EXCLUSIVE: WANG & SNOW WATCH DUCHENE
Brampton center to visit Long Island in a few weeks
Sources tell Point Blank that Charles Wang and Garth Snow were in attendance when Matt Duchene and his Brampton Battalion hosted Windsor in Game 2 of their Ontario Hockey League Final on Friday night.
While there wasn’t a post-game meeting as the Islanders owner and GM had two weeks ago with John Tavares, we’re told Duchene plans to visit with the Islanders on Long Island a few weeks after the completion of his season.
Windsor defeated Duchene’s Battalion 5-3 on Friday night after crushing them 10-1 in Game 1. Duchene did not have a point in the game. Besides Wang and Snow, Friday’s game was also attended by Lightning owner Oren Koules and GM Brian Lawton and by Thrashers GM Don Waddell.
Down 2 games to 0, Brampton won in Windsor on Monday night, 4-2, behind a goal and an assist from Duchene. Game 4 is Wednesday in Brampton.
In 57 regular season games this season, the 5-11, 195-pound center was 31-48-79. So far in 19 playoff games, Duchene has 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 points.
Comments. Reminder: Point Blank is the guest at tonight’s NYI Booster Club Meeting at 7:30 pm at the Long island Marriott.
147 Responses to EXCLUSIVE: WANG & SNOW WATCH DUCHENE
Brampton center to visit Long Island in a few weeks
-
Brian says:
I don’t think anyone should try to draw any conclusions here.. Snow and Wang are simply performing due diligence on the top prospects in the draft.
-
Mapisles says:
It never ends… How hard is it to pick John Tavares. Pick JT or see you later NYI.
-
#2 – so when is Tavares’ trip to LI?
-
Brad Ketch says:
Ooooo! Another sleepless night for the Toronto media. I wonder what tomorrow’s story is going to be…the Isles will trade down and take Duchene…the Avs trade the Isles 1st to Toronto for Jason Blake. Print it!!!
Maybe they can have Steve Simmons call the Islanders front office and get confirmation as to where they plan on picking, “Which Staal brother do the Rangers have?” The 3rd one?! That means the Isles are picking 3rd overall!! Brilliant!
-
mLemb says:
CB’s article seems to imply to me that Duchene is coming to visit LI because he wants to. It also states they didn’t meet with him yet. They did however meet with Tavares when they went to see him.
I’d be interested to see how many draft prospects are going on trips to meet with their potential drafters as opposed to the drafters visiting them…I’ve never followed the draft this closely, how common is either case?
-
Actually…come to think of it, Jordan would be the 3rd one. I suck.
-
Chris M says:
I decided to do a little research on how many 1st round draft picks a year have made it to an NHL All-Star game. I went back 20 years and its always 3, 4, or 5, with anyone picked after the number 2 pick becoming a crapshoot.
2004, which was 5 years ago so by this point these guys should have developed into something, is a prime example. Pick #1 and #2 were Ovechkin and Malkin. After that there is not one player who has seen an All-Star game until you get to pick 29, which was Mike Green. The guys drafted 3-28 are as follows:
3. Cam Barker (Defence)
4. Andrew Ladd (Left wing)
5. Blake Wheeler (Right wing)
6. Al Montoya (Goaltender)
7. Rostislav Olesz (Centre)
8. Alexandre Picard (Left wing)
9. Ladislav Smid (Defence)
10. Boris Valabik (Defence)
11. Lauri Tukonen (Right wing)
12. A. J. Thelen (Defence)
13. Drew Stafford (Right wing)
14. Devan Dubnyk (Goaltender)
15. Alexander Radulov (Right wing)
16. Petteri Nokelainen (Centre)
17. Marek Schwarz (Goaltender)
18. Kyle Chipchura (Centre)
19. Lauri Korpikoski (Centre)
20. Travis Zajac (Centre)
21. Wojtek Wolski (Left wing)
22. Lukas Kaspar (Right wing)
23. Andrej Meszaros (Defence)
24. Kris Chucko (Left wing)
25. Rob Schremp (Centre)
26. Cory Schneider (Goaltender)
27. Jeff Schultz (Defence)
28. Mark Fistric (Defence)A couple of decent NHLers in there and the rest are no-names. The point is, Garth you had your fun trading down last year. Youve been blessed with the top pick this year. Please pick Tavares and bring us home an all-star, not a no-name
-
JT says:
Sal, I agree 100%….I actually hope it goes that way, but don’t think it will.
-
PSM1966 says:
Tavares
-
TM says:
Oh God, doesn’t this guy have anything better to do? Move to Queens? Get NYI on AM radio? Cheat somebody out of stock? Bug K Murray and TOH? Why is he watching Duchene? Hasn’t he meddled enough for the 30th place worst team in the NHL? Cholly, get a hobby already!!!!!
-
coral springs isle fan says:
Draft Tavares. If the Islanders sign Bouwmeester it would be a miracle under the current circumstances. And if we sign Bouwmeester the fans should give Wang and company a standing ovation on opening night for shelling out that much money under their current circumstances. Maybe they should also watch the current playoffs to see how effective a super star goal scorer can be in the playoffs. (Getzlaf, Perry, Crosby, Ovechkin, Stall, Zetterberg, Datsyk, etc.)
-
kevin fitz says:
Calm down. CB, you know this means nothing. But you know this will get a lot of fan reaction and a lot of hits on your website. Very smart sir, very smart!
-
thepolishprince says:
Two words…due diligence. Calm down already people. On the real outside chance Snow is completely blown away by an offer for the 1st overall don’t you think he’ll have wanted to do all his research? I don’t see the big deal here.
-
Dave says:
It’s funny that every time Snow does something he’s supposed to do as a GM fans freak out.
-
BC says:
I’ll say it again. While I think Duchene will also be a very good player, and right now people say he is a better defensive forward, I still think we should take Tavares.
I believe that it would be far easier to draft Tavares and work with him on his defensive game than to draft Duchene and try to teach him to score goals like Tavares.
-
Moose says:
I’ll throw this here, too:
Calling Charles ‘Cholly’ is offensive and racist, knock it off.
-
Hipster Doofus says:
This is a team making sure they get ir right exploring evrry option. “TAVARES!one1!” is merely an option. I think you guys need to excpand your knowledge of the game because clearly half the people here actually believe Tavares is the only choice. Sorry but thats completely false. Duchenne has all the talent plus better wheels. If you’ve ever watched a hockey game you would know how important speed is, its what separates the great from the good.
As for needing a forward. Lidstrom. Lidstrom. Lidstrom. Lidstrom. Never missed the playoffs in his whole career. Three Stanley Cups. And oh yeah, Detroit’s record with him out of the lineup? Under .500. Yzerman, Federov, Datsyuk, ect. are under .500 without Lidstrom on their blue line.
-
K021 says:
I can understand visiting Tavaras
-
mike 8 says:
So Charles hasn’t accepted the fact he knows nothing about hockey and has made some of the worst blunders in the history of the league. STAY OUT OF IT!!!! Why can’t he let Garth and co. make this pick?? what a knucklehead
-
I think we’re making mountains out of mole hills here. Breathe people, this is what GMs do. They scout, interview prospective prospects, etc….Snow isn’t going to tell anyone his plans and he is very good at not tipping his hand, so I’m reserving judgement until after the draft.
-
Valentino says:
To everyone and anyone who has “inquired” about season tickets or a partial ticket plan for next year or has yet to renew. Call your representatives and tell them this, I will buy (renew) if and only if we draft Tavares. Anyone else, I will simply watch on TV if that.
That should send a clear message who we want.
-
Smitty says:
Valentino (23)
No offence, but I really don’t want to be a fan of a team that makes its decisions based on who the fanbase thinks they should draft. Duchene has made a meteoritic rise up the draft rankings in the second half of the year, shouldn’t the Islanders learn about the guy?
All this is Garth doing what all GMs do. He even said he would meet with a handful of prospects at the draft lottery. Most of you people who are freaking out have no clue how a hockey team operates. Get over yourselves, let Garth and the scouts do their job – they have way more experience than any of you (unless Neil Smith is trolling here).
-
Val, did that in the evening, right after we won the draft lottery, even tho I can’t afford season tix, I still planted the seed.
-
Lost Kangaroo says:
Hey Hipster #19. In an attempt to be as all-knowing about the game of hockey as you, Im going to take your advice and try and, as you say “excpand your knowledge of the game”.
By the way, Lidstrom has 4 cups.
Draft Tavares -
Bryan says:
If Hedman is anywhere near as good as Pronger he is the only name we should be talking about here. Look at his draft class in 1993. Everyone wanted that big scorer and they walked away with Daigle. Not saying that Tavares is going to be that bad. However, if the Isles were #1 that year and took anyone else all hell would have broken loose. Also the hard nosed future captain all round center in that draft #3 overall Chris Gratton. Very nice NHL career but no thank you.
Lets take Hedman so the errors of 1993 do not repeat themselves.
-
steve says:
Due diligence. I am sure Garth will do what is right, which is to draft JT. By putting out the fan poll contest, this will show this to them again. Even if the results are not made public by this poll, CB and Greg Logan have already exposed the fans choice with an exclaimation mark!
-
Ovechkin and Crosby both had hat tricks for their respective teams last night. Lots of excitement huh !
Can Hedman do that for the Islanders?
-
michael says:
“duchene” sure is a funny way to spell TAVARES!!
-
Mike from Philly says:
Interesting that the Islanders would visit the 4th-5th best player in the draft when they have the 1st pick but…hey its the Islanders!
-
Leviticus says:
Valentino and all the other professional scouts on here… Tavares is NOT Crosby or ovechkin. No one except fans think he is! That is why there is no clear cut #1. Enough already with polls or p.r. Reasons to make a choice. Unless you are a professional hockey person who has scouted all year, let it go… If Duchene is the guy, great. If Hedman is the guy, great, if it’s tavares great. Just stop making believe we know better!!!!
-
#30. Crosby’s hat trick did not result in a win. Pronger has a cup, went to the dance wiht Edmonton who has vanished since he left. Prongers Ducks then beat the Presidents Trophy Sharks and are tied with the defending champion Red Wings in round 2.
-
There is something severely wrong with people who would abandon the team because they don’t like the person they pick in the draft. None of us are paid scouts, and it’s completely ridiculous to freak out the way all of you are. It’s a misdirection move, I’m sure…now everyone calm the F down and realize we’re coming out of this with a good player.
-
bergie20 says:
i can’t wait to see the comments on this thread lol. imo if colorado wants to overpay for the first pick (shattenkirk?) then duchene could wind up an islander – thus the reason wang and snow were watching him.
-
UIF says:
Pronger’s not exactly the only player on the Ducks…heck, not even the only premier defenseman on the Ducks…and he hasn’t been robbing players blind in net. We should all know by now you need a well-balanced team…offense, defense, and goaltending…to win a cup. Not only that, you need that balanced team to get hot at the right time, particularly the goaltender. There have been some exceptions to that rule, but not many.
Picking every play by every decent forward and defenseman in this playoffs and using that to justify Tavares or Hedman…it’s not the best way to make a case for either, imo. We’re not going to magically win the cup next year just because we draft either guy.
-
#35 – Tell that to a team like the Rangers who built a team that depends totally on defense with little offense, what are they doing this month. If you don’t have anyone to put the puck in the net your not going to win alot and judging by our 2nd straight year with a league worst Goals For, I would think we need scoring!
-
The Real Vukota says:
#32 You would have a point is this franchise had the right hockey people in the front office, but last time i checked we have a clueless owner and a backup goalie as our GM. So excuse some of us if we think we know better. I’m really looking forward to hedman starting the rush from behind his own net skating through everybody passing to Tamballeni (sp) and watching him shoot the puck over the glass. I’m pumped!!!!
-
potvin05 says:
No stone unturned…what else do you expect from these guys?? They’re just doing their jobs. If you told me they were drinking cocktails and catching rays in Aruba that’d be one thing….but, this is the most important draft is the franchise’s history since the Dynasty. They’re just doing their jobs.
-
#35 – BUT Ovechkins hat trick sure did result in a win. I never said Tavares is Ovechkin or Malkin. That same arguement should be applied to Hedman. He is not Pronger, nor is he Lidstrom. Hedman is Hedman. Tavares will be Tavares.
And we need excitement, goal scoring, and and someone who can handle pressure and responsibility. Tavares, check, check, and check !
-
Robby D says:
How can we all worry about a draft when the player we select will eventually be playing in KC! Wonder what the new name, logo, and uniform colors will be in KC. Thank God for Centerice package. Maybe someday, KC can win the cup on MSG ice. Nobody gives a crap about this team except for us.
-
303Joe says:
Isles have to at least look into all the possible options for top 4 guys. Maybe the Avs wants to move up to 1 for Tavares and the Isles can get the Avs pick, Chris Stewart and Shatenkirk. Take Duchene at 3 with the 2 other guys you gotta think about if your trying to rebuild. I’m not saying they should trade the 1st I think they should take Tavares and move along from there. But they have to at least be prepared should someone in the top 4 or 5 come long and throw a real nice deal their way they have to be preapred on these players in the 3-5 slot.
-
Le Dude says:
Duchene was not the only guy out there playing. There’s two teams, give or take 40 guys, and the Islanders have a good amount of picks. I’m glad they’re going out and watching.
-
anti-SMG says:
#43: the Coyotes (a Western Conf team) have a better chance of moving to KC before the NYI (an Eastern Conf) and their #1 draft pick Tavares. We’re staying for the near-term (2105 or so)and we’re getting Tavares. Cheer Up, Robby D!
-
Maydog says:
Let’s see: Racism? Check. Overreacting? Check. Now we just need a threat to stop rooting for the team plus a Steve Webb chant and we’ll feel our ‘How to be a moronic Isles fan’ quota for the day….Makes me ‘proud’
-
This is all just pre-draft nonsense. On June 26th with teh first overall pick the Islanders draft John Tavares.
-
I want Tavares but if Snow & his staff didn’t bother to watch Duchene closely(ISS & RLR have him rated #2 overall) then they wouldn’t be doing their job..Everybody should listen to the Snow interview on the Isles website link..He refuses to answer any questions about the #1 pick but on his own offers up that “Don’t forget not only do we have the 26th overall pick, but its possible we are going to move up in the draft from that spot”(paraphrase)..If Snow can turn the #1 overall & #26 overall into the #3 & #8 for example, and we get Duchene & Oliver Ekman Larsson/Jared Cowen, than that would be even better than getting Tavares..I encourage everyone to watch Duchene on some of the video thats available. He is an EXPLOSIVE SKATER..
-
Staten Islander says:
I call this them doing their job. They have to visit all the top prospects.
-
nystrom23 says:
303Joe, its good trade but shattekirk is more in the mold of an aaron ness type player…we dont need someone like that…we need a big d-man…someone like John Moore from Chicago of the USHL..needs a little more weight…can be a servicable 3-4 dman or could be a shut down guy
-
Richard says:
Let me start by saying I would draft Tavares. However, if they dont think he is the best player they should trade down. If the leafs are willing to give up Schenn and there # 7 pick, I would rather see that then drafting hedman. Hedman is going to take time to develop. We need players, but if we are getting anything less then 2 top 10 picks its not worth it.
-
Tom Barone says:
I agree 100% with ‘Mapisles’
Pick JT or I’m outta here. I’ve been an Isles fan since 1980 and I can’t take it any longer. I appreciate Wang and all he as done to keep the Islanders on LI, but seriously! this is a NO brain pick. MEANING you don’t even need a brain to make this selection SNOW! DO IT because no matter what you can’t wrong.
It’s possible JT wont be a Crosby level, but most probably will be able to put up 35 goals a year and be wearing the ‘C’ for the team in a few years. Who would not take that!?!
If the Isles stay true to form… THEY WONT take JT and trade down or do something else that’s stupid.
PICK JT and live with it. very little chance you will be disappointed and there is only an upside to him getting older, wiser, BIGGER and stronger. how can you go wrong?
-
I agree with everyone although theres 1 exception…if they somehow get that second pick into the top 5…then i say you go duchense and hedman
-
Quez says:
Right on Le Dude (45), I’m sure there has been an amazing amount of scouting and analysis over these top 3. Maybe Snowman and Janks have their minds made up and they are now scouting some of Tavheduch’s teammates for possible selection with one of the other picks.
-
Wait a minute… our GM and owner do their jobs correctly, personally scout a highly-regarded prospect, and people are flipping out? What, are we the NY Jets all of a sudden?
Calm down. This isn’t a game where you click “next day” and ta-da! Draft time! We’ve got 52 days to go. Heck, we could hire and fire a GM in that time, a lot can happen. Let it play out and try not to Freak! Out! over every move moment-to-moment.
-
Valentino, I did immediatly after the we won the draft lottery.
-
These are the two options I believe they should consider.
1) Draft Taveres, sign Bouwmeester (10 years 70 Mil, yes he is worth that contract, you build your team around someone like him).
2) draft Hedman, sign the Sedin twins. (we are one of the few teams with enough cap space to give them both very good contracts)
I prefer option 1 ONLY because of Bouwmeester. If it was purely about who I think we should draft, I still say Hedman.
-
Jimmy Mac says:
Maybe they were watching Hall… Our #1 pick next year.
I would trade down if it meant 2 or 3 more picks in the top 15 picks this year.
Or a few more first round picks in next years draft.
Lots of talent in the top ten.
Maybe we can pick up Kadri, Cowen,or Schroeder in addition to a top 3 pick.
If we can move to #2 or #3 and still get Hedman plus add a boatload of picks then do it.
-
kevin – bouwmeester, the sedin twins and pretty much any other big ufa’s aren’t coming here for a while. not until we start winning and our arena situation is resolved. i don’t think our draft will, or even should, impact our free agent signings or vice-versa.
-
rb says:
duchene = third line NHL center
probably replaces John Madden in NJ after we draft him, he flames out, and Devils pick up what’s at the curb
call Mayflower now for the trip west
-
Josh B. says:
re: UFA’s, get OVER yourselves and forget anyone coming here. Until there is some tangible progress with our draft picks, the only thing this team is going to be good for is to be a starting spot for youngsters or a finishing spot for aging vets.
-
Eric says:
#57-NO More 10 year deals! Boumeester is good and young but 10 years??? Havent we learned our lesson. Boumeester probably get a 7 year deal from ottawa this summer. 7 years 50 mill is my prediction.
-
puckhead68 says:
watching a player on u-tube is fun and all but you are only seeing the pretty goals or hits. That is not enough for anyone to say who is better. That said, this team needs to start scoring gooals. Tavares may not be as good as Crosby or Ovechkin but he will score more goals than Matt Duchene or Hedmaan. I agree that tyey have to atleast watch some of these guys play before making thier pick.
-
RichM says:
Boumeester did not have a good year at all. He is not a dominant defensemen. It is smart for Snow to meet with these kids. Duchene is considered the #2 pick by a lot of experts. It would be silly for Snow not to meet him.
-
This draft and the Isles pick reminds me so much of the 98 draft and Tampa. I was living in Tampa in 98 and followed the team closely while I was there. The whole season leading up to the draft Lecavalier was the first pick. Then the season ended, and Tampa knew they had the first pick, due to being able to swap firsts with San Jose via the Marchment deal. All summer long all of a sudden Vinny might not be the guy. All we would hear was maybe Stuart is the way to go. Get that stud D man we need. No, Legwand is the way to go blah blah blah. There was so much of this type of press that by the end of the playoffs a lot of us were starting to second guess weather Vinny was indeed the guy.
Then the draft came, and as soon as Tampa said Vinnies name, we all suudenly had this rush come over us like, hell yeah, thats the guy. cant believe I thought maybe someone else!
I think time has shown that they made the right choice.
And I like the fact that they are going to see these guys play. Tampa afterall got a good look at Richards when they were up watching Vinnie play. Then were able to grab him in the third round. That was the steal of the draft that year. -
Wildcat Chris says:
Only way I’ll accept it is if it’s Hedman AND Duchene instead of Tavares.
And CB, is it possible for Snow to hand our draftee a third jersey at the draft instead of a primary home jersey?
-
Pete M says:
Wang went on a scouting trip? Big Effing deal. He’s signing the checks, he’s entitled. Just because he’s there doesn’t mean he’s going to have input into which player is drafted. I say give the guy props for showing an interest and maybe trying to learn more about the game. And can we stop with the back up goalie crap already? Garth Snow is developing a pretty decent track record as a GM. When exactly does he get the benefit of the doubt with some people?
And personally I don’t see the problem with scouting all of the top candidates. Its called doing your job. Don’t you want the guy to have as much information as possible if he’s offered something big for the #1 pick? Or would you rather he be unprepared so you could complain later about what a horrible GM he is and how big an idiot Wang is? Sadly, I think some of you would prefer it. -
Well, aside from Datsyuk Richards was the steal of the draft. But you get my point.
-
Matt says:
good job by Garth and Mr. Wang looking at every option. for those who say they won’t accept drafting someone other than Tavares or Hedman, do you really have a choice? i trust the Islander scouts to make the right choice for our future.
-
bob l says:
OMG people, this is a non-story, when you have as much room to move around in the draft as the isles do, you have to pretty much see/meet as many of these kids as you can, there’s going to be a dozen of these trips (and a story for each one) in the next 7 weeks
-
kk says:
Tavares. End of story. I can’t believe everyone is wondering so fervently over who the Isles will pick. It’s obvious. JT.
-
Dack1972 says:
#40 Your cluless owner saved the islanders.If they do move is because of your politicians. Has he made mistakes-yes but i believe he’s trying to right the ship.
Name one bad move Garth Snow has made. HE signed the best free agent in 2008 and Doug Weight. Did a great job at last years draft. Has weeded out the non-believers on the team. Yes fans arefrustrated due to the Milbury years but I have faith in Garth will turn this team around. -
jonw says:
CHRIS M #8 they are only no names if you don’t follow the sport.
-
Chris M says:
It concerns me that Wang is part of our “scouting team”. Really? Sign the checks and get out of the way.
-
Steve says:
Dack1972 is correct. Isles were a great franchise until the Milbury years. It’s going to take awhile to recover from that. Be patient. It will work out. They have to look at all players involved-we all keep saying Tavares, Tavares, but are we all professional scouts? I sure as hel isn’t. I have heard many a time in all sports about sure-fire prospects that turn out to be busts. It’s out of our hands anyway, unless the Isles listen to the fans on that contest-which I hope they don’t have fans coerce them into drafting a player.
-
Steve K. says:
my ultimatum: draft tavares or i dont buy my season tickets next season and i will be completely 100% done with this team no matter what.
-
pablo says:
I agree with some here that Charles Wang should just stay out of it.
Oren Koules is a part owner/GM of the Team,where as Charles Wang is thee owner.The rest of the representives were all GM’s.
What does Wang know about prospects,drafts,or Hockey period. This is where the Islanders fall short and need real Hockey people to run the Org.
The only thing Wang knows is $$$ and that troubles me with a guy like Tavares ($$$) -
Mike from Oceanside says:
If I’m not mistaken, but aren’t there other players on the ice besides Matt? Perhaps they could be looking at someone else for the later picks in the upcoming draft? Granted, I don’t see an owner traveling internationaly to see someone they may be looking at for a 2nd round pick, but perhaps packaging those picks & possible players & prospects to move up to the #3 so they’ll have the #1 and the #3 this year? Just a thought….
-
It’s amazing how everyone on this board is a season ticket holder that will not renew their packages if they don’t draft Taveres. But as of now their sales are up 40% from this point last season and inquiries are up 300%. So I don’t think they will really care what the “season ticket holders” on here will do.
-
Phil C says:
Mr. Botta’s man-crush notwitstanding, tavares is not a savior. their diligence is welcome, prudent and good management. as for all the draft JT or i am outta here folks – what if a trade brought us a top 5 and an all star in his late 20s signed for a few years. you have to at least listen to those offers – and if its good enough you take it.
-
Jack says:
Wow #13, could you be anymore of a racist? I knew people would freak out over this because to know a hockey fan is to know that at least 50% of them are completely ignorant to the sport they claim to follow. Charles Wang is about to throw a boat load of money at a kid who can’t even legally drink and yet there are people saying he has no business watching these kids play? And they shouldn’t look at the top three prospects before they make a choice? Maybe even just to throw some other teams off the scent? The only thing that’s going on is the management is doing their job and unlike the fans, most of whom haven’t ever seen Travares play but have declared him the next coming of Wayne Gretsky, they want to make the right choices for the future of this franchise. That doesn’t mean they aren’t picking JT, just that they are looking at all of their options and driving the asking price for the number one pick through the roof. That is what a good GM should do for the future of the team. Imagine if someone wants Hedman so bad and they think we might take him so they package their second pick along with their first next year so they can move up to grab him first and we still get JT?! THINK PEOPLE! There are at LEAST a dozen scenarios that could work out to benefit the Islanders tremendously yet some of you want them to declare their intentions now?! I guess it’s true what they say, ignorance IS bliss.
-
Boumeister is not coming here. Will you guys stop it already!!!. The guy wants out of Florida so he can play for a winner. Let’s get back to reality please.
-
because, kevin fitz, why pay to support a team where i dont agree on a decision they make? I can just as easily go an hour before a game and get the $10 seats and not pay $3,000. season ticket holders know that they can get the tickets MUCH cheaper, but they chose to pay because they are supporting a team they believe in. and as far as sales up 40% and inquiries up 300% that’s great, just another reason why they wont need me or my money if they screw it up at the draft.
-
#77 If they draft Tavares I’m getting some kind of plan. If they don’t I’m watching on TV. I’m sure there are tons of people who feel the same way. Sales up 40% is not a lot when you don’t have any season ticket holders to begin with and the inquiries being up 300% mean nothing unless they draft JT.
-
This isnt as non-an-issue as everyone thinks. I mean Im not getting all worried about the Isles not drafting Tavares but it says something when your owner goes to watch a player. Wang isnt going to watch the rest of Dushesnes teammates play for one of the later draft picks. You guys are out of your minds if you think that. Thats Ryan Jankowski and Snows job. Wang likes to be involved but not THAT involved that he’s out there looking for late 1st, early 2nd round picks.
Snow has to pick who he thinks is best for the team. Raise your hand if you’ve been scouting these guys game in and game out for a year? If you have then I’ll respect your opinion. If youre not than your just going by what everyone else is going by, hype and statistics.
Ill tell you one thing though, Wangs letting everyone in the world know how much money hes losing, well I guarantee you he’ll sell a lot more Tavares jerseys than he will Duchesne or Hedman
-
Phil says:
I have no problem with this…their being as thorough as they can.
-
Honestly, this draft would be the only time we would want Wangs input into. Wang will favor the guy who puts people in the stands and jerseys sold. That is obviously Tavares. We should hope Wang gets involved with this one.
-
It’s funny, I kind of hope they don’t draft JT just so we can get rid of the “fans” who are threatening the team with abandondment. Hey we’ll evn throw a party for you guys at the coliseum! A going away party that would be even sweeter if they were to somehow land Hedman AND Duchene in return for the #1. Then you guys can move to whichever town were to get JT since you have declared you are a bigger fan of a kid you have never watched play hockey over your own team. Unbelievable, what a waste of energy.
-
beatlebailey says:
Wang should do whatever the he** he wants. It is his team and his money. If he wants to go watch the prospects, more power to him. I love all of the posters who want to tell Wang what to do. He has lost a FORTUNE on this team. I am happy to have an owner who is passionate about his team. I just wish he hired the right GM over the years..lol
-
84- and we’ll throw a party for you when tavares becomes a great player somewhere else and i can give you a big fat “i told you so”. go with the best guy like every other team. stop trading picks, moving down, throwing in a 8th a 24th and 101st pick for this guy or that guy plus this guy. enough already its b.s!
-
Chris Mc says:
oh and Chris M with the draft pick post…I didnt go down the whole list but just looking at picks 3-5, Barker, Ladd, and Wheeler all came into their own this year and had great seasons. Ladd and Wheeler would have led the Isles fowards in scoring this year.
But there is one thing that comes out of your post, they were drafted 5 years ago and theyre just becoming impact players now. So if we trade down it may take a few years to see the results of whoever we draft
-
Whens the Alexander Daigle “I told you so party”? I didn’t get my invitation. There’s no such thing as a sure thing.
-
Hale says:
to post 94..its in the brian lawton patrick stefan conference room
-
Yashin for President says:
Lets just get excited for whatever happens, This years training camp could be one of the most interesting one in a while between draft picks and newly signed players… Lets stay positive!
-
oh pete m so predictable… lets go through first some recent #1 picks and point out the flop to success ration.
88-modano = superstar
89-sundin = superstar
90-nolan = very good nhl’er
91-lindros= superstar when healthy
92-hamrlik= flop for #1
93-daigle = obvious
94-jovonowski = very good nhl’er
95-berard = calder winner before injury
96-c phillips = very good nhl’er
97-thornton = superstar
98-lecavalier = superstar
99-stefan = flop
00-d.p. = lots of potential when healthy
01-kovalchuk = superstar
02-nash = superstar
03-fleury = potential superstar
04-ovechkin = superstar
05-crosby = superstar
06-johnson = stud dman
07-kane = superstar
08-stamkor = potential superstar17 out of 21 have been incredible success. but your right pete, we should just take the 3rd best player available. your invitations in the mail.
-
Lets get this straight. JT is no Daigle. Not even close. There is no such thing as a sure thing. But one thing is clear is that JT is as close to a sure thing you are gonna get in this draft. im ordering my #91 jersey.
-
kabbage says:
I am glad that Wang and Snow are actually going and watching draft eligible players. For one thing, if I had hundreds of millions of dollars invested (lost), I would like to know what is going on. I like that he takes an interest. This doesn’t mean that he is telling Garth who to pick or not.
I like that Garth is actually watching prospects rather than just reading hockey tabloids and drafting based on what the tabloids say (unlike many of those who post here).
Don’t forget that the Islander have 10 or more players to draft this year. We can’t just make the first overall pick and then fake it from there. They are doing their homework. I’m guessing they saw Katic, Martin, and DiBo when they were watching Stamkos!
And to those of you who criticize Garth because he used to be a backup goalie and praise Burke because he was a ______?????
-
the bomber says:
so the caps got ovechkin #1 and green in the high 20s the same year? man could we use that this year. mvp and norris trophy winner both? ok, ill just settle for 2 perennial all stars. tavares AND cowen, ekman larsson, or kulikov. how pumped will this site be?? book it. garth trades up into top ten to nab whatever of these three are left and we have a party. and if anyone can guarantee that hedman will be better than these guys at this stage they are full of it…
it scares me that duchene, the lock down defensive center, just lost 10-1 in the playoffs.
-
Dave Chyzowski says:
i was a sure thing…. Dave
-
pete debenedetto says:
Played on a team that lost 10-1?? Hey, he fits right in.
-
Agree with #98. Can we stop with the “we have a backup goalie as a GM” nonsense already. We have an NHL GM as a GM. Whether or not you believe he’s a good GM is open to debate but stop with the backup goalie crap already.
-
i think Wang is going just that they can say on draft day that is was an exhaustive effort where even Wang was involved (thats why he met him and not Duchene) and even after meeting JT and all the Islanders scouts they STIL chose JT! they specifically want to show that their choice of Tavares (which it WILL for sure be) was an independent one, not based on the media etc.. Snow is gonna say that they met him and he was special.. yada yada..
Plus their gonna use the isl;ander polls to bring home the same point.. that the islander fans wanted him too.. that he’s OUR guy. we’re ALL islanders… that same stuff. thats why Wang goes thats why they have draft poll. they want to make the pick intrisic.Gimme a break about Duchene btw (even WITH HEdman) he’s a 30 goal 50 point scorer in JUNIORS a dime a dozen. a travis green player- he’s not even comparable. Hedman is just tall.. he didn t have mindblowing stats or accomplishments. they were average. John Tavares did. i wouldnt want travis green or Tom Fitzgerald or Ducehene (whatever his name is) and Hedman for Tavares.
-
Kabbage — the complaint about Garth, or at least my complaint, is not going from backup goalie to GM, it’s going DIRECTLY from backup goalie to GM. I know it’s not unprecedented for a player to jump into a management role, but I’d have felt better personally if he would have at least served for 3-5 years as an assistant GM, or even as a scout. He’s been GM since 06-07 season, and frankly I have no idea what my opinion of him is yet. No experience, some decent moves, some head-scratchers…but more than anything else, a lot of moves that we’re told we can’t judge for years to come. If nothing else, I guess that’s great job security
I’m willing to give him the time he needs, but in priciple, even if it works in this case, I think it’s a risky and unnecessary move to put a player with no sort of managerial or scouting experience directly into the GM’s chair, no matter how great a guy he may be. Just my opinion.
-
Hedman was playing in the Swedish Elite League Chyzer. That is a far better level of competition than the OHL. He was rookie of the year there and his stats are VERY impressive for a DMAN in that league. A rookie one none the less
-
UIF – Snow has a MBA in business from U of Maine. Right there shows he has the business background and he was in the league for tons of years so he knew everyone in the league. I loved the idea of Snowy as our GM back in 06-07 and I love it now. Yes, he learned a very hard and valuable lesson in the summer of 2007 when Smyth, Drury and Gomez would not sign with us. So what did he do? He didn’t panic. He regrouped and made the smart decision that a rebuild was the best route for this organization to go to both get back into contention and to regain respectability around the league. Ya, he sounds like a buffoon that came up from the bench to be a GM.
-
Jon Mac says:
The lack of hockey knowledge shown by some of the people on this site blows my mind. Anyone who criticizes Snow and Wang for scouting all of the prospects in the top ten is crazy. This is all part of the process. Look at the NFL. They bring in hundreds of players for visits. You have to have contingency plans. What happens if the Islanders have a chance to move up into the top five by trading a combination of picks and players? Do you want them to have not scouted the other players in the top five?
Also anyone who says they will not renew their season tickets because the Islanders did not draft the player they liked should go ahead and turn them in now. You obviously are not a true fan.
-
Steve K., in my scenario we received Hedman and Duchene. So you’re declaring those two guys won’t be succesful based on what? Also you completely missed my point. When I said “what a waste of energy” I was referring to the racist remarks, the over reacting, the bad mouthing of Snows intentions which not one person is privy to. There is an over 90% chance Snow is going to take JT and people like you are in here trashing him, Wang, and the team. So when Snow does take JT where does that leave you? You would’ve wasted two months of energy worrying and bad mouthing your own team over nothing.”go with the best guy like every other team. stop trading picks, moving down, throwing in a 8th a 24th and 101st pick for this guy or that guy plus this guy. enough already its b.s”! You see how silly that is? You’re making a statement as if this has already happened. You are wasting your breath, surely you can see what a negative effect it is having on you. You are mad over something that hasn’t even happened! LOL
-
i want tavares, but dont discount that hedman was slightly hurt, playing in North america with a time change, etc while Tavares was playing at home in familiar rinks in front of packed partisan crowds.
we need tavares more, but dont discount how impressive it was for hedman, at 17, to thrive in the #2 professional league in the world.
its much more impressive playing vs grown men than a point per game in the OHL.
as ive said though, gimme tavares and a top ten defensemen and ill be doing cartwheels.
-
Kevin Fitz — I hear you on the MBA, but there is a very big difference between schooling and experience. Even with an MBA in business, Snow would likely not have gotten a C-suite exec job at a major company without any actual experience. He’d work his way up, which I think would have been ideal in this case — work under a guy who’s been there and knows the ins and outs for a few years. Eh, whatever, what’s done is done. I guess I’m just a lot more conservative in my decisionmaking than Wang is.
-
John says:
AGREE. Pick JT or I am outta here!
-
Steve K – Let me preface this by saying that given the choice between Tavares and Hedman, my choice is Tavares. My only point was it is prudent to explore all options. How many of the guys on your list were clear cut choices over the other draftees in their particular year? Its easy to just post a list of names out of context. By all accounts both Victor Hedman and Matt Duschene would fit on your list as a ‘potential superstar’ or ‘very good nhl’er’ (and maybe even ‘superstar’ for Hedman). The choice this year is obviously not anywhere close to clear cut, which is why we’re having this discussion in the first place. That is also why I wouldn’t be all that upset if we passed on Tavares if offered a ‘blow me away’ type of package.
-
Oh Steve K…too easy. You are only looking at those taken with the first pick. Why not mention some of the others that could have been drafted if the GMs maybe looked at more than the first pick (which I’m positive they did). Lets take a look (in brackets).
88-modano = superstar
89-sundin = Sundin was not a superstar (Lidstrom, Federov, P. Bure)
90-nolan = (Jagr drafted at 5 – ’nuff said)
91-lindros= superstar when healthy (which he wasn’t much – #6 taken was Forsberg)
92-hamrlik= flop for #1 (Yashin, Gonchar)
93-daigle = too easy
94-jovonowski = injury-prone(Theodore, Elias, Drury, Smyth)
95-berard = (Berard was cut short but I will mention Iginla anyway)
96-c phillips = (Briere)
97-thornton = superstar
98-lecavalier = superstar
99-stefan = (Sedins, Havlat, me)
00-d.p. = (Gaborik, Heatley)
01-kovalchuk = superstar
02-nash = (Boumeester?, Ward?, toss up)
03-fleury = (Staal, Phaneuf)
04-ovechkin = superstar
05-crosby = superstar
06-johnson = (Toews, Backstrom, Kessell)
07-kane = too early
08-stamkor = too earlyWe could argue some who were better, but my point is there are two sides to a story and you have proven the opposite point of what you are trying to make. Meaning, the Islanders should look at a few candidates and draft who they feel is the best, not who YOU feel is the best.
I also laugh at your sometimes liberal use of the term ‘superstar’ (e.g. Sundin, Fleury, Nash). HaHa.
-
Hedman played against men and Tavares “only” played in OHL…Great arguement. Except for the fact that Tavares dominated at the WJC, while the mans man Hedman was sub par by all professional accounts.
Now what ?
-
dipietro no. 1 overall = complete bomb
you watch the playoffs, you look at the the teams that just missed, and you say to yourself, 99% of these teams have goaltenders better than dipietro, many of them younger
that is what happens when you insist on being the poster-franchise for THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX…stay inside the BOX omn draft day!
-
Hud says:
Hah, it’s all good, Garth and Charles are doing what they should do, if they weren’t looking at all the players, then I would be worried.
-
Spartiarti - RVC says:
Hope you Hedman fans are taken this in.
1)Hedman didnt even make the Swed National team while even some of best players are in NHL playoffs.
2)Scouts say Doughty is better than Hedman. Some once in lifetime dman. Seems like once a year.
3) tavares was mvp of jr world champions, Hedman that guy that plays with men rather than juniors had horrible tournement
4) tavares stats back up all the hype. What do Hedman stats say.So while hedman sounds like great #2, #3 choice. Isles have the #1. John tavares guys.
For you guys worried eaten up all the Duchene Garbage. Kirk Muller was viewed as the safer all round better hockey player pick over Mario Lemieux. Pens made no mistake in their choice. You take the Game Changer, Not the safe pick.
-
119 – I like your style.
Tavares rules, Hedman drools.
-
wow I got some fans on this board lol!! let me respond to each:
Jack, 110: You are mad over something that hasn’t even happened! LOL
Answer: pardon me for being skeptical, you do remember this is THE islanders, we have been known to make wacky drafts and trades. i am just preparing for the worst.
Pete M, 114: My only point was it is prudent to explore all options. How many of the guys on your list were clear cut choices over the other draftees in their particular year? Its easy to just post a list of names out of context.
Answer: i agree, it is prudent to explore all options. i dont know how many were clear cut choices, i would estimate probably half or more? my list was just trying to show that when a team simply takes their number 1 pick and doesnt try to outsmart everyone, more times than not their #1 pick turns out very good.
Smitty, 115: We could argue some who were better, but my point is there are two sides to a story and you have proven the opposite point of what you are trying to make. Meaning, the Islanders should look at a few candidates and draft who they feel is the best, not who YOU feel is the best.
I also laugh at your sometimes liberal use of the term ’superstar’ (e.g. Sundin, Fleury, Nash). HaHa.
Answer: I liked your list in brackets, and your right lets not argue about who was better between them. I dont think I was liberal in calling some superstars, I think we can say Sundin, Fleury and Nash are/were superstars in this league who carries(d) they’re respective teams. My point is this, those teams that picked #1 didn’t probably didnt screw around trying to trade the pick to make something more out of it. they took they’re guy and more times than not made a great choice.
-
Goodbye Goatwoman says:
Steve K, take a deep breath and count to three.
Then count the number of posts you’ve already made.
Please respect the rules.
http://www.islanderspointblank.com/2008/12/comment-guidelinesthese-are-effective-immediately/ -
Anthony says:
I wish/i want people to stop freaking out about these meetings. Yes i want Tavares drafted so very badly. He is a pure goal scorer, something we have lacked for all too long now. But people have to stop bitching and crying about this. So what if they draft Matt Duchene?!? Who would not want a great two way player who has been compared to Stevey Y, and Sackic. Who would not want a guy we can build around along with Okposo and Bailey. But that’s not the point. There are bigger issues here. This team might not be here in a few seasons. That is the most important issue. An issue that we must somehow do everything we can to get resolved. So if you ask me, i rather the Islanders pass on Tavares for the next 50 years straight, rather then draft him and move. Lets just have some perspective. As long as this team is here is all that matters to me. Everything else will fall in to place, we just have to give it some time.
-
Just to comment on Chris Botta’s-comment that a few scouts told him that Drew Doughty is better than Hedman. I’m sure there are a bunch of scouts that would also Take Hedman over Doughty. According to TSN.CA one GM ranked Hedman the 3rd best Franchise Player in the game today..(Only Crosby & Ovechkin are better in his opinion)…But lets not forget who Drew Doughty is; he has been called the next Ray Bourque..He is not your typical Solid young player. He is expected to be a 20 goal a year, 25 minutes a game Dman, can skate end to end, is as smooth as silk, and has some some toughness…Since Phanuef had an off year this year & Green isn’t a stud Defensively, Doughty could be considered the best young Dman in the NHL today(going into next season)..Hedman could never become as good as Doughty and still end up playng in 10 All Star games. Chris was 100% right in saying Hedman is not a ‘once a generation Dman’..The ’2nd best Dman in the last 3 years’ would still be quite impressive though.
-
dave chyzowski says:
they will take tavares
-
Hoser14 says:
Duchene over J.T.—NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!NO!No!No!No!
Enough already with the Maple Loafs plot for J.T. to tumble down to them. Sign J.T. now so we came have some piece of mind.
-
On Edge says:
JT is the only choice for me. That said…the Battalion uniform is too damn cool. love the sgt stripes.
-
isles72 says:
I think a team like Phoenix who are sitting in the 5th slot will be the one to watch .They have enough pieces in place to make the isles a very generous offer for #1
-
Lost Kangaroo (66): Interesting viewpoint, thank you for sharing.
Steve K(78): One thing I would not mind would be that all these daily threats and all the alleged season ticket holding fans that make them would be gone. Man, would THAT be nice!
And BTW, Moose (20) and Pete M (68): I agree with you both. There are actually a number of people talking sense on here, and Im really glad to see it.
-
valentina, find someone – anyone who thinks that the competition in the OHL is even close to that of the Swedish Elite League and I’ll admit i was wrong. I want Tavares but can only hope his game carries over when playing vs MEN. Hedman has already proven he can do it as rookie of the year (at 17). The world juniors is against juniors, not men. and anyone who thinks hedman would play in the meaningless world championships a month before the draft is out of touch with reality.
again, i want tavares, but this is a lot closer call then most of you are making it.
-
Steve K (121)
I guess I expect more from superstars then
I’ve followed quite a few drafts and have been getting The Hockey News since I can remember (the Sundin draft is as far back as I can remember- #$@#$Chyzowski) and there always seems to be questions on whether the team making the first pick will trade the pick, who they might pick instead, etc. Even with no-brainers like Joe Thorton there was always a little speculation. Anyways, you said:“My point is this, those teams that picked #1 didn’t probably didnt screw around trying to trade the pick to make something more out of it. they took they’re guy and more times than not made a great choice.”
Since you are making an unsubstantiated statement about a team’s management and what they thought/did, so will I: I bet they did at least discuss the possibilities. And secondly, Garth Snow has never said he is trying to make something more of the pick so why are you freaking out? Is it because he hasn’t phoned you to let you know what he is thinking?
The reason why there is alot of rumours flying around concerning this is threefold:
1) In Canada we eat hockey rumours as if they were Alberta beef;
2) Burke got the T.O. media going. The Toronto newspapers sell better when they write about the Leafs (the Sunshine girls don’t work as well when real life girls come out in the Spring); and
3) Snow won’t tip his hand to anything when asked, which allows people to speculate all they want. Does that mean that Snow should tip his hand because you can’t handle these rumours? 99% of hockey rumours turn out to be false, even Lebrun in his CBC hotstove segment didn’t seem too convinced about these “rumblings out of Long Island” – and he is fairly solid in his reporting.I say take Tavares. But if the scouts think better of Hedman or Duschene then I think GArth should listen to them and not me.
Either way, the Islanders will get a great player. Snow has done nothing to make me think otherwise.
-
txdbog says:
June 26 just needs to come and go QUICK! all of this baggage surrounding the pick is mentally exhausting. i cant believe hockey life is this difficult
-
Will C says:
Garth Snow comes out of retirement, gets signed by the Rangers, Dipietro retires, becomes GM, Isles trade 1st pick to Rangers for Snow and Sean Avery….Was it a dream or did I read it in the Toronto Globe? You decide….
-
if i recall correctly – last year tampa interviewed every prospect they could even though they went with the obvious pick in tavares. could be just for future reference. i find the overaction pretty funny. i have faith in snow and jankowski to make the right decision, whatever that may be.
-
art says:
Getting back to the real PROBLEM, keeping the team on the Island. Nassau and suffolk are two of the richest inthe US! Lots of corporate money many affluent residents. There are individuals and corps. that can and would buy the franchise under the right circumstances. I beleive that charles wang wants to get out of this mess but is probably trying very hard to make a deal that will keep them here under new ownership. Its called creative capitalism.
-
CB: Can you ask Wang if he is indeed shopping the team? It seemed like a bad call on his part to “regret” owning the team when the lighthouse project momentum seemed to be swaying his direction.
-
Reply to: #126 isles72: Small Correction. Phoenix doesn’t Draft #5..They have #6 & #21 in 1st rd…But your right they could be a good trading partner…Kyle Turris 2007 3rd overall-6’1 170..63-8-12-20 (-15)…..Peter Mueller 2006 8th overall..6’2 205..72-13-23-36(-7)…..Michael Boedker 2008 8th overall 5’11 201 ..78-11-17-28….Viktor Tikhnov(who Snow tried to move up to #28 overall last year to draft(rumor)..6’2 187-61-8-8-16…Martin Hanzal 2005 17th overall 6’5 208…74-11-20-31(-4)..The Forward who might the best of bunch- Enver Lison 2004 50th overall 6’1 183..48-13-8-21-(-13)…Also former NYR Goalie: Al Montoya 2004 6th overall 6’2..A lot of injuries have slowed him down but lots of talent…Also former NYR 30 Goal man Petr Prucha……I’m sure Gretzky would love to get Tavares…Phoenix certainly has the pieces to make a move.
-
kreatiiv says:
i have been a fan since the very first islanders season (ok technically even longer than that since my dad had season tickets to the long island ducks at that little arena next to the roller rink before they paid the rangers franchise to enter the NHL) and i will always be an islander fan…. as long as they are on long island that is! so who they choose wont end my career as a fan…. but i still agree with the most basic of lines….
you can teach defense but you cant teach how to be a sniper.
and as explosive a skater as hedman might be, JT is an explosive SCORER and thats what this team needs more than anything right now. GOALS that arent predictable and someone that can put the puck in the net without telegraphing the scoring attempt from the moment they come out of their own end.
defense can be taught…. i dont see anyone mentioning here that as good as chara is NOW, when he was with the isles he literally sucked goose eggs most of the time…. more turnovers and lanky, awkward plays than you would see from him now…. defense takes a looong time to develop and mature to the NHL level than does a scorer.
thats because defense, in the NHL, is just as much of a learning curve as it is a natural talent…. the talent has to be there, but the skills must also be learned in the bigtime.
scoring – you either have the hand-eye coordination and the timing and the nose for the scoring opportunities or you DONT. you cant learn it, it cant be taught, it rarely gets better as a career goes on. it is either there, or it isnt.
so i say go with the hands and the quick plays and get the goal scorer this team desperately needs.
-
BTBoss says:
Spartiarti AKA “LB” Tavares is not Mario!!!! Not even close…. Maybe a Rick Nash type but not Mario. Take a look back at that draft… Nash over Bouwmeester? Many might say Bouwmeester has more value to any team. Many will say Nash. The Isles would love to have ether one of them in a heartbeat. The team has to many hole to be filled by one player. Any of the top 3 would be a great place to start. I would take JT 1st overall… if there’s no offer to improve the team’s building plan. But they have to listen to all offers and if they can still get top guys like Duchene and/or Hedman and them some. I think you listen and listen very hard.
And for thinking Duchene or Hedman is not worth taking a look.
Who you you rather have Ilya Kovalchuk or Jason Spezza? Spezza was talked about for years before draft and at the top of the list most of the year.
Who you rather have Alexander Ovechkin or Evgeny Malkin? Malkin was at the top of the list all season if I remember correctly. no loser here
Everyone that been reading CB all season knows it been a 3 horse race with Tavares, Duchene, and Hedman. 1a-1b-1c
-
Steve K (121)
I guess I expect more from superstars than you“My point is this, those teams that picked #1 didn’t probably didnt screw around trying to trade the pick to make something more out of it. they took they’re guy and more times than not made a great choice.”
Since you are making an unsubstantiated statement about a team’s management and what they thought/did, so will I: I bet they did at least discuss the possibilities. And secondly, Garth Snow has never said he is trying to make something more of the pick so why are you freaking out? Is it because he hasn’t phoned you to let you know what he is thinking?
The reason why there is alot of rumours flying around concerning this is threefold:
1) In Canada we eat hockey rumours as if they were Alberta beef;
2) Burke got the T.O. media going. The Toronto newspapers sell better when they write about the Leafs (the Sunshine girls don’t work as well when real life girls come out in the Spring); and
3) Snow won’t tip his hand to anything when asked, which allows people to speculate all they want. Does that mean that Snow should tip his hand because you can’t handle these rumours? 99% of hockey rumours turn out to be false, even Lebrun in his CBC hotstove segment didn’t seem too convinced about these “rumblings out of Long Island” – and he is fairly solid in his reporting.
I say take Tavares. But if the scouts think better of Hedman or Duschene, or they can improve the team with a trade down and drafting one of these three then I think Garth should listen to them and not me. Either way, the Islanders will get a great player. Snow has done nothing to make me think otherwise. -
thats completely not the reality of the situation #134, the JT media hype machine draft status as the #1 overall started 5 years ago, once the ohl waived rules to let him play under “superstar” status or whatever clause they invoked to let him play (he was 5 days too young technically) he’d be on the lightning right now if the NHL made the same exception as the ohl did
-
sorry, meant #139, but my point still stands, JT was earmarked as the #1 years ago and now the gap closes to 1a-b-c? nope, not buying it, media needs to create stories and it’s all about spurring debate
-
Tavares rules, Hedman drools
-
CB,get E.J McGuire on the phone.
Will Doughty be a better all around d-man the Hedman?
Will Tavares have a bigger inpact on the league then Hedman? -
Can we please take out Matt Duchene of the picture. he’s a 30 GOAL SCORER IN JUNIORS!!! he’s a poor man’s Tom Fitzgerald (remeber him) a 4th liner. fast two way skilled player. a dime a dozen
its either HEdman or Tavares. I dont think its even close between the two. Tavares has proved it. there are those that argue that the boys from OHL are better than most Swedes in their league. who knows. I just think that from what we’ve seen, that Tavares has “it” that desire to win and the willingness to get the goal and put Canada on his back.
even his recent play.. give the kid a freakin break!!! he just played the world juniors got a gold medal,, got traded, got injured.. the kid needs to breathe.. how can he not burn out, plus he’s been in this league for 4 years??? i dont buy it. he’s gonna come out flying in the NHL and will tear up the league, i expect 40 goals rookie year, honestly.
Hedman is skilled, he happns to be 6-6, so what. he doesnt seem to hit or have nastiness like pronger. i will list saome decent defensemen you may know under 6-2:
Leech
MacInnis
Bobby Orr
Potvin
LIDSTROM
Bourque
CoffeyNone of these guys were that big. they were just great. greatness doesnt necessarily have to do with size. sometimes you get somneone big that is out of world (the only one i can think of is Lemieux) talented. otherwise the only comp. to lidstrom is Sweden.. pretty lame.
YOU TAKE TAVARES.
215 ohl goals
72 while he was 16.
still leads league in scoring and points when he has played 4 years and with nothing left to prove. -
Jim M says:
I just read over a whole timeline of isles history since the the golden years and I just get sick to my stomach. PLEASE PLEASE make the right move here, the simple one, the one that finally brings a true scorer here. Please no draft day deals. How many more times are we gonna be at the very bottom in scoring each season? PLEASE TAKE TAVARES
-
Spezza was the king of his draft class for years before (look it up). The last year he was surpassed early on by Kovalchuk – so it definately happens. Even before the season started Hedman had surpassed Tavares (check out the ISS rankings on TSN) but the WJHC changed all that. Does that mean that Tavares is a no brainer? I don’t think so, not in the slightest. I’m all for drafting Tavares but it really is alot closer than people think.
I hope it’s because they plan on trading up, not down.