It feels good that this team, which was picked to come in last place this season by many media outlets, held the ice for 65 minutes with the reigning NHL champs.

John Tavares looked solid enough as well, and even though it’s obvious he still has some work to do, there’s no reason why he can’t score 25-30 goals this season. All the haters out there will see during the season how sick this kid’s hands really are. Things will get tougher for him as the season wears on and his body gets used to the beating he’ll be taking, but I got a great feeling about this kid.

The same thing goes for Sean Bergenheim and Kyle Okposo, who should be in the 25 goal area as well.

For a team that didn’t have one 20-goal scorer last season, I expect to see at least three this season. Trent Hunter and Mark Streit looked great during the home opener as well and I expect those two to lead this team on the ice just as much as Doug Weight will when he gets into the lineup.

For the time being though, I loved what I saw from Tavares and Matt Moulson. That kid has excellent instincts and if he stays in the lineup, could be a threat. He’s got a few solid seasons of AHL hockey under his belt and right now, he looks like someone who can pot a few, especially if he gets special teams time.

In other news, anyone else feel weird seeing Dwayne Roloson in net? The guy is so simple, but technically sound that it’s easy to forget how solid he is. Feels good to have a legitimate goaltender in the net that doesn’t try and do too much and lets the game come to him. Reminded me of Glenn Healy back in the day. With a two year contract, we’ll be seeing him plenty over the next 163 games and the other night was a nice introduction to his style.

With Weight and Frans Neilson out of the lineup as well, the Isles have plenty of room to get better. If that wasn’t enough, having a healthy defense should make them competitive too. The whole key for them is to stay at .500 for as long as they can and stay healthy. If they can, they may sneak up on some teams. Despite the fact that expectations are low, this season looks to be a fun one for the Isles and may eventually go down as one that started the youth movement in the right direction.

Posted under 2009-10

I’ve been saying for the past few weeks that the Isles needed to sign a more than competent veteran backup goaltender, one that can pick up the slack if Rick DiPietro is unable to play as much as he would like to this season.

Dwayne Roloson can definitely be that guy.

He’s got playoff experience and has proven he can be more than dependable, especially when on a team lacking offense. This plays a huge role when you consider the fact that even with John Tavares on board, the Islanders offense will be questionable and will be struggling to find its identity this season.

While I would have liked the Isles to have taken a shot with Marty Biron, the question remains if he would have came to the Island. To get a guy that has a solid resume and a hefty amount of playoff experience is a plus that could come in handy this season. Signing a two-year contract, I have no doubt that if healthy, D-Ro will be a damn good backup goaltender and far better than the other big name backups the Isles have had over the past 10 years that have failed to fill the bill for this team.

However, the team still has work to do this offseason.

If the Isles can now somehow find a way to sign another goal scorer, someone who can deposit about 25 tallies a year, I may start feeling much better about this team next season.

Posted under Offseason 2009

Well, things are changing in Islander Country.

Newsday’s Greg Logan thinks John Tavares can be the next Sydney Crosby, but you get the feeling he won’t be as dynamic. I am expecting him to be a force at times, but see him going through growing pains as well. He’s an offensive machine and doesn’t have a great defensive game and because of that, I see him getting a ton of time on the powerplay, but little with the puck in the defensive end.

Because of this, it’ll take him a few years to become the type of player he truly can be.

Even he doesn’t know what that player will turn out to be.

For my taste, I’d love to see him score 30 goals as a rookie and win the Calder, but I don’t know if that’s entirely possible. Many scouts have said that he projects to be a 40-goal scorer and that he’s NHL ready now, but there’s no real way of telling that until he steps on the ice. With Josh Bailey, Frans Nielsen and Doug Weight up the middle to back him up, I think the Islanders with some nice versatility. Bailey projects to be a solid two-way center, while Nielsen in my mind has the potential to be a Mike Ribeiro-type player. Weight is a trusty old steed that I think still has a 50-point season in him. With those intangibles, I think Tavares can learn a lot in his rookie season.

Thinking about him playing with Kyle Okposo is also something that I think is incredibly intriguing.

As far as De Haan goes, he was the defenseman I saw the Islanders drafting at 26 and I even said so in April. So while I’m happy they went out and got him, the fact that they got him at 12 and didn’t pick up Landon Ferraro as well at 31 kind of shocked me. Kudos to Garth Snow for trading up to get his guy, but we’ll have to see what happens before we pass judgment. All I know is that he made a splash and people are talking. That may be the best thing for the organization right now. Nevertheless, I’m happy that the Islanders have a defenseman in the ranks that will be a solid powerplay quarterback in a few years.

The Islanders also drafted two goalies and to me, that shows that they may not be as comfortable with Rick DiPietro as they are making out to be. Both goaltenders have a plethora of upside and may be capable of big things in the future. However, with both Yann Danis and Joey MacDonald UFA’s this summer, this move could have been to shore up the depth chart at the position and may not be indicative of what the Isles think of DP.

Now with the draft behind us, the free agent period should be incredibly interesting.

Posted under Offseason 2009

In a few hours, the New York Islanders will be the proud employer of what they think is the best young hockey player in the world.

Who will it be?

I’ve maintained my stance for the past few months by saying that John Tavares may not end up the best player of this draft, but as of right now, he’s the right player for the Islanders. Predicted to be a 40-goal scorer, he’s exactly what the Islanders need.

Last night, I was having a conversation with Islanders super fan Roger Farina and he believed that Tavares coming to Long Island will also fuel the Lighthouse Project. While I agree that Tavares will create the biggest initial buzz, which will help the project, I have a small difference of opinion.

As long as whoever the Islanders draft performs well and looks like someone the team can build around, it will help fuel the Islanders plans for a new building. In the end, that buzz will last much longer than any name recognition Tavares has already.

Simply put, Tavares or whoever the Isles draft needs a Calder Trophy that first year, with the Islanders getting out of the cellar. The playoffs aren’t a concern yet, but hanging in the mix for as long as they can would be a pleasant surprise. He also needs to make the players around him step up his game as well. If he can do that, then the Islanders win regardless of who it is they draft today.

Isles GM Garth Snow said a few days ago that he’s always had a good idea of who he was going to pick and the last few months just confirmed it.

Time to put your money where your mouth is buddy.

In the immortal words of professional wrestling legend Steve “Sting” Borden, “It’s Show Time Folks!”

Posted under Offseason 2009

While I’ve nibbled at this topic a few times, I’ve failed to give a full out answer on what the Isles should do with the first pick. Everyone who reads this site knows I believe John Tavares should be an Islander. But many don’t know why.

Here it is.

Despite the fact that many scouts have said he doesn’t play great defense and is a bit selfish with the puck, those same scouts still see him projecting into a 40-goal scorer. That reason alone, I feel the Islanders need him in the lineup. Simply put, who gives a crap if he doesn’t play defense now. That should change over time and if he’s scoring 40 goals, I could live with bad defense, even if it’s on the Mike Comrie level.

What many people are failing to realize here is that the New York Islanders are desperate and far more than anyone thinks. They need someone on the ice they can believe in and someone they feel can be a guy that can help them get out of this funk they’ve been in since the early 90s. Since that time, they’ve brought in so many people that have failed miserably at the task and it’s time now to set this ship right before it’s totally unrecoverable. So far, Kyle Okposo looks to be a guy the team can build around, but he is not going to be the offensive leader this team needs in order to make the playoffs, nevertheless win a championship. Josh Bailey, too, while he made significant strides in spite of tremendous growing pains this past season, looks more like a 50-60 point guy with character.

John Tavares however is a star right now and the Islanders don’t have any.

The last thing you want to do is go playing around with trades and hurt your chances at giving the fans what they want. While this is a sport and of course, the main goal is to win, sometimes making fans happy is the smart thing to do. As of right now, Tavares is the clear fan favorite, despite Victor Hedman having a group of fans that think he’d be the right guy as well. As far as Matt Duchene goes, the fans don’t know much about him.

What the Islanders need to do now is to protect themselves by putting as much information about these three players on their site and show them meeting the Islanders brass. I’d even go as far as quoting them about how’d they feel if the Islanders drafted them, even throw some video on the site of these guys in action, so they can make their own decision and be forced to go off of what the media tells them. Make the fans aware of what is going on and put them in a situation where on draft day, they are educated and don’t flip out because they have no idea who the team drafted.

Remember, this is a business and the Islanders have to make their customers happy. If they aren’t going to do what everyone thinks they should do and draft Tavares, they should start preparing now in order to deflect that obvious backlash that may ensue.

Posted under Offseason 2009

Not a bad game overall and without a doubt better than what this team was doing the last two games against the Hurricanes and Penguins. Definitely good to see Bergenheim get in there and get a goal; same thing goes for Jackman, who hasn’t given up on a shift all season. Yann Danis made 27 saves, many of which were with traffic in front of the net, which, at the very least, kept the Islanders in the game.

Today, against the Eastern Conference leading Boston Bruins, the Islanders will try and go out in style the same way the did last season when they beat the Rangers on the last day last season.

If all goes well, the Bruins will dress Manny Fernandez, who got the start last night, and make sure he’s ready just in case uber-dependable Tim Thomas [Did you ever think you'd say that about the guy four years ago?] goes down for the playoff run. With the Islanders luck however, Thomas will be in net, as the Bruins too look to go out in style and crush an Islanders team that doesn’t stand a chance.

At any rate, should be an interesting match-up. Lets see if Kyle Okposo can have a good game as well and make sure the Islanders have a 20-goal scorer on this team this season. If not, it’s going to be something many Islanders fans remember for years to come.

Streit wants a sniper- Islanders All-Star defenseman Mark Streit knows what he wants the Islanders to go after this draft.

I’m sure many of you will agree with him as well.

“I think we need a sniper, a goal-scorer,” Streit told Newsday. “I think when Ricky (goalie Rick DiPietro) is healthy and we have our whole ‘D’ corps, we have a pretty good defense we can build on. We have a lot of good talent up front, and obviously, one other guy who could put the puck in the net wouldn’t hurt next year. But that’s out of my hands.”

I’ll be there- As part of my winning the 2008 Islanders blog of the year, I won a pair of tickets to any non-Rangers home game this season and decided a few weeks ago that today would be the perfect day. I’ll see you guys there. Driving all the way from Brooklyn, the Islanders better not let me down, or they’ll be hell to pay.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

After grading a bunch of papers today, I went on my rounds and as always came across the Yahoo sports Islanders page. It was there where I saw something that almost made me cry.

Islanders fans everywhere know that the team’s offense has been in shambles, especially after losing the likes of Alexei Yashin, Ryan Smyth, Jason Blake, Tom Poti and Viktor Kozlov a few years ago, but for the first time in team history, the Islanders are in danger of being without a 20-goal scorer.

So despite the fact that the youngsters have been getting better and both Joey MacDonald and Yann Danis appear that they could be adequate backups next season, the fact that the team’s offense is so bad that they may make team history hurts bad.

Ah man, that hurts bad.

It hurts even more knowing that this wouldn’t have been the case if the team was healthy this season.
Even last season, when the team was ravaged with injuries and a plethora of under-achievers [Ruslan Fedotenko, cough, cough] as well, they had two 20-goal scorers.

In all honesty, I’ve seen guys in wheelchairs participating in jump rope contests that have better luck than the Islanders have had over the past two seasons. Last season, I think the Isles were good enough to make the playoffs before the injury bug infested them like a horde of ants on a wad of cheeze-wiz. This season as well would have been a bit better if they had some of their key players in the lineup a bit more often.

However, what makes this even tougher to digest is that without the injuries, the Islanders would have at least three 20- goal scorers if you ask me.

Trent Hunter would be right around there; the same thing goes for Sean Bergenheim and Kyle Okposo. As a matter of fact, you could even make the argument for Bill Guerin, who has 20 now after being traded to the Penguins. Had Doug Weight not gotten injured, Guerin’s game wouldn’t have hit the fan over the last month he was on the team. You could even make a good a good argument for Mark Streit.

Ah, but in the end, it’s all wishful thinking. No 20-goal scorers. So sad. Even the 92 San Jose Sharks had one in Pat Falloon. Are the Islanders that bad? Are they? Someone answer me already.

Wow, this team’s offense is so lacking this season that I’m talking to myself in my own posts now.

Is this what we’ve come to?

I think so…I think so.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009

As of right now, the Islanders are the only team in the NHL without a 20-goal scorer.

That, I predict, will change big time next season.

If healthy next season, I not only see Kyle Okposo hitting the 20 and even 30 goal mark, but Trent Hunter, Mark Streit and Sean Bergenheim as well.

Since the All-Star Break, Okposo has been the best player on the team next to Streit, scoring big goals and showing excellent instincts. After another summer of intense conditioning and more time with Josh Bailey, who is also developing, I see him becoming the Islanders version of Zach Parise. If the Islanders pick up John Tavares or Victor Hedman as well, Okposo will have a huge burden off of his shoulders and won’t be looked at as the team’s savior. Because of that, I see next season eventually turning into the best season of his young NHL career.

Hunter was playing excellent hockey early in the season before dealing with injuries and with Frans Nielsen getting better every game, I see those two making some beautiful music together next season. With Nielsen’s speed and Hunters ability to get in front of the net and score garbage goals, Hunter will get his fair share. Also, with Nielsen’s playmaking ability, Hunter can use his shot a bit more than he was using earlier in the season when “The Great Dane” wasn’t exactly comfortable in the league yet. Simply put, the better Nielsen gets, the more Hunter will produce.

As far as Mark Streit goes, Islanders fans have already seen what a good shot he has and if the players around him develop, he’ll have even more confidence and will unleash it much more often. Already a Norris Trophy Candidate, Streit won’t have nearly as much pressure on him as he had last year and because of that, he’ll get even better, getting to the 60 point mark again.

Bergenheim is the tricky one here. Always a late starter, Bergie has to have the first strong first half of his career and then revert back to his usually deadly second half self during the final 40 games. With great hands, a plethora of grit and even more desire, Bergie can and will score 20 goals in this league. He just has to stay healthy and have a drop more consistency than he had this season. Overall, I think it’s fair that it’s not asking for much out of him.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009

It’s been fun watching these babies progress lately, huh?

Simply put, if this can keep up the rest of the season, the Islanders will be in much better shape to challenge for a playoff spot than they are right now. Well, OK, maybe I’m dreaming a bit here, as this team is still in need of a legitimate sniper and a healthy Rick DiPietro before they can even attempt to make the playoffs, but it’s fun to dream right?

At any rate, with the experience the Islanders youngsters have gotten this season, I really believe some of these kids have what it takes to be huge building blocks in the team’s future.

Like I said yesterday, I really feel that Kyle Okposo has what it takes to be a perennial 30-goal scorer in this league. If he continues to take the body, skate hard and shoot the puck, I think he can be a very similar player or give the Islanders the same jolt that Zach Parise gives the New Jersey Devils. His rookie season, Parise put up very similar numbers that Okposo is putting up now. It wasn’t until his second season that he truly began to show signs of what he is now. I feel the same thing will be the case for Okposo.

While he’s a bit older than some of the other youngsters, I see Blake Comeau eventually developing into a guy that score a dozen goals a season in a checking line role and provide the bench with leadership, charisma and hustle. With six goals this season and I believe 14 in about 100 games of NHL experience, his offensive game still needs more refining, but many of his problems early in the season had to do with conditioning, rather than his own individual skill level.

The case with Josh Bailey and Frans Nielsen I believe are different ones that Comeau, as I feel they are beginning to show that they have the ability to be more than effective centermen. I think they both have to shoot the puck more, but I do love their playmaking ability and of course, “The Great Dane’s” ability in the face-off circle. Of the two, I think Nielsen has more polish, but overall, I do believe Bailey will be the better overall player in the years to come. Nielsen I see developing into a 10-15 goal, 35-40 assist guy, but I think Bailey can be a consistent 40-assist man in this league. Even attempting to predict his goal totals is a tough task, but I do think that if he takes the initiative and shoots more, he could score anywhere from 15-20 goals next season.

However, in order for all this to happen, these kids will have to continue to work hard this season and prove that they belong.

If not, they’ll find themselves back in Bridgeport.

I don’t see that happening though.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009

Wow, talk about playing spoiler.

What is up with this team lately?

Yann Danis was again spectacular, making 40 saves and helping the Islanders out of two separate five on three opportunities, thus leading the team to victory.

“At this point, we’re all fighting for a spot here next year,” Danis told the Associated Press after the game. “We’re trying to play like this every game.”

At this point Mr. Danis, you’re going to have a plethora of teams looking at you in the offseason. If I had it my way, you’d be backing up Rick DiPietro next season, no doubt about it. To even be close to .500 on a team this bad shows just how talented he is and what he could do if he played on a team that could produce offensively on a consistent basis.

Today, things didn’t start off his way though after Scottie Upshaw scored witha little over four minutes left in the first. The Islanders battled back though and got goals from Jeff “Yes, I can still score” Tambellini, Josh Bailey and Kyle Okposo, three guys that many thought before the season would be key players in the team’s youth movement. The way it seems now, Tambellini still has a season to prove himself, but I really like what I’ve seen from Bailey and Okposo.

Of the two, Bailey has the most refining to do in his game, but I think he can be a 40 assist man in this league one day. As far as Okposo goes, I wouldn’t be surprised if he scores 20 goals this season and if he continues to progress, I really think the Islanders could have a perennial 30-goal scorer on their hands and someone that they can build around for years to come.

Someone else that looked good today was Mike Iggulden , who in less than ten minutes of ice-time showed a ton of heart and plenty of good hockey instincts, drawing an assist on Bailey’s goal. Last time I checked, Iggulden is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, but if he continues to produce, he may land himself a spot in the organization next season.

Like I’ve been saying over the past few weeks, while the season has been a tough one overall, many of these kids are playing for their jobs, making for some pretty damn good hockey.

If this keeps up the rest of the season, things could be very interesting this offseason.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants