The Bill Guerin saga continued last night: The Islanders won their second straight game with Guerin sitting out as the organization tries to trade its captain.
But that doesn’t mean he’s definitely on the move.
Coach Scott Gordon again wouldn’t rule out the possibility that Guerin could come back if he’s not traded by tomorrow’s deadline.
Gordon said he would welcome Guerin in the lineup if he’s still part of the team when the Isles host the Rangers on Thursday.
“Yeah,” Gordon said. “I don’t have any problems with Billy Guerin.”
Neither do his teammates, who have played well without him.
“Obviously, when your captain is going through something like this, everyone is wondering what’s going on,” said winger Jon Sim, who had three assists in a 4-2 win over Colorado last night. “As a group, we still have to play hockey and I think we’re doing a good job of that. That’s what you have to do when you lose your captain.”
And if Guerin does return after the deadline?
“Billy’s a good guy,” Sim said. “We have to be professional about it.”
Gordon was confident that Guerin was OK with the situation.
“He gave [GM] Garth [Snow] permission to talk to other teams,” Gordon said. “It’s not like Garth said I’m going to do this without your approval.”
The Isles have been quiet about Guerin’s status since pulling him before beating Buffalo on Saturday and made no official statements about him yesterday, when they again played undermanned because forward Trent Hunter was out with what the team called a lower-leg injury. They didn’t call anyone up to take his place.
They did recall Jesse Joensuu for Guerin and the rookie scored a goal in his NHL debut in front of an announced crowd of 11,298. Far fewer actually braved the weather – and the prospect of a meaningless game – and those that did seemed primarily concerned with booing former Islander Ryan Smyth, who netted a pair for the Avalanche, losers of five straight.
The Isles also got goals from Dean McAmmond, Bruno Gervais (his first in 161 games) and Jeff Tambellini, while Yann Danis continued to play well in goal.
Regardless of what happens with Guerin – or any of the other veterans – Gordon won’t alter his game plan.
“The importance is on younger players making progress,” Gordon said. “And that’s not gonna change at the deadline. I hope things work out for the best, whether it’s for Billy or anyone else. I hope they have the opportunity to win a Stanley Cup.”
Islanders 4 Avalanche 2