Forwards
Tavares Weight Okposo
Bergenheim Bailey Hunter
Tambellini Nielsen Comeau
Jackman Park Joensuu/Rechlicz

Defense

Streit Gervais
Witt Martinek
Sutton Meyer/Hillen

Goaltenders

Biron
Roloson
DiPietro

Notes-

Eventually I’d like to see Tavares move to center full-time and work with Bergenheim and Okposo. As far as Nate Thompson not being on here, I just think that this team needs more offense on the fourth line. Jackman showed tons of moxie last year and Park has proven he can be a lot more than a fourth liner. Joensuu is a big and strong kid that will make this a great energy line. I’d even be willing to let both Park and Joensuu get some PP time too to give them a little more incentive out there. When the team plays against the tough teams, Rechlicz can spell Joensuu and take care of business.

As far as Comeau goes, lets hope he learned his lesson from last season and comes into camp in shape, scores 15-20 goals and plays good physical, two-way hockey. If he does, he could be one of the best third liners in the league and develop into a Kris Draper-Jay Pandolfo-type player. Won’t hold my breath though.

In other news, the Islanders have been stepping up their support of the lighthouse project on the site as of late, but there’s an even better way to get this thing moving. Sign another scorer.

Here’s a list of some players available right now.

Robert Lang
Viktor Kozlov
Maxim Afinogenov
Todd Bertuzzi
Petr Sykora
Alex Tanguay
Taylor Pyatt

Some of these guys are in need of a second chance, and some are even old, but Pyatt or Bertuzzi would be great on the third line and in front of the net on the powerplay. Sykora, Kozlov and Tanguay can all come in and score at least 20 goals and give the team some more name recognition.

That may be what the team needs more. Get fans excited to see that the team is taking steps to put a quality team on the ice. Then they’ll spend their money going there and give the government officials enough of a reason to support it as well.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Regardless of what New York Islanders General Manager Garth Snow says, the signing of Marty Biron means two things: The Isles are going to try to win as many games as they can this season and you can expect another signing or two this summer.

Sure, the team is rebuilding, but by having three starting goaltenders on their roster, the Islanders also keep their options open. If DP comes back and is able to play Biron becomes an excellent bargaining chip, which can be used for the 2010 draft.

Say what you want about it, but I remember the Maple Leafs and several other teams over the past few years stockpiling capable goaltenders.

Snow should be applauded for signing a netminder with Biron’s experience for virtually nothing.

Not only does it make the team much more competitive on paper, it also proves to the fan base that the team isn’t dumping the season before it starts.

Damn good news if you ask me.

Now get another scoring forward and defenseman.

Then I’ll be happy.

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!”

The only question is, what does the team do? Do they continue to develop the talent they have and hope that those needs get filled, or do they get proactive and ensure those dire needs? I personally feel that aside from a backup goaltender, the Islanders may sign a veteran leader or two to fight for a spot in training camp, but aside from that, they’re done.

That is unless they are willing to part ways with a few of their underachieving youngsters. However, I don’t expect Snow to pull a Mike Milbury here and trade any young player before he has a good enough idea of what they are truly capable of. No more Todd Bertuzzi or Bryan McCabe jobs here anymore.

Despite that, I figured it would be interesting to see who is available right now.

I know this list is far from complete, but here are some of the forwards who will be UFA’s this offseason:

Marian Gaborik, Mark Recchi, Martin Havlat, Keith Tkachuk, Mike Knuble, Maxim Afinogenov, Ian Laperriere, Nik Antropov, Brian Gionta, Steven Reinprecht, Bobby Holik, Alex Tanguay, John Madden, Mike Comrie, Mike Cammalleri, Eric Cole, the Sedin twins, Taylor Pyatt.

Thoughts:

Aside from Gaborik, Havlat, Cammalleri and the Sedin Twins, I don’t know if I’d take a chance on anyone here. Recchi and Tkachuk may get interest from the Isles, especially because they are leaders. Laperriere may be an interesting choice too and would be fun to watch with guys like Richard Park and Blake Comeau. However, like I mentioned before, for any of these moves to happen, the Islanders will have to trade some of the youngsters to make room. Do you do that in a rebuilding plan? Especially considering most of these guys don’t look to be the type of players who would want to stay here long term?

Defensemen:

Johnny Oduya, Niclas Havelid, Jay Bouwmeester, Adrian Aucoin, Francois Beauchemin, Mattias Ohlund, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Michael Komisarek.

Thoughts: The Islanders defense isn’t in horrible shape, but I personally would like to see Oduya get a shot. Bergeron learned how to play defense in Minnesota and isn’t the same player he was a few seasons ago with the Isles. Adrian Aucoin is still a god if you ask me.

Goaltenders:

Manny Fernandez, Nikolai Khabibulin, Antero Niittymaki, Martin Biron, Scott Clemmensen, Jason Labarbera.

Thoughts:

Take Clemmensen and be done with it. The guy proved this season he could handle the pressure. He’s in his prime and will be ready if DP gets hurt. A no-brainer if ya ask me. However, Niittymaki may be an interesting option as well.

Unlike some of the other players that seemed content with their play during the season, Weight was always seen yammering on the bench and trying whatever he could in order to get his team going.

Now with the team ready to draft the number one pick in the draft in a few weeks, Weight sees the possibilities.

And boy is he excited.

“Getting the first pick in the draft certainly excites me from an organization standpoint,” Weight said. “We had 61 points this year and we had a lot of injuries and it was a tough year for us this way. I think we are going in the right direction, but nothing speeds it up like getting a great hockey player. We have some good young players that have taken some strides this year, but to get somebody like this in your organization in September or October will give us a boost and maybe it will give us some confidence. If you team that up with everyone getting healthy next year, who knows what position we are going to be in.”

You have to admit, Weight has a point. While the rest of the NHL is focused on what the Islanders did this year, no one is thinking about how much better they can be next season. Guys like Josh Bailey, Frans Neilsen, Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau should be ready to perform at a higher level and if they can keep veterans like Trent Hunter, Brendan Witt and Radek Martinek healthy, who knows what the team will be capable of.

Well, I think even if that is the case, the team will struggle to find itself in the postseason, but they will be better than this season.

At the very least, it’s a start.

While garnering the first pick has lifted the spirits of Weight, it’s been great for business as well.

“There is a lot of excitement surrounding this year’s NHL Entry Draft for the Islanders organization and its fans,” New York Islanders President Chris Dey told the team’s official website. “That enthusiasm is being felt through the increased interest in our various ticket packages.”

Teams like the Blackhawks and Penguins have proven how much a first overall pick can change play on the ice and business; hopefully this is just the beginning of something special for the Isles.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

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.

Simply put, Danis and MacDonald still aren’t proven commodities in this league and with Rick DiPietro’s injury problems the past couple of seasons, the Islanders need not only to sign a seasoned backup, but someone who can also play at Bridgeport that is capable of backing up as well. As far as I’m concerned, Peter Mannino still needs to earn his bumps and bruises, making the Islanders forced to go shopping in the free agent pool or at the draft to solve these problems.

In my last post, I named a few goaltenders the Isles could go after in the draft, but I failed to address the message that could potentially send to DiPietro. Even if they are a few years away, it may agitate DP and make him even more of a loose cannon on the ice, giving the Islanders another disaster of a contract to deal with while they are still paying off the salaries of Alexei Yashin and Shawn Bates. Nevertheless, drafting a young goaltender who in a few years could play 30-40 games would be the best thing for the organization and something that the Islanders enigmatic goaltender will have to deal with.

In addition to signing a young goaltender, the Islanders would be smart to take a look at the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have Curtis Joseph, Olaf Kolzig and Martin Gerber entering Unrestricted Free Agency this offseason. Of the three, Gerber may be the best option. Making $1.8 million this season and coming off a less than mediocre campaign in ‘09, Gerber, who won 38 games three years ago, can be the guy to the team if DP’s hips aren’t up for the long haul and can be acquired for a reasonable price. His apparent friendship with Mark Streit should only help facilitate the process as well.

Who knows, many the Islanders can hit the Swiss jackpot two years in a row.

So I’m sure you’re all wondering, what does this have to do with Danis and MacDonald?

Well, I personally think Danis would be the better choice to play at Bridgeport considering the fact that he was the better goaltender of the two last season, with a drafted youngster earning his stripes in Utah and Bridgeport before the Islanders decide where he’s going to go next, leaving Gerber and DP with the big club.

With that being said, I believe that leaves MacDonald without a gig.

But that’s just in my bizarre world.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Well, I’ve always been a sucker for the good news first. Like the time my father told me the Islanders got Kirk Muller and Mathieu Schneider before mentioning that it cost the team Pierre Turgeon and Vladimir Malakov.

Anyway, back to business.

Yes, there is some good news to talk about despite the team’s current state.

It appears that John Tavares is down. Yes, he is down, with the New York Islanders that is.

For those of you who don’t comprehend the colloquialism, “down” means there’s an understanding of sorts between the two parties involved.

That my friends is great news. Even better than the play of Mark Streit and Kyle Okposo in the Ice Hockey Federation Men’s World Championship.

“I told Garth, ‘If you draft John, he’d look forward to playing for your organization,” Tavares’ agent Pat Brisson told Newsday. “If he’s drafted by the Islanders, he probably has a chance to play right away and contribute, and it’s the New York market. We had a nice talk.”

Looks like Tavares won’t be puling an Eric Lindros after all and the Islanders may have an easy decision to make. The fact that the Islanders also haven’t made much reference to Victor Hedman since the draft and Islanders assistant GM Ryan Jankowski has scouted Matt Duchene shows the Isles are looking for more offense at the center position.

Tavares can definitely be that guy.

OK, time for the somewhat bad news…

I’m not sure how many of you have read the Newsday article a few days ago where Islanders owner Charles Wang stated for the record that if he had the chance, he would have never bought the team, so I’ll post the link here: http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/ny-spwang2712699310may02,0,3754050.story

While it’s obvious that Wang has felt this way for quite some time, anyone who has lost as much money as he has over the past nine years would, the last thing he should do is publicly renounce his decision to buy this team- especially so close to the draft when things have to chance to start turning in his favor.

It’s like complaining about your marriage because your wife’s been acting weird for the past weeks, to only find out she’s been scared to tell you she’s pregnant. Simply put, if the Islanders get John Tavares and can add a few other pieces, things will start to change. They’ll be in a much better situation to play hard ball and get the Lighthouse Project going as well.

Because of that, Wang’s best option is to keep his mouth shut until after draft day. If Garth Snow gets the job done, he’ll be able to talk as much as he wants.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Today, those thoughts have not changed.

Despite missing 29 games with injuries this season, the wily veteran still has 35 points and when healthy, has been a difference maker.

Signing for only two million bucks as well, Weight is a low-risk and high reward signing. If he stays on the ice and off injured reserve, he’ll score his 50 points or so and will help youngsters like Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey get better.

It doesn’t get much better than that.

“I wish everything could have been a little better this year; I wish I could have stayed healthier, I wish a lot of guys on our team could have stayed healthier,” Weight told Newsday. “But I really have been impressed with everything over the course of the last three or four months, and I’ve said before we like the area. I’m excited to be coming back and excited for what’s coming for this team, hopefully sooner than later.

“We’re going to be champing at the bit to get back in September, and I’m happy to be part of it.”
The fact that Weight is still hungry and is a testament to what Scott Gordon’s system can produce may also entice other veterans to come and fill holes on this young Islanders team. Islanders General Manager Garth Snow has sad that next year’s roster will be a very similar one to this season’s, but if he can get someone at a price similar to Weight that can come in and produce, you can bet your bottom dollar that he’ll do so. Because of that, keeping Weight around can turn out to be a smart move for the Isles.
Remember this anyone?

It feels like 10 years ago, doesn’t it? To the rest of the hockey world, it seems impossible that the Islanders could have players the likes of Ryan Smyth, Alexei Yashin, Jason Blake and Viktor Kozlov on their roster, but just two seasons ago, they did.

However, if this team is to ever make the playoffs while playing in Long Island again, a new batch of players, much younger and far less accomplished, will have to find the same amount of intensity those guys did just two short seasons ago.

Will it ever happen?

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.

“We know a lot of people talk about that, but we don’t,” emerging star Kyle Okposo told the New York Post about the whole Tavares situation. “Never. We’re trying to win games and play the best we can. That stuff comes with how the results go at end of the year.

“For sure it’s important to us, but you never know how a player’s gonna turn out. I know there’s a lot of good players in this draft, but we’re not thinking about it.”

Many coaches would have a thousand gray hairs with everything that Scott Gordon has had to put up with this season, but in spite of all the failures, he’s had a plan. At times over the first 40 games, it seemed that Gordon wasn’t given the right pieces to play his system and combined with injuries, it’s fair to say he was one of the most miserable people in the entire league.

Over the second half of the season however, I think it’s fair to say that the Islanders have shown the rest of the league that they are indeed capable of being more than a last-place team and have done so without Doug Weight, Bill Guerin and a host of other players many felt were vital to the Islanders success.

That isn’t a mere coincidence; it’s good coaching.

“I told them earlier that we weren’t going to worry about our record, and that’s still true,” Gordon told the Associated Press. “It says a lot about the approach we’ve had. At this time of year, you can have the mindset that, ‘I can’t wait ‘til the season’s over.’ That’s not the case here. It’s almost like our record doesn’t exist.”

However, Gordon still understands that there is work to do.

“There are some building blocks there that are starting to come together,” Gordon told the New York Times a few days ago. “That’s the thing that’s important to me. How it carries over to next year will be dictated by whatever new players come in, draft picks, players from Bridgeport. So I’m very encouraged with the progress that’s been made, especially with our younger players.

With all the bad news this season that fans of this team have had to deal with, this is almost like walking into a room and finding out someone sprayed your favorite air freshener before you come in.

Enchanting.

Refreshing.

Good.

“I know they won four Stanley Cups in a row. They had great players there. Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier played there. They’ve got a great history, obviously,” Tavares told Newsday. “They’re looking to get a new arena—I’ve heard that, too.
“I haven’t heard too many bad things about Long Island.”
Even more interesting than what Tavares told Newsday was what ESPN got Tavares’ agent to say on the record..
“Assuming John goes first in the draft, I think he will go where he is chosen,” Tavares’ agent, Pat Brisson, told ESPN. “Let’s say it’s (the Islanders). I know (owner) Charles Wang is trying to get a new building. … Look at Mario (Lemieux) when he went to Pittsburgh. There wasn’t anything there. And it wasn’t too nice when Sidney (Crosby) went there, either. If you start picking where you want to go, you may not make the right decision.
“There are always better franchises, better organizations. But I don’t see John avoiding anywhere. … John respects the process and the league.”
What was that? Did you just exhale? That was pretty loud my friend. Yes, it was that obvious.

And what is obvious to Islander fans is obvious to the rest of the league as well. If the team needed anything right now, they need a number one pick. Not as much as they need a new building, but it definitely wouldn’t hurt the process either.

Already with Josh Bailey, Kyle Okposo and plenty of young talent that is hungry and ready to contribute, getting Tavares in the draft and continuing to build the team around him would be a great step in the right direction for this team.

The fact that the Islanders aren’t as desolate a franchise to Tavares is also a huge deal as well.

Stay tuned.

Site News:

I will be appearing on WKRB 90.3 FM this Thursday at 6:30 to discuss the Brooklyn Aces on the new talk show “Hockey Night in Brooklyn, with Jonathan Rios.”

Tune in!

Regardless of if they are winning, losing or middling, there is always news, always things to think about and write about.

Despite being in last place, this team will have a serious goaltender controversy to think about this offseason. Everyone knows Rick DiPietro will be the number one, but coming off another injury-ravaged season, it’s highly doubtful that he’ll play the 70 games he wants to play.

My best guess is that DP will play about 50-55 next season and if all goes as well, then and only then will he be used in the Tim “Every Day” Cheveldae-esque role that he insists on playing.

However, will it be Danis or Joey MacDonald that is on the bench? Would one of them be willing to sign a two-way contract next season to provide support just in case DP gets injured again? Highly doubtful. Especially after both of them have proved they can be a solid backup if given a chance.

So what happens here? Who knows, but from what I’ve seen from Danis over the past few weeks and how much the coaching staff has embraced him, I think it makes this decision in the future an even tougher one.

“He’s played like a No. 1 over the short term,” coach Scott Gordon told the AP. “That’s ultimately going to be a decision to be made after the season is over. Ricky’s status will factor into it. All I can say is Yann has clearly shown his performance has been at a higher level than anything we’ve had all year. I’m happy for him.”

Wow. Big words, but that’s what comes with putting up the numbers that Danis has this season.

And who would have thought after his first two miserable outings? Not me, that’s for sure.

But then again, this is what the New York Islanders are all about. A few months ago, everyone, including myself, weren’t thrilled when Wade Dubielewicz got picked up by the Blue Jackets, because we didn’t like what we saw from this Danis-guy with the French-accent. We all wanted our Yoda back, so he could swing his light saber. Instead, we got d’Artagnan, with his saber and funny looking mustache.

But hey, he’s been great and it’s given this writer something to of course, write about.

What more could you ask for?

A playoff appearance?

One day fellas, one day.

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.

I think everyone in the NHL is as well.

4-4-2 over their past ten games, the New York Islanders are playing good hockey, but it’s the youngsters that are carrying them this time around.

With six goals in his past nine games, rookie winger Kyle Okposo is starting to establish himself as the guy this team can depend on to score. No longer scared to do what it takes in the corners or high traffic areas in order to put himself in a situation to produce, Okposo has been almost a completely different player since returning from an injury in the middle of December.

“It’s starting to get to the point where Kyle isn’t surprising us anymore,” coach Scott Gordon told the Associated Press. “He’s showing us that he has that element of skill that goes with that power-forward type of play.”

That added tenacity isn’t something that KO began to do by himself however. Even teenage center Josh Bailey has begun to finish his checks more, creating turnovers galore and opportunities for himself and his teammates. While Blake Comeau too has been doing much of the same on a line with these two guys, the added physical play of Bailey and KO is starting to pay dividends for the Isles.

“One thing the young guys, especially, have been trying to do is really play physical and finish all of our hits,” Okposo told Newsday. “I think that it’s given our team a little bit of a boost. We feed well off each other. We’ve been playing pretty well together, and we seem to know where each other’s going to be most of the time. We’re able to find each other and hold onto the puck a little longer and then make the right play instead of being a bit jittery like early in the season and trying to force something.”
With the only thing left to gain this season for the Islanders being the bumps and bruises to win back some respect next season, the youngsters are ensuring it by making sure they don’t get pushed around and show that they can thrive in the NHL.
Soon enough, they’ll be asked to lead this team and to carry this team on their backs when the going gets tough. The way things have been over the past handful of games, it looks like these youngsters may in fact be able to handle that burden.

Last week, I interviewed the feisty sniper over the phone to hear about his crazy season on AOB. Here’s the post for you guys to check out:

Before a single puck was dropped at Aviator Arena this season, James Brannigan seemed like a perfect fit for the Brooklyn Aces.

Looking for a place to thrive after being used in defensive roles at Colorado College and the ECHL that didn’t show off his 97 mph slapshot, Brannigan needed a change of scenery and a chance to prove just how talented he really was. Playing amazing hockey during his time in his hometown, Brannigan was leading the league in scoring with 22 goals and 35 points when he was called up to the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL on Dec. 29 .

Now just a heartbeat away from the AHL and even the NHL, Brannigan has seven points in 12 games with the Grizzlies. Chatting over the phone from Utah in this exclusive interview done last night, Brannigan talks about his time in Brooklyn this season in addition to his hopes for the future and how he’s enjoying his time in the Mid-West.

Check it out!

As always, you can listen directly here at:
http://media.switchpod.com//users/patrickhickeyjr1/AcesOverBrooklynPodcastJamesBranniganInterview.mp3

Or you can download the file on to your I-Pod or I-Phone here:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=294739484

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

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.

That was a night as well where the Isles’ youngsters stepped up again and played well enough to help induce an Islanders win.

If Danis and the Isles’ babies can step up again, the Islanders can and will hold their own with the Panthers.

Seeing Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, Frans Nielsen and Blake Comeau play the way they have been as of late has almost given me a renewed sense of vigor. For a while there, watching this team play was like driving a screwdriver through my head. Now, it’s become fun again. Once Sean Bergenheim gets back in the lineup and Scott Gordon finds a place where he fits, the team should be even more energetic and fun to watch.

The way the veterans have stepped up as well has made this season an interesting one. What this team decides to do at the trading deadline should provide plenty of things to talk about too.

That alone should be enough to get me through the season.

Goalie Controversy?- Only with this team, I swear. Who would have that thought that Danis could hold down the fort the way he has over the past five games. No one in the NHL, that’s who. Like I’ve said before, nothing against Joey MacDonald, but Danis has been the better goaltender and the Islanders defense has supported him much better than they have Joey Mac. Because of that, you’ve got to give Danis every opportunity to make the most of his chance.

What happens in the end of this all however, is completely up in the air.

“We both want to play and I think we’re both capable,” Danis told the Associated Press the other night. “You know, I’m not worried about it. I’m feeling really good. I’m feeling big out there. This is a huge opportunity that I’ve waited a long time for. I was hoping to get in a few games and show what I can do. I wasn’t expecting what’s happening right now.”

When you also consider the fact that his team is playing for their pride at this point and MacDonald has already had 36 starts to prove himself to the team and the rest of the league, it’s only fair that Danis gets a similar shot as well, right? I mean seriously, what’s the worst thing that could happen? The team is already in last place.

“It’s made the challenges of coaching the first year in the NHL and it’s allowed me to deal with adversity,” Gordon told the Associated Press right before the All-Star break. “Every team that I’ve coached, at some point you have adversity, whether it’s the loss of players, losing your goaltender, having to manage people that, at times, are unmanageable. There’s all kinds of different things that, when that year is over, you look back on it and learn from it and it makes you a better coach.”

With the amount of injuries this team has had to deal with this season, you kind of have to give Gordon a free pass. If Doug Weight and Rick DiPietro were healthy and Brendan Witt and Radek Martinek in the lineup a bit more often, I really feel that former Isles coach Ted Nolan could have gotten this team to the playoffs or pretty damn close to it. Then seeing what a positive impact Gordon had on some of the youngsters like Chris Campoli and Frans Nielsen in addition to Weight, Guerin and Trent Hunter, I really think this team could have challenged for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, this dude is one crazy cat, but back when Joey MacDonald was one of the NHL’s players of the month, this team was scoring enough to get by and was playing decent defense. The rest of the league, simply put, was shocked. No one wanted to admit that the New York Islanders played their tails off every night and had a decent chance at coming out with two points regardless of who they were playing.

Despite the fact of the rumors that this team may be moved and where they are in the standings right now, I feel that Gordon can be the guy to help lead them to the land of respect once again. Is it going to be a quick process? No, but the fact that Gordon isn’t letting up and is ready to continue taking the beating he’s taken this season is a good sign to me.

He’s not giving up. And if he doesn’t maybe some of the youngsters will play the same way over the last 35 games of the season and put a smile on my face a few times before the season’s over.

Just maybe.

Photo by the AHL.

Aside from getting some quality time with my Pops, a rarity nowadays in my extremely hectic life, but we got a chance to talk about the team before I watched the game for myself.

Much like the game against the Rangers, the Islanders youngsters worked hard, but they couldn’t produce. They had a ton of chances, but Tim Thomas on extremely solid. Yann Danis played well and the defense was solid, but the offense isn’t producing. Again, they made it interesting as Bill Guerin got a shot to deflect off a skate in front of the net, but it wasn’t enough.

Aside from working hard every night, I don’t know what else this team can do.

With that being said, it’s kind of weird that they picked up Wade Dubielewicz again, especially considering that Danis has been solid. Nevertheless, it should be a ton of fun to see “Yoda” back in net.

The last time I was on “Hockey Night on Long Island” I told the guys there that I love writing about this team every day because something interesting is always going on.

It looks like that trend is going to continue the rest of the season.

Isles Moving?- “I’m excited, I think it’s great,” said Paul McGannon, president of NHL21, a local organization trying to help bring an NHL team to Kansas City. “New York has three teams. If they don’t want to build a new rink in Long Island, we’ll take their team. The New York Islanders have won four Stanley Cups (1980-1984). If we got the Islanders … the last time I felt that good is when the Royals
beat the Yankees in 1980 to go to the World Series.”

“Sooner or later, Kansas City is going to be tired of being the bridesmaid,” McGannon said. “We have a building, we’re ready to go, we have a hockey community ready to go … we’ll glady welcome their
team. “I think it’s a big deal, that we’re having two teams on the coast meet in Kansas City for a game, and we better sell it out. I love the regional appeal of the Blues and the Blackhawks, but we better send a message and sell the game out.”

As someone that’s spent time in Kansas City before, I can tell you that despite the fact that they have a building, this is not a hockey town. I’ve walked around Kansas City at night and it’s like walking around in Borough Park after 10 p.m.; it’s a ghost town. They have loyal baseball fans, but these guys are not hockey fans. The nightlife scene in Kansas City is similar to the feel Prospect Park or Park Slope or even the Greenwich Village Villiage. While that may be solid for their population, I really don’t think hockey can survive there.

So because of those feelings, I have a few words for McGannon:

Keep looking buddy, you’re not taking this team.

This should be a wake up call to the miscreants in Long Island politics to get their act together and get the Islanders a new building. The team has been mismanaged for too long and they have an owner that’s willing to invest and build. Cut out the nonsense.

Get the Lighthouse going.

Grade- D

Radek Martinek- When healthy, Martinek is one of the best shutdown defensemen in all of hockey. Playing in only 11 games this season however, Martinek hasn’t been able to do much of anything.

Grade- D

Freddy Meyer- He was the team’s best defenseman through their first five or six games, but between getting injured and some rough spots along the way, he’s never been able to get back to where he belongs. With his spot and passing ability, Meyer can and should be a 30-point D-man every season. Combined with his physical play and skating ability, he should be able to play against the top forwards in this league every night. The only way that happens however, is if he finds the same consistency he had earlier in the season.

Grade- B

Thomas Pock- From watching him play this season, you’d never know that he once scored over 60 points in the AHL one season and was once considered one of the Rangers’ top young D-men. Simply put, Pock was the victim of the Rangers spending money on defensemen that could sell tickets and this season has been the beneficiary of the plethora of injuries that have ravaged the defense core. However, his play in both ends has remained mediocre throughout.

Grade- F

Chris Campoli- Offensively gifted, Campoli has the shot and instincts with the puck that should produce a 40-point a season defenseman. However, between injuries and the amount of shuffling going on within the D-men on the team, he’s on pace for only 24. His physical play has been taken down a notch as well, making him neither the good offensive d-man his was in his rookie season or the tough cookie he was in his sophomore season. Simply put, Campoli has to start producing more.

Grade- C+

Bruno Gervais- In the team’s last two games against Edmonton and Calgary, I really liked what I saw from Gervais, who was using his skating ability and was pinching offensively while not hurting himself in the defensive end. However through the other 27 games he’s played in this season, he hasn’t done it nearly enough, making him another Islanders youngster who still has some growing up to do in all facets of the game. I’d also like to see him shoot the puck some more over the second half of the season.

Grade- D+

Mark Streit- Offensively and defensively, this guy has been solid and has proved he’s much more than a gimmick. He’s a real defenseman in this league and is a damn good one. In my mind, the Islanders best offensive defenseman since Jeff Norton.

Grade- A

Andy Sutton- Before his injury, Sutton was the Islanders best shutdown D-man. If you don’t believe me , his +3 rating pretty much proves it. Add in 10 assists and some good physical play and it’s easy to see how much this team is missing him.

Grade- A-

Bert Skinner- Despite playing in 11 games and being a +2, the Islanders coaching staff never let the leash off on Skinner and it’s tough because of that to assess him. Nevertheless, he has good size and with some more polish can be a decent number six defenseman in this league.

Grade- C+

There are guys and gals out there like B.D. Gallof, Gary Harding, Michael Schuerlein, Dee Karl, Andy Facini and Roger Farina that do a great of sharing their thoughts on this team and I want to thank them too for posting as much as they do. Without them, I’d have no one to steal ideas from. In all seriousness however, the competition between the writers, journalists and bloggers is pretty competitive in Islander Country and I think that the work we all produce is going to get even better as time goes on.

Rather than continue this love fest, let me end by saying thank you to everyone who voted for me. Thank you for making me feel that the last thing I do before I head to sleep every night is worthwhile for you and either puts a smile on your face or pisses you off so badly you want to come to Brooklyn to find me.

In the end, that’s the exact reason why I do this everyday.

Okay, down to business.

As many of you guys know, I cover the Brooklyn Aces of the EPHL on one of my other sites, AcesOverBrooklyn.com and a few days ago, the team’s and league’s leading scorer, James Brannigan, was signed by the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL, an Islanders affiliate. You know, the same team Trevor Smith was sent to last season before he came back to Bridgeport and played well enough to get a call up to the Island this season. Well, I may be a bit presumptuous here, but I really feel this guy [he's 24, he's not a kid anymore as far as hockey players go] has the talent to get to Bridgeport and maybe even the NHL one day.

He scored eight points in 24 games between Augusta and Columbia last season in the ECHL, but in just 17 games with Brooklyn this season, he lit the lamp 22 times and had 35 points. Now, sure, the EPHL is an A-League, but Brannigan was head and shoulders above every one else offensively. His skating is solid, he plays with a chip on his shoulders and isn’t scared to shoot the puck. As a matter of fact, I actually compared him to Mike Comrie in an article I wrote about him a month and a half ago. At any rate, he’s a guy to keep an eye on. Just remember where you heard his name first.

Photo of Brannigan by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Wait, what did I just say? Am I to believe that through the first 21 games, the Isles have already had five defensemen on the shelf? Am I to believe that Mark Streit and Bruno Gervais have been the only healthy D-men on this team this season?

Unfortunately, the answer to all of those questions is a resounding yes.

Because of that, it’s incredibly hard to assess what this team has done defensively so far this season.

However, it is pretty simple to see that this team is headed in the right direction in their own end.

Streit, simply put, has been a revelation in both ends this season, playing extremely well on special teams and eerily solid in his own end. After the Islanders picked him up this summer, the Canadian press had a field day, saying the Isles paid too much for his services, and stating that he was basically a fourth liner that had a penchant for contributing on the powerplay. I myself said that I didn’t think he’d score 63 points again this season, but as of right now, he’s looking to be awfully close.

[Isn't it funny how over the past few weeks, the Islanders alone have made the Canadian hockey media look like Jason Blair on truth serum?]

With Sutton, Martinek and Witt all back and healthy as well, I think the Islanders have their spine back. Now they can shutdown the top lines in the league and mix it up a bit if they have to. A few weeks ago, guys like Gervais, Streit and Campoli were playing 25 minutes a game, killing themselves in both ends. With the anchors back, those three can now play in roles more beneficial to them and because of that, I think we’ll start to see some more production from them.

I come from a mindset as a fan where I’m used to seeing multiple defensemen being able to produce offensively on a team. Growing up, I saw guys like Tom Kurvers, Jeff Norton, Uwe Krupp, Mathieu Schnieder and Bryan Berard at the point scoring their 35 plus points a season. As a teenager, I saw Roman Hamrlik, Kenny Jonsson and Adrian Aucoin do the same thing. Because of that, I fully expect guys like Campoli, Streit and hopefully even Gervais and Martinek can produce offensively to be factors. I think it’ll come a bit more naturally for he first two players I’ve mentioned, but I really feel Gervais and Martinek have a lot more to give in the offensive zone.

If they do and the Isles can continue to support Joey MacDonald, I think you’ll see a very different Islanders team the rest of this season.

As a matter of fact, I think he’s been a savior of sorts.

Up until the season started, no one thought MacDonald was capable enough to serve as the team’s backup goaltender. Much like Islanders Jeff Tambellini and Andy Hilbert, MacDonald had several solid seasons in the AHL under his belt, but had problems sticking around at the NHL level. This season however, MacDonald has been rock solid, getting better and better after every game.

Last season, I had the opportunity to cover a preseason game between the Islanders and Rangers at MSG where MacDonald played. The Isles had a ton of youngsters in the game and the Rangers featured most of their stars at the time, including Scott Gomez, Brendan Shanahan and Chris Drury, but MacDonald was still solid. It got me thinking what the future held for the kid. However, at the time, with Wade Dubielewicz backing up Rick DiPietro, Joey Mac didn’t look like he was going to crack the lineup. By the end of the season,he appeared in two games and one in particular, the 45 save effort against the Devils late in the season, confirmed in my mind that he should be given a chance.

Nonetheless, I was a huge Dubie supporter at the time and didn’t want to see the guy leave.

Right now though, I wouldn’t change the Islanders goaltending situation at all. And that includes bring DP back.

Sometimes in this sport, you have to ride the hot horse. Al Arbour is a guy that did that quite often and while the motif in the NHL over the past few years is to have one guy play 70 games, why can’t MacDonald play 30 this season and DP the rest? We know who the guy is going to be in the playoffs for this team, but if MacDonald keeps playing the way he has, and DP continues to battle injuries, it’s better to have Mac in net.

Nothing against DP, he is without a doubt the team’s most important player, but if he’s not 100 percent, he’s not going to be able to help this team. With Brendan Witt’s return possibly this weekend as well, MacDonald will have ever more support in front of him and can be even more of a force if given a chance.

From the perseverance he’s shown on the ice so far this season, you get the feeling he knows exactly what’s at stake.

“When you come in and play one or two games a year in the NHL, it’s tough because the different level of play from the American League is so much more up-tempo. Once you get used to the tempo, it’s a game,” MacDonald told the Associated Press.“You’ve got to come up with the key saves. All the good goaltenders in the National Hockey league, Luongo and all of those guys, they come up with the key save and that’s why they’re superstars. That’s my job, and that’s why I’ve got to give the team a chance to win.”

Something needs to be done so this team can hold a lead. They play well for 40 minutes and then fall to pieces like a house of cards. They seem so oblivious on the ice, that I’ve seen Kevin Federline speak at Harvard with more poise.

The even scarier thing though is in reality, what can this team possibly do to stop this? It’s not like a trade is going to solve this problem. If someone gets benched, who comes in that can fill shoes? No one. This team has to win with what they have right now. If they don’t, this season is over.

No its, ands or buts about it.

As bad as the Isles have played though, there are players doing the right thing on the ice.

Guys like Doug Weight and Tim Jackman came to play last night. Speaking of Jackman, maybe he’ll finally got it into his system what he has to do in order to stay in this league the rest of the season. Aside from Trent Hunter and Bill Guerin, the Isles don’t have many players that can crash the net and get garbage goals [one of the reasons why I'm still heavily pissed that they let Mark Parrish sign with the Dallas Stars]. A guy like Jackman could provide a lift and help this team get a few ugly ones to keep them above water.

Another guy that was sound last night was Andy Hilbert. On pace for an 18-goal season, if Hilbert can keep this type of play up, I may not rag on him so much. While that alone isn’t enough for him to be consistent, it’s great to see him contributing more on offense. The numbers that he put up in the AHL, I don’t think it’s asking too much for this guy to score 15 goals a season. Everyone knows he works hard, he just has to finish. So far this season, he’s done a much better job of that.

With their next game against the Flyers on Tuesday, things need to change and change fast.

Nevertheless, it is still a facet of the team that needs to be addressed.

In order for Scott Gordon’s “Overspeed” system to work, the Islanders defenseman have to take care of business. That means making the first pass out of the zone, clearing the front of the net, and pinching in along the boards. The way the team has played this season, it’s obvious that the Islanders forward lines haven’t yet caught on to the system. In the games they’ve won, the puck pursuit has been there and they’ve had their legs, which has created scoring opportunities and a plethora of second chances. In the games they’ve lost, they’ve had a huge problem establishing a forecheck and setting up in the offensive end.

I know what you’re thinking now: “I’ve read this on other Islander blogs already.” Well, I think I have a different take on this that has nothing to do with the lack of depth on the forward lines or the amount of youth present.

Here it goes.

I think the main reason why the Isles have had problems maintaining the level of offensive consistency and passion is because the defense, just like the offense, hasn’t yet bought into the system fully either. The two wins the Islanders have this season were due in part to the fact that the defense, alongside the offensive, were physical, swarming the puck and skating.

This generates scoring opportunities, something this team always seems to be short on.

However, in the games the Islanders have lost, where have the D-men been on the offensive end?

Mark Streit, Jack Hillen, Bruno Gervais Thomas Pock and Freddy Meyer are all defensemen that have above average skating skills and should have no problem joining the rush and helping out pinching on the boards. Streit especially, who came here to help the team on the powerplay and be a force on offense, needs to be a bit more proactive. In Montreal, he had no problems joining the play and applying pressure to opposing defenses. In order for this team to stay above water this season, Streit needs to be a factor

In the games this team have been outscored though, that hasn’t happened from Streit or any other member of the defense. They’ve been too preoccupied keeping the opposition out of the zone to be a force.

So in order for “Overspeed” to really work, two things need to take place at the same time. One being that the Islanders forwards have to skate their tails off. Secondly, the defense has to take chances on offense and take shots.

As we’ve already seen so far this season, if that doesn’t happen, they don’t win.

However, they are two teams that are very different from one another.

The Islanders on one hand are hoping, almost praying, that guys like Sean Bergenheim, Kyle Okposo and Jeff Tambellini can develop into superstars and take them to the next level. They’re also hoping that guys like Mike Comrie, Trent Hunter and Richard Park can have career years, while keeping their fingers crossed that Doug Weight and Bill Guerin can prove they have some gas left in their tanks.

The Panthers on the other hand, missed the painfully obvious memo last season that most of the kids they’ve drafted over the past few years have turned into decent players, rather than the superstars they’ve envisioned. Sure Jay Bouwmeester, Nathan’s Famous Horton and David Booth are great players that any team would like to have, but even the biggest Panthers fan would have a problem explaining what went wrong with guys like Stephen Weiss, who was supposed to a point a game player in this league at one point and Rusty Olesz, who prefers to hit people from behind nowadays, rather than put the puck in the net; something he hasn’t shown too much proficiency doing yet anyway. After that, they have former high picks like Shawn Matthias, Kamil Kreps and Anthony Stewart, who are servicable players that are merely taking up space on the bottom two lines. Add in acquisition Corey Stillman, who has never been the same player since leaving the Lightning and it’s easy to see how similar, yet different these two teams really are.

So with that being said, what do the Islanders need to do to come out victorious tonight? The same thing they did against the Lightning: SKATE! If the Isles keep those legs moving, they will draw penalties and with the way Hunter and Weight have played over the past few games, the Isles can and will pot few with the man advantage.

However, there is another way the team can give themselves a chance at victory tonight and that is having a healthy Rick DiPietro in net. Newsday beat writer Greg Logan seems to think DP is in the net tonight and I have to agree. He’s been off the ice first in practice, which is customary for the starting goaltender of the next game and I think after the 6-0 loss in his first game in the preseason, his conditioning may finally be where it’s supposed to be now. If he is healthy, the Islanders just got their best player back and a third defenseman on the ice that will keep the Panthers at bay behind the goal line.

If not, Joey MacDonald will get the call and that in itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Despite the one game against Buffalo, where the team’s defense called in sick, Mac has been good enough for the Isles.

At any rate, regardless of who is in net, this should be a fun one to watch.

http://islanders.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=385315

Well, now that that’s out of the way, here are my thoughts:

Anyone that doesn’t like that first round pick Josh Bailey ended up making the team is out of their minds. Sure, the Islanders have a host of veterans on the team this season, but with Bailey’s cup of coffee this season, combined with getting to see Kyle Okposo, Jeff Tambellini, Sean Bergenheim, Blake Comeau and possibly even Jack Hillen develop, this team has the potential of being very fun to watch.

Are they going to make the playoffs? Who knows. If these young kids can play well enough and guys like Bill Guerin, Mark Streit and Doug Weight can pull their “weight,” then this team may have a shot to surprise a few people. Again, much like the last few seasons, the team won’t be expected to do much, but like I said, if they can stay healthy and get contributions from everybody, these misfits will challenge for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Much like the team two seasons ago, the Islanders will need to get offense from all four lines in order to be successful. Can it happen? Asking Andy Hilbert to be consistent every night on offense will be bad enough, but players like Frans Nielsen and Richard Park will have to be steady and score about a dozen goals as well. Can that happen? Stranger things have happened before.

Getting Rick DiPietro back the other day is also a sign of good news, even though his play in the team’s final exhibition game was far from solid. The team’s vocal leader and general on the ice, DP will be counted on again to lead the charge. With Radek Martinek and Brendan Witt around though, DP will have one of the best defensive tandems in the league on the ice for 25 minutes a game. Despite that, no one really knows who will fill in for Chris Campoli and Andy Sutton through the first handful of games, making the Islanders last pair of defensemen a toss up. For my money, Jack Hillen and Freddy Meyer may be the best way to go, considering Hillen’s upside on offense and Meyer’s physical ability and knack for playing smart in both ends. Bruno Gervais may be the best skater of the remaining defensemen and Thomas Pock may have the most offensive ability, but Hillen and Meyer have the poise in my mind to keep the team above water until Campo and Sutton are ready to come back.

At any rate, we’ll see what Scott Gordon decides to do tomorrow in the season opener.

Nothing against those guys, but Witt is arguably one of the best stay at home defensemen in the league and can lift a team’s spirit with a blocked shot or a big hit. No ask yourself, how many players in the league can do that?

Recently signing a new contract, Witt be will the Bert Marshall of what will hopefully be a young Islanders team that matures over the next few seasons.

Hopefully, his new contract will also put an end to the endless debate on the message boards and on all the “rumor” sites that Witt would be traded. I know he has plenty of worth out in the open market, as do guys like Bill Guerin, Mike Comrie and Mike Sillinger, but enough is enough. I said it a few months ago when I was writing about Witt’s performance last season and I’ll say it again- he is the heart and soul of the New York Islanders. Add in the fact that the team doesn’t have a legitimate enforcer this season and Witt’s value just went up even more.

So not only will he be asked to piss off guys like Sydney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin day in and day out, he’ll also have to drop the gloves with David Clarkson, Riley Cote and Chris Neil too.

Sounds like a fun job right?

Now take into consideration the “all guts, no glory” position that both a shut down defender and enforcer have on the ice. Having a guy that can do both and provide leadership on the ice and in the locker room make him an indispensable commodity in my mind.

As a matter of fact, this guy is such a solid defender that I think he could score 35-40 points [which would never happen, but let my imagination run it's course here] he would be a Norris finalist every year. But like I said before, since the focus in the NHL now is on less hitting and more scoring, the true value of a guy like Witt will only be apparent to someone who either truly understands the game or has the opportunity to watch him day in and day out.

Luckily, I fall into both of of those categories [or at least I think I do, let my imagination run it's course again guys] and know that the only reasons why the Islanders were in the playoff hunt for as long as they were was the shutdown defense of Brendan Witt and the goaltending of Rick DiPietro and Wade Dubielewicz [it figures that as soon as I can spell his last name by heart, the dude goes to Russia].

If the Isles are to make another attempt at a playoff spot this season, Witt is going to have to be on his game once again.

Photo by NHL Media

Nevertheless, he did prove he was still a solid player who could contribute. I don’t anyone would have argued if Guerin put up the same numbers, 23 goals and 21 assists on the second or third line of a team like the Penguins, Red Wings or Sharks. But this is the New York Islanders we’re talking about and Guerin’s 44 points were a bit of a disappointment to many of the fans here, despite what he did in the locker room and in the community.

Before he played his first game with the Islanders, I predicted he’d score 30 goals in 08. 23 isn’t so far off that prediction, but when you add in how cold Mike Comrie was at times and that the team had no one around him that could give him some space, 23 goals is pretty damn good if you ask me. I don’t know if this year is going to be different, but I think if guys like Trent Hunter and Comrie come into this season looking to take their games to the next level, Guerin could be a huge benefactor of their success.

Let’s face it, the Islanders don’t have a legitimate first line. Rather, they have two above average second lines, a great third line and a young energy line on the bottom. It doesn’t matter who defenses put up against these lines because none of them feature game-changing players. They feature hard-working players that will make you pay for your mistakes, guys like Hunter, Richard Park, Sean Bergenheim, etc. If a few of these players can have solid seasons, somewhere along the lines of 20-25 goals and 30 helpers [I don't expect Park to do that considering everything else he does for this team, but I see no reason why Hunter or Bergenheim can't, I mean Hunter did it his rookie reason], defenses will have to plan against the Isles differently.

As of right now, they know to keep Guerin away from the front of the net and slot and to watch out for Comrie’s toe drag. Mark Streit’s presence on the blue line and a healthy Chris Campoli should help the offense as well, but back to Guerin.

Aside from the 99 Oilers and 2004 Stars, Guerin has never been the go to guy on offense for any team he’s played for. He’s been a great secondary scorer and a guy that can provide leadership though and if the Islanders can either develop or get someone who can be that legitimate go-to guy, I think they’ll see a more productive Guerin.

Photo by NHL Media

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.

Last night, the Isles just couldn’t maintain the same kind of intensity they had in game 2. Regardless of occasional flashes of brilliance, New York was extremely sloppy and couldn’t break the Buffalo blue line on the power play and just didn’t execute they way they needed to. It didn’t help either that there were marginal penalties being called throughout the game that ended up playing a role in the final score.

It was so bad that Stan Fischler said that the referees calling tonight’s game made marginal calls and failed to use common sense.

You tell ‘em Stan.

On top of all of that, Islander fans started throwing debris on the ice after Randy Robitaille got called for a ridiculous tripping call at the end of the third period that just managed to prolong the misery. The fact that one Islander fan actually had the audacity to throw a bottle on the ice during the last minute of gameplay is a disgrace. It’s bad enough that the team got called for a joke penalty with less than two minutes to go, the fact that some Isles fans proved that they were utter trash just made things even worse.

The condition of the ice at the Coliseum was horrible as well, making it pretty damn hard to make long distance passes and throwing all that garbage all over the ice couldn’t have helped matters. When it was all said and done however, the Islanders were the ones that couldn’t get enough shots on Ryan Miller in the third and aside from the bad penalty calls, the fact that they couldn’t generate any serious offense was what really cost them the game.

On a positive note, I don’t know about you guys, but I think Ryan Smyth had one of his best games as an Islander. That line of Mike Sillinger [who was amazing on face offs as well], Trent Hunter and Ryan Smyth was really the only one that managed to maintain the same kind of jump they had in game 2. However since those guys were the only ones with real jump, Nolan was forced to throw the old Hilbert, Sillinger and Hunter line out there late in the third and was double shifting Smyth with a myriad of different players.

Sadly, the Isles could muster the game typing goal.

As well, DP kept the Islanders in the thick of things until the end. Getting out shot 17-2 in the third, the Islanders are lucky that they didn’t lose this game 5-2 instead of 3-2.

With one more game at the Coliseum before going back to Buffalo for Game 5, the Isles need to put the pieces back together.