Maven's Memories: Explosive Trades Launch 2001-02

A trade in need, is a friend indeed.
That take off on an old bromide snugly fits the thinking of Islanders fans as spring headed toward summer after the 2000-01 campaign.

Fans in Melville and Montauk, from Oyster Bay to Oceanside and all points, east, west, north and south clamored for trades. General Manager Mike Milbury was ready to oblige.
"I was aware," said Milbury, who was tuned in to the vox populi (alias voice of the people.) "Not only was I aware; I began working on deals as soon as there were guys willing to talk business."
Milbury knew that there was no time for comedy. Having fine-tuned his radar, Milbury focused on improving three vital areas; goaltending, scoring and leadership.
For starters, the GM needed a new coach. Names such as Ted Nolan, Kevin Constantine and Bryan Murray were bruited about. A respected bench veteran, Murray appeared to be the early favorite.
But looks can be deceptive, as they were in this case. For an assortment of reasons, Murray exited stage left and Peter Laviolette entered stage right.
Young, savvy and with brief, but successful, minor league experience, Laviolette surged ahead of Murray and Nolan to ultimately sign on in Uniondale. It proved -- from every angle -- to be a laudable decision.
MAVEN'S MEMORIES
WRITTEN COVERAGE
Denis Potvin's Breakout vs Rangers
The Sutter Brothers
Kelly Hrudey Origins
How The Trio Grande Happened
Chico Resch's Unforgettable Game
Denis Potvin's Road to the Isles
Ziggy Palffy, Underrated Islanders Hero
Bill Torrey's Origin Story
The Heals and Flats Show
Maven's Haven
Like Milbury, respected media types understood that there was plenty of time left to surround Laviolette with a more formidable roster than the one Peter inherited.
Nobody expressed the general feelings about Laviolette's success possibilities better than witty Newsday columnist Mark Herrmann. The following, capsule tongue-in-cheek analysis, said it all:
"With just a little tweaking here and there, Laviolette could turn out to be an excellent coach. All he needs is a superstar forward, a No. 1 line, a good second-line center, a captain, a couple of gritty veteran defensemen and a goaltender."
Miraculously -- and in good time -- virtually all of Herrmann's suggestions would wind up on Milbury's menu.
First things first, and that meant nabbing a crackerjack center. Ex-Islander Pierre Turgeon and solid center Jeremy Roenick were free agents, but Milbury nixed that route and wound up on the Trade Thruway.
At the June Draft held in Sunrise, Florida, the GM isolated two roads to redemption. One he knew; the other would be more of a gamble.
"I liked Jason Allison," confided Milbury. "During my years in Boston, I got to know him and thought he'd be good on the Island. But we couldn't work things out and that was that."
Turning to Ottawa, where the Senators were willing to move 27-year-old Alexei Yashin, Milbury found a trading partner. The respective general staffs huddled and out of it emerged a trade that captivated the Draft crowd.
Milbury got his scoring ace in Yashin, but he had to forfeit both quality -- defenseman Zdeno Chara -- as well as quantity since forward Bill Muckalt was added to the package.
Some in the Canadian media needled Milbury on the grounds that Yashin lost favor in Ottawa because he had missed a season as a holdout.

Stateside, and in the New York Metropolitan Area, Milbury was commended.
Writing in their book, "Fish Sticks", authors Peter Botte and Alan Hahn, boosted the Islanders boss: "For Milbury, that weekend at the draft was the start of his own personal renaissance," they accurately asserted.
But that was only the beginning. The next target was Buffalo Sabres ace, Michael Peca.
Botte-Hahn: "Peca was the captain they needed and undeniably one of the best two-way centers in the game."
Peca had impeccable credentials, was being made available by Sabres GM Darcy Regier and finally a deal was cut. Milbury dispatched Tim Connolly and Taylor Pyatt, a couple of young forwards, to Buffalo.
Now Mike was rolling sevens and his players sensed a big, very positive change. At his Minnesota cabin, Isles forward Mark Parrish was ecstatic when he heard about the Peca move to Hempstead Turnpike.
"I said I'd be happy to give up my Number 27 to Mike," said Parrish. "Normally, I want to get to training camp, but with Peca and Yashin in the fold, I was champing at the bit. Now we can play against anybody."

Milbury rolled the dice again and -- Yikes! -- another seven. Big defenseman Mathieu Biron was moved south to Tampa Bay. The return was a large plus.
Of the pair who moved to Uniondale -- d-man Adrian Aucoin and forward Alex Kharitonov -- Aucoin went from a throw-away to a star. Reporters later would label Aucoin, "a crucial asset."
Before the dice got another shake, Milbury checked with Laviolette about a Boston University ace who'd played for Peter in the Hub.
"I liked Shawn Bates' offense," said the new coach. "Get him if you can."
Another seven - as Islanders fans would happily learn in the season ahead. Bates provided a surprise scorer.
As for another chapter in the, "Who Knew What Would Have Happened Department," Milbury needed a back-up goalie for Rick DiPietro and signed a big fellow out of the state of Maine - Garth Snow.
It would prove to be a stopgap move, but no one complained. With deference to DiPietro and Snow, Mike's ears perked up when he learned that the Detroit Red Wings had secured future Hall of Fame goalie Dominik Hasek. Milbury immediately phoned his Motor City counterpart, Ken Holland.
"Yes," said Holland, "Chris Osgood is available."
But, wisely, Milbury nixed Holland's offer and chose patience instead. If Holland could not deal Osgood, the Wings would be stuck with a goalie who could wind up on waivers.
Just when it appeared there'd be no takers, Holland got a call from Rangers GM Glen Sather. He offered forward Mike York for Osgood and
Holland bit. But then, Slather asked Holland to take some of Osgood's salary.
"Milbury exhaled when he heard that the deal had fallen through," noted Hahn-Botte. "The Islanders had their chance to get Osgood."

Another seven!
No slouch, Osgood had been a two-time Stanley Cup-winner as a Red Wing. Now, he was on a club heading up, up, and away.
Better still, Osgood was more than just delighted to exit Detroit; he was ecstatic to call Uniondale his new home. In interview after interview, he praised his new owners and teammates.
"This club is an up-and-comer," Chris exulted. "We should look at better things than just making the playoffs."
Osgood put his puck-stopping where his mouth was and the arithmetic underlined the point. After his first 10 games Chris' record was 8-1-1, plus a handsome .936 save percentage and 1.85 goals against average.
Peca, Aucoin, Yashin and Bates weren't doing too bad either.
Laviolette's smile extended from one ear to another. He knew better months were straight ahead.
Indeed, and in deed!