Monthly Archives: May 2009
It was only a matter of time, but Greg Logan has it first. Assistant coach Dan Lacroix, inherited by Scott Gordon from Ted Nolan’s staff, is out. Strength and conditioning coach Chris Schwarz, whom I’d heard for a while would eventually return to his practice in Ottawa, has stepped down. As Logan reports, the move has zilch to do with the man-games lost to injury. No word yet on assistant coach John Chabot, the lone holdover from Ted’s staff. John’s a good coach, well-respected, appeared to have a solid working relationship with Gordon. Whether the head coach completely clears the deck, we’ll know soon. Comments.
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While watching Pens-Caps tonight with my three young sons, I asked them this question:
Would you trade the Islanders’ first overall pick to Pittsburgh for Evgeni Malkin?
“What about for Crosby?” Not an option, boys. “What about for Ovechkin?” Not happening, guys.
Your only choice: the first overall pick for Malkin. Do you do it?
Aidan, age 10: “Yes”!
Luke, 8: “You hafta”!
Cole, 8: “I don’t think I would. Malkin’s amazing but Tavares is going to be great and he would be an Islander from the start.”
I love all my kids, but I’m with Cole on this one.
Malkin is amazing, probably already better than Tavares will ever be. There is also the theory – just as Sergei Federov was brilliant on the nights Steve Yzerman was out of the lineup – that if Malkin had his own show, he’d become even more dominant.
Call me old-fashioned or worse (and you know you will), but I like my favorite teams’ players to be home-grown whenever possible. There’s a reason Yankee fans have extra love for Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams and Andy Pettite and Jorge Posada. There’s a reason Islander fans love Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy and Clark Gillies and Bobby Nystrom and Stefan Persson and Denis Potvin and Ken Morrow and Duane Sutter and…holy crap, Torrey and Devellano had quite a run, eh?
You draft a potential franchise player and watch him embrace the franchise and the community. You trade for a franchise player…maybe he’s just not that into you.
You draft a potential franchise player like Tavares and you have him for at least 8 years of home-grown stardom and then reward him with an 8-year deal for the rest of his prime. You trade for a franchise player like Malkin, and maybe you have him for four years. He has no emotional ties and loyalty to the team or the region and he’s that much closer to unrestricted free agency at age 26 in the new-age NHL. Is that how you build a consistent contender?
Yes, I know – we’re talking Evgeni Frickin’ Malkin here.
It’s a good thing Pittsburgh will never make the offer straight-up. The Penguins would want more, a lot more. The 22-year old Malkin for the first pick alone would be too good to pass up.
But I would. I’d break the rule for Crosby or Ovechkin, but those are exceptions.
“Those are really big exceptions,” said Cole.
Here’s to the Islanders using the pick and drafting Tavares an Islander.
Comments.
Today, we turn our focus to the prospects the Islanders could grab with the 26th pick (from Ottawa in the Chris Campoli deal), by making a deal to move from pick 26 to anywhere in the 12-22 range, and possibly with the 31st and 37th overall selections.
Heading into this draft, the Islanders’ prospect chart has holes all over the place. Heading into this draft, the Islanders’ prospect chart is inarguably in the back half of the league, arguably in the bottom third. There is still a lot of work to be done. A successful 2009 draft, coupled with the development of prospects selected from 2006-2008, could place them around 10th by this time next year.
Among the Islanders’ needs, one of the most obvious is size and skill on the wings. The list of the Islanders’ top junior, college and European prospects is short on scoring forwards with great size. The exception, Kirill Petrov, is under contract for the next three years in Russia. 2008 5th round pick Matt Martin is expected to be more of an intangibles, bottom-six wing. In Bridgeport, 6-4, 225-pound Jesse Joensuu likely maxes out as a second-line player.
For certain, this draft is not bountiful in first round power forwards, but there is quality of players with size and skill - especially if the Islanders want to make a bold move. Here are a few of their options.
ZACK KASSIAN (pictured above and left): 6-3, 210-pound right wing with Peterborough (OHL) destined to be an NHL fan favorite. Hits, fights, leads, scores (24-39-63 and 136 PIMs in 61 games).
NHL Central Scouting: 10th among North American skaters
International Scouting Service: 20th overall
Point Blank projected draft range: 12 – 22nd pick overall
Islanders value: Worth trading an early 2 to move up to 15-18 to grab? Absofrigginlutely.
CARTER ASHTON: 6-2, 205-pound right wing with Lethbridge (WHL) is your classic Western power forward. His numbers (30-20-50 and 93 PIMs in 71 games) are solid for an 18-year old big man, but prove he has more to learn.
NHL Central Scouting: 12th among N.A. skaters.
International Scouting Service: outside of top-30
Point Blank projected draft range: 14 – 24th pick overall
Islanders value: Not worth trading one of the team’s early second round picks to move up to grab Ashton, but if it costs the late second (from Boston) or a third round pick to go from 26 to, say, 22 and get him because he’s high on their board, then they could go for it.
CHRIS KREIDER: 6-2, 210-pound left wing/center is on his way to Boston College after dominating at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.
NHL Central Scouting: 14th among N.A. skaters.
International Scouting Service: 24th overall
Point Blank projected draft range: 14 – 24th pick overall
Islanders value: Will likely be gone before the 26th pick. All depends on how badly the Islanders want him.
JORDAN CARON: Talented 6-2 forward with Rimouski of the Quebec League can play wing and center. In 56 games this season was 36-31-67. Could look nice on a second line with Josh Bailey.
NHL Central Scouting: 21st among N.A. skaters.
International Scouting Service: 25th overall
Point Blank projected draft range: 20 – 30th pick overall
Islanders value: The team might be able to wait for him at 26, which would be excellent value for a player of this upside.
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Here are two centers the Islanders could select. They have size, skill and hockey sense and could still be around in the 26-37 range.
ETHAN WEREK: 6-2, 200-pound two-way center in the mold of Mike Richards. 32-32-64 in 61 games with Kingston of the Ontario League.
NHL Central Scouting: 32nd among N.A. skaters.
International Scouting Service: 26th overall
Point Blank projected draft range: 22 - 32nd pick overall
Islanders value: No need to make a move up from 26th if the Islanders have John Tavares, Josh Bailey and Frans Nielsen down the middle. But a strong pick, and a center who could possibly be converted to wing, if the Islanders can get Werek between 26 and 37.
JOONAS NATTINEN: Solid performance at the World Junior Championships opened scouts’ eyes to the 6-2, 195-pound two-way center. His advocates believe there is more offensive ability than he has shown so far.
NHL Central Scouting: 10th among European skaters.
International Scouting Service: 28th overall
Point Blank projected draft range: 24 – 34th pick overall
Islanders value: A major wild card the Islanders can wait to come to them early in the second round. Maybe someday he can be part of a line with Joensuu.
Comments on this topic only here. The Josh Bailey and player-fan experience discussion continues in next thread.
Dave Seibert is a 37-year old native of Commack, Long Island now living in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. His love for the Islanders and the game of hockey has remained. Dave coaches a squirt team in nearby Franklin and gets his taste of the NHL with the Predators.
When Nashville hosted the Islanders in December, Dave took his 9-year old son Ryan to the game. They dressed in Islanders gear head-to-toe and stood as close to the ice as possible during warmups.
Near the end of the Islanders’ warmup, rookie center Josh Bailey spotted the father and son in their blue-and-orange jerseys and figured he should thank them personally for the support. So the 19-year old Bailey scooped up a puck from the ice, skated over to the boards and tossed it to Ryan Seibert.
Of course, Ryan is now a Bailey fan for life – as is his dad. “Josh took a brief moment to make a life-long impression on a young hockey player and Islanders fan,” said Dave Seibert. “Talk about a pro athlete who ‘gets it,’ and he’s still a teenager.”
The courtesy did not end in Nashville. Ryan wrote a thank-you note to his new favorite NHL player, never for a moment expecting to hear back. But yesterday Ryan got a package at the house in Murfreesboro, air-mailed from Canada.
Inside was an Upper Deck special edition “Young Guns” hockey card, hand-signed by Josh Bailey. “It would be an understatement to say my boy went a little nuts,” said Dave.
The envelope was addressed by hand with a postage stamp affixed. To his father’s eyes, it was not processed through a machine or came from a corporate office. “The card is signed by Josh and he included his #12,” said Dave Seibert.
Forget about steroids and PSLs for a moment. This small gesture with the personal touch results in a young hockey player having two fans for life.
Comments on this topic, including your player-fan experiences, in this thread only. Comment Guidelines.
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The agent for low-risk, high-reward draft pick Kirill Petrov says his client has every intention of joining the New York Islanders “when the time is right.”
Alexander “Sasha” Tyjynch, the Ottawa-based representative for the talented 2008 draft pick, told Point Blank in a phone conversation about Petrov’s plans:
1. Petrov hopes to attend the team’s Prospect Camp this summer: “We are doing everything possible to make it happen,” said Tyjynch, a former Red Army goaltender and the agent for several Russian players, including Nikolai Zherdev. “We’re working on his visa. I’m going to look for the blessing of the KHL and his team, Ak Bars. It’s important to Kirill and me that we go about this properly.
“He has formed a good working relationship with the Islanders. He likes Garth Snow and Ryan Jankowski. They have been good communicating with him and Kirill is excited about playing for the team some day. He sees the Prospect Camp this summer as an important first step. If for some reason he can’t make it to the camp, Kirill really hopes to go to New York this summer and at least meet with the Islanders people.”
2. Petrov’s four-year contract with Ak Bars contract is confirmed: ”Kirill is currently under contract to AK Bars. I won’t discuss dollars, but I can confirm that he is going into the second year of a four-year deal,” said Tyjynch. “Everyone knew about Kirill’s contract situation. It was not a secret and it’s why such a great player went in the third round.
“Who knows what will happen in the future? Without an agreement between the NHL and the Ice Hockey Federation, my hands are tied. I’m approaching this as one season at a time. For now, Kirill will play at home. I don’t think anyone can predict what will happen one or two years from now.”
3. Petrov wants to be an Islander: “There should not be any misunderstanding about that,” said Tyjnych. “He is determined to come to North America and play for the New York Islanders in the National Hockey League. He’s a young player who needs some time to develop. He’s under contract back home and he’s proud to play for AK Bars and be part of the Russian National Teams like at the World Junior Championships.
“When the time is right, he’ll be with the Islanders and he will be ready for the NHL. But I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves. My focus with the Islanders is getting Kirill to the prospect camp this summer. He really wants to be there.”
Comments.
CHI: Kane, P. (13:13 in 1st), Versteeg, K. (PPG, 03:54 in 2nd), Toews, J. (PPG, 10:17 in 2nd), Burish, A. (05:41 in 3rd), Kane, P. (13:00 in 3rd), Toews, J. (PPG, 13:49 in 3rd), Kane, P. (16:17 in 3rd). Final: Chicago 7, Vancouver 5. No. 1 Star: Patrick Kane. No. 2 Star: Jonathan Toews. Comments.
Are you sitting down? Kate Murray blows off another Lighthouse meeting. This time it’s a major one at the Marriott with Tom Suozzi, Charles Wang, Scott Rechler and top union officials – a meeting she had committed to. Maybe she was lining up more great-paying gigs for family members at the TOH. (Actually, we’re only half-kidding. Stay tuned).
Funny how Murray scrambled for a cover-up, only when Newsday started looking into her absence. A source told us late tonight, “It just gets worse.” Mr. Wang, pick up the phone. Queens is on line 1. Comments. Point Blank on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nyipointblank
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