Does Alex Tanguay Make Sense for the New York Islanders?

, Tanguay appeared in 78 games, registering 18 goals and 40 assists for a total of 58 points. Are these totals a little low for him? Yes, they are. To be fair though, Tanguay was struggling with several injuries all year long, and he still managed to appear in 78 games and put up fair numbers.

In the 2008-09 season, by far his most unfortunate season of his career, Tanguay was only able to appear in 50 games for the Montreal Canadiens due to a shoulder injury. In the fifty games he did play; though, Tanguay was able to produce at a fair pace, registering 16 goals and 25 assists for 41 points.

To give you an idea of the potential that Tanguay has, in the three seasons prior to the 2007-08 season, Tanguay registered 79 points, 78 points, and 81 points respectively. These are the kind of totals that can be expected out of a healthy Tanguay, even with a mediocre lineup surrounding him.

Tanguay is a phenomenal passer, and he is constantly aware of the location of his teammates on the ice. When he is placed on a line with a lethal scorer, he becomes that much more valuable, as you can tell by his years of playing on a line with Milan Hejduk in Colorado.

On the defensive side of the puck, he is not lazy by any means. With his speed and skating ability, Tanguay has always been able to provide a speedy forecheck, and still make sure to be defensively responsible. To his credit, his shoulder has been examined numerous times since the end of the season, and he appears to be 100 percent healthy and ready to go for the upcoming season.

With his experience and skill, coupled with the fact that all the doctors believe he is ready to go, he would look great on a line with Doug Weight and Tavares. Not only would he help the Islanders 5-on-5 play, but he would help to make a woeful power play much better.

His tremendous passing ability, coupled with the fact he knows when to shoot and when to pass, could help to create a power play that could finish in the top 10 in the league this year.

As is with any player, the value and length must be reasonable.

Granted he has had two injury-plagued seasons over the past two years, Tanguay knows his value to a team, and every team in the NHL understands what he brings to the table.

It would not be unreasonable to think that the Islanders are looking to offer Tanguay a three-year deal, somewhere in the range of $4 million per season. Many will think this is over-priced, but take a look at the market today. Players like Antropov, who have never registered more than 56 points in a single season, are receiving contracts worth $4 million per year.

Considering the Islanders are well under the cap, it would make sense to bring in an offensive talented and speedy winger like Tanguay to help move along the rebuild.

I hope you would agree. 

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