Thursday, February 21, 2008

Jeff Tambellini may very well be on the market



Sent back down to the AHL today, I wonder if the Islanders have seen the last of Jeff Tambellini.

Islanders Newsday.com blog writes this about Tambellini, including quotes from Ted Nolan:

After scoring only one goal in his latest eight-game stint with the Islanders, forward Jeff Tambellini was sent down to Bridgeport today to make room for the return of enforcer Chris Simon against Tampa Bay tonight at the Coliseum. Simon is coming off an NHL-record 30-game suspension for stepping on the ankle of Pittsburgh’s Jarkko Ruutu on Dec. 15.

Although the Islanders are on a five-game winning streak, coach Ted Nolan said he has no qualms about shaking up the lineup. “I’m not one of those superstitious guys that says, ‘Hey, we’ve got to keep the same lineup,’” Nolan said. “We want to make sure we have the best lineup on the ice on a given night.” Explaining his decision-making process, Nolan said, “. There would be a factor of someone not playing as well as we think and putting Chris back into that position to upgrade it.”

Tambellini received 13:46 of ice time in the first game of his eight-game stretch but saw that dwindle to a low of only 6:44 on Monday against San Jose. His demotion means the end of the “Bridgeport Connection” line with Frans Nielsen and Blake Comeau for the time being. That combination helped jump start the Islanders when they were fighting their way out of a seven-game losing streak, but they were reduced to fourth-line minutes after failing to generate much offense.


Jeff Tambellini is 23, turning 24 in April. He's put up strong numbers throughout his career, and has shown the ability to score goals. He first played in the AHL at 21, and posted a 1 PPG. Those numbers have improved to 1.18 PPG, and 1.30 PPG over the last two years. He's shown enough at the AHL level, but has had limited success in the NHL (14 points in 64 games).

He's never established himself as a full-time NHL player, as shown on TSN's player profile page

04-Feb-08: Recalled from Bridgeport (AHL).
16-Jan-08: Assigned to Bridgeport (AHL).
13-Jan-08: Recalled from Bridgeport (AHL).
13-Dec-07: Assigned to Bridgeport (AHL).
02-Dec-07: Recalled from Bridgeport (AHL).
12-Oct-07: Assigned to Bridgeport (AHL).
08-Oct-07: Recalled from Bridgeport (AHL).
03-Oct-07: Assigned to Bridgeport (AHL).
24-Mar-07: Recalled from Bridgeport (AHL).
13-Mar-07: Assigned to Bridgeport (AHL).
10-Mar-07: Recalled from Bridgeport (AHL).
27-Feb-07: Assigned to Bridgeport (AHL).
01-Feb-07: Recalled from Bridgeport (AHL).
12-Oct-06: Assigned to Bridgeport (AHL).
19-Apr-06: Assigned to Bridgeport (AHL).
08-Mar-06: Recalled from Manchester (AHL).
08-Mar-06: Acquired from the Los Angeles Kings.
09-Dec-05: Assigned to Manchester (AHL).
30-Nov-05: Recalled from Manchester (AHL).
21-Sep-05: Assigned to Manchester (AHL).
15-Aug-05: Signed by the Los Angeles Kings to a multiyear contract.


Have the Islanders had enough? Does he have a career in the NHL in a top 6 role? Should the Oilers inquire about his services?

Your opinion is valued.

1 comment:

doritogrande said...

It's the Nilsson scenario all over again. Borderline Top-6er with no size and middle of the pack skill. We already have that, and he's no spring chicken either. I'd Pass.