With so many intangibles present, it seems almost impossible to guess who the Isles will have a chance at taking with the fifth pick.

For my money, I’d like to see them pick up Nikita Filatov. Sure, he has the body of Jerry Mathers circa 1960 and might not be able to be as dynamic as teams want him to be his first few years in the league, but he is a sniper who I believe can develop into a point a game player in a few years. That’s what this team needs right now.

Imagine if you will, Kyle Okposo playing with someone that didn’t score 49 points and is scheduled to make four million dollars this year. Imagine two blue chip prospects earning their stripes and developing into the types of players a perennial playoff team can depend on.

Sounds fun, right? Sounds like something you’d like to watch, doesn’t it? Sounds better than expecting Ruslan Fedotenko and Josef Vasicek to defy the hockey gods and reality and score 25 goals, right?

That’s what I thought.

The Isles defense, on the other hand, is one of the only things I’m not too worried about, with guys like Chris Campoli, Bruno Gervais, Dustin Kohn, Andrew MacDonald and Mark Katic all ready to contribute or in the wings. I‘m not saying by any means that I wouldn’t love to have Peterborough’s Zach Bogosian, Guelph’s Drew Doughty, Kelowna teammates Tyler Myers and Luke Schenn or Niagara’s Alex Pietrangelo, as these guys could prove to be the next big time defensemen in the NHL, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Simply put, the Islanders are begging for more offense.

I wouldn’t be surprised either if the Islanders traded away a veteran or two today from the blueline either, which could necessitate the need to pick up one of the aforementioned defensemen. Stuff like that happens on draft day all the time, especially with this team. Labeled the “can’t miss draft” by many hockey insiders this year, the only way the Islanders could totally screw this up is if they trade their first pick entirely.

Simply put, this team needs to get younger and more dynamic as soon as possible.

Grit, character and heart are great attributes to have and to preach, but last year they were substituted for over-paid veterans, unused youth and inescapable injuries. If this team truly wants to turn the corner, they fully adopt the youth movement and get this ship moving in the right direction… today.

Draft Filatov and pick up a solid offensive D-man this offseason, Islanders. Or better yet, keep the search for a powerplay quarterback in house. Give Chris Campoli a real opportunity to see what he can do playing 25 minutes a game in all game situations. The end result may not only surprise the Islanders, but the NHL as well.

Posted under Offseason 2008