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Isles Off Season game plan (TSN)
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Topic Started: May 9 2011, 12:43 PM (343 Views)
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sybo
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May 9 2011, 12:43 PM
Post #1
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Resident Wiseass, Neighborhood Candyman, Master Drunkard
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http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=365188
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The New York Islanders have missed the playoffs for four years straight and 12 of the last 16 seasons, but they've been accumulating young talent that may be ready to take the next step.
Off-Season Game Plan looks at the Islanders' roster and what they might be able to do in order to challenge for a playoff berth next season.
The Islanders haven't been the most profitable venture in the league in recent seasons, so it may be understandable that they barely exceeded the salary floor last season.
At some point, however, the rubber will need to hit the road and this team will need to make the necessary moves to provide sufficient support for their improving young core.
One of the reasons to invest in payroll is to provide depth. The Islanders went through a serious run of injuries last season, one which highlighted depth shortcomings and this despite some veritable home runs when it came to player acquisition.
Career minor leaguer P.A. Parenteau emerged as a legitimate top six forward, waiver pickup Michael Grabner was one of the league's most dynamic goal-scorers, let alone rookies and goaltender Al Montoya performed well after he was scooped off the scrap heap.
Sticking with Montoya, goaltending may be the most important factor for the Islanders in 2011-2012. Assuming that the young forwards continue to show improvement, and that the defence will be significantly better with a healthy Mark Streit leading the way, that leaves goaltending as what would seem to be the wildcard.
Can Montoya continue his strong play? Does Rick DiPietro have anything left? Is there any chance Evgeni Nabokov dons an Islanders sweater? Getting at least one yes, maybe even two, could go a long way to determining the fate of the Islanders next season.
After helping turn the Islanders' season around when he took over behind the bench for Scott Gordon, Jack Capuano will helm the operation right from the get-go this year and Capuano has high hopes for this group.
"I feel very strongly moving forward. We've got a young group of guys in here. If we continue to make strides, there's no way we won't be a playoff team," Capuano told the New York Daily News.
Sure, any coach should harbour expectations of reaching the playoffs next season, but Capuano may be right.
With good health and good goaltending (admittedly, leaps of faith are required to count on these things on the Island), then the Islanders should have a chance to rise up and join the teams battling for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
GM/COACH Garth Snow/Jack Capuano Returning Forwards Player Rating Cap Hit John Tavares 75.46 $3.75M Matt Moulson 73.20 $3.133M Frans Nielsen 72.18 $525K PA Parenteau 70.16 $1.25M Matt Martin 62.29 $853K Trent Hunter 61.37 $2.0M
Free Agent Forwards Player Rating Class '10-'11 Cap Hit Michael Grabner 75.81 RFA $843K Blake Comeau 69.94 RFA $650K Kyle Okposo 67.92 RFA $1.672M Josh Bailey 65.36 RFA $1.725M Doug Weight 63.45 UFA $1.15M Jesse Joensuu 60.94 RFA $850K Zenon Konopka 58.36 UFA $600K Trevor Gillies 58.35 UFA $500K Micheal Haley 58.22 UFA $500K
He still has room to improve his overall game, but John Tavares has shown that he can put up points, tallying 121 through his first two seasons. While those points come with a less-than-flattering minus-31 rating over two years, Tavares was plus-5 in the last 33 games of the 2010-2011 season.
While plus-minus isn't the be-all and end-all of player evaluation, it's good to know that Tavares can be productive offensively without taking too many lumps in his own end of the rink. Certainly, as the Islanders grow stronger as a team, Tavares numbers should continue to get better.
It's fair to say the Islanders are pleased with what they've received since signing Matt Moulson as a free agent in the summer of 2009. Unable to crack the lineup in Los Angeles, Moulson has come in and produced back-to-back seasons with at least 30 goals.
What's particularly nice about Moulson's production last season is that it was so consistent; he scored at least four goals in every month (excluding four games in April).
While Frans Nielsen is quite possibly the most underrated player in the game, he also has to be one of the greatest values. He was one of the most effective Islanders in 2010-2011 and his plus-13 rating was no accident -- he led the Isles in five-on-five shot differential for players that played more than 40 games (according to www.behindthenet.ca).
Nielsen plays a sound defensive game, anchoring the penalty killing unit, but has enough offensive creativity to put up some points. He's not a finisher (last year's 13 goals represented a career high), but every team wishes they could get the kind of productive play that the Islanders get from Nielsen for $525,000.
It took some time for late bloomer PA Parenteau to stick in the NHL, but the Islanders were rewarded for their investment in him as a free agent last summer. The 28-year-old just completed his first full NHL season with 53 points, earning a contract extension from the Isles.
Aside from a little slump from late October through late November, when he had three points in 13 games, Parenteau was a produtive player all year, so it's not like the level of play was too much for him. It might be difficult to improve on his production, but it's fair to expect more of the same.
Winger Matt Martin made his mark as a rookie with a lot of physical play, his 299 hits ranking fourth in the league, his 4.4 hits per game just fractionally behind league leader Cal Clutterbuck.
For all of his aggressiveness, though, Martin still has work do on his all-around game. Despite limited ice time (10:57 per game), he was a minus-13 and his five-on-five shot differential was second-worst on the team among players that played at least 40 games.
It's understandable, since he's a 22-year-old just completing his first NHL season, but simply an indication of the improvement that is required if he's going to be more than hired muscle.
Veteran winger Trent Hunter was limited to just 17 games after an MCL injury forced him to have knee surgery. He's a big body and a willing banger, but his health and goal-scoring numbers have declined in recent years.
It's rare that a team will get the kind of gift that the Islanders got on waivers just prior to the start of last season, when speed demon Michael Grabner was there for the taking after Florida let him go.
He didn't make an immediate impact -- he didn't even play better than 14 minutes a game until February -- but the end result was outstandings. 34 goals and a plus-13 rating certainly raises expectations for Grabner in the future, but such is the peril of success.
Both the Islanders and Grabner can surely live with the trade-off of creating high expectations coming as a result of exceptional play.
Blake Comeau is a skilled winger coming off a career-best 45-point season. At the same time, the 25-year-old is still searching for consistency in his production, though blame for that does not lie entirely with Comeau; he spent a lot of time with linemates that were rather up and down in their performance.
His most common linemates at even strength (according to www.frozenpool.com) included Josh Bailey, Rob Schremp, Jon Sim, Jesse Joensuu and Matt Martin; not exactly a murderer's row of offensive talent.
A shoulder injury cost Kyle Okposo more than half of the season and when he finally got into the lineup, in late January, his offensive performance wasn't at the level that it had been in previous seasons as he managed just five goals in 38 games.
But it wasn't all bad for Okposo, he was still a plus player and had the best five-on-five shot differential on the team; if that indicates better all-around play, Okposo's numbers could really take off next season if he's healthy enough to handle more minutes right from the start of next season.
Josh Bailey regressed some in his third season, though a 13-game scoreless drought early in the year earned him a ticket to the AHL. Bailey is talented and not yet 22-year-old, so it's not time to give up on him, but next year will be his fourth season in the league and it's about time he produced enough to be counted on in an offensive role.
A big winger who has put in three years in the AHL, Jesse Joensuu has but 13 points in 60 career NHL games, so he may not have much of an offensive impact, but he should be able to handle a regular role as a checker.
Most of the Islanders' unrestricted free agent forwards are scrappers, with face-off man Zenon Konopka perhaps the most likely to have some role with the team going forward.
While the Islanders could look into a free agent winger like Christopher Higgins, Scottie Upshall or Joel Ward, they might also consider Nino Niederreiter for a roster spot.
Sent back to Portland in the WHL after starting the season with the Islanders, Niederreiter had a strong season and could add more size and scoring ability to the forward lines. Returning Defencemen Player Rating Cap Hit Mark Streit N/A $4.1M Andrew MacDonald 72.74 $550K Travis Hamonic 70.27 $875K Milan Jurcina 69.23 $1.6M Mark Eaton 60.30 $2.5M Mike Mottau 57.03 $800K
Free Agent Defencemen Player Rating Class '10-'11 Cap Hit Jack Hillen 67.84 RFA $525K Radek Martinek 64.50 UFA $1.5M Bruno Gervais 59.01 RFA $741K Dylan Reese 58.77 RFA $578K
Out all season with a shoulder injury, Mark Streit has been a vital part of the Islanders' blueline, averaging more than 25 minutes per game since signing as a free agent.
So long as Streit's shoulder is healthy, he'll be counted on to play big minutes and anchor the power play.
If Frans Nielsen is the patron saint of value forwards in the NHL, Andrew MacDonald is well on his way to earning similar acclaim on the blueline.
Signed to a deal that is a modest $550,000 cap hit through 2013-2014, MacDonald was playing 24 minutes a night -- and playing well -- before a late-season hip injury ended his year prematurely.
While Streit and MacDonald are mobile, if undersized, puck-movers, Travis Hamonic is more of a prototypical defenceman; strong, physical and, like his smaller defence-mates, skilled.
After taking some lumps early in his rookie season, Hamonic was a force after the All-Star break, scoring 18 points with a plus-11 rating in 33 games. He ought to be a workhorse on the Islanders' blueline for a long time to come.
Milan Jurcina was only able to play 46 games and was reasonably effective in those games, though his shot differential was the worst among Islanders defencemen.
The 27-year-old is huge and has a booming shot from the point, so he can be an asset, particularly if his matchups can be managed effectively.
34-year-old Mark Eaton is a reliable defensive defencemen, though he played only 34 games last season after being sidelined by a hip injury. There's little flash to his game, but Eaton does have Stanley Cup experience, which isn't the worst thing in the world to have on a team populated with youth and inexperience.
Injuries prompted the Islanders to sign Mike Mottau, who wasn't terribly effective in 20 games before tearing the labrum in his hip. At this stage of his career, Mottau is a serviceable depth defencemen, but also easily expendable.
Jack Hillen struggled to get meaningful minutes early in the season, but came on strong in the second half, chipping in 15 points and a plus-3 rating in 29 games after the All-Star break.
He's an undersized puckhandling defenceman, and the Isles have a few of those already, but Hillen is capable of handling of a regular spot in the lineup, whether it's with the Islanders or elsewhere.
After being force-fed 20 minutes a night for the previous three seasons, Bruno Gervais saw his ice-time cut last season and he struggled when he did play; it was the third straight season that he recorded a double-digit minus rating and now Gervais figures to be in a battle just to keep a roster spot.
While Dylan Reese was minus-12 in 27 games, his five-on-five shot differential was the best among Islanders defencemen that played in at least 25 games. The 26-year-old is trying to crack the Isles' lineup, but can't easily distinguish himself when compared to the younger talent in the organization.
The Islanders have the quantity of bodies on their blueline but, if the playoffs are the objective for next season, could use another legitimate top four defenceman.
It might cost significant money, but free agents the calibre of Kevin Bieksa or Joni Pitkanen would be the kind of top-four additions that would stabilize the defence and heighten expectations for the franchise. Returning Goaltenders Player Rating Cap Hit Al Montoya 76.68 $601K Rick DiPietro 48.55 $4.5M Evgeni Nabokov N/A $570K
Al Montoya has barely been able to get a shot in the league, which is unusual for a player drafted sixth overall in 2004, but his career numbers (2.34 GAA, .922 SV% in 25 games) are intriguing, if surprisingly superior to his AHL career.
Montoya played well for the Islanders in 2010-2011, well enough that he may end up as a starter next season. That does seem like a roll of the dice, given Montoya's track record, but until his play slips in the NHL, he might as well seize the opportunity.
Rick DiPietro stayed healthy enough to play 26 ghames last season, but was not good enough (3.44 GAA, .886 SV%) to warrant much encouragement. He's signed till the day after the apocalypse, so the Isles will keep giving DiPietro opportunities, but if he's not going to put up a save percentage at least better than .900, then he's not much of an option.
There is also the matter of the Islanders owning the rights to former Sharks netminder Evgeni Nabokov, whom the Islanders claimed on waivers when he tried to join Detroit midseason.
It would be surprising enough if 35-year-old Nabokov relented and reported to the Islanders, but he has to be considered as an option, however unlikely. Failing that, Nabokov is signed to a very reasonable contract that would figure to make him an attractive trade option...provided he will report to the team that trades for him.
If the above options don't work out, there is the possibility that prospect Kevin Poulin could challenge for a spot; he played well in his audition with the Isles last season.
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Garth Snow circa 2006:
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but how can you not be excited about DiPietro…Robert Nilsson…Ryan O'Marra…Petteri Nokelainen…Jeremy Colliton…Kyle Okposo…Blake Comeau…Sean Bergenheim…Chris Campoli…and so many others.
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Webb20
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May 9 2011, 01:10 PM
Post #2
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Godfather
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Pretty fair assessment. No surprises there.
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After taking some lumps early in his rookie season, Hamonic was a force after the All-Star break, scoring 18 points with a plus-11 rating in 33 games. He ought to be a workhorse on the Islanders' blueline for a long time to come.
And future All-star
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I sold it all, retired and moved to Fabulous Las Vegas! "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."-Ben Franklin "Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves."-Ronald Reagan
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OlTimeHockey
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May 9 2011, 01:15 PM
Post #3
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All Star
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The way he wrote it, I couldn't help thinking of Denis.....but then I woke up.
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"clearly it's Rick DiPietro's stupidity that's put the islanders in this situation getting into an altercation when a game was over..." Keith Jones on VS
"But the Coliseum became a repository for all the team's troubles, a convenient scapegoat. There were suggestions that no major free agent ever would set foot in such a decrepit place. We have two words for anyone making that argument: Fenway Park. History says free agents would play in an old boxcar if they got enough money and had a chance to win." - Mark Herrmann
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LEDZEP
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May 9 2011, 01:50 PM
Post #4
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The Best That Ever Skated 80-81-82-83
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The New York Islanders have missed the playoffs for four years straight and 12 of the last 16 seasons ========================================== but they do have 2 playoff wins in those 16 years........:torrey:
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Sometimes I grow so tired, but I know I've got one thing I got to do... 
What puckhead says is Islander law
Come in with the milk
"A leader, once convinced a particular course of action is the right one, must have the determination to stick with it and be undaunted when the going gets rough."
Ronald Reagan
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Snowy
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May 9 2011, 06:02 PM
Post #5
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The Dark Knight
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Excellent assessment by Cullen. Didn't rip them to shreds, but not all roses either. Very fair.
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lynskyn12
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May 10 2011, 11:12 AM
Post #6
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Wearing my authentic game worn Radek Martinek Jersey #24
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I don't agree that PAP is a top 6 forward. Everything else he wrote was agreeable.
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BritBlueNOrange
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May 11 2011, 10:30 AM
Post #7
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2nd line
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"While Frans Nielsen is quite possibly the most underrated player in the game, he also has to be one of the greatest values. He was one of the most effective Islanders in 2010-2011 and his plus-13 rating was no accident -- he led the Isles in five-on-five shot differential for players that played more than 40 games (according to www.behindthenet.ca)."
"If Frans Nielsen is the patron saint of value forwards in the NHL"
THIS!
When TSN is picking up on it, and some Islander fans aren't, you know something ain't right.
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OlTimeHockey
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May 11 2011, 10:38 PM
Post #8
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- Snowman,May 9 2011
- 06:02 PM
Excellent assessment by Cullen. Didn't rip them to shreds, but not all roses either. Very fair.
Excellent assessment by Led Zep. Ripped them to shreds, but not without roses either. Very fair.
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"clearly it's Rick DiPietro's stupidity that's put the islanders in this situation getting into an altercation when a game was over..." Keith Jones on VS
"But the Coliseum became a repository for all the team's troubles, a convenient scapegoat. There were suggestions that no major free agent ever would set foot in such a decrepit place. We have two words for anyone making that argument: Fenway Park. History says free agents would play in an old boxcar if they got enough money and had a chance to win." - Mark Herrmann
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OlTimeHockey
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May 11 2011, 10:42 PM
Post #9
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- BritBlueNOrange,May 11 2011
- 10:30 AM
"While Frans Nielsen is quite possibly the most underrated player in the game, he also has to be one of the greatest values. He was one of the most effective Islanders in 2010-2011 and his plus-13 rating was no accident -- he led the Isles in five-on-five shot differential for players that played more than 40 games (according to www.behindthenet.ca)."
"If Frans Nielsen is the patron saint of value forwards in the NHL"
THIS!
When TSN is picking up on it, and some Islander fans aren't, you know something ain't right.
It's all about the stats and diatribe. The real fans of the sport (as well as the team) know what Zenon, Frans, Martinek, guys like D-Mac and Draper in Detroit, guys like Nash and Whitney and others bring. The Tavares and Grabners are great but not necessarily great hockey. Nielson is just great textbook hockey.
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"clearly it's Rick DiPietro's stupidity that's put the islanders in this situation getting into an altercation when a game was over..." Keith Jones on VS
"But the Coliseum became a repository for all the team's troubles, a convenient scapegoat. There were suggestions that no major free agent ever would set foot in such a decrepit place. We have two words for anyone making that argument: Fenway Park. History says free agents would play in an old boxcar if they got enough money and had a chance to win." - Mark Herrmann
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