Will Ryan Smyth End Up Back on the Island?

When the New York Islanders gave up prospects Ryan O'Marra and Robert Nilsson (plus a first-round pick in 2007) to get Ryan Smyth from the Edmonton Oilers, they pretty much wanted him for his ability to score in the playoffs ... and even just to get them there! It was a hefty price to pay, but the Islanders will willing to make such an expensive short-term investment.

Since Smyth provided everything pretty much everything asked of him, the Isles surely don't want him just to leave, now that they gave up so much to get him.

Would Smyth want to go back? Can the Isles afford him?

Reading between the lines, I wouldn't expect Smyth to give the Isles any special discount.

[Smyth] told the New York Daily News that he's "not leaning one way or the other" about what he described as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" as an unrestricted free agent.

*KA-CHING* Doesn't this pretty much sound like someone who's got $$ in their eyes all of a sudden? Remember, he never wanted to leave Edmonton in the first place.

While Oilers expect Smyth to be so attached to Edmonton that he'll come crawling back, I don't expect Smyth (who was negotiating hard with the Oilers) to be any different than, say, Bobby Holik. He owes the Isles no loyalty, doesn't seem to be especially enamoured with the place (or Yashin), and was probably hurt by the trade from Edmonton that he just may want a fresh start.

If your NHL club wants Ryan Smyth, they better open up their wallets and get ready to pay big bucks. Heart and soul isn't cheap, you know.