POINT BLANK Q & A: GARTH SNOW
On Tavares, the de Haan move, the goalies and UFA
Just got off the phone with Islanders GM Garth Snow for a quick recap of some of the big issues from draft weekend.
The day after, come clean. Did your hockey operations staff indeed operate independently of the sales and marketing staff? Did you really not tell anyone planning the Draft Party of your intentions with the pick?
They never knew. I said all along it was going to be a hockey operations decision and we kept it between ourselves and Charles Wang. That was it. I was happy to hear about the incredible turnout at the Draft Party and it seems everyone had a memorable night out. I would hope that everyone understands that my staff acted in the best interests of our team.
What can you say about Tavares that you couldn’t say before?
Now that pick is done, I can really talk about how proud we are that he’s going to be part of our franchise for a long, long time. He’s a great hockey player. Our fans are going to get to know him as a person, and they’re not going to be disappointed. When it was finally official, I was so happy to see him when he came up to the podium. That picture your blog and TSN and the other media have of us smiling ear-to-ear…I really like that image.
I thought you paid too big a price to go from 26 to 16 to 12 to take Calvin de Haan.
It’s never too big a price when you get a player your staff thinks more highly of than anyone else in that slot. Calvin can be a top-pair defenseman.
You actually moved from 16 to 12 at a surprisingly painless price. But the whole equation, all those picks given up to take de Haan at 12, it seemed like too much for a kid hardly anyone saw going before 20.
Not for us it wasn’t. There’s a reason why you have this process. We think a lot of Calvin and you’ll see in time why we liked him so much. He’s going to develop into an outstanding player for us.
The only reason to move up again to 12 would seem to be because you had intel that one of the teams ahead of you was going to pick de Haan.
I couldn’t guarantee you 100% that they would, but our staff thought there was a serious chance we could lose Calvin before 16 to one, maybe two teams. That was good enough for me to act. I was not going to take that chance. Like you said, the price to go from 16 to 12 was minimal. And I got a few picks back later in the day.
You had to know that once you took your two gigantic goalies in rounds 2 and 3, we’d all assume that meant you’re preparing for the post-DiPietro era.
Yep, and I even said that to a few of the guys at our draft table. “Here come the questions about Ricky”! Our reports on Rick remain the same. He’ll start skating in August and be at training camp. The two kids we picked today, one of them may be 21 next month (Mikko Koskinen), but they are still young prospects. They were the best players available on our board. This was not about Rick DiPietro.
In your own twisted way you made the story of the No. 1 pick about a choice between Tavares, Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene. Through the media to your fans, where would you like to set the bar for the opening of unrestricted free agency next Wednesday?
Same as I said at the end of our season. I’m committed to staying with our younger players. I expect our team to have many of the same players, and of course now we’ll have John Tavares - which is great news for our franchise and our fans. But I’m not going to hand out contracts to veteran players that will take away icetime from our younger players. It’s not going to happen. We were pretty public in talking about our rebuilding plan last summer. We’re not changing course.
With Tavarestock now over, Comment Guidelines are back on. Give your review of the Islanders’ draft weekend in next thread.
104 Responses to “POINT BLANK Q & A: GARTH SNOW
On Tavares, the de Haan move, the goalies and UFA”
Please Wait
How do the Isles get bigger and tougher?
I wish you would have gone more in depth on the goaltenders, seeing as Snow was one himself, he’d probably have more insight than most as to what he found so appealing about them, especially since it wasn’t considered a good year to draft goalies. But otherwise, very interesting read, thanks CB.
I still wonder if Snow and staff jumped up to 12 to try and get Ellis. If that is the case, then maybe de Haan was the next d-man on their board, and was chosen after Ellis went at 11. I guess we’ll never know for sure.
I do not think I would want to play in a poker game with Garth Snow.
good interview. I tell ya, I trust Garth and when he first became GM I never would have that I’d say that. The only subject I don’t really trust him on is DP. I don’t think can be straight forward about Rick’s health or lack thereof. And if we could just add one veteran free agent, maybe a Dman, I think we could actually have a decent year.
OK, it makes a bit more sense in that he was told someone might take de Haan. I was hoping that’s what we’d hear. Time will tell if Kulikov or Kassian was a better pick at 12.
great interview chris! i have to admit, garth snow seems like a real stand up guy and seems to be learning quite well on the job. i know john tavares was the “number one” player to go but lets be honest, he kept his mouth shut, kept it hush until the time arrived and probably turned down some tempting offers. looking foward to seeing tavares, de hann and the rest of the prospects eventually find a home on long island while helping the franchise get back to what it once was.
I would love to believe that no UFA moves is simply because they are committed to rebuilding, and nothing to do with saving $$$. Considering the money the team loses with the lousy lease, I’m not buying it.
Garth’s answers were fair enough about de Haan. If he thought he was going to be taken because of some intel, and de Haan was their # 1 target, then it makes sense.
mtrico, ellis was taken before the pick im almost 100 percent on this.
good to here about thetwo big q’s on the goalies and moving down. thanks for the interview chris. nice job
I trust Garth, indeed. The Buffalo contingent’s reaction to DeHaan going told the story.
give Garth some credit- he has a vision, and he is sticking to it. As a long time islander fan, we can only say that it’s comforting to know that he’s dedicated towards making this team a competitor for a long time to come. We’ve been through hard times, and i really truly believe that they have turned a solid corner. As # 5 said, grab a Dman and another forward and we’ll have a solid year. lookin forward to seeing the product on ice!
Any news about the prospect camp and which players are gonna be there? When is it? I’m expecting all the players from the top three rounds (+ DiBo and Martin) of the 2007 and 2008 draft plus Tavares, DeHaan and maybe the goalies of this year. Would also be cool to see Okposo, Bailey, Nielsen, Comeau and Joensuu there, as they are the guys who will grow together with the fresh influx of talent. Build relations…
I’m happy Snow and Jankowski have establish a drafting system where skill and character are the main attributes they look for in a player. That’s a very good start. Size is important, but I think it can be addressed away from the top 2 forward lines in the new NHL. Sutton and Witt will provide nastyness on the blueline and hopefully Snow can sign a legit heavyweight this summer.
Good Q&A CB … you let him have it with the trading down questions … he came up with acceptable answers … I just hope the scouting staff is right … and I’m going to have to hold out judgement to be fair … Will I remember this day 3 years from now when de Haan is fighting for a roster spot? Will he be a 2nd pair?
2012 defense pairings? Huge ???
If those 2 goalies were best on his board … I guess it doesn’t say much for the rest of the prospects in the draft … although … both of them had pretty HOT numbers… how that translates 3 years from now … who knows?
so I guess wednesday I should forget about that big free agent splash the Isles were gonna make and get ready for another jon sim sort of signing.
He has a plan and is sticking to it. I cannot knock him for that. He also admitted that they are preparing for the post-DP era. Smart move as I think he wouldn’t even play 10 games this year.
Good interview Chris, I would still like to know what it is they saw in de Haan over Kassian as a more valuable prospect at that spot.
Moose, what reaction are you referring to re: Buffalo ?
Great interview, CB. I’m shocked you didn’t ask about the guy at the Isles draft table who had Point Blank up on his computer.
I thought these were acceptable answers as well. This draft was so wide open after the top 10 that it was very much the “Get Your Guy” draft once all the big players were off the board. If they loved de Haan that much, and they were convinced he wouldn’t be there at 16, then good on them for making the move.
When you remove Tavares from the equation, this doesn’t look like too strong a draft. However, as I’ve said previously, we got the best player in this draft, and that’s what truly counts at the end of the day. I just hope some of these guys pan out and Martin/Joensuu can fill the need for size on the Isles’ front line.
Harold c I am with you. They say kassian had a weak playoff but man he looks like a bertuzzi with guts. Just because of his size you tend to believe he will be nhl ready as soon as anyone after the top 5….they must really believe joensuu/martin is the power forward of the future…
After JT anything else is gravy.
I guess Stefan Ridderwall is not a prospect anymore?
That picture with Tavares smiling ear to ear… that makes me smile too haha. cant wait for this season. going to be a great year
MTRICO:
Ellis was already taken… then the trade was made. At least that’s the way it looked on live TV. So… NO. I don’t think the trading up to 12 was to take Ellis.
Thanks for the interview CB.
Love IT!!!
Kudos Garth and Co. Great job.
DOC
CB, did you ask him about ignoring size and toughness (something he has admitted himself he needs badly) and how he intends to address it? I hope his answer wasn’t team toughness.
Does this mean mannino, ridderwall and weslosky are busts?
I am happy with Garth. I really am… and boy do I love the sound of him saying “I can really talk about how proud we are that he’s going to be part of our franchise for a long, long time.” I bet that contract is already getting worked on.
I think we need to sign Matt Martin and put him on a line with Tavares. Then a playmaking wing FA. I don’t think that Tavares’ future linemates are currently on the roster. I’d like to keep Okposo and Bailey together on the second line for the time being.
CB, Thank you, I’ve enjoyed all our your draft coverage. Are you planning on an updated top 10 prospects list anytime soon?
we need a tough ufa to protect tavares. i say sign niel from ottawa. we cant have this kid being run at without there being any consequences.
mrlbem - Not necessarily a long-term solution, but I suspect that JT will play wing next year (he seems to score most of his goals from the the right), with Weight at C. Pair them-up with an aggressive-minded winger like Bergy or an offensive-minded winger like Tamby and I think you’d have a really good line.
in free agency, i really hope the isles take a gamble on gaborik by giving him 1 year-7 million. that way, we can sign him if he does well to a longer deal or trade him for elite prospects and pciks….plus he will help us reach the cap floor…even with all these additions, i still see us finishing 28th-30th. so we’ll be in the taylor hall sweepstakes. imagine hall, okposo, bailey, tavares, streit
Offensive minded winger like Tamby. YOU ARE kidding…? Right? LOL… The guy had 3 goals last year and about 6 for his career. You can’t make this stuff up.
Good for Garth Snow on setting John Tavares up to do well. Good for Charles Wang for coming forward and saying that he’s “not a savior”. In immediate retrospect, the Islanders could not have set this situation up any more perfectly. John Tavares should not be looked at as “the guy”. No one should. No one was “the guy” in the early 80’s. When this team is good, it’s going to be good for a very long time. Sure, we’ll want the puck on John Tavares’ stick late in a tie, or one-goal game, but to put 19 other guys on his back is ridiculous and unfair. The nucleus up front is set with Tavares, Okposo, and Bailey. There is talent and young leadership. Looking ahead, I want this team to be turning the corner next season. As great a prospect as Taylor Hall may be, I don’t want a crack at him. I would say that picking out of the top 10 next season would be a great step forward. As for DiPietro, I truly hope that he can get healthy. I want him to be the close to the goaltender that the Islanders drafted #1 overall 9 years ago. It is a great time to be an Islander fan. I’m excited.
Chris, thanks for asking Garth these questions. This is exactly what I was looking for.
Nice job CB: I would have to imagine that Garth will kick some tires and perhaps add some size or perhaps add a winger with some scoring touch. CB; any future interviews with Coach Gordon? If so I would be interested in hearing what his plan is with all of his centers signed to contracts. Your opinion on Tavares playing wing until Weight retires? Predictions on line combinations would be intersting.
3 and 23..I believe they said on the TSN feed that Minnesota was trading down because they were the ones who wanted Ellis and didn’t get him when he was taken at 11. Not to necessarily say the Islanders had no interest but the trade was made after the Ellis pick, more than likely because Minnesota believed their #2 player would be available at 16
Strummer you keep saying that Garth said he needs to add toughness and size to the team but I actually remember he and Janks talking about the “new NHL” and how they are looking to get quicker like the Sabres were a couple of years ago. The thinking being that with the new rules the bigger slower players aren’t going to be able to keep up with smaller faster skaters and will draw more penalties. Joensuu, Hunter, Witt, Sutton etc. are a few of the big guys we have on the team but there are more here and in the minors so I wouldn’t worry too much. People are always saying our guys are getting roughed up and it cracks me up because that’s what hockey is all about. Not many players lost to checking injuries last year.
Guys Kassian is a known slacker. I don’t care how many hits he gives out in a game if he’s going to dissapear the next night. His number one and two drawbacks were inconsistency and questionable hockey smarts. Both of which de Hann is the exact opposite in. Garth said it, the kids is going to be a great defensemen for a long time. He will play elsewhere and add size and toughness before joining the Islanders. He comes from a great family and he will not slack when it comes to getting prepared for the NHL. Mark my words, everyone in here will be extremely pleased when de Hann makes the team in 2 to 3 years.
FYI, according to the Isles’ Vellu-Pekka Kautonen (ITV interview with Mears), the plan is for Koskinen to play in Bridgeport next season, and that he “might need a half season or full season” there before making the jump to the NHL. So we’ve drafted a goalie that the team feels will likely be NHL-ready in one year!
From SI, the last sentence says it all. Thanks for all effort CB!
•There were no goalies taken in the first round (just the second time that’s happened since 1992) but the Isles used the initial pick of the second round on Mikko Koskinen. After being passed over in the previous two drafts, the massive (6-foot-5, 187 pounds) Finn would have been a long-odds choice as the first goalie taken but he caught the eye of the Islanders after posting some impressive numbers with Espoo of the Finnish SM-Liiga (1.91 GAA, .931 save percentage). He’ll be 21 next month, suggesting he’s a little bit closer to being NHL-ready than the average draftee, but still has one more year on his Espoo contract. Look for Koskinen to make the transition to the AHL in 2010 with an eye on replacing the old-before-his-time Rick DiPietro soon afterward.
I think Garth’s favorite song is “Poker Face”
I would love to know why Garth passed on Kassain, but I know he will never say why.
I admit, i was a bit stunned when i saw that we took de HAAN when he was ranked 23rd. There’s got to be something they love about this kid because it seems to me that there were better Dmen still available. Time will tell though. 6′7 goalie sounds promising too. I wish we would sign bouwmeester but it looks like he’s going to stay in calgary.
I’d like to know more about Buffalo’s reaction. The more I read about Kassian sounds like someone I don’t want. I’m nervous now knowing the huge goaltender was passed over 2 years prior. And I’m downright frightened Landon Ferraro is the next Parise. As much as I’ve looked up deHaan I can’t find anything bad about the kid, only bad to reach for him…I’m the kind of guy who’d draft the guys I want and go aggresively for them, forget consensus draft boards.
Just over 24 hours ago I left NVMC … scratching my head over the de Haan pick at #12 … I didn’t have any knee jerk rejection of this pick… b/c I had read good things about de Haan and thought he might be great if he’s still there at 26 but didn’t expect that.
If the scouting staff thinks de Haan is the real deal … I’m along for the ride.
I think all in all this is the first time I can sense a new positive culture coming from Snow, Janks and Wang … I know this season is still a challenge and we can probably expect to be drafting in the top 10 again … but heck … we’re pointed in the right direction.
CB, Nice work. You keep giving us fresh fodder! Thanks for an enjoyable offseason thus far. The Isles couldn’t pay you enough b/c what you do is priceless.
GOD BLESS!
Re: Did the sales staff know?
Someone did. I saw the nameplates, as CB reported.
If you went to that kiosk after it opened, they were still sitting there on the counter in the exact same spot… only they were turned upside down.. (or atleast the top one was)
There were two stacks.. the right stack was larger than the left stack.. both stacks were Tavares..
wow.
i’m not even halfway through and its already awesome.
To clarify, I mean if you went to the kiosk after it opened but we had not yet picked JT..
Anyway, doesn’t matter now.. we got our guy.. I’m thrilled my wife and I came to NY to be part of this.. JT’s gonna make a big difference for us..
snow has an idea or picture in his head and that’s what he’s going for.
the man has a plan, and it’s a good one.
If you look at some of the picks after the Isles took DeHann there were quite a few guys that were ranked to go later in the 1st round and were picked earlier too. It seemed like that they had their eye on DeHann but I wonder if Garth asked JT what he thought about him since they played together before he was traded just to add to their confirmation of him as a player. Buy the way what a difference between Garth and the Toronto GM Brian Burke. He is probably a good GM but he seems like such an a##.
It seems like most passionate Isles fans are concerned about the Isles lack of size…The fans would appreciate it if “PointBlank” could get the scoop from Garth on this…Why did he pass on bigger players to get another puck moving defensman as apposed to a physical presence? Garth has expressed the need to get bigger, why didn’t he follow thru with that plan and how will he in the future???
Inquiring fans want to know…
Go at watch some clips of Zack Kassian on youtube. The kid is a fighter, but to be honest I don’t know what kind of NHL player he would make. His skating is not that good and not very fast and I don’t know if he really has an NHL shot so he’s probably more of a 4th line type “policeman” type player. JMO of course. As for Landon Ferarro, not close to being a Zach Parise but, I would say probably close to being a poor mans Jordan Staal who will get you say 20-25 goals, be great on the PK and also will generate some good shorthanded chances. He would have been a nice pickup at 31, him or that O’Reilly kid that went right after him. I just find it interesting that we took a goalie at 31 that was rated as I believe the 46th best player in the draft then took another goalie first in the 3rd round and BOTH are 6-5, I guess this is close to what Wang wanted and that is a Sumo wrestler in goal. At 6-5 and all that padding, how much net do attackers have to look at?? lol.
Woops, I know Snow said we probably won’t get a UFA this year but, I’m sure they won’t look at the high priced ones like Gaborik, Hossa, or Havlat or even the Sedin twins because I think they’ll come as a package which means a ton of money to give up on 2 players. BUT, on the forward line I believe Camalerri is a UFA, he’s young (27), scored 39 goals (82 points) last year and was paid about $3.9 million. THe question is can he be had for $5-$5.5million? If so, I think he’d be a nice get at a good price and would look great on JT’s wing. On defense go with the obvious and that’s Komarisek (which I have a feeling we will get). Then I think we’re good with the exception of a goalie but I think once like ANderson or Conklin won’t be to expensive unless we want to bring back Danis.
Dan “what a difference between Garth and the Toronto GM Brian Burke. He is probably a good GM but he seems like such an a##.”
ya think?
if both teams can be good at the same time it’ll be a great rivalry. the ‘78 series still pisses me off.
I have to say, any pick from round 2 and on is generally a crap shoot. I see guys pulling names like Ray Ferraro’s son as well as other guys…but do we really know? What we do know is that our number one goalie/1st round pick is a waste. He hasnt played much in the last two seasons and really hasn’t proved himself yet. Garth grabbing two goalies to me is like putting your money on black and red at a roulette table. Hopefully we’ll hit on one of them an have a fine replacement for DiPietro’s rocky future, maybe carrying us past the first round of the playoffs. Haven’t seen that since ‘93….That’s how I feel, agree or disagree all you want.
I’m not buying garth’s answers here.No way in hell the marketing department didnt know it was Tavares. So I’m also not buying the goalie explanation. If Dipietro is 100% healthy right now, they arent taking goalies at 31 and 62.
Any thoughts on why they skipped over Lehner for these two goalies? If they’re better why was Lehner ranked #1? I remember Chris did an interview with Lehner a few weeks before the draft and there was some chatter that we were interested in him…they must have saw something they didn’t like and they have enough goalie expertise for sure.
Cb…thanks so much for everything with this blog ang all the info you provide to us fans. I can only hope you update this blog over the dog days of summer when things in hockeyland are slow.
Great job by snow and company. I amv very saitsfied with our draft choices. I’m even more excited to see JT next year as an islander.
I assume we will do something in free agency. Maybe add a “knuble-esque” type of player. Would be great to land komisarek.
One thing thats known, but not heard as much as it should be about Tavares is how bad they guy wants to win! I’m so stoked! After research I don’t mind the de Haan pick eithere…
Agree 10000000% with 29. We really need an enforcer now that we have a superstar like Tavares.
I’m fine with what Snow and Co. did in the draft. I have no doubt they know they’re stuff. I would like to see Snow add one free agent and not even a big-name but a mid-level player (Craig Anderson) to flesh out the roster a bit. Continue to give the young players loads of ice time and let the process continue.
Once the Isles took JT it was time for us untrained scouts to have a beer and let the real scouts make their picks. Great draft, great night for the Isles.
give Komisarik the years and the cash and pick up a 20-25 goal winger and the team will be markedly better. as long as DiPietro is healthy, of course.
he passed on Kassian because they already have Jon Sim.
Snow and the staff targeted De Haan and they got him. All the rest is nonsense.
We got the two players that they felt will turn this franchise around.
De Hann will grow and add muscle and will be wearing an Isles uniform in two years.
He will remind people of Kenny Jonsson with his smarts and of Hamrlik with his shot.
Best draft in many a year……Sir William
Great night last night at the coliseum. CB thanks for all the updates on rnd 2 - 7 on a nice day today in new york (finally) without your dedication on islanderspointblank i cant even imagine the draft party being as big as it was.
So happy we got tavares, just hope all the fans are supportive of JT he’s only 18 we cant expect him to carry this team on his back, everyone goes thru slumps, dont wana hear anyone boo him no matter what since we got who “we wanted”
looking foward to the new season!
Great questions, CB! Thanks. I hope next time Garth checks in he does talk about the size/toughness issue, because IMO that is something that still needs to be addressed.
bryan (25): I dont think an organization drafting goalies they think are promising means all the other goalies in the system are busts. It makes sense IMO to draft goalies if youre confident in them and think they are promising. What I think these draft picks might mean is that goalies like Lawson and Mannino may not wind up being longterm goalies here- and that Ridderwall is closer to the jump to the AHL/NHL… which we all hope is true, anyway. Weslosky and Poulin are still very young kids with years ahead of them in which to develop. Outside of them, whats left in the organization? It makes sense to have options and not to expect that every single goalie you draft has going to make the NHL. Im glad the Isles arent doing that now, because its something Ive worried about in the past. Teams can fall into doing that with the G positon more than any other, and it will rarely work.
Drafting a position doesnt means that you have no faith in who you already have, it just means youre being smart enough to want some depth in your organization at that position- which is a good thing.
BTW for anyone who is interested, the NY times had an article with some promising info on pick #31, even if the article does trail off into ragging on the team and calling the Isles “fishsticks”. Sigh lol.
Jeff Klein of NYT has a post suggesting the Isles “may have stolen the real undiscovered gem of 09 draft” with Mikko at #31.
MSG “Hockey Night Live” mentioned the Coliseum turnout a few times. 50-minutes into HNL a segment from the Coliseum incl interviews with Bossy, Nystrom & Trottier. Trautwig, Goring, Daneyko and Dave Maloney all agreed the Islanders likely made out the best in the draft - esp with the #1 pick.
Garth’s scouts did well.
52: While I was at the daft party with my family, my mother started taking with the Islanders general sales manager. She was his son’s teacher a year or two ago. We asked him and their director of group sales and both genuinely swore they had no idea, but admitted they had their fingers crossed. They could have been bluffing, but I truly believe no one had any idea until the pick was made. The sales train sure started about 3-5 minutes after the pick though.
Additionally, I introduced myself to billy jaffe about 20 minutes after the pick and joked if CB would now having bragging right with his steadfast prediction. Jaffe said CB made the easy obvious choice (im paraphrasing), however he was just joking (kind of). I asked why he didn’t think they would take Tavares and he said basically there just wasn’t a lot of talk out there about him.
Now that the pick has been made it really is clear that the silence was a stroke of genius on Snow’s part and by not saying anything he let the media circus do all the work for him (and the sales staff).
Thank you CB for all you have done and making December through July still a fun time to be an Islanders fan. After espn, and my fantasy sports teams, this has been my most visited site by far. Please keep up all the great work! Thanks again.
BTW, Tavares is throwing out the first pitch prior to Sunday night’s Mets/Yankees game. Perhaps they’ll show the pitch on ESPN. Maybe the Mets will let him play too… can’t be much worse than their current lineup.
Thanks again for all of your coverage, Chris. Do we need to show Chris Dey & company that 90% (or more) of Isles’ fans want you signed to a long-term blog contract?
i agree with marc
even though you delete 90% of my comments(i don’t know why :() i have come on this site every day i have been able to since i found out about it i know there’s other sites but i don’t like em this is the best one
oh and i trust garth
#63 - If there is one free agent the Isles should pick up it’s probably Mike Komisarek, you know, if they can. They can maybe add a winger, but for next season I’m not sure I see the point. I’m with everyone that thinks a tough guy would be a good add, but one that can skate and actually play the game is rare. Maybe Travis Moen would fit. On the other hand, it’s not as if Jackman doesn’t play a similar game. As it stands now it seems that there are really only one or two open roster slots (as sad as that is). Doing some wishful thinking, if the Isles could add Komisarek long termish and Craig Anderson for maybe a year or two Snow could call it a day on July 1 and sit back until the beginning of next season.
i actually know calvin, and he is a great pick. he has terrific vision, great offensive instincts, and is a future #1 defenceman. as soon as he adds muscle and gets stronger, he will set up JT on the power play (just like he did in oshawa last year). he was coveted by teams in the mid first round, so garth moved up to get their man. he is not ready yet, let him stay in junior next year, help canada win gold at the world juniors, and then let him try pro in the AHL. dont rush him because if so, he wont live up to his incredible potential. he might just turn out to be the best offensive defenceman in the draft. good job to the islanders for selecting a fantastic defenceman who already has great chemistry with tavares, and will likely prove all the skeptics wrong.
if all goes well, fans might see the long island rebirth:
Bossy=Tavares
Potvin=hopefully DeHaan
Trottier=Hall???
but to get hall…we would have to suck again….
I don’t care how great Hall may be, it is most important that the Islanders take a noticeable step forward this upcoming season. I would say that a 20 point improvement is acceptable. But it’s not worth coming in last again in order to draft Taylor Hall. There is also little point in trying to identify this Islander team with the one from nearly 30 years ago. These players really can’t even relate to those players. I have no doubt that this will be a good team, but these guys will all have their own identity.
Great night. Well worth the ridiculous weather (and traffic) my wife and I drove through to make it there. Nice getting to meet you, as well, CB - glad I got the chance to shake your hand and thank you for this amazing thing you’ve got going here.
As for the picks, nothing more to add re: JT. What a great moment. The two giant goalies certainly raised an eyebrow here today, but - as has also been said by a surprising number around here - I trust Garth, Ryan, and their staff. And, FWIW, I watched the recording of the 1st round when we got home today (since I couldn’t make out too much of what was being said by the TSN guys while @ the draft party), and either McKenzie or McGuire (forget which) said of de Haan: “This kid has no idea how good he can be.” That made me feel pretty good about this kid who I didn’t really know too much about. I like Garth’s conviction, and if that’s what he needed to do to get him, then so be it.
Why does it seem like Garth’s real draft board was replaced by a Ranger spy or something? LOL
Garth said the goalies were the 2 best available players on their board. If so, it may be time to replace some scouts. After Tavares, it was head-scratcher after head-scratcher. If it weren’t for Tavares, this would have been a Mad Mike-esque draft. I wish I could say I wasn’t disappointed.
CB-Great interview. Way to ask the tough questions. I like that you didn’t back down, and followed up about de Haan so that Garth clarified why he felt the need to move up again. Real good interview, nice job by Garth to give some straight answers.
…And most importantly, hopefully something on the ice that we can get excited about.
Fans really need to stop mistaking themselves for scouts. As fans, if any of us actually saw 5 players from this draft actually play a game, that’s a lot. We all knew about Tavares, and most of us saw him play, but after that, it’s hard to judge or criticize. All we can do is see what happens now. We have to be happy with Tavares, which most of us promised to do, and wait for everyone else to develop. In 1987, the Quebec Nordiques were really hot after Stephane Quintal, he went to the Bruins the pick before, and to quote a Quebec Newspaper “The Nordiques selected someone named Joe Sakic.” - That was not faceitious. They literally “settled” for this guy, weren’t particularly thrilled with not having Quintall. Scouting is much better now, but still, the draft works in mysterious ways. Or do we need to talk about the fact that Zetterberg was a 6th rounder in ‘99 and Datsyuk was a 7th rounder in ‘98?
can’t believe kulikov and jordan schroeder were there for the taking at 16. Why is Dehaan better than Kuklikov wo is solid 2 way physical Dman.
I am all for the rebuild & I trust Garth Snow & Ryan Jankowski completely. however, there is 1 veteran that I’d like to see signed to a 1 or 2 year deal. Mike Knuble. He is 37 years old, but he’s still good for 45-60 points a season. He is big which is something this club is seriously lacking, and he would probably make an excellent trade chip later in the year. I think he’d make a great addition to the veteran leadership group of Weight, Streit, Witt, Sutton, Park & Hunter.
I expect Joensuu and/or Iggulden to be on the club, but I expect Hilbert, Sim & Thompson to be gone, so the way I see it, the NYI have an open spot and I’d love to see it filled with Knuble.
I think Snow decided to prove how smart he was by trading up to draft a player he rated higher than other people. Time will tell whether his move was gold or fool’s gold. Maybe Monday I’ll order a Flex 20 plan for the Taveras era.
forget about kamiserick (cant spell) he has been offered a long term deal by montreal. sign niel for tavares protection and make a run for cammalleri and we have a solid foundation to go forward.
I like the foundation that is being set here. I just hope that we will be able to watch them on Long Island when all is said and done.
Let’s not start the Taylor Hall sweepstakes already. This team should be focused on moving forward however slowly next season with the goal of not being a lottery team again.
He will remind people of Kenny Jonsson with his smarts and of Hamrlik with his shot.
you mean the hamrlik who missed the net 7 out 10 times. i’d rather have a guy whose shot is a few mph’s less but ON THE NET. maybe it’s calvin.
Couple of points. deHaan, what I keep hearing about him is that he has a terrific hockey IQ, makes the right play more often than not and has a knack for getting the pick through traffic from the point. The latter item is of utmost importance since NOW we have Tavares to go along with KO and Bailey - JT plays hard down low and rebounds will be tailor made for JT to bury them, so this could very well have been a stroke of genius to move up and get him. Second Kassian Vs. Sim is not the reason they passed on him. Sim is 31 and would have already been a factor in this league by now if he were any good. I never ever heard anyone say Kassian was a slacker/invisible man type, but I do NOT have a problem with the pick, I would just like clarification. Maybe they feel Joensuu is going to be that kind of player, so we move on and look forward to deHaan’s progress. Re: Taylor Hall, I agree that we need to see measured progress as an organization this upcoming season, so let’s not go there. Last, MAYBE having JT wil entice the younger UFA’s to consider the Isles, so maybe Komisarek would consider coming home and being part of the next coming of the Isles. Not so sure about Cammalleri, he’s small and doesn’t help our size concerns but we’ll see. I was actually thinking Laperrière could be had for the cheap as a guy who is touch but CAN play a bit. What I would really love is for the Isles to get a Sean Avery type. Say what you will about him, he is the best at what he does - agitates, scores and has great hockey sense. Save for the stupidity he has done, that dynamic is exactly what the Isles need.
Supposed to say Laperrière could be had for the cheap as a guy who is TOUGH but CAN play a bit.”
Yea I am very very puzzled about the reaction of some fans. I loved the 1st 4 picks
Think about it, we got JT, a solid defensemen who just needs to grow some muscle AND two goalie prospects to fill up a glaring weakens. The first of which should be up here in about a year or two.
After that I do not know too much about who we picked up, but if you think about it, we drafted what we needed with all of your picks. Goal scoring in JT, solid puck moving defensemen in De Haan and two goalies to help fill a weak system.
I would say all in all, we did well.
Now Snow has committed to not doing anything in FA, but that doesnt mean he wont get 1 or 2 guys to help fill out the roster. Look how young we are now, I think many forget the progress of Bergenheim and Neilsen as well.
#80, by your argument, Snow gave up 3 or 4 potenial Datsyuks then to get De Haan. The issue isn’t if de Haan is a good or great player, it’s the uneccesary price Snow apparently paid for him. We’ll have to have faith that snow had his reasons.
Few things guys. First off lets be happy we got TAVARES. that was most important thing.
The move was clearly made to trade down to get Dehaan to 16 and i agree. it cant believe they traded down again to get him at 12 with so many others on the board. But they didnt really give up much for trade down from 16 to 12. Only time will tell.
Now, the drafting of two huge goalie to me definitely means they are planning for the post DP era. I really hope DP does come back and his healthy. our 2009-10 season banks on it.
I can see how the isles passed up some fowards after taken tavares. We have Joennsu, Martin, DiBo, Figren, Trevor Smith, Walter, Iggluden in bridgeport.
I agree with Snow. Part of what hurt isles is Nolan only used Veterans taken precious icetime for young players.
I think Bergenheim, Bailey, and Nielsen are going to have major breakout season this yr.
I hope isles part ways with Hilbert too. I like the guy but he takes too many mins and does not produce. Nielson, Bergenheim, Park, Okposo, Bailey can all play on PK. Sorry Andy Hilbert. You missed you chance.
Go sign a QUALITY goalie on July 1st, sounds like the guy will play 65-70 games this year.
Just lets make sure JT, Kyle and Bailey keep their heads up so Pronger does not throw another cheap shot elbow to their heads.
The wisdom of the later piks will be decided by time. I’m more concerned with this season. I think we need another Goalie and certainly Garth will have to deal with this before he is sure of DP’s statis. We need to add size upfront and on the D. Komisarek would be great if possible. I agree just getting another Satan or Fedotenko would be a mistake. True they had size and scored but they lacked grit and did not help the youger players. So its a problem Garth wants to go with most of the youth from last year but can they do better even with Tavares to improve in the standings? A playoff type team would certainly improve attendance and get good media attention and most importantly improve the prospects for the LH project and keeping the team on the island. So Garth if you read this post I think it will confirm that your thinking is probably that of a lot of fans like myself. I know I sound immodest but I also know that your paid to make decisions and we are all having fun being unpaid assistants without any responsibiliy good luck to all of us!
good interview CB, would love to hear if they plan on bringing Koskinen over to bridgeport this year….perfect world (if not DP) has him there this year, 30-game backup in 2010, blossomed enough to be a starter or 1A in 2011….paired up with Craig Anderson or whoever we sign on July 1 this year…
I do not know anything about the goaltenders other than they are tall, so I cannot compliment on them. John Tavares is an exciting pick.
As far as deHaan, if you can see the looks of the faces of the people at the New Jersey table and the Buffalo table, you will understand why the Isles moved up to 12 to get him. Both of those teams had him rated very high and I believe they were thinking he would slide down to them or they were preparing to move up to get him. Garth and company beat them to the punch!
Next year is going to be exciting! With a healthy D corp, we will definitely make progress.
Hey CB,
Can you ask around and maybe find out if in fact de Haan was on any other board in the general vicinity of that 16th pick?
I’m also not real concerned the Isles passed on Kassian. We have Matt Martin in the system who also put up a point per game last year and fight plenty. Couple that with the fact that all reports I’ve seen say Matt has no attitude problems at all. To the contrary I think he was Sarnia’s captain last season and is a guy who gives it all every shift. Yes, I am fully aware Kassian is 18 and Martin is 20.
Does anyone have video link of Buffalo’s reaction when we drafted CDH?
Also as much as I wanted Kassain, there was part of me that was convinced that Snow would use the second pick for a defenseman.
Well I hope that all of our draft picks pan out and I’m generally optimistic about about our chances of that happening over the course of the next 5 years.
I wanted to address something #92 said about Hilbert. I agree and also think Hilbert might not be back this year. But I think he played an important part in helping the newer guys become more responsible in the defensive end this past season. I don’t know if there’s a stat on blocked shots by team but I’d bet our guys’d be up there in the top. Hilbert really excels in that end and by the spring you could see the other guys following suit. I really think Hilbert’s example played a part in that and I also think Hilbert would do well on a team that is not hard up for scoring but needs PK and d help. I appreciated his hard work, scoring troubles notwithstanding.
I’d like to know if the 2010 draft came into play for Snow and Co. when deciding who to take after Tavares last Fri/Sat. You would think the Isles will garner a top 10 pick in 2010. I wonder if Snow and Co. did a preliminary rank of 2010 prospects to see who they might draft in 2010 before deciding who to take in 2009.
What I don’t get is that Snow loves De Haan. Fine. But couldn’t he love him at 16, and use the other assets to trade up for someone else? Seems like we stockpiled picks the last few years, and ended up with essentially this defenseman with potential. He’s a first-round guy, so its not like we took someone totally under the radar, but if you’re going to trade for him, why do it after losing a ton of quality trade-bait picks?
Also, the goalie situation. If Snow thinks for a second that picking goalies in the 2nd and 3rd round isn’t a referendum on the health and status of DP, he must assume we’re all stupid. Of course Ricky is at issue, however, if the expectations of both these guys are 3-4 years down the line, you have to wonder if Craig Anderson will be an Islander in 48 hours.
For all you people who want to know about Calvin (de Haan) he is worth the trade and is a exceptional player. I know him and have played with him you Islander fans should stop complaining and let time reveal it’s toll for him you’ll be surprised to see what he can do on the PP.
Good job Snow for getting him