On the Islanders Beat

FROM PREV THREAD:
I've been a "read only" participant for a while... nothing really to say. But I was wondering if anyone caught this yesterday. towards teh end of the first period MAB was carrying the puck with Guerin to his left on the offensive blueline. MAB was checked just before he crossed the line and Guerin lifted his right skate to cause an offsides. From what I could gather on the Islander broadcast MAB was yelling at Guerin. Guerin said something back to him and kind of rolled his eyes. Both guys stayed on the ice, and nothing was said by Howie or Jaffe... they were too busy talking about Wendy's (probably).
I assume this was nothing, but it's stuff like this that makes me lean towards Steady's assessment of MAB. He just seems to have a bad case of "time and place".
He may be the fastest "D" we have, but he's also the least responsible. Berard has stepped up lately, and it leads me to believe that it's taken a while for him to get his sea legs back.
I think MAB needs to be put on the "FOR SALE" list. that might be impossible given the lack of defensive depth this team has right now. But with Witt and Gervais being day-to-day, this might be the right "TIME AND PLACE" to shop his bagette arse to someplace where they need that kind of crepe.
One other thing I'll add to the BUYER v. SELLER argument. Given how this team has responded to the infusion of youth over the past two weeks, there's no reason to believe that the Islanders couldn't SELL and still have a good shot at the playoffs.
It's going to be hard to see guys like Tambellini and Nielsen get sent down when Sillinger or Simon return. All I hope, is that Snow makes all of his decisions based on OCT rather than APR....

“Going into the season, we all thought it was crazy having nine defensemen around."

Hey Freddy... not me... read my October posts...

Irony... Drew Fata, who couldn't make the Pittsburg 2005-06 defensive corp, and was suspended for something far worse than anything Simon has done as an Islander (check it out on youtube and decide for yourself), is now getting a THIRD chance with the islanders... because of injuries and suspension (Spiller) again.

Does anybody know why Spiller was suspended?

Why not Kohn? Is he that bad?

PS: Still no suspension for Exelby... Campbell... right on the ball.
Obviously in the NHL your nut sack can not be protected by a douche bag.

Same here JP, I actually thought the stable of D-men would preclude us from having to call up guys like Fata or Kohn, but oh well! Just seemed to me they were not really NHL ready when they came up in the past, but as it turns out, the same could probably be said for MAB and Berard. And, I know I mentioned it a couple of weeks ago, but Aaron Johnson definitely needs some more experience...he just looks like he is running around out there, although I did think he had a strong game against the Sharks overall.

JP,

I caught the altercation you were referring to with MAB and Guerin. However, I think I would side with MAB on that one. The Isles were on a 5-3 and MAB attempted to carry the puck into the zone, but for some reason Guerin was 10 feet offsides. MAB stared him down as if to say what the hell are you doing? Guerin looked right back at him as if to say don't go there with me Mr. Turnover. However, Guerin has looked out of sync with the rest of the team on the PP. The Isles' PP loves to stand around and watch and wait, and there is no one more gulty of this kind of half-hearted play than Guerin. I would like to see Guerin replaced on the PP with someone more creative like Comeau.

I'm not saying MAB isn't prone to bone-headed plays, b/c he most certainly is. I'm just saying that this time he had made the right play.

Although showing up your captain is never a good thing. This is why many probably dislike Mr. Bergeron.

Sutton, 4-6 weeks, partial hamstring tear.

Fire sale pleaseeeeeeee Garth. Don't let the recent surge fool you.

I Hate to say it , but after losing Sutton - the Islanders are DONE. They offically just became SELLERS for the TRADE DEADLINE. Time for Snow to Clean house with all of the UFA's except Hunter (I would sign him to a 2 or 3 year extention) - Let's see what kind of GM Snow is.- Let's see if he can get some top prospects and draft picks to transform this roster. They need more youth and some with speed. MAKE IT HAPPEN SNOW

I saw the Guerin/MAB "thing" as well Candyman and agree with your assessment.
(But I disagree with your's and everyone else's "firesale" sentiments. Trades , sure, "FIRESALE" -No).

If someone could be put in jail for one's thoughts, and judging Guerin's body language at the time of the spat with MAB, I think Guerin is looking at 5-10 years.
All part of the game.
MAB has consistently demonstrated a little "hot-headedness" on the ice, not necessarily a bad thing, so let's hope Guerin simply went back to the locker room and shaving cremed MAB's underwear.

Players to Trade:
Satan (VAN - DAL - ANA)
Comrie (SJ)
Fedotenko (CGY - NAS)
Berard (SJ - CHI)
Vasicek(CGY - SJ - VAN)
MAB (SJ - CHI)
Simon (CGY - OTT)
Martinek - see what you could get for him (maybe DET)
Witt - see what you could get for him (maybe DET)
Guerin - see what you could get for him (maybe VAN)

candy,
I agree. I have said this 100 times, and it is just a philosophy thing... When a line is on a roll, and your PP is not, why can't they just roll the hot line out there as is. The PP has worked lately, but mostley becasue of inept PK units.
This was HUGE yesterday becasue there were 5 PK and 6 PP opps... that left guys like Tambellin and Nielsen with 6 mins of TOI. They have been strong offensively, but sometimes can't force the puck out of their own end. That's why I would like to see the Vasicek line as the first unit, and the kid line as the second unit... or at least let them get a cameo after one_trick_pony (comrie) and white_man_dancin (Guerin) eat up their PP time.
At least the team has been fun to watch. They are missing one component as "crunch" time approaches. The Exelby thing didn't amount to too much, but unless they can put somebody on the ice to kick some a$$ it's going to continue. It's hard to give up a guy like Witt or Sutton for 5 minutes with a paper thin "D" corp, as it is.
I don't think this the "long term" answer, but right now, I wouldn't mind seeing Simon out there. Especially as the division games roll around. If not him, then they need to roll Brennan up to the Island to play on the fourth line... and start a rest rotation with guys like Guerin and Satan (who might get traded soon).

Corey... Haim or Feldman?
I'm with 505... I think Snow should shop everybody, but just take premium value. By "premium value" I mean getting value for guys that won't be with the team next year.
I think they can do this, and still squeeze some playoff run excitement out of this team.
the recent "resting" of Sillinger has pointed out how much speed and energy can mean to a hedge team in the new NHL. Silly has been terrific, but he is holding back a solid corp of young centermen like Nielsen and Walter. You can say the same thing about comrie, but comrie is leading the team in scoring with what may be a pretty disabling shoulder injury... I think there is a big decision for Snow on Comrie coming up in the next few days.
Guerin stays. He is something this team has needed for a long time, and he needs to be an Islander through his contract.
vasicek needed to play the middle 30 games the way he played the first and last 15. If he can do that he can be their second or third center. Big centers that can handle the puck don't grow on trees. the same can be said for tank, but with Sim returning next year and the emergence of Comeau there may not be room for him next year.
I'd personally kick Snow in the sack if he traded Marty. that guy is the most underrated and underpaid "D" in the league becasue he is "fragile"... but I can see him being part of the transition into a contender.
Satan and Silly probably make the most sense because SATAN is a UFA and Silly will have a nice price tag going into the playoffs and the Isles are pretty deep at center. If there is a Coburn available this year it might not only be an excellent FUTURE move, but a little depth for their own playoff run.
THIS TEAM IS NOT DONE JUST YET... I'm not so convinced that they are bad enough to make a run at a top 3 pick, so I'd rather see them make a run at the playoffs and get these kids (plus okposo) some experience in some MEANINGFUL games.

just my opinion... I've been rong before.

JP

To answer your question about why Kohn was not called up

I believe he is injured and cannot and is not playing for Bridgeport right now

the islanders have very little defense when everyones healthy....so they go as DP goes. He is the key to this team. When he is hot they win. When he's average, they lose. Last night they had a Power Play for 5 of the last 6 minutes and basically gave up 2 breakaways and a point blank wide open chance by THE BEST GUY ON THE OTHER TEAM with 10 seconds or so left. That is simply putrid. DP bailed them out. Now why am I saying this? Well its because I dont think we are getting squat for any of the bums you just mentioned we should trade. What do you think people would give up for fedotenko or vasicek or MAB or Berard?? If you cut all 4 they wouldnt all get claimed....MAB and Berard are the 7th and 8th best defenseman on the Isles, they wouldnt play if everyone was healthy, and OUR DEFENSE BITES....

So I say keep what you got, get healthy as you can, and pray DP gets hot and we ride it into April...Hot goalies win series' in the playoffs....Why not go for it? THeres so much parity its frightening....Do the Devils scare you? Montreal? Nobody scares me in the east....What the hell do we need a few extra 3rd and 4th and 5th round picks for?? We cant even draft all stars with our #1 picks. Roll the dice with this team, this coach and this goalie....who the hell knows...just dont give up, dont ever give up....

My observations as an Islander fan since 1974/75 is based on both reality and experience.

As a New York sports fan... sometimes it's very NY centric. We definitely have an attitude that our teams SHOULD do no wrong and when they do... we like a scapegoat. ie. A-Rod.

A-Rod is probably the greatest single ball player of his generation and WE complain about his shortcomings.

Imagine not appreciating the opportunity to watch on a regular basis the single greatest ballplayer of his time... and complain about him.???

Now to the good stuff:

If every defensemen in the league never made a mistake:
A) teams wouldn't need goalies.
B) the score would always be 0-0.

MAB makes mistakes... just like every other defensemen in the league. We look at his and only point out his... because we like SCAPEGOATS... and he's an easy target.

Brendan Witt makes mistakes... forgets to cover his man in front and the guy pop's a loose puck in the net. We overlook that... because he brings so much else to the team with effort, grit and determination. MAB does also. I don't see a lack of effort on MAB's part.

By the way... did anyone notice how silly McClaren looked on Comries goal. I wonder what they were saying in San Jose?

If we are going to yell about the toe-dragging moves of Comrie and say how inneffective he is... then how do you explain McClaren looking so bad.

You could say how he doesn't face Comrie all that often... but he's played against the guy for years... and Comrie didn't invent that toe-drag move... Western Conference players use the toe-drag too.

DOC

You are right in that there are no perfect players but there are bad ones and there are good ones and Witt doesnt makes a heck of a lot fewer mistakes than MAB. If all it took was heart and effort to make it in the NHL than I'd be out there. It takes a solid work ethic, talent and focus. MAB has talent but he has no focus, the mental part of his game just isnt there.

hahahaha i have to say this:

ok I have the perfect solution to the defensive problems

1) Get McCacbe from toronto

2) Find Kasparaitis in Hartford and get him

3) we already have Berard

4) Ask Jonsson to come play for about 3 months for us

5) someone dig up Lachance

6) just find ANY spots for the defenceman who are still healthy.

I'm sorry, i just had to....

Doc,

I agree, and while MAB can be a liability, he has carried the offensive output of the Isles' blue line. Consider these numbers that I just worked on in class in lieu of paying attention.

Isles Top-6 D to start the year: Witt, Matinek, Campoli, Gervais, Sutoon, MAB

Witt/Mart/Camp/Gerv/Sutt = 5,233 minutes - 7 goals

MAB = 774 minutes - 9 goals

You need at least SOME production from the D. Until there is a better option, the Isles almost had to stick with MAB. Berard and Meyer have also chipped in recently.

Netminder,

Lachance was an all-star. '97 I believe?

candy

i believe you're correct. Where is he now? lol

Milbury:

stick to the 90's not the 80's..... lol

There's no doubt that a defenseman that can carry the puck, and SCORE is essential to the success of a team. But you'd also like one who is at least RESPONSIBLE in his own end... I've defended him in the past, and I think that he has been key with all of th einjuries, but if they could get another 24 year old 6'4" 230 pounder...
I like the team with three bouncers(Witt/Sutton/?????) and three mailmen (Marty/Campoli/Berard+Gervais/Meyer).

huh?

Hey lets get some predictions from all the folks who post here. Lets see who comes closest at the end of the week (trade deadline) and season. There are are a ton of opinions posted everyday so lets see who is on their game the best.

Prediction # 1) Buyers, sellers or both?

Prediction # 2) Where do the Isles finish in the standings at years end? (1-13)

Prediction # 3 (Only applies if we make the playoffs) How far do we go in the playoffs (by round)

Rub those crystal balls.

Netminder....where is Rich Pilon on your list?? If we could bring back some guys from the past id bring back Rich Pilon and Kasper.. And for a checking line.. Steve Webb, Mick Vukota and Gino Odjick ...NOBODY IN THE LEAGUE WOULD MESS WITH US!!! But back to reality... First off, when i saw MAB freak out on Guerin i wanted to jump through my tv .. I played hockey for years and yea controversy is sometimes good on the ice, but not because of an offsides..Maybe passing the puck up the middle in ur zone, intercepted and a goal is scored, or leaving ur man open infront of the net stuff like that could require some yelling, but not an offsides which u caused because u had to dance at the blue line for an hour..DUMP THE PUCK IN!!!! Next, Id like to say thank god we had 9 dmen at the beginning of the season.. And finally, about the rumors of trading for McCabe and Blake...I loved McCabe when he was on the island and wish we would of kept him, but I dont think hes worth his paycheck now, and Blake, yea i kinda liked him, but there was always something about him i didnt like, maybe it was rumors of his poor attitude in the locker room and selfishness...so yea i dont want him back either, a fluke season scoring 40 goals and he will never do it again....I think thats all i have to say for now..till then..love peace and LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!

Some of you are killing me....We lose Sutton and NOW we need to pull the cord and quit ??? The same people were calling Sutton usesless all year. Gervais is coming back and so is Witt. The defense will be fine!

We are on the verge of a MAVEN like 6 game winning streak. Do not get me wrong, if the right deals come along, pull the trigger. But right now we are playing strong. The kids are playing great. THINK BIG PEOPLE !!!

Again I ask.....Why can't we beat the Rangers, Devils, Ottawa or Pitt in the playoffs ?????? We have played them great all year.

Miggsey....I'm glad you get what I am thinking. As a team you owe it too the players to go for the playoffs. To quit on them is wrong!

At the same time, I do not want the BOBBLEHEADS to pull another Ryan Smyth trade out of their rumps and give up on youth......All I am saying is play hard until they tell you it is over........We are back in this thing.

How about a great start and a great finish ???? We had the great start and are in the midst of a great finish......YAH GOTTA BELIEVE !!!

Steady,

I'm on board. (I think you knew that)
Anyone wanting a firesale cuz they are "afraid of another disappointing 1st round loss" are frontrunners, pure and simple.
Those of you that say you're "realists" for wanting a firesale are dreaming wishful thinkers

I'll take my chances and I welcome THE OPPORTUNITY to be disappointed. Beats no opportunity at all.

Firesales and dumping players GUARANTEES NOTHING for the future. Stamkos' career could be over and done with by next May.
Anyone picked up in a trade could be dead by pre-season.

The only certainty in life is what's in front of you NOW!!

NO QUITTING ON MY TEAM PLEASE.
PLAY OR GO HOME

Coral
Prediction # 1)both

Prediction # 2)6th

Prediction # 3 WIN THE STANLEY CUP

Nothing....yet

i'll play

#1 - both

#2 - 8th

#3 - lose in round 2

I think alot of you will be suprised, I think we have a bit better team than last year, hopefully we don't lose DP just before the playoffs again. I think the injuries are forcing people to step up, which they are, and it could get us through the 1st round.

GO ISLES GO!!!!!!!!!!!!

i'll play

#1 - both

#2 - 8th

#3 - lose in round 2

I think alot of you will be suprised, I think we have a bit better team than last year, hopefully we don't lose DP just before the playoffs again. I think the injuries are forcing people to step up, which they are, and it could get us through the 1st round.

GO ISLES GO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mr Islander.

"What have you been drinking (or smoking) tonight?"
Nothin except ciggies. I only drink on Mondays.
Why? It's as good a day as any.

As far as my prediction for winning the Cup....call it a combination of the audacity of hope and knowing that NOBODY picked the 1980 Olympic team to make the medal round.
(except me). And you can't win the Gold unless you're in it.

#1) sellers, in the sense that we will trade unsigned older talent for younger, less proven talent. but i think garth will acquire at least some younger players he thinks can make a difference this year (what choice will we have but to throw them in there? we have to fill out a roster!)

#2) we make the playoffs as the sixth seed

#3) we shock everyone and get to the conference finals but lose in 7....

1) BOTH...If we can get rid of some guys I cannot stand....for the right price ...DO IT !!!! If we can get a sniper for the right price on a salary dump....DO IT !!!

2) 8th seed

3) Third round loss

***My prediction of the rangers getting hot is coming to fruition. They are smoking the Habs right now....Hot teams are what this time of year is all about.....If they can do it, we can do it......The teams up top better look below !!! ***

OK I can have some fun with this:

1) Both

2) 7th seed

3) Conference Finals

Rangers 5 Habs 0 = 6 - 5 loss.... OUCH!

#1 Both ~ We shed some of the UFA's for some picks, and buy a few playoff experienced warriors to take some of the load off of Witt and add some toughness upfront with a mix of some skill. We might use a pick that we acquired in a pending UFA trade ... it can pan out a few different ways.

#2 I think we have a solid shot at 6th.

Going out on a limb to pick order of standings here.
1-Ottawa
2- Devils
3- Carolina
4- Montreal
5- Pittsburgh
6- Islanders
7- Rangers
8- Boston

#3 We'll make some noise. We'll beat the Carolina in 5 ... The Devils will beat the 7th Place Rangers in 7 in the first round. Boston will upset Ottawa. Pittsburgh will upset the Habs.

In the 2nd round we'll beat the Devils in 6 close games with two OT wins .. MAB gets the series clinching goal in OT (Sorry Steady) off a freak play where Brody scrambles looking for the rebound and knocks the puck in.

In the 3rd round we go 7 games with Boston ... and Mike Milbury is seen in the press box chatting with an injured Chara. The Isles win the series by scoring the go ahead goal with :45 seconds left in regulation on a Comrie toe drag around Kessel.

Comrie jumps for joy on the goal ... and leaves Guerin hanging and jumps into MAB's arms. 20 seconds later ... DP scores into an empty net sending the NVMC crowd already into a frenzy into sheer pandamonium.

In the Stanley Cup the Isles face another Cinderella team ... the Edmonton Oilers who made a great year end run to clinch the 8th spot in the playoffs. The Islanders win in OT in game 7 on a give and go goal by Kyle Okposo from Tamby .... and during the on ice post game interview ... Kyle says ... well .. we as an organization had some unfinished business against this team 25 years ago ... so we finished it ... and from then on ... the Kid movement era goes on.

A pleasantly enebriated 505 can be seen pounding on the glass with his sign ... "Audacity of Hope" in the back ground ... and AZS can be seen with is modified #1 foam finger also in the back ground ... Steady brings along the finest New England bubbly that only MAB is allowed to drink in the cup ... and KH can be seen with his sign .. "Let there be light ... Light House that is .... "

Nick, Upstate, JP, Coral, Netminder, miggsey, Merick, Candyman, Cincy, doc & D-Money unscroll a huge sign that says " Jim Baumbach .... stick this where the sun don't shine" ... while singing along to "We are the Champions"

Bill gets his 1961 GO card autographed by Kyle Okposo who says.... What is a GO card? Then all of us that posts on this board all join Sparky the Dragon in the player runway for a few beers.

How's that for a prediction? Thought I'd have some fun with it .... but seriously ... I think as long as we are in the playoffs ... we have a shot ... and if they keep playing hard .... anything can happen ... and we'll worry about the draft in June ... wheel and deal to move up in the draft if possible.

You can't have a team lay down ... how do you think the players feel ... suck the competitiveness out of them teaches them a bad lesson.

Even if they finish 9th and miss the playoffs on the last game of the season ... at least we know they fought hard for us all season.

Steady,

"***My prediction of the rangers getting hot is coming to fruition. They are smoking the Habs right now...."

Nice call Howie

WOW...DID THE RANGERS JUST LOSE A GAME THEY WERE UP 5 GOALS?HAHAHAHA HOW GREAT WAS IT LOOKING AT JAGR'S FACE AFTER HE MISSED THE NET IN THE SHOOTOUT..HAHAHA...THIS HAS TO GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE MOST EMBARRASSING COMEBACK LOSSES IN SPORTS HISTORY...GOTTA LOVE IT...

MY PREDICTIONS:

1. I think we will be both...I dont think satan will be around after the deadline and also hunter..I think we are going to look for a solid stay at home defensemen, and hopefully get rid of MAB!!

2. As much as i love the islanders, i dont think we will make the playoffs and i HOPE im wrong!! I still have faith..

3. If we do make it, i think we will be once again the suprise team, and get kicked out second round!!

OUTSTANDING POST 19ISLES!!!!!!!

Post of the week.

If I may, a few corrections...
Baumbach's sign should read "Stick THIS in your book, Jim Baumbach".

"A pleasantly enebriated 505 can be seen pounding on the glass with his sign ... "Audacity of Hope" in the back ground ."
Pleasantly inebriated? I'll be schitfaced.
And I cannot bring that sign, I stole "Audacity of Hope" from someone else here, I think it was KH. (But I could be wrong).
The only sign I'll be waving is "Beers on me". (Can't let Wendy's hog all the glory!!).

Great post. Can't wait to see it happen.

505 ~ "Steady,

"***My prediction of the rangers getting hot is coming to fruition. They are smoking the Habs right now...."

Nice call Howie"

OMG ... that busted me up when I read that. Oh mannnn ... Nice call Howie ... priceless.

Glad you liked the post .... BTW ... you knew I was going to make a version of the novel "Great Expectations" for my predictions.

Come on 19Isle, that's just totally unrealistic........

My sign would say "Ryan WHO?"

505 ~ I like your version of the Baumbach sign better ... so we are going with that ....

It is kind of ironic that you plagerized the "Audacity of Hope" from .. you think KH ... because if that is the case ... he got that from a plagerizer himself.... "Audacity of Hope" is the title of Barack Obama's book .... LOLOL!!! If you haven't heard ... Barack is being accused of plagerizing portions of his speeches.

Nick ~ LOL!! I like that .... you want your own sign ... and since it's your sign .. you can make it say what ever you want.

There would also be footage during the celebration of Ryan Smyth and Tiki Barber sitting next to each other crying into their beers.

I had to say that...though I still think trading some dead weight for prospects could leave the team in the same position it is right now.

Also, Jaroslav Modry went to Philly for a 3rd round pick....why, since we're so desperately hard-up for a defenseman, could the Islanders not have met that price?

1. Sellers

2. 8th (if you're an optimist)

3. 1st round loss

The Isles are not built to go deep into the playoffs. Sometimes I wonder if some of you are watching the same game as I am. I'm all about being optimistic, but come on.

What happens if Isles lose all 3 before the deadline? Would you all consent to a fire sale then?

It's not about losing hope, but it is about building for the future. The best teams in the NHL today are built through the draft--it's that simple. How many more years in a row do you want to assemble the leftovers of the free agent class, and hope Nolan can work some magic? Everyone here defends Nolan to the grave---how about giving him a real shot at winning. I admit I am sometimes unfair in my criticisms of Nolan being who he has on his roster. This group has been extremely inconsistent all year, so I'm not sure why you'd want to keep this group together.

Trade Tank, Comrie, Hunter, and we still should be able to make a run at the 8th spot.

That's Obama's book?
I've been promoting HIS book on this board?
Wow, I have been spending WAY TOO MUCH time here.
O-U-T-O-F-T-O-U-C-H with the rest of the world?
eh, not a bad thing.
Okay, from now on my theme is the "irresponsibility of despair"
Never say die.

19 Isle beat me to it, but I was going to say that even though I was the first to use "audacity of hope" on here, I have since been exposed as having lifted it from Deval Patrick. ;-) So I certainly cannot object to 505 using it in whatever context, as often as he likes.

(OFF-TOPIC: By the way, the plagiarism charge against Obama is officially the silliest attack in American political history...)

Candyman,

"This group has been extremely inconsistent all year, so I'm not sure why you'd want to keep this group together."

With the exception of the Wings, EVERY team has been inconsistent this year. Look at the standings. It's a freakin logjam.
I don't think anyone is suggesting that this group be kept together. However, I would not be happy with a "firesale". Getting draft picks for these guys would strip the cupboard for a lot of years.

"Trade Tank, Comrie, Hunter, and we still should be able to make a run at the 8th spot."
Again, I am not OPPOSED to that, but if we only get draft picks in return, there is no way that there will be a run this year. Or next.
If we get comparable/better players in return, then fine.
But do you really think those guys will generate that kind of interest from other teams?

505,

I don't think the Isles fall into the general group of inconsistent teams. When the Isles are bad, they are really bad. And worse, we have now lost 4 of our top 5 d-men.

Draft picks are valuable this year--one of the deepest drafts in recent history. For those like me who were not around for the 80's glory days, we have been waiting our whole lives for a legit Isles team. I'd rather wait 2-3 years for picks to develop and have a shot at building a true contender than play meidocre hockey for the next 7 years, as we have the past 7.

505

I second that notion about trading for picks will not help us out this year or next.

If we were to actually take a look at some of the picks being offered this year, most of them are for 2009 or very low round picks for 2008. The only exception so far was today when Philly offered a 3rd round pick to L.A.

Unless there is a prospect ready to play in any deal, then i would keep with what we have, and make a run at the playoffs.

Good news for all the Rag-haters on here (including me). I try not to talk about Pure Evil on this board, but here's something that could have a big effect on their future. The declining, pouty diva who wears their C and poisons their dressing room will trigger his automatic option if he hits 80 points for the season (Is it 80 or 84? Some sources say 84.). Just yesterday, Nick and I were discussing this offline and it looked very likely that JJ would not make the 80-point threshold. But with tonight's 4 assists, he's now on pace for 70 points with 20 games left. He doesn't have to pick up the pace all that much to make 80. This would be very bad for the Rags as they have little to no cap room and it would lock them in to another year of JJ at $8.3M, money they would undoubtedly rather spend on one of the many choice, younger free agents who'll be available this July. Go Jags!!

Modification: OK, the Post reports that the trigger number is 84 points, so Jagr needs 33 points in his last 20 games to make it. Also, the Rangers' cap hit is only about $5M, because the Caps would still be paying part of Jagr's salary. Still, I'm rooting for him...

Candyman,

"When the Isles are bad, they are really bad."

I am interested in your definitions of "bad" and "really bad".
Cuz, last I checked I can pick a handful of games where the Isles did not have a chance to win in the 3rd period. And we sure as hell have not had any games like Atlanta did the other night.
THAT WAS BAD.
And please don't make one post "This group has been extremely inconsistent all year" followed by "I don't think the Isles fall into the general group of inconsistent teams."
That's contradictory.
They are either inconsistent or they are not.

In fact, I'm not sure that the Isles have been "inconsistent" this year. Based on the dearth of goal scoring talent on this team, a case could be made that the Isles have been one of the more consistent teams in the league. They are in contention just about every game.
Geez, if the Isles are inconsistent, whaddya call the Sen's who are blowing a 12-15 point conference lead right now?
The Flyers?
THE RANGERS??? (Who have been what can be best described as "inconsistently successful" so far?)

At least the Isles have been knocking on the same 6-10 spot in the conference all year. A position MUCH HIGHER than anyone gave them a chance for.

But I understand your pain. So many years of frustration....
Don't fall for the "irresponsibilty of despair".

505,

You can pick apart my words, but my main point still stands. Yes the Isles are inconsistent, but they are inconsistent in such a way that leads me to question whether it would be worth keeping our players and risk losing them all for nothing after the season.

Your remark "In fact, I'm not sure that the Isles have been "inconsistent" this year" will find little support, even among Isles optimists. How easily we forget how life was like just one week ago. We caught a tired Flyers team who took us lightly, a horrible Leafs team who outplayed us, a Thrashers team that didn't want to play us, and a tired Sharks team that probably would have beat us if not for Martinek blasting the hell out of Nabokov.

I'm not trying to discredit the Isles recent winning streak--they have played solid and deserve their recent success. But I don't want Snow to be fooled by this recent surge and attempt to make another Ryan Smyth acquisition that will only set us back further. Snow has a real chance to replenish the farm, and I think he needs to take advantage of this situation.

In addition, while you appear to be saying the Isles have not been inconsistent b/c they haven't been blown out many times, you have to take into consideration the fact that in those non-blowouts, the Isles have not come close to scoring. I've never seen a team that has left opposing goaltenders off the hook more than the current Islanders. Take Monday's game against the Sharks. For the first 2 periods, a Sharks goaltender was not faced with one legitimate shot on goal. Kudos to the Isles for coming back, but Nabokov gave up 3 iffy goals.

Candy

Maybe I can help explain why 505 feels the way we both do.
(505 at any time please correct me)

Look at what we did this off season. We got rid of a lot of players for nothing, and for right now, we're still on a good pace to possible match last year for millions of dollars less. Why?

The answer: Bridgeport

See starting in 2002 we actually started seeing what keeping the kids down in the minors really meant. It started with Hunter, and DiPietro.

Now, after a few years we are just starting to see a good crop of prospects coming up in Bergenheim, Campoli, Gervais, Dubie!!!!

For our future, we have Tambellini, Coliton, Comeau, Okposo, Neilson, and i'm sure a few others who are going to make it soon.

But they needed time to grow a little bit in the minors this year. This is a HUGE transition year for the Islanders in that we know the kids are ready to now play, but we don't have to throw them into the fire.

Thanks to Bridgeport (and also Wang for creating it), we have a team that really won't "tank" or do no worse than .500.

What we need to help develop these kids in the pros is better talented veterans, so trading away some players for now, just so that we get picks, may actually hurt us.

Lets be realistic. The islanders are simply a bad team with a great goalie. Honestly, there is no chance the Islanders are going to go to the playoffs and if by some miracle they made it they would just disappoint us like every year and loose in the first round. The Islanders have gotten very lucky the past few games. (that trend wont continue). The fact is the Islanders don’t have enough offense to make the playoffs. They are old slow and cant put the puck in the net. They are in last place in the Atlantic and will continue to fall in the standings. (150 GF last in the NHL). Year after year the Islanders are never better then mediocre. We should get rid of the worthless veterans and start from scratch. If Millbury wasn’t such a fool we could have had superstars such as Heatley, Spezza, Luongo and many other great players and we would be celebrating a cup not dreaming of an unrealistic and unimpressive 6th seed.

if we aquire better talented players instead of picks, and add in the youth movement, we won't be writing about "inconsistancy" anymore.

Alright, this did not start as a response to Coral, and I usually keep things relatively short, but this evolved into something of 19 ISLE proportions and ended with some predictions:

I agree we need draft picks in these next two drafts...stockpile as many as we can, but really, think about it: aren't the kids actually in the lineup, or very close to cracking it, some of our more recent draft picks (with the exception of the two banished in the Smyth deal and those tossed aside by MM) ?

Bergenheim - 1st rd, 2002
Nielsen - 3rd rd, 2003
Gervais - 6th rd, 2003
Comeau - 2nd rd, 2004
Campoli - 7th rd, 2004
Okposo - 1st rd, 2006
Dubie - undrafted

Throw in Tambellini - 1st rd, 2003 (LA) - and some of the older draft picks (Martinek - 8th rd, 1999; DP - 1st Rd, 2000; Hunter, ANA 6th rd, 1998, but with the Isles since 2000) we have half of an active lineup of homegrown "talent."

Yeah, none are superstars (DP still is not there in my mind, as much as I want him to be), but look at how long it took to develop this group.

For those of you that want to completely rebuild this team through the draft, it is going to take way more than 2-3 years, regardless of the "certainties" that come with a top 3-5 pick (I don't think this team will finish dead last or second to last, so 1-2 are not likely). I also know we can't make it happen with UFAs, given the tough draw to NVMC and the history of ownership woes on LI.

That is why I am so torn about what I think the Isles should do. But I agree with 505 - life is too short to worry about next year or undrafted kids that have never stepped on a sheet of ice in the NHL, and have no guarantees of ever doing so.

So, I would rather see the guys we have been developing since Martinek in 1999 continue to form the core, hopefully creating a positive atmosphere and creating exposure (primarily through DP and Okposo) that can attract some key vets. And over time, continue to fill with some of the other prospects in the Bridge (Smith, Bentivoglio, Kohn) and draft picks we take in the next couple of years. But, don’t sell the farm this year and sacrifice what I think could be a good run if we make it (see below)

So, with all of that, my predictions:

1) neither - stay pat with a few of the guys - keep JoVas and see if Nolan can mold him and make him work every night; keep Hunter, very serviceable (just get him a shooter tooter); sign Comrie for no longer than 3, hope he heals and matures, then reevaluate; trade Satan and Tank and see what we can get (remember, stockpiling is fine); I would love to trade a D-man, but it is not gonna happen IMO. Too many ?'s back there, and we are obviously fragile. Maybe Satan/Tank nets us some young support there, either through the draft or a prospect.

2) Looking at the rest of the schedule it goes one of two ways, given we control our own destiny for the most part: keep winning, and I still say they could finish 4-5; start losing, and they could finish 12-13.

3) If they make it, I say DP gets hot, the D gets healthy, and our overworked blue line is what carries us through some close games in a grueling round 1 victory. Round 2 sees us in a much tougher position after getting banged around in Round 1, but we're up against a certain Atlantic Division team that bet the farm on two players and still ended up finishing below us! Isles have home-ice advantage against this team that they have dominated for the last two seasons, and sweep them in 4 advancing to the Conference Finals. Unfortunately, the defensive depth is not quite there, and we lose in 5 to the eventual Stanley Cup champs (no clue who, but I do predict a team from the East).

JP,

Kohn has a seperated shoulder and missed the last 8 games

Spiller is suspended ...he was a +5 in his last 4 games ...sounded like it was between him and Fata to be called up ...

I mean Spiller isn't suspended ...Kip Brennan is ...

Schnikes netminder, guess you and I are on the same wave length here...along with 505. Be afraid, be very afraid...

D-Money

Great minds think alike

Glad to see some of your predictions. I will have mine in the morning. Sorry but I fell asleep watching the 5-0 win..., oh I mean 6-5 loss by the Rangers.

Hopefully the Islander don't make any overnight trades that sku my predictions.

Peace!!!! Go Islanders!!!!

Candyman,

"But I don't want Snow to be fooled by this recent surge and attempt to make another Ryan Smyth acquisition that will only set us back further."

I'll agree with that.
I don't want to see that either. I thought it was a great idea last year, and I give Snow props for a "nice try". But, I don't see the sense in trying something like that again. The Isles do have a pretty good nucleus of youth and experience on the build here.
Can we use some more "high-caliber" experienced players.
Sure.
Is it worth shipping off a Comeau, or KO or Tambs in exchange?
Definitely not for a Ryan type UFA.
Is it worth shipping off one of the above for an under contract "true star"? Depends.
I DON"T see the Isles making a deadline deal to simply bolster post season chances. Any deal has to have