UNIONDALE, N.Y. - New York Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro is out with a concussion again — the latest in an array of injuries — and there is no timetable for his return.

Posted under NHL

Despite the fact that the pick the Islanders got from the Senators will most likely be one of the final picks in the first round, Islanders General Manager Garth Snow is hopefully the pick will help the team in he long run.

“Bottom line, we’re getting a first-round draft pick and that falls into the plan we’ve set out all along,” Snow told the Associated Press before Saturday’s 4-0 win over New Jersey. “Now it’s up to us to draft a good player with that pick. … We have a significant amount of draft picks, especially in the first and second round. We’re going to build this the right way.”

While it probably would have been better to have a pick like this in last year’s draft, especially considering how deep it was, the Islanders will have an opportunity to bolster their team in the long run. Now I know what some of you are thinking, that the Islanders basically traded Chris Campoli, a player entering the best years of their career, for a player that will most likely been in juniors next season, but it was the only thing they could do.

“Yes, I asked for the trade,” Campoli, who had a career-worst minus-20 rating, told Newsday. “I was frustrated with my year and the way things had gone. I felt like a change was needed for me. From my perspective, I don’t think I fit in with what Scott (Gordon) was trying to do.”

So, knowing this, the Islanders, for a change, did the best they could and actually got something that could end up playing a bigger part in the team than Campoli can. With Mark Streit on board, Campoli was never going to get the ice-time he needed to truly develop into a potent offensive defenseman. So again, at least the Islanders got something for him. Now they just have to make the pick count.

Thoughts on McAmmond- Overall, I thought he was solid, even though you could tell he was trying to do a bit too much as far as some of the passes he was making were concerned. Nevertheless, I like his speed and if he sticks around next season, I could see him on a line with Richard Park and a gritty youngster, rounding out the last of the forward lines. As for right now though, he’s not going to make the team any worse and if he can get a few goals under his belt in the next few weeks, the Islanders could even move him. If not, the guy will at least have an opportunity to show the rest of the league he can still play.

Something to definitely keep an eye on over the next few games.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009

Undervalued and underutilized last season in Anaheim, Doug Weight came to the Islanders for a second lease on his career.

If any of the other team’s in the league didn’t pick up the one time All-Star, it was because he was coming off the worst season of his career and one that made it look like he was on his last leg.

That’s why many GM’S around the league and Islander fans alike thought Islanders management was crazy when they were the ones that brought him in this summer. However, Weight has easily been the team’s best player this season and has already proved his value, scoring 27 points in 30 games, two more than he scored of all last season.

Number don’t tell the whole story though. Simply put, you couldn’t ask for more from this guy. Alongside Streit, Weight has been something special on the powerplay and has done everything in his power to make sure the Islanders don’t embarrass themselves every night.

Now he’s just four points away from a milestone that every single hockey player from Pee Wee’s to Pros, dreams about.

1,000 points.

There’s just one problem, the Islanders are beginning to make good on the thoughts of every wannabe NHL pundit on the Internet and are playing themselves in a whole that not even the Disney version of the Might Ducks could get themselves out of. Sure they have Weight, who is their Charlie Conway and Trent Hunter, Bill Guerin and Streit are having solid seasons, but this team needs a lot more and fast or else this season is over.

And before the All-Star break.

That’s what makes this guy’s achievement a little bittersweet.

Even though Weight is a fun-loving guy who having a good time this season, you get the feeling that things could be so much better if the Islanders started winning.

“To play as long as I have and to be successful and to be coming up on that mark, I’m very proud of it and very excited about it,” Weight told Newsday. “It sounds like I’m answering in the politically correct way, but I want to mix it in with some wins. It’s more enjoyable around your team.”

It’s not like we didn’t all see this coming though, as all the fan boy blogs and even the guys secretly pulling for the team were hesitant to say where they thought this team was going to finish this season. A few weeks ago, I thought this team had the sneakiness to get into the playoffs.

Now it looks like Weight’s moment may be ruined.

What can the Islanders do to change that?

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2008

Rather than discuss the coaching situation like every one else here in Blog-Land, I figured I’d talk about a couple of players I think may find themselves out of the loop once the season starts.

Andy Hilbert- I will never question his desire and passion on the ice. I will however question his ability to be more than a third or fourth liner. He doesn’t finish enough on offense either and with the Islanders getting Jon Sim back and giving some of the youngsters contracts, Hilbert looks to be playing with Bridgeport this season.

Tim Jackman- I think if the Islanders have an injury on the fourth line, Jackman should be the first guy called up. His toughness and poise are silent attributes and at the same time are ones that never hurt the team he’s on. A proven scorer in the AHL Jackman could nab a permanent spot if he proved the critics wrong and scored a few more goals. However, as of right now, I see him as a leader in Bridgeport.

Ben Walter- A guy that needs to start to cement his presence on the ice if he wants to stay on the Island. Two solid seasons in a row at the AHL level in two organizations, Walter hasn’t been able to bring the same dynamic play to the NHL. If Scott Gordon becomes the Isles next coach, he may get a longer look, but as of right now, like Hilbert and Jackman, Walter may find himself in a reserve role with the Isles.

Parrish Back on the Island?

According to HockeyBuzz.com, Mark Parrish is rumored to be headed back to Long Island, after being bought out of his contract by the Minnesota Wild. When Parrish was first traded to the LA Kings, I like many Islander fans and several reporters, thought it was a joke. The guy was a perennial 25-30 goal scorer and according to some, wanted to stay on Long Island, but couldn’t reach a deal with then-Islanders GM Mike Milbury, so he was dealt. In his two and a half years away from the Isles, he has scored 40 goals and 76 points, numbers that are far from amazing, but contributions that would have been welcome on a team starving for offense. And who is to say that Parrish’s career would have deteriorated the way it has if he would have stayed on the Island?

It’s a conundrum that is only exacerbated by more thinking.

However, right now, Parrish is not a player that should be given a shot on this team. Sure, he’ll add 15-20 goals, but he’ll be taking ice-time away from a youngster. With Weight and Streit added this offseason, the Islanders offense will have it’s work cut out for them and Parrish won’t make enough of a difference to warrant sticking a guy like Frans Nielsen or Jeff Tambellini back in Bridgeport.

Photo by NHL Media

Posted under Offseason 2008