Islanders recover well in free agency

0 Comments | USA TODAY, July, 2007 | by Kevin Allen

Garth Snow can attest to the fact that being a general manager has similarities to his days as an NHL goalie: There are times to be ultra-aggressive and times to be patient.

Last spring the New York Islanders GM earned the aggressive tag for acquiring coveted Ryan Smyth as a trade-deadline rental. Snow wanted to be aggressive again this summer in trying to re-sign Smyth and some of his other free agents, such as Jason Blake and Tom Poti. When that failed, he took time to read the play before reacting.

"I think season ticketholders were maybe a little bit worried for a couple of days, but I think the patience paid off," Snow said.

With the signing of Bill Guerin, Mike Comrie, Ruslan Fedotenko and Jonathan Sim, the Islanders will have a new look up...