Even though the Isles are still looking for a coach, I find myself in a rare situation, not having much to write about.

With that being said, I figured now would be as great a time as ever to talk about what I expect from the youngsters on the Islanders this season, tackling Kyle Okposo, Jeff Tambellini and Blake Comeau first and then getting to the rest in later posts.

Enjoy.

Kyle Okposo

Predicted Stats- 25 goals, 30 assists, 55 points

Not only do I expect Okposo to lead the Islanders in scoring this season, I expect him to play in all game situations and grow into a player that will eventually be able to help take this team into the playoffs on a consistent basis. Some people may think that 55 points isn’t a lot to smile about, but I think this season will be crucial in determining what Okposo is capable of at the NHL level. Talking to author and Minnesota sports writer Ross Bernstein a few months ago about Okposo’s style, I’m really excited at the possibilities here. While some people believe he won’t be a superstar at this level, I believe he’ll be extremely close to a point a game player and someone who opposing defenses don’t want to play against.

Jeff Tambellini

Predicted Stats- 18 goals, 25 assists, 43 points

Proven at the AHL level, Tambo will finally get the playing time he’s been craving. Just like Okposo, I see him playing in various game situations and proving why he was drafted in the first round in 2003 by the Kings. Not having the size or tenacity Okposo does, I see Tambellini starting off slow until he finds his niche. A good passer with an accurate shot, it’ll take about 25 games until Tambs [wow, two nicknames in one paragraph] understands he’s not in the AHL more. After settling in, I believe Tambellini will develop into a competent and high-ceiling third liner that will develop into a 50-60 point scorer before his career is over.

Blake Comeau

Predicted Stats- 15 goals, 18 assists, 33 points

Unlike Okposo and Tambellini, I see Comeau developing into a gritty, passionate role player that every team in the NHL would love to have on their roster. However, a few variables will have to go his way before he can develop into a true NHL lunch pailer. For one, Comeau is going to have to let his tough play in the corners and in front of the net develop to the point where he gets a little more fiery when intimidated. I know I’ve mentioned this a few times last season, but in order for Comeau to reach the next level, he has to get more space on the ice. The only way that happens is if he proves to the league that a price will be paid if he’s messed with. With his release and instincts, he can be a force on the ice against teams with size up front, he just has to play with more of an edge. His heart and passion is there and so is the skill, he just needs a little more spice.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Well it seems all along Bruno Gervais had a plan.

Despite rejecting a qualifying offer a few weeks ago, the 23-year-old is back on the Island. Signing a three-year, one-way deal worth a modest $2.225 million, Gervais is now another youngster signed for relatively nothing.

However, Gervais has the task of proving himself this season. Fighting injuries for most of his time on the Island, Gervais is going to have to get in the best shape of his carer and really cement his spot on not only the Islanders, but in the NHL.

With only 26 points in 139 career NHL games, Gervais has a long way to go before becoming the solid offensive defenseman the team thought they were getting when they drafted him in the sixth round of the 2003 draft. Nevertheless, with his skating ability, desire and character, he already has the beginnings of a more than capable stay at home defenseman.

He just has to prove it now.

“Bruno is a homegrown talent and has been developing in our system for a few years,” said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow on the team’s official website. “He’s a high character player and person and is someone who is great in the Long Island community. We’re very excited to have him on board for the next three years.”

Add in the fact that he’s a great team guy and loves to help out in the community, he could be a very big piece to the Islanders puzzle in a few years, alongside guys like Kyle Okposo, Rick DiPietro, Chris Campoli and Jeff Tambellini, who too have some work ahead of them this season. Together with those players and a few veteran additions, the Islanders can begin to build something that lasts on Long Island.

Will it be quite like Pittsburgh or Chicago? I don’t think so, but this team, if it matures and develops the way it should, can be a good team with a host of grit and passion that teams in the NHL won’t want to play.

Gervais can be a big part of that as well.

Let’s face it, he’ll never be a gritty guy like Brendan Witt, but he could develop into someone along the lines of a Kenny Jonsson without the offensive ability. Again, considering the Islanders signed him for three years, Gervais should have every opportunity to prove himself as a capable and dependable NHLer. He’ll get an opportunity to play in all game situations and will have an opportunity to become a leader. If he doesn’t, both he and the team can move on.

Frans Nielsen, aka “The Great Dane” has signed a four-year deal to stay on Long Island. A one-way contract, Nielsen has pretty much sewed up the fourth line center spot behind Mike Sillinger, Doug Weight and Mike Comrie for 08-09.

While I’m happy Nielsen is going to stick around, the length of the contract kind of puzzles me. Bergenheim and Tambellini obviously took to year deals because they feel confident enough in their ability that they’ll be different players by then and ready to make some more dough, either with the Isles or somewhere else. With that being said, what is Nielsen’s reason for wanting a four-year deal? Maybe it’s security, I don’t know, but even though the team is in the midst of a rebuilding process, signing an unproven player to a four-year deal, even as cheaply as Nielsen’s is, is a risk.

Nevertheless, if Nielsen can be a dependable fourth liner and contribute on both sides of the puck, he should be well worth the money the Islanders are paying him.

“We’re excited to have Frans locked up for the next four years,” said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow on the team’s official website. “We know he is going to come to training camp in great shape and ready to compete for his spot on the team.”

From the look of things, it looks like Nielsen is going to play with Richard Park and a combination of Bergenheim and Blake Comeau, forming a highly energetic and well-rounded fourth line. Playing with these guys, I think Nielsen can score about 10-15 goals and add about 20-25 assists, especially if he gets some time on the powerplay.

Good on face-offs and a solid passer, Nielsen should get an opportunity to kill penalties and work on the powerplay if guys like Comrie and Weight can’t handle the load. Considering that he played most of last season with Kyle Okposo, I think it would be natural to pair them together with the man advantage at some point in the season. He’ll also get a chance to play more than seven minutes a game with a new coach.

Flashy at times, I am personally looking forward to seeing Nielsen in the shootout, which is where he has had the most success over the course of his young NHL career.

If he and the Isles have their way though, this Dane will be known for a lot more than some quick dekes and a nice release.

After the past few days, I’ve gotten a maelstrom of e-mails, instant messages over AIM, X-Box Live and more than a few comments on the site about what direction the team is going after the departure of Ted Nolan.

Well, if the recent signings are any indication, at least two youngsters will have a big opportunity to make a name for themselves in this upcoming season.

I wrote about Sean Bergenheim a week ago and stressed that he not only needed a real opportunity, unlike the one that had him playing ten minutes a game for the majority of the season last year, and of course, a long-term contract. Giving him a one-way, two-year contract to prove himself is definitely a step in the right direction for this club and I predict that if he gets a few more minutes a game, you’ll stat to see the development of a legitimate NHL pest, minus the Jack Nicholson-esque stare, a-la “The Shining” of Darcy Tucker [thank you Howie Rose] and metrosexuality of Sean Avery.

With more playing time and some consistency, the guy will also blossom into a 20-goal scorer.

I bet my Starbury’s on it.

Islanders GM Garth Snow seems pretty happy they locked him up as well.

“We’re very happy to have Sean locked up for two years,” said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow on the team’s official website. “He’s another young player who we’re excited to see at training camp and competing.”

At 1.75 million over two seasons, Bergenheim is also extremely cost-effective. Overall, it’s a great deal for both Bergie and the Islanders.

If you thought Bergenheim’s deal was cost-effective, getting Jeff Tambellini for only 1.125 million over two-years is a steal. However unlike Bergenheim who proved himself a valued commodity last season, Tambellini has everything to prove. A first round pick in 2003, time is running out for the 24-year-old, who has consistently proven himself at the AHL level, but only has four goals and 17 points in 79 NHL games.

In other news, Jeremy Colliton and Ben Walter also signed two-way contracts and should be the first forwards called up if an injury arises. Walter had 66 points in 68 games for Bridgeport, but wasn’t the same player on Long Island, mainly because of a lack of ice-time. Colliton on the other hand, proved that he could be an effective fourth line center in limited duty and may be fighting for a job in training camp.

Despite signing four of their brightest prospects, the Islanders may lose the services of both Frans Nielsen and Bruno Gervais, who both rejected qualifying offers.

Nielsen showed some promise in his two stints with the Islanders over the past two seasons, but like a host of other youngsters, was never really given an opportunity. Gervais on the other hand, despite solid skating ability and solid defensive ability, has yet to develop into the solid two-way defenseman the Islanders expected him to be.

However despite all of this, these are two youngsters the Islanders should sign. Working with Kyle Okposo in Bridgeport, Nielsen can be a dependable third line center at his point in his career and Gervais, at 23, still has time to develop. As good a skater as he is, it’s a fair assumption to make that he still has yet to stop developing.

Over the past two years, the Islanders have been an extremely interesting team to watch, changing team motif’s and ideas faster than an OCD patient at IHOP.

However, during that time, Ted Nolan’s hard-working attitude and approach was always prevalent. Regardless of who was on the team, Alexei Yashin, Ryan Smyth,Mike Comrie, he made sure his players worked for their minutes. When they didn’t, they were benched. That included players like Miroslav Satan and Rick DiPietro. For being that dedicated to the success of his team and not caring about the consequences, I applaud him.

But in the end, that’s why he lost his job.

There seems to be a logic-famine of sorts on Long Island for the past few months, as Rick DiPietro has more of a say in when he gets to play than his coach and even though we all know now that DP was hurt and Wade Dubielewicz was the better goalie at the time, Isles GM Garth Snow decided to stick by his franchise player, rather than his coach. You can’t blame Nolan for trying to assert himself though, he took the team to the playoffs the year before and had quickly become a fan-favorite and made the team semi-respected again.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to gain the confidence of the organization.

And why would it be? This is the Islanders we’re talking about. A team that let another great coach, Peter Laviolette, go a few years ago because they felt he wasn’t a strong enough presence in the locker room and the inmates were running the asylum.

Sadly, it took almost a half-decade later for the organization to get the real problems out of the locker room out and the organization, Alexei Yashin and Mike Milbury.

I guess golfing partners are really hard to find on the Island nowadays, huh Mr. Wang?

So while Nolan had every right to do the things he did, he clashed with Snow and that was enough to get the ball rolling. Soon after Snow was questioning Nolan’s actions in front of the media and it was becoming obvious. He wanted Nolan out.

In spite of all of that though, I can’t shake off the feeling that if he would have just been a “yes” man, he’d still have a job.

But Nolan just isn’t that kind of guy.

However, his inability to communicate with Snow wasn’t the only reason why he was forced out. Even though he has a good enough track record coaching youngsters, considering his coaching time in juniors, the Isles used this past season as a way of saying he was unable to help the team with their youth movement.

While I myself was skeptical of how he would have handled the youngsters, let me just say this: there is a huge difference between being forced to play youngsters due to injuries and depending on them to produce through an entire season. While I’ll admit I don’t know how well he would have done this season, I will also admit this: he deserved a shot.

Some will now say that guys like Andy Hilbert and Freddy Meyer, who were Nolan favorites, will have to work harder for their spots on this team, because who ever takes over this team will be more likely to give guys like Bruno Gervais, Jack Hillen and Jeff Tambellini more of a shot. While that may have happened this season with Nolan at the helm, there is no question about it now, this team is looking for a lapdog to carry out the plan Charles Wang and Snow have for the organization.

So again, the Islanders find another way to reduce their eve-sinking credibility in the NHL.

The only question is, who steps in?

With Sean Bergenheim about to go to salary arbitration, I have a word of advice for the New York Islanders:

Don’t pull a Tommy Salo on this one.

For those new to the team or those who need a quick refresher on Islanders lore, Tommy Salo was a goalie for the team that made the mistake of going to salary arbitration with former team GM Mike Milbury.

The legend has it that Milbury ripped into the All-Star so badly that he reduced him to tears. Not very long after that, Salo was gone.

So I say this to the Islanders, don’t do it.

Sean Bergenheim can be a legitimate 20-goal scorer in this league and a pest the likes of the team hasn’t seen since Jason Blake. Add in the fact that he’s a happy go lucky kid and is a better skater than both Darcy Tucker and Sean Avery, this Sean can be an impact player on a young Islanders team hungry for exuberance. Screwing with him in arbitration and creating a situation where he won’t want to stay here after his contract is over would not be conducive to keeping players of his talent and youth in an Islanders uniform either.

With problems bringing in big name free agents already bogging down the franchise, I think it’s in Islanders GM Garth Snow’s best interest to refrain any comments that could raise an “eye brow or two.” Over the past two seasons, despite making a few solid trades and helping the team change it’s descending reputation in the league, he’s shown some signs of having some of Milbury’s “eat my crap” attitude, which has included pissing off both his coach and a huge portion of the college hockey community.

Sign the kid to a three-year deal and give him an opportunity to do more than provide energy and kill penalties. Sure, his game is still rough around the edges, but he has the potential to be much more than a guy on a third line.

With Ted Nolan looking like he’s going to give the youth movement the good old college try, Snow too owes it to himself to not take advantage of the talented youth on this team. While Kyle Okposo leading the charge and guys like Jeff Tambellini, Blake Comeau and Bergenheim waiting for an opportunity to prove themselves, Snow can slowly begin to change the motif on the Island, establishing young players and brining in veterans that want to be a part of something special, rather than earn a quick buck before they hang up their skates.

It all starts with treating players like Bergenheim the right way.

After the Islanders picked up Mark Streit and Doug Weight, the majority of the Islander fans I routinely come in contact with were happy. It’s not that they don’t have faith in a youth movement, they just wanted more options on the bench and of course, depth. The amount of injuries to last season’s team alone exposed that need more than anything. Signing a plethora of AHL and college talent over the past few weeks, the Isles will have new bodies fighting for jobs at Bridgeport this season, but the appearance of Weight and Streit on the Islanders may not be enough to have this team vie for a playoff spot this season.

Enter Mathieu Schneider?

According to hockeybuzz.com, the Islanders are in the running for the defenseman. I personally think that while he could help the team on the powerplay, losing a youngster like Bruno Gervais, Chris Campoli or even a veteran like Radek Martinek, players who want to be here, for a mercenary that could care less about what the team is trying to build, is not worth it to me. Streit is in this for the long haul and Weight knows he’s in a leadership role, similar to that of Crash Davis in “Bull Durham.” Are they superstars? No, but they may play a hand in shaping the youngsters on this team so they can develop into some.

While on the topic of recent pickups and players coming to the Islanders, who’s the enforcer?

[Before I get into this more, I want to thank my old buddy and hardcore Isles fan Anthony Natoli for bringing this topic up to me last week]

For those who don’t know, according to TSN.com, Brendan Witt has been extended [no length or financial figures are known at this time] and while he has been known to drop the gloves, he’s too damn solid on defense to be picking fights all the time. Easily the MVP of the Isles last season, the guy needs to be on the ice as much as possible. I think the same thing can be said for Andy Sutton, who before a slew of injures ended his season, made significant strides in his own end and needs to be on the ice, taking the body and blocking shots, rather than in the sin-bin.

The Isles have other physical players, guys like Jon Sim and Sean Bergenheim, but they all are more agitators than anything else. Trent Hunter isn’t a fighter, as his embarrassing tussle with Darian Hatcher last season proved and Blake Comeau is the type of playing who won’t drop the gloves, even if sphered in the gonads. Kyle Okposo is supposed to have a bit of a physical game as well, but by no means will he be asked to fight this season.

So what are the Isles to do?

At this point, an enforcer on this team may be a luxury the Islanders can’t afford. I mean seriously why take a roster spot away from a youngster who may be able to give you so much more than Chris Simon, Luke Richardson, Darren McCarty, Andre Roy or the endless list of available fighters out there could. Last season the Isles played most of the season with an enforcer and while they didn’t make the playoffs, most of the time, they weren’t being pushed around much. If guys like Bill Guerin and Mike Comrie drop the gloves a few more times this season and other players play gritty hockey and stand up for themselves, the Isles may not even need one.

Guess we’ll just have to wait and see with that one.

Lastly, I just want to say that for the past few weeks, Chris Botta’s blog has been an absolute blast to read and it was an absolute shame that it had to all come to an end. At the same time though, I understand that he obviously wants to move on with his life and start a new project, away from the Ilanders. Nevertheless, I’d like to thank Mr. Botta for opening up his mind and heart to the thousands of fans out there that desperately want to know everything that is going on in Islander country.

Thank You.