SOURCE: “THIS IS A THREE-HORSE RACE”
Introducing the Snojanks Scoreboard
I got the call today I didn’t want to hear, but I knew that it would come
Don Henley
“Heart of the Matter”
On the other end was an NHL source I trust implicitly. He was calling, he said, to set me straight.
“The first overall pick for the Islanders is a three-horse race. You and your readers should understand this.
“The games and the one-on-one meetings are done, but the process is on-going. Ryan Jankowski has been on the road three weeks a month for the last eight months, but he’s on Long Island now to work every day with Snow for the next week or two until they hash it out. They have all the scouting reports, all the film, all the psych testing.
“They love all three players. This is a —- year to have the fourth pick. The Islanders are lucky this time. (John) Tavares, (Victor) Hedman and (Matt) Duchene are all franchise-impact players. They all bring something completely different.
“You might be right. In the end the Islanders could go with the flashy goal scorer and the kid who will might make the biggest impact on the team and at the box office. Tavares is a great hockey player, nobody argues that. This stuff from Canada about the Islanders being concerned about his skating is pure, fabricated garbage.
“But they also know what Hedman can do for them 25 minutes a game. Hedman really impressed them when they met. They look at Duchene and Josh Bailey as a one-two shot of centers who can be leaders and put up 80 points each for a decade. They looooove Duchene. He aced his meetings with them at the combine and on Long Island.
“They decided to only have Tavares, Hedman and Duchene to the Island. They knew it wasn’t necessary to have any more kids in. That’s a sign to me they will definitely end up with one of these kids. I don’t see them getting two of them, as you have proposed. Too much would need to come together. I also don’t see Colorado giving up much to go from 3 to 1. Tampa Bay would prefer Hedman, but they’ll take anything because, like the Islanders, they’ve got plenty of holes. Duchene could be great for them.
“There is going to be a lot of talk over the next three weeks, but most likely the Islanders will just use the first pick.
“It’s fair for you to say that you think the Islanders are going to take Tavares. But it’s wrong for anyone to think the decision has been made.”
And there you have it. I repeat: an impeccable source.
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Still, this blogger has to take a stand. The draft is just a little over three weeks away. So…
From the folks who brought you the Tavheduch Watch comes the Snojanks Scoreboard. It might sound to some like SNo Thjanks but is named after general manager Garth Snow and scouting director Ryan Jankowski. (To give credit where it’s due, I believe I first saw the term Snojanks from a poster on the Islandermania message board. Please step up and take credit in Comments).
The only certainty seems to be that this will come down to Friday night, June 26 at approximately 7:15 pm in Montreal.
Featured every week from now until the draft, Snojanks reflects the view of Point Blank on the probability of the Islanders’ potential moves with the first pick overall.
THE SNOJANKS SCOREBOARD
45% - The Islanders select John Tavares with the first overall pick
20% - They select Victor Hedman with the first overall pick
18% - The Islanders select Matt Duchene with the first overall pick
10% - The Islanders move to 2 or 3 with a trade
7% - They draft both Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene by making a trade that does not include Kyle Okposo or the Islanders’ first round pick in 2010
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Greg Logan has a story on his Newsday blog with quotes from Garth Snow.
Comments on the draft here, Lighthouse in next thread.
Chris Botta is also on Facebook
196 Responses to “SOURCE: “THIS IS A THREE-HORSE RACE”
Introducing the Snojanks Scoreboard”
Please Wait
Uh Oh, this blog is going to burn to the ground, CB. Here comes the firestorm…
I think I’m gonna be sick.
John Tavares. PLEASE.
how much can you find out about the psyche of a kid from talking to him for 20 minutes? This selection should be based on the obvious. I dont feel Duchene should be in the disussion. Sounds like a great two way forward, but will never be an offensive powerhouse. It must be between Tavares & Hedman and like Ive posted numerous times, you cant pass up on someone with the offensive ability of Tavares. Its too hard to obtain and too high of a price outside of the draft. Alexei Yashin always said the right things too and look how he turned out
If they take Duchene #1 I will have to boycott the team next season!!!
CB- Could you tell us how many point each player would max out with.
Will Tavares be a 90 point player..??
Hedman be a 60-70 point dmen ??
Duchesne- 80-90 pts and an excellent leader??
Ok so let’s ask - would you rather have Tavares OR Hedman and Duchene?
if the Islanders take anyone but Tavares, I suspect that much of the renovation work on the NVMC will be complete on June 26th…well, at least the demolition part
all kidding aside, I dropped my ticket plan for the last couple of years of Milbury’s malfeasance and only returned this past season…if Isles take Duchene, I walk…the only game I come back for is when Tavares comes to NVMC and I root for the visiting team
offense offense offense offense offense. please. pretty please with sugar on top. t a v a r e s.
But if they feel he would be a ppg center, how can you argue?
I think most people here are scared of those “the Islanders screwed up, again” comments from the Canadian media.
Relax, whoever they get will be a franchise player. If they do not pick Tavares, it will be for a reason.
for some reason, i am nervous. all three kids sound like great kids but if it’s true that you can’t go wrong then we will end up with a great player no matter what.
I would love Hedman, and be happy with Taveras. Duchesne would break my heart.
I really believe that the Isles have a very good idea on what they are going to do with the first pick by now, if not 100% sure of what they are going to do. The fact that outside GMs and scouts alike are uncertain of a sure direction the Isles will head in is, in my mind, proof of a great job by the organization in keeping their cards close to their vest.
There is such a thing as paralysis through analysis and with all the information at their fingertips for the past few months, I’m sure they have analyzed each of these three kids to death.
I’m amazed at how many people want to get violent at the thought of not taking Tavares. It’s as though every year the fans latch on to one player and convince themselves that taking anyone else would be horrendous (Filatov last year). How many credible NHL and draft people, not armchair GM’s, have to say it before people understand that Tavares is not the only potential franchise player in the draft? This is yet another person that appears to have real NHL experience (scout, GM, whatever) acknowledging that all three are franchise caliber. We have quotes from the San Jose GM (or assistant, can’t recall) saying he’d take Hedman. Even our very own Bill Torrey, while careful not to say who he’d take, mentioned that when he had to make a similar decison between Potvin and someone else, he chose Potvin because a defenseman plays 25+ min and effects all three aspects of the game (even, PP, PK).
My point? It’s fine to have an opinion on who you want, nothing at all wrong with wanting Tavares. But the idea that if the Isles don’t take him then they pass on the only great player available is nuts. My advice, go into this with the attitude that there are three guys in the draft that can help our team immensely and we are definitely going to get one of them. You’ll sleep better (until we draft Evander Kane and all hell breaks loose!)
i firmly beleive the islanders will think hard and long about this for three weeks and will only know say 1-2 days before the 26th and i hope that they will feel confident on draft day, step up to the podium and select the player they think will bring lord stanleys cup home again since 83′
CB - the percentages are based on your view of the draft situation, is that correct?
I’m just thinking about 26. Looking at the mock drafts on NHL.com (among other places), I’ve seen Oliver Ekman-Larsson sliding all the way to the Isles in the bottom five of the first round. Shoot, if we nabbed Tavares and OEL I’d call it a great day. Personally I think OEL would be gone by 20, but you never know for sure. Someone always wrecks the board sometime during the first round. One of those NHL.com guys has neither Lindblad NOR Erixon in the first round… if we got JT, OEL, and one of those two with pick #31??? Cancel the rioting.
And hey, I just noticed a sweet Isles hat on the back cover of THN’s draft preview issue.
can you imagine the riot in NVMC at the draft party if they don’t pick Tavares???
Seriously. They may want to cancel the event if they really are not sure.
If they pick anyone other than Tavares with the #1 pick, I’m turning in my colors. If they reach for Duchene with #1, I’ll be sick to my stomach. Enough is enough with this crap. They need to hold onto #1 overall and pick Tavares. If they really want one of the other two guys, they need to explore trading for #2 or #3 overall, using #26 and a combination of the three second rounders as the foundation for such a trade. I say try to move up to #2 by trading #26, two of the second rounders and possibly Mark Streit to Tampa. Then, you get Tavares and Hedman out of this draft and still have a second rounder, Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey.
#11….I hear what you are saying, however I do understand the push for Tavares. We havent had anyone with a scoring touch for the longest time. let alone someone with the potential that Tavares has. When Streit is your leading scorer the glaring need is scoring. When a prospect breaks Gretzky’s scoring records in juniors you draft him and no-one else. Its really a no-brainer IMO.
Chris, you should have made this a no comment post
From the looks of things people are just saying the same thing like a broken record. Bill Torrey couldn’t make this choice and make everyone happy. If fact Torrey would not have listened to any fan’s view. He would have done what he thought would serve the team best. So should Garth. Everyone else needs to rest their sphincters 
#16…My thoughts exactly. Every other team in the league with maybe the exception of Tampa would be picking Tavares with the 1st pick. I am so sick of this drama every year with the Islanders draft logic. Enough doing things the MILBURY way.
I honestly think this is a bit of a smokescreen.
All, I can say is this the Isles cannot pass on Tavares and Hedman without getting something significant to do so. No matter where they project Matt Duchene. Heck I think Matt will be an awesome player in the NHL too but for 4-5 years Tavares has been the projected top pick. Hedman has been battling him for it for the past 1-2 years. Duchenes name has come up very recently. Could he turn out being the best guy 5 years from now? Yes. Still just look at JT’s numbers compared to him. Duchene played on the 2nd unit behind Cody Hodgson, who while a year older was drafted 10th overall or so last year (behind Bailey).
Bill Parcell’s and Don Shula always said to be very wary of guys who really turn it on in their draft year and weren’t playing at that level before.
Again, I won’t kick and scream if the Isles pass on Tavares and Hedman and take Duchene IF THERE IS EXTRA COMING WITH IT. Other then that I don’t think how you can pass on them.
It took the Isles fans most of the year to realize that Snow made the right move in picking Bailey instead of Schenn and Filitov but passing on two franchise guys like Hedman and Tavares………takes some brass ones.
There will be a massive PR hit
i want tavares 100%, but i dont think i could pass up on hedman and duchene without giving up way too much. with bailey, okposo, duchene, streit, gervais and hedman, we have a pretty solis building block.
I would just like to add this as food for thought…What if Tavares was not around for this year’s draft and it were only Hedman and Duchene? Would Hedman (the the European) and Duchene (the North American) be listed as 1-2 respectively? Or would Duchene be labled the #1 because he’s from our side of the pond? Just wondering aloud about how much Duchene’s stock would rise if Tavares were not included in the discussion. Any thoughts?
When you lose 32 games by ONE goal and a defensemen is your leading scorer it easy to understand the needs of the team. I think Snojanks s/b 75% for Tavaras.
What about:
I take it that the Lightning want Hedman more than Tavares. So let’s say the Islanders like Hedman but would be just about as happy with Tavares. What if they call the Lightning and say, “We’re going to take Hedman at #1 if you don’t trade up — say, for a fourth round pick.” Then the Islanders choose Tavares (which they should arguably do anyway) AND get a pick in the process. What do you think?
Islander Management, Re-inventing the wheel since 1995.
#16- I agree with you. I’m not against taking Tavares, but the idea that if we don’t take him Snow is nuts or whatever is simply false. For example…
#18- It’s not doing it the “Milbury way” to choose one great player out of three great players that may not be the great player you want. I’d be surprised if it’s Duchene, but you can’t fault the team if they go with Hedman, who will eat more minutes than a forward.
#21 I would say if would need to be much more than a 4th rounder. It would have to be a second rounder and possibly even more. Maybe a second rounder and a player.
OK- This Suspense (MORE LIKE NONSENSE)
is literally killing me…..
I can’t take any more posturing, contemplating, analyzing, mind games, nor an ultimate propensity to make the wrong moves from this godforsaken organization.
What are we talking about now?
One-on-one meetings, MORE scouting reports, ADDITIONAL film, AND psych testing?!!?!?!?!!
ARE YOU _____ KIDDING ME?!?!?
I feel like I’m taking Crazy Pills.
I can’t take this Anymore……..
91JOHN TAVARES91 91JOHN TAVARES91
91JOHN TAVARES91 91JOHN TAVARES91
91JOHN TAVARES91 91JOHN TAVARES91
91JOHN TAVARES91 91JOHN TAVARES91
This is (and always has been) a NO BRAINER!!!
If the Islanders Screw this up, it’s the final straw, I will be at my wits end with this team. I just watched 78 Isles games this Season (DVR botched the other 4), of a piss poor season, and my alleged reward for such torture was supposed to be #91, and subsequently a further step forward in this youth movement (he could help our babysteps forward, evolve from crawling, to walking, even running in just a couple of years).
If they don’t take him (even if Hedman’s our consolation pick, and I recognize he is also quite good) then THATS IT- I CONCEDE.
Garth Snow Will Be Dead to Me, Charles Wang Will BE Dead to Me…I’ll bury them mentally, as I did with Mike Milbury many many years ago- And move on- praying every day (as I did with Mad Mike) that they someday soon will be gone from Islander Country and that their reign of tyranny will end, as it eventually, painfully, and slowly did with Milbury…
Enough already…..
Pick JT, Build LH, Restore NYI !!!!!!!!!!
Good God…just take TAVARES! Enough with the nonsense. This is not rocket science. To think that a dope like Snow needs the next 3 weeks to figure out who to draft suggests he should be fired ASAP. There will be a riot at the draft night party if Tavares is not the pick.
I’m so glad Snow and Wang are doing their due diligence.
Whomever of the 3 they pick I will fully support as we cannot go wrong with either of them.
Just don’t drop to #4 and pick the next Scott Scissons!!!!!
#24, I feel like it would be pretty tough to justify trading a 2nd round pick and John Tavares for Victor Hedman, even if you liked Hedman better. After all, if the Lightning don’t make the trade, they still get arguably the best player in the draft.
#15 why would we want to trade Streit? The Islanders aren’t saying who they will pick so that they don’t close the door on a possible blockbuster deal. There is no guaranty that any of the top 3 will be successful in the NHL. You guys are listening to too much hype. Its a big step to the NHL and everyone needs to prove they belong there.
I also agree with the other fans on this site. I will be done with the Islanders if they don’t draft Tavares…mind boggling that there is apparantly a good chance that Snow will not pick Tavares…mind boggling.
Who’s ganna riot with me on June 26th if the islanders dont take john Tavares with there first pick. THe islanders know fans were displeased last year, which is fine they got extra picks, but this year, this is the FIRST OVERALL PICK! Stop making yourselves look stupid and covering up the team that you love. It would be a DISGRACE if the islanders do not take Tavares without getting a kings ransom for the #1 pick. To the 20% that dont think Tavares is the only choice, stop lying to yourselves! The islanders will get a lot of people to this draft party. Some of which might buy partial plans or season tickets if they get Tavares. Do they really not want to sell those extra seats?
Too much hype????…Tavares broke Gretzky’s records. Tavares dominated the World Juniors this year. These are facts.
Yes i want Tavares. Yes I reserve the right to get beligerant if they do not choose him. At the end of the day, think about it…does it really hurt to take the consensus # 1 draft pick, the offensive star slated to score 40 goals, and at the same time appeasing all the fans that are practically begging to be given a reason to be excited, a reason to root, a reason to spend money on jerseys, a reason to attend more games then not????
IS THAT SO BAD??????
I realize Hedman is going to be good. I realize he would bring a lot to the table. The same goes for Duchesne, but neither of them will give you the all the positive momentum with the fans that Tavares will give you.
Its not like we are asking to draft some longshot prospect. Tavares was, and still is the # 1 consensus draft pick. Its not like we dont need scoring. We couldnt hit the side of a barn with a bag of rice. Open nets are a challenge for us. We were the worst or 2nd worse offense in the league.
Tavares gives you the best of all worlds. Why reinvent the wheel. Everyone wins if you just take TAVARES !!!!
MYYYYY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD I am going to give myself an aneurism.
I’m with you 36.
Why do people want to jump off a bridge if we don’t select a Power Play Specialist with the 1st overall pick?
#36 if they dont get Tavares or Hedman I will be right with you!! However if they take Hedman I will be able to deal with it. I strongly feel that Tavares should be the pick with out discussion but I realize how good Hedman is and the importance of having a franchise d-man.
Tavares and Hedman are 9.5’s to 10’s.
Duchene is an 8-9. We’re gonna pick Duchene because they looooooove his personality. Great. Game breaker is secondary, impact is secondary….Chucky Wangker likes his soldiers to be best buddies. Just look at DiPietro’s cheek being squeezed by Wang and we see the best guy doesn’t win, the one Wangker likes bestest does. Maybe Duchene will go to American Idol with Wangker?
I would LOVE Duchene……if we were picking third. There are TWO Aces. TWO. Bossy-like or Lidstrom-like dynamo…..should be a no brainer. But we’ll draft based on charm school stats.
Geli - probably easy for SJ to pass on the center when they have Thornton and Marleau…
On the larger issue, no, I’m not a scout, but excuse me if I’m not convinced by Duchene being the best player in this draft after only sneaking into the conversation at the 11th hour, relatively speaking (credit to CB for even mentioning his name beforehand). Heck, he wasn’t even in the coversation on lottery night or he would have been interviewed along with the other two.
With all this said, they better pick Tavares!
this should be an interesting comments section, lol. i think it would be a mistake to take duchene at 1 but that being said i do like him a lot and he would help us a lot. still the choice should be between tavares and hedman. should be a very interesting draft party!
I would like Tavares, there is no doubt about that. But I will not turn in my Islander Jersey, or season tickets, or stop being a fan if they don’t pick him.
And Im just wondering how many of the ‘this is it, im done’ guys will be back rooting for the Islanders in a couple years if either Hedman or Duchesne turn out to be better than Tavares
Those who do not learn from history are condemned to relive it.
How many times are we going to test fate and try to outhink the system?
Even Hellen Keller would make Tavares the Islanders pick, thats how obvious it is.
to #34: I’m not saying I want to trade Streit. I don’t. But I’m saying that if Snow and Jankowski like Hedman so much, they should consider trading for #2 overall to take him, while keeping #1 overall to take JT. I don’t think Hedman gets past Tampa at #2.
But this debate over who should go #1 overall is absurd. JT has been the consensus #1 overall pick since his first year of juniors. You can’t pass on that player for Hedman, much less for Duchene, a guy who wasn’t even his junior team’s first line center this past season, didn’t make the Canadian World Junior team and only got his stock to rise towards the end of this past season. No thanks.
I like the idea of trying to get both hedman and duschene if we don’t take tavares. Is that really possible, that would be a coup for sure.
I can see it already when the troll bettman walks up to the mic and says ” I have a trade to announce” and that will be the END for me as a fan since 1977. I have had enough of the BS. Just pick JT and stop thinking we know better then all the other 29 teams. Charles in Charge your team does not know better you finished DEAD LAST in a 30 team league that means that ALL the other teams have more of a CLUE then yours and your backup goalie!
They just can’t keep it simple. This is how catastrophic mistakes are made. Paralysis is the only result from Overanalysis. You cannot have all three boys! Tavares has been projected as the pearl of this draft for the past 4 years. That said with all due respect to your impeccable source Chris,when asked if he favors a particular player at #1,Garth said,and I quote in so many words;”Yes,but I am not going to share it with you at this time!” Should that be the case,the Isles ‘horse’ has already crossed the finish line. It had better be Tavares!!!
Let me just preface what I’m about to say by saying this: I am a DIE-HARD Isles fan who is hoping that we take Tavares with the #1 pick. I just flat out think that he’s what this franchise NEEDS right now.
HOWEVER - I find it to be very interesting that all of us fans (myself included) are basing our opinions on these three players (Tavares, Hedman, and Duchene) on things that we’ve read on the internet, or little you-tube clips and highlight reels. My point is that I’m willing to be that 90% of us (maybe more) have NEVER seen any of these players live in action. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve only watched one of these players actually play in a live game on TV, and that was Tavares during the World Junior Championships this past winter.
All I’m saying is that maybe we all shouldn’t be so closed-minded when it comes to the discussion on these three players. WHAT IF Duchene really is the better of the two offensive players (not including Hedman). Or WHAT IF Hedman really IS the best OVERALL player out of the three?
I’m not saying any of this is true, I’m just throwing it out there. And as I said at the beginning of my post, I’m still hoping that we take Tavares. I just think that we all need to look at all three players, since it seems that Garth and Jankowski aren’t really leaning one way or another yet. 24 more days…can’t come soon enough…
LET’S GO ISLANDERS!!!!!
Personally I’m basing my opinion on the fact that Tavares broke Gretzky’s records, dominated the World Juniors (including Hedman, who was mediocre), and dominated the OHL for the past 3 years. The fact that virtually every talent evaluator in the world (with the apparent exception of Garth Snow) projects this kid as a can’t miss, who at WORST will be a perennial 40 goal scorer only adds to my conviction.
it is so frustrating being an isles fan. it never ends.
JP - No, it’s not just “seeing a YouTube clip”. It is going by what these players have been PROJECTED to be since we’ve all first heard their names. Are the projections 100% accurate? No, of course not. That’s why they’re projections. Assuming all three turn out to be top flight players in their given skill sets, you have the goal scoring machine, the defense cornerstone, and the responsible all around player. Given that, the vast majority of Islanders fans want the darn goal scorer, myself included.
I don’t really give a F*ck how reliable your source is CB. At the end of the day, us as fans pay the salaries….Everyone including Snow knows we have had enough letdowns. Here is an opportunity to put a smile on a fans face even though the team is still not listed as a contender. I believe that since Snow was a player for the team, he out of all people should know exactly how we feel and how dissappointed we were with Milbury. Regardless of what scouts say on this one…I think the fans are making the decision on this one. Especially after what Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin, Toews, Kane and Versteeg have done.
This is exactly the kind of smokescreen Snow is looking to place. I find it hard to believe Snow and Jano dont already have their mind’s made up but I still think they’re holding in case another team gets crazy and comes up with a monster of an offer
Reading some of the comments on that Newsday article made me want to be sick. It seems like the average Islanders fan that posts on the Newsday website is on the same level as the YouTube community.
To #52: My basis for Tavares being the obvious #1 is the fact that every reputable amateur scouting agency, including the ISS, has had Tavares as the consensus #1 overall since his first season in Major Junior. These scouts are paid to watch and evaluate these kids and do it for years, not months, like the NHL team scouts do. Tavares has dominated at every level he’s ever played at. If the scouts who watch these kids for years say he’s the #1 guy, then I tend to believe them.
As for Snow/Jankowski, I’m not sold on their ability to evaluate amateur talent yet. Snow’s only run two amateur drafts. One of which he didn’t have a pick until the third round (thanks to the Smyth/Zednik deals). His body of work is still one in progress (and he didn’t exactly dazzle last year, when he took Bailey at #9, who was projected to go mid-first round). And when did Ryan Jankowski all of the sudden become Ken Holland?
I just hope that Snow/Jankowski don’t turn into Milbury and try to “outsmart” the rest of the league and amateur scouting world with this pick and make the highest percentage pick, Tavares.
Only one thing matters–winning the Cup. And there are dozens of factors that go into evaluating who the best player available is. Throw this out there–the NHL salary cap is here to stay. If all three of the top players play to their top potential, who is likely to end up being the biggest salary cap hit? Almost certainly the flashy goal scorer, who will be in line to make about $8m a year in terms of the 2009 salary levels. A point-per-game two-way center like Duchene would be more likely to make about $5m, leaving cap flexibility to make other impact signings.
What about the effect character has? A team-first player with strong character values is more likely to re-sign with the team, more likely to work with team management in terms of taking a “hometown discount”, more likely to work for a long-term solution instead of bolting in their first UFA year. A reason the Pens can be competitive for the distant future is that Sid Crosby capped his demands at $8.7m, effectively putting a team-wide salary cap in place. Lidstrom did the same thing at $7.4m.
This isn’t an argument for or against any of the players. It’s a reaction to those fans who have claimed they’ll riot if the Islanders pass on Tavares. The management team will have spent thousands of manhours evaluating the three top talents in this draft. I’m not sure a guy that reads message boards for four or five hours a week is qualified to tell them they screwed up, not at the draft party.
We can not pick Duschenne at #1. I read here not 2 days ago that observations from the combine were that he was not mature or strong enough yet for the NHL! What give’s! This is a no-brainer! Once again;
Tavares OHL Career;
247 Games 215 goals 218 assists 433 pts. 255 PIM
Jack Ferguson Award winner
Emms Family Award Winner
CHL Rookie of the Year wimmer
Red Tilson Award Winner
CHL Player of the Year
2009 World Junior All Star
2009 World Junior Top Forward
2009 World Junior MVP!
Duschenne; OHL 121 games 61 goals 68 assists 129 points 64 PIM (2 less seasons)
Why is this a discussion??
Don’t worry guys… they will take Tavares.
Top Line Should Be…
Filatov Tavares Okposo
Not…
Comeau Bailey Okposo
Well put 59…thanks for the facts… It is truly insane that Duchene is a consideration at #1. Charlie Wang — you will re-engergize Long Island sports fans by picking Tavares…STOP WIH THE INSANITY!
if Tavares isn’t picked the coliseum will burn to the ground on June 26th.
I am tired of “character”. Someone score a goal already.
Harry (6): Hedman AND Duchene > Tavares.
Reason is simple, we’ve got 2 glaring needs. Top Pairing Dman and Top Line Center.
I don’t think many (or any) would argue that if it can be done (while not sacrificing DP, Okie, Streit, 2010 #1, or Bailey (I’m wishy washy on him), you do it.
For the #3 pick, let’s start the auction by including Bailey and the #26 pick. You want some more roster players (other than the aforementioned) and/or a mix of picks (other than 2010 1st) call it a done deal.
Tavares is garbage! Hedman all the way!
I like Tavares 1st..Hedman 2nd..Duchene 3rd but everyone needs to remember that from March 08′ to Christmas 08′ that Victor Hedman was the Consensus #1 pick w/ about 65% of Scouts/Writers(including the Hockey News & Red Line Report). Tavares’ great WJC w/ Hedman playing injured at the WJC changed that. That said it seems obvious the Isles will take Hedman..Remember what happend at last yrs draft? The Isles wanted Alex Pietrangelo and when he went somewhat surprisingly to St.Louis at #4 the Isles decided to drop down and acquire picks(that was Plan B!!!)…If they loved Pietrangelo who plays extremely similar to Hedman but a little shorter, and his skill set is not quite as good as Hedman..Why would they allow Hedman to get past them? They could’ve taken Filatov if they felt the Isles needed an Explosive Goal Scorer, but they didn’t…I’m sure they love Duchene and if they had the #2 pick maybe they take him over J.T. But Hedman will be an Islander; Take it to the Bank!
Islander fans are a bit on the nutty side haha. I personally do not care which of these 3 players they pick (Hedman is still my choice, and if they really want Duchene I believe they should move down to 3 and pick up an extra pick). But let’s stop the hysteria of saying that THIS would be the last straw if they don’t pick Tavares. If the last straw hasn’t happened in the past 20 years of this organization than you are a lifer, face it. And i’m SURE all these people who say they would stop rooting for this team if they don’t pick Tavares wouldn’t come racing back as soon as they make the playoffs next year or the year after. Garth Snow and Ryan Janokowski know more about these players than ANYONE on this blog. I trust their decision. And these guys are not Milbury, please stop the comparisons.
Listen up, people. This is the chant that will be heard at the Nassau Coliseum draft party:
JOHN-TA-VAR-ES!
clapclap clapclapclap
Over and over again. Sure there will be a small HED-MAN chant, but that will be COMPLETELY drowned out. I will be amongst them chanting for #91. And for the record, should Garth NOT say Tavares, that Jumbotron WILL have SOME fans’ legs sticking out of it!!!!
Only other way that doesn’t happen is if SOMEhow Garth snags both Hedman and Duchene. Then, and ONLY then, (unless they trade the #1 for Malkin! lol Good one CB!)will there be peace and happiness among the few thousand in attendence at ol’ Fort Neverlose.
I was going to publish a serious and mindful comment, however, Valentino has the post of the year in my opinion at number 62..hahaha. I couldn’t agree more, Valentino.
“I am tired of “character”. Someone score a goal already.”
BEST line of the DAY!!!! lol!!!
And SO true. I’m SICK of not scoring goals. I want an OFFENSIVE team. Screw Hedman. Give me JOHN TAVARES!!!!
Enough of these stupid trade senarios - Just make it Simple and Take Tavares. Stop letting Wang & Dey get involved in Hockey Decisons…Stop Trying to be different or re-invent the wheel….Some of Wang’s Brilliant Ideas so far -
#1 Keeping Milbury as GM when he purchased the team (and letting him stay another 5 years)
#2 We should try a Sumo Wrestler as a Goalie (real smart)
#3 Let’s change the structure of an NHL Front office (that lasted 40 days)
Let’s hope #4 isnt trading down in the 2009 draft or teying to do something else outside of the box.
** JUST TAKE TAVARES**
enough with f’ing overanalyzing, a lot of people here make great arguments so i’m not going to repeat but i will say this:
AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT MATTERS MOST IS A PLAYER’S ON ICE PRODUCTION AND NOT HIS PERSONALITY.
If the organization believes all thre players are awesome, pick the one that fans are DYING to see.
I have one question for CB since the isles “looove” Duchene: Was the isles taking Duchene a joke or not? I mean, you did take it off the site?
“Still, this blogger has to take a stand. The draft is just a little over three weeks away. So…
From the folks who brought you the Tavheduch Watch comes the Snojanks Scoreboard.”
So if I am reading the Scoreboard correctly - after this latest interview .. CB you are now saying the odds are the isles will not pick JT. (55% chance they pick someone else)
CB - after weeks and weeks of sticking to your guns regarding Tavares going #1 - here, on radio, and everywhere else - I’m shocked. (and sad - I respect your opinion and I really really want JT)
This is not a good day. At least Murray showed up.
Count me among those who will be able to live with either Tavares or Hedman although I confess that I’ll be a bit more excited about the upcoming season if Tavares is wearing blue and orange come September.
I’m a bit astonished by the venom being spewed toward Snow and Jankowski. It sure sounds like they are working damn hard on their due diligence. This is easily the most important hockey event for this franchise’s future and I for one and glad to see that they are looking at every conceivable way to ensure it’s a success.
Can’t understand any of the comparisons to Milbury who was (and still is) a dolt and long time proven failure. I haven’t seen anything yet to suggest that Snojanks is not up to the task of rebuilding.
also,
I don’t care if a player is gay, bisexual, ugly, beautiful, canadian, swedish, white, black, purple, red, kind, mean, angry, joyful
I just want to see my team score more goals than the opposing team and win the freaking game…..seriously im done with this team if they dont take tavares…ive stomached too much already and to the people who say that people who are like me are not real fans….well real fans dont always drink the kool aid their team sells…they love their team but are critical of them too
I think you have to look way ahead. They should pick the player with the most potential that they think they will be able to resigh when he reaches that level. None of these players will make major contributions immediatly, or likely within their 3 year entry-level contract. Pick the player with the most potential that has the greatest likelyhood of reaching that potential as an Islander.
Miketee “working hard on their due diligence” aka turning a simple decision into a hard one and infuriating whatever fans they have left.
71…Not sure how getting a franchise defenseman would rate as turning a simple decision into a hard one. If Tavares were another Crosby or Ovechkin (which all reports say he is not), I’d agree but given the projections, it seems like a matter of preference — #1 defenseman vs. top line forward. Sure seems like a tough decision to me.
Like I said yesterday. If it were up to Wang and Dey, the Islanders go with Tavares. If it is up to Snow the Islanders go with Hedman and if it were up to Jankowski, the Islanders would trade out of the 1st pick to the 3rd pick and take Duchene. Why do I believe that? because Jankowski is a scout and he has spent a ridiculous amount of his time scouting players and allowing him to get those extra picks make it seem like his time scouting was well worth it because he can take even more players than before.
What’s this?? Percentages?? Tangible odds?!
I think I’d prefer if it was something more along the lines of:
Tavares (B4)
Duchene (B1)
Trade looming (B5 CONFIRMED OMG)
and so on?
Heh.
I’m tired of reading armchair GMs threaten to burn down the NVMC at the draft party if they don’t get their way.
Snow et al. have spent every waking moment, likely since it became clear that the Islanders were a lottery team, figuring out what to do on the 26th. I think that level of preparation trumps what just about any casual commenter on Mr. Botta’s blog can write.
The character factor I suggested before was incidental to the main point, which is that there are boatloads of factors the team needs to consider. Look at the success of teams in the postseason this year and you’ll see solidly placed two-way first-line centers as the common denominators. Toews, Crosby, Zetterberg can see the ice as much as a top-pairing defenseman because they have game changing ability in all zones, not just from the dots down.
If the Isles think Hedman or Duchene are the best choice, they’re not going to let fan reaction delegate Tavares to them. For better or for worse, we have an independent-minded GM. For my money, I’d rather that than a lemming any day.
Big Van Vader!!Please provide a public service and let us know where you will be sitting at the draft party since it is looking more and more likely that you will be throwing someone thru the Jumbotron when Bettman announces that we have drafted someone other than Tavares!! It will be a tough enough night without me having to pick myself out of the Jumbo tron, Thanks! LOL!
#64 has it right. Hedman was #1 for most of ‘08. A solid performance by JT during Worlds and an injury to Hedman has flip-flopped the two. With that being said, I’m willing to let Garth and Co. figure out who is best for Isles. Also, some mock drafts have Isles nabbing Jeremy Morin w/ pick #26. Scouting report says “natural finishing abilities…possesses impressive hands…playmaking abilities underrated…has choppy skating stride”. Hmmm…sound familiar??? Lets go Isles!
This is why I m glad fans dont run the team. “Snojanks” is doing all the right things. They need to be looking into all options here. These are 3 elite players and all deserve consideration. I for one will be happy with either of the top 3.
As for the JT or die club who, are obviously more informed and can make the smarter pick to bring home the cup, … if you “fans” walk away from the team.. so be it.
I’m an Islanders fan since 72 & a season ticket holder since 97….so I’ve seen the good and the bad (in that order). If they dont take Tavares at #1, I’ll be upset because I think he has the most to offer this franchise, particularly in the short term as things are so tenuous. However, I’ll stay a fan no matter what they do at this draft. The “Tavares or bust”, “last straw”, “jumping ship” talk has gone way overboard on these blogs, imo. If you have been able to stay a fan over these last few years, Hedman or Duchene (both great prospects) shouldn’t drive you away. Either one of them will make the Islanders better.
But I still want Tavares.
I still can’t figure out what people think is so good about Hedman….hes not physical and dosn’t put up offensive #’s(check his stats)… people just keeping bring up his size….sounds like a slightly faster version of eric cairns without the ability to enforce.
I would much prefer “claim to be seasons ticket holders” deciding on who we should draft.
Especially since these “claim to be seasons ticket holders” have probably never seen any of the 3 players play live.
Kind of reminds me of “the Rook” that tells you how to do your job. I love it when that happens!!!!
This source sure lobbed Botta a big fat softball for this blog.
WHO IS GOING TO SCORE GOALS?? If we dont take JT #1 - I dont know how we are going to put the puck in the net? Im tired of loosing these games 1-0, 2-1, 3-1, etc…I remember hearing multiple times over the season that a high profile player will not come to long island. But some how we have had luck finding DMEN to come to the old barn. That being said, we NEED to take a pure goal scorer.
I dont know why this organization always has to make things more difficult then they have to be. It causes the fanbase to go crazy.
Just do the right thing.. take JT…
Hedman is 6′7″ 220 at age 18 — he will bulk op and fill out. Calling him a “slightly faster” version of Eric Cairns is a gross misstatement as this kid has spectacular skating skill and mobility.
His offensive numbers are not a fair reflection of his real ability. He tends to play smart and a bit more conservative (safe) - tendencies that can be expected to be adapted as he grows and gains expeirence. He’s a boy playing in a man’s league which makes his performance all the more impressive.
True, he’s not a physical presence but that could change as well. Chara improved his physical presence from his rookie season and Hedman has the attributes to follow suit.
STREIT TO TAVARES TO OKPOSO BACK TO TAVARES.. HE SCORES!!!
WE NEED GOALS. IT should be 90% tavares. he will change the whole face of the franchise, will bring in excitement=publicity=- free agent destination spot= best way to get stanley cup.
Tavares will be so much better for franchise from day 1. knock it off Kevin (take it to Bank) Banks are going out of business. your logic of pietrangelo is way off. TAKE TAVARES GARTH, WE BEG
Ok.. I want everyone to take a slowwww deeeep breath. Hold it….hold it… Now slowly let it out.
Feel better??? I do!
The problem, IMO, is that the few hundred or thousand of us who live and die Isles ROYAL blue are the shmucks who care when we suck and are on the bottom. Watch this board when we start to win. All of a sudden the “also rans” will claim all kinds of BS about how they lived through the tough years.
Take a second and realize that we are the core, not KO or Bailey or JT (on my knees praying) or anyone else. The only two constants are the logo and the fans.
It sounds stupid but enjoy these times because when we are a top team a small piece of us will look fondly on the lowest of days with half a smile.
Btw.. Don’t get me wrong, I wish I was down 2-0 to Det with 2 games at home this week. Just know our time will come again, and it will be sweeeet!!!!
Unless Hedman or Duchene will be SIGNIFICANTLY better, I think the Islanders must draft Taveres, given the fan’s clear-cut preference.
Let me put it another way, even if HedDuch will be marginally better than Taveres (i.e., 5-10 pts a year better), I think that drafting Taveres is the right move. It will excite the fan-base, which can only help the PR push for the Lighthouse, which will only help the Isles reel in free agents in the future. If the Isles draft HedDuch, there will be massive negative feelings about the franchise — which can have repercussions for the Lighthouse, free agents, etc. — that is just not worth it if HedDuch is only slightly better than Taveres.
But, if SnowJanks thinks Taveres is Alexander Daigle (i.e., a total bust), then HedDuch must be picked, and the Isles will have to live with the short-term PR hit…
jared Cowan, Ryan Ellis, and Kulikov will be just as successful as Hedman. who cares how tall he is. John Moore can skate like the wind as well. gimme a break TAKE TAVARES.
I don’t see the Isles taking Duchene unless they trade down. Seriously, what is he gonna bring that Tavares doesnt? More assists and better leadership? They already have that supposedly in Bailey.
Anyway I’ve wanted Tavares so badly too. But I realized that I’ve never seen these kids play. It’s just what I’ve read. Snow and Janikowski know more than I do. If they pick Tavares, great. If they pick Hedman, great. If they pick Duchene, I will scratch my head and ask why, but I will still trust that it was the right pick.
I’ve decided that whether it is Hedman or Tavares I’m gonna be perfectly happy. I’ll judge the two whern the season starts and continue to do so for the next 10 years.
Many Isles fans seem that they are gonna go nuts if we don’t take Tavares. But seriously…are we honestly gonna jump out of a window if we take Hedman? We’re all gonna root for the kid and warm up to him.
honestly..i trust the scouts…i honestly do not care who is taken.. i will still be an islander fan…i love those who say if they take so and so i will walk..i mean it…really…i’ll do it.for real i’ll walk…i really really mean it..whatever…no you won’t and if you do then fine have fun… and really its a crap shoot on all of three of these kids.there is no ovie or crosby in this draft..you just got to trust the scouts and whatever happens happens
there is something about Tavares that worries me…..don’t know what. There is nothing that worries me about Hedman. If we didn’t have streit i’d take Hedman. For right now we need a scorer!
I agree with #25, my brethern in Richmond VA! If we select Hedman instead of losing games 5-1, we will just lose them 2-0 or 3-2. We need someone to score some goals and make the coliseum electric again. If Taveres amounts to nothing more than a 35-40 goal scorer each season, I can live with that!!
You guys are out of control. You are sounding like rags fans. You do not know better than our scouts. Yes I want Tavares, but VH would be just fine too. They will not take Duchene. People claiming they will riot and quit rooting for the team if they don’t take Tavares should probably stop rooting now. This is a fair weather fan attitude. Don’t tell me you’ve been a fan since 1972 and lived through the last several bad years. Root for your team and trust your GM and scouts. To disagree with them is fine, but to say you will pack it in as a fan if they don’t take JT…just go home now..you make me sick.
Miketee,
I understand hes a good prospect with good potential. But how does someone who ‘plays smart and safe’ and who ‘has the potential to be a physical presence’ get ranked side by side with a player who re-wrote the OHL scoring books?….and yea, the eric cairns comparison was meant to be sarcastic.
I understand the frustration and sentiment over not picking Tavares. It is simple. We have not had a electrifying scorer sniper or offensive dynamo since palffy. and by most prognastications, Tavares will be a 40 goal scorer at least and have an immediate impact on the team. Hedman may take a while and it sounds as if Duchene is a glorified Baily. We have a shot at getting a great prolific scorer. It is just frustration that this is at our fingertips right now and it may be thrown away. for 7 million (overpayment by far) we can have komiserik our shut down d man. getting a prolific scorer something majority of this fan base has never seen is right there for us and we are all afraid of what might happen.
I’m with Jethro09 try to trade for Hedman too, and use Streit to get him. I love what the guy does and is, but a 6 foot 6 giant and a 35-60 goal-scoring sniper from year to year for the next decade sounds way better to me.
26th pick
31st pick
27th pick
55 pick
M. Streit
D. Kohn
J. Colition
Get it done Snowman….do it…they want Gervais instead of Kohn or both do that too.
I have to agree with many of my fellow posters here … Why is Duchene even in the discussion?? I’m sure he’s a fine forward with outstanding skills … However he lacks the staying power that Johnny Tavares was able to display throughout his Junior career … he’s done it all … and longer with more consistancy.
I think most of the negative feedback about John Tavares comes from his own back yard. A case of Johnny T envvy … Where if they can’t have him … he wasn’t that good anyway.
John Tavares isn’t good … He’ssss Greeeatttt!!! Stole that one from Tony da Tiger.
I can see Snowjanks considering Hedman … but still picking Tavares is a no brainer.
The more people whine about Tavares, the more I’m thinking we should ultimately go another route. Contrarians are rarely wrong, and the herd mentality is rarely correct (except in Milbury’s case(s), but I’m convinced this isn’t one of those instances…)
You all need to stop talks about riots. I went to the University of Massachusetts for the last four years, and three years ago our football team made it to the division 1AA championship game. There was talks of rioting if we lost, and when we did, IT GOT UGLY! A riot is not something to joke about, you will cause violence and it will ruin the franchise alot more than a bad draft pick does. I want JT as much as everyone, but these boards are scarily reminiscent of what it sounded like before what happened at my school. For the sake of slanders fans and common decency, stop talking about riots.
I agree with #87. There is something about Tavares that worries me. Cant put a finger on it. Draft him anyway.
if Snow isn’t planning on drafting Taraves I really hope they have the smarts to cancel this draft party. Thousands of people dissapointed with over a decade of insanely stupid decision making holed up in the same place to witness the dumbest choice of them all dosn’t sound like a good idea.
i dont know why people are getting worked up over this. there’s 3 weeks til the draft or so. what do you expect to read? chris and the other bloggers need to give you SOME kind of article to read each day, and to say that the islanders are gonna draft tavares every day for 3 weeks can get rather boring.
so you throw a few change up articles like this to incite a lil discussion and some outrage maybe, keep people reading.
every outlet i’ve read in hockey says tavares is going #1. every outlet i’ve read in hockey doesn’t make one mention of the islanders trading their pick.
put 1 + 1 = 2 people..
@95 100% correct
let me ask people if they didnt have Duschene in teh mix, then they show that they are taking Hedman or Tavares……..they are trying to keep their cards close to their vest.
We will egt a good player.
Rembering how i droped down in my seat when we picked Bailey and he was the better pick over Filatov and Schenn, just going on that i am going to stop trying to be a arm chair GM. Odds are it isnt going to be Duschene, so its Tavares or Hedman ….and it is a great position to be in and we will get a great player with either. no doubt
Im a nervous about the draft , I just can’t fully trust snow.
If they pick duchene I will burn the place down
If TAVARES is picked first by Isles, I buy season tickets! If he is not picked I don’t. It’s as simple as that!!! “Shoot the puck Johnny”
Relax, guys.
I understand why people are so insistent on Tavares, but it won’t be the end of the World if they took Hedman or Duchene.
I mean it wouldn’t be like passing up Parise for Nilsson, or trading away one of the best goaltenders in the league for nothing.
Remember, Snow isn’t Milbury. He’s done decently for what he has to work with.
Tavares!!!!
isles08, I didn’t say he’s a “good” prospect with “good” potential…you did. He’s a premier prospect according to every scouting service.
What type of prospect was Chara and how would you like a faster, more mobile albeit less physical player anchoring the blueline for the next 10+ years?
Chyzowski, you know that Kulikov, Cowan and Ellis will be as good as Hedman…how? Perhaps like the Isles knew your namesake would be as good as Clark Gillies.
I can’t figure out why anyone would be willing to trade Streit. Other NHL players are saying he is one of the top 5 d-men in the World. How long will it take Hedman to get to that level. Bring Hedman in with no star power on defense and you put too much pressure. Witt looks like he’s done, Sutton is good when he can stay healthy. Martinek sucks, Geravis went from sucking to barely being OK, Meyer isn’t that good when he plays and the guy missed almost the entire year. Some of you insisted Campolli was a very good to great d-man until he got traded and you saw no one missed him, the Isles got better and he didn’t do crap in Ott with more talent around him.
Giving up an all-star and all the 2nd and 3rd round draft picks for one 18 year old is just nuts.
If the Isles do nothing but take the best player available with all their draft choices they’ll be a much much better team.
I repeat mind boggling…90% of Islander fans passionately want Tavares as the pick…Tavares has dominated every level…dominated World Juniors and Hedman in the process…broke Gretzky’s scoring records…virtually every talent evaluator in the world projects him as a #1 overall, a can’t miss prolific goal scorer in the NHL…and yet, the Islanders might not draft him…PURE INSANITY!!!!!!!
They’ve done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works every time.
And as for this claim that Hedman was “hurt” during Wolrd Juniors…give me a break. And I’m already starting to see a pattern with this guy — nothing but excuses when he doesn’t do well. Go look at the TSN website, which reports on Hedman’s combine performance…in short, Hedman’s performance was mediocre in many areas….Hedman’s response to TSN — “I could have done better if I tried harder” — are you kidding me?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
The story on nhl.com is great about tavares it’s a good read for isles fans
mister Pink…no tip???
love the math tho…works for me
This is really getting ridiculous.
In the year the Islanders were “fortunate” enough to WIN the John Tavares sweepstakes… there’s a guy named Victor Hedman that is getting in the way of it all… and confusing the situation.
Why couldn’t Hedmans parents have a child 1992 instead of 1991…???
DOC
pick up malone’s contract, give t bay 26 , 37 and next yrs #1 for number t bays #2, and a current veteran d,man
If the Islanders take Duchene I buy 4 season tickets. Simple as that.
I think the isles showed their cards a bit these past few days .
I’m happy with either JT or VH -but for heavens sake -take your guy as #1 so he has the pleasant memory of being chosen 1st overall forever
okposo looked like a 35-40 goal power forward down the stretch so lets chill on the talk about having no goal scorers -we have them , they are just developing
The more I think about it and more I read into this three prospects….I feel Isles are leading towards Hedman. Saw Tavares article on NHL.com and didnt feel good as far as Tavares coming here as much as Isles are into Hedman.
#124 a friend happened to send me an article from thn.com about how bad Tampa’s D situation is. They have only 2 d-men under contract and that is Mezaros and Ranger (nothing special). How they will need to acquire defense to pair with Hedman or just in general.
I think the Isles are doing the right thing in keeping everyone guessing. If they came out and named the player they are going to select it cuts off all leverage and then TB would be the drafts power player.
NHL.COM
Tavares recently met with Islanders brass on Long Island and said he came away impressed.
“I think they’re keeping things low-key,” said Tavares, who has an Ontario Hockey League record 215 goals. “They’re trying to decide exactly what they want to do. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. I got to meet a lot of people in the organization and I got to see the rink and a little bit of Long Island. I had breakfast with Doug Weight. It was a good experience for me and a good opportunity to check out Long Island and get to know (GM) Garth (Snow) a little bit, and Mr. Wang. I had a good time and we’ll see what happens.”
“It was a lot of fun,” Tavares said of his trip. “I had a really good time and got to know them a lot more and what they’re all about and their philosophy and see the way they do things. Long Island’s a great city. Obviously, they’ve got a good organization and really have a good fan base when they have winning teams. They have a lot of tradition there from the Stanley Cups. I really enjoyed my time there.”
I want tavares. someone we can rally behind, and someone who will sell jerseys and t shirts in places other than long island. much like ovechkin and crosby. will i riot if they do otherwise, no, ill be grateful for the pick. just a little dissapointed. as far as people turning in their colors over this pick, go ahead, we dont need fans like you anyway
John G, it is not turning in their colors over just this pick. It is over 16 years of failure and constant major mistakes by management.
from reading logans blog and garth’s comments…it sounds like we are getting hedman.
please draft tavares!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
I may have to change my name.
interesting article on nhl.com about JT. not to be a debbie downer but I laughed when he said we have a good fan base. i guess he was just trying to say the right thing but look where we ranked attendance wise last year.
i was thinking for a while…i couldnt take us passing on filatov and im not taking us passing on tavares so im going to become a redwing fan..call me a bandwagon fan but at least the redswings operate with class and for the last time to the people who say that people who are like me are not real fans….well real fans dont always drink the kool aid their team sells…they love their team but are critical of them too…some of you just arent “real fans” when you buy everything the team sells
Anyone think John Tavares looks kinda like Chris Drury? Is that what is sending a weird vibe about him?
Hey Isles99 - the RedWings are a good team. Think about how much better they would be if they went through with the Yzerman for Yashin plus draft picks trade. Lucky for them Primeau held out and they didn’t want to lose not only their captain in Yzerman but the captain in waiting (Primeau).
I respect them. But I’d rather be Dead than Red.
isles99- don’t even know what to say to your comment.
The NHL.com has a cool article about Tavares uncle, also named John Tavares who is an awesome lacrosse player. Turns out the younger Tavares also loves lacrosse. Come to Long Island baby - its a lacrosse hot bed.
Mike Tee. Chara is not someone to compare wih Hedman. he’s a totally different type of player. hedman is more coordinated and faster. his height helps him less per her his style than it helps Chara. he skates fast Hedman, however, frm the few reels i saw of him, he cant really stickhandle through traffic, but he elects to skate to the outside and curl around. there are other defensive hot prospects in this draft. do i know Cowan and Elklis will be better than Hedman, no. but there’s no reason to think Hedman will be better becasue he’s 6-6. its not basketball , he doesnt play like Chara. a defenseman is either great or not. height is not so important at all (see Potvin, Orr, Coffey, MacInnis, Leech, Lidstrom, Bourque, etc.) as far as the “IT” factor.. the ability to score. the ability to put a country/team on your back and will it to win in a high pressure situation. a talent to score that cannot be quantified with 0-60 speed or height. tavares has got it!!! Stop judghing these players like Al Davis. It’s not even close. Tavares MUST BE DRAFTED.
Tavares just interviewed during the game on Vs. … translation …. I want to be drafted FIRST OVERALL by the ISLANDERS!!!
snow must go..yeah it has a ring…the chant is ready if anyone..ANYONE other then tavares is drafted…WE NEED GOALS
trots in pittsburgh
Trots needs to lose the Pens T-Shirt. I believe he forgot his place.
Trotts being interviewed!!!! He’s there as a Penguin Stanley Cup Alum … They just asked Trotts since they just interviewed JT … Citing Trotts as NY Islanders Executive Director of Player Development … then asking Trotts… “We just heard from John Tavares … I don’t know if you can give me a name … but have the Islanders decided who they are going to pick 1st overall in the up coming draft …. Trotts replies … Well Mums the word with the scouts and with the ownership and Garth … I think that’s the way it should be … I get the kids after they are drafted … and they’ve done an excellent job the last couple of years … I really enjoy working with them … blah blah blah …
So … nothing … not even a bite.
I cannot even fathom the Isles not picking Tavares.
“I am tired of character, someone score a friggin goal already”
TAVARES #1 overall to NYI … every player drafted by Garth after JT will be the sprinkles on top of the ice cream sundae.
Tavares - the phones ring off the hook, Isles selling tickets, jerseys etc.
Hedman - a lot of boos, but cooler heads prevail
Duchesne - Demolition of “Old Barn” will be completed
Its a no brainer
T-A-V-A-R-E-S!!!!!!!!!!
I am tired of hearing that we should not give up the 2010 draft pick! Tired of it!
If these players are of such quality, how could you do better next year, especially if there is no guarantee of how the team will finish. O.k. say they get a top five pick next year - yes realistic. But can you guarentee that next years pick would be of the same caliber as Taveras or Hedman? Absolutely not!
Why hold onto the 2010 first round pick when you might have the chance to trade that in and get that top notch player in less than 30 days?
If we can give next years draft pick and a player to Tampa or Colorado and get another top notch player now - do it!!!!!!
Toss in 1 or two players, heck three or four. Go for it now so that we start the process now! Three top players stand before us and we are having difficulty choosing. That tells you something right there.
Be bold Garth and go for two or even three of these guys now!!!!!!! We can pick up other players thru the UFA and because of cap issues.
Just think what it would take to get both Taveras and Hedman. Well, we can get one very easily. what does everyone think it would take to get Tampa to give us their number one pick?
Joe (#124) you have the right idea too!
All you non-believers of John Tavares…What do you think he broke Wayne Gretzky’s record on accident? Come on..the kid has hands just like Hossa and Heatley. I think it’s safe to assume he will be a player of that caliber.
Just draft JT and move on into Rebuild Year 2
How about Tavares, Budish at 26, Olsen at 31 and Werek at 37.
Of course the Isles need scoring. The Isles need everything. But remember, having a scorer does not automatically equal success. Ask Ziggy about that. And having a great defenseman doesnt equal success either. Ask Streit, Kenny, etc.
Unlike some fans who insist the Isles must do what they have decided (based on…) I hope to GOD that the Islanders do not give the slightest bit of a crap over what ANY of us want. I hope the Isles completely ignore every single word that every fan has said over who they should pick… and I hope they simply pick the guy who they- with all of the information they are privy to- think will help this team the most. That is what a true fan should want, as far as Im concerned- the greatest chance for their team to ultimately have success. If its Tavares, great! And if its not, fine! This can be so simple, a great moment for this team, but instead it comes down to literal threats of violence. Honestly, whether the people making them are joking or not, I dont think saying such things is funny at all.
Chyzowski, I have no idea where you think I’ve heralded Hedman solely because of his height. Nothing is further from the facts but you base your opinion from a “few reels you’ve seen.”
Here’s what I do know…at 18 years old Hedman has played at am extremely high level is one of the strongest leagues in the world. That, to me, is a ringing endorsement. Add in the scouting reports - all of which consider him to be no worse than the 2nd best player in the draft (Redline has him rated #1) and all I’m saying is that a selection of Tavares is not the no brainer you seem to think it is.
Plenty of players have put up big numbers in junior hockey and have never made a dent in the NHL. I’m not suggesting that Tavares will be one of those players - quite the contrary. Only saying that I won’t be floored or abandon the Isles if Hedman is the choice.
22isles22—(30) - I couldnt agree with your post more - I dont know if there will be anything left of me after enduring the last 15 years if we do not take JT. I know we are not alone - just look at the posts on this subject - i wish there was a way we could get Charles and Garth to see the passion we have for this future star. There will be nothing worse than seeing JT score 45-50 goals just like Parise is doing in Jersey
If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.
148 - I met Charles today at the hearing - I walked up to him, wished him well, and said “Please draft Tavares”.
He smiled and said he liked John a lot - but gave no info. For those who saw the Versus broadcast tonight of the Pens/Wings game - Trotts said “mums’s the word” from Snow and the scouts - he does not know
This is a team in shambles. They need a player to generate excitement and interest above all. That is Tavares. We are not even close to adding the pieces to a Stanley Cup puzzle, we are worried firstly about making it viable. Make it Tavares, please, and let’s work from there.
Isles need JT (another great JT), but I get the feeling they have Hedman at the top of the list. Either way, Isles will be better.
136: dave chyzowski — well said my friend…
make that 139: dave chyzowski — well said my friend…
Tavares is a great scorer from hash marks in and in tight areas, after watching the various playoff series, this is the type of scorer that would be very effective. Defensive responsibility will be learned and he seems highly motivated to put his mark on the game. I don’t know how good he will be but I like what I’ve seen and believe he should be the pick for this offensively challanged team. Best of luck Islander fans!
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We all watched the Tavheduch watch, we all hoped lost at the end of the season, we all watched the lottery draft pool for NOTHING ! In reality, it’s all about THE SNOJANKS SCOREBOARD. Now that we won the race, it won’t be so easy and just take the best player. We absolutly have to reinventing the wheel. I think I may have to change my name too number 131.
Assuming that Snow and Jankowski have decided that Hedman or Duchene is the better pick for the Islanders…
Also assuming that Snow and Jankowski are correct, and that drafting Hedman or Duchene will increase the possibility of the Islanders winning the Stanley Cup in the next fifteen years…
Are those commenters advocating Tavares because of the “excitement” and “fan passion” willing to trade that increased chance of winning the Cup for said excitement and passion?
I wonder sometimes about peoples’ priorities. I’d trade a thousand beautiful goals from John Tavares for one parade down Hempstead Turnpike.
I agree Ryan
I am driving 200 miles to the party on the 26th. I better see JT!
last post, some of you beleive everything the team sells to you….you know who you are…..i bet you guys beleived every word milbury told you guys only to see an inferior product on the ice…you think snow and jankowski know whats good but you know what, they’re educated guess, becuase thats exactly what it is, is just as good as ours…no one knows how these players will turn out….thats why we argue back and forth….to some of you think that whatever the team does is best, wake up and smell the coffee….if you don’t offer your opinion, why are you on a message board? why do you mediate others’ arguemts…i mean seriously, if you think snow and janokowski know what best, why don’t you sit back, relax, and watch the isles win most games and the cup becuase the reality is that they wont
duchene 30-50-80 +12
tavares 40-40-80 -16
hedman 15-30-45 +14
is any one of these a “bad choice”?
stop worrying about the “two that got away” and embrace the one you have (as long as it’s one of the above.
!
I throw up in my mouth everytime someone makes a case for Hedman. Unfortunatly all the signs point to Garth screwing this up and not taking JT. I am going to Montreal for the draft, because when we won the lottery i had to be there when we took JT. Now my gut tells me that wont be the case. Its hard for me to stay with this team with all they put us fans through. This was supposed to be an exciting consolation prize for being the worst team in hockey - instead for most of us its another Islander Dissapointment
two words JOHN TAVARES!!
german isles fan ill echo that statement
JOHN TAVARES!!
spectors hockey says tampa wants hedman bad and there are rumors isles will pass on hedman if they compensate us. cb could that happen without us flopping picks. tampa gives isles 2nd round pick in agreement isles wont draft hedman. is that even allowed in the nhl. it would make sense that the isles dont show their hand yet and actually would make sense that they were leaking positive hedman/negative tavares news to make everyone think they are going hedman.
p.s. still hope they take tavares
Not that I dispute your “impeccable source”, CB - because I truly do not - but going through these comments might lead someone else to believe you just posted this to tweak the lunatics. Right on cue, then, the sheep are lead to slaughter. Entertaining, anyway, even if more than a bit repetitive.
And I’m beginning to think the draft party won’t be all that crowded after all, because I’m guessing most of the people posting here ain’t gonna make it to the 26th.
I have been an isles fan since birth. Sadly it was after the cup years/seeing as my birth year was 88; but all jokes from that aside I have a true respect for this team. I grew up watching them struggle through the 90’s and was at the game vs. toronto When Shawn Bates Forced game 7 with a penalty shot goal (where I literally almost fell down the stairs due to the mass histeria that the coliseum was in. My grandfather worked for the organization for mulitple years and was also buddy buddy with a numbner of the cup winners including potvin, trottier and even ran a hockey camp with nystrom.
My point being, we haveto support this team throughout whatever decision they make…as true Isles fans.
We have enough BS to worry about with kate Murray the town of Hempstead and the renovation of the NVMC, just as the teams has too. So lets put some faith in the obvious effort that “SnoJanks” and the rest of the hierarchy are doing to prepare for the upcoming draft.
I myself origanlly was hands down voting for tavares, but looking over every possible article I ahve within the last 3 months I wouldnt be heartbroken to find out the Islanders did not choose him, only for the fact that….we are still in the dark on things as fans. we dont know what they know, correct?
It is true, tavares speask highly of being the 1st overall pick but speaks little of the islanders compared to hedmen/at the same time hedman could seem like a Yashin in saying all the right things…..(but yashin’s favorite words to start off every interview was “and again……” which thanksfully hedman hasnt done lol) And even duchene, he looks promising. Point is they are all young, under 21 years old…..jesus friggin christ…not trying to offend anyone here but they are kids, kids who could learn soooo much over the next few years and could all become franchise players or who knows they could all be a bust.
Either way, we have to respect the organiztion for waht they are doing. Just think about what the three prospects are doing right now. For all we know they are checking CB’s (absolutely amazing blog site) Everynight before they go to bed just as you and i do. what do you think they feel, does that matter to you? it should. Do not shun anyone of these three players. Have your opinions but just as you wouldnt want to be spoken negatively about, have that same dilegence for these respectable young men who will be the face of three different teams throughout the next few decades.
In closing I want to say that Yes this is my first post, although i have been constantly browsing Mr. Chris Botta’s Page for quite a while now.
(CHRIS IF YOU READ THIS MY GRANDFATHER STILL REMEMBERS WORKING WITH YOU SOME 10 YEARS AGO OR SO AND RESPECTED ALL OF YOUR EFFORTS AS DO I)
People just think about what you say and before saying it.
I wish the Islanders the best of luck….becuase sometimes with the draft that is what it comes down tooo….straight luck (look at the zetterberg case….geez i cant beleive I said that)
WE ARE ALL ISLES!!!! That is the main point and if you even sugegst boycotting this team in a joking fashion or not for the choice that is made on June 26th, please….I will be ready to meet you outside of the coliseum and hand you a Rangers jersey bc clearly if your commitment isn’t to the true NEW YORK team then it can only be to the …..other New York team.
Thanks you and Goodnight.
-ARH
Everyone who says that if the Islanders draft Hedman, that they will stop watching and root for another team I have one question. If the Islanders become successful enough to become a contender will you come back? I don’t need to hear the crap about drinking the kool-aid because I dont care what Snow says. Just think about whether you can truly stop rooting for the team, if they become competitive again
@Bryan….They have not won a single playoff round in 16 years and their management has been the laughingstock of the league. They are lucky they have any fans.
@Marc….so what if people are passionate. Maybe if more fans were like that, there who actually be some pressure on the team to win.
Islander fans are losing their collective minds. Everyone relax, this will all work out, if not, what can ya do? (JT will be the pick, I no longer stress about it)
Just read that same spector hockey report. if I were Snow I’d keep the HEdman is our choice going out there make a little deal with T-Bay: their second (32 overall) for our 3rd (61 overall) once we take someone not named Hedman first….”Tavares”. Don’t know if the by-laws allow it, but not taking Tavares with the 1st overall pick and dropping to second to take him, would sour him I would think. He wants to go number 1. Interesting concept.
#25 you are right on the money!! lose 32 goals by 1 goal and your leading scorer is a defenseman, i think you know where to go with the pick JT JT JT
They’re taking Tavares. It’s a 1 horse race.
#164 - Give me a break. Your asking us if we would trade the opportunity at a stanley cup in the next 15 years for John Tavares? You make it sound like we are asking them to draft Nick Fotiu first overall for crying out loud. Hedman or Duchesne will lead us to a cup but tavares cant? Please stop it…
JOHN TAVARES HAS JUST AS MUCH A CHANCE AT LEADING THE ISLES TO THE STANLEY CUP AS HEDMAN OR DUCHESNE. YOUR ODDS ARE JUST AS GOOD, EXCEPT YOU ACTUALLY MAKE THE FANS HAPPY AT THE SAME TIME ! IMAGINE THAT !
Valentino (182):
I don’t want to go back and forth, but you’re ignoring the fact that my question was based on the assumption that Duchene or Hedman would give the Islanders a better chance at winning the Cup than Tavares. I spelled that out pretty clearly.
I happen to prefer John Tavares. I think the team’ll end up taking him three weeks from now. But having him here won’t make me happy. Watching him put it in the net at the Coli 41 games a year won’t make me happy. Nothing less than a Cup will satisfy me.
If the Islanders management, who’ve done a decent job in the last two years, think a different kid will inch us closer to that goal, then they’d better get him and fan pressure be damned.
#117: I don’t want to trade Streit, but I’m saying that if Snow HAS to have Hedman, he shouldn’t draft him at the expense of not taking Tavares. If they want him, trade for #2 overall. Streit would have to be included. I realize how great he is (that’s why I don’t love the idea of trading him), but he’s also in his early 30’s and will be a UFA by the time this team is truly ready to contend, if the guys that have been drafted pan out as expected. So you’re essentially flipping Streit for Hedman, an 18 year old d-man with tremendous upside, that can grow along with the rebuild and be in hsi prime and under Isles control during the years the team contends.
GEEZ C.B. looks like you really put some wood on the fire with this post and I love it….Listen folks, Im with CB with the Islanders DEF. taking TAVARES number 1…As many of you would not like to admitt, SNOW has been doing a good job thus far as GM….He is the making of the next BILL TORREY, w/o the BOW TIE!! SNOW is keepig hush hush about his decision which is the smart thing to do..It not only is keeping all ISLANDERS fans at the edge of their seats, but also ALL THE OTHER GM’S IN THE LEAGUE…HE MUST LISTEN TO ALL OFFERS!!!!!
IMO their are only 2 franchise players in this draft..TAVARES AND HEDMEN….DUCHESNE appeared on this list very late into the season and not that he doesnt have the potential to be a franchise player, I just think TAVARES AND HEDMAN are already one step ahead of him in having more of an impact for the ISLANDERS..
Lets forget about our NUMBER 1 pick until the draft day….What im More interested in is our other picks….The only way I move up from our 26th pick, is if we get a up and rising young stud, which I dont see happening…So I would like to see the Islanders keep all their picks, and choose the best possible players…Id also love to grab that 6′7 SWEDE goaltender, which we are in dier need of…
On behalf of the NEW YORK ISLANDERS, WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE WITH THE NUMBER ONE PICK JOHN TAVARES!!!!!!!! LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!!
PS…GOOD READS IN NEWSDAY ABOUT THE LIGHTHOUSE MEETING YESTERDAY
ok, just a little perspective here….
1) We havent picked yet and people are freaking out…take a chill pill…
2) anyone that doesnt at least see some sense in Garth talking up Hedman (and Duchene) is not very bright. Say Tampa wants Hedman real bad. Isn’t it worth a shot at trying to get a pick or player from them to let them move ahead of us and take Hedman?? This would also save us money on Tavares as he’d get paid less as the #2 pick than he would as the #1. Not saying it’ll happen, but why not try? People reacting to anything Garth says this month are wasting their time.
3) Snow has done a decent job to date in digging out of the incredible mess Mad Mike left him. His draft last year was pretty good it seems but time will tell. I have faith he knows what he is doing.
4) his signing of Streit looks like a genius move I agree, and I was all for the Smyth trade, it was worth the shot. However, in fairness, while i see the logic in locking up a franchise goalie at a cheap number for a long time, the 15 (yes FIFTEEN) year deal he signed his buddy too is the worst deal I’ve ever heard of. You telling me Ricky wouldnt sign for 10 years - or 8 years - at a bit more annually? Of course he would have. He thought he was smarter than everyone else and had found a way to beat the new salary cap. He was asking for trouble going that long, trouble he has now regrettably found. But lets hope he is as smart as he thinks and has learned a lesson on that one.
5) i truly believe that we have hit rock bottom and we are starting to rise again. The future is feeling brighter, no matter who we take I think we cant lose this year, that’s a good thing.
6) i just pray the future isnt in KC….
who was the first guy that came in to visit?
who is on the cover of THN’s draft mag?
who has yet to be detailed on the NYI website profiling the top 30 prospects?
i thought so… so now everyone can relax
and btw all, letting TB swap up to 1st to take hedman is insulting to the man we would take at #2… going #1 is a big deal to both these kids, y would we insult JT by taking him 2nd just to get an extra 3rd round pick ??? if you make arrangements like that, you do so without swapping the picks, you say, you give me this and i will not take hedman instead
It doesn’t matter who gets picked first if the team moves to Kansas City in two years.
if someone wants to trade something to make the isles not take Hedman, then guess what, Tavares isnt the #1 pick. Sorry if he’s insulted by that fact, but shite happens…if you think Garth cares about anyones feelings here, I think you are wrong…He has a last place team to fix here….Nobody guaranteed Tavares he’d go first….
Still doubt that’ll happen, but I see no harm in trying.
We NEED Tavares!! He would have the biggest impact on the team of the 3 prospects. We are always short on goals and Tav also provides excitement……If they pass on him and our pick doesn’t come through the way they believed it would, it would be another huge embarassment for the team
Duchene didn’t even make the World Junior team this year…the very same team that Tavares led to gold, while being named tournament MVP….enough with the nonsense about Duchene as a possible pick.
If only those who actually have seen either Tavares, Hedman or Duchene play were allowed to post to this blog, this would probably be only the 3rd post you’d have read instead of the 193rd.
“Just pick (so and so)!” “No brainer.” “Nuff said.”
Your opinions are as educated as I am good looking.
I’m bringing my 22 month old daughter to the Coliseum for the first time. Hopefully the Isles draft Tavares so my kid doesn’t have to hear alot of four-letter words from everyone in attendance.
If I were the Islanders, I’d draft Hedman. I think he is the future defense men for the league. Tavares will be good, but he is just 1-way player. He’ll be another Jeff Carter type of player, who is very good but he is not a 100 point guy. Tavares will be a good 30-45 goal scorer but he probably won’t put up much more than that. He’s not good on defense either. Ovechkin can be compared to Tavares because Ovechkin really just waits for the puck to come to him so he can put in the back of the net rather than fore-checking hard and winning the puck, but Ovie is a great sniper and a better skater. He’s much more stronger and physical than Tavares.
I take Hedman because he’ll be the future defense men who can play well offensively and defensively and skate really well. Besides, you need defense in the playoffs and in Islanders, they don’t have a defense men that can play well on defense and you need that if you want to go for the cup. Besides, Islanders have good forward prospects that will turn out good like Okposo and Bailey. You can always find good forwards but defense men are the rare ones especially when they 6′6 and have the ability to skate like Hedman and be physical.
If Islanders trade down and somehow get 2nd and 3rd overall pick then they’ll just end up taking Tavares and Duchene. They’ll probably trade 1st overall to Tampa and Tampa will trade Lecavalier to Colorado and Colorado and Tampa give Islanders the 1st overall. Tampa wants Hedman bad. So you would have 4 good forwards: Okposo, Bailey, Tavares and Duchene and no defense. They got a good goalie but no defense.
If Islanders want to sell tickets, get Tavares. He’ll be great but I think for the future Hedman will be better.