Blake Comeau- I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; this kid has the makings of a great role player, but he has to take his destiny into his own hands. While I have little doubt that the Islanders will re-sign him this offseason, he has to come into next season’s camp in the best shape of his career and has to force Islanders head coach Scott Gordon to keep him with the big club. If he does that and can shoot the puck some more, there’s no reason why he can’t find himself in the 15-20 goal and 40 point range. I don’t know how you guys feel about this, but as far as a non-top six forward goes, those are damn good numbers.

Jeremy Colliton- Every time he’s been up with the big club, I’ve enjoyed watching him and I think he’s got a lot more offensive ability than people give him credit for. However, much like Ben Walter, I think he’s been lost in the organizational shuffle. Because of that, he’s better off trying to go somewhere else in order to accomplish his dreams of being a NHL regular.

Sergei Ogorodnikov- Don’t know much about him aside from the fact that he had a decent year in the ECHL a few years ago and he’s got some international experience until his belt. At 23 however, the questions remains as to how effective he can be at the NHL level and when he’ll get there.

Jamie Fraser- I think he’s another no-brainer. He’s got the same great hair as his relative Kerry, who is one of the best officials in the league and is a good leader. On the ice, he’s got a big heart and that’s one of the reasons why he’s a fan favorite in Bridgeport. A good player on both sides of the puck, Fraser, in my mind, should be one of the first players called up if the Isles get hot by the injury bug again.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Unlike DiPietro, who, I believe to this day still has no idea just how talented he really is and repeatedly goes out of his way to make the superstar play, rather than the smart one, Hilbert is smartness personified. As a matter of fact, I think he knows his game perhaps better than anyone else in the league. He knows that he’ll never be the 30 goal, point per game player he was in the AHL and has modified his game in order to stay in the league. As far as I see it, he’s one of the hardest working players in the league today as well.

As a fan, he irritates me because he can’t finish and he always seems to be around the puck. If someone like Jon Sim had as much moxy and awareness on the ice, he wouldn’t be in Bridgeport and would have ended the season with more goals than he’s ever had in a season.

As a journalist, I love the transition he’s made in order to stay in the league and love his heart. He’s the kind of player that won’t hurt you by being on the ice and like I said, works his tail off. However, at the same time, those attributes don’t always translate into numbers and that’s why I’ve often complained about his play.

Simply put, if the Islanders feel that either Trevor Smith or Jesse Joensuu is ready to play in the NHL full-time next season, Hilbert, despite his responsible play, should fall victim to the Islanders youth movement. However, considering the fact that like Nate Thompson, he has proven he can play in Islanders head coach Scott Gordon’s system makes him an intriguing option. An unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, the most I can see the Islanders giving Hilbert is a one-year contract, hoping he stays healthy and continues to thrive with Gordon, while the youngsters continue to develop in Bridgeport.

At 28 years old, Hilbert can play it safe and earn a decent contract that could keep him somewhere for a few years in hopes of finding a linemate that can help him take his career to the next level, preparing him to sign one bigger contract before he hangs up his skates. He can also sign a one-year contract somewhere and go for the gusto and prove to the rest of the league that he’s more than an immensely talented and hard working third liner.

Stay or Go- If the Islanders don’t have confidence in players like Joensuu just yet, I’d sign Hilbert to a one-year contract and if he’s playing well enough at the trading deadline, I’d ship him off for a pick. If Joensuu and Smith come to camp ready to earn a job, Hilbert’s hard work alone would secure him a spot.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

In return, I got a nice wave back and a smile.

True story.

Nevertheless, in spite of that kind gesture, it may be the rest of Islanders country that waves goodbye to Thompson this offseason. Well, at least from a regular spot in the lineup, that is. Tough on the boards and good in his own zone, Thompson proved his value as a fourth liner this season, but his offensive game still needs some polishing before he can truly earn his spot on the team in the future.

If the Islanders do indeed draft John Tavares and the Islanders do decide to sign Thompson as a restricted free agent, he’ll most likely be rounding out the depth chart at Bridgeport. Also considering the fact that he’s arbitration eligible this offseason, the Islanders could part ways with him before he becomes slightly more expensive.

Like I said, if the Islanders do draft John Tavares, Thompson is almost guaranteed to be in Bridgeport, despite Islanders head coach Scott Gordon’s affinity for him. If the Islanders draft Victor Hedman or pull of some type of shenanigans, they’ll still be looking for a center that can contribute more offensively than “Nice Nate.”

Even if the Islanders are looking to add depth at Bridgeport, they may even be able to do better than keeping Thompson around, as they can resign Mike Iggulden and give Justin DiBenedetto. Nevertheless, the guy has several solid seasons in the AHL under his belt, can play Gordon’s system and at the very least can fill in for a few games if someone is injured. If he wins his case in arbitration, Thompson probably won’t be due for too much of a raise either, still making him an affordable depth player.

Stay or Go?

Despite the variable in his favor, I think it’s in Thompson’s best interest to look for a gig somewhere else next season. With the youth movement in full swing and the Islanders already having a player that can do many of the things Thompson can do in Tim Jackman, his chances at establishing himself anywhere but in Bridgeport are very small.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Both Islanders head coach Scott Gordon and rising star Kyle Okposo will be exposed to the IIHF World Championships later this month for the first time.

There, both of them will get the additional training, Gordon from Ron Wilson, an NHL coach with over 1,200 games coached and experience in the Olympics and international leagues as a player. Okposo will have plenty of players of a high skill level to play with and will be in the locker room, getting pointers on anything he needs help with.

As long as he doesn’t suffer any type of serious injury, this is a great opportunity for KO.

As far as Gordon is concerned, this is completely win-win. Perhaps, Gordon will be able to take some of the things that have worked for him this season and be able to help Wilson and his country kick some tail. Before this season, I thought Wilson was one of the better coaches in the league. This season still hasn’t changed that thought, but it’s fair to say that Wilson is going through the same pains Gordon is going through this season.

Maybe they can grow through these things together.

“I don’t think you ever get tired of getting that opportunity to represent your country,” Gordon, who was a goalie on the 1992 U.S. Olympic team, told the Associated Press. “My two experiences with the national team as a player and as a player in the Olympics were great experiences. It’s something that, when I got into coaching, I hoped that one day I’d get an opportunity to be a part of it. There’s no passion like playing for your country.

“I don’t know what the long-term is, I’m just happy about this short-term opportunity, and I’m looking forward to working with Ron Wilson. He’s certainly had a lot of experiences at different levels in international competition and in the NHL. I’ll be a sponge, I’ll listen to every word he’s got to say.”

On another note, I just came across this nifty little video of Wilson getting in an argument with Toronto reporter Howard Berger. Good stuff.

Nabbing a goal and an assist against the Lightning, Park, along with Josh Bailey and Radek Martinek powered a 3-1 Islanders win.

It wasn’t very pretty though as the Isles amassed only 24 shots.

Nevertheless, they got two goals on the powerplay and got excellent goaltending from Yann Danis, making it almost the complete opposite of the game against the Canadiens the other day.

“It definitely was a bounce back game for him,” Gordon told the Associated Press about the play of Danis after the game. “He felt pretty good.”

Another player that looked good was Martinek. Every time I see him score a goal like that, it makes me wonder how he doesn’t score more often. Because of all the injuries he’s suffered over his career, it’s impossible to truly know what Martinek will be able to provide on offense, but I’ll never underestimate his ability on defense. In spite of that, it was good to see him get a goal that showed that he can shoot in this league.

Another guy that showed he could shoot last night was Bailey, who like many other youngsters on this team is beginning to find his place. The same thing goes for Jeff Tambellini who hit a goal post and added a few more big hits to his resume last night.

On another note, it was nice to see five youngsters in the lineup, especially Jamie Fraser, a fan favorite from Bridgeport get an opportunity to play. For those who don’t know much about him, here’s something a got from a press release from the ECHL.

Fraser is the sixth former ECHL player to make his debut this season with the New York Islanders joining Mitch Fritz, Andrew MacDonald, Kurtis McLean, Joel Rechlicz and Brett Skinner. The head coach of the Islanders is former ECHL player and coach Scott Gordon while former ECHL player Daniel Lacroix is an assistant coach for New York.

The 23-year-old Fraser joined the Stingrays after completing his junior career in 2005-06 and had one goal in three regular season games and two points (1g-1a) in six Kelly Cup Playoff games. He returned to South Carolina in 2006-07 and had 28 points (5g-23a) in 27 games while also playing in the American Hockey League where he had 14 points (3g-11a) in 43 games for Bridgeport and appeared in two games for Syracuse.

Of the five however, I have extremely high hopes for Jesse Joensuu and Mike Iggulden. Notching two assists last night, Joensuu has three points in five games and has made himself a factor. After a summer of getting himself bigger, meaner and stronger, I think Joensuu could be a great addition to the Isles. As far as Iggulden goes, I think he’s already proven he can be a guy that the team could use in a third or fourth line energy role, but if he continues to develop, he could be a good playmaking forward. He’s got a great nose for the net and has excellent instincts.

Hopefully they get a chance to stick around the rest of the way.

Considering the fact that there seems to be a rift between several of the older players and Isles head coach Scott Gordon, many of the team’s veterans could be on the move.

I’m also wondering if Trent Hunter’s supposed lower body injury has more to do with his relationship with Gordon [I have no idea what it is, but if it's rocky, we may have seen the last of him] than anything with his lower body.

As of right now, it just feels like the team has had enough of many of the veterans on the team.

Jon Sim, for example, goes and plays his best game as an Islander and is put on waivers the very next day. The guy has been playing great hockey as of late after a whole season of under-performing and as soon as he gets going, you attempt to give him away? I don’t know if I agree with the logic there. He’s signed for an agreeable one million dollars next season and if he continues to produce, he’ll have a dozen goals in about 60 games. That’s not too shabby for a guy that scored 17 a few years ago with a plethora of ice time. Why they wouldn’t want to just ride him out until he stops scoring is beyond me.

What they are doing right now is slapping him in the face. Putting him on waivers once and not having anyone pick up was bad enough, now putting him back there while he’s playing his best hockey is the ultimate disrespect. Now if no one picks him up, what’s the next step? Throw a player you’ve already proven to have no faith in and that you’ve shown has no value to the 29 other teams in the rest of the league back in the lineup? Like I said, he’s still got another year on his contract and you’ve already made him miserable this season, so what exactly is this guys incentive to play hard for you? That’s the big problem here. Now he has none.

Simply put, doing things like this will inhibit free agents from coming over in the future. Add in the fact that the Islanders obviously already have problems signing players that they need to and this is not good news.

Not good business dealings if you ask me.

However, that doesn’t appear to be the case for very much longer.

According to various websites around the Internet, Guerin is willing to waive his no trade clause to any playoff contender in the Eastern Conference. As the day progressed yesterday, those same sites said that he’s not going to the Washington Capitals, the New Jersey Devils, the Boston Bruins or the Philadelphia Flyers, which leaves only a few more teams left. Hockey Buzz seems convinced he’s going to the Canadiens. While I’m not too sure how happy Guerin would be accepting a trade there, there are a few other teams I could see him suiting up for.

Buffalo and Pittsburgh could use some more offense and are on the fridge or the outside looking in and a guy like Guerin, if he gets hot, could be a huge addition.

As far as his place on the Islanders is concerned, losing Guerin could hurt hem a ton in the short term, but I think there’s been a changing of the guard the past few games.

While guys like Guerin and Brendan Witt have allegedly not gotten along with Islanders head coach Scott Gordon this season, a guy like Mark Streit owes a lot of his success to him. Considering his play all season and the way he singlehandedly helped the team gain a point against the Maple Leafs the other night, I think it’s fair to say that Streit may be the next Islanders captain.

Think about it, Streit is obviously the team’s best player now and the sole reason is because the Islanders gave him an opportunity not many other teams in the league would have. He owes a small part of his success to the team because of that. Add in the fact that he’ll be here for the next few seasons and Guerin won’t and it’s an even bigger reason to make him that captain of this team.

The way things are right now, I really don’t see either Witt or Guerin with the Islanders after the deadline and see them building towards the future. Witt however, still has time left on his contract and if he has indeed ironed out his problems with Gordon, should be fine unless the team can get something good for him.

Guerin however, with no contract for next season, seems to be on his way out.

Nevertheless, I really like the attitude Islanders head coach Scott Gordon has had with the team this season.

We’ve all seen the frustration on his face mounting after every goal against, every injury and every miscue, but in spite of all of it, I truly believe the youngsters on this team are getting better and that Gordon’s system and coaching style has a lot to do with it.

“We could have easily deflated after our losing streak in December,” Gordon told the Associated Press a few days ago. “The one thing I stress to our players is we’re trying to build something here for next year, and I’m not going to stop coaching and trying to get our team to be better and I expect the same from all our players, but particularly the ones who are going to be here next year.”

If you’re a fan of this team, regardless of everything that has happened over the past two years, that should make you feel a little comfortable. Well, as comfortable as you can feel right now.

With the trading deadline on the way as well, the Islanders will have an opportunity to build the team more in Gordon’s image as well, which should, barring another crazy amount of injuries next season, make the Islanders much more competitive and much more fun to watch.

“What we want are players who will work through this adversity,” Gordon told the AP. “The circumstances we’ve had to go through with injuries… we’ve had some hurdles, and it’s how we’re going to handle adversity. One of the key areas is our character and not breaking away from what we want our team identity to be.”

I think that over the next 21 games, that identity will begin to be forged. One based on grit, speed and hard work, with guys like Mark Streit, Trent Hunter and Kyle Okposo leading the way and players the likes of Frans Neilsen, Sean Bergenheim and Josh Bailey not too far behind. Add in a good draft and the Islanders will be on the way to righting this ship and making sure they can build a consistent winner and not one that has to be destroyed every four years.

Having Rick DiPietro healthy for a change wouldn’t be so bad either.

The Isles and Scott Gordon however, have nothing to lose.

That alone will make for an intriguing game tonight.

I don’t know how you guys feel, but these games, regardless of where these two teams are in the standings, always put a smile on my face. Sure, there have been plenty of moments over the years I’d like to forget, times when Theo Fleury was too busy clucking like a chicken to be taken seriously or when Dan Cloutier looked like Chuck Liddell and absolutely beat the crap out of Tommy Salo, but there are good moments as well. If my memory serves me correct [I may be wrong, I was nine at the time.], my boy Pierre Turgeon scored his 50th goal against the Rangers in ‘93 and who could forget when Robert Reichel scored four goals against them the day before Thanksgiving? For me, regardless of how successful the Isles have been over the past 15 years, those are some great memories that will always make this rivalry the most special one in hockey today.

If that wasn’t enough, the games between these two teams always have that added intensity from start to finish and it’s good hockey from regardless of what side of the rink you watch from.

I think that’s what the Rangers need right now more than anything. They do not look like a playoff team and every player that they’ve brought in this season, with perhaps the exception of Nik Zherdev have underperformed. Even Chris Drury and Scott Gomez, two players who were solid last season and played an instrumental part in the team’s success are struggling and have only a combined 73 points on the season. Youngsters the likes of Nigel Dawes, Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan were also expected to carry some more responsibility and have much their tasks with mixed efficiency. Whatever direction GM Glen Sather wanted to take this team in has failed and it’s only on the back of Henrik Lundqvist that this team is still in the playoff hunt.

Battling their biggest low of the season, the Rangers are in trouble and the youth and grit of the Isles may be the last thing this team needs to face. If the Islanders can continue to maintain the same defensive pressure they showed against Pittsburgh and can get quality shots on whoever is in net, they’ll be in great shape. The youngsters on the Isles are beginning to establish themselves and the Rangers are in a downward spiral.

Should make for a good game, right?

While this obviously good for Danis, who was a relative-unknown last season, it’s not exactly the best news for Joey MacDonald.

So with that being said, who gets to back up Rick DiPietro next season?

“One thing about Yann, I think he’s taken it a step further than what Joey did,” Gordon told the Associated Press last night. “Not that Joey didn’t play well, but certainly, Yann, from a level of consistency, has been able to play like a guy that’s a true No. 1. That’s reflective of his numbers…to consistently give up less than three goals is what you expect a No. 1 guy to do, and that’s the type of performance he’s been able to give us. It goes hand in hand with his success. When you have that kind of goaltending, it certainly makes it easier for your team to know that, when you have those off moments, it’s going to stay tight.”

Only on the New York Islanders could there be a goaltending controversy right now. With the trading deadline rapidly approaching, could one of the two be on the move? Again, only on the Islanders. Nevertheless, this situation alone should provide plenty of bar conversation over the next week or so.

What do you guys think?

Bergenheim back- Despite registering just one shot in 11-plus minutes of action, Sean Bergenheim is back. It may take him a few games to get back in the swing of things, but having another gritty player in the lineup is definitely going to help the Islanders the rest of the season. Another guy I’d like to see get up to 15-20 goals, Bergenheim got hot at the end of last season, lets see what happens this time around. A skilled penalty killer as well, having a healthy Bergenheim back in the lineup also makes up for the injury of Nate Thompson and allows either Richard Park or Andy Hilbert more responsibility at center. Considering how dependable those guys have been on the ice this season, I think that’s good news as well.

So again, while this team isn’t going to make the playoffs, at least there are things to think about the rest of the season and offseason.

The question I’m about to ask may appear to be a simple one, but it is still one that has to be asked.

“What is going on here?”

I know that it appears that the Islanders Lighthouse Project is destined to the same fate as what’s going on with the New Jersey Nets in Brooklyn, but are they really on the market? Are things are bad as the last time this team was sold? I don’t think so. This team would have made the playoffs last season if it was not for injuries and would be .500 if they had a healthy defense and Rick DiPietro around.

Sure, Islanders owner Charles Wang has sunk a plethora of money into this team and has lost most of it, but chalk it up as a learning experience. Rather than buy a champion like he tried to do when he first came here, Wang now has to do the same thing every other team is doing now, which is building through good trades and draft picks.

Before the Islanders are attempted to be moved, he should at least give this team a few more years to see what he has with Josh Bailey, Kyle Okposo and the host of other youngsters that are starting to ripen. I don’t think he’ll be too displeased in the end, especially if they continue to build through the draft over the next few seasons.

Nonetheless, it’s never good to hear that the team you watch is thinking about taking their business elsewhere.

Luckily, one thing that isn’t tough to understand or decipher. This organization is starting to build a dedication to it’s youngsters , not only for the rest of the rest of the season, but the future as well.

“At the end of the day, there was nothing to lose,” Islanders head coach Scott Gordon told the AP before the Florida game a few night’s ago when asked about why the youth on the team are getting more minutes. I knew it would be a pretty tall order to make the playoffs; we’d have to go something like 30 and 10 and that’s a hard thing to expect. It’s not like we abandoned our older players, but we’re giving the opportunity to the younger players. Along the way, I think that made us a better team.”

With Gordon understanding the team’s MO and doing whatever it takes to help them accomplish their goals, the Islanders need time for all the pieces to come together.

Will they get it?

That perhaps is the most important question of all.

Damn, this didn’t start the way I wanted it to.

However, in spite of the Islanders playoff hopes having less life than a pack of batteries from the dollar store, this team still has a ton of time to do one thing much more important than reaching the postseason.

Winning back the faith of the fan base.

Let’s face it, the organization is going to win as many fans over with their “Can-do, Fondue” ticket promotion as Jason Alexander would if he became the new spokesperson for Bally Total Fitness. The only way this team gets a new place to play and the only way this team gets the support of their exhausted and broken-hearted fans back is by players the likes of Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, Trent Hunter and Mark Streit, the players that are all in for the long haul and will be built around over the next few years, getting as many goals, assists, points and anything else that can give the confidence they need to become impact players and players that can help change the motif the rest of the league has towards this team.

“I’m not going, the rest of the year, to base everything on wins and losses,” Islanders head coach Scott Gordon told Newsday the other night. “To me, our measure of success is going to be the confidence and the improvement of players that are going to get more ice time.”

Seems to me that Gordon has done the math and finally has found a formula that can get this team a bit more respect.

Being a writer, it’s in my nature to hate math, but I have come up with a few equations that have the possibility of determining the rest of the Islanders’ season.

More ice-time for youngsters= extreme-super-fun-awesome goodness for fans, great for franchise, no fondue necessary.

More ice-time for youngsters= veterans know they have to hustle more if they want to stay on the ice.

Veterans knowing that they have to hustle more if they want to stay on the ice= a revitalized franchise.

The only sad part is that it took over a half season to find this out.

The truth of the matter however is that they probably would have never realized any of this if they weren’t as bad as they were during the first half. Losing as often as the Isles did early on, you find out very quickly who the winners are and who the losers are. Despite the fact that this team has the record it has, I haven’t seen many players just giving up on plays. The fact is, as I’ve stated early and often this season, this team, with all the injuries they’ve had, just haven’t been very good. It was never a matter of them quitting.

Healthier and more confident than they’ve been all season, the Isles may have a few tricks up their sleeves that may put some smiles on their fans faces.

They deserve it.

Last night against the Rangers, every Islanders youngster got a hearty helping of minutes and despite the fact that they lost, the effort was there. The difference was of course was Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who was uber solid after a first period where he looked to be having problems with his rebound control and overall confidence.

So with that being said, it’s obvious that as of right now, these kids lack the polish needed to win hockey games. Most of them are still growing into their bodies or getting accustomed to the NHL game. So what can we expect the rest of the season.

A lot of losses, that’s for sure, but a lot of entertainment as well.

While veterans the likes of Mark Streit, Bill Guerin, Trent Hunter and Richard Park are obviously going to continue to get minutes in key situations, don’t be shocked to see guys like Sean Bergenheim and Josh Bailey get much more time on the powerplay. Also, with his speed and desire on the ice, Kyle Okposo would make one hell of a penalty killer, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him tried out there as well.

The way Islanders head coach Scott Gordon is talking right now, it feels like all these wild experiments will begin to take shape over the next few games.

“We used the first half of the year to allow our older players to run with it. Now we’re at the point, whether it’s our next game or a couple games after that, (where) there’s certainly going to be a bigger responsibility on our younger guys,” Gordon told the Associated Press a few days ago. “Not necessarily lineup changes, but bigger responsibilities. It’s something that I’m going to be cognizant of to make sure that (all our young guys are) moving in the direction to have a bigger impact and to have it carry over into next year.”

Exactly.

Trying all of these guys in different roles now will make next season a bit more predictable for them and help the organization truly assess where they truly belong to be. Some of these guys are going to be expected to be big parts of the team next season and if they don’t start to show some promise now, they may not be around to find out.

Simply put, with all the injuries this team has had, you wouldn’t blame the guy if he did.

Not having Rick DiPietro in the lineup for virtually the entire season alone gives him a get out of jail free card, but even in spite of that, Gordon hasn’t made any excuses.

“Certainly, not having your No. 1 guy for the whole year has been a unique situation,” Gordon told the AP. “It would be a unique situation for any team, but certainly, as a first-time head coach in the NHL, to not have your No. 1 guy and to have to rely so much on a guy that’s done a great job at trying to make a name for himself as a proven NHL goaltender, it certainly has been a hurdle.”

Aside from the play of Mark Streit, Joey MacDonald and Doug Weight, things like this make the season a little bit easier to deal with. Anyone who reads Chris Botta’s rock-solid Point-Blank blog, knows that Islanders GM Garth Snow is sticking with Gordon for the long-term and regardless of what any of his players say about the team’s new system, the Islanders are going to give Gordon every opportunity to make things work.

Botta also did a great job on his blog recently talking about the strides the Washington Capitals have made over the years to become the team that they have. Much like Botta, I feel the Isles may have to tank the next few seasons and bring in the right people little by little if they have any chance at turning this team into a legitimate and consistent playoff contender.

The only problem is asking Islander fans to wait isn’t exactly an easy thing to do.

Being a fan of this team over the past 15 years has been like going to OTB and betting on a bad horse simply because you feel it’s got what it takes and then seeing it break every bone in it’s body and miraculously get up and do it over again the next race. Sure, there have been some moments where this horse finished, but after last season especially, it was obvious that the horse needed to be taken out to pasture. So now, while not having a completely new pony, the Islanders have a genetic misfit that hopefully can transform itself into something dependable and entertaining over the next few seasons.

If it doesn’t, then Gordon won’t need to make excuses, because he and Snow will be out of them.

They got back in the game a few times, following nice goals by Bill Guerin and Mike Sillinger, but not once did it feel like they were headed in the right direction.

The reason for the most part I believe was the defense left Joey MacDonald out to dry… again. Every goal the Maple Leafs scored was due to a miscue on the Islanders defense. By the time Jeremy Williams scored his first NHL goal, it was painfully obvious that the Isles defense needed to get back to basics and simply watch for the back door pass and eliminate they space they offered the Leafs.

On offense, I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the changes in the forward lines Islanders head coach Scott Gordon made before the game. I know Sillinger has had chemistry with Trent Hunter and Andy Hilbert, but there was “real” chemistry starting to develop between he and Josh Bailey. I know the team is pressed for offense over the past few games, but that was a combination I wouldn’t have played around with.

All night, I just felt like there was too much of a feeling out process going on between most of the new lines, which was just one of the reasons why there was a huge gap in third period where the Islanders couldn’t complete a pass.

That combined with the sloppy defense really put the Isles in a situation where they couldn’t muster enough energy to get the W.

On a positive note, I really liked the way Richard Park and Blake Comeau played last night. Regardless of the score, they were making smart plays in both ends. The same thing goes for Tim Jackman who continues to make something out of nothing every night. He’s kind of like a slinky that you never think will be able to make it down the stairs, but surprises you every time.

Unfortunately, as a team recently, the Isles haven’t shown the passion or intensity to make it down a pair of steps, nevertheless a flight of them.

Something has to change soon.

On another note, what is going on with Ian White and Ryan Hollweg? They look like a combination of the Super Mario Bros and legendary porn star Ron Jeremy with those mustaches. Scary stuff if you ask me. However, even more scarier were a few questionable hits by Hollweg in the game, one that caused a scrap between he and Nate Thompson, who ironically left the game with the flu shortly thereafter [maybe it had to do with seeing that wad of facial hair up-close]. Simply put, this guy has had a history of hitting from behind and one day, he’ll be just as vilified as Chris Simon, the guy that went over the line on him a few years ago.

Mark my words.

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.

Well, here are my thoughts:

Firstly, the Islanders will instantly get better in the faceoff circle. Always one of the best faceoff guys in the league, Sillinger’s ability on the draw will help the Islanders on the powerplay and in their own end as well.

As well, the Islanders forward lines will have a bit more depth and head coach Scott Gordon can have some more fun with the combinations. I mentioned a few of the possibilities last night, but didn’t think of the Islanders powerplay featuring the likes of Sillinger, Bill Guerin, Josh Bailey, Mark Streit and Doug Weight until just now. Again, while it pales to compare to what some other team’s have, the Islanders depth is finally starting to kick in and I think because of that, the offense is going to pick up rather shortly.

On another note, once Mike Comrie comes back healthy, the Islanders will be pretty damn solid, albeit a bit on the old side, up the middle, featuring Weight, Comrie, Sillinger and Bailey. With that being said, I think they’ll eventually be able to hold their own at that position with the rest of the league.

Isles Looking at Gaborik? According to Eklund of the infamous HockeyBuzz.com, the Islanders are allegedly going after Marian Gaborik.

All I can say to that is no…no…no.

Nothing against the guy, who is without a doubt a legitimate talent in this league, but the Wild will be asking for way too much and as teams like the Penguins and Blackhawks have proven over the past few years, you don’t rebuild your fanbase by trading away high draft picks. Over the past few years, the Islanders have been lucky on a few occasions, with the Ryan Smyth trade not biting them in the rear and guys the likes of Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey having the potential to help play a part in turning th franchise around.

Even though Gaborik is only 26, he’s not the right fit for this team, that is unless the Isles can give the Wild a host of players that don’t figure to be in their long-term plans that may be attractive.

Immediately, a player like Comrie comes to mind, but obviously, that isn’t going to be enough. Who else could this team package in without sacrificing their future? Radek Martinek? Andy Sutton? I don’t know guys. The way this team is playing this season so far, they may be able to squeak into the playoffs once they get healthy. Do they take the risk of surrendering the rest of what could be a fun season, just to bring a big name in? What would you guys do if you were Garth Snow?

If Josh Baily was a wrestler, he’d have all of those things, averaging over 17 minutes of ice time over his past six games and quickly earning the faith of Isles head coach Scott Gordon after notching five assists in his first 10 games in the NHL.

Things didn’t feel that way for Bailey however, as he feels he’s just starting to get comfty on the Island.

“Obviously, there were times I was sitting in my hotel room thinking it was almost a matter of time before I went back to junior,” Bailey told the Associated Press. “Once they told me I was staying … I told them I’m starting to get my confidence as a player.”

I’ve said before that I really like the chemistry between Doug Weight and Bill Guerin this season, but the line of Trent Hunter, Andy Hilbert and Bailey have been pretty damn solid as well. Once Sillinger comes back [he's expected to play on Thursday] the Isles have two options. They can either put Silly on a line with whoever is left from the third and fourth line, possibly Jon Sim and Jeff Tambellini, leaving the fourth line to be a solid trio of Richard Park, Nate Thompson and Tim Jackman, or they can reunite Sillinger with his old linemates in Hunter and Hilbert and see if Bailey’s play making ability can wake up Tambellini and keep Jon Sim at a 15-20 goal pace.

Either way, it should be fun to watch.

From the looks of it, Gordon feels the same way.

“I think it really comes down to the maturity of the player, and Josh is a mature player and person,” Gordon told the AP. “Like I said, he’s done everything right that we’ve asked him to do … Whoever he’s going to play with down the road is going to be a better player because he’s one of those players who can make something out of nothing. That’s an exciting thing to have because those players are hard to find.”

For my money, I’d love to see Bailey continue to work with Hunter and Hilbert. Once Kyle Okposo and Mike Comrie come back, the Isles offense can be shaken up a bit so they get the most bang for their buck, but as of right now, I wouldn’t want to mess with a good thing.

That’s exactly what happened last night.

Sean Bergenheim and Chris Campoli have the ability and heart to score 40 to 50 points a season in this league and with a few years under their belts, they have to produce. With that being said, it feels good to see these guys come through when they need to. Like I’ve said before, guys that can skate the way Bergenheim and Campoli can, are tailor-made for the Islanders new offense and have to continue producing. For me, it’s a given the Islanders aren’t going to have a 90 or even an 80-point guy on the team this season, but if they have a handful of guys with 40 and 50, then they’ll be more than okay.

However, when you talk about guys tailor-made for the Islanders system, Jon Sim is another guy that comes to mind. The pest that he is, forcing him to play puck pursuit hockey just brings out the best in his game. On pace for a new career high in goals, Sim, despite starting a bit slow this season, is starting to come around exactly when the team needs him to.

Speaking of guys that are coming around, what about Joey MacDonald? Shame on me for thinking for one second that this guy couldn’t hold his own with DP injured [yes, I thought it, but I didn't dare say it at the time] or even as the team’s backup for that matter. Nonetheless, as the season has done on, MacDonald’s weaknesses, such as his inability to cover the posts and take care of pucks in the crease, hasn’t been nearly as prevalent as it was before and it’s gotten to the point where he has singlehandedly kept this team in hockey games.

Last night was more of a team effort than anything, but without Joey Mac between the pipes, things could have gotten really hairy out there.

With their next game against the Canucks on Monday, it’s going to be interesting to see where this team goes next.

For what my opinion is worth, I don’t think Comrie will ever be a point a game player in the NHL. Right now, he would be an excellent third line center on a great team or a solid second line center on a very good team. Only on a fridge or rebuilding team like the Islanders could he get a shot at being a number one center. That shot didn’t exactly go as planned for him last season either, as his lack of polish on defense and overuse of simple deke moves [like the toe drag, cough] hurt him down the stretch and turned what could have been a career year into another decent one.

Last season, around the All Star break, Comrie was pretty close to a point a game and once he had to be counted on more to provide offense when injuries enveloped the team, his game suffered incredibly. Being even more judgmental here, if you take away the first week of the season from him last year, where he lit up the Buffalo Sabres and it’s totally possible that he could have had his worst offensive season since his rookie campaign.

This season, it appears that the Islanders head coach Scott Gordon prefers to see Doug Weight play with Bill Guerin and because of that, Comrie has been relegated to playing on a line with Richard Park and Kyle Okposo. While some Islander fans aren’t too excited about this, I feel that once Mike Sillinger comes back, the Islanders lines will be pretty well balanced and Comrie won’t be a victim of playing against the opposition’s best defensive players every night, which will benefit him and his current linemates immensely. He’ll produce the same amount of offense he did last season, but it will be worth even more to the team because he’ll be more of a role player than a primary producer. Trading him now would ruin any chance this team has at having a decent offensive attack.

Don’t do it Garth Snow.

That is unless you’re willing to play Josh Bailey in more than nine games this season and you can get a first or second round pick for him.

From the look of it so far, it looks like the team is diggin’ it.

“The essence of the style is to be constantly moving and getting the puck up the ice quickly. It’s all about high speed with and without the puck and putting pressure on the opposition. “It was a long night for the wingers when we played against Providence in the past,” said Tambellini on the team’s official website on Sunday. “The defensemen sat right up on the wingers when we tried to get the puck out. It’s a very fluid system that Gordon implements. It keeps the opposition from having too much time with the puck. We’re all going to have to be skating at top speed.”

Sounds to me that every player on this team is going to have pest-like characteristics then. With a lack of a true first-line center and a first line in general, this may work out well. Again however, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about guys like Hunter, Guerin and Weight getting comfortable. Over the years, I’ve seen guys [take Markus Naslund for instance] get their style cramped when a new coach came in with a new style, so I really don’t want to see guys games get hurt to their point where they are ineffective.

On the other hand, you’d have to think that after the relatively mediocre offensive production this team had last season, that a guy like Hunter or Guerin that have the talent to score 25 to 30 goals in this league if they get hot, are willing to try anything.

With that being said, I think this system to tailor-made for getting the most out of players like Richard Park, Sean Bergenheim, Frans Neilsen, Andy Hilbert and Jon Sim. I even feel that Mike Comrie and Kyle Okposo can benefit from it as well. Let’s face it, teams that skate hard and keep moving every night usually win hockey games. If not, they’re fun to watch. Look at the Sabres team that beat the Islanders in the playoffs a few seasons ago as an example. Many of those players work their tails off in both ends and keep the puck moving, which makes them hard to defend against. I don’t know if it’ll work with the Islanders this season, but it should be fun to watch.

With that being said, I figure I’d talk about some of the players that I think will be some of Gordon’s early favorites, and who may end up in the chateau de bow bow.

Early Favorites-

Richard Park- Want speed and grit? He’s got plenty of it. Add in the fact that he can kill penalties and is coming off his best offensive season, I see Park racking up plenty of minutes early in the season.

Sean Bergenheim- Just like Park, Bergenheim has a ton of speed and grit. However, his upside is much better and if he can learn to finish, he’ll be a more than solid second liner.

Jon Sim- Hustle personified. A solid physical game, mixed in with good work in the corners make Sim someone Gordon can depend on this season. Add in the fact that he’s been itching to get back on the ice for the past six months and I think Sim is going to be a great pest.

Dog House Candidates-

Andy Sutton- If he’s up to his usual tricks of blocking shots, starting fights and clearing the crease, Sutton should be just fine. However, due to his questionable speed [even though he's not a bad skater for a guy his size] and inconsistency, he may be fighting for ice time.

Mike Comrie- While Ted Nolan put up with his less than mediocre play in the defensive zone and constant toe dragging last season, I highly doubt Gordon will. In order to get the most out of him this season, Gordon will have to keep him motivated and make sure he gets him the necessary time on the powerplay. However, in order for that to happen, he’s going to have to play smart in both ends. Who knows if that actually happens.

Bruno Gervais- While his speed and superior skating ability should fit Gordon’s new system, his lack of a physical game and inconsistent passing ability may get him in trouble. With the Islanders most likely having problems scoring goals again this season, his lack of offensive prowess won’t help him much either.

However, the biggest question of all is what to do with team captain Alexei Yashin.

Failing to meet the expectations of the organization after a solid first season on the island, Yashin should not be wearing the “C” on his sweater anymore for a bevy of reasons. While who eventually wears the “C” next season is anyone’s guess right now, it’s obvious that Yashin does not fit what Islanders head coach Ted Nolan is trying to do with this team and is incapable of being the type of captain the team and fan base desperately needs right now.

Let’s face it; while Yashin is still capable of being a top 10 player in this league, it’s extremely doubtful that he ever will be again. For one, the guy has got to have the worst luck in the world, as ever since he’s been on the Islanders, he’s either gotten injured at the worst possible time or he’s found himself in the chateau de bow wow [that’s dog house for you non-French speakers] of every single coach that’s been there because of his uninspired play. On top of all of that, the Islanders have consistently played well when Yashin was out of the lineup, proving that he’s not and never was as instrumental as Mike Milbury and Charles Wang thought he was going to be, making the deal that got him here for Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt and eventually Jason Spezza look like one of the worst in the history of the team and all of hockey.

While the trade that got him here is questionable, having Yashin, who’s made it obvious that he’ll never meet expectations, at the top of the team food chain, makes the Islanders look even more dim-witted. After a season of slick-moves by Garth Snow to optimize the teams chances at making the offseason and great coaching by Nolan and his staff, the days of contemplating signing a sumo wrestler to play net for the team and hirings and firings within the organization seem to be over; however, the Isles need to take it even further.

Simply put, someone that totally embodies what Nolan and the rest of the organization wants to do with this team should be the Islanders captain; someone like Mike Sillinger, Trent Hunter and Brendan Witt, who would have skated through a wall during the season if their head coach would have asked. Those are the types of players that you build a successful team around, not underachieving goal-scorers that are all out of excuses.

Sure, it’s obvious that Yashin is still the most talented player on the team, but talent can only get you so far in the NHL. Just ask Alexander Daigle, Brad Dalgarno, Jamie Lundmark and the myriad of other high draft picks with all the talent in the world that never really panned out in this league and they’ll tell you the same thing.

Heart and soul is what any great hockey team needs in order to dominate and it all starts from the top. While Yashin can and most likely will continue to be a more than adequate, nearly point per game player the rest of his career, he is not the person that should be leading the Islanders out of the badland of NHL mediocrity.

Knowing that, it seems that Islanders head coach Ted Nolan isn’t going to take any chances and is going to bench anyone that isn’t up to the task.

One of those players in game 2 was Alexei Yashin.

Anyone else notice that Yashin got barely any playing time in Game 2? I did. Looks like Nolan is going through the same things that Peter Laviolette, Steve Stirling and Brad Shaw all had to deal with at one time or another, as Yashin’s play in the playoffs so far has been lackluster to say the very least.

Despite going through similar stretches during the regular season, it’s kind of hard to argue with 50 points and a +6 in 58 games. Maybe I’m stretching here, but if Yashin doesn’t get hurt down the stretch, maybe he leads the Isles in scoring and the team doesn’t have to fight as hard as they did to get into the playoffs.

For the time being though, guesses and hunches about what Yashin could have done aren’t going to help the team now. Going into the playoffs, I thought Yashin was at least going to have a little bit more jump in his game than he’s had now, considering that he had. Aside from drawing a penalty in game two, what has Yashin done so far in this series?

Not much.

It’s kind of sad when you think about how things have gone with Yashin. Here we have a guy that was supposed to give this team the kind of offensive presence they haven’t had since Ziggy Palffy got traded and aside from a decent first year with the Isles in 2002, what else has he done? I mean, sure, you can say that the guy didn’t have a consistent pair of linemates for a majority of the time he’s been here, but what about now? Viktor Kozlov and Miroslav Satan aren’t exactly Oleg Kvasha and Brad Isbister; they have talent and have proven it time and time again over the course of their careers. I may be stretching here, but they may be two of the best players Yashin’s ever played with.

In Ottawa, Yashin’s favorite linemate was Shawn McEachern. Last time I checked, Kozlov and Satan could skate rings around that guy. With the goaltending situation taken care of and the Isles having noticeably more jump, it’s time that Yashin starts playing the kind of hockey he was playing in the beginning of the season.

That means keeping his legs moving and getting himself in a position where he can use his shot. There’s a reason why NHL scouts still think that Yashin is one of the most talented players in the league; that’s because he is. However, his talent has never been under question. Sadly, his lack of desire has.

Let’s face it, he’s the captain of this team; it’s time for him to start leading by example. If not, the Isles are going to have a tough time taking the Sabres down.