Is this the year Rick DiPietro joins the league's elite?
Sorry to conjure memories of one of the NHL Network's most played ads, but it's a question worth asking. Some would say he's well on his way. Others would argue he's already there. Still, others say he'll never be any good and that his 15-year contract is the worst in NHL history. Clearly, there's no consensus here.
My personal opinion is that DiPietro played like a top-five goaltender (and that's top five in the NHL, not the Atlantic Division) for the first half of the season, then was never the same after "f'ing up his hip" at the Skills Competition. As fate would have it, it was at that same Skills Competition when we saw exactly what Rick DiPietro can be in this league.
Everyone points to his post-All-Star Game fade, but people forget that DP was just about made a star during All-Star weekend. He was probably the athlete the hosts talked to the most during the Skills Competition, he wore a mic during the game, and got hyped up pretty good by Versus. Oh, and he also started the All-Star Game itself and only let in one goal the entire weekend - and that was when one of the idiot announcers was talking to him. Despite being a goalie in the offense-heavy All-Star Game, he was a solid MVP candidate - not too bad for someone many considered lucky to be there.
So it all came crashing down after that. So what? Those who watched the Islanders play in the first half know how many games DiPietro singlehandedly won for them. If the Vezina vote took place in February, he would have gotten some serious consideration, not to mention quite a few votes. That's half a season of stellar goaltending, which is certainly an upgrade over the years when Tommy Salo and Felix Potvin graced us with their presence.
The challenge, now, is translating that half-season of greatness into a full year of Vezina-quality goaltending. Is DiPietro ready?
Well, here's the thing. He pretty much has to be.
The Isles are going to struggle to do much of anything this year, at least as far as making a playoff push goes. If they're going to have a decent year - and they're going to need to in order to attract free agents - DP needs to be spectacular. But it goes deeper than that. DiPietro himself needs to have the kind of year that really puts him on the map across the league. Believe it or not, he was drafted eight years ago. It's time for him to step up - and, at this point, we all pray his hips can keep him up.
And then, there's this. The NHL is dying to shove DiPietro down our throats, a la Crosby and Ovechkin. It just hasn't worked out yet. Why? Because DiPietro hasn't turned in that superstar-caliber year that would put his team over the top. Look at the aforementioned Crosby and Ovechkin. Crosby took a team that was headed to Kansas City and made it a Cup Finalist in three years. In that same amount of time, Ovechkin took a crappy Capitals team with crappy uniforms and filled the Verizon Center like never before. These teams are no longer bottom-feeders; they're exciting teams that people want to watch. This is why they're on NBC every Sunday.
Could DP preside over such a rebuilding act? In terms of hockey, doubtful. In terms of image, though, it's not that far off. If the Islanders can stay competitive this year and DP has a great season, that's a start. The following year, if the Islanders manage to make the playoffs and steal a round, then the stage is set for DiPietro to really set the hockey world ablaze. That's something the Islanders need. It's one thing to have a goalie locked up for the next twelve years; it's an entirely different thing to have one of the game's best players for the rest of his great career. We're hoping for the latter.
We're also hoping that this year is the continuation of what we saw more often than not last year - game-saving plays, smart goaltending, and quality leadership. If DiPietro can make "the leap" this year, it won't only help his stature out, but it'll drastically change the perception of the New York Islanders. Instead of being a laughingstock as they're said to be now, they will be seen as a team on the rise. And that just might be the kind of thing that can get the ball rolling.
Sorry to conjure memories of one of the NHL Network's most played ads, but it's a question worth asking. Some would say he's well on his way. Others would argue he's already there. Still, others say he'll never be any good and that his 15-year contract is the worst in NHL history. Clearly, there's no consensus here.
My personal opinion is that DiPietro played like a top-five goaltender (and that's top five in the NHL, not the Atlantic Division) for the first half of the season, then was never the same after "f'ing up his hip" at the Skills Competition. As fate would have it, it was at that same Skills Competition when we saw exactly what Rick DiPietro can be in this league.
Everyone points to his post-All-Star Game fade, but people forget that DP was just about made a star during All-Star weekend. He was probably the athlete the hosts talked to the most during the Skills Competition, he wore a mic during the game, and got hyped up pretty good by Versus. Oh, and he also started the All-Star Game itself and only let in one goal the entire weekend - and that was when one of the idiot announcers was talking to him. Despite being a goalie in the offense-heavy All-Star Game, he was a solid MVP candidate - not too bad for someone many considered lucky to be there.
So it all came crashing down after that. So what? Those who watched the Islanders play in the first half know how many games DiPietro singlehandedly won for them. If the Vezina vote took place in February, he would have gotten some serious consideration, not to mention quite a few votes. That's half a season of stellar goaltending, which is certainly an upgrade over the years when Tommy Salo and Felix Potvin graced us with their presence.
The challenge, now, is translating that half-season of greatness into a full year of Vezina-quality goaltending. Is DiPietro ready?
Well, here's the thing. He pretty much has to be.
The Isles are going to struggle to do much of anything this year, at least as far as making a playoff push goes. If they're going to have a decent year - and they're going to need to in order to attract free agents - DP needs to be spectacular. But it goes deeper than that. DiPietro himself needs to have the kind of year that really puts him on the map across the league. Believe it or not, he was drafted eight years ago. It's time for him to step up - and, at this point, we all pray his hips can keep him up.
And then, there's this. The NHL is dying to shove DiPietro down our throats, a la Crosby and Ovechkin. It just hasn't worked out yet. Why? Because DiPietro hasn't turned in that superstar-caliber year that would put his team over the top. Look at the aforementioned Crosby and Ovechkin. Crosby took a team that was headed to Kansas City and made it a Cup Finalist in three years. In that same amount of time, Ovechkin took a crappy Capitals team with crappy uniforms and filled the Verizon Center like never before. These teams are no longer bottom-feeders; they're exciting teams that people want to watch. This is why they're on NBC every Sunday.
Could DP preside over such a rebuilding act? In terms of hockey, doubtful. In terms of image, though, it's not that far off. If the Islanders can stay competitive this year and DP has a great season, that's a start. The following year, if the Islanders manage to make the playoffs and steal a round, then the stage is set for DiPietro to really set the hockey world ablaze. That's something the Islanders need. It's one thing to have a goalie locked up for the next twelve years; it's an entirely different thing to have one of the game's best players for the rest of his great career. We're hoping for the latter.
We're also hoping that this year is the continuation of what we saw more often than not last year - game-saving plays, smart goaltending, and quality leadership. If DiPietro can make "the leap" this year, it won't only help his stature out, but it'll drastically change the perception of the New York Islanders. Instead of being a laughingstock as they're said to be now, they will be seen as a team on the rise. And that just might be the kind of thing that can get the ball rolling.
Not much to say except that after all this time, it's time for him to prove he was worth being #1 overall. For the record, Lundqvist was picked 204 spots later in the same draft and is a better goaltender.
ReplyDeleteOn the contract, if he stays good, it's a good move. The Isles paid under $5M for him, and with contracts flying up for no reason at all, if he had a few good years his market value would be $6.5M if he had ever hit UFA status.
He traded big money for loyalty, security, and as many 24-hour McDonald's along Hempstead Tpke he could ever want.