the Islanders were that close seemed unlikely after a first period that saw the Pens dominate, jumping out to a 2-0 lead with goals less than four minutes apart. A giveaway led to Sidney Crosby's goal and then Ryan Whitney beat Rick DiPietro (37 saves) with a wrist shot. (Full disclosure, Whitney - like D.P. - went to my alma mater, BU, and is on my fantasy hockey team. So I wasn't THAT upset.)

Give the Isles credit for battling back at home, netting two in the second on a nice goal by Richard Park off a feed from Mike Comrie. Then just 45 seconds later, a beautiful breakout from Bergenheim to Vasicek to Satan and then back to Vasicek charging the net, tying the score. Things were looking up and the crowd was rocking.

It didn't last, as Tyler Kennedy (three points) scored on the power play to put the Pens up, 3-2, before the end of the second. It was Pittsburgh's only PPG in six chances.

The Isles will get ready for the Sabres at home Wednesday night (can we draw more than 10,000 on a weeknight?), and wait to hear from the NHL about Simon, who will likely get the seventh suspension of his career. You have to question what he's bringing to the table at this point, and whether it's worth it.

Game recap: Flyers 3, Islanders 1

Is anyone on the Islanders scary?

I don't mean scary-boo (if I did, Miro Satan's eyebrows would be a definite 'yes'), but scary as in you never want to see him on the ice when one goal could mean the difference between winning and losing. Does anyone fit that bill?

In Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Flyers, which dropped the Islanders to 3-3 after a 2-0 start, the Isles had Josef Vasicek, Sean Bergenheim and Satan on the ice in the final minutes looking for the equalizer. Granted, the trio had the best night of the forward combinations and earned the right to be out there, but the point is the Islanders don't have that one guy or two guys who strike fear in the hearts of opposing goalies. There isn't an Alex Ovechkin or Jaromir Jagr or Dany Heatley (or Jason Blake, for that matter) to turn to when you need a sniper. Where's Mike Bossy when you need him? His back's OK now, right?

Much of that is by design. The Islanders have several players who have the ability to step up when needed and put one between the pipes -- Satan, Comrie, Fedotenko, Hunter, Guerin, Vasicek -- but through six games, the Islanders' offense has been downright dismal, especially in even-strength minutes. While the special teams have been exceptional, when it's 6-on-6, there's been little scoring punch. Take away the hot start by the Comrie-Fedotenko-Guerin line, and the Isles have shown as much punch as Steve Zouski.

Saturday's effort was inconsistent. The Isles had several chances in the first period but couldn't finish them, then allowed the Flyers to grab a 2-0 lead in the middle period before awakening in the third, getting a shorthanded goal by Vasicek on a play thaw saw Brendan Witt press into the offensive zone. Like the loss to the Capitals, Saturday's game could have gone the Islanders' way had the effort been there for 60 minutes. It wasn't. That needs to change.

The good news is that Chris Simon is back, and he shook the rust off by dropping the gloves. The Flyers weren't too feisty, no surprise after seeing two players suspended for 20 or more games in the season's first two weeks. Jesse Boulerice -- who was waived today -- got 25 games for his gutless crosscheck to the face of Ryan Kesler. That matched the 25 games Simon got, and Boulerice should have gotten more.

Maybe Simon's return will spark the team out of its funk, and he's been known to score a goal now and then. Coffee is for closers only, and right now, no one on the Islanders has a mug in his hands.