Setbacks and Opportunities

The Islanders haven't even played a pre-season game yet, and they already have injury problems.

Mark Streit: Shoulder surgery, out for 6 months.

Kyle Okposo: Shoulder surgery, out for 2 months.

That's 100-120 man games lost to injury, and the season is still two weeks away. Feel free to insert your own joke about how Rick DiPietro's inevitable injury will cause those numbers to skyrocket.

If you're the Islanders, you might think about ratcheting expectations down a little bit. But you can you do that when your ticket prices are at an all-time high? Like it or not, injuries to your two best players don't make it okay to miss the playoffs again. Instead, the Islanders will need players - both the big names and the unknown ones - to step up.

These injuries to Streit and Okposo are devastating, but they also provide a tremendous opportunity to guys like Calvin de Haan, Nino Niederreiter, Travis Hamonic and countless others, including the newly-acquired Mike Mottau. These players now have the chance to step up and make a significant impact on the big club. It's also an opportunity for players like John Tavares and Josh Bailey to take a more active role in the leadership of this club.

Feel free to wallow a bit - after all, a 2010 without Mark Streit and Kyle Okposo is hardly what you expected. But life goes on, and so do the Islanders' playoff chances - and the expectations that they'll be significantly better than the draft lottery. The lost production and leadership of Streit and Okposo has to come from somewhere, and it'll be very interesting and exciting to see who steps up.

NYI Top Post-Lockout Moments #15-11

More of the top post-lockout moments in Islanders history. Monday, we'll have #10-#6 of the Rangers' moments.

15) Road Warriors

Chicago/Detroit - March 15/March 27, 2009

The 2008-09 season was largely forgettable for the Islanders. They had a decent start, but injuries - and the fact that they weren't very good - had the Islanders in their customary spot of last place by Christmas. The injury bug that ravaged the Islanders was absolutely insane, with the Islanders resorting to playing as many as a dozen Bridgeport Sound Tigers on the big club, then sending them down to play in Bridgeport.

It was under these conditions that the Islanders pulled off their two biggest wins of the season. The first came during a Sunday matinee in Chicago, a game in which goalie Peter Mannino earned his first NHL win. Two weeks later, the Isles played the defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings on a Friday night, and to say Islanders fans weren't expecting much would be an understatement. However, these Islanders were up to the task, in particularly Joey MacDonald, who stole the show with 42 saves. In fact, it was MacDonald's save on Tomas Holmstrom that was named by NHL fans as the best save of the season.

These two games meant very little in the standings to either team, but they did a world of good for Islanders fans. Those who stayed loyal to the last-place Islanders were treated to two tremendous efforts against the eventual Western Conference finalists. They also got a glimpse of the team's future, as well as a reminder that the New York Islanders do not quit against any team.

14) Fight Night At Nassau Coliseum

Nassau Coliseum - September 24, 2007

Preseason games are often filled with fights. Islanders-Rangers games are often filled with fights. Put the two together, and there is serious potential for disarray.

There were a number of fights on this night, but there are two that stand out. The first involved Chris Simon and Ryan Hollweg. This game actually occurred during Simon's suspension for mauling Hollweg during a March 2007 game, but since it was a preseason game, Simon was able to play. Given the history these two players had with one another, it was no surprise that they went at it on this night.

The fight nobody expected to see, though, was between the goalies. As Rick DiPietro became involved in a scrum in front of the Islanders' net, Rangers goalie Al Montoya came down to defend his teammates. The tussle between DiPietro and Montoya wasn't all that special, but that they squared off at all was a pretty awesome moment. It was a great cap to yet another brutal moment in the Islanders-Rangers rivalry.

13) Opening Night

Nassau Coliseum - October 3, 2009

For months prior to the start of the 2009-10 season, Islanders fans saw October 3 as something more than Opening Night. Instead, it was Charles Wang's well-publicized date of "certainty". Wang stated numerous times that, if the Lighthouse Project had not been approved, the Islanders would listen to offers from potential suitors of the Islanders in other cities. As the date neared, the political games intensified, leaving fans worried about their team's future.

As it turned out, there was no deal by Wang's "certainty" deadline. However, that didn't stop the fans from filling the Coliseum, forgetting all the political nonsense, and simply enjoying the great game of hockey. They got to see a great game, highlighted by the NHL debut of John Tavares. Tavares didn't disappoint, recording an assist and a goal on the Islanders' first two goals. Tavares also made an appearance in the shootout later that night. While the Islanders couldn't knock off the defending Cup champs, they gave Islanders fans a tremendous memory - as well as a reminder that while it's easy to get swept up in the politics of the Lighthouse, hockey is what makes Islander Country a special place.

12) The Purge of 2009

February 20/March 4, 2009

As the Islanders made their bid for the first overall draft pick towards the end of the 2008-09 season, most people suspected that the Islanders would sell off at least some of their significant surplus of players at the end of their contracts. The Islanders did end up trading three veteran players around the deadline, but it wasn't merely to save payroll.

On February 20, the Islanders shipped Chris Campoli and Mike Comrie to Ottawa in exchange for Dean McAmmond and a first-round pick. Campoli wasn't going to be a free agent, but had something in common with Comrie - neither were happy with Scott Gordon's system. Nor was Guerin, who was pulled from the Islanders lineup on February 28 in anticipation of a trade, which did not materialize until just before the deadline on March 4. Guerin's haul was less than anticipated, but he did end up yielding a third-round pick when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup.

The message in these trades were clear. Veterans who didn't want to mentor the young guys and play within Scott Gordon's system were expendable and would be moved out in favor of younger players. The trades were proof that the Islanders were committed to rebuilding with Gordon and that fans could finally embrace a coach without worrying about him getting fired anytime soon.

11) Islanders Hire Ted Nolan And Neil Smith

June 8, 2006

After the Islanders fired Steve Stirling in January 2006, fans were waiting to see who would be named the next Islanders coach. Interim coach Brad Shaw did a decent job to close out 2005-06, but most people were looking for the Isles to name a coach from outside the organization. Fans were also waiting for the team to name Mike Milbury's successor as general manager. On June 8, 2006, they would be pleasantly surprised to find that both the coach and general manager vacancies were filled.

For the general manager position, the Islanders brought in Neil Smith. While some Islanders fans weren't thrilled about the prospect of a former Rangers GM running their team, Smith also had a background with the Islanders, serving as a scout on their 80s Cup teams. In addition, it was hard to ignore Smith's work in bringing the Rangers the 1994 Stanley Cup. For coach, the Islanders hired Ted Nolan, the former Sabres coach who hadn't coached in the NHL since being fired by the Sabres and subsuquently blackballed from the league as a whole.

The additions of these two respected leaders with proven track records of success helped give the Islanders a sense of credibility they hadn't had for years. The additions of Pat LaFontaine and Bryan Trottier as executives only helped to enhance the good vibes of the day. Then, unfortunately, Charles Wang announced his "management model" whereby everyone would have an equal say and all would report directly to Wang. Smith was unable to exist within this "model" and was fired just 40 days later, with LaFontaine resigning his post on the same day.

Ultimately, Wang's "model" was quietly dropped two years later, but by then, the damage was done. Smith was out and Garth Snow was in; a decision, as we will see later in the countdown, that was not exactly warmly embraced at first. However, Smith's tenure did have some long-lasting impact, as his first draft pick as Islanders GM was Kyle Okposo. As for Nolan, he brought the Islanders to the playoffs in his first season, but was fired after the next season, his "GM-killer" reputation still intact.

Do Moral Victories Exist?

You knew the Islanders had to lose sometime. And you probably knew that the Islanders sweeping three of the East's top four would probably be too good to be true. Yet, you're disappointed that the Islanders lost tonight.

That's a good thing.

I keep waiting for the Islanders to fall off the pace and out of the playoff picture. It hasn't happened yet. At this point, I'm not so sure it's ever going to happen. These Islanders looked like they belonged in this game, and they looked like they had a great chance to win. It's a shame it didn't work out.

Some thoughts on tonight's game...

- Over the past two years, the Islanders have written the book on blowing three-goal leads. Tonight, they flipped that book around, coming back from three goals down on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Even though the end result wasn't there, the comeback was a great sign.

- If Garth Snow does nothing else next year, he has to get a big winger to play with John Tavares. He's not big enough to do it all by himself, which is to be expected at 19 years old. Even so, it's hard to watch him getting knocked around so frequently.

- Sidney Crosby didn't do a whole lot to silence his "whiner" rep after Richard Park's goal to tie the game. I get that it's the captain's job to let the ref know when he's missing calls, but yapping with Park and Doug Weight doesn't really accomplish a whole lot.

- The Sutton hit... just an unfortunate incident. Clearly, Sutton felt bad; he stayed on top of Pascal Dupuis until the whistle blew to make sure nobody else hit him. The refs got the call right, but it's unfathomable that the ref behind the play made the call before the ref standing right next to the play. Even more unfathomable than that, though, was the discussion on MSG Plus that followed the play, in which the announcers - particularly Butch Goring - suggested that the hit was Dupuis' fault for being in a bad position. We here at The Rivalry regularly sing the praises of the MSG Plus crew often, but this was uncalled for.

- The Isles got destroyed on faceoffs tonight. Not good when you're facing a team with as many playmakers as the Penguins.

- Not to jump on the "The refs give Pittsburgh preferential treatment" bandwagon, but there were a few calls that probably didn't need to be made. The two that stick out in my mind were the call on Kyle Okposo that set up the game-winning power play goal by Evgeni Malkin and the delay of game call on Dwayne Roloson. But that's life. Good teams always get the calls.

- Kind of a dick move by Crosby, taking a shot on Roloson as time expired and the Penguins protecting a two-goal lead. The Isles and Penguins meet again in three weeks. Here's hoping the Islanders haven't forgotten by then.

All in all, an excellent effort for the Islanders, who probably deserved more than they got tonight. That said, giving the likes of Crosby and Malkin seven opportunities on the power play is usually a recipe for defeat, something which was the case in tonight's game. Despite the loss, the Islanders should feel great about their play of late. The days of the sad-sack Islanders are rapidly coming to a close and are being replaced by this young, energetic team that can hang with anyone.

Islanders Win!

When the Rangers scored with 47 seconds left in the third period to tie tonight's game at 2, I assumed that was it for the Islanders. The Rangers would go on to win in overtime; if they didn't do that, they'd win in the shootout. I had my mental consolation speech prepared. It went something like this: "It's a damn shame they didn't win tonight. Kyle Okposo was a beast. Even if he never scores again, he should make the U.S. Olympic team, because he still makes things happen. Oh, and I f*&@ing hate the Rangers."

Then, almost out of nowhere, Kyle Okposo, he who was a beast tonight, fired off a wrist shot that deflected off Marc Staal's skate, then the post, and then found the back of the net. Islanders win in overtime.

MSG Plus gave us a bunch of stats that I thought said a lot about these two teams. First, Brandon Dubinsky's second goal gave the Rangers their first point in a game where they trailed after two periods. That's plenty of fodder for the "The Rangers have no heart" chorus. Second, the Islanders earned their 37th point a full 13 games before they hit the 37-point mark last year. Third, the one we all know a little too well, this was Okposo's first goal in nineteen games. Lastly, and perhaps most pathetically, the Islanders have consecutive wins for the first time in almost two months.

Yes, the Islanders gave up a crucial point to the Rangers, a team they may be battling for a playoff spot later this season. But this was a big win for the Islanders. They took it to their biggest rivals tonight and got two points. They got a bit of a raw deal with the schedule - their game against the Flyers tomorrow starts just 22 hours from the drop of the puck tonight - but the Flyers are terrible and the Islanders are riding a great wave of momentum. Truly, there's no reason why they can't beat Philadelphia tomorrow night; there's even less reason why they can't beat Columbus on Tuesday night. That'd be four in a row. It probably wouldn't get the Isles into the top eight before the end of the year, but it certainly would send them into 2010 on a positive note.

Huge win tonight. And one last note on Okposo - now that he's broken his goal drought, look for him to heat up in the very immediate future.

Programming Note: I've been a bit absent of late, which I apologize for. Such is life with two kids and two jobs. Hopefully, it won't happen again. Thanks to Zach for picking up the slack.

It Is What It Is

For the past twelve or so hours, the Internet has been on fire with people talking about the Dion Phaneuf hit on Kyle Okposo. As we all know, Okposo was stretchered off the ice last night; he was later diagnosed with a mild concussion and was cleared to travel home with the team. Botta put it best - Islanders fans will see this as a dirty hit, while Flames fans will see it as a clean hit.

There's no sense in pointing fingers. What happened last night is over. Phaneuf won't dress Saturday, there will be a ton of fights between fringe players, and nothing will be solved. The fact remains that Kyle Okposo is still injured and the Islanders now have to live without the services of their best forward.

We can argue forever about whose fault it was (nobody's), whether the hit was clean (it was), whether this kind of hit has any place in the pre-season (again, clean hit), or any of the other things that people are worrying about. Instead, let's look at the two facts we can draw from this.

- We have to worry about Kyle Okposo suffering from more concussions. After you have your first concussion, you're that much more likely to suffer from another one.

- After the hit, Okposo's teammates went out of their way to stand up for their fallen comrade.

As scary of a thought as the first point is, the second is far more significant. Think back to the night Mike Mottau shredded Frans Nielsen's knee. After Trent Hunter fought Mottau, nobody went after Mottau that night, nor did they do so in any of the other four times the Islanders and Devils played. Howie Rose must have mentioned it a million times down the stretch. Nobody cared. Compare that to what you saw last night. The Islanders tried to engage Phaneuf multiple times. Even though Phaneuf wouldn't take the bait - he sent in his underlings to fight those battles - it says a lot that the Islanders, even those with no chance of making the team, would try to take care of business. It shows how important Kyle Okposo is to the team and it shows how much these players truly care for one another. Most of all, it shows the progress made since last November.

All in all, it's a horrible situation, but at least Okposo is relatively okay. There's no need to dwell on it or demand revenge on March 25, 2010, which is when the Flames head to the Nassau Coliseum. And hey, we got visual proof that we have a true team this year. That's a good sign.

One last point about the hit. A few people have compared this hit to the one Doug Weight laid on Brandon Sutter last year - you know, the one that had Brent Sutter apoplectic and demanding Weight's banishment from the NHL. OK, he didn't really go that far, but he wasn't happy. Last night, when it was Okposo getting laid out, the elder Sutter was again involved, this time as the Flames' coach. Sutter's take?

"That's part of Dion's game. When he sees that open ice, Dion has to use it. It's one part of his game that makes him a unique player," said Sutter. "You never like to see anybody get hurt obviously, and it's too bad that happened, and hopefully we've been told, he's going to be okay. But Dion still can't pass up that hit".

Be Careful What You Wish For

Last night, as the Islanders game ended, I was in bed sick. I didn't even make it through the end of the game. I guess it's just as well, though - it was pretty clear where the game was going.

Ever since this season began, many Islanders fans have been hoping and praying for a 30th place finish. We've been saying it since last July - the Islanders' 2008-09 season has been all about John Tavares. It didn't pay for the Islanders to battle valiantly for the eighth seed; we've been there and done that.  Similarly, just being bad wasn't going to work for this Islanders team. They had to be historically bad. Before the season, I predicted the Islanders would have 72 points at season's end, and Zach thought I was being much too critical. Guess not. But hey, the Isles' faithful got what they wanted in the end, so it's worth it. Right?

The problem is, as a fan, pride comes into play. Some fans have been rather vociferious about getting having a 48.2% chance at the first overall pick; others, like myself, hoped for the best but didn't want to compromise their fandom. Either way, it's hard for me to come out and state that I'm happy that the Islanders have lost their last two games by a combined score of 15-1. It's certainly nothing to brag about. We knew it wouldn't be pretty. And it wasn't.

The Islanders' season is essentially over, with only two meaningless games left - an afternoon game tomorrow against Philadelphia and a 5 PM game against Boston on Easter Sunday (who scheduled that one?). Just about the unanswered question is whether Kyle Okposo will score two goals to ensure that this won't be the first season in Islanders' history without a 20-goal scorer. (He probably won't.) The Islanders have done a great job of showing most nights in the second half, the last two games notwithstanding, so look for the Isles to make life very difficult for their far more skilled opponents. While Sunday's game means nothing to a Bruins team who clinched the East forever ago, imagine what a win over the Bruins in the season's final game would do for the Islanders.

Are We Safe?

After tonight's loss to the Wild, the Islanders have 56 points in 73 games. They're eight points clear of Colorado and Tampa Bay, each of whom have played 73 games as well. Atlanta has 66 points in 74 games; they're not catching the Islanders. Nor are the Coyotes, even though they've won like five games in 2009. So, in essence, it's a three-team race for the first overall pick.

The Islanders and Lightning play a proverbial "4-point game" on April 4th at the Coliseum. It'll be interesting to see how the fans respond to that game if things are still in doubt. Quite frankly, I don't think they will be. Aside from the Lightning, the Islanders have road games against Detroit, Washington, Carolina and Pittsburgh, and home games against Philadelphia (twice), Montreal and Boston. That's a lot of playoff teams. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay has games against Ottawa and Atlanta on the docket, while Colorado still has to play Phoenix and a Dallas team that could be out of contention by the time they play on April 9th.

Long story short? It's looking good. Still, we must remember that these are the Islanders we're talking about; NOTHING comes easy. That said, I've already requested a personal day on April 14th to recover from the excessive drinking that will surely come after the Draft Lottery. We can only hope it'll be celebratory drinking, not despair drinking. But hey, even if Tampa Bay wins the Lottery, they're likely to choose Victor Hedman. So, if the Islanders have the worst record and lose the lottery to the Lightning, they may land John Tavares after all.

---

Tonight's game was a bit frustrating. The Islanders dominated the first period, which ended in quite the fracas. And it's possible that the kerfluffle inspired the Wild to wake up and start playing. It probably had more to do with the Wild's goal with just a minute left in the first, but however you slice it, the Isles were outplayed in the final two periods. Hey, it happens, especially against a team fighting for its playoff lives.

But tonight's game was also inspiring. It seemed like once the Wild got comfortably ahead, they wanted to coast to the finish. The Islanders wouldn't let them. It was great to see guys like Blake Comeau and Kyle Okposo assert themselves physically; the only unfortunate part is that Okposo didn't throw down for the first time in his NHL career. Even so, the game proved to be quite the chippy tete-a-tete, the kind nobody thought they'd see between two teams that never play each other. In the middle of all of this was a Wild player named Cal Clutterbuck, a rookie who's proven quite adept at antagonizing pretty much everyone. Last night, he fought Sean Avery. Tonight, he was in the face of every Islander. He's a keeper.

It's always better to see teams play against the teams directly competing with them for playoff position. But this game proved to be a fun one. Or, at least, as much fun as the Wild and Jacques Lemaire will allow. The final eight of the East is almost sewn up. The West has a lot to be resolved in terms of playoff teams and playoff positioning. It's cool to be a part of that. But as for the Islanders' struggle for the first overall pick... it might very well be over.

NOTE: Colorado is getting killed 5-0 by Anaheim - at home, no less - in the second period. Thanks for showing up, guys.

Random Islanders Musings

Things are fairly quiet in Islanders Country. Or, at least it seems that way. They say winning cures all ills; we Islanders fans don't know much about that. But there's still some stuff to discuss.

 - A few weeks ago, I wrote the following about the Islanders... 

"The Isles are a somewhat respectable 5-7-1 since the All-Star Break, and they have a better chance than you might think at finishing the second half with a .500 record; of course, should this actually happen, you'll never see it mentioned once in any newspaper or on any talk show." 

And it looks like that's exactly how this second half is playing out. The Isles have improved to 9-8-3 since the end of January, and while a lot of people have noticed the Islanders' improved play of late, quite a few have not. The Toronto media loves to talk about how great they are, but they showed their ignorance when they asked Scott Gordon about the Islanders tanking down the stretch. What the Islanders are doing is not tanking. If you want to see tanking, look at the final weeks of the 2006-07 NBA season, where teams were falling all over each other to lose games. I'm talking, not playing their best players, inserting scrubs at crunch time, that kind of thing. Of course, among the most egregious of these tankers were the Boston Celtics, and their reward was an NBA championship the following season. Of course, they lost out on the draft pick they so coveted, but that's okay.

 - The demands of a real life prevented me from attending Point Blank Night II, hosted by the incomparable Chris Botta. I'm not mad because I missed out on the free food, but I am a bit upset that I missed some sort of announcement on the Islanders' third jerseys. We're all pretty certain these will become the Islanders' default jerseys at some point, and the sooner, the better. Even if it means my current home jersey - which I customized with #19 and no name specifically so it wouldn't become outdated - will be obsolete within six months. Those are the breaks, I guess. There's also quite the debate on Point Blank about what the Islanders' goal song should be. And let me just say this - if it's some classic rock song that came out 40 years ago, like The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again", I might consider becoming a Rangers fan. Look, this is a young team that's going to play an exciting style of hockey. The goal song should reflect that. As a fairly young person, I want to hear something unique and cutting-edge when the Islanders score, not the same old crap every other team does. For the record, I love classic rock, but come on already. Just about every classic rock song worth keeping around has been played to the point that it's a cliche. I don't want my team's goal song to be a cliche.

 - Islanders fans who are clamoring for more Islanders action are going to be pleased with the New York Islanders 10 Greatest Games DVD set. I bought this set for myself last week and was very impressed. The games are solid and are pretty unclipped, which is a good thing. I'm watching the Easter Epic as we speak, we're in the first overtime, and I can't recall an instance where any gameplay was edited out. Each game has an introduction by Billy Jaffe; these introductions sort of spoil the endings, but odds are pretty good you know what happens in just about all of these games. Some of the older games look a bit dated, but you're going to have that with games that are 25 or more years old, especially with modern upconverting technology. You'll be able to deal with the shoddy quality of some of these games, but you might be a bit disappointed with the commentary tracks. Since this is an NHL Productions release, we don't get to hear the likes of Jiggs McDonald; instead, we get the national feeds of these games. So if you're not a die-hard Bob Cole fan, you might want to either skip this set or employ the use of the mute button. Speaking of announcers, Gary Thorne is not present on this DVD despite his commentary being used in the commercial. That's a letdown. Anyway, little things like the packaging are nailed, and it's nice to see our team presented in such a flattering light. It's about time. Needless to say, we'll be making some sort of drinking game so that you can fully enjoy these games over the summer months.

 - If you really think about it, this Islanders season has been completely remarkable. The Islanders are essentially using the Bridgeport Sound Tigers' lineup - and winning. Meanwhile, the Sound Tigers, almost all of whom have played for the Islanders at some point this year, have the most points in the Eastern Conference. Looking at the Sound Tigers' stats for this year, I can count seventeen players off the top of my head that have played for the Islanders this year. Sure, guys like Mike Sillinger and Jeff Tambellini really don't count, but still. That's just insane.

It goes to show you how important it is to be on the same page throughout your entire organization. Both the Sound Tigers and the Islanders play the exact same system. Compare that to the Dallas Stars, who don't even have an AHL affiliate. I know the Stars are a bad example because they're a good team, but they're also not exactly known for breaking young stars into the NHL. It truly helps to have a minor-league affiliate that is not only playing the same style of play, but is also close by. Players can easily be called up to the big club without boarding an airplane. When compared with the Islanders' former minor-league locations in Chicago, Denver, Utah, and even Capital District, this set-up with Bridgeport is perfect. And the coming years should show even more evidence of this win-win relationship.

I'm actually taking a trip to Bridgeport in a couple of weeks to see the Sound Tigers play, and I can't wait. As excited as I am to see Jon Sim again, I'm really looking forward to seeing more of these young guys that I've only heard about. Selfishly, I hope guys like Jesse Joensuu are still in Bridgeport, but I understand if they aren't. After all, a number of current Islanders are reportedly headed back to Bridgeport once the season ends for the Calder Cup run. This group includes Kyle Okposo. It's a great idea to get these guys professional playoff experience; it can only help them down the line.

So many people have trashed Garth Snow for so many things, but he's done a great job with the Islanders as an organization. Hopefully, the draft thing works itself out, but even if it doesn't, it looks like the Islanders are on the right track. Again, it's about time.

Three In A Row

In my last post, just after the Islanders-Thrashers game on Thursday, I guaranteed the Islanders would have a three-game winning streak at some point down the stretch. Little did I realize it'd be happening so soon. The Isles have now won three straight (and gotten points in four straight) thanks to their performance against Florida last night.

I had the rare opportunity to watch last night's game without any distractions and without having to miss parts of the game, and it was an absolute treat to watch. It might have been the best 60-minute effort put forth by the Islanders this season. On the defensive end, they were virtually flawless. It almost seemed like the Islanders were playing with a man advantage throughout the game; the Panthers never had the numbers on offense or any significant odd-man rushes, and every time Florida tried to do anything, the Islanders were right in their faces. It's a shame Yann Danis couldn't get the shutout, but that's a good problem to have.

We're seeing a different Islanders team these days, one that's a ton of fun to watch. People are talking about the modifications in Scott Gordon's sytem; I could not care less about these modifications. What I do care about, though, is that the young guys are starting to come into their own and figuring out their roles on this team. At the forefront of these emerging stars is Kyle Okposo, who was easily the best player on the ice last night. Okposo now has four goals in his last three games; of course, this isn't good enough to get into the YoungStars game, but that's okay. Let Okposo be our little secret for now. It's always nice to see young players start to figure it out and blossom before your very eyes. Mets fans saw Jose Reyes and David Wright emerge in 2005. Rangers fans saw Henrik Lundqvist become a star during the 2005-06 season. Now, Islanders fans get the opportunity to watch one of their own discover his potential. And after years of watching traded players become stars for other teams, it's about time.

These are good times for Islanders fans. This is not the time to worry about the Lighthouse or the race for the first overall pick. We're seeing something special - it's all starting to come together for the Islanders now. It won't last for the rest of the season, but the Isles won't be pushovers, and they absolutely have the potential to be spoilers down the stretch. And who knows? With Tampa Bay, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Los Angeles coming up, this little streak could continue for another few games or so.

A Tale Of Two Teams

Is this how the rest of the season is going to be?

If you're an Islanders fan, tonight's game was hell. First off, you're playing Atlanta, one of the teams you're "competing" with for the first overall pick. Then, before you know it, you're up 4-0 in the first period. You're happy to see the team playing so well... but at the same time, you're hoping you're not setting yourself up to miss out on the first overall pick. The third period comes around, and you let up three quick goals. You immediately think about November and the string of blown leads that led to two months of perpetual failure. You hope for a win... but you wouldn't exactly mind a loss, either. Okposo scores to make it 5-3 and you can breathe again. Kovalchuk scores the goal you knew was coming to make it 5-4. You secretly wish for overtime so that even if you win, you're only "gaining" a point on Atlanta. Finally, the game ends, and the Islanders are on top.

Do you rejoice over the end of a 14-game road losing streak? Are you thrilled at the play of your young stars? Do you piss and moan about the diminshed chance of winning the John Tavares sweepstakes?

Tough questions to answer. But here's what I'm thinking - yes, absolutely, and only a little.

I've done a lot of thinking lately about the second half of the Islanders season and what we can expect to see. And the parallel I keep coming back to is the 2005-06 Penguins. Those Penguins were full of young guys, and when Mario Lemieux called it quits, the team was ill-equipped for anything besides a lengthy stay at the bottom of the league. As the season progressed, the young guys got all the experience they needed; by season's end, they were not only a dangerous team, but they were a trendy pick to really take off the following season. And that's exactly what happened.

Now, I'm not saying the Islanders are going to be a playoff team next year and reach the Stanley Cup Final in two years. But thinking about the way this season has gone so far, it's hard to imagine them being this lousy for the whole year. Besides, the Isles' young players have had plenty of game experience and have played in many critical moments this year. And we saw tonight how all of that has paid off. This a lead they would have totally blown in November. Tonight, they won. And it was the young players - Nielsen, Gervais, Bailey, Okposo - that played the big minutes and held down the fort. Just because it was a game against the Atlanta Thrashers shouldn't devalue this victory.

Time will tell how this season will play out. But here's one I'd wager money on (if I actually had any) - the Islanders will win three straight games at one point in the second half. They'll still get their plush draft pick, don't worry about that. But I think we'll also see some real progress, the kind that will get us very excited about next year - for the right reasons.

"All-Star" Game...

I think we all know the All-Star Game is a joke, so I won't dwell on it further. But hey, this year it is on a weekend and not a Wednesday night!

I am, however, happy that Henrik Lundqvist and Mark Streit deservingly made the team. Nik Zherdev probably deserved consideration, but 4 Canadiens on the team when only one belongs (Andrei Markov) leaves out deserving players like Zherdev, Simon Gagne, and Alex Semin. 

The Young Stars game is always fun but is never really taken seriously. This year, it's Rookies vs. Sophomores and I love the idea. 

My one gripe is that I would have liked to have seen Kyle Okposo (13 points, 29 games) represent the rookies instead of Steven Stamkos (14 points, 40 games), but did we really expect the NHL to do that?

* * * 

In other news, Rangers 1st round pick in 2008 Michael del Zotto was just traded along with future #1 overall selection Johnny Tavares in the OHL. They were traded from the Oshawa Generals (Eric Lindros' former team) to the London Knights along with a goalie for a winger, a goalie, a defenseman, and six - yes, 6! - draft picks. London gave up 6 draft picks and 3 roster players for a goalie and then 2 players who might play in the NHL next year (or in del Zotto's case, atleast the AHL).

Zach's 2008-09 Predictions...

Much like my counterpart Bryan (and every fan with a computer and a knowledge of the game), I present to you my 2008-09 NHL predictions... exactly 67 minutes before the puck drops on the season.

EAST

1. Montreal

2. Pittsburgh

3. Tampa Bay

4. NY Rangers

5. Washington

6. Boston

7. Flyers

8. Buffalo

9. Ottawa

10. NJ Devils

11. Carolina

12. Florida

13. Toronto

14. NY Islanders

15. Atlanta

1) Montreal still has the best power play in the game. Remember how they lost Sheldon Souray and were still the best one? Losing Mark Streit is nothing to them. Someone else will step up. 2) It takes a lot for me to not pick my Rangers as 1st in the division, but for the first year in 3 seasons I'm taking the high road and going with my head and picking the Penguins. 3) Tampa Bay is the best team in that division. Steven Stamkos will score 40 goals. 4) Vastly improved defense should keep the Rangers in games while the offense scores 2.5 goals per game. 5) Theodore is a weaker goalie than Huet, Federov is a year older, and their one solid d-man is a kid who has had one good year. Yes, Ovechkin is the best player in the world, but Washington will win and lose 6-5, 5-4 games all year. 6) Don't know why I picked Boston over Ottawa. I love Tim Thomas. This is probably a mistake, I admit it. Maybe a trade deadline pick-up of a defenseman will help. 7) Flyers are a solid team with questionable goaltending (Marty Biron) who play in a tough division. 8) Buffalo is fast, has good goaltending, and manageable defense. I think they'll sneak in.

9/10) I think this might be the year Ottawa and the Devils miss the playoffs. The East is very tough to pick this year (as it was last year). If Ottawa doesn't shore up their goaltending, they have 2 backups leading them this year. Brodeur, on the other hand, is a year older and still have weak defense in front of him. The Devils always pull out wins, but they didn't improve in the offseason and I see them missing the playoffs. 11) Carolina is stuck with a small budget, making acquisitions hard. Cam Ward hasn't proven anything since the Cup run in '06. Erik Cole is gone. Eric Staal is fantastic. Brind'Amour is hurt. Pitkanen is a step up on the PP though. 12) Florida is one of the worst organizations in sports history. While Cory Stillman is a great acquisition and Tomas Vokoun is a Top 5 goalie in the NHL, Bryan McCabe has nothing left besides a big contract, and the rest of the team (except Bouwmeester and Horton) are busts. 13) Besides Antropov and Blake, who's going to score in Toronto? Ryan Hollweg? Jeff Finger? Their saving grace is Vesa Toskala (no pun intended). 14) The Islanders won't be as bad as everyone thinks. Okay, they might. Doug Weight can no longer carry the weight of a team on his shoulders (pun sort of intended). Okposo, Comeau, and and Tambellini should have good starter years. Maybe Josh Bailey sees action. Atleast they won't be as bad as 15) Atlanta. A question mark in goal, two good defenseman (one of whom even the Kings didn't want to trade for), and a skilled forward do not a playoff team make.

WEST

1. Detroit

2. Anaheim

3. Colorado

4. Dallas

5. Chicago

6. San Jose

7. Edmonton

8. Phoenix

9. Minnesota

10. Vancouver

11. Calgary

12. Nashville

13. St. Louis

14. Columbus

15. Los Angeles

1) Let's face it: Detroit never gets bad. When a Federov or Shanahan leaves, a Zetterberg and Datsyuk steps up. When they're gone, Filppula and Helm are ready. Adding Hossa is huge for the offense. 2) Anaheim has improved over last year and should win a dogfight in the Pacific. They had a great regular season last year, just started slow. 3) If healthy, Colorado has a dynamic offense. Sakic, Svatos, Wolski, Stastny, Smith, Guite, even Darcy Tucker. They have 7 serviceable defensemen, although no studs. Maybe with Raycroft and Budaj splitting time, their goaltending holes won't shine as brightly. 4) A great goaltending, 3 stud d-men, and a great offense are going to lead Dallas. 5) Years of horrendous hockey has finally paid of for Chicago. Pat Kane, Jon Toews, and a strong D will help this team beat up on the weakened Central division. If Huet fails in goal, Antti Niemi is ready to go in his stead. 6) San Jose is again good, and with a much better, Dan Boyle-Rob Blake duo on the blueline. Nabokov might wear out at the end from too many games, but they'll easily make the playoffs. 7) Edmonton plays in a weak division, and did improve greatly. Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano should be great, as should Ales Hemsky, Cole, and a returning Shawn Horcoff. What? Souray is back? Pick him up on your fantasy team since everyone else forgot about him. Dustin Penner is an overpaid bum, but he has a supporting cast that overshadows him. 8) I'll go out on a limb and say the Coyotes, led by Olli Jokinen, Peter Mueller and Shane Doan will have a great offense. Dan Carcillo is not just a fighter, he can score. Marty Hanzal and Daniel Winnik also should have breakout years. And with rookies Mueller, Kyle Turris, Viktor Tikhonov, and Mikkel Boedker (who I don't know if he made the team or not... I know Tikhonov did), I get overwhelmed thinking of the young guns on this team. Their D isn't that good (Jovanoski is one of the most overpaid players since Penner. Sauer, Hale, and Morris are good but not stars). However, Ilya Bryzgalov is a gem in net for them. Oh, and you can get 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 sodas at their home opener for $79 total.

9) I hate Minnesota. I hate their ugly, Christmas-inspired uniforms. I hate their coach and I hate his trapping system. I hate Marion Gaborik. I do love Brent Burns though. And I think these guys might sneak into the playoffs due to the insane parity in the Northwest division. They have a few good forwards (Mikko Koivu, P.M. Bouchard, and don't forget Owen Nolan), and decent D led by Burns, and 2 overrated but alright goaltenders. However, I see them on the outside looking in this year. Originally I had them as 8th, but am moving them down. 10) Vancouver has an amazing goaltender, a good D, and no forwards. Unless they win every game 1-0 or 2-1, I don't see them making the playoffs. 11) Nashville has nosedived. Yes, Dan Ellis is good in goal, but they really put all their eggs into one inexperienced basket when they traded Chris Mason to St. Louis. Radulov was their star playmaker, and he will be scoring tons of goals in Russia this year. 12) When will St. Louis make the jump? Maybe next year, guys, maybe next year. Chock full of 1st round picks, including Erik Johnson and his torn ACL. Legace/Mason make a good team, but I'm afraid that while they will be competitive, it won't be the year for them. 13) Trust me, Blue Jacket fans, Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman are not great players. While Pascal Leclaire is a fantastic goalie (as is waiting-in-the-wings Steve Mason), the team only has a few good forwards (Nash, Husselius) and a very porous backline. 14) A star goalie, a star D, and a star forward. Didn't the Rangers have that every year they missed the playoffs in the 1990's and 2000's? Sorry, Flames. Your ship sailed in 2004. 15) The LA Kings might not even have enough salary on the books to be able to field a team in 2008-09. Their goaltending fleet is led by Jason LaBarberra, and their best D (Jack Johnson) is a year away from being great. Frolov, Kopitar, and Dustin Brown are excellent, but one line won't win you that many games in the new NHL.

Playoffs

In the East, I see the Rangers or Canadiens escaping. The Rangers have a better goalie (although Carey Price might have the Patrick Roy-like season everyone up in Quebec wants him to have), but they Habs have a great offense. Montreal has also one a Stanley Cup in every decade except this one. So as not to seem like a homer, I'll pick the Montreal Canadiens to win the Eastern Conference, although if the Rangers make the Finals I'll give myself credit as well.

It doesn't matter though, because no one is beating the Sean Avery's Dallas Stars en route to the Stanley Cup. Avery is a great addition to the team. He is like Steve Ott, except he scores. Avery, Brendan Morrow, Mike Modano, Brad Richard, Lou Erikkson, Fabian Brunnstrom, Jere Lehtinen, Joel Lundqvist, Mike Ribeiro. That's 9 awesome forwards. Imagine what a deadline pick up can do for them? Phillipe Boucher, Sergei Zubov, and Stephane Robidas get the job done on D, and they have 4 to 5 other guys who are solid NHL players ready if anything happens to one of them. Marty Turco is vastly underrated, and while Tobias Stephan (one NHL game) is an inexperienced backup, Turco should carry the weight of the team.

Stars over Canadiens/Rangers in 6. Mark it down!

Poor Economy...

Yesterday, we officially (in America) went from "an economic downswing" to "a poor economy." Yes, it is always darkest before the dawn, but America will be in a bad spot for a long time before it gets better. And yes, the economy is cyclical, but this is the bad portion of it.

How is that hockey news? I mean, technically, it's not. And this whole post might not make sense. Just warning you...

But say a family of four wants to go to a Rangers game and they live on Long Island. That's $14 x 4 for the round-trip train tickets. Tickets are, conservatively, $50 each. Already, we're at $256, and that's just getting there. Everyone gets a hot dog outside of The Garden. Dad is a big fella, so he gets two. $10. Four Hawaiian Punches, $4. Inside, a flag ($15) to commemorate Little Steve's first game, and a picture of Henrik Lundqvist ($12) because Julia wants something too. A few slices of New York's biggest (not best) pizza at Penn Station, and we're reaching $320 for a night out. That's very conservative as well. 

And going to a Ranger or Islander game is the cheapest of the sporting events. What's parking at Shea and Yankee Stadiums, $30? That makes the $8 beers look better in comparison. If you want to go to a Jets or Giants game, be prepared to spend $50 in gas sitting in traffic into New Jersey, then get gouged on parking, hot dogs, replica jerseys, and cheese hats that have nothing to do with New York.

Put simply, the owners of these teams do not care about you, the slumping economy, or making an enjoyable evening affordable. The players don't care either, which kills me. Why should I root for Alex Rodriguez if I know that my seats near third base are so expensive because he demands $27M a year to hit a ball (into a double play). 

The NHL instituted a Salary Cap in 2005. That year, the Cap was around $44M. This year, the MINIMUM of the Cap is higher than the MAXIMUM was then. That's great news, the NHL is making more money, more people are watching the games on TV and going in person. The game is doing good and won't fold. 

The reason that they raise the floor is so the owners won't keep all of the revenue. They are forced to put it back into the team, in the way of players salaries, as negotiated by the NHLPA. 

Instead of raising the floor so the owners don't keep all the money (see: Milwaukee Brewers of the early 2000s and the current Pittsburgh Pirates), why not put the money back where it came from? The fans. Don't raise ticket prices after every 2nd round knockout. Don't charge $5 for a 16 ounce bottle of Jana water that cost 26 cents to get. Wouldn't it be something if a team lowered ticket prices? 

Attendance will suffer this year. I might be wrong if a lot of tickets are already purchased, whether they be through a package like me, or a corporation who bought up season tickets. However, if things don't improve, things will get bad next year. So bad, that the Islanders might not sell 10,000 tickets per game, and Nashville will not hit their self-imposed minimum of 14,000. Corporate sponsors with ticket commitments for this year might drop out before 2009-10, leaving the owners with a choice. Stay in Nashville and lose money, or move, rent-free, to a state-of-the-art arena in Kansas City. 

Seriously, would Free Food Night, 75 Cent Popcorn Night, or lower ticket prices all year be a bad thing for a lot of franchises? I know the Rangers would never make ticket prices lower. It's the nature of the beast. A huge city, a rabid fan base, and corporate sponsors who buy the lower bowl of tickets unite to sell out every single home game. However, they gave free food away for the last game of the Knicks season last year, and in 2004 they had Retro Price Night on popcorn and cotton candy for an Original Six matchup against the Bruins that I went to. Would it kill them to offer Dollar Hot Dogs or free soda for a few games early in the year? 

I'm a realist. I know that James "Daddy Made Me Rich" Dolan will probably not do this. However, what about Charles Wang? Personally, I've said for a few years that the Islanders should make tickets $5-$10 for unsold ones before games. The game will be played regardless of who is in the building. Why not get more people in there and spending money? If the ticket cost me ten bucks, I'd be more willing to shell out $5 for a pretzel twist or $25 for an Okposo t-shirt. 

I don't know where I'm going with this. When I was doing my pretend "I'm a GM and I'm giving away half-priced tickets all year" speech in the mirror as I was washing my hands after a post-Mexican dinner deuce, this sounded a lot better.

But do you see where I'm going? Most owners don't care about us. It's not really the players' faults, as they just get what they can. I would too if I was one. Get what you can, while you can, especially in this day and age. But that's what screws us, the middle-class fans who can now only afford 2 games a year because gas is $3.89 a gallon and Chris Drury gets paid $121,000 for every point he had last year.

* * * 

In an effort to boost the economy, I bought XBox 360 and NHL 09 yesterday. Solid game, although I don't love the Be a Pro mode like my counterpart Bryan does. I'm a Dynasty guy, myself.

2 Things That Make Me Smile, 1 That Makes Me Mad...

Things That Make Me Happy

 by Zach

1) The Islanders must not have gotten the Rangers email about me getting a 22-game package for next season because they mailed my house (how did they get my address?) and told me that if I pay for my Islander package by October 1, I get an autographed Kyle Okposo stick. While I appreciate the offer, and it amuses me that Okposo hit on my friend at the beach, I politely declined their offer by ripping it up and tossing it in the trash.

2) The Islanders web site advertises "DP at NHL store." If there wasn't a picture of goalie Rick DiPietro, I would have been under the impression that EJ Hradek and Don LaGreca were double-teaming some poor female Washington Capitals fan at the corner of 6th and 47th in Times Square.

Thing That Makes Me Mad

 by Zach

1) I don't like to get political on this blog, even though I searched high and low for a picture of Sarah Palin in a Dayton Bombers (Columbus's ECHL team) jersey because I thought it was cool. 

But something made me very mad today. Did you know that Elliot Spitzer, former Governor of NY, passed a law a year ago decreeing it illegal in Nassau County for strippers to go topless on stage? Now, they have to wear pasties.

For the record, that was 6 months before he got de-credited -- for having unprotected sex with a high-end whore on multiple occasions.

In hockey terms, it's like Rick DiPietro enacting a law banning the curve of the blade of a forward's stick, while wearing oversized pads himself.

Or in real terms, it's like me passing a law saying strippers must wear pasties on stage.

Some people are such scumbags it amazes me. What a two-faced bastard. I didn't think he was such a douchebag when he was caught cheating on his wife (and breaking his own laws), but now I see him as an ego-maniacal hypocrite who only cares about getting his own nut off.

Isles Lock Up Another Young Player

This time, it's Frans Nielsen who will benefit from Garth Snow's signing spree. Four years for $2.1 million... not bad.

Here's the big part of the news, though. It's a one-way deal.

You know what that means? They're actually doing it. They're going to rebuild the right way. They're going to throw the young guys in there, and even if they lose their first 25 games, the young guys aren't going anywhere. And, dare I say it, it's about f'ing time.

A one-way deal means you can't be sent down unless you clear waivers. That's why over the last couple of years, you'd only see guys like Neilsen if someone got hurt and they needed a quick fix. Nielsen was one of the guys who performed really well in spite of his prominent role on the Port Jefferson Ferry. Not only did he hold his own in the NHL, but he averaged roughly 0.8 points per game in Bridgeport - not bad, especially considering the AHL is often even more physical than the NHL.

As much as I love all these one-year deals the Islanders are giving out, perhaps the biggest subliminal effect will be the message these deals send to the fringe players under contract - contribute, or else. Now that it's clear what direction the Islanders are going in, they will want veterans who can not only play well, but who can teach these kids something. It's going to be interesting who ends up making the team out of training camp. I've got a feeling we'll see some surprises.

While it's nice that we're seeing guys like Nielsen, Jeff Tambellini, and Sean Bergenheim receiving rewards for their hard work, it's also becoming clear that we should expect significant growing pains this year. This only makes Snow's job of finding a new coach more difficult. Not only is this new coach coming into an environment of chaos (that's the perception of our team outside of Long Island), but he's also going to be losing a ton of games in his first season. As we all know, coaches are evaluated based on wins, even if the team is making a clear youth movement. Who wants to set himself up for failure? That's a very good question.

We should also look forward to a mass exodus at the trade deadline of the veterans who won't be back next year. As the Islanders get ready to bring up the next crop of youngsters over the next year or so, the Isles will need to make room for them somehow. No better way than to rent out the veterans, get some draft picks, clear out some cap room, and get ready for 2009-10. By that time, it's possible that the Islanders will be seen as a team on the rise; a year of stability on the management front won't hurt, either. They might even be able to attract a marquee free agent or two. Even if they can't, they may have an elite goalie in Rick DiPietro and one of the game's emerging stars in Kyle Okposo, not to mention some good young players with experience and not a whole lot of aging veterans taking up roster spots. Who knows what could happen?

Either way, if you're a real Islanders fan, you have to be happy that they're finally committing to youth. I think we can all deal with a bad season in 2008-09 if it leads to bigger things in the years that follow. It certainly beats treading water and praying for the 8th seed like we've been doing for the past five years. Maybe Zach was right - there could be a bright future for this team, and it might not be all that far away. We just have to pay our dues first.

Islanders Free Agency Preview

As the Islanders approach July 1, there's only one thing that most people can say about their free agency chances - don't expect much. Last year, July 1st saw every Islanders free agent signing elsewhere, most notably Ryan Smyth and Jason Blake. Clearly, Garth Snow knew something we all didn't, as both Blake and Smyth went on to have subpar years in Toronto and Colorado respectively. However, he didn't exactly restock the team very well, handing out one-year deals to grinders and infamously leaving the first day of free agency with only Jon Sim signed. What has Snow learned from last year? Does he have a different approach this year, having seen so many of his young prospects in the NHL last year? We'll find out on Tuesday.

However, we here at The Rivalry enjoy prognosticating (and, of course, feeling like we can perform the job of general manager better than half the GMs in the league). With the salary cap and salary floor rising this year, the Islanders should be one of the more active teams in the league. (Note: They won't be.) With this in mind, let's look at the Islanders as they stand now.

All contract data comes from Isles Info.

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THE SURE THINGS
These are those players who are under contract with the Islanders that are assured of making the Opening Day roster and, barring a trade, sticking with the big club for the entire season.

GOALIE
- Rick DiPietro ($4.5 million, 13 years left)

DEFENSE
- Chris Campoli ($625,000, 2 years left)
- Radek Martinek ($1.5 million, 3 years left)
- Freddy Meyer ($600,000, 2 years left)
- Andy Sutton ($3 million, 2 years left)

FORWARDS
- Trent Hunter ($2 million, 5 years left)
- Kyle Okposo (no contract data available, 2 years left)
- Richard Park ($700,000, 2 years left)
- Jon Sim ($1 million, 2 years left)

TOTALS
- Nine players, $13,925,000

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RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
These players are not under contract, but their rights remain with the team. They have all been given qualifying offers of 10% above their 2007 salaries (those making more than $600,000 in 2007-08 only require 5% raises). For our purposes, we will assume that all players will accept these offers, which in all cases do not need to be one-way contracts.

GOALIE
- None

DEFENSE
- Bruno Gervais ($495,000, 1 year left)

FORWARDS
- Sean Bergenheim ($550,000, 1 year left)
- Jeremy Colliton ($735,000, 1 year left)
- Frans Nielsen ($561,000, 1 year left)
- Jeff Tambellini ($821,908.50, 1 year left)
- Ben Walter ($632,000, 1 year left)

TOTALS
- Six players, $3,299,908.50

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TRADE BAIT
These are players with deals that expire after this season. After the season, they will be unrestricted free agents.

GOALIE
- Joey MacDonald ($500,000, 1 year left)

DEFENSE
- Brendan Witt ($2.5 million, 1 year left)

FORWARDS
- Mike Comrie ($4 million, 1 year left)
- Bill Guerin ($4.5 million, 1 year left)
- Andy Hilbert ($700,000, 1 year left)
- Mike Sillinger ($2.1 million, 1 year left)

TOTALS
- Six players, $14,300,000

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OOPS
These are players who were bought out by the Islanders while they were still under contract.

GOALIES
- None

DEFENSE
- None

FORWARDS
- Shawn Bates ($800,000)
- Alexei Yashin ($2.2 million)

TOTALS
- Two players (zero active), $3,000,000

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GRAND TOTAL
- Twenty-one players, $34,524,908.50

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So, what to make of this? Here are the simple facts about the Islanders' approach in free agency.
- Assuming Okposo makes somewhere around $500,000, The Islanders need to spend approxmiately $5 million just to meet the 2008-09 salary floor.
- The Islanders have, at minimum, two spots to fill in order to complete a 23-man roster.
- The Islanders may be able to add even more than two players if they send down any of their restricted free agents.
- The Islanders love to go after guys coming off bad years or with something to prove, and will usually give one-year deals to these type of players.
- The Islanders, in line with Garth Snow's philosophy, will not be caught overpaying for anybody who isn't worth the money.

Now, let's look at potential lines for this team. Healthy scratches make negligible dollars and aren't included against the cap for our purposes.

OFFENSE
Jeff Tambellini-Mike Comrie-Bill Guerin
Sean Bergenheim-Mike Sillinger-Kyle Okposo
Jon Sim-Jeremy Colliton-Trent Hunter
Andy Hilbert-Frans Nielsen-Blake Comeau

DEFENSE
Brendan Witt-Chris Campoli
Bruno Gervais-Andy Sutton
Radek Martinek-Freddy Meyer

GOALIE
Rick DiPietro
Joey MacDonald

HEALTHY SCRATCHES
Tim Jackman
Jack Hillen
Ben Walter

When I look at this potential lineup, three needs stick out at me...
- More offense from the top two lines
- An offensive-minded, puck-moving defenseman
- A more capable back-up goalie

Let's look at each of those needs individually, and see if there are any players out there that could help.

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MORE OFFENSE FROM THE TOP TWO LINES
This is a problem the Islanders have had for a very, very long time. Kyle Okposo is going to be a top scorer on this team very soon, but there's nobody who can complement him particularly well. Mike Comrie is a good playmaker, but there's no guarantee the two will be playing together; besides, the line wouldn't exactly be too physically imposing. It's best to split the two, but the likes of Mike Sillinger and Bill Guerin can only do so much.

A goal-scoring left winger wouldn't hurt. Nor would a lunchpail, bang-in-the-garbage type of player to crowd the front of the net. Michael Ryder could be a pretty good option for the Islanders - he's coming off an off-year, and may take one of Snow's patented one-year contracts to prove his worth. Another potential one-year guy could be Ladislav Nagy, who was putting together a fine season before getting hurt in January. And, as much as Islander fans would hate it, Darcy Tucker would certainly fit the bill of a player capable of scoring and being a physical presence.

There are also a bevy of ex-Islanders to consider - Arron Asham, Michael Peca, Mike York, and Brad Isbister are all available. However, none of these guys are really the answer. The Isles need someone who can hang around for a while, and these players were all traded for a reason. Ultimately, there are some decent players out there, but there aren't many great buys to be had. Snow would do best to get what he can get, but not break the bank. That said, offense has to be the key, not any combination of grit, character, and heart.

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AN OFFENSIVE-MINDED, PUCK-MOVING DEFENSEMAN
Say what you want to about Marc-Andre Bergeron, but when he was an Islander in 2006-07, he averaged nearly a point per game and the Islanders made the playoffs. Last season, the tandem of Bergeron and Bryan Berard didn't perform nearly as well. Now, with Berard seemingly moving elsewhere and Bergeron gone to his third team in this calendar year, it's time to retool the defense.

Chris Campoli is becoming a solid offensive defenseman, but he could use some support in a group of players who don't contribute much offensively. There's the Rangers equivalent of Bergeron, Michal Roszival, but as Zach has said before, let someone else overpay for him. The big name in this year's free agent crop is Mark Streit. People say he's not too strong in his defensive end, but he just completed his third year in the NHL and contributed 62 points. That's pretty impressive. Better than that, the Colorado Avalanche, a team many thought would be a major competitor for Streit's services, just re-signed John-Michael Liles to a four-year deal. If the Islanders overpay for anybody, it should be Streit - though it should be cautioned that he played for Montreal, the best offensive team in the East this year.

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A MORE CAPABLE BACKUP
I'm sure Joey MacDonald is a wonderful person and a good goalie. That said, the Islanders claim to be committed to giving Rick DiPietro more rest this year. (Note: They say this every year. They never do it.) So it would be a good idea to get a solid backup in there, not only as a failsafe, but to keep MacDonald motivated and to actually let him win the backup job in training camp.

The list of notable backups are endless. Alex Auld, Jocelyn Thibault, John Grahame, Patrick Lalime, Dan Cloutier, David Aebischer, Scott Clemmensen, Andrew Raycroft... wow. That's a lot of names. Surely, one of them would take $750,000 to open up the bench door 65 nights a year and play the other 17 (hopefully). It's a good insurance policy to have. If the veteran backup wins the job, MacDonald gets sent down; if he clears waivers, the Islanders have someone ready in Bridgeport - never a bad thing. If MacDonald wins out, the Islanders trade the vet for a late draft pick. Hard to lose in this situation. In my eyes, it's a more than worthwhile investment, especially since the Islanders will be nowhere near the cap.

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OTHER WANTS
It'd sure be nice to get an enforcer this year. Jody Shelley is a free agent, as is the aforementioned Arron Asham. Even giving Kip Brennan a shot at the big club would be a good idea. As I've mentioned before, the Islanders sure didn't drop the gloves for a team that prided itself on its' grit (they were 26th in the league in fighting majors last year).

I wouldn't mind seeing a trade, as long as it were for the right player. The Islanders now have the resources (and the cap room) to make a pretty big splash on the trade market. Problem is, they'll have even more leverage around the trade deadline, with tons of veterans to move - especially if they're out of playoff contention. So they probably won't do anything, even though it wouldn't cost that much more to do something now.

In the end, though, I want to get a better picture of where the Islanders are headed. One-year deals to crappy veterans only patch up the fact that the farm system isn't where it needs to be. I'd like to see the Islanders bring in players to complement the young guys, help move them along, and let these veterans be part of it when the Islanders become a good team again. Signing two or three veteran leaders to three-year deals is a great thing, especially when they can contribute to the team. In other words, I'd rather see another Mike Sillinger-type deal than another one-and-done waste like Ruslan Fedotenko or Josef Vasicek.

It's going to be very interesting to see how things play out with the Islanders. Nobody's expecting the Islanders to do much this season, both in free agency and during the season, but the Isles could use a playoff year to keep interest high. It's going to be up to Snow to make the right deals for the right players - and it wouldn't hurt to make a splash, either. Losing Ryan Smyth last July 1 hurt more than anybody would care to mention. Perhaps more than anything else, Islander fans want to see their team bring in players who want to play on Long Island.

Mr. Snow, you're on the clock. Good luck.

Who Are These Guys?...

ISLANDERS and RANGERS Blog by ZACH

Tell me if these names sound familiar...

Joel Bouchard, Jozef Balej, Josh Green, Mike Green, Chad Wiseman, Cory Larose, Chris McAllister, Mike Siklenka, Richard Scott, Jamie Pushor, Ken Gernander, Ben Dusablon, Layne Ulmer.

If you are an Islanders fan, of course not. If you are a Rangers fan, they probably bring back horrific memories that you thought you forgot. I apologize.

Now, how about these names...

Steve Regier, Rob Davison, Matthew Spiller, Joey MacDonald, Tim Jackman.

The first group of names is who the Rangers finished off the 2003-04 season with, after the Lindros Concussion against Washington and the Great Purge saw names like Leetch, Nedved, Kovalev, Rucinsky, de Vries, Barnaby, Malakhov, and yes, Simon, traded away. A group of no-names (as well as Jaromir Jagr and then-rookies Fedor Tyutin, Jed Ortmeyer, and Dominic Moore) just took up places on a roster so that the Rangers could put a group on ice so they could sell $5.50 hot dogs and $8.25 Labatt Blues.

This year, the Islanders are doing basically the same thing, mostly due to injuries. Reading the morning papers and seeing unfamiliar names reminds me of the darkest days of the Rangers, from March 3, 2004 until October 5, 2005, when Jamie Lundmark, Marcel Hossa, and Jason Strudwick scored on opening night.

Did the Rangers get through it? Yes, but only after Mark Messier's final game was played with Sandy McCarthy and Dale Purinton on the ice congratulating him.

Will the Islanders? Eventually, yes. Kyle Okposo has a bright future. But next year should be a rebuilding year as well. Just like Miro Satan, Ruslan Fedotenko, and Josef Vasicek should have been shipped at the deadline for some picks in a deep draft, next year's deadline should see Mike Comrie, Bill Guerin, Mike Sillinger, and Brendan Witt traded.

A few more years of them looking like competitor's until Christmas until they fade away will do nothing for the fan base. Who would support building a new arena or going to it if they haven't cared about the team in years? Who would support the inevitable price increase in delicious pretzel twists or crappy cheesesteaks if there is no one there to buy them?

The Rangers got through it, and the Isles can as well. They just need time to rebuild. Next season they should have already decided on doing that, and maybe the season after they could be last year's Penguins - young, hungry, and surprisingly good.

If a Puck Scores into a Net and No One is Around, Do Empty Seats Make a Sound?...

ISLANDERS BLOG by ZACH

Kyle Okposo (they nicknamed him "Okie" ... is the K silent there, too?) makes an impressive NHL debut, Rob Davison scores from near his own goal line, and the 6,000 fans in attendance cheered loud enough so that the echos bounced off the empty seats.

C'mon, Long Island. Buy a $19 ticket, move down to the good seats, but a delicious pretzel twist, and chant "DP stands for Double Penetration!"

One bright spot: If the New York Sound Islanders are this bad next year, they can draft Johnny Tavares a #1 overall in June 2009. Tavares broke Wayne Gretzky's junior league record of 70 goals with 72, although it took him 3 more games than The Great One.

Coming tomorrow: To Dubie or Not to Dubie.

P.S. In regards to Bryan's post earlier today, I distinctly remember what he has dubbed the "Miracle of '93," and although I don't think you could call winning two series (what's the plural of series) a capitalized Miracle, I do regret to admit that I was an Islander fan that year. 

The Rangers missed the playoffs that year, and somehow I got caught up in the Moment. Dale Hunter is still a punk in my book for his slash on a celebrating Pierre Turgeon, and I thought David Volek was some sort of demi-god when he borrowed Turgeon's stick to beat the Penguins in Game 7.

Then they lost to Montreal, the Rangers made the playoffs in 1994... and, well, you know the rest.

"Do you believe it!" 

Looking Toward The Future

After watching tonight's stinker against the Flyers, it seems safe to say that it's over. There will be no miraculous charge to the eight seed, no Wade Dubielewicz pokechecks in an Easter Sunday shootout. Instead, there will only be a scene we're all too familiar with - observing the playoffs from an outside perspective and getting an early start on preparing for the draft. For the umpteenth consecutive year, the highlight of the spring for the Islanders will be their draft party.

Why should we have ever expected anything else? If you saw tonight's game, you saw everything you needed to see. An anemic offense and stupid penalties are not the recipe for a deep playoff run. The games Rick DiPietro stole in the first half are now the games where the Islanders get blown out. Need proof? The Flyers had four power play goals tonight. The Islanders have only scored three in their last twelve games.

So, if this season is a wash, now what? Good question. Because the truth is, for a team that says all the right things about rebuilding, there really isn't a ton of depth in the organization. The majority of this team is grizzled vets, with a few prospects here and there. While it's wonderful that Sean Bergenheim and Blake Comeau have made tremendous strides this season, that's really about all the Isles have left in terms of young players. Jeff Tambellini is just starting to learn the NHL game, and Jeremy Colliton and Frans Neilsen are too green to judge fairly.

However, what is clear is that the Islanders, despite having had some favorable draft picks, haven't done all that much with them. This is a team that drafted Robert Nillson in 2003, forgoing future stars such as Zach Parise, Ryan Getzlaf, Mike Richards, and Corey Perry. Whoops. They also could have gotten Andrej Meszaros in 2004, but settled for Petteri Nokelainen. Remember him? While they did manage to get Comeau in the second round of that 2004 draft, the fact remains that the Isles should have more to show for their mediocrity over the past five years. Doesn't it seem like the Isles should have more to show for their first-round picks this decade than DiPietro and Bergenheim?

Of course, there is Kyle Okposo, their 2006 first-round selection. And that's where the Islanders should be looking - not just for the future, but for the rest of this season. We all know the Isles aren't going anywhere, so why not bring up Okposo for the final twelve games? Take one of the many unproductive veterans, tell him to sit in the press box, and send Okposo a one-way ticket to Long Island. Why not? He won't lose his rookie status, and he'll only benefit from seeing some action on the NHL level. You can always send him back down to Bridgeport for the playoffs (they'd be the eighth seed if the season ended today). It would the best possible scenario for all parties involved - Okposo gets valuable experience, the organization saves face with the fans, and the fans get a look at the team's future.

Will the Isles do the right thing and bring Okposo up? Probably not. But they really ought to consider it. What else do they have to lose?