Well, I definitely didn’t see that happening, but it looks like these two recent pickups may help the Islanders much more than the rest of the NHL thinks.

Mark Streit may never score 62 points again in his NHL career, but he should be a lock for at least 40 over the next five years, giving the Islanders the offensive defenseman they desperately need. Considering how bad the powerplay was last last season, Streit will be a breath of fresh air on offense and should take plenty of pressure off of Chris Campoli, who many were expecting to get significant time with the man advantage next season.

I’ve heard the scouting report that his defensive skills could need some polishing, but I’m sure it’s nothing like what Islander fans had to deal with when Marc-Andre Bergeron was around. A better skater and a bit bigger, Streit, while not much of a physical player, won’t get pushed around as much as MAB did and will be able to develop his defensive game, rather than be a detriment to his team. As of right now, it looks like he’s going to be paired with Andy Sutton, so that should mean that he can take a few chances on offense, while his behemoth defensive partner blocks a few shots and takes care of the people that get in his way.

However, the best part of this team was the money. With the Rangers and Sharks grossly over-paying for the likes of Wade Redden and Brian Campbell, the Isles got a better offensive player, who’s younger and getting paid similar to Michal Rozsival, a player he had 25 more points than.

Sounds okay so far right? Not anything to jump for joy about, but then again, when was the last time fans of this club had anything to really get excited about?

Streit is obviously looking to make sure he’s not a fluke and considering how desperate the Isles were to land a powerplay quarterback, it was a win-win situation. I personally thought Ron Hainsey, who’s a little younger and bigger would have been a better fit [and just signed with the Thrashers], but we’ll see how Streit works out. At the price the Isles got him at and his eagerness for a long-term deal, it’s hard to have a problem with the signing.

As far as the Weight signing goes, I think it’s about getting a great leader for a great price. Let’s face it, Weight is not going to notch another 45 assist season in 09, but he can give guys like Jeff Tambellini and Kyle Okposo some room on the ice and put them in a good situation to score. If he’s healthy all season, I definitely see him scoring a dozen goals and adding 30 helpers, while setting a great on-ice example for the youngsters.

At the very least, the Islanders have added more offense after cutting ties with Josef Vasicek, Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko. If guys like Sean Bergenheim, Tambellini, Okposo and Blake Comeau can continue to develop offensively, the Isles may have a better group of forwards than last year. Let’s not forget that Jon Sim will be around next season as well and should be able to add about 15 goals and 40 points.

With Mike Sillinger having hip surgery this offseason as well, it may take a while until he’s back up to speed. Until that time, Weight can help take the burden off the Isles assistant captain, while Streit will upgrade the Isles powerplay. I think having Weight around can also bolster the Isles chances with the man advantage because let’s face it, even at 37, the Isles haven’t had a playmaker of his caliber in a while. All in all, the team got a few extra parts to support the youngsters that will hopefully be able to lead this team in a few years. Is it an end-all solution? Of course not. But it will make things interesting this season.

With Streit and Weight signing however, guys like Andy Hilbert, Jeremy Colliton and Frans Nielsen may be fighting for a spot on the team next year. Kind of the opposite approach the team has been proposing all off-season, but with cap room to spend and the price the Isles got these players at, they had to make these deals.

Lastly, with Weight, Sillinger, Mike Comrie, Bill Guerin and Brendan Witt all on the last years of their contracts, the Isles can get young players, prospects and draft picks in return if the team decides to go on a slide come trading deadline.

That puts this team in a situation to further the youth movement if this combination of youth and experience can’t get the job done.

For the time being, I doubt any more moves will be made, but I’ve been wrong before.

It should be fun waiting and finding out though, right?

A small part of me is hoping I’m wrong again too.

Posted under Offseason 2008