Blake Comeau

It must have been an awkward conversation when New York Islanders GM Garth Snow notified Islanders forward Blake Comeau that he was being waived on the national holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving; you have been placed on waivers?

Comeau was released by the Islanders Thursday morning. The young winger has not had a lot to be thankful for this season. In 15 games, Comeau had not registered a single point and had a minus-11 rating.

With just six days left until the most climactic day of the regular season, surely New York Islanders GM Garth Snow has a lot on his mind.

He has many decisions to make, regarding who should stay and who can be dealt away, which "bubble players" deserve a second chance, and which ones to give up on. He also needs to determine whether there are any valuable players and draft picks to be had or moved, and at what type of cost.

Having won six of their last seven games, the New York Islanders are taking the high road, in both the metaphorical and geographical perspectives of the phrase.

The Isles will try and keep their improbable playoff push alive, heading north of the border to face the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre tonight.

New York is just 11 points out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference, and there are still 22 games left on the schedule.

I'm sure a number of you know that a hockey game took place on Long Island last Friday night.  It wasn't your typical hockey game.  It was fight filled, a number of cheap shots, a good amount of blood and lots and lots of whining.  By the way, there was a final score too. The Islanders beat the Penguins 9-3.  

For many years, the most excitement surrounding the New York Islanders came at the end of the season.

In the 1980’s, that meant Stanley Cup Championships. 

However, for the modern-day Islanders, the end-of-the-season excitement has been about adding yet another high draft pick to the mix of young talent already on the roster.

I'm sure by now many of you have heard about how the NHL is cracking down on blindside and lateral hits on players.  It's called Rule 48.

If you're an Islanders fan, you would know about General Manager Garth Snow's youth rebuilding plan.  After not panning out just yet, I finally think all his hard work and waiting is about to pay off, this season or the next.  The Islanders were able to make this possible after enduring year after year of finishing near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. 

NY Islander GM Garth Snow and owner Charles Wang want to fill some more seats in 2010-11 by securing a playoff berth for the team. What will it take to achieve that goal?

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