TAVARES WILL BE – AND SHOULD BE – THE MAN
After process, NYI will do the right thing
The Islanders want to perform their due diligence. Garth Snow will over-see meetings next week, next month and into June with Ryan Jankowski and his scouting staff. There will be follow-up interviews with the top prospects. There will be testing. Scouts will be all over the second round series of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs that feature John Tavares and Matt Duchene. Victor Hedman will be monitored closely by the team’s European scouts.
(It’s unfathomable to me that after four years of junior hockey, JT’s stock could fall if he’s less than stellar in this year’s OHL playoffs. In fact, I completely call horsebleep on that. Could Duchene play so well that he locks in at 3, maybe even makes his case for 2? Sure. But c’mon already with needing more information on Tavares).
That aside, the Islanders want to be thorough. Fine. Every time he comes back from Starbucks in the next two months, Garth Snow will have a bunch of phone messages from Joanne Holewa from opposing GMs wanting to know what he’s doing with the first pick.
When Brian Burke doesn’t even come close to proposing an adequate package, the Leafs boss will tell his fawning media corps how he values Luke Schenn and Tomas Kaberle too much. He’ll say Snow can call him back when he wants to be reasonable. Of course, Burke will be making most of it up for dramatic effect.
Now that tonight is over – and the good karma is back in place – the Islanders want to be methodical in their process. High marks to them for sticking to their guns when it would have been oh-so-easy to start hawking season tickets and Tavares jerseys tonight.
When all is said and done, however, I would be surprised if anything but the following happens.
On Friday night, June 26, Snow and Jankowski will take the podium. Because of the significance of the moment, Charles Wang should go up there with them. Snow will say hi to everyone back at the Islanders Draft Party. And then he will use the first overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft to select John Tavares from the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights.
Comments.
147 Responses to TAVARES WILL BE – AND SHOULD BE – THE MAN
After process, NYI will do the right thing
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and lets not forget the other 1st round pick…that is a big one also, even though it is in the shadows of the top pick
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IslesFanInBkNY says:
We need impact p;ayer now, we need a scorer now to compliment K.O. Get Tavares Garth. I am puting a deposit on my season ticket package on Monday. Hello, Mark W.:)
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Ajax says:
CB, I REALLY hope you are correct!
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Staten Islander says:
Maybe the reason Garth hasn’t declared his love and devotion to JT is because JT is still playing
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Michael says:
This article makes life feel like pure ecstasy. This is the proudest moment of my Islander fan life.
You can imagine how much positive excitement I’ve gotten out of this franchise.
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dlk1 says:
CB said:
“High marks to them for sticking to their guns when it would have been oh-so-easy to start hawking season tickets and Tavares jerseys tonight.”
CB: that’s NOT what you said they should do 2 days ago when you said they should declare JT their man and start selling tickets.
What gives?
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Alex Kinkead says:
I am excited for the Draft Party now!
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I’m going to have to disagree, CB. Hedman should be the pick.
Say what you will about Tavares: he has Crosby-like potential, he would help sell tickets, he would undoubtedly be an exciting player on a team that certainly needs one.
But there is nothing this team needs so much as a long-term lock on defense. Granted, I’ve never seen either of Hedman or Tavares play, but I’ve been led to believe that Hedman would be an absolute rock on our blue line for a decade. Frankly, that’s what we need more than anything. Our defense corps is aging and mediocre, and our depth at the position is shockingly thin, outside of a 5’8 puck mover.
I’m not saying that Bailey and Nielsen are world-beaters, but they are competent top 6 or top 9 centers. Tavares would be great, but defense is a much more pressing need, and defense, as they say, wins championships.
That said, I would 100% understand why Tavares will probably be the pick. I don’t think he’s a terrible selection, it’s not that I don’t think he can be an NHL superstar. It’s just that I think Hedman is, long-term, a better fit for this team.
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AM says:
Great Read. Obviously CB was referring to naming the pick ASAP as a pure PR move but is giving kudos to the management team for taking their time.
Love the coverage CB. As you said a few days earlier, this is the most important pick for the franchise since Potvin.
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michael says:
theres no way this team doesn’t take tavares. they wouldn’t have traded down twice to get a playmaker in josh bailey if they weren’t planning on taking tavares first overall. that was the plan all along if u ask me. thats why we sent out the bridgeport soundtigers for the islanders 82 games season if u ask me.
john tavares is going to be an islander.
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Bruce says:
CB – Do you know if there is any way for us to watch the OHL playoffs. I would love to see Tavares and Duchene play ?
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Glenn says:
and ryan ellis
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rb says:
not having seen either of these kids play, I have definitely been in the Tavares camp…but watching those Hedman clips on Youtube and looking at his goals and points (real good for a rookie and kid his age in the Swedish elite league) does give you pause
BUT, the ONLY way to mess this up is to trade the pick
as far as due diligence goes, I interpret that as more related to interviews, maturity, etc. than anything they do on the ice…for example, it’s one thing to say you’ll go anywhere you’re picked before it’s determined…maybe one of these kids demonstrates privately that he’d be miserable here or a bad fit?
anyway, I firmly believe that the stink left over from Milbury is finally beginning to lift
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Honnold says:
Devon,
I agree w/ you 100% on every point you made. Cliche or not, “Defense Wins Championships” echoes in my brain with regard to all professional sports, and hockey and football, in particular.
This is a high class problem deciding between these two great players, but I strongly believe that our defense remains our biggest liablity unless we make some serious moves this off-season.
We do not have a legitimate #1 defensive pairing.
If we take Tavares, then we need to get a stopper in the vein of a Brendan Witt when he was in his prime.
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Pez says:
i think we should take Tavs, he seemed sincere about what he said about the isles andi think he WOULD like playing for us, Hedman made this face when asked about the isles and he seemed like he just wants a way to get in the league
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BC says:
While I believe that any team that is able to draft Hedman will have a great defenseman for years, I think Tavares has more upside. One reason I think this is that I think Hedman is a much more offensive defenseman than a stay at home one.
Watching some of the highlights I have found and ones on TSN, while I would not make the mistake of calling him soft, he doesn’t seem to have the mentality of punishing players with his size (ie. Brendan Witt or Mike Komisarek). While he is obviously a physical precense at 6’6″, I don’t think he plays with the mentality of running through players when he hits.
I am not trying to say that Hedman needs work on his defensive game, just that he doesn’t seem to be the player who has throws hits that are shown on the highlight reels. He obviously will be a very strong offensive defenseman, but again we already have a very capable one in Streit.
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The Ice Man says:
CB, I can’t wait for the 2009 draft and then for the training camps to open, even though being across the continent I won’t get to see Tavares when he first skates for the Isles. I am elated as I and all other fans have not had much to feel good about with my Isles in too long a time. And Garth if you ever check out the comments on this blog, know that from a guy who was at the first ever game at NVMC all I ask is follow the lead of the guys who brought us the first dynasty and get us the best player available – John Tavares. Then you can get us our overdue one for the thumb and start on teh 2nd hand after that!
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Brian B says:
Being familiar with Garth Snow as a GM now the past few years, and seeing what I saw today from Morrow, and Snow….I will be absolutely shocked if the Isles don’t take Tavares. I mean, look how excited they were to get the number 1 pick. If they prefered Hedman, wouldn’t they not mind getting the number 2 as it would be more than likely he would be available there?
Snow last year passed on very good d-men for a center that he wanted…he has always made known that he has wanted a number 1 center. He knows he can’t get quality free agents in here. I doubt he’s going to change everything and take Hedman number 1…it would really shock me.
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Brian says:
I would love to see these (not on this hockey board) rumors of JT not wanting to play for the Islanders come to a rest. There have been talks of his agent giving the “wink wink nudge nudge” about not wanting to come to LI, JT just being politically correct, and assorted mularkey of that sort. I have the feeling it is all just smoke being blown. JT will play for the team that drafts him, imo.
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CB-I believe JT will be the pick. I touched on the laughable canadian media and Burkes’ joke of a ploy in my blog.
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donm says:
JT and Hedman both want to be the #1 pick, and that’s the Isles
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bergie20 says:
very happy that we won the lottery
i do think that snow will take tavares unless he’s blown away by an offer. if we had lost tonight i think he would have dealt down to take duchene. a great night for the isles. something finally went right!!!! -
kabbage says:
If we can assemble a great core of forwards and supporting cast of defensemen, we can then attract and sign a star defenseman similar to what the Chicago Black Hawks did when they got Brian Campbell. If you build a solid core of defensemen with a supporting cast of forwards, it is more difficult to attract a great offensive forward. Just food for thought.
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Our best player this year was a defenseman. How can we not pick up Tavares.
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CB, Do you see any possibility at all in Garth trying to play up the Hedman card with TB so they trade with us to get him and then we still get JT at 2?
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I hope Garth Snow remembers what is important. The most important pick in this draft, in my opinion, is the late first rounder we acquired that belongs to San Jose. John Tavares should be a slam-dunk, no questions asked first overall pick. However, the difficulty comes with the later pick. Do you package it with a second round pick to move up to the mid-first round, or do you simply choose the best available player at that position, and then pick again with the 31st overall pick? I feel the Islanders should pay a tremendous amount of attention to this pick, as it will prove to be very valuable in the long run.
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Is there a feeling that if we sign Tavares, maybe, just maybe, we could attract a top-flight player to play along-side of him for next year? I would love to see the addition of a goal-scoring, first line winger who could really help Tavares jump-start his career. Imagine a line of Gaborik – Tavares – Okposo as our top line next year? Obviously Gaborik is injury-prone, however, I am just throwing out one possible name. Tavares could bring in a lot more than just his fantastic skill-set, he could attract other players as well.
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Nyles says:
#28, i believe, but i am not comoleteley sure, that Wang wants to pursue a big name if and when we land JT
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Paul says:
CB…you wrote…”Now that tonight is over – and the good karma is back in place – the Islanders want to be methodical in their process. High marks to them for sticking to their guns when it would have been oh-so-easy to start hawking season tickets and Tavares jerseys tonight.”
The other day, however, you said to Pierre McGuire “Hey, I wrote a few days ago that if the Islanders win the lottery on Tuesday night, they should just claim Tavares right on the spot.”
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Tim says:
dlk1 and Paul beat me to it.
Hey CB, did someone in the org have another one of those “talks” with you? That was an awfully quick 180.
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Rich Pilon is an Animal says:
Amen, CB.
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Big Dog says:
YES YES A MILLION TIMES YES. Any word on draft gatherings to be held in Manhattan? There’s a few of us here that aren’t Rags fans….
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Hey Tim…I hope it’s not another time out for CB…LOL
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puckhead68 says:
For all of those who say Hedman is the slam dunk #1, can you show me ONE link that has a scuting report with him going first?. You take the best player available and of the two that would be Tavares. Do we really want our two leading point leaders next year to be d-men? No scoring threat up front (fewest goals scored this year)
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Steve K. says:
cb’s tune sure did change
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and i am glad it did because opinions change, and now that we actually have the number one pick it changes everything.
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Luke R says:
am i the only one that saw a less-than-happy reaction from Tavares during that interview? the chin scrunches, the labored regurgitation of our team’s history? i realize he sounds like an android in every interview he’s ever taken, but it seemed to me that the prospect of being an islander was not all that appetizing to him.
if i could have it all, i’d love to have Tavares as the franchise player of this team for years and years to come, but if his heart isn’t in it, i’d just as soon take Hedman who could help our team just as much. tell me i’m being overly sensitive and Tavares didn’t seem disturbed by the idea of being an Islander next year.
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Patrick Flatleaver says:
The Isles are in good shape, and I believe they should take Tavares.
They have plenty of cap room, and a boatload of prospects. Not to mention a bunch of picks to possibly trade up in the 1st round.
That being said, if they could sign Komisarek, and draft Tavares that’s a tremendous start.
I’m not sold on going after Gaborik. Is he worth the money and cap space he’s going to ask for?
Build solid, not quickly. Make sure the pieces fit, and will hold you steady for long. The quick fix is not always the answer.
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Mary in 117 says:
From your lips to Garth’s ears, CB.
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CB said “NOW they should stick to their guns” he didnt go back on his word. Now that they have the 1st pick and THEY decided not to say anything its good that they didnt change their stance
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doc says:
dlk1/Paul/Tim:
I don’t think CB has pulled a 180 on what “his” opinion is. He probably still thinks that the Islanders should go ahead and announce that Tavares is their man… but he is just applauding them for keeping their “word”.Garth Snow said he wouldn’t tip his hand.
He didn’t.
CB applauds him for sticking to his guns… even though he might not agree with the policy.
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Now that we have “won” the lottery and assured ourselves of the top pick it is time to start talking about the Playoffs. Lets all root for the Ducks to be mighty and upset the Sharks!!! This way we can keep our second round picks and still move up in the Draft. Go Ducks, Go Soundtigers!!!
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Snow better not go about the same strategy as last years draft. Tavares and Hedman are both guarenteed future all stars that can pitch in right away.
They are can’t miss prospects.
You can not win in this league without guys like that on your team. You can sell tickets and remain viable as a franchise without players like that either.
Tavares means more exposure for this team. I can just imagine kids all across Long Island asking for Tavares Jerseys for Christmas and such.
Snow better not screw this up. We have not had a player this caliber since Turgeon. This gives the franchise an opportunity to correct a terrible wrong started by Don Maloney. I have not forgotten the day, where I was and what I was doing when I heard Turgeon was dealt.
That was the beginning of the slippery sloap for this team.
This is a chance to reverse that.
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hey nice in not pro -claiming him, but garth please dont do milbury, i dont need another joke. listen to your captain striet.
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Booten says:
Step 1: Gain best odds of picking 1st.
Completed Thursday, April 9th
Step 2: Win the Draft Lottery
Completed Tuesday, April 14th
Step 3: Draft John Tavares
TBDSee you guys at the draft party! WOO!
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KevinT123 says:
Hey everyone,
I was curious as to if there is any considerable talent down where our 2nd first rounder is, and if we could maybe package that plus1 or 2 of our 2nd round picks to possibly move up…thoughts?
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d-man says:
kevin… why would another team want to do that?
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whatever says:
We have to get Tavares. Yeah D-men do win championships but in my opinion, Tavares is going to score and put a winning attitude on the ice. Hedman seems pretty tough though. I think if they don’t draft Tavares, fans are going to be very disappointed.
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Isle be Damned says:
D-man: Why not? I can see a team in the 15 or so range valuing a late 1st plus 1 or 2 2nd round picks more than just the 15th overall. The Isles can afford to do that because they have a bunch of 2nd & 3rd round picks this year.
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TM says:
Dear Garth,
Just don’t pick a goalie with the #1 pick.
Thank You
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Lawrence Teller says:
If Snow demanded Luke Schenn, Toronto’s first this and next year for JT – and Burke agreed – would you take it?
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JayK says:
Lawrence #51 — it won’t happen, but it is a deal to be considered. What would hold me off is that Toronto isn’t drafting until 7th this year, and it’s possible to see them spending a lot of free agent money and being half-decent next year.
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Josh says:
Guys, enough with the Gaborik talk. Do you really want to have 6-7 mil tied up in a fragile, sometimes selfish winger who might play 60 games per year? We don’t need another overpaid Euro forward (ie. Yashin).
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Mario says:
Would you do this? Trade the first to Tampa for thier first plus Vinny Lecav? They can have Taveres and Stamkos, we get Hedman and Vinny.
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Coach B says:
London plays Windsor tonight in game 1 of the OHL Western Conference Finals. Once the sun goes down, AM 800, CKLW come in pretty clear at night.
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MW in VA says:
OK
Lets take JT. Look what Crosby and Ovechkin have done for the Pens and Caps respectively. They elevate all those around them. Kyle will be the next Semin and get 30-35 goals.
Now lets work on D. Matt Gilroy or what about J. Bo.? We have the cap space. That solves both problems and we still have the 29th (or better) pick. Check history. Mike Green was the 29th pick in the same year the Caps got Ovie.
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terry says:
The only deal we make with toronto for number one is for Luke Schenn and all their first round picks for perpetuity. Plus another player, a prospect and a second rounder.
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Rich says:
POST #11 You are right on. Get your blog I will read it. Pefect inside analysis. I will say this, take Tavares a sniper cannot be had in FA of his caliber. We could find a top D-Man in the draft at 30 make a trade or UFA. He may not be a Hedman but we need scorimg skill more.
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Maverick says:
Man ohh man Im still excited about what last night. Lets GO ISLANDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lets get Tavares!!!!!!!!!!
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FIsles says:
Hedman is a two-way stud. Good defense is not and never was about big highlight reel hits. The size is a huge advantage in terms of reach and presence alone even if Hedman doesn’t play a physical kind of game. When you have a guy that size who’s an excellent skater, he doesn’t need to hit to become a great defenseman. He patterns his game after Lidstrom who is a great two-way defenseman without being a big hitter.
I also firmly believe that Tavares will be able to adjust his offensive skills to the NHL level quite smoothly as his game is not dependent on speed or shooting. Generally speaking, people should stop comparing JT to Crosby. The PR impact might be similar, but the players are different. Crosby is a dynamic full-ice player, Tavares is not. Tavares doesn’t even have the wheels to be that kind of player, but he’s got magnificent hockey sense. He’s without question the most dangerous player in the draft when it comes to the offensive zone and goal area.
I’d take either of them. And like I’ve said before, I would also have been more than happy to take Schroeder or Duchene if the Isles were drafting later. I think the Islanders will draft Tavares unless something unexpected happens.
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19 Isle in NJ 22 says:
I was thinking about all those 1-goal games the Isles have lost over the last 2 years … JT gives us a shot at atleast half of them.
JT will also attract more talented and younger UFA’s … especially on the blue line and wing … The beauty of the Isles prospects at this point is that given their age they will probably mature and peak around the same time … Exactly the goal of what a GM wants from his team.
I see the Caps and Hawks as a model.
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Nova Scotia Isles Fan says:
I had to laugh at TSN trying to put the doubt into all of us about Tavares’ abilities and potential. Coupled with Burke’s sily comments about “moving up”, and I see a Toronto media conspiracy to try to steal our pick. I’ve said it before, while I would never trade the #1 this season, if it was open for discussion, I would want a package like Quebec got from Philadelphia for Eric Lindross.
“The main player that Colorado received in the trade was a young prospect named Peter Forsberg.
Certain hockey Hall of Famer
Calder Trophy
Hart Trophy
Art Ross Trophy…
Ron Hextall, Chris Simon, Mike Ricci, Kerry Huffman, Steve Duchesne, a pair of draft picks and some money as well.”
Toronto ain’t got that kind of package to put together, so don’t sweat it.
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CB ~ Great commentary last night … I wonder how many times the Isles will get plugged during the playoffs speculating who they will pick #1.
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Regarding trading picks … I say … Keep their HOMERUN #1 pick … listen to offers to package the Shark’s 1st rounder and one of the Isles’ second rounders … to move up. -
These next 70 something days are going to be so slow. I’ll be checking this site religiously hoping for new info and something breakthrough with probably the same kind of quotes from Garth up until draft day. But I have no problem with Garth playing it close to the chest. I think it ensures he keeps leverage. Let’s hope the playoffs last as long as possible to make our wait till the draft seem a little shorter.
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Aim says:
you can debate this all you want. Look at some teams years past. Where did Washington go when they had Stevens Hatcher Murphy. Boston with Bourque. Some of the greta D Men that won cups…Potvin Lidstrom Robinson Coffey….all had stud forewards on the team as well. Yes the concept is build from the D out, but this team right now can not pass on a stud like Tavaras. You can get a stud D man thru free agency. I dont see a foreward like JT coming around all that often. He would bring instint credibility for our franchise. I a do agree about taking the Canadian over the European!!! Look at the talk of the NHL these days….star forewards in Pittsburgh and Washington. Not saying that JT is on that level but he will have that type impact on the NYI. How many people are rushing to buy LA Kings tickets and how much exposure are they getting with the stud defenseman that they drafted? No knock on Hedman I think he is a keeper for sure but this franchise has needed JT for MANY years now….we have our chance dont blow it
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Brett says:
Thanks for the calming article. I think some of your entries over the past few days led to mass hysteria here. I had some visions in my head of Islander fans acting as if the apocalypse was upon us. Even tough your article is more accepting of Snow’s actions, it is obvious you still have some cool steam coming out of your ears. Do you think you got caught a little to caught up in the PR aspect or do you still believe GM Garth made a bad move?
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Cruicky says:
What about Matt Martin. Has anyone heard what is going on with him. He is another diamond in the rough….
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The Real Vukota says:
Wang will be on WFAN at 9:00am
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Isles4cups says:
I have one word CB…Amen!
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Joey303 says:
Just to change the subject a bit……
We pick JT and then Tampa picks Hedman, that will be a sure cornerstone for them. Stamkos, Hedman, and whatever they can steal from Montreal for Vinny, they will be very good a lot faster than the Islanders. -
Who cares about Tampa!!!
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Let me clarify my last post : In no way am I dogging our team. I read how some posters want JT AND Hedman. Well….thats exactly what Tampa will get if the Isles pick JT. Of course, we dont know how our prospect/trades/UFA’s will shape the team next year, but Tampa sure has a base, thats all I was saying
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Dr. Generosity says:
Please let’s stop putting pressure on the Isles to select Tavares like this. If we trust their scouts, let them take the player who’s going to be the best at his position five years from now. That could be Hedman.
Also, can we agree early on not to call Tavares “J.T.”? That moniker should belong to only one Islander legend, #27, John Tonelli. -
Ray since 1974 says:
Right after the announcement, Snow should have been on the phone with Matt Gilroy’s agent. Draft Tavares, sign a great LI-born talent in Gilroy and maybe trade up and pick-up the best availaible player at 14-15 in 1st round, how is that for the fans of LI. Then in FA go sign a guy like Erik Cole and drop him next to Tavares and Okposo. Then make a big offer to Boewmeester (not that I really think he would sign here, but with Tavares who know)and see what happens. For the first time really since 2002, I am excited for next season.
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the offers to j-bo and gaborik and the like are completely ridiculous and out of the question for this summer…just think about it guys.
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Brian in VA says:
Yes we got the first pick! I think we should draft Hedman. Defense wins… I’d also do this with Toronto.
I’d take Schenn and the next 2 1st Rounders for our 1st pick. Burke will get desparate WATCH! I hate the Leafs!!!
Could Hedman be Potvin??? -
Dino says:
We really need Tavares badly…..
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Ben Gunn says:
#29
i completely understand what you’re saying, but!, it really pisses me off that islander country (myself included) say that WANG wouldn’t want something done (trades etc.)
Wang is the OWNER of the Islanders, not the GM. He should stick to what he knows how to do which is OWN the team..give them money when we need it and stay out of Hockey Operations because, no knock on Wang, he doesn’t know Sh*t about hockey, which is completely fine, he dooesn’t need to. Thats why there is a Hockey Operations section in management.
but that said and done…
JT -
mike says:
They owe it to the loyal fans to announce right now he is the guy. The fans of this team have sucked it up for a very long time screw up after screw up yet we are loyal.This time it should be about the fans announce it today and then NO one has to worry about the Isles reinventing the wheel again.
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Michael Olivo says:
For the time being I have become a huge Capitals fan. I have stuck with this team for many years and would even support them if they move to KC or somewhere else. I will not however be a able to root for them if they pass on Tavares without bringing back Evgeni Malkin, Crosby, Kovalchuk or Ovechkin in return. I promise that if the Islanders pass on Tavares, I am done. I’ll be wearing an Ovechkin jersey on June 27th if we pass on Tavares. Who’s with me?
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loran16 says:
Now we just root for anaheim to eliminate san jose to improve that pick for us.
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Ed J says:
OMG!!!!! We won the 1st pick!!! I screamed last night and I have 100% faith in Garth Snow to take JT for the simple reason of how many MORE season tkt’s they will sell & NOW we will have a real 1st line & youth that knows our system.
Now all we need is a healthy DP & boom…. back to playoffs
LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!!!!!
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Macch says:
HEDMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!
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DPS says:
Ray that will never happen. That idea makes way way too much sense. If we did the things you are saying we might actually WIN some games.
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Mike from Philly says:
Tavares Baby!!!!!!!!!!!
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Mikey says:
CB- why are you doing this to Islander fans? We don’t need this hysteria. You are getting people’s hopes up about a player they have seen maybe 3-4 times. The worst part of this is that there is no unanimous number one pick this year. You have even written articles on your site proclaiming just that point. Now you seem to be flip-flopping. Everybody likes to have an opinion, but the reality is that very few people on this board (probably none) have seen both of these players play 20-30 games. Let’s just leave it to the scouts to decide. I can just see it now – Snow steps up to the podium and selects a potential franchise defenseman. Fans will embarass themselves and boo a player they have only seen on youtube and 3 WJC games.
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Gloobenberg says:
I’ve been on the Tavares ship since last year’s draft. That’s the guy i want on this team. Do i think Hedman will be awesome? yes i do. However, If we draft Tavares it may be easier to sign a guy like Komi or mmmaybe JayBo…ya never know.
As far as Gaborik goes. great player. sucks he always hurt, but eventhough he’ll play 60 games, he still may have 75 points.
Btw….who is to say Snow isn’t gonna screw with Tampa? We make it seem like we want Hedman, TB offers a nice package of swapping picks and something else and we still get JT plus more?
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Hedman had 7 goals, 21 points and a plus-21 rating in 43 games with MODO Hockey Ornskoldsvik in the Swedish Elite League. That is not enough of an offensive/Defenseman to fill the NVMC seats as Tavaras will do next year.
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Billy Jaffe said it best. Sure the hype around Tavares will be good for the first quarter of the season but if the team still sucks the seats will empty out. Hedman gives us stability on the blue line for a decade. You dont pass over a 6’6 2 way Dman who can skate like the wind.
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Priest says:
Hey CB, do you think the Islanders will announce their intentions before the draft or will they go into the draft with it being a “secret” (I use quotes because even if they remain tight-lipped, I can’t imagine it not getting leaked by some other GM or someone else who finds out)
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And the hype around hedman would last? Like somebody said earlier, when your 31 yr old D-Man leads your team inscoring you better take the sniper with the 1st pick.
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Macch – who says Tavares won’t give stability for a decade?
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Solid D-men are all over the FA wires every year. Scoring forwards are impossible to trade for or sign without giving up tons of picks/prospects or parting with tons of cash. I’m sure Hedman is going to be terrific, and I would love to have him if JT wasn’t available. You want a solid blue line? Kick up the cash and promise the prospect of playing with JT to Matt Gilroy. We can have our cake and eat it too for once…
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a REAL hockey fan says:
**** Charles Wang is on WFAN right now (wed 9:05) — put on WFAN… So far hes not ‘tipping his hand’ about the pick. ****** TAKE TAVARES TAKE TAVERES TAKE TAVARES!!……..
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My point is I think the Isles will be a better team with Hedman. Please some one name the last time a team with a crappy defense won the Cup. Because we have a crappy defense with no promising prospects
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Nobody is saying you don’t need D to win, but you always draft the best player avalable, not by needs. You can always sign a D-man, Snipers are a dying breed and if you have the chance to get one you take him!!!!
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*** PUT ON WFAN (660AM right now 9:15 AM) —- CHARLES WANG IS ON RIGHT NOW *****
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Gilroy is rumored to have his choice of teams down to 4 none of them are the Islanders. Streit will only add to his points total next year when this team scores more goals. If we take the #2 ranked player (Hedman) who is going to score goals for us. Take the best ranked player JT and get a D-men with the San Jose pick/trade/FA
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Mark P says:
Tears of Joy!
That recurring dream I have been for the last 20 years….the one were Mike Bossy’s back has healed and he finally comes back to play again…..maybe it is finally going to happen….He will just be chanelled in an 18 year olds body.
Maybe we finally will have a star that will be the equal of our all time greats.
We have hope! -
Michael Olivo – please what about Mike Cammalleri, Hossa, Gaborik is a FA, Jokinen traded, Tanguay. Who are all these stand out Dman FAs that you speak of? Komi? I wouldnt call him stand out. He plays for any other team last year and hes not an All Star. So who are you talking about?
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Logon (Newsday) survey vote for #1 pick has Tavaras-86.6%, Hedman-5.3% and trade 8.0%. The fans want a sniper !!!
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isles72 says:
so far , I like the isles approach of keeping mum (even if they’re minds are already made up)
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Jon Mac says:
Wang literally just said that if he could go back in time, he would not buy the Islanders.
The radio hosts also played a song about going to Kansas City and Wang laughed. He said he is a businessman and he will explore options outside of NY.
Worst radio interview I have heard in a while. It was like the one host was trying to make a joke out of the situation and was really pushing the Islanders off the Island.
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Damn..just caught the last 30 seconds. I am assuming it will be posted on their site a bit later. Any stunning disclosures?
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Like i said, the scorers are there, but are we going to pay them 6-10 million a year? And more importantly, are they gonna come here being that the islanders might not even be here in 2 years? What I am talking about is that this team always goes after the cadillac and settles for the dodge. JT is the class of this draft and settling for a d-man isn’t going to cut it…
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RAmen says:
Absolutely agree that a good GM keeps the cards close to the vest. Their is no benefit to sharing info with other teams.
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Jimmy Sparx says:
Does Garth really drink Starbucks??? That coffee sucks.
Anyway, I have waited this long for anything from this team, so waiting until June is fine with me.
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(106) I think the stunning disclosure is that Wang regrets buying the Islanders. I con only imagine the reaction of the pr people who traveled with Wang to the city for the interview. Who says something like that when he is trying to “save” a franchise. =(
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**** Wang talked about the $$ hes losing, the lighthouse project (said DONT demonize the women politician sorry forgot her name lol) and he wants the Isles to stay in LI — no “tipping” on who the Isles will pick but very excited —- hes a solid open interview….
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Joe-Mac, relax, it’s nothing we haven’t heard. Plus the whole moe to KC is a real option that whether you want to believe it or not. Carton doesn’t follow hockey and was just joking around. it wasn’t a plot to get the isles to move.
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JPinVA says:
What if ATL feels they can’t sign Kovalchuk long term. they trade us Kovalchuk, Valabik and the fourth. If Snowy can ink Ilya long term before the deal is complete it puts us knee deep in the playoff picture next year.
You get a known 40g-90pt guy who is only 26 and a monster defender.
With the kids coming up, and the fact that we will probably get Paajarvi or Duchene as well..
Atlanta gets another reason to fire their GM, they get something for somebody they may not be able to sign anyway, and they get to go to the podium first to draft Brayden Schenn.
this also solves having to spend $10M in July to make the cap floor. -
Why is it shocking that wang said that? It’s called reality Mac. The guy has been getting jerked for years and losing gross amounts of money. Did you expect him to say, yeah I would love to lose my shirt all over again?
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Helene says:
I think a lot of fans feel like I do – if we take Tavares (and if Snowy doesn’t do a Milbury on us) and we know “fer sure” that the team will still be here and the Lighthouse project is really moving forward, then it will be easy to commit to season tickets for another 2 years, over and above the current 2 year deal. If Snow does his trading down act like last year, then a lot of fans are going to riot (literally, not figuratively) and give up in disgust. I hope it’s the former path and not the latter. Snowy – don’t fail us now!!!!!
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Well, don’t forget…we’re signing people up for the final push on Election Day. Drop us a line at beatkate09@yahoo.com. We’re getting ready! But we need to organize now.
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****** Yes Wang did say he wouldnt buy the Isles again — would you if you lost 50+ million dollars? Cmon Be honest guys, no one would do that! …………….. Lets focus on the positive and the #1 pick — The isles need scoring BADLY BADLY BADLY! Tavares may not be a pure sniper but if becomes a 35-40 goal scorer you MUST MUST drafte him…..
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Still have to disagree with your reasoning… If we cant get goal scorers here why would we be able to get FA dmen here? All I’m saying is as the Islander are building a team, with Bailey, KO, Neilsen, Bergy, Comeau up front, and no promising young Dmen, would you rather add a Heatley/Spezza type player to the line-up or a Lidstrom/Pronger type player. Defense wins championships
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nystrom23 says:
I swear i havent been this happy about the isles since there last playoff run in 92-93….we want JT!!!
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D wins titles when you have a good goalie and people who could put up points. We have none of that. Bailey will be a #2 center and KO is the only stud we have. Neilsen, Bergy, Comeau are not top prospects. Never will be. This team hasn’t had a pure scorer since palffy. It’s time to change that!!!
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purely playing devil’s advocate b/c i’m honeslty flip flopping who i want… But why isnt it time the Islanders finally get the Stud D prospect that the havent had since Potvin?
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-Big Van Vader says:
To everyone who keeps wondering about the “stud” d prospect the Isles would lose if they don’t draft Hedman, here’s how to remedy that. Draft Tavares. Then, that second Round 1 pick and the two seconds and trade up and draft Jared Cowan. Close second to Hedman and highly touted. Tavares and Cowan. Isles look like gold.
Done.
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Kovalchuk sounds great but there are still to many things that have to fall into place for the Isles to be a playoff team even with him. Mainly the health of DP (I’m a bit concerned there)KO and others continue to improve and some other Fa singings (which will not be easy to do)They can only get better from where they finished this year. Atleast there is some hope now.
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TradeUp says:
Why not offer TB Streit, the SJ pick and our second round pick for their first overall? Tampa gets an instant all-star Dman and what is essentially two late first round picks. They are instantly in good shape to make a run next year. We get the young Dman who still needs time to develop.
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WeschesISLESfan says:
TradeUp (123)
I love Streit and I don’t want to give him up. But I think your on to something.
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120 -Big Van Vader
IMO the only way that could ever work is if SJ gets knocked out of the first round of the playoffs. Than we would prob have to trade 2 of 2nd round picks and maybe even our first from next year to get back into the Top 10. Also not everyone has Cowen as the 2nd best. CSS has him 4 best NA Skater. -
BrianR says:
The RealVukota gets it. You need to put the puck in the net to win games. Currently they have one guy that can do that in KO. Draft JT, sign Komi to throw his weight around on the back end (since Jay Boo will not come here and Komi is an Islander at heart), add a 2nd tier Free Agent winger, and away we go. We should not expect Wang to spend a lot of $$ on FAs since he his losing his shirt on this team anyway.
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I was so buzzed last night after we won the lottery, then I woke up and listened to Wang and started hearing about Kansas City. Can I PLEASE have 24 hours of happiness about this team? IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?
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StevieL says:
A couple of things I thought were interesting and disturbing in the Wang interview;
When asked if Tavares was the type of player that could save the franchise, he replied that he thought there were 4 or 5 players in the draft that could save the franchise!! makes me think they are really looking at options that include trading the pick!
I also thought he was very matter of fact when he stated that if he does not have a decision on the Lighthouse by Oct. , he will be entertaining all offers for the team. I don’t think he is joking!
Overall I find Wang very personable and funny. He seems like a genuine guy! I think you gotta wonder what his PR people are thinking putting him on WFAN with Boomer and Carlin. Boomer tried to ask the right questions, Carlin is a joke. If you are going on WFAN , Francesa is the only choice. -
126 That was my point. I know that Wang may regret buying the Islanders, but I don’t see why he had to broadcast that out to the masses, especially whey everyone is concerned about the future of the team. Let us enjoy getting the number one pick for a few days!
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You can’t keep ignoring the 800lb gorilla in the room Mac!!!
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StevieL — after all this time, why would he be joking? If there can’t be any sort of — the word he’s used before is “clarity” — by October, why should he think that continuing to be like some pathetic maiden waiting for a wedding proposal is going to be a successful strategy?
Remember what he did in Plainview…he thought the process was dragging, he felt the town government was going to either just dither or be opposed, and he shut it down, out of the blue. He stunned everyone. He’ll do the same here, mark my words. This is not going to go on for several years.
My fantasy: they draft Tavares. Negotiations move forward with the town. They reach at least the framework of an agreement, but don’t announce it.
And on opening night, Wang steps out of the runway to drop the puck. And Kate Murray is with him, to announce her full support.
But to hellp make sure — sign up at beatkate09@yahoo.com. We’re getting ready for Election Day! Let’s hear from you!
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Will77 says:
Draft Tavares and throw so much money at Jay-Bo in the offseason that he can’t say no. If you’re going to give a 15yr deal to DP, you can give a crazy contract to that guy. He’ll be better then Hedman for the next 2-3 years definitely, after that it all depends on if Hedmans the real deal. Sign him and you’ve got your offensively gifted huge defenseman, and you get your franchise player in Tavares.
Not to mention an absurd spike in fan interest and ticket sales.
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JayK! My wording was poor.What I was trying to say you stated perfectly. I was trying to emphasize that he is not kidding around, this is no smokescreen. Without some sort of movement this franchise is in real trouble. I like your fantasy! The only thing I would change is , Kate Murray is wearing a John Tavares jersey when she walks out!!
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Lawrence Teller (51) No
Josh (53) Your a voice of reason…please not Gaborik
Mario (54) No
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TimQ says:
Wang was simply using the interview to put more pressure on the ToH. He’s a businessman and he knows how to negotiate.
Top tier dman plays 30+ minutes per night. Top forward plays 20+. Pick Hedman because it’s the better long term choice
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I really hope you are right CB. This would be freaking amazing if the Islanders drafted Tavares.
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#134 no offense but who says he will be better long term? just curious
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Rich says:
If Anaheim upsets San Jose and knocks them out in the first round, what pick will that translate to for us?
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Macch (97) Please some one name the last time a team with a crappy offense won the Cup.
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isles316 says:
The New Jersey Devils won the cup a few times with an average offense.
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IslesHostage says:
Wang should not go near the stage. The last time one of those dunderblanks went to the stage we made the most idiotic draft choice in history, passing over TWO FRANCHISE CORNERSTONES for one franchise kidney stone.
Now we have two franchise cornerstones to pick from and we need a new goalie….so we send the owner up again like we’re replaying the nightmare? Ironic. Lee will be available at 30, like Rick was going to be available at 5.
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David Volek says:
I thought Hedman looked the stronger character when interviewed. Anyone know anything of Tavares’ leadership quality, confidence and consistency? I know he led Team Canada to gold as Captain, but what can we really know from one 2 week tournament of kids? Hedman is playing with men already in a top league. He’s got more poise.
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Tom D 37 says:
I hear a lot of people saying they want Hedman because d-men play more minutes. Let me remind you that the only reason why they play more minutes is because they aren’t in the play as much as forwards. When the puck is in the offensive zone, defensemen just stand there waiting, they are not in the play and therefore are conserving energy. Forwards and defenseman put in the same amount of work, despite one playing more than the other. Defensemen and forwards have the same value.
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Isletry says:
The Leafs have nothing to offer!
Unless the Leafs can tear down the CN Tower, and reassemble it in Uniondale as the centerpiece of the Lighthouse Development, I wouldn’t even take their calls.
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Something else to consider is Kiri Petrov. Did anyone see the highlight reel, one-armed goal he scored on youtube?
If we can get him to the U.S. and he projects as a skilled power forward, we could have a lot more pieces to a high-powered offense than currently appears.
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marc says:
go ahead and start hawking tickets and Tavares jerseys! I’m worried they’ll screw this draft up just like they have for the past 20 years. If they would commit to JT now, I’d call for tickets tomorrow.
i hope its Tavares ans I think it will be.