Brent Sutter's Head Explodes; Trade Deadline Coming

Suffered through the Mike Emrick-less Devils broadcast on Saturday night. I love listening to Chico Resch and you pretty much have to or you'll notice that the guy doesn't breathe for like 2 hours straight during the games. It's like he is afraid to let the game breathe and he just yammers over any free second that he can. For whatever reason, when people like (oh, let's say) Moose Johnston does that during football, I hate it. But with Chico, who is like your favorite uncle, I totally enjoy it. Good on ya, Chico!

Now that Deuce Bigelow guy Cangialosi, well, he is tough to take and it is probably because he just isn't Doc. Emrick had the night off because he had the PBP duties yesterday for the NBC game. Maybe I just don't like him from listening to him do Red Bulls games. Enh.

Isles were paced by a TREEmendous game in net by Yann Danis--who made 40 saves for the Islanders' first shutout of the year. Goals were scored by Sim, Bergenheim, Guerin, and Okposo. Man, Kyle is going to be a good one if he keeps his head on straight.

Guerin's goal was indicative of where we're at right now: Brendan Witt is now parked in front of the net on the power play. As Greg Logan wrote over the weekend, during the wiping the Isles took against Carolina, Mike Comrie had to know what was coming when Scott Gordon sent the veterans over the boards on the power play and called Witt's name.

The captain's reaction to his goal the other night is indicative of why I'm hoping he is kept around for next year. Guerin simply beamed after scoring as if he was happy the Isles were playing such a good game. Now the cynic may say that he was happy thinking the warrior Witt had tipped in Guerin's shot for his first goal of the year, but remember, if someone is totally hating their situation and not enjoying themselves at all, they're not smiling for anything. It just shows you that the captain is still in the foxhole with the kids and he is doing what he can to help them become professional hockey players.

I mean, if the captain is not complaining and trying to undermine the coach and organization, the other guys are going to fall in line behind him. Guerin knows it is important to lead and give back just as others did for him when he was getting started in the NHL.

Saying that, I'm going to sing the familiar refrain that if he wants to be back, Garth Snow and Scott Gordon need to let Bill Guerin understand how highly they think of him and how much he's respected in the organization. Unselfish guys like Guerin and Doug Weight do not come along very often and in an extreme case of rebuilding, you need good soldiers who "get it" to lead the next generation the right way.

My guess is that Garth will have (or has already) had this talk with Guerin, Witt, and Weight. He probably just asks them what they want and lets them know that if they're willing to help the Isles with this bridge that the organization wants them to aid in the development of the kids.

And who knows, a guy like Guerin may see the development of a kid like Kyle Okposo and find that exciting and decide to stick around and help in any ay he can.

Oh, yeah--and Brent Sutter looked like he was gonna have steam come out of his ears on Saturday. Plus, he is looking more and more like Dobby the House Elf from the Harry Potter movies every day.

AND the Rangers have fired Tom Renney, according to the Daily News.