Monthly Archives: June 2009
Islanders Point Blank on Twitter
Note to Readers: Before we start with the Q & A, I wanted to run something by you. I was approached by a friend and reader who owns an establishment two minutes from the Coliseum about a Draft night event. Basic premise we discussed is calling it a Draft Celebration, starting at about 10:00 pm – after the Islanders draft party – and going until about midnight.
It wouldn’t be like the game-wine-and-interviews nights we did at Gabrielle’s, more like a time to unwind, vent and/or celebrate after the first round of the draft. Ridiculously inexpensive pints (like $1 tops), wings, a recap of the first round, discussion of what could happen in Day 2, some hockey talk among friends. Would have to be for guests 21 and older. Please let me know what you think in Comments. Thanks.
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If you missed the mayhem over the weekend, here’s the first and the second batch of answers. Besides the draft, the most popular subjects in the Reader Q & A by far have been free agency, the endless Rick DiPietro discussion and the need for an enforcer in the Islanders’ lineup. Below we try to cover all of the big three and then we close with one major question about the first overall pick.
Unrestricted Free Agency
There were several questions about the Islanders’ plans for free agency on July 1. Bring The Reign: “Any chance the Isles plan on signing a UFA to play along side JT if he is drafted, let’s say Gaborik or Havlat?” Jim M asked about Marian Hossa. Dedshark: “What ufa defenseman do you think the isles have the best shot of obtaining come july 1?” Others asked who this year’s miracle Mark Streit signing would be.
Point Blank: Garth Snow went on record near the end of last season saying the roster in ’09-10 would not be much different than last year’s. He may have been deliberately lowering fan expectations, but for now I would take him at his word.
Not the most exciting answer Snow could have given, but perhaps he was being honest and sticking to his plan to build from within. If that’s the case, an impact free agent signing would make more sense next summer. By then, maybe the Islanders will have a shovel in the ground and signs of progress on the ice.
So no, I wouldn’t wait for Jay Bouwmeester or any of the scoring forwards. Goaltender, yes. Mike Komisarek could get a call, especially since his price range will fall after an iffy season. Maybe a forward with speed and untapped upside that Ken Morrow and the pro scouts believe in. And naturally, the biggest addition to the lineup will be John Tavares or Victor Hedman or Matt Duchene.
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DiPietro, The Final Round
Ben: Aside from the fact that you like DP on a personal level, you “believe” he will play again. That is not a very strong statement of what is to become of DP. I feel there should be a new direction in goal and that DP is not the answer, but instead a wishful thought. If by somehow trading, buying out or whatever we can then make a serious offer to Anderson or Conklin. Do you honestly believe DP is the player in 2-3 years and beyond to help this team move to fame and glory?
Point Blank: I don’t believe anything, I don’t know anything. No one does, least of all the doctors, when it comes to DiPietro’s future. Lose the delusion of him being traded – no one’s trading for him – or being bought out. DiPietro’s presence on the salary cap does not prevent the Islanders from signing an excellent goaltender. If he’s healthy and finds his game after all the time away, of course he can play a role in the Islanders’ resurgence. The only mistake Islanders management could make is if they banked on it.
Joanny: CB – Are you secretly in love with DP? Come on, you are like a little school girl gushing about his looks. The Mrs. CB should be worried!
Point Blank: I sucked at reading comprehension too, Joanny, at East Street School in Hicksville. Please read again what I wrote. As for Rick, he was never my type. I saw Newsday recently had DiPietro on their list of 10 hottest athletes in New York, along with David Wright, A-Rod and the King. Whoopee.
My type is my wife Catherine, whom I’ve dug since I first saw her on the first day of our senior year at La Salle University. For a celebrity reference, I’ve always liked Catherine Bell from “JAG,” which is funny because I’ve never seen an episode of “JAG.” Perhaps both Catherines define what would be my type – everything I’m not: tall, fit, beautiful and female…not that there’s anything wrong with that.
#13: CB, any good tales of Battlin’ Billy Smith?
Point Blank: Legend has it that the wife of an Islanders doctor put her hand on his shoulder when she saw him in the hallway an hour before a big playoff game. As you know, Smitty was known for not wanting any human communication on game days. Without even looking to see who was there, Billy whipped around and whacked her hand with his goalie stick. Merely a flesh wound.
Smitty was a good guy when I got to know him at the end of his playing career, but the DiPietro character assassination in comparison is amusing. Billy didn’t have much time for anyone. DiPietro stays more than an hour past the end of the season ticketholders party to make sure everyone gets an autograph, well after the rest of his teammates bolt. Smitty won championships. Rick hasn’t even come close. In the end, that’s what it’s all about.
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Heavyweight Division
Joe wrote: CB, I read that Chris Neil was going into free agency. Would you say the Islanders might go after him? I think he would be a solid addition to the third or fourth line. Steve and others asked where Mitch Fritz and Joel Rechlicz fit in next year.
Point Blank: Candidly, I have no clue how the GM-coach partnership of Garth Snow and Scott Gordon feel about the importance of fighting or the full-time, regular season use of an enforcer. We know the Penguins utilized Eric Godard in most regular season games to stand up for teammates and punch and be punched. Eric did not play in the postseason but deservedly will get his name of the Stanley Cup for doing the dirty work for six months. The Red Wings did not employ a classic heavyweight.
What we know is that the Islanders do not have a strong-skating, reliable NHL enforcer currently on their roster. They did not have one last season. At best, Rechlicz is a prospect and more of a hitter/agitator than a heavyweight champion. Gordon seems to still be feeling out the whole fighting thing at the NHL level. His refusal to stir it up after Frans Nielsen was re-arranged by Mike Mottau was the most obvious example. Funny thing is, as a goaltender Garth Snow never hesitated to drop his glove. As a GM, besides his inheritance of a fading Chris Simon, Snow has not made the acquisition of an enforcer a priority.
On the other hand, there might be – might be – 15 tough guys in this league that are effective playing at least 10 minutes a game. Good heavyweights who can play in close games in the third period are hard to find. I would not assume the Islanders will have an 82-game enforcer next season, not based on the approach of Snow and Gordon so far.
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AND FINALLY, OF COURSE, THE DRAFT
Neil: Will the Isles be able to keep their pick a secret (it seems they’re going to try) until they make it at the podium or will it leak in the days prior?
Point Blank: Staying quiet about who you’re drafting is not a Garth Snow invention. It is Standard Operating Procedure for any sports franchise acting wisely and professionally. Know this: at most, five people on the planet really know the identity of the kid the Islanders are leaning toward selecting with the first pick overall. That, of course, is assuming even the Islanders themselves have 100% locked their pick in.
That’s why it’s humorous to read experts, bloggers, Point Blank commenters, message boarders and anyone else declare they’ve heard from “higher-ups,” “a close friend of Wang’s,” or “a player” who the Islanders are drafting. You think anyone from DiPietro and Doug Weight to Andy Hilbert is being told who the pick is? Do you really think even Scott Gordon knows right now? The circle is a very small one for a reason. The Islanders have taken it this far for more than two months. To blow it now without reviewing those trade offers everyone said the Islanders must consider would be a failure.
There’s no reason why they can’t be quiet. What will probably happen is that on Friday night, in a suite in their hotel in Montreal, three people will meet to finalize who the Islanders will pick first overall. In the meeting will be Charles Wang, Garth Snow and Ryan Jankowski.
Comments, and final day to submit questions for this segment. Thanks to everyone for being a part of it.
Islanders Point Blank on Twitter
One thing before I get to more of your questions. It was almost stunning, and rather telling, how Penguins owner Mario Lemieux completely singled out the greatness of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in his postgame comments on Friday night. I loved his honesty. He gave credit to the entire team, of course, but could not have been more clear: the Penguins won the Stanley Cup because they have two of the three best forwards in the world.
In case you missed it, here are the first group of replies and subsequent throw-downs.
dp: Any whispers as to who the Isles are thinking of going after for our backup goalie? Who would you make a run for?
Point Blank: Backup goalie? The Islanders need a starter.
On July 1, 2001 the Islanders called Garth Snow and basically said, “We’re signing you.” At 4:00 pm that day, I was sitting with my son at International Delight Cafe in RVC when I got a call on my cell from Maine: “Hi, it’s Garth Snow. I’m one of your new goaltenders. Look forward to working with you.” (Little did we know…)
I don’t know if Craig Anderson is a true No. 1 NHL goaltender or just a solid 40-game guy who’s clearly far superior to the Joey MacDonalds and Yann Danisesesesseses. That said, if I had my way, I would make my first call on July 1 to Anderson’s agent. I would tell him Craig will play a minimum of 40 games and as many as 60. I would then ask what would it take to have him under contract to the Islanders by the end of the day.
I learned one (good) lesson from my colleague of 40 days, Neil Smith. If you really want to sign an unrestricted free agent, you bend over, say yes all the time and keep on faxing your offers until the agent has no other choice.
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mrlbem: 1. If I don’t think that Ricky’s play to date lives up to his reputation or hype that the Islanders organization is responsible for, how does that make me or anyone else who feels that way a “DP hater?”
2. How does Garth Snow convince a true 1A goalie to come to this team in light of Ricky’s contract?
Point Blank: 1. There are the critics, of which there are plenty for very good reasons (starting with costing his team goals by wandering from the net he’s supposed to protect). Then there are the people who get over-lathered by DiPietro. Yesterday I tweaked that maybe 25 guys don’t like him because their girlfriends do. By the end of the day it was, “Botta says Islander fans don’t like DiPietro because he’s good-looking.” Oh brother, was I on the wrong end of a freak-out. But no – no one’s obsessed with DiPietro. (Hey, this blog would extra-suck if I didn’t occasionally write stuff you really, really hated).
Again, DiPietro didn’t move mountains to draft himself first overall. He didn’t trade Roberto Luongo. He didn’t give himself the 15-year contract. He certainly didn’t try to injure himself. In his last two seasons of 63 and 62 games, he played behind a defense I would not consider top-20 in a 30-team league. He did make an all-star and an Olympic team. Before Mark Streit and eventually Kyle Okposo, he was the only really good hockey player your team had. That’s all I’m saying.
2. That’s easy. Point out that DiPietro played five games last year and that he’s still limping. For a goalie looking for a No. 1 job, there aren’t many opportunities like this around the league.
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9599: What current Islanders stay/live on Long Island during the off-season?
Point Blank: Rick DiPietro.
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Rob: Do you have any news regarding the Isles plans to introduce a vintage WHITE jersey?
Point Blank: If the Islanders get approval to make their vintage Third Jerseys their primary beginning in 2010-11, they will need a white one to wear on the road. In the mean time, they cannot introduce another jersey of any color beyond their current primary (home and road) and Third royal blue vintage. Guess what I’m saying is, they cannot have a Fourth Jersey. (Note: I know the white jersey modeled here by Shania Twain is not what you’re looking for. I just needed a picture of a white jersey).
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Jason: Anything else on Jankowski? I hear he is a respected scout in this league… anything to back that up?
Point Blank: Sure, he’s respected. Works hard, young, diligent, intelligent. Dad was a successful scout for a long time. Like most scouts, he’s been a part of some hits and some misses. He missed Evgeny Gratchev last summer and probably had to watch him play 20 times this year when he was checking out Matt Duchene. All comes down to the ratio over a fair amount of time and we don’t have that yet from Jankowski. This will be his fourth draft as director. I always hear good things about him from people in “the scouting community.” But all of the above and 50 cents might get him a bagel in Point Lookout. The young man’s gotta have a good draft in two weeks.
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Quez: Could the Isles parlay a few of their picks (late 1st, 2 2nds) into Phil Kessel?
Point Blank: Unfortunately for them, no. Not for a 21-year old who scored 36 goals last year.
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mapisles2025: Any chance Justin DiBenedetto makes the team this year?
Point Blank: A good first year of pro for Justin would be to make the Sound Tigers, stay up all season without being sent to the ECHL, play on one of the top two lines and score at least 20 goals.
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Danbury Islander Fan: How much is Wang and the rest of the Lighthouse group willing to scale down the project if needed? If the town tells them to scale the project down by 50% will they stay or will they go?
Point Blank: Pictured at right is an actual-size model of how much Charles Wang is willing to scale down. Just kidding.
Only Wang and Scott Rechler know the answer to your question. My hunch would be not much – maybe 10-20%, just enough to show good faith, be in the spirit of cooperation and get the deal done. I’d be disappointed if they made many concessions. They’ve been working on this for years, spent a fortune on it and have already scaled down the tower and made other adjustments. The current scope of the Lighthouse Project is what The Broker and Nassau County wanted and approved 16-2. Wang is already on record saying he’ll listen to anything the Town and consultants have to say. He’s just looking for a response.
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Ed J: Is Billy Jaffe locked up with the Isles broadcast for a bit? I would hate to see him get sent to the Blueshirts:
Point Blank: The Joe Micheletti thing was unique, so I don’t think the Islanders broadcast booth is the Rangers’ announcer farm system. Joe should be at the Garden a while. If I remember correctly from when I worked for the NYI, Billy might be entering the final year of his deal. I like his work and hope at the proper time they’ll get together on an extension.
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John G: Do you think the player drafted at 31, whomever it is, would be an immediate starter?
Point Blank: Not a chance. And even if the Islanders move from 26 all the way to 15 – a long shot to move that far – that player won’t be in the Islanders’ lineup in 2009-10 either. If they rush too many prospects, the rebuild will fail.
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MHChanel: Where would Steve Stamkos and Drew Doughty be slotted if they were coming out this year? How do they rank as an Islander fit against Tavares/Hedman?
Point Blank: Some people missed this when I first wrote it, some didn’t want to hear it. For all the fair hype for Hedman, it’s not hard to find a scout who now would rather have Drew after watching him for a year in the NHL. Stamkos would make it a top 4, anywhere from 1-3 (I wrote the same thing yesterday about Taylor Hall).
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We end with – what else? – a quartet of John Tavares Qs…
Nick: Do you think the Isles understand what the Fans want and understand the backlash they would receive from them if JT is not taken?
Point Blank: Absolutely they do. But that will not factor into their decision.
Chris A: Would the drafting of such a high profile guy like Tavares wind up convincing a free agent or two to come to the Island?
Point Blank: No. Building a competitive team, winning a few playoff rounds, “transforming” the Coliseum and most of all being one of the highest bidders will convince major free agents to come to the Island.
Dave Chyzowski: CB, did you tell our boy Johnny T that he should read this blog as the draft approaches so that JT can see the opinions of us Islander fans?
Point Blank: He knew a little bit about the blog and has read it. Eighteen-year old hockey players, no differently than some 38-year old hockey players I know, regularly read what is written about them on the information superhighway.
Dan L: Do you think the Islanders would take into account when considering Tavares the fact that he is an extremely marketable player, as well as an amazing hockey player? I would think that a team that has lost a significant amount of money like the Isles would have to think of the business side of a player like Tavares as well. Aside from improving the team, I feel a marquee player like Tavares could improve profitability as well as potentially help the Isles towards the Lighthouse dream.
Point Blank: I’m sure Snow and Jankowski will take the kid they feel is the best hockey player. How do we know John Tavares is an extremely marketable player? As for the Lighthouse, it is so deep in politics and so far down the road that it’s beyond the arrival of one potentially super hockey player. Whatever has held the project up – if you believe the project has been held up – it’s not going to be cured by an 18-year old hockey player. This is not the Penguins winning Sidney Crosby (and a new arena) in the lottery.
Comments and questions.
Islanders Point Blank on Twitter
Here’s the first round of As to your Qs. Keep them coming. If I never get to yours, most likely it’s because I’ve written about it plenty before (Laviolette firing, for example) or am unable to answer.
Patrick: Hey Chris, I would love to know your opinion on Garth Snow trading Billy Guerin for a 3rd round pick when he was a huge part of winning the cup. Seems like a bad trade. He could not get a 2nd?
Point Blank: A month before the deadline, I estimated Billy’s value at a 3rd round pick and maybe a try like Petr Prucha. A player’s value is based on a few teams being interested and what they will give up for him. The way the final three months went, Bill didn’t have much value. If it’s true Washington really wasn’t interested, well then they made a big mistake. For the cost of a second round pick at most, they might have gotten by Pittsburgh in the second round.
As for the theory that the pick should have increased with each round, it just was not going to happen. In the end, the Penguins were the only team interested and by the day of the deadline everyone knew it. If Ray Shero gave up a first round pick for Guerin with 16 goals, that would have been reckless – even if it played a part in a championship. Garth Snow got what he could, Billy found the perfect spot and a chance at a Cup, Shero played it perfectly.
Congratulations to Billy, Ruslan Fedotenko, Eric Godard (!), Miro Satan, Dan Bylsma, Tommy Fitzgerald and former NYI scouts Jay Heinbuck, Jim Madigan and Dave McNamara on being champions.
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Matt Broseau: Chris, can you provide any insight as to why the Isles continue this draft kabuki? Not drafting John Tavares would be a real shock, and there doesn’t seem to be much downside in announcing the selection pre-draft. Could Snow be playing them close because it helps him in trying to move up later in the first round?
Point Blank: Consider this: if the Islanders take Tavares on June 26, Garth will be hailed as a genius for keeping his poker face for more than two months. Funny thing is, all that really will have happened is 1) the Islanders came in last place in the league, 2) they took one of the two consensus best players available who also happened to be 3) the player more than 80% of their fan base yearned for with the first overall pick. Ooh, cagey…
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Moose: This is my offseason checklist, how realistic do you think it is?
John Tavares
Craig Anderson
Rob Scuderi
Chad LaRose
Point Blank: Yes. Maybe, but the Islanders will be far from alone making an offer to Anderson. No, love the Syosset kid – made sure he was named No. 3 star in his Coliseum debut as an NHLer - but Rob’s going to be mega-rich because the whole league watched him the last month. No, because if the Islanders can’t draft and develop 5-9, 30-point, third-line sparkplugs of their own, they’re really in trouble.
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NYISLES1983: Any good stories you can share about Mick Vukota? He was my favorite. I know about the story of him telling Milbury to go back to his room or else.
Point Blank: I was right there, at the table with Mike and some friends in Annapolis the night before a game against the Capitals in Landover. Makes for a nice legend, but that’s not even close to what happened between Mick and Milbury. The most I’ll share is that they sat down, ordered another round, and talked man-to-man. It was past curfew, but not very far past curfew. Mick, if you happen to read this, you’re welcome to come on and back me up and tell the whole story.
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Sumo Goalie: Where do you think Taylor Hall would be slotted if he were available in this draft?
Point Blank: The draft would then have a Big 4: Duchene, Hall, Hedman, Tavares. (That’s in alphabetical order). In most teams’ eyes, he would probably be ahead of at least Duchene and be viewed by some as the No. 1 pick.
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UIF: There’s been a lot of speculation (I guess generally in news outlets north of the border), mostly citing anonymous sources, that the Islanders are taking Hedman. Where do you think this speculation started, and as it continues to gain momentum, do you believe there is any validity to it (the rumor itself, not whether the Isles will actually draft Hedman)?
Point Blank: No one has sources saying the Islanders are taking Hedman, other than the voices inside their own heads. There has been some speculation that Garth Snow wanted it out there to scare Tampa Bay, but I really don’t think the Lightning are losing sleep over missing out on Hedman and – heaven forbid – getting Tavares. The entire last two months of draft speculation has been the silly season, but who am I to get high-and-mighty about it? I did the best I could to bring facts, interviews and at least informed speculation. But as an Islanders blogger, I couldn’t help but milk the heck out of the situation.
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Mike L: I haven’t seen you write much about Chicken Parm Jr. Do you believe it is not very likely the Isles will draft him? Landon was ranked as a mid-1st, but his stock has seemed to drop. Could he drop out of the first?
Point Blank: I’ll have a huge smile on my face when Landon is drafted somewhere in the second round. I just don’t think it will be with the Islanders, which is why I have not included him in my coverage so far. Maybe a consideration at 37, if the Islanders still have the pick. That’s informed speculation.
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icepiks16: Can you give us some background on Ryan Jankowski?
Point Blank: There’s no bio of Jankowski on the website or in the media guide for some reason, so I’ll go by what I remember from working with him. He started in hockey ops with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League and worked for the Canadian National program before he was hired by former Islanders scouting director Tony Feltrin.
He was the team’s Western scout for a couple of seasons before getting the chance to go to Europe and run that division. Since the Neil-Garth summer of 2006, he has been assistant GM/director of amateur scouting. He is married to a woman named Tracey who must be an angel for putting up with his travel schedule and with Ryan himself. They have a beautiful young daughter named Krystin.
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Bob: With today’s win now mentality, and the expectations through the roof for JT (or VH/MD) what kind of learning curve can we expect? ie, how much of a pass will they get if the results aren’t there and the progression to the nhl is slower than expected? (from a fan’s POV i mean).
Point Blank: The Islanders are not going to be predicted to contend next season, or even make the playoffs, so there won’t be that kind of pressure on Tavares. If he is drafted here, I think he’ll be expected to score at least 20 goals next season, have a great attitude and just not fall on his face. I believe that’s more than fair. I know he can handle it, and probably do a lot more.
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Gloobenberg: CB…What’s your honest opinion about Rick DiPietro and if he’ll be back or his career is over?
Point Blank: On a personal level, I like Rick. I think when he’s healthy, he’s somewhere between the 6th and the 10th-best goalie in the league. I think if he was healthy, he could rise up those ranks. I believe he will play in the NHL again.
I find the curious stance of some Islanders fans to detest what was their best player before he suffered serious injuries a sad reflection on the state of a team that hasn’t won a playoff series in 16 years. I believe about 25% of the hundred or so people who sometimes come on here and rant about him with an almost twisted hatred either 1) blame him for a contract someone else offered him and 2) can’t get past their girlfriend or the woman they pine for thinking DiPietro is hot.
Enjoy your Saturday. You can keep the questions coming in this Comment tread. Still working on the other ones.
Just moving this to the top of the blog in case you missed it. I’m starting to go through the questions posted in the thread on Wednesday. If you have anything you’d like to ask me, post it in this Comment thread. Hope to get to some over the weekend. With the draft still two weeks away, we have some time to kill. I will try to engage, entertain and inform. One Q per Comment please. Draft conversation continues below. Thanks and enjoy the weekend…CB
Islanders Point Blank on Twitter
Phew! Just one more week until the draft. I was starting to wonder if we could keep this conversation even remotely informative and entertaining for more than two months after the lottery win. Now we’re almost there!
Wait a sec. What did you say? It’s two weeks away?
Oh, spit.
Hey, I tried. I mean, it’s not like anyone at the Islanders is helping. Tough diggin’ up this stuff on your own.
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NO PRESSURE
The email Inbox continues to get creamed with messages – some real nice, some real not – about how I’m going to be humiliated when the Islanders don’t take John Tavares.
Let’s be honest, friends. If the Islanders take Victor Hedman or especially Matt Duchene first overall, bless them for doing what they truly believe is right. But if the Islanders take Victor or Matt first overall, your focus is not going to be about the hump bloggin’ in RVC and being wrong. No, not at all.
I’m going with what I feel is right, based on some evidence and common sense. So what if so many more legitimate mainstream journalist/entertainers think otherwise? The prediction here remains Tavares. If I’m wrong, I’ll even increase the post per thread maximum from 3 to 5 so you can celebrate or vent with and at me.
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MOCK DRAFT TOP 5: McGUIRE VS. PB
NBC and TSN and everywhere else commentator Pierre McGuire joined us via text last night for a mock draft of the first 5 selections.
Team McGuire Point Blank
1. NYI Tavares Tavares
2. TB Hedman Hedman
3. Col Duchene Duchene
4. Atl Schenn Kane
5. LA Kane Schenn
McGuire said his top-5 ranking of the best players in the draft equals his mock draft. We had the same top 3, plus Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson 4 and Jordan Schroeder 5 (boy, have we been mocked for No. 5).
Point Blank will not have a mock draft of the entire first round, and please let me explain why. I have been all over this draft since the Islanders lost just about every game in December and Tavheduch was born. Since the Chris Campoli trade, I have talked to everyone on my speed dial about prospects 1-50 in order to write intelligently about Islanders picks 26, 31 and 37 (with a possible move from 26 to as high as 15, more likely closer to 20).
I have listed 12 names for Islanders fans to look out for between picks 15 and 37. At forward (from high to low): Zack Kassian, Carter Ashton, Chris Kreider, Jordan Caron, Ethan Werek and Joonas Nattinen. On defense (from high to low): David Rundblad, Calvin de Haan, Stefan Elliott, Tim Erixon, Dylan Olsen, Matthew Clark. I have also name-dropped John Moore and Simon Despres as dboys likely gone too early for the NYI to move up, but you never know.
I’m very comfortable with the research that went into those projections. However, for me to type up a mock draft of what Dallas is going to do at 8, Anaheim at 15 and Philadelphia at 22 would be foolish. More than that, it would be an insult to readers.
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CLOSER TO TAVARES
The view here is that the likelihood of the Islanders drafting John Tavares first overall has increased a bit over the last week for a few reasons:
1. As many fans have pointed out here and elsewhere, it seems more and more outlandish that the Islanders would pump their Draft Party to these heights and then pass on the player they know at least 80% of their fanbase yearns for. In a Point Blank poll the day after the lottery, more than 90% of 632 individual voters wanted Tavares. Results of a new Islandermania poll: Tavares – 282, Hedman – 34, Duchene – 8.
How else to explain the regular updates from the Islanders of how many tickets have been snapped up? (The number is now up to 11,000 12,000 13,000, to which a die-hard at Imania posted, “Who are they kidding”?). Why else would the Islanders market the event so hard? They are well aware Hedman and Duchene do not bring the same high level of buzz. The Islanders wouldn’t be digging themselves a hole, would they? Because the hole could end up being the site of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The more I think of it, sincerely, the Draft Party really is the place to be two weeks from tonight.
2. Although the Islanders did not want the details to get out, a lot was learned last week about the visits of Tavares, Hedman and Duchene. To be sure, it means nothing that Hedman’s trip was short – he had little time between the draft combine and a league-sponsored media tour at the Final – while Tavares and Duchene each stayed over two nights at Garth Snow’s house. But it does say a lot that management thought to have Doug Weight spend some quality time with Tavares.
And if you were really paying attention, it seems the Draft Party hype went into full motion soon after the visit from Tavares. It is not a stretch to think Tavares answered all of management’s questions, and then the Islanders immediately went into we-must-maximize-the-hype mode. Remember, the sales clock didn’t start ticking on Tavares on April 14. It could start on June 26, giving the Islanders a little more than three months before the home opener.
3. Minor maybe, but telling. When I posted my interview with Tavares last Wednesday and the majority of the Country celebrated, no one from the Islanders even tried to call me and warn against building up expectations for the taking of Tavares. I did receive some “Please. Just. Stop. It.” calls over the season. Of course, I didn’t listen.
Countering all of the above, there’s Billy Jaffe’s Duch-love from Wednesday and the feeling that if the Islanders could make this draft pick in a bubble…they might lean toward Matt Duchene. I still think Tavares will be the pick.
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FUN WITH HEADLINES
Newsday headline if the Islanders go with Victor: HED-SCRATCHER. Of course, it might not be large on the back page. The Yankees play the Mets at Citi Field the night of the first round. A-Rod or David Wright could get a hit in the clutch.
I will say this: the team that gets Victor – the Islanders or Tampa Bay – is getting an outstanding hockey player and young man. The Islanders have their psychological testing. Hedman passed my 15-minute test with flying colors.
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While everyone who loves this game is enrapt in a thrilling Stanley Cup Final, of course I find myself thinking about the Islanders and teams like the Florida Panthers.
Why the Panthers? Well, they’ve been on my radar lately because Bill Torrey is in charge of hiring their new GM and that job hunt is intriguing because Florida has talent and prospects.
You know that NHL commercial the league ran early this season with all the questions? “Will Ovechkin blah blah blah, will Crosby blah blah blah”? One of the questions, a very fair one, was “Is this the year the Panthers break through”?
Well, look at the forwards of the franchise seemingly on the verge the last few seasons: a playmaker in Stephen Weiss, a 31-goal breakout from David Booth, good young forwards like Nathan Horton and Michael Frolik and some solid prospects. A pretty good D last year with Jay Bouwmeester and Bryan McCabe at the top. Vokoun and Anderson in goal (and future star Jacob Markstrom), plus a highly-respected rookie coach in Pete DeBoer.
They have ability and adequate doses of leadership and guts, and just missed the playoffs this season. So what’s missing?
The Panthers have some very good forwards. They have yet to find a great one. Does Matt Duchene = very-good-not-great Stephen Weiss? That’s why you have scouts, I guess.
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SNOJANKS!
Without further ado, 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 assistant GM/director of scouting Ryan Jankowski.
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. Here’s our chart from a week ago. We have revised it.
THE SNOJANKS SCOREBOARD
June 12, 2009
55% - The Islanders select John Tavares with the first overall pick
20% - They select Victor Hedman with the first overall pick (Know this: a head coach with a legendary Eastern European team told me yesterday he was certain Hedman would have a better NHL career than Tavares. I greatly value my comrade’s opinion, so I’m passing it along).
20% – The Islanders select Matt Duchene with the first overall pick (Know this: the interest in Duchene is not going away. It’s almost a crush).
4% - The Islanders move to 3 with a trade and select Duchene. (No idea what they could possibly get from Colorado to make it worthwhile). Hmm, I guess that means there’s a 24% chance of them bringing home Duchene.
1% – They draft two out of Tavares, Hedman and Duchene by making a trade that does not include Kyle Okposo or the Islanders’ first round pick in 2010. (As extraordinary as this might be, it seems less and less likely the Islanders can pull it off. They just don’t have enough to offer).
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10:00 pm - The hearing on the Lighthouse Project before the Nassau County Planning Commission went from 6:30 – 8:45 tonight in the Legislative Building. I was unable to attend because of a prior engagement, but was able to catch up between the LDG’s Twitter page and Greg Logan’s blog.
Greg has a fun insight in his first post about the hall only being half-full despite a more convenient start time than most of the events. Tom Suozzi theorized the meh attendance was a result of advocates feeling positive about the recent comments and actions of the Town of Hempstead. We’ll see if the ToH is still letting the sunshine in on July 7.
Suozzi and Charles Wang gave presentations. There were more than a dozen speakers, all of them positive except for one resident straight out of Central Casting spewing the “It’s a land-grab”! card.
“Tonight’s meeting was for the commission to hear what the people are thinking,” LDC President Michael Picker told Point Blank tonight by telephone. “What they heard for two hours was support for the project from community leaders, union officials, veterans and citizens. It was an excellent meeting.”
In fact, NCPC chair Jeff Greenfield publicly stated, “We have to come together to move this project forward.”
Picker said that he and Hempstead Town attorney Joseph Ra have continued to meet since last Friday, another good sign.
For more details on the meeting, stay tuned to Greg’s late report and Bill Murphy’s for Newsday, plus Nick from Let There Be Lighthouse. My cynical take from reading and talking to witnesses about it is, if all that happened was everyone talking about how important the Lighthouse Project is…
1. What was truly accomplished at the meeting?
2. Why hasn’t the Lighthouse Project been approved yet?
The answer to the first is the Planning Commission has to approve the subdivisions before construction can begin. As for the second, we’ll know a lot more well before the end of the summer.
On the other hand, Wang’s continued participation in meetings over the last month big and small, crucial and mundane, has to be regarded optimistically. He closed his presentation by saying, “Don’t bet against us on Long Island.”
Comments on Lighthouse only in this thread. Coming soon: an updated Snojanks Scoreboard, including Top 5 mock draft from Point Blank and Pierre McGuire.
Islanders Point Blank on Twitter
Rick DiPietro played five games last season. Major surgery has been performed on his hips in each of the previous Springs. Although reliable sources report that DiPietro’s hips are at 100% strength, it is his left knee that causes him still today to walk with a limp.
On Oct. 31 of last year, Dr. Elliott Hershman performed surgery on the goalie to repair a torn meniscus. It was the second such operation on the knee. Whether there has been a third, unannounced procedure is up for scrutiny. DiPietro was seen all over Long Island in April walking with the assistance of crutches.
All of the above made it all the more inconceivable that head coach Scott Gordon would recently declare that the key to the 2009-10 season was DiPietro’s health. In a story with Greg Logan of Newsday three weeks ago, Gordon said:
To me, the most important thing is going to be Ricky. No matter who we draft, it’s going to come down to what we do in net. No matter how good you are, you’re going to break down. You can’t underestimate the value of the guy in net. You have to have a guy who is able to run with the ball. No matter who we draft, it gets overshadowed by who’s in net.
It’s possible Gordon was just building up the confidence of his ailing No. 1 goalie and wasn’t really serious.
If the Islanders’ plan for next season is to count on 50-60 games from DiPietro, then…no, it’s not even necessary to complete that sentence. That would be insulting. There is no way the Islanders are doing anything but considering the complete return of health and form of DiPietro as gravy. Publicly, of course they have to say the right things. Privately, there’s simply no chance Garth Snow is telling himself he only needs a solid backup and a pair of good tries for Bridgeport.
The Islanders are not that delusional. They would be better with him, no question, but the Islanders’ season does not depend on DiPietro’s health. It cannot. It should not. No excuses.
Look, there’s a chance DiPietro can return to all-star form this season. No one is saying otherwise. But the Islanders have to view a possible comeback (what a story that would be – Masterton Injury Recovery Award, baby!) as a very nice bonus.
For the record, the Islanders will not comment on DiPietro’s status, other than to point to Snow’s remarks in April that the goalie will begin skating in August “like he usually does in getting ready for camp.” Since the end of the season, DiPietro has not been made available by the team for interviews.
DiPietro is not a scheduled guest at the team’s very popular Draft Party on June 26 and has not been utilized in team-hosted charity or promotional events. He did attend a fundraiser for the Long Island Children’s Museum two weeks ago, where he was spotted by several Islanders fans walking with a limp. DiPietro has not returned a text in search of a basic statement on how he is feeling today.
Perhaps the Islanders are approaching this the way they should. Stay low-profile. Don’t say anything. If DiPietro is strong in training camp, regard it as a happy surprise. That would be perfectly played, as long as they sign a B-plus NHL goaltender the first week in July and solid NHL backup soon after. Or make a trade.
Gordon’s right. A strong No. 1 goaltender is a must. However, they can be found and developed from sources other than the first round of the draft or big-buck free agency. The 35-year old star goalie of the Boston Bruins was playing in Finland at age 30. The New Jersey Devils didn’t miss a beat this season when Martin Brodeur went down, thanks in part to a career-long backup who was on the farm team of another organization just the year before.
The Islanders’ revival in 2001-02 was backstopped by a No. 1 goaltender acquired in something they used to call the Waiver Draft. The Detroit Red Wings tomorrow could win their second Stanley Cup in a row with a goalie they placed on waivers earlier in the decade. (Yep, same guy). Not every effective goaltender in the league has the pedigree of Marc-Andre Fleury or Cam Ward.
Yes, we know. You need to build a better team around the goalie. With or without DiPietro, that’s the Islanders’ plan anyway, isn’t it?
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