This is starting to get tiring. Three games in a row this team has failed to generate consistent offense.

Sure, they started out pretty strong, but after the botched offside call, they were done for. Even Tim Jackman’s fight at the end of the game was pretty pathetic.

Is there another line on this team besides the one with Matt Moulson, John Tavares and Kyle Okposo that can get some shots on the net? Those guys are working their arses off and if they could get one more line with some chemistry, things might change a tad.

Maybe they’ll score two goals a game.

Josh Bailey has got to shoot more. Six shots on goal in six games is pathetic. Same thing goes for Sean Bergenheim, who has been a non-factor as well. I’d like to see Blake Comeau grow a pair too and start getting a little more aggressive in front of the net and shooting more.

Here’s the million dollar question: how are you supposed to have a youth movement when the kids aren’t ready to even be supporting characters?

Doug Weight needs to aim a bit lower too.

Jon Sim needs to play the way he did before the team sent him to Bridgeport… or else threaten him with it. All jokes aside, he hasn’t been all that bad, I’m just pissy right now.

Without guys like Trent Hunter and Frans Nielsen in the lineup, I think this team is missing two big catalysts.

On top of that, this team needs to play more physical. I don’t care what the hit stat says, this team needs someone to go out there and just take the body every time they get on the ice.

Joel Rechlicz had virtually no ice time on Saturday on top of everything else as well, so this team was flat on the boards, in front of the night and with their fists.

Marty Biron was decent, but the defense was far from spectacular and let the Sharks skate wherever they wanted.

Overall, it just wasn’t a fun game to watch.

Posted under 2009-10

Before I get into this edition of the blog, let me just apologize for my lack of updates. Over the past week or so, I’ve gotten up to two dozen e-mails from angry fans to even my own father asking me to update this site. The reason why I haven’t, you ask? I’m swamped. A college professor, Sports Editor of a Local Newspaper and a graduate student, I barely have time to watch games on DVR these days. Yes, The Drive for Five is still one of my passions, but I need sleep my friends. However, I pinky promise to update this site twice a week during the season.

Sorry for the delay.

OK, here we go.

These kids are a lot better than I thought that they would be and once guys like Doug Weight get back in the swing of things, Trent Hunter and Frans Nielsen come back healthy and the defense tightens up a bit more, this team is going to be a blast to watch.

Guys like John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Sean Bergenheim, Ron Schremp and Matt Moulson put a smile on my face every time they touch the puck. Sure, they may still lack the polish this team needs to make the playoffs, but they’re hungry. Tavares’ goal the other night against Boston [where I'll be from the 28th to the 30th on a mini-vacation, going whale watching and to a Bruins/Oilers game] was just a small taste of what this kid is capable of and I’d love to see him continue to shoot more. It seems to me right now most of the youngsters are trying way too hard to make the pretty play, rather than the one that works.

If they are going to get through the season, they’ll need to collect as many garbage goals now. It seems Moulson has the idea as the puck seems to be following him on a nightly basis. Now if the rest of the youngsters could follow suit, this team could be the ball breakers of the league.

With the goaltending the Isles have, they don’t need a ton of offense, but they do need a few 20-goal scorers and the defense to play tight. So far, the defense has been eh. Late in games, they look a bit suspect and I’d like to see guys like Bruno Gervais and Andy Sutton be a little more proactive with the puck and a little bit more physical. This team doesn’t have an enforcer and because of that, they need every guy to play like their testicles are on fire. Otherwise, the bigger teams in the league, like the LA Kings, are going to skate all over them late in games. That didn’t happen on Monday luckily, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t.

It’s still early, but I still feel this team could have used another goal scorer from the free agent market, just to make themselves a little more competitive. The goal scoring hasn’t been great thus far and we’ll see how far off I am on that one by the All-Star break. Butch Goring sees Tavares as a 40-goal scorer, but I think him and Okposo will have around 25-30. At any rate however, it’s still not enough for this team to make the playoffs, making it pretty obvious this team has to continue to grow leaps and bounds before they’re ready for the prime time.

Nevertheless, it’ll be a fun process to watch. And watch we will.

Posted under 2009-10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted under 2009-10

It boggles the mind why people would be upset that John Tavares signed an entry level contract. I mean, seriously guys, do you really want another Alexei Yashin or Rick DiPietro contract to stare at if the kid gets hurt or under-performs? This way, the kid knows he’s not untouchable and has to earn his keep. If you ask me, there’s nothing worse than a cocky teenager who hasn’t accomplished anything yet. That, now, obviously won’t happen here. It’s a situation where the Islanders have to protect themselves and signing a player, who hasn’t played a single pro game yet, to anything more than an entry level contract is ludicrous.

Posted under Offseason 2009

Aside from Doug Weight, the Islanders don’t have any real playmakers and John Tavares needs someone to pass him the puck.

This is where Alex Tanguay fits in.

He’s in desperate need of a change of scenery and is coming off an injury-plagued season last year, where he still managed to score 41 points in 50 games. He also doesn’t need to shoot the puck much, probably about 110 shots will do the trick, and can still score 20 goals a year. He makes the most of his shots and is incredibly unselfish with the puck. Sure, he’s fragile and sometimes inconsistent, but I still think that if he plays with Tavares, it could be something special.

The fact that the rest of league has passed up on him means the Islanders can get him cheaper than they could have done before. If they sign him to a two or three-year contract, they get him through his early 30s and if he doesn’t perform, they could always trade him to a contender for a draft pick.

However, if he performs, Tavares and who ever else is on the line with him and Tanguay, most likely Kyle Okposo, will be able to learn from a guy will some experience and will be able to get more of an opportunity to step up their game as well.

Low-risk, High-reward if you ask me.

Posted under Offseason 2009

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

Dwayne Roloson can definitely be that guy.

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

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

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

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

Posted under Offseason 2009

Well, things are changing in Islander Country.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted under Offseason 2009

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

Who will it be?

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

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

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

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

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

Time to put your money where your mouth is buddy.

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

Posted under Offseason 2009

It feels like a year ago that the Islanders were awarded the first pick in this year’s entry draft.

Or is it just me?

Ah, the suspense.

Who will the Islanders draft?

John Tavares? Victor Hedman?

Will they even use the pick?

Guess we’re just going to have to wait and see.

At any rate however, the Islanders still need to solve their goaltending issue and look for a few more players to challenge these youngsters for spots in camp. Nothing is worse than a complacent 20-year-old who knows he has a job. Because of that, the Isles have to look around for some veterans who can come in and try and earn a job. Who knows, they may end up with another Richard Park or someone like that who can truly help the youngsters and his career at the same time.

Islanders call on former first round pick to backup bench- Any older Islander fans doesn’t have to be told who Dean Chynoweth is. Despite the fact that his career didn’t go as planned, he was an extremely fierce competitor who put his heart into every shift.

For you younger fans who don’t know who he is, check this out:

Over the past decade and change, he’s made a good name for himself in minor league hockey and has shown the same type of passion behind the bench.

At the very least, he’ll be an interesting addition to the Islanders bench.

“Dean has an extremely strong background of developing young prospects from working in the International Hockey League (IHL) and WHL for the past 11 years,” Snow said on the team’s official site a few days ago. “With the youth of our team, he is a perfect fit to show them what it takes to succeed in the NHL. His defensive background from his playing days will also serve as a tremendous asset to our young defensemen.”

Posted under Offseason 2009

Pretty interesting that John Tavares and Matt Duchene chose to stay the night over Garth Snow’s crib a few days ago; I don’t know how common a practice that is, but it at least means that if either of these two players get drafted by the Islanders, they’ll be somewhat happy campers.

Things get even better though, especially in the case of Tavares.

From Yahoo Sports:

• C John Tavares not only slept at GM Garth Snow’s house during his visit to Long Island in late May, but he toured Long Island with 17-year veteran C Doug Weight during his stay. “I drove him to some areas and said, ‘I played 15 years in the league before I knew this was here,’” Weight told Newsday. “You can have a wonderful fan base; we can start winning, and sooner or later, there will be a new building. You’ll have one of the greatest cities in the world 30 minutes from your door, and it’s a beautiful summer spot.’ I said, ‘You’re the type of player who can be the face of this franchise for a long time if they take you. There’s nothing to be afraid of as far as being here on Long Island. There’s a reputation because the team hasn’t had much success over the last 12 years, but maybe it just takes somebody like you to get in there.’ He showed absolutely no worry… He handles the pressure well, but I also think he likes to get away in the off-season. This could be a perfect place for him.”

Make no mistake about it, this was one of the reasons why Doug Weight was resigned. He’s like a used car salesman you want to take out to dinner. There’s a sincerity in his words, yet you know he’s got his own motives. The guy has a way with players that makes me think he’ll earn himself a nice role in the front office of a team or in the NHLPA once his playing days are over. If he can continue to perform at the pace he was last season, he may have one more year left in him after all.

However, before I sing his praises any further, we’ll see just how much they played a part in the way things turn out on June 26.

Hopefully this is the beginning of more good news to come.

Posted under Offseason 2009