Isles still struggling to sign top talent
Former Canucks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, right, turned down a contract offer from the Islanders and will become a free agent. Credit: Getty Images
The Islanders' aggressive but unsuccessful effort to sign Canucks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff this week illustrated a serious issue for them heading into free agency:
They still struggle to sign top talent.
Ehrhoff, who spurned the Islanders' multiyear offer and Thursday signed a 10-year, $40-million deal with Buffalo, is the latest player to reject them. Regardless of the promising young players who have emerged, general manager Garth Snow has a tough job starting Friday, when the free-agent signing period begins. Free agents still do not see Long Island as an attractive landing spot.
That much was apparent last July, when Snow offered coveted defensemen Paul Martin and Dan Hamhuis more money than any other team (both signed elsewhere), and Wednesday, when Ehrhoff declined the Islanders' proposal. Snow confirmed that he offered about $1.5 million more per year than the average yearly salary Ehrhoff reportedly signed for with Buffalo.
Snow acquired Ehrhoff's rights by sending a fourth-round draft pick to Vancouver in exchange for an exclusive negotiating window. It was a bold move that ultimately cost him nothing -- he recovered the fourth-round pick by trading Ehrhoff's rights to Buffalo -- but the outcome still was discouraging.
Pitches from Snow and Michael Grabner, Ehrhoff's former Canucks teammate, could not persuade him to commit to Long Island.
"It didn't work out," said Snow, who emailed other teams around the league Wednesday to notify them he couldn't sign the player. "But I'm glad we took that step and it's something that I'd do again, given the same circumstances."
Free agency can be like Christmas for teams and fans alike -- with lengthy wish lists and high expectations -- but exploring other avenues to improve his team might be Snow's best bet.
After a dogged pursuit of Martin and Hamhuis last summer, Snow signed veteran defensemen Mark Eaton and Milan Jurcina. He then added gritty fourth-liner Zenon Konopka and former Ranger PA Parenteau. All proved to be solid additions, but not the sought-after players most executives coveted.
Snow's biggest coup last off-season came late -- on Aug. 1 -- when he traded for Anaheim Ducks defenseman James Wisniewski. Wisniewski was a valuable asset for the Islanders whom Snow shipped to Montreal for a draft pick once the team was out of playoff contention.
Couple the Islanders' recruiting difficulties with the fact that this year's free-agent class is thin (and dwindling by the day), and a trade looks like the most likely scenario for Snow to land a top player this offseason.
"We'll scout any avenue to improve our team," Snow said after his failed attempt to sign Ehrhoff Wednesday night. "We'll keep exploring."
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