Islanders trade deadline 2011: What to expect
RADEK MARTINEK, Islanders
Defenseman
Contract: UFA this summer, $1.5 million cap hit
Martinek would be a good addition to the depth of any playoff team's defense. He doesn't add a lot of the offense, but he can play 20-plus minutes and rarely gets beat on defense. He would come at a reasonable cost. The only reason why Garth Snow wouldn't move him is because he wouldn't want to force his younger defensemen to have to play too many minutes in Martinek's absence. One report suggested Snow was looking for a second-round pick for Martinek. We'll see if anyone bites.
Credit: Jim McIsaac
In short, not much.
Despite the flurry of activity over the past week, don't expect the Islanders to be involved in any blockbuster deals. For obvious reasons.
GM Garth Snow clearly established himself as a seller early on this season and given the Islanders position in the standings--14th in the Eastern Conference--that won't change.
But Snow got a head start on Trade Deadline 2011 and unloaded the team's most valuable commodities early, shipping defenseman James Wisniewski to Montreal and goaltender Dwayne Roloson to Tampa Bay by January 1.
The Islanders most tradeable asset now?
Defenseman Radek Martinek.
Every team looking to make a playoff push is in the market for a solid, steady defenseman and Martinek fits the bill. He's also making a reasonable $1.5 million and will become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Ideal rental, really, except for the fact that he's hurt.
The only knock on Martinek throughout his career is his susceptibility to injury and that will certainly be prohibitive now. He's missed two games with a lower-body injury suffered after crashing into the boards against Florida Monday.
The severity of the injury is will dictate the quality of the offers the Islanders receive.
There will likely be interest in some role players to add some depth--surprisingly it was Richard Park who garnered the most last year, according to Snow--but those pieces will likely fall into place as Monday's 3 p.m deadline nears.
I'd anticipate some teams inquiring about fourth-liner Zenon Konopka--good team player, gritty, great from the faceoff circle, a pain in the a** to play against.
But Konopka has filled an important role throughout the course of a tumultuous season for the Islanders. He's has stepped in as a very willing and vocal leader. Snow is well aware that Konopka's intent is to stay, but he'll still be taking calls on him, no question.
If Snow does get an offer, he must assess whether it's worth disrupting the current chemistry in the room. Last year Snow determined Park's value in the room was worth far more than he'd get back in return. Wouldn't be shocked to see a similar scenario play out this year.
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