TAVHEDUCH: NYI Youth, zone changes lead to wins;
Get the Svensson-Paajarvi jersey ready!
Around the start of their five-game homestand in mid-January, the Islanders altered their approach in the neutral zone and the odd-man rushes against dipped dramatically. The early result was losses of 2-1, 2-1 and 3-1, followed by three straight wins including Saturday night’s 3-1 win over Florida.
This passage from Greg Logan’s blog earlier this week sums it up:
Could it be that Scott Gordon has made some adjustments to his system to correct things that were leading to too many odd-man rushes? “Yes,” Gordon said with a grin.
Asked if he cared to share, the coach smiled and said, “No. I’m going to let you guys keep writing that I’m stubborn and that I don’t change anything. We’ve changed, I’d say, in two of the [three] zones.”
Now the Tavheduch Watch - looking like a blowout at mid-season - becomes something quite different.
As we wait to see if the Islanders can go on a bit of a run, the Watch will be retired until the 60-game mark. We’ll always believe a cornerstone like John Tavares or Victor Hedman is what the franchise needs more than anything else. But as long as kids like Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, Blake Comeau and Frans Nielsen are being properly developed by the coaching staff, the Watch can wait a while. It’s a long season.
POINT BLANK 2009 DRAFT TOP 5
February 1, 2009
1. John Tavares, C, London (OHL)
2. Victor Hedman, D, Modo (Sweden)
3. Matt Duchene, C, Brampton (OHL)
4. Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi, LW, Timra-IK (Sweden)
5. Evander Kane, C, Vancouver (WHL), pictured
Notes: Spokane Chiefs defenseman Jared Cowan suffered a serious knee injury during his team’s 6-0 win over Chilliwack last night. NHL Central Scouting has the 6-5, 220-pound shut-downer ranked No. 7, while some NHL teams have Cowan as high as 3. Too early to tell if the knee injury will impact his draft status, but Cowan would most likely not be in the Islanders’ mix if they have a pick in the top five.
Svensson-Paajarvi (poor equipment managers!) wowed scouts with his skills and star-like attitude at the World Junior Championships. We’re keeping Duchene at No. 3 for now, but this could turn into Tavheduchaajarvi. Kane is all of 160 pounds, but in 2009 if you can make it in the Western Hockey League (32 goals and 35 assists in 67 games) you can make it in the NHL.
THE TAVHEDUCH WATCH
(we’re standing by this top 3 for the NYI…for now)
1. Islanders 15-29-5 35 pts (49 games)
2. Atlanta 17-29-5 39 pts (51 games)
3. Ottawa 17-23-7 41 pts (47 games)
4. St. Louis 20-24-4 44 pts (48 games)
5. Tampa Bay 17-23-10 44 pts (50 games)
TW Notes: Atlanta lost in Carolina on Saturday, closing the gap with the Islanders to 4 points…Tampa Bay comes to the Coliseum on Tuesday…Toronto’s win tonight over Pittsburgh separates the hopefully-descending-rapidly Leafs (46 points) from the top-5.
49 Responses to “TAVHEDUCH: NYI Youth, zone changes lead to wins;
Get the Svensson-Paajarvi jersey ready!”
Please Wait
It seems if they’d just move the vets the kids would still develop and yet not mess up our chances for #1 overall.
It is too dumb of a move to win a few games to feel a little better about things when it means nothing overall but getting a franchise like player is a rare chance.
Agreed, there just is no sense in winning a lot more games because where will the winning get them, besides out of the Tavares sweepstakes? I think we should move Weight, Comrie, Witt, Martinek, and maybe Guerin at the deadline.
“As we wait to see if the Islanders can go on a bit of a run, the Watch will be retired until the 60-game mark.”
GOOD- thank you, Chris! Lord knows there is enough talk about them, and I would much rather hear about actual Islanders and Islanders prospects, no matter how good any potential draft picks are doing. That kind of talk is better suited for during the playoffs and beyond… or at least later in the season when you have more of a clue where your team will wind up.
As far as Gordons changes go, you can see it. Guys like Gervais and Campoli are looking good again. Campoli actually had a great game tonight! Seems like when coach has a heart to heart with any of these guys, it shows in their play. Except for Tambellini.
“Get the Svensson-Paajarvi jersey ready” ….. I love it CB!!
You see all us maniacs going Tavares and drafy crazy midway through the season and couldn’t help playing into our worst fears with that comment… Don’t torture us!! LOL
You did put things in perspective with that comment, and maybe it is best you hand up the tavheduch watch till after game 60….
But with that said, “what do you thing tavares is doing right at this very moment, and what time is it in Sweden??”
But CB… if you really wanted to put the tavheduch watch on hold, did you really need to follow it up with a NEW top 5 list and info on Cowen?? You know that just gets us going…
One serious question on Svensson-Paajarvi, pertaining to a comment you made about him…what exactly did you mean about his “star like attitude”… was he perceived as a primadonna or ego-maniac at the world juniors??
Mr. Botta:
Interesting that you mentioned Gordon’s recent adjustments. I noticed tonight that the D-men weren’t pinching as much in certain situations and were dropping back quicker than earlier in the season. Good to know it wasn’t just my imagination. Glad you vowed to stop the draft watch for awhile. I know the advantages of a great draft slot but in my heart I really want to see the Islanders play well. I just can’t bring myself to root for losses. Three more winable games coming up. Despite the obvious ramifications I’ll be rooting the team on in each contest.
Hey…will that guys last name fit on a jersey? Svenssen-Paajarvi
The last thing this franchise needs right now is a winning streak. As good as it is to see the kids go out there and do their thing, the franchise needs John Tavares a lot more than they need to go .500 the rest of this year. Tavares is the future. Plain and simple. Don’t screw it up.
The thought of a sports writer suggesting a player pull a John Elway makes me sick. This is the problem with sports and to have someone who clearly knows nothing about this game writing that kind of S**t is just wrong.
fritz should beat up that writer
the thought that we are worried about losing tavares is hilarious. we still have 4 points between us even after points in 4 games and a 3 game winning streak. nice executive choice botta with the no talk about tavares until the 60th game mark. with little for fans to talk about this season and the draft being number one, ill take that challenge. ill probably forget and lose but ill try my best. good for gordo on that interview. needs to stick up for himself and he did. good. great.
speaking of winning, i say we go 4-6 tops in february. as for march, look at it yourself. think it is tough? look at it agian with the possibility of key players gone. like i said lets not get ahead of ourselves. and the challenge takes place tommorow unless you mention or write a story about it. fair?
Right now there is a newborn baby in Toronto. His twenty year old father is holding him. His forty year old grandfather is looking at him lovingly. They are talking to the baby about hockey, saying “Your great grandfather said it was awesome when the leafs actually won the cup.”
The Maple Laughs fans and media have such a warped sense of entitlement, it makes the Yankees seem humble by comparison.
leaf fans are dumb. they always inflate their teams value in a trade proposal. its priceless. fritz and sugden fought. its on youtube. i give fritz the win. uneventful and i see round two in the future.
There is nothing wrong with Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi. I would take him anyday. He is going to be good. Not everyday you can add a LW sniper to your team.
I know everybody wants Tavarses. But we should be happy with a top 5 pick.
I must admit that all this Tavarses hype kind of bugs me.
They have said this kid will be good, but nobody is expecting the next superstar.
If the kids can keep putting together good games like last night, that is the most important thing.
Let’s add to the youth movement at the deadline…. Weight, Guerin, Witt BYE BYE.
Obviously you have to GIVE to GET but I don’t like the idea of trading Martinek…JMO. It seems like in the past few years the Isles have had 1 or 2 extra D-Men around (remember letting Erskine go for what?) only to see injuries strike. The entire D-Corps has been afflicted with injuries not just Martinek.
Go Isles!
Martinek could possibly be our most consistent all-round defensemen over the course of the past 5 years. However, he’s also the player who is consistently injured the most. I’d hate to see him go, but if he can be dealt for a player/pick of some actual value towards our rebuild, then I think it has to be considered…
How about a column suggesting the Maple Laffs move to Kansas City? With all the money that team generates, they have no incentive to win it by building a team smartly. See also the New York Rangers.
That column is ridiculous. I just emailed the writer - let’s see if I get a response. It isn’t the most informative letter but I just want to pick his brain a little.
Good Morning Steve,
New York Islanders fan here who just read your column. You probably know hockey a hell of a lot better than some of us down here, as do most Canadians. But to suggest John Tavares pull an Eli Manning, John Elway, Eric Lindross, etc is ridiculous. Eli Manning would get run out of town on sports talk radio ever week till he won the Super Bowl. I am too young to remember John Elway situation. As for Eric Lindross, the Nordiques/Avalanch have done alright since then. But I am not sure if you wrote this column to either get hits on your story or you maybe truly feel this.
Of course the Islanders have been pretty much a luaughing stock the past few years - that is no secret. We all know the ownership problems, Mike Milbury fiasco, dated arena, current owner and GM, 2008 draft trades (which is too soon to be evaluated). But it seems like the franchise finally have a direction. Every rebuilding team has to start somewhere - even your Leafs who have been cup dry for 40 plus years. Finishing in the 8 spot the past few years and getting ousted in the first round sure didn’t help this once proud franchise. A player like JT would give the team a sudden boost and maybe get things going again here on Long Island. This once storied franchse is due for a difference maker. If the ping pong balls fall our way and JT is in the blue and orange next year, it is good for the league and both you and I know it. I am 27 years old and was just a baby by the time the Isles won their third cup so my best memories of the team are in 1993 and then the playoffs in 2002 (and to say a losing series to the Leafs says a lot).
I just don’t understand your thinking with it. Should the Islanders trade down to your Leafs again so JT can be the new golden boy of your team? Please enlighten me and thank you for reading my email.
-Joe C. of Massapequa Park, NY
The writer of that article about JT avoiding the Isles is just the beginning. The prejudice by the rest of the league has been there since the dynasty, and our tragic luck with various owners and management has not been what the franchise needed to reverse it.
The draft rules are good for a Canadian team, but avoid us at all costs? What an absolute loser…
As a Canadian who has loved the Islanders since I was 6 years old after they won there 3rd Cup of the four, I’m embarassed by Steve Simmons comments in that article. Yeah it really worked out for Lindros not going to Quebec didn’t it. He had a target on his chest/head for the rest of his career. Players looked at him differently then. Will John Tavares be a superstar time will tell. People are really high on him in TSN’s media, and I hate to say it, these guys are rarely wrong. I’ll never forget during the draft when we took Robert Nilsson and McGuire went crazy. Could not believe we didn’t take Parise the local prodigy. Boy was he right. However, when it comes to the Islanders: TSN, The score, and Sportnet, (I don’t know if you guys get these channels on a Dish in the States) but when they do a package on a team or a player, the highlights they show of are of the team/player scoring on the Islanders. Everytime!I’m not saying the
Islanders need to cater to my media, but changing the image of the Islander so Canadian and European UFA (who watch the Canada media) want to play here would be a big step. Hockey is on our TV sets constantly. When I get home from work, I watch 2 hours of preshows and sportcentres mostly dedicated to hockey, before the games come on. So the players hear and see this in all 6 Canadian cities with a with a team and don’t respect the Islander either. Media brainwash.
For whatever it is worth, this is about a court victory AGAINST a 39 acre mall in Syosset, Town of Oyster Bay, where the “people” have been fighting it for FIFTEEN YEARS!!!
http://www.news12.com/LI/topstories/article?id=225032
Dally is right about the media here. They do pick on the Ilses.
But the only way to get them to stop is to build a winner on the ice.
They need to keep going… we are starting to see progress.
As long as we stick to the rebuild… we will be fine.
Just no more 15 year contracts.
That article in the Toronto Sun is a disgraceful piece of garbage … infuriates me. I’m going to email him too.
I have two contractors coming into work with me later … one of them from Toronto based City TV that we are supplying Super Bowl video bandwidth … and a contractor from Chicago who is supplying us with an extra video file server for the heavy Super Bowl usage in HD … I’m gonna pick their brains about the NHL and what they think of the Isles during down times.
I think snow wants to draft Kane. We already have a guy named Toews. We could be the Blackhawks Light.
I havent seen much of Duchene but I’ll take it he’s quite the talent .
however , Evander Kane is going to be a helluva nhl’er and if I’m the isles I would strongly consider him if we should fall out of Hedman/Tavares territory .
What do you think that Toronto writer was doing? He is no different than Larry Brooks or many other writers. Hes trying to stir up interest in his paper. His sorry team has won NOTHING for 42 years, but oh I forgot, they beat the Isles in 78 and 02
wait and till we dump some guys and the trade deadline before we go judging anything yet…
Brooks wrote a good article in todays paper about the Islanders not getting extra revenue because of where they are located.
In regards to the Toronto writer…maybe Taveras doesn’t want to play for the Maple Leafs…they’ve been worse than the Islanders…
Joey … I see what you are saying … but we as Isles fans are not his target reader … The thing is he made it personal … and he also insulted JT without realizing it. As if even he couldn’t help the Isles … I think he underestimates JT.
These are the lines that really infuriated me:
“”If you think about it, why would anyone with dreams and aspirations of greatness want to play for the Isles?
They have become a Gertrude Stein kind of franchise: “There is no there there.” From the owner to the front office to the players to an old rink and older fan base, there is nothing about the Islanders that represents hope. “”
He actually also singled out US .. the FANS … hey .. you can knock the front office, the owner … even the rink … but the fans?? He knows nothing … how many young fans are on this site showing their DIE HARD Orange & Blue just as passionately as someone who was there for the Isles in 72.
I just wrote steve simmons a letter as well. As for advocating a player pull a Lindros? It’s sorta pathetic and classless and I dont know.
I hope he writes me back.
He is an idiot from Toronto, enough said
That disgraceful piece of garbage wasn’t even worth the energy it would take to write him a response. Let him continue to suck his thumb and delude himself about his pitiful team while we quietly build a nice foundation.
The Syosset mall case is an interesting one, but it’s not too close to the Lighthouse. There you have a case of a bullying developer and a local community staunchly against it. With the Lighthouse you have an approval from the landowner and overwhelming support from those who have attended the public hearings so far. It’s a cautionary tale and most likely the reason why we always hear of meetings between the Lighthouse and local community groups. They want to avoid that exact thing.
I plan on sending Mr. Simmons my own little column:
http://hockeynightonlongisland.blogspot.com/2009/02/toronto-sun-to-tavares-steer-clear-of.html
Joey303 on Feb 1st, 2009 10:10:25 said:
“What do you think that Toronto writer was doing? He is no different than Larry Brooks or many other writers. Hes trying to stir up interest in his paper. His sorry team has won NOTHING for 42 years, but oh I forgot, they beat the Isles in 78 and 02″
It is not the same as what Larry Brooks does. Hockey is already #1 there, they dont NEED to “stir up interest” in hockey.
I think Dally Mac in post 22 makes a great point.
The Brooks column mentioned in #30 is a must read. That’s two columns by Larry in the past month supporting the Islanders. Whoda thunk it?
Alex … awesome read on your blog … I’d like to add … if we are talking baseball … and a NY sports writer wrote something regarding a HS generational phenom should avoid playing for the Blue Jays I’d still think of that as a trash piece.
18 other teams have not won a cup since the Isles … and we all acknowlege the BS that has gone on over the last 15 years … but the Isles are building something here … headed in the right direction … and as I said earlier … it’s also an insult to JT that he wouldn’t be capable of giving hope and lift the Isles back to prominence … your blog lays it out beautifuly … it’s a challenge and opportunity for JT to become a great one.
________
Chris TMC … I agree … a writer in TO doesn’t need to stir up interest in hockey … I think it’s his own fear that the Isles could land a catalystic player that turns this franchise around … there are still some sour feelings about the Isles dynasty in T-town.
well, we are never going to get tavares because we are going to kick some ass in the 2nd half of the season…our kids are growing up fast , ko is a bonafide star even way better than advertised.we will blow past atl ottawa tampa and toronto the all stink bad . our only hope is to really blow out the vets like witt and bill .
HNLI Alex, great article… definitely send that to that creep in toronto… i think his article was ridiculous and he should get punished for it in some way… game wise, okposo’s looking great!… ever since he came back from injury, it’s hard to not notice him on the ice
S I got a letter back from Mr. Simmons - “the leafs may not be in the lottery - so unless they’re in, they can’t get him.”
What a great response. As if I didn’t know that already. I still cannot figure out the purpose of the column but at least I am not the only one here a bit taken back. How come Mr. Simmons didn’t take a shot at Atlanta or Nashville (whom both are in the lottery as of right now). Now those are two fantastic and nostalgic hockey markets. If he wrote the column with a Senators vibe to it then I guess I can accept it a little more.
we have to dump real hard at the trade deadline blow all the old stiffs out even if we dont get anything in return..and put mannino in goal
I think every Islander fan should write him a letter and point out exactly what Alex pointed out. Maybe he will come to his own conclusion that he didn’t think out that little piece very well, and if he has any sense as a sportsfan or writer he would agree with us.
i emailed that jerkoff simmons. someone should drive up to toronto and beat him up. look at his picture. he looks like a real idiot. even the islanders youngest fan could prob kick his ass.
i said send fritz but i wouldnt mind going up there to kick his ass. ill go all clark the canadien hockey goalie on him.
Thank you for your praise on my article. I just sent Mr. Simmons the following email. I’d appreciate it if a few of you would comment on the blog post just to show him there’s a following.
“Mr. Simmons,
My name is Alex Silverman and along with my good friend Steve, I host Hockey Night on Long Island and operate the blog at http://www.hockeynightonlongisland.com. Hockey Night on Long Island is a live weekly online broadcast dedicated to Islanders hockey talk. The blog on our website generally fills the gaps between the weekly episodes and fills our listeners in on what to expect on our show each week.
Anyway, this morning I stumbled upon your column regarding John Tavares. As I’m sure you already know from an influx of other emails, many in the Islanders community have found the piece quite objectionable. I just put the finishing touches on an editorial on our blog and I was hoping that you would take the time to give it a read.
http://hockeynightonlongisland.blogspot.com/2009/02/toronto-sun-to-tavares-steer-clear-of.html
Feel free to email me back with any thoughts you may have. Also, you are more than welcome to post a comment on the blog entry itself at the bottom of the page. Finally, the door is always open if you would be interested in making an appearance on our broadcast via telephone. We are on air every Saturday from 3:30 to 4:30 PM EST. Let me know if you are interested in making an appearance or if you have any feedback on my article.
Thanks,
Alex Silverman”
I’ll let you all know when I get a response.
How many goals for Okposo this year?
15?
20?
25?
30 - who am i kidding?
I say 20 goals!! Go KO!!
The big adjustment has been the benching of Garth Snow’s Godson, Jeff Tambellini.
What an idiot Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun is. First off, he works for one of the most ridiculous news papers in the city. it is only know for the Sunshine girl, sports and advertisements. Guess he isn’t a good enough reporter to work for papers like the Star or the Globe and Mail.
I have lived in Toronto all my life and have been an Islanders fan for 29 years now. Have some of the moves the Islanders have made in the past been a joke. Yes, but I really think many organizations in every sport have made moves just the same.
This year, we can finally see some light with going with youth and building through the draft (something the Leafs have never done). We are starting to see some of the young talent play well and show promise. The Isles are heading in the right direction.
If Tavares agrees with Simmons then maybe the Isles can draft and then trade him. Remember when Lindros was traded to Philadelphia, it was Quebec/Colorado that became champions a few years later, while Lindros and the Flyers never got close.
would everyone relax? the whole draft thing shoudlnt of been brought up until about 10 games left in the season first off. second, the islanders win three games and now all of a sudden evander kane is our guy? lol