Jon Sim On Waivers Once More

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/blog/2009/03/sim_clears_waivers.html

Apparently he has cleared waivers and is now headed to Bridgeport. This comes after markedly improved play over the past few games, culminating in a three-assist game Monday night against the Avalanche. However, over the season Sim had been jumping in and out of the lineup, and this move suggests that perhaps GM Garth Snow had tried to shop him but gotten no takers, therefore he resorted to waivers.

It also raises the question of whether or not Sim was one of those frustrated veterans that have been talked about lately:

http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/ny-spisles016054026mar01,0,5758103.story?track=rss

It's definitely a question worth diving into. I mean, to me it seems a bit odd, only because all three of the players who have been either traded or moved in some way before the deadline are veterans. Speculation has arisen all season as to whether or not some of the coaching staff's moves, such as giving more ice time to the youngsters and holding separate meetings, was a good idea.

There's no doubt in my mind that if you build for the future, you're going to have to give the younger players more time so that they can develop. That's a moot point. But to me it also seems as though the vets are slowly being phased out... and apparently I am not the only one. The youth are the priority, but if you don't utilize the vets in a better manner than simply shunting them off to the side, they're going to feel alienated, and they're going to start feeling some pangs of resentment. Brendan Witt showed it earlier through words; Guerin, through waiving his no-trade clause.

The way I see it, I don't believe that there is any reason for the "youth movement" to happen at all. Or, perhaps it should, but not in such an extreme as to slowly phase out any veteran influence. This was what got me so irritated with the rift between Snow and Ted Nolan- one wants vets, one wants youth, but do they care about talent? Do they care about skill, do they care about a winning formula? The obvious answer is yes, but not when they're so focused on youth vs. experience.

Perhaps Garth Snow should look at what made the Red Wings so successful, both in 2008 and now. I have said this before- and I admit that the Wings are nowhere near my favorite team in the league. But there is no denying that the coaching staff utilized all facets of their team, and came up with a system that every player was comfortable with, which led them to a banner year. If the Isles want to emulate that level of success, they're going to have to focus more on the veterans eventually- because we all know the kids can't rule the school. They need some teachers to help them along.