Meet Kirill Petrov...

If you read Newsday today, you would have thought that Mike Milbury was fired from his job for no reason, and that Garth Snow became GM of the Islanders by sleeping with Charles Wang. Articles by Greg Logan today and yesterday questioned Snow (somewhat rightfully), and the readers who sent in "daily rants" seemed like an angry mob looking for blood.

Let's get one thing straight. Garth Snow traded down 4 spots to take Josh Bailey. Mike Milbury would definitely have drafted Nikita Filatov or Luke Schenn in the 5th spot, and then would have immediately traded him to the Penguins for Adam Hall and a 2009 6th round pick.

By the way, Josh Bailey is the second best player the Islanders got in the 2008 draft. The first best is Kirill Petrov, taken 73rd in the draft. Remember last year when the Rangers took Alex Cherepanov at 17th when he probably could have gone 3rd or 4th overall? He slid so far because teams were wary of him being able to transfer from Russia within a few years. (Yes, teams also worried about his work ethic.)

With Petrov, he might never come here. Ever. He makes a boatload of money in Russia and is completely content playing there. However, if you take into account raw talent and skill, he was Top 10 in the draft, probably around 8th. If he does ever come from Russia, the Islanders have an incredible talent on their hands. The only reason they were able to draft Petrov was because they stockpiled so many picks (13, the most of any team in the '08 draft) that they were able to "waste" one on a prospect who might never see a North American rink.

Without further ado, the highlight video...

Now, as a logical, smart, street-wise Ranger fan, I hope he never comes here. Oh, and we talk about Mike Milbury way too much on this blog.

Your Guide To The 2008 NHL Entry Draft

Tomorrow night, young prospects from all over the world will convene at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. The first round will be shown in prime-time on Versus. Look no further than The Rivalry for your one-stop shop for information about the Draft. We're not going to do a mock draft or anything like that; after all, the one thing in common about all the draftees is that we don't know anything about any of them. That said, we'll still be watching, as we think all hockey fans should.

And away we go!

When and where is the draft taking place?
The 2008 NHL Entry Draft will be at the ScotiaBank Place in Ottawa. The Draft will be split up into two parts. The first round will take place Friday night at 7 PM. The Draft resumes Saturday morning at 10 AM, when the remaining six rounds will take place.

How can I watch the Draft?
For the second straight year, the first round is airing in prime-time on Versus. Saturday's portion of the draft will be broadcast on the NHL Network.

What can we expect to see?
We have yet to see even one second of footage of any of the top prospects at the Draft. So we have no idea of who will be picked where, which teams are likely to take what players, or any of the actual "draft" stuff. However, there are a couple of picks we're willing to take to the bank. And, since it's hard to get excited about a player we might not even see for five years, these items provide the most entertaining part about the draft.

• At least thirty mentions that this is "the deepest NHL Entry Draft in years".
• An awkward introduction by Gary Bettman where he thanks the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins for great TV ratings... err, a great Stanley Cup Final.
• Steven Stamkos showing up to the Draft with his parents, wearing a suit that combines the colors black, blue, and silver.
• Only one team will provide its' first-round pick with a jersey with the player's actual number on it - the Tampa Bay Lightning (Stamkos, #91).
• Each team will send a gaggle of executives and one alumni member to the Draft. The group will make a 5-minute speech, congratulating the Red Wings on their Stanley Cup win and thank the Ottawa Senators and city of Ottawa for their hospitality. Then, the pick will be announced, and the last name of the player will definitely be mispronounced.
• Lots of footage of the draftees, accompanied by lots of awful jerseys and lots of corporate sponsors all over those jerseys.
• Lots of bad interviews with players who are either nervous wrecks or are overly relieved to be chosen (or both). The phrases "happy to be here", "the organization", and "looking forward to training camp" will be said approximately ten thousand times. Each.
• Versus will air that Dockers commercial they showed a million times during the playoffs another fifty times on Friday night alone.
• Live cut-ins to Draft Parties around the country, where at least one team's fanbase will boo the pick of a player that they've never even seen play.
• Plenty of lagged interviews with GMs who will state that they got who they wanted, even if it's a blatant lie.

What will the local teams be doing for the Draft?
The Islanders, no strangers to high draft picks, will be hosting a Draft Party at the Coliseum. John Buccigross gets the night off from the Boston sports circlejerk that is SportsCenter and is slated to be the MC. Jack Hillen and Robin Figren, with a combined two games of NHL experience between them, will be there to greet fans. The event will feature interviews with Garth Snow, Ted Nolan, and whomever the Islanders pick.

The Rangers... um... don't get to have a Draft Party anymore now that the NHL hates them and wants to kick Charles Dolan out of the league.

As for the actual Draft?
Well, the Islanders' draft promotion says it all. "2000: Rick DiPietro. 2006: Kyle Okposo. Who's next?" I guess they'd like us to forget about Raffi Torres (traded for Janne Niinimaa), Jason Spezza (traded for Alexei Yashin), Robert Nilsson (traded for Ryan Smyth) Petteri Nokelainen (traded for the immortal Ben Walter), and Ryan O'Marra (also traded for Smyth). In other words, Isles fans, don't get your hopes up.

The Rangers have recovered from the era of Pavel Brendl and Jamie Lundmark to have a very impressive draft record in recent years, particularly in the later rounds. If they don't wow you early on, just be patient - they'll get at least one or two solid NHL players in this draft, which is more than can be said for a lot of teams out there.

Will there be any trades?
Tough to say. We have all heard for months about how deep this Draft is and how nobody wants to trade their picks. Is this true, or was all that talk simply posturing for a bigger deal later on? We'll find out this weekend. The truth is, the sure thing of a quality player now means more to GMs than a player who might be good down the line, especially with a lot of teams feeling like they're just one or two players away. This year's free agent crop is pretty weak, which might force a few hands this weekend, so don't be shocked if there's a good amount of trade activity. However, don't be surprised if teams opt to simply take the best players they can with the picks they already have.

Anything else?
Nope. We hope you enjoy the Draft; after all, Versus could use good ratings so that they can bring us more quality NHL action next season. Seriously, even though these prospects are all mysteries to us, we still watch the Draft each year and are entertained by it. Hey, why not? It's hockey.

Oh, and if you actually care about who's good in the Draft, here's TSN's Top 60 Prospects. Enjoy!

Conflicts Of Interest

You've got to love this time of year.

If you're a Ranger fan, you just came off a night of rooting for the Islanders in their game against the Devils. Perish the thought! Sorry we couldn't do more for you guys - it's sort of tough to beat playoff teams when half your players belong in the AHL. And now, Devils fans will root for the Islanders as they take on the Rangers the next two nights. While it's not a rivalry on the same level as Islanders-Rangers or Rangers-Devils, it's still an awkward fit - and that's what the playoff push is all about.

The Islanders have two games left this season, both against the hated Rangers. And nothing is as it seems. As I see it, the Islanders' goals should be as follows:

1. Don't let the Rangers clinch their playoff berth on Coliseum ice. This might not be an issue depending on what happens in tonight's Carolina-Tampa Bay game; Carolina needs at least one point to keep the Rangers from clinching. The Rangers could also clinch tomorrow night if Tampa can stop Washington. No matter what the scenario ends up being, the last thing the Islanders (and their fans) need is for tomorrow night's game to serve as a party for Ranger fans to celebrate their latest playoff berth. Whether the Rangers need the win to clinch or not, the Islanders need to do something to shut up the many Ranger fans who will be in attendance. Winning is the best way to take care of that.

2. Finish with a bottom-five record to qualify for the draft lottery. Any three points earned by Columbus, or any three points not earned by the Islanders, will clinch a lottery spot for the Islanders. That's good. The Islanders might be able to manage that on their own; however, they always get up for the Rangers and could very play spoiler in their final two games. Thankfully, Columbus plays Detroit tomorrow, followed by a home-and-home against St. Louis this weekend, opening the door for the Islanders' ping-pong ball to enter the draft lottery hopper. Thank God.

3. Win at least one game, guaranteeing a win in the season series. The Isles currently lead the series 4-2, with one win coming in a shootout. A win gives them the season series. Assuming no overtime points are awarded - and that's far from a given - a split would also clinch at least a tie in the Hummer Metro Ice Challenge. A sweep would give the Isles the trophy outright. Not that the Hummer Metro Ice Challenge means anything, but it provides supreme bragging rights. Besides, it's all we have left.

Two games left... three objectives left to accomplish. It seems to me like all three are doable. The Rangers can clinch if the Lightning help them out, they can clinch on Friday at the Garden, they can even clinch on Sunday against the Devils... just not tomorrow at the Coliseum as the result of a Ranger win. We can beat the Rangers and get into the lottery, especially since Columbus has two games against the woeful Blues. It's not a playoff berth, but let's be honest - I'd rather go to the lottery than face yet another first-round exit.

A Silver Lining

Leave it to the Islanders to finally score four goals in a game now that their playoff chances have all but vanished. Of course, in that same game, the other team scored eight. That other team, as it turns out, was the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that is hardly the 1984 Oilers.

Truly, the Islanders need more than a miracle at this point. Even selling their souls to the devil might not do the trick.

Again, I can't stress enough that now is the time for the Islanders to look toward Bridgeport to give some young players a chance. Say, Kyle Okposo would sure look good in orange and blue, wouldn't he? After all, the only thing we're playing for at this point is draft position. The Islanders are currently in 26th place in a 30-team league where there are, at most, five really good teams. The Devils have scored more goals than us. Let's face it - this team isn't even close to the team it was last year; a playoff run this year would have lasted for five games at the most. Why not try to turn this negative into a positive, get the young guys some experience, and see what's in store for next year?

Now, I would never encourage any team to tank their season. But this upcoming draft is said to be extremely deep and a good draft position can only help this team rebuild. The Islanders could easily find themselves with a top-ten pick this June, which could be an extremely valuable commodity. That pick will probably end up becoming a can't-miss prospect, but it may well end up as a significant trade chip. Perhaps Garth Snow can turn that pick into the scorer we've craved all season long. Whatever happens with the pick, it's a good problem to have.

After the Islanders lost to Buffalo last year, I believed it was the best possible scenario for this team. They weren't going to beat Buffalo no matter what, but they were able to lose with dignity and could blame the refs for the two home losses. This year isn't quite the same, but can be seen with the same sort of cockeyed optimism. We were never going to be a threat for a deep playoff run under any circumstances, and we'll at least get a premium draft pick for our struggles. Sure, the two games of playoff revenue would have been nice, but far from essential given the team's room under the cap and Charles Wang's deep pockets.

So it turns out that our Islanders not only can't make the playoffs, they can't even beat the second-worst team in the league. Worse, we're not that far ahead of them. But maybe there is a silver lining to all of this. Maybe we'll be better off for our struggles this season. That hope is all we have left to hold on to.