When the Islanders signed Doug Weight this past offseason, not much was expected from him, especially considering he had the worst season of his professional career last season.

I even set the bar pretty low for him in July, writing:

“If he’s healthy all season, I definitely see him scoring a dozen goals and adding 30 helpers, while setting a great on-ice example for the youngsters.”

And who wouldn’t have set the bar low for the guy after what happened to him the year before? As a matter of fact, many insiders thought the guy was finished after last season.

“I felt like I had a lot of hockey left in me and that I was not put in a good situation to play,” Weight said of his experience on 2007-08 on the team’s official website a few days ago. “But those things happen and it’s how you respond to those things. Fortunately, the Islanders wanted to give me a chance and I had a coach that had a lot of respect for my game and the way I play. I felt like I responded pretty well.”

Damn skippy you did.

In just 53 games, Weight scored 10 goals and added 28 assists, good for third on the team. Scoring 21 of his points on the powerplay as well, Weight did everything the Islanders could have asked from and more. Before the Islanders began their collapse and Joey MacDonald was doing just more than holding down the fort, Weight was also scoring a point a game and was screaming his head off on the bench, proving he was every bit the leader the Islanders expected him to be.

Considering what most of us expected from him, it’s almost impossible to argue with that.

“I wish I could’ve stayed healthy because I think I could have had a pretty good season and helped our team even more,” Weight said on the team’s official site. “But having said that, I am going to work hard during the offseason and come back and hopefully have a great year.”

If he is healthy, I expect Weight to score 15 goals and add 40 assists that should put him near Mark Streit and Kyle Okposo for the team’s scoring lead. That alone means the Islanders offense will still have its fair share of growing pains next season, but that won’t be because of Weight.

Simply put, the guy just fits into the Islanders system and is still a capable playmaker.

If the Islanders pick up John Tavares and perhaps a free agent signing and there is less pressure on Weight to produce, I expect him to have an even better season. At this point in his career, he can’t be asked to score 70 points, but if some of the youngsters can pick it up, Weight can and will continue to be a productive player for the New York Islanders.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Posted under Offseason 2009

Despite the fact that the Islanders are headed for their worst season in quite some time, this offseason will be an extremely important one.

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.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009

Talk about a see-saw-esque battle, eh?

It’s simply amazing to me that the Islanders continue to fight despite their place in the standings and their situation with injuries right now.

With Mark Streit out of the lineup last night as well, the rest of the NHL probably saw this game as an afterthought.

However, the Islanders came out hard and outworked the Capitals on several occasions, as the trio of Josh Bailey, Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen continue to get better every game. As I’ve mentioned before, Bailey has become a much more complete player, while Okposo isn’t scared to shoot anymore. Nielsen has developed into an excellent little playmaker, complimenting his already excellent ability in the face-off circle and in his own end.

During the telecast, Howie Rose and Billy Jaffe made mention of Bailey’s willingness to get in front of net and that when he’s on the ice an in front of the goalie and a goal is scored, it means just as much to him as a goal itself. To hear a 19-year-old talk that unselfishly about his game is great news for this team.

Nonetheless, Mike Green was aided by some sloppy play in their own end and spotty goaltending by Joey MacDonald, inducing an Isles loss that ended up much worse than it really was.

Overall, I think the fact that the Islanders were able to stick this out and keep the game tight was a testament to how far they’ve come this season, despite the fact that some may think that Washington just took the team lightly through the first 40 minutes.

Regardless, I feel like we are seeing a significant progression in the talent level of this team right now.

However, it goes to show just how much work this team still has ahead of them this offseason. It also proves just how important Streit is to this team, as several of the mistakes made by the young defensemen, mistakes, Streit, at +9 for the year, probably wouldn’t have made.

OMG moment of the night- Oh man, did you guys see when Okposo got stretched out in the third? Scary stuff. No word as of yet what the case is, but you hope the guy can play out the rest of the season and continue to show the rest of the league that he’s capable of leading a team on offense. I know he came back and played the rest of the game, but who knows what the case is at this point.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

Just to see a group of young kids like this, mixed with a few misfit veterans hold the ice with the best team in hockey yesterday meant a lot to determining what this team is going to be capable of in the future.

I think it’s going to be more than anyone could have asked for a few months ago.

Seeing Mark Streit dipsy-doodle his way around a few defenders after receiving a pass from Kyle Okposo is definitely something I’d like to see some more of.

Damn, is it me, or have I been saying that a lot lately?

I think the reason why I feel this way is because it’s the truth. This has been a different team over the past 10-15 games. Sure, they lack the pure offensive firepower to hold the ice with a team like Boston, but do they work hard and skate in all three zones or what? Once these kids get some more polish and get themselves in better shape over the offseason, I really think this team is a big signing and a few draft picks away from being a playoff contender. I really mean that.

Islanders coach Scott Gordon too sees the silver lining.

“We’re not an easy two points anymore,” Gordon told the Associated Press after yesterday’s loss to the Boston Bruins. “We were at the beginning of the year, but now our guys are playing at a pace that it really hasn’t mattered who the opposition has been.”

Gordon too attributes some of the success the team has had as of late to the exodus of a few “bad apples.”

“You know, we had a couple bad apples, too, that we got rid of,” Gordon told Newsday. “As a result of that, the chemistry in the locker room is what you would expect from a team that pulls together. They are pulling for each other, and they’re working with a purpose.”

Considering the way the team has played as of late, can you really blame him? Did anyone really think this team was going to be better off without Jon Sim, Bill Guerin, Mike Comrie and Chris Campoli? I surely didn’t. However, in their absence, people have stepped up with the added ice time they’ve been able to receive as a result and all of a sudden, this team is fun to watch again. It kind of makes you wonder where this team would be if these things could have been taken care of sooner.

However, much like the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop, the world may never know what the Islanders were truly capable of this season.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009, Post Game Rants

I’ve told you guys countless times in the three seasons that I’ve been writing this column that the New York Islanders are unlike any team in the NHL.

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.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009

Wow, talk about playing spoiler.

What is up with this team lately?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

This may not be huge news to the rest of the league, but Mark Streit being named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team is amazing news if you’re an Islander fan.

Aside from Doug Weight [who if healthy, may have edged out Streit and appeared in the game himself] Streit has been the only consistent offensive threat this team has. Among defensemen, he’s in the top ten in every offensive category and even leads the league with 32 points.

If this guy was on any other team, he’d have the league and it’s fans drooling. In Montreal last season, he had the rest of the league in awe on the powerplay, but overall, he was looked at as a niche player. However, to put up the points he did while playing mainly on special teams was an extremely impressive feat.

Nonetheless, despite the fact that he could have led a handful of NHL teams in scoring last season, the Islanders, a team considered by many not to have the ability to sign big name free agents, nabbed him in the offseason and signed him to a long-term contract.

Ever since then, it’s been a match made in heaven.

Not only has his offense been stellar, his defense has been more than solid and he’s only gotten better as the season has gone on.

The Canadiens organization, who after leading the league in powerplay efficiency over the past two seasons are now ranked towards the bottom of the league. They may not want to admit, hell, they may never admit it, but they miss the guy’s talents with the man advantage.

Luckily for the Islanders, they saw something special in the kid and gave him an opportunity.

However, rather than catch any praise for picking him up, Islander general manager Garth Snow, much like Streit himself, has received no positive mention from the press. While it’s fair to say that both have a lot to do with how poorly the team is playing this season, the fact of the matter is that despite the fact that there is something definitely wrong with this team, the problem has never been Streit or Snow’s willingness to spend millions of dollars on him over the next half decade.

If things continue the way they have been over the next few seasons, it’s fair to say that Streit will never be the reason why this team can’t play at least .500 hockey or bring in quality players.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009

Yes. It is now official, I am the 2008 New York Islanders Blog of the year, according to the team and YesIslanders.com. Damn, that feels good saying that. In all honesty though, even if I didn’t win, I still know that my work is appreciated. Over the past three seasons, I’ve posted something every day during the regular season and have kept this site going in the offseason with tons of vent sessions to the point where I know that I am appreciated by my readers. That’s all I really ever wanted [that and some extra money hehe]. So winning this award is simply like the whipped cream on a damn good sundae.

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.

Posted under 2008-2009, Scouting Report

While most of the league and it’s relentless bloggers and pit bull pundits say the Islanders don’t have a shot in hell this season of making the playoffs, I think the Islanders will be competitive and fun to watch regardless. Considering that, I thought I’d share a few of my hopes for the upcoming season.

Five Things I want to see:

1- Kyle Okposo’s continued development-

During the offseason, I chatted with hockey writer Ross Bernstein and the best damn play-by-play guy in NHL history, Jiggs McDonald about KO and they both seemed sure he’d come into camp ready to thrive. I too believe he’ll be a bit bigger and should be ready light the lamp a good 25 times. If he hits 30, that alone would make me happy regardless of where they finish this season.

2- Jeff Tambellini solidifying a role on the team-

That doesn’t mean fourth line pest of healthy scratch either. Two years ago, there was a stretch of about 12 games when he finally got the ice time he needed to thrive. If he gets it again and can pot a few easy ones early in the season, he may have the confidence needed to finally ditch the “prospect” label that has been stamped on his back the past three seasons.

3- Bill Guerin and Doug Weight having solid seasons-

If both of these guys can get 50 points this season, I would be absolutely thrilled. Guerin was close last season while playing with an inconsistent Mike Comrie and if Weight can forget about being reduced to a depth player last season with the Ducks, they both may have one last hoorah in them. Not only would that take some of the pressure off the rookies, it would increase their values as free agents at the end of the season and give the Islanders a continued opportunity to build through the draft…if they felt obligated.

4- Chris Campoli and Mark Streit both become factors on the powerplay-

We all know Streit is going to be asked to net anywhere from six to ten powerplay markers this season, but Campoli, who had 11 of his 18 points with the man advantage before injuring his shoulder last season, will be asked to step his game up as well. If he’s completely healthy, I’d love to see him either with Streit or anchoring the second unit and proving the 34 points he scored his rookie season was just the beginning of what will be a solid NHL career.

5- Rick DiPietro stays healthy all season-

No knee injuries, no problems with his hip, just straight-shootin’, cocky and convinced all-season long. If he watches the way he plays the puck and plays smart, he can single-handedly guide this team to an unsuspected playoff birth. Don’t think so? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Posted under Offseason 2008

Failing to advance past the first round of the playoffs the last four times they reached the postseason, the New York Islanders have some serious questions to answer this offseason. While the general outlook on the team isn’t nearly as bad as it was in the beginning of the season, the Islanders have some very important decisions to make that could eventually wind up costing the team another run at the playoffs if they’re not careful.

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.

Posted under Isles 2006-07, Isles Thoughts 2007