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.

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.

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.

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!”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Over the past few weeks, Islander fans have seen the transformation of Sean Bergenheim from gritty third liner to possibly a top six forward that can play in any game situation. It’s been a process that many may still be in shock over, but like I’ve said countless times on this site, there is no reason why this kid can’t be a 20-goal scorer in this league. He’s got so much energy and has a much better shot and even better hands than most people give him credit for. It’s only a matter of time until everyone in the league begins to see it.

It also makes his life much easier when the players around him are playing well. Yesterday, that was exactly the case as Josh Bailey and Jeff Tambellini played their best games in quite some time, while Andy Hilbert, Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau were no bums either. Add in a strong defensive performance [Anyone see Zach Parise on the ice yesterday afternoon?] and a great first game with the Isles by Mike Iggulden [an old friend of mine and a die-hard Islander fan Anthony Natoli is extremely high on him and has been waiting all season for him to be called up. Just figured I'd throw that out there] and because of that, the Isles had a winning formula.

The first period in my estimation was perhaps the best 20 minutes the team has played all season. The forecheck was amazing, Joey MacDonald made all the saves he had to and the Islanders defense was rock solid. It was like someone finally turned a light on in this team’s collective head and they played the way they were supposed to.

When the score was 5-2, I decided to go out and watch the rest of the game later. About 45 minutes later, I get a ring from Islanders Blog Box member and a damn good friend of mine Gary Harding, who tells me Trent Hunter is out for the season. Just when things start looking good for this team, they lose an emotional leader and a key player in Hunter. Well, it could have been worse; the Islanders could have been battling for a playoff spot and this happened. However, with nothing to lose, the best thing that could happen is for Hunter to heal up this offseason and come back healthy and lead this team next season.

For now, I’m just wondering if this means Jon Sim comes back or another youngster gets a shot.

Guess we’ll just have to wait until 3 P.M., when the Isles take on the Coyotes at the Coliseum.

Now, three days later, the truth comes out.

It turns out that when the Islanders took Guerin out of the lineup before the Buffalo game on Feb. 28, they had no deal with any team in place, flubbing all the reports from various websites, based in both journalism and in rumor. At any rate, both Snow and Guerin’s agent felt it would be in the Islanders best interest to keep him out of the lineup to avoid injury.

This is where I don’t quite understand the logic.

You take a player out of the lineup that you know interest is low on because you don’t want them to get hurt, to do what exactly? Lower their already low value? Seriously, what is the worst thing that can happen, get a fifth round pick for a legitimate goal-scoring threat that could bolster any team’s offense?

Wait, that happened already.

Nonsense. Complete nonsense.

If Guerin played those games he sat out for and scored a few goals, perhaps he may have drawn some more interest from teams looking for offense and the Islanders could have gotten more.

If Guerin gets hurt, what happens? They don’t get a fifth round pick? I, like most Islander fans, could deal with that.

It’s highly doubtful this fifth round pick will be the franchise player that will guide this team out of the cellar. It’s also doubtful that this fifth round pick could be the 20-goal scorer the Islanders lost in Guerin as well. I know you should never really rate a trade until some time has passed, but I really think the Islanders should have taken a chance and let Guerin play his last few games with the team. Now the Islanders will have to wait and see what they’ve eventually received in return for their former captain.

Speaking of captains, it kind of irks me that the Islanders won’t name a captain until next season. It makes me think that they don’t have faith in the players they have now and will go outside the team and look for a veteran free agent to sign and name him captain.

That, I believe, would be dead wrong. This team has plenty of players, guys like Trent Hunter, Brendan Witt, Mark Streit and even Richard Park, that would be able to serve as a more than solid captain. The way things are going, this team needs someone from within to help them get to the next level. Someone that has seen how bad things are and can grow, despite thus struggles and help lead the team to respectability.

Those are just my thoughts though.

What do you guys think?

Grade A

Richard Park- The more I see Park, the more he reminds me of Jason Blake. People continue to count him out every chance they get and in spite of that, he continues to get better. On pace for the best season of his career, Park is an example to the league and his teammates; work hard on every shift and you’ll get rewarded. It’s too bad the majority of the team hasn’t recognized that yet.

Grade A+

Bill Guerin- On pace for another 20-goal season, Guerin has been far from terrible, but he isn’t the 30-goal scorer the team thought they were getting when they overpaid for him two seasons ago. Has he had a positive impact on the youngsters on this team? Absolutely. However, he hasn’t shown them how to win, which could create a problem for them in the future.

Grade B-

Andy Hilbert- I never would have thought Hilbert would be on pace for for a 35-40 point season. I also would have never thought I’d be anxious for him to get back in the lineup. That’s how good he’s been this season. Just like Park, he’s been a pleasure to watch and has played hard-nosed and passionate two-way hockey.

Grade A-

Trent Hunter- Starting the season the way he did, I saw Hunter scoring 30 goals for the first time in his career. However, over the past dozen or so games, he’s been a different player and hasn’t been contributing as much offensively. Sure, he does so much else for this team, but in order to be the leader this team needs in the future, he has to continue to find the back of the net.

Grade- B

Tim Jackman- The epitome of what you for from a fourth liner, Jackman has broken his hump all season long. Sure, he has problems finishing and will never be he offensive player the Blue Jackets thought he was going to be when they drafted him, but he’ll never hurt you when he’s on the ice and will do whatever it takes to stay out there.

Grade C +

Mike Comrie- If I was only grading his play since he came back from injury, it would be a completely story entirely. Battling injuries through his first stint with the team this season, Comrie was ineffective, but a serious hip injury will do that to you. If he can continue to play the way he has been since being paired with Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau, who knows, he may land an extension or find a suitor for the playoff run.

Grade- C

Jon Sim- Despite being on pace for his usual dozen goals, Sim hasn’t been the agitator the team was looking for when they signed him. At this point, it looks like he may need a change of scenery. The only problem is no one else in the league wants him.

Grade- D+

Mike Sillinger- Two goals in seven games put him on pace for 22 if he was healthy. That’s exactly where he should be. However, it’s impossible to grade someone based on only seven games. All I know is that Sillinger is needed in the lineup and him not being there has played a big role in the team’s lack of success.

Grade C+

Blake Comeau- After coming into camp in terrible shape and being forced to earn his stripes again in Bridgeport, Comeau has been solid over the past half dozen games. Extremely solid in his first handful of games, Comeau’s play was sporadic before he turned it up again. Much like Bergenheim, his spunk and potential are one thing, but his lack of consistency and in Comeau’s case, conditioning, may keep him from being the 20-goal scorer he should be.

Grade- C-

Josh Bailey- Great passer. However, in spite of his playmaking ability, he still has a lot to learn in the defensive end. He also has to take advantage of his shot more and gain confidence. With Okposo, Bailey will be asked to lead this team offensively as soon as next season. He has to earn those bumps and bruises now.

Grade- C

Kyle Okposo- Much like Comeau, Okposo has been a different player over the past half dozen games. However, over the first 20 odd games he played, there was a tentativeness and unwillingness in his game that scared a lot of NHL scouts and fans. However, since being paired with Mike Comrie, KO has begun to show the organization that he has to tools to be a more than solid NHL player. Is he a superstar? The jury is still out on that one.

Grade C+

Jeff Tambellini- A disaster. Everyone expected him to score 15-20 goals this season and prove that he belongs in this league. That hasn’t happened, even though he has begun to shoot the puck with more confidence. As of right now, this season has been a failure for him, but much like Bergenheim last season, a few solid games can turn things very quickly.

Grade- F

Nate Thompson- A true grinder, Thompson is the kind of guy that is great to fill out the bottom of a depth chart. However, it would be great if he could score a bit more. Block shots are hits are things that don’t show in box scores and for Thompson to truly have a spot on this team, he’s got to hit the net a bit more. Otherwise, he’ll be on the path of a mid-season call up the rest of his career, rather than true NHLer.

Grade- D+

Frans Nielsen- Much like Bailey, I think Nielsen is a great passer. However, with his skill in the faceoff circle and defensive ability, I think “The Great Dane” has he ability to be a more than solid third line center. It’s just a matter of him staying healthy and getting playing time.

Grade B-

Sillinger’s return- Like I said yesterday, this is going to be good on several fronts for the Islanders. Nevertheless, I think Isles head coach Scott Gordon summed it up pretty nicely a few days ago when he said getting Silly back was like a mid-season trade.

Martinek reinjured? - According to Greg Logan’s blog, Radek Martinek will be out after banging his shoulder up against the Senators.  With Bruno Gervais also injured, it looks like Thomas Pock will get another chance to prove himself after clearing waivers a few days ago. In my opinion, Martinek has got to have the worst luck in the world. It’s like he’s got a black cat in his hockey bag or something. If he doesn’t start either taking the necessary steps to make sure he doesn’t get injured again without sacrificing his play in the offseason or taking showers with garlic shampoo, he’s going to continue to get injured and never be the player many Islander fans thought he’d be after 23 great games in 2002.

In other Islanders news, the team will get another injection of toughness as both Mitch Fritz and Tim Jackman. However, the question remains as to who sits if both of them or even one of them is in uniform on Thursday.

Cough:: Jeff Tambellini ::Cough.

Nothing against the kid, but he hasn’t shown a spark and considering how good Andy Hilbert and Richard Park have been thus far, he’s out of roles. This team doesn’t need another tiny sparkplug on the bottom two lines. They need another 20-goal scorer and as of right now, Tamby looks out of place.

Laviolette Canned? Well, it looks like former Islander coach Peter Laviolette will be spending the holiday season watching hockey at home, rather than coaching it with the Carolina Hurricanes. More ironic however is the fact that he has been replaced by Paul Maurice, the coach he replaced five years ago. As far as I’m concerned, Laviolette is still an excellent coach and if Alexei Yashin hadn’t played golf with Charles Wang every weekend, Lavy would have never lost control of his players and find the pink slip. And as far as that statement is concerned, I feel that while the Islanders teams he coached were good, they were never good enough to do more than he did with them.

Those teams really needed another legitimate scorer and a shutdown defenseman to compliment all the offense they had on the blue line. That is the real reason why Steve Stirling [who is now off coaching in Germany of all places] didn’t win a Stanley Cup here either. It had nothing to do with Laviolette. Sadly, just like the Islanders have had bad luck with players over the past 15 seasons, they’ve had just as much bad luck with coaches. Not keeping Laviolette and cleaning up the mess around him will always be one of them.

While his star has dimmed substantially over the past few seasons, to the point where he’s bounced around the league at an almost Mike Sillinger-esque pace, five years ago, the power forward was arguably one of the best in the league. Playing with players the likes of Marcus Naslund and the Sedin twins in Vancouver, Bertuzzi was a steady 40-goal scorer with the kind of toughness and desire that made many think he was the next incarnation of Cam Neeley or Clark Gillies.

A few years before that however, he was a fresh face on a young Islanders team full of them.

Scoring 18 goals in his rookie season, the shaggy-haired winger looked like he was ready to take the next step in his development, but over the next few seasons, a mish-mash of inconsistency, immaturity and lack of playing time made most feel that if he was ever going to get a chance to be a star, it wasn’t going to be with the Islanders.

Nevertheless, there were plenty of moments where Bertuzzi proved he had the ability to be a lot more than a third line grinder.

One game in particular against the Philadelphia Flyers I remember Bertuzzi deked around three defenders and beat the goaltender with one of the nastiest backhands I’ve ever seen. That same game, he landed about three or four vicious hits along the boards as well. It seemed whenever he was on his game, he played at a level that was far better than any of the players around him. To this day, I wonder what the Islanders could have been like if they had Ziggy Palffy, and Bertuzzi on the same line and on the same page. It would have been my teenage hockey fantasy [well, maybe Alyssa Milano in an Islanders Jersey anywhere else but a hockey rink was my teenage hockey fantasy, but I digress] that’s what.

Unfortunately, that situation just never came to be. For every game Bertuzzi was solid, there were three more where he took a bad penalty and didn’t hustle, causing Mike Milbury to put him on garbage pick up, where he never lived up to his true potential.

It’s a situation that will always leave Islander fans wondering.

As for me, I’ll just remember the good times, the few there were.

Photo by Elsa Hasch /Allsport

After the powerplay and Joey MacDonald ran rampant the other night, Islander fans now a tiny morsel of hope. Can the powerplay continue to produce? Can Joey MacDonald do his best Wade Dubielewicz impersonation? Can Trent Hunter pretend he’s in .38 Special and “Get Back to where He Belongs” [being the 20 goal scorer every Islander fan knows he should be]? Alright, enough with the 80s music references. In all seriousness, if the Isles can commit themselves to playing smart defense and can take advantage of mistakes on the powerplay, they can play with any team in this league.

It’s just a matter of the stars being aligned properly for those to happen on a consistent basis.

What I’m looking for the most in this game is for the Islanders to come out strong and take the body. Without Brendan Witt, they are really missing their best physical presence and I think some rough stuff could open up the ice more for guys like Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey.

Speaking of Bailey, it should be interesting where he ends up tonight, although from what Islanders head coach Scott Gordon said the other night, it’s a pretty safe bet were he’ll be.

“Just watching what I saw from Josh the other night (against Philadelphia), it was an opportunity to see what he can do with Kyle and see how it goes,” Gordon told the AP. “We have a lot of young wingers that have offensive potential, but the reality is we don’t have that high-end playmaking center. So, when we look at Josh and what he brings to the table, he has a different element than Richard Park or Nate Thompson, and with Mike (Comrie) being out of the lineup (with a hip injury), it opens up a hole for us.”

Kind of a smack in the face to Frans Neilsen, but it’s the truth. While I think if he continues to develop, Neilsen could be a 30 assist guy in the NHL, Bailey has the pedigree this team is looking for right now. He is the playmaker they need in the lineup, especially without Mike Comrie and Mike Sillinger out as well, who aren’t playmakers and are more of the dangler-type. If he can open some eyes during the rest of this mini-tryout, it’s going to be very interesting what this team decides to do with him next season.

At any rate, we’ll see what he comes up with tonight.

Considering the fact that the Isles didn’t make the playoffs last season, it’s safe to say most of those players missed great opportunities to prove themselves. However, Guerin proved last season that he can still be an offensive threat, but it’s obvious he needs a real playmaker by his side to get back to being a 30-goal scorer. With Doug Weight’s mediocre season last year behind him, the former Olympian may provide a spark in both of their games that helps the Islanders stay in the mix a little bit longer than expected. Nonetheless, there are holes all over this team’s forward lines that beg to be addressed. Better yet, they beg for someone with some grit, character and heart to step up and cement their spot on this team. Otherwise, it’s going to be a very long season at the Coliseum.

Chances are that Kyle Okposo, Jeff Tambellini, Blake Comeau and Sim will find themselves on different lines this season and these are the players that will have to be the spark plugs. While I’ve already said in previous posts what I think the youngsters are capable of, Sim is a guy that has scored 17 goals with no ice-time in Atlanta a few years ago and can really provide the depth needed to win hockey games. Because of that and guys like Hunter and Mike Sillinger, who he will most likely be paired with, I don’t think a 20-goal season is out of the question for him. Add in his tenacity and heart to a line with already plenty of moxie and I think it’s easily the Islanders most multi-faceted trio if given a chance to gel.

With the four aforementioned players can step up and add something different to the table, I see no reason why guys like Hunter, Richard Park and Bergenheim, noted for their grit and offensive upside as well, can’t follow suit and add respectable numbers themselves. Again, I’ve already discussed what I think Hunter is capable of and I think if Bergenheim finishes more, he can be a 20-goal scorer in this league as well. Park, I think is a lock for a dozen goals and some damn good defensive play.

Then it comes down to how bad a guy like Mike Comrie wants to win. Much like Isles goaltender Rick DiPietro, he has two sides to his game, a focused one where he has a deadly accurate shot and plays decent enough defense in his own zone to not be a liability and another side that knows only a mediocre toe-drag and loves to commit neutral zone turnovers. If the Isles have any chance at success this season, Comrie has to be on his game on both ends of the ice.

In the end though, it’s all about people stepping up and making themselves viable options. The days of having bona fide superstars on this team may be over for the time being, but there is no reason why this team can’t roll four lines that can play quality hockey on both sides of the ice. If they do eventually do that, I think they’ll be a lot of fun to watch and will surprise a bunch of people down the stretch.

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