PRACTICE: Iceworks, 4.6.09
Streit practices, and other roster notes
1:00 pm - Mark Streit took part in Islanders practice today at Iceworks, while Kyle Okposo did not.
In his briefing with reporters, Scott Godrdon estimated he’ll need three forwards from Bridgeport for tomorrow’s game in Carolina. He did not say anything about defensemen. Later on, a spokesperson said the team did not have an update yet on whether Streit has been cleared to play.
Doug Weight missed today’s practice with an illness, but the team expects the veteran center for the Hurricanes game. Dean McAmmond is still ill and has been ruled out for tomorrow. Of the Bridgeport recalls, Joel Rechlicz would seem logical. After that, perhaps the Islanders will continue their practice of getting some deserving players an NHL game.
(Speaking of which, if they need a defenseman, would be nice to see over-achieving, smooth-skating, former SUNY-Potsdam dman Chris Lee get his shot).
As a few readers have suggested, an ideal week in Islanders Country would be the gritty-gutties coming up just short in Carolina and Pittsburgh and clinching Tavheduch. Then for the back-to-back games at the NVMC over the weekend against Philadelphia and Boston, Streit and Okposo can be at 100%, the team can score at will and everyone can root, root-root for the home team without mixed emotions.
Of course, this being the NHL, it rarely works out that way. Who predicted that Colorado win last night?
ETC: Bruno Gervais, whose development Gordon called one of the happy surprises of the second half, left practice in the final minutes with what may be a shoulder injury. The coach said Gervais was going to see a doctor and that he hoped to have him for the road trip.
Per Corey Witt, Jiggs McDonald gets the call to make the call of the next three games on MSG Plus. Howie Rose, with Mets conflicts this week, has the finale vs. the Bruins on Sunday.
Comments. Lighthouse talk continues below.
36 Responses to PRACTICE: Iceworks, 4.6.09
Streit practices, and other roster notes
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On Corey Witt’s blog he mentioned Jiggs is back for a few due to Howie’s Baseball commitment.
Great news. Love Jiggs McDonald. Wish Okposo would play, would love to see the kid finish the year with 20. -
Pat says:
I wish Justin Bourne could get a game with the big club – just so we could read about it in his blog later !!!
I know he is hurt
How about getting Dustin Kohn a game to see what he is all about ? (if healthy)
Wrecker and Fritz for sure.
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Mario says:
CB, IF!!! we lose the next two and get the first pick, who do you take if your the GM. If Taveres is a bust and Hedman become Lidstrom are the Isles going to get hammered for their pick?
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UIF says:
Is Kohn ready for an NHL game? I always heard he was projected to be a solid, stay-at-home d-man. Anyone see him play at all? Is he a possible replacement for Witt once his contract is up, or is it a completely different style of play for Kohn?
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Matt Brosseau says:
Happy to hear Jiggs, usually only get to hear him once a season, late at night on the Western Canadian swing.
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On Edge says:
I’ve been reading more and more positive stuff about Duchene. How his skating, finishing, desire and his heart are just unbelievable while I hear about JT’s skating is “meh” and can he can be a bit of a floater but still is the best “finisher” in the draft. I have not seen either play other than the youtube stuff but reading articles and blogs it makes you wonder. If Garth and company really felt that Duchene was the better of the two and traded down to get him, this team will get blasted by the pundits and probably most of the fans. But maybe it would be the right call. I think you take one of the two but the smart call maybe taking Hedman. Does anyone here have first hand experience seeing any of the top three guys actually play or know much about them? The more I think and read about the three the more uncertain I am getting….
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Justin Marques says:
I doubt any team, especially the Avalanche if they wind up finishing with the second pick, would give us the second overall pick for Bailey, SJ’s first rounder 09, and NYI 2nd Rd Pick 09. It would have to be Okposo before Bailey, in my opinion, and that is not worth it. I believe Bailey will be a main stay as our second-line center for years to come, unless he shows the ability to move into the first line slot if we do not draft Tavares. Again, this all rides on the draft lottery, and whether we take Tavares or Hedman, and whether they bloom into the players they are said to be. To many question marks still to be talking about trading Bailey, who has shown some great potential at this level.
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Spartiarti - RVC says:
isles just need to drop 2 more losses out of 4 guys. doesnt matter then. we finish last and guaranteed 1 or 2nd in draft.
May we never have to cheer against our team again. It will be worth it.
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Vlad from Brooklyn says:
Chris Lee would be a graet choice. The kid can play. I wouldn’t mine to see him at least for one game to look at his abilities on NHL level. Streit practiced before Tampa’s game too and left the ice later then averybody. I wish Gervais to get better soon, but another fast groving young player out of lineup? Wow!
And to Richie66 (#7): I hope it’s a joke, right? -
Jimmy Mac says:
We will move up with the second pick in the first round.
I think Isles fans will very happy with our draft this year.
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Bjo says:
I realize the knocks on Tavares’ skating, but there is a reason he is compared to Heatley and not Gaborik. Like you said, he’s a finisher and, to me, thats exactly what this team needs. We need someone who can put it in the back of the net with consistency. I would be perfectly fine with Hedman as well, seeing as how we lack any top defensive prospects.
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Gloobenberg says:
If you don’t score goals, you don’t win games. I’ll take Tavares.
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13-thats not a reason to take Tavares over Hedman. By that logic you pick a forward over a defenseman every time, which simply isn’t the case. (See last year’s draft). If you pick Tavares its because he is the better player, not because of his position. It is rare that a forward can control a game as much as a defenseman. Look at the way Pronger played in that Edmonton cup run, or the way Lidstrom plays every year. Defenseman are key.
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14 – Our D core isn’t all that bad…only a handful of games this year did we get blown out. We need a Franchise center. A goal scorer. Someone who can play with KO and push his potential as well. You can always find a d-man to sign that will help prevent goals..not as easy to find a franchise type goal scorer.
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Joel says:
re: # 8…if the Islanders wanted that second pick they would really have to overpay. At this point, I think it behooves them to try and pull it off but there’s plenty of time for that. I will say that if they could ever pull off Tavares AND Hedman in one fell swoop, that would really give the fan base a jolt and creat tons of positive vibes. We’ve got enough picks to pull it off, I am all for giving it a shot.
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15-Our defensive core is one of the worst in the league, at least in my opinion. Streit has been a breath of fresh air and exceeded expectations. But beyond that, its very bad. Martinek and Sutton cannot and will not stay healthy. Witt is getting older and I don’t really see him as the same player he was 2 years ago. Gervais has been playing better but thats a 15 game sample size. We need to see more of him.
The fact is that this team is filled with number 5 and number 6 d-men, other than Streit. If you want to get this team to the next level then the D must be improved significantly. The guys they have now and in the system are simply not going to cut it.
Does the offense need more? Yes definitely. You can add any forwards you want, but this D will never win anything.
Because of the deficiencies on both sides of the puck, I will be satisfied with either player. I prefer Tavares actually, but not because he plays offense, but because he’s widely considered the best player in the draft.
Just my thoughts
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mw147 says:
If we clinch 30th place does Taveheduch change to Tavehed?
Pat (#3) – Dustin Kohn was scratched from the Bridgeport game yesterday. Not sure if he is hurt.
Iggulden and Joensuu both looked tired to me in yesterday’s Sound Tigers game. I would like to see them get the rest before the AHL season enders and playoffs. Rechlicz and Fritz did not play, but please, leave Fritz home.
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17..ok then. That’s why JT should be taken if he is there when we pick.
you really didn’t need your little tirade then did you?
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CB- Forget Sean, is it my imagination or did we lose a bunch of IceGirls?? Havent seen some of the more familiar faces around
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19-I just really disagree with anyone who considers the defense sufficient. That is my main argument. Just having a debate, thats all.
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22 – plenty of sufficient d-men are found in later rounds…we have a ton of picks. Gotta go with the best player available.
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MileHiIsle says:
I agree with #17. Both sides of the puck need substantial help and Tavares or Hedman would be a great addition. The Isles could end the year being the only team w/out a 20 goal scorer and we are 28th in goals against. I’d like to see Tavares but wouldn’t mind Hedman.
Just curious, let’s say the Isles go with Hedman, besides Okposo, who do you see being a 20 goal scorer next year or even a 30 goal scorer?
Detroit has four 30 goal scorers this year. -
If everyone’s healthy, then KO can reach 30 next season; Bailey, Bergenheim, and possibly Hunter could get to 20.
It’s rare to have four 30-goal guys on one team, and has been for a while now. If the team has four guys at 20+ and a few more with a dozen or so (say Park, Streit, Weight) they won’t be in all that bad a shape.
Great news about Jiggs! It’s always great to hear him on broadcasts. It’s too bad the Isles can’t make the playoffs and give Howie Rose “Mets conflicts” for the entire run.
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24-Assuming there are no impact UFA signings at forward, then Okposo may be the only guy who can score 25-30 goals. But this is why rebuilds take time. It’s not going to happen in a year. We have a bunch of young guys who I can see puting up 15-20 like Bergenheim, Comeau, Bailey (maybe).
The fact is that even if they bring in Tavares and he scores 30 next year, we still aren’t going anywhere until an impact defenseman is signed. To me, it really all depends on how the ping pong balls fall. If we take Tavares this year then we will need to improve the D thereafter. If we take Hedman then we are still in need of a franchise center.
People also have to remember that Streit isn’t 25 years old. It’s not like we can expect this level of play out of him for the next decade.
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King says:
I see a lot of people complaining about the Islanders not having D-men. All in all our defense is average at best with Streit and maybe Gervais being the exception to that. Streit for a fact is our #1 defenseman and Gervais is top 4 at best. Tavares is going in the first round and the way that scouting has been almost perfected it is very unlikely that they are going to draft another Scott Scissons. Apart from that Tavaras will go first, although being if TB gets the first overall they MAY go for Hedman its up in the air and up to the GM. In my opinion get Matt Gilroy I think hes worth it because you know what type of player he will be, he isnt an unpredictable 19 year old hes already starting to enter his prime and I think it will be a big mistake to pass this kid up.
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DPS says:
Howie is a horrible announcer. Jiggs is much much better.
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Bridgeport fan says:
Number 5 : Kohn is nothing like Witt and I am 99% sure he won`t ever be.
Kohn`s growth was hurt a bit last year by injuries and this year he is playing pretty well alongside A-Mac. They are a very solid pairing in the AHL. Next year for Kohn it will be pivotal in his development. Kohn has been very inconsistent but also I noticed he was trying to do things he had not done in seasons past. At best he will develop into a top 4 D-man -
Will OC says:
22- I totally agree that our defense is lacking. Streit is a legit number 1 d-man and I’m really impressed by that Snow signing. Outside of Streit we currently posess 5-7 d-man that are ranked 4-6 on most NHL team’s depth charts.
The “need for scoring argument” for drafting JT is not the best one, because, as we’ve seen with Streit, a D-man can have just as big an impact on the offensive of a team.
The next few free agent seasons ahead don not offer much in the way of great puck moving d-men and that’s because everyone is locking them up long term. However there are plenty of scorers coming up for free agency in the next few years – Gaborik, Havlat, Kovalchuk and Nash to name a few.
Go with Hedman.
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yes 2 more loses and its Tavhed. I like the sound of that. No Duch for me please.
I think with all this focus we forget isles have one more 1st rounder depending on how san jose does. If they lost first round that a pretty nice pick.
Then 3 picks in 2nd round. if we take John Tavares first, maybe there is Mike Green in the 2nd round just like there was for washington the same yr they draft ovechkin.
I hope to just get the to losses out of the way tuesday and thursday and CLINCH TAVHED. this way we can cheer our team to wins this weekend and end season at home positive now.
Screw Murray, Wang wont let isles go. Next season will better times for us isles fans. Is it me or even though we are in 30th, this is happiest i have been as a fan since 1993.
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Bridgeport fan (29) – Thanks for the info.
Bjo (26) – Streit’s not 25, but he also entered the NHL late. He hasn’t been beaten down in the league for years, so he should have plenty of good years ahead of him.
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RobsIsles says:
Where is Bergenheim? He was supposed to return on the 29th. Is he shut down for he year? Would like to see him play the last week of the season. CB any word on Bergy?
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Isles Dawg says:
Don’t get me wrong I love Jiggs!!! Absolutely love Jiggs!!! And he is better suited with Jaffey then Rosie.
That being said do you think if the Isles were in the playoffs Howie would stay and call the games?
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Gary says:
Vlad (#10)- Why should he be joking. It’s a legitimate question. Duchene has put himself into the conversation and with his speed may be a better fit for the system. I think in the end I would listen to a well known former Islander who knows a thing about defense. Denis Potvin thinks the Islanders should draft Hedman.
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Oops forgot to switch #35. That’s the problem with split personalities
mw147 (18) – I was at the game and I don’t think JJ was that tired. He picked up an assist and had a fight (just a goal short of the Gordie Howe hat trick.
The only real chance to grab a point from is Pitts. we seem to always do well with them.