On the Islanders Beat

From previous Post....FOR NICK!!

Nick....by making a huge splash i mean picking up quality young talent that will help us along with our youth movement...Not going after the High priced veterans...I used HOSSA as an example of a caliber player who is still decently young that if we had a chance to pick up, to go for it...But im well aware that its totally unrealistic...But guys like Huselius, Nystrom, Ryder,Commodore, Dupius, Malone, Orpik, Wheeler, to name a few that stick out, I think we should go after...Make a SPLASH..and sign some good young talent..we have the cap space to pick up many of them...

Another chat? Our cup runneth over!

And tonysac, in that case we're on the same page. I think it's an almost foregone conclusion that Eric Nystrom will be an Islander after this off-season, and there are a few other good young guys who can make an impact.

By the way, you must have missed it....Wheeler signed with Boston.

I got one (?--well a couple) question for the chat or Greg can answer it here.

Greg, since you were in Ottawa.
Could you see the Isles table?
Was Nolan sitting near Snow?
Was Nolan active in conversations with Snow?
Did you get a sense that Nolan was involved in these draft decisions, or was it strictly Snow?

When did Wheeler sign with BOSTON????? And yes Nystrom NEEDS to be wearing an ISLANDERS jersey next season...Another young stud i really like from Calgary is Lombardi..hes got some wheels on him and some good hands

Fair enough Nick (from previous thres)...You get my point though on the flip flopping of the bobbles.

As for the YOUTH movement .... I was right on mirroring the Pats and I believe i will be right n this...We are not going to spend squat on any big names... Look for more grinders.

My worry is we lose DP ... In losing him, I mean mentally.... I am sure they told him, Guerin, and pretty boy toe dragger that they were going to try and win now....Well that is off the table.....Let's hope they stay motivated!

Die hards like all of us will buy into the long term plan...BUT, the casual fans are gone....NVMC will be empty!

p.s I spoke with my friend, the BU stength coach Mike Boyle on thekid Wilson....says he is going to be a stud...We shall see!

Let's give Snow some credit. He knows that the team as it is now cannot compete. He also knows that it is his job at stake too, if the Isles have a miserable season and the Coliseum is empty.

Let's not be mislead by the hype of "We need room for the younger players to play" mantra.

I repeat. A GM who tips his hand is a fool.

Snow will take a run at at least 2 legitimate FA's and will probably make at least one deal before the season starts.

You want an Oracle, well there it is

From what I could see on VS, Nolan was nowhere near Snow or Wang. He was at the middle of the table, while Wang and Snow were at the head. Not once did they show Nolan involved in any part of the transactions. I did see Ken Morrow talking to Snow several times. Nolan was sitiing next to Capuano who is the Bridgeport coach, I beleive...........Sir William

Just throwing this out there for discussion. If Snow can't get the PP QB he wants do you think that he will turn to Paul Mara?
Mara is a career -97 on some bad teams but he did score 15 goals one year and is only 28 years old. He seems to be a player in need of a change of scenery and perhaps a coach like Nolan.

My feelings for Ted are well known, but he does have the upside of resurrecting the careers of players who are known underachievers . (see Poti and Kozlov). Ted may be able to turn him into a very serviceable player.

If Snow can't get Liles or an equivalent then perhaps Mara may be a worthwhile investment. I am sure his price would be manageable and he did have a very good playoff, I thought.

Mara a a few years in Phoenix where he scored more points than the entire Islander defense.

Other opinions always welcome.........Sir William

Only room for one oracle and that is "Steady." He predicted not one but two, six game win steaks two years in a row. Not to mention the Penguins at the start of 07-08 season. He also said exactly what the Isles would do in this years draft. He then complained when they did it, but hey no one is perfect.

There is an interesting crop of younger UFA's out there this time around. If I were running this team, I would go after the following:

Eric Nystrom
Antti Miettinen
Igor Grigorenko (Supposed to have talent - why not take a flier)
Michael Ryder
Jay Pandolfo (I would do backflips if Pando became an Islander)
Mike Commodore
Niko Dimitrakos
Cory Stillman
Andrew Brunette
David Aebischer (not that far removed from being a quality goaltender - at best he pushes DP, at worst he's depth)
Radim Vrbata
Pascal Dupuis
Brooks Orpik
Paul Mara
Chris Gratton
John-Michael Liles
Brendan Morrison
Kristian Huselius

I know that's a pretty exhaustive list, but I think it's pretty important to cast a wide net to a few vets and some younger UFA's in an attempt to put together a team that will grow in time for the new bumper crop of young players to develop. Thoughts?

I'm going to make another uncharacteristic short post.

Everybody that posted since yesterday seemed to echo my feelings about the draft. Even after making a repentant post yesterday morning I have to apologize to Garth Snow for my Friday night outburst .. even though I doubt he reads this blog. My mood on Friday was very sour even before the draft ... and that is no excuse.

Still .. it doesn't let him off the hook in my eyes for the Smyth trade debacle .... and truth be told ... he probably wouldn't of had to of been so creative with this draft if he hadn't made that trade .... but still .... he proved to me that he grew as a general manager and executive... he even outsmarted us smart-a$$ fans.

I'm not saying ALL his picks will pan out ... but what he did was inject A LOT of TOP caliber prospects and really did make some excellent 2nd round and 3rd round grabs. Now it's a matter of developing them and honing their strengths.

Snow actually drafted FIVE players that were ranked in the Final ISS Top 30.... incredible. Not that it means anything right now ... but still impressive.

His 4th, 5th and 6th rounders were pretty good too.

I'll have more to add in another post later.

Well this has been an interesting weekend for sure. I had to work all weekend long, and there was no need to post anything on Friday night, because 19 isles basically had he same long night that i had, except for a plane ride, and I had he same feelings. But when i read each trade down, and i realized the amount of picks, i didn't want to burst out just yet. Then after work on Saturday, I found out who Snow had drafted.

I loved the Trivino, and Ness picks, because they were on my "wish list" before the draft started, so i was immediately thrilled. But I was droooling over Petrov, and then Toews. To finish, drafting Niemi was outstanding. By far a great draft weekend for the Islanders. Yes I was on the Wilson bandwagon as well, but time will tell.

Sir William: In the past, specifically during the trade deadline, we had some heated, yet professional discussions on this board, and I believed your posts to be fruitless, and not worth reading. I remember stating that you should not post on here again and for that I apologize.

But since the end of the season, and specifically the draft, and your thoughts about the future of this team, is right on the money.

Actually, like yourself, would love the idea of Vrbata coming here, and Liles was also on my top wish list. We have enough money to give them, and can give 3-4 year deals because we have such young prospects, they're won't be a real rush to develop, and bring them up.

Your posts, at times, are not of the bandwagon, yet very much valid, and for me, love reading from a different perspective. Please continue to do what you do best.

I see one problem with the names of the younger UFA's that Nick mentioned above...

Who do they replace...?

Except for maybe Liles, Huselius, Vrbata and Orpik... none of the others are really an upgrade over what the Islanders already have. Are they?

Plus, they will cost more money to lure to the Island and the difference in quality of player wouldn't be worth it.

There has to be a clear upgrade worth the increased investment in order to add these players. I just don't see it.

I would however rather see, Comeau, Okposo, Bergenheim, Neilsson, Campoli, Gervais, Hillen, Tambellini and maybe Walter continue to get increased minutes and experience.

If someone else surprises like Bailey or any other recent draft picks, I would rather that there be a spot open for them vs. clogging the system with Dupuis, Commodore, Pandolfo, Ryder, Nystrom, Mara, Gratton, et al.

DOC

Now onto the Free Agency

As of right now i believe our current lineup looks like this

HIlbert Comrie Geurin
Tambs Sillinger Okposo
Comeau Bates Hunter
Bergenheim Park Sim

Witt Campoli
Sutton Gervais
Martinek Meyer

Now of course, i just put the players in, no particular order, so NO Hilbert is NOT on the first line.

There is a consensus from all of us for a Top LW an a PP quaterback.

Snow wants a youth movement, so let's put that into perspective.

I say do this:

LW FA Comrie Geurin
Tambs Nielson Okposo (bridgeport line)
Comeau Sillinger Hunter
Bergenheim Park Sim

Witt FA D-man
Sutton Campoli
Martinek Gervais
Meyer

Put Bates and Hilbert on the waiver wire. One or both will not get picked up, and can be ready to be called on if the Islanders get injured again.

I like the idea of Aebisher (spelling) being signed. I say bring him to a tryout, so that McDonald is not out of shape, and let the two of them, battle it out for the backup role.

We won't know if this team will be playoff bound or not until Dec-Jan anyways, so why not give it a try? If we're out, trade Sillinger for a draft pick and, sticking with Garth's youth movement, bring up Walter who's projected to be a third line center anyways.

Bates....???? Sillinger...???

I highly doubt either start the season or can even be found when the Islanders break camp.

NETMINDER No apology needed. Eveyone here occasionally lets their finger get ahead of their brains and says things that they would later regret. Myself included. Don't worry about it.

Part of being a passionate fan is the feeling that you know what is best for the team. That is the common thread among all fans of all sports. Hockey fans are just more rabid in their approach. Many of the posters here are players or ex players, who appreciate the skill and beauty of the NHL game. These are not casual fans, they are lunatics. Again, myself included.

We all want the same thing,....a winning team. We just sometimes differ about how to go about getting there. I know that it kills me when I see something that the organization does that I beleive to be foolish. This is what ties us together.

ISLES4EVER....Click on over to the Bleeding Blue and Orange site and see who won the first ever Stanley Cup pool by picking the Red Wings in 6 at the start of the playoffs......Sir William

Doc ... do you have info on Bate's and Silly's status? I expected to have Silly in camp .... Bate's who knows? But Silly I figured would come in and at least work out with the team... I'm not sure where he's at in his recovery ... ya know with the Isles ... they're not so eager to give out that info.

Netminder,,,
Barring the rapid development of Bailey, I still think we need a whole lot of help at center. Moreso than at the wings.
After some conversations with some folks on Friday night who have seen Silly lately, I am gonna be REALLY surprised if Sillinger returns.

So that leaves us with Comrie and Park, and the kid Bailey.
Let's say Bailey is able to step into the NHL right now.
That still leaves us with basically three no better than 2nd line centers or worse in the opening day lineup.
Neilson? I don't see it. Colliton? Nope.

Snow needs to scrounge the UFA for a center.
( I really thought Wilson was the answer....I hope that Bailey is).
Of course, it's still not too late to enroll Comeau in the Sillinger/Trottier Centerman Summer Camp.

;)

And I am not so worried about the D- line.
The only improvement needed there is a PP QB.
I am willing to give Hillen a shot at that....The guy CAN PASS.
(BTW, I made a point on Friday night to walk over to Hillen....tap him on the shoulder and say to him...."YOU have GOT to EARN the starting day roster coming out of pre-season...YOU can do that and WE need your offense").

Just my opinion.....from 2 time zones away.

STEADY: I caught some of the draft, and did see some kids running around the tables, and if i remember correctly the Coyotes were one of them..

Coral spring: I have stepped back into my house...I was pretty close to jumping..But its been a very stressful year and after the draft it basically put me over the top...but im doing good right now..did a few breathing exercises and decided not to jump..

Now that I have had a another day to take this all in, I am going to have to do a complete turnaround and say, I am partially optimistic..You know they hype up the top 4 to 5 picks that make u believe they are caliber players and will make a immediate impact for your team, which is VERY UNTRUE...It is maybe more possible then say the 30th pick, but you still NEVER know...These are young kids who have alot of talent, but not all of them will be stars in the NHL...

We are on the youth movement plan, and the teams poor decisions made in the past, made SNOW do what he did..WE needed to stock pile our system...We all know our system is pretty dry with very little to choose from...Now we have 13 new prospects to develop and hopefully get a few GEMS...Nothing is ever for sure when your drafting young players..So we cant really judge anything that happened these last 2 days, probably for another 2-3 yrs....Now if we had the number 1 pick and traded down, then i would have to abandon the team for GOOD!! But come on guys, BAILEY had SICK stats and was just behind STAMKOS w/ points....Lets give this kid a shot!!!! Obviously if
Filatov turns into the next Federov, or Wilson turns out to be the next Adam Oates, and Bailey turns out to be the next Andy Hilbert then well we SCREWED UP BIG TIME...But what if Filatov turns into the next Kvasha(minus the size) and what if Wislon turns into the next Patrick Flately(boy i didnt like him) and Bailey turns out to be the next Modano...Then SNOW looks like the man..BUT WE JUST DONT KNOW YET!!!!!

Its very hard to stay optimistic with this team, and there is NOT one Islander fan who can say different...If your a die hard fan you can ONLY hope and pray this is the year we turn it around and continue to stick with our plan...

Now SIR WILLIAM.....I must admitt, you say alot of things i disagree with, but thats why i love this blog...If we all agreed on this blog, it would be very boring...But i have agreed with your few past posts, which has helped me from not jumping(not literally) and become a little more optimistic..We need some young talented FA signing..and im a huge fan of Liles and Vrbata...which should come at a lower cost than HOSSA...Now, if we could still sign HOSSA i would jump on it...No doubt in my mind...KO BAILEY HOSSA???? COME ON, your telling me you wouldnt want that as your first LINE? maybe 2nd line.. Comeau Comrie Vrbata???? but i DO agree that we need some very good FA signings when July 1st comes..And I am not holding my breath about signing Hossa, because i know its not gonna happen, but it does sound like a pretty sexy first line don't ya think???

So now that I am feeling a little better about the last few days, Now we wait for July 1st.....We need to make a splash!! Come on SNOW prove us all wrong!!!

Geezus Sir William.....

When the hell did you start taking NICE pills?

What a pleasure......
I'm gonna start scheduling some more late night IM chats if I see you start to drift back to the dark side.

(Of course, I'm gonna take credit for this metamorphosis.....that's how my ego rolls).

;)

Above was from last thread...

505 I just say what's on my mind. People are free to agree or disagree. I don't take it personally, unless it's a blatant personal attack without any basis in fact.
Feel free to pop on late at night. I worked nights my whole life and can't break the late night habit, now. So, I am usually up till all hours.

As for Hossa. He is the present. We are the future. Not a good fit for either. Snow has to forgo the temptation to shoot for the big name and fail. Stick to pursuing 2 or 3 realistic names that he can sign. Don't waste time on players who will never sign here like Hossa or Campbell. Throw some money at Vrbada and Liles and get them wrapped up while everyone else is chasing Hossa.
Snow has the money now all he needs is the will to get it done................Sir William

505 I just say what's on my mind. People are free to agree or disagree. I don't take it personally, unless it's a blatant personal attack without any basis in fact.
Feel free to pop on late at night. I worked nights my whole life and can't break the late night habit, now. So, I am usually up till all hours.

As for Hossa. He is the present. We are the future. Not a good fit for either. Snow has to forgo the temptation to shoot for the big name and fail. Stick to pursuing 2 or 3 realistic names that he can sign. Don't waste time on players who will never sign here like Hossa or Campbell. Throw some money at Vrbada and Liles and get them wrapped up while everyone else is chasing Hossa.
Snow has the money now all he needs is the will to get it done................Sir William

505

Looking at the Centers, only Langkow, and Sundin, in my opinion, are first line centers, and they're not going to be looking here to play.

Would you mind Straka coming back and playing here for a year?

Let's pick your brain here.

I WANT LANGKOW.
Not interested in Sundin.

Make Langkow an offer he cannot refuse.
It's not like we're broke or pushing the cap window.

"Make Langkow an offer he cannot refuse."

Perhaps it is time for Steady and I to take a road trip to Calgary and deliver the offer that Langkow cannot refuse.

And I am getting tired of all of this "they are not gonna wanna play on the Island" crap.

Everyone has a price.
Everyone who lives and breathes is a whore.
The key is determining at what price your target will spread their legs.
Male or female.

The facilities at NVMC, the less than sellout crowds, dealing with the NY media (okay, just Baumbach and Rieber---should not be an issue), are simply CRUTCHES AND BAD EXCUSES for not drawing the UFA's you want.

MONEY TALKS AND BS WALKS.

Find the right guy(s), Pay the guy the money he wants and more....demonstrate that the organization is MOVING FORWARD (we have done that with this draft, and the LH project), give him CLEAR expectations of what his future holds here (currently looking for leadership and you can be the future team Captain), CONVINCE him that he is part of a team that is serious about a Cup and basically that playing for the Isles is and WILL BE A good thing........(and if he's Canadian, remind him that the best Dentists in the world live on Long Island).

And having a Coach so respected by most players in the league is a GOOD thing as well.

Geezus, how the hell does PITTSBURGH get anyone to play for them????
Money?
Ya think?
Or is it......the old arena, the dirty air, the rust belt of a downtown, the coach who showed what a moron he is in the SCF, Iron City Beer, or the greasy slimy sandwiches they serve in that town?

what about malone? hes young and is a good player...if they can find a way to sign him for 5 years theyd have him through his prime and hed still be relatively young for when (and if) all those prospects shape up

505 ~ Thanks for the update on Silly .... doesn't sound to good .... maybe he shouldn't mess with his long term health if it's that bad .... he's had a distinguished career ... and he'd be a valuable part of the coaching team.
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So pretty much most of the NIMBYs checked in except for KH, Ceasar, Frei, 7th Woman, Mike S., TMC aka The Metal Chick, D-$, JP in VA and our friend from the other side of the pond Piero.

Anyone hear from Healy since a bunch of us went ballistic after the Bailey selection? LOL!!! I thought he was gonna head to Ottawa to shove one goalie pad down Snow's throat ... and the other pad down Wangs. LOLOL!

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FYI: Spoke with Julien this afternoon ... they're still trying to sort everything out and setup books on the new draftees. They also were going nuts with the trades.

Julien gave me this piece of advise ... which kind of in a way has taken hold naturally.

Julien said to remember ... ALL these kids including Stamkos are 18 years old or will be 18 by mid September. The difference between Bailey and a player like Wilson is finite. Bailey is a much better passer than all the other centers including possibly Stamkos that was drafted ahead. He said Bailey being a lefty paired with someone like Okposo is going to really be a formidable line that may be one of the most dangerous lines in hockey.

He said don't expect Bailey to make the team this year ... he's on the cusp ... but if he has a great camp ... he may get the nod ... but that there is no reason to rush him ... even though the Isles need a center. He said .. keep in mind .. the Isles probably aren't going to go anywhere this next season ... they are building. UFA's may want a team on the fast track to contention ... and as a bunch of you have said ... we might be better off getting a mid-level UFA still approaching their peak that will become veteran leadership when these recent picks break the lineup.

Julien said the Isles stole Tampa's thunder this draft ... and even though they dropped out of the top 5 in draft selection ... they arguably finished in the top spot of quantity and quality of prospects. He's the one that had to remind me that the Isles walke way with 5 of the top 30 ISS ranked players.

He said the ISS is much more reliable than NHL central, THN and TSN ... he said ... keep in mind ... THN and TSN rankings are really driven by journalists with limited scouting info. He said that central scouting really looks at players a few times a year and rates them with what they see and press clippings. ISS relys more on local scouts because they see these guys many times over the course of the year.

Then he added .... after the draft .... FATE TAKES OVER ... and Snow did the best job of ensuring that fate goes his way.

Then of course that Habs fan had to throw in my face their acquistion of Tanguay.

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I'll also add .. that besides Bailey ... I think picking up Ness, Petrov, Trivino and Toews was brilliant ... their hockey IQ's are up there big time .... and after more experience and time they will only get smarter ... that is what really makes an impact player ... you can practice all you want ... and work out to get into top condition ... but if you don't have the head ... you just are a slab of meat out there.

Sir yaps alot. You are kidding right? My dog could of picked Detroit in 6. You are a wannbe. Stick to your writting 101 class at Nassau Communit College.

The Tavares factor and 08/09 season.

I'm not throwing in the towel for next season and submitting our entry into the John Tavares sweepstakes just yet .... but .... I want to have a realistic look at the team for next season.

Maybe it's a little pre-mature because we still have the free-agency period to consider .... and as 505 mentioned ... it's a bunch of Bull-Turd to keep using the free agents don't want to sign with the Islanders excuse.

I think when players see the great job Snow did at this season's draft ... and the progress of the LHOLI project .. they can be encouraged .... not to mention a hockey bag of Benjamins to make that offer that 505 is going to deliver in person with Steady.

All that being said ... after looking over potential lineups and roster options put forth by my fellow esteemed NIMBYs .. I have to really wonder what kind of impact can we expect from this yute movement (yute = youth .... see My Cousin Vinny FMI).

I could really embrace the pursuit of Vrbata, Langkow and Liles... even Malone for the right price. Maybe throw Nystrom an entry level two way contract. After all ... most of the Isles draftees from this draft will be in Juniors or college ... or even Europe. Last season's late season signings of young players will most likely take up shop at the Bridge.

That leaves us with something like this if NO FA:

Forward Lines ~

Sim Comrie Guerin "2nd chance line"

Tamby Nielsen Okposo "Kid Line"

Bergy Park Comeau "Shut down line"

Hilbert Colliton Hunter "Something to prove line"

Depth: Brennan, Walter.

Defense ~

Witt Camps

Sutton Gervais

Hillen Marty

Meyer

Depth: Fata, Spiller

Goal~

DP (60 games tops to ensure hip is fine)

Mac (22 games)

That lineup is destined for another bottom 5 finish even with DP playing well ... J Mac is still an unknown ... and may not be able to hold the fort on DP rest days.

Keep inmind ... all the teams that finished worse than the Isles this season are much improved with their picks pretty much NHL ready ... not to mention I still contend that Tampa tanked... they have a playoff roster.

I can't see the Isles tanking ... but I think they really are going to take a step down to step ahead this next season.

I'll have more to go on after some FA's have been moved... that is a huge impact on what happens this next year.

Key FA signings for the Isles have them out of the bottom 10 and fighting for 7th or 8th place with a healthy DP.

You're not worthy of my name.

New thread...I'm moving my analysis to there.