REVIEW THE NIGHT: One Post per Reader Thread
The picks, the party, your emotions, everything
One post per reader. Let it all hang out. Thanks. See some of you at RC Dugans at 10:00.
243 Responses to REVIEW THE NIGHT: One Post per Reader Thread
The picks, the party, your emotions, everything
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Frei says:
“Now, The Islanders become a team you want to watch.” – McGuire
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In Garth we Trust! Love the Tavares pick and I think the D-Man has a lot of potential. I’m happy with it. Unfortunately I couldn’t make the party (I live in FL)
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ed says:
Where are these Lecavalier rumors coming from?? We really don’t have anything I want to give up. Congrats Snow. You made me happy today. Islanders finally have a few valuable assets in young players. It has been a long time
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steve says:
was planning to buy a partial plan but now will go with a full plan. Great night
to be an Islander fan. Its been a long time since i have said that. -
Haroldw says:
JT! I’m so psyched. This brings crediblilty to this organization once again. it only upwards from here. Thanks Garth. Thanks to you also CB
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Cant wait till this kid burns Lundqvist for his first Hat Trick! I havent been this excited for Hockey since since we traded for that bum Yashin!!
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chris says:
Very happy with the picks. Tavares will be an impact player even if not a generational talent. deHaas I believe will be a pleasant surprise to many when he develops and makes the team in 2-3 years.
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BenjaminK says:
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…
The D Man Has a lot of potential..i just checked his stats…..
68 pts in 62 games…not bad for a defenseman -
Neil says:
No more consensus draft board at this point. Just take who you like. Isles must’ve LOVED de Hann and knew Ducks or Sabres were at every game they were at and loved him just as much. Happens.
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butch91 says:
I am so happy with Tavares that they could have drafted Oleg Kvasha 2nd and I still would go to bed happy. So thanks Garth for scaring us all month but doing the right thing.
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Tom D 37 says:
I think Tavares is going to surprise a lot of people. Trust me folks, this kid is the real deal. He probably won’t have a Ovechkin like rookie season. But, once he gets bigger and stonger say around year 4, I think he will be one of the best if not the best player in the league. He wants to be the best and wants to win not 1, but a few cups. Good luck to John, can’t wait to see him grow as player with my favorite team.
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My Family says:
We love the picks. We all are looking foward to watching John Tavares and Calvin De Hann in Islander uniforms for years to come. The future looks to be turning in our favor!
Lets Go Islanders!
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Vinny says:
I am relived and very happy with the Tavares pick!! I am looking forward to watching a winning hockey team. Lets go Islanders! Bring the cup back to Long Island where it belongs!!!
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Larry says:
Happy, but didnt need to trade from 16 to 12 for De Haan, might have even gotten him at 26, but overall I’m happy
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Alex says:
TAVARES TAVARES TAVARES! Finally we did things the right way. I can’t wait for the home opener and rooting for the team to win throughout the ENTIRE season next year while watching JT and Okie put the puck in the net night in and night out. Congrats CB for getting the pick correct when there were so many dissenters and the people predicting Duchene by 7 PM today. Thanks for all the great coverage these past two months. LET’S GO ISLANDERS AND LET’S GO JOHN TAVARES!
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nyislanders93 says:
John Tavares was a great pick at #1. He is sure to be a great player in the NHL. The price to move up from 16 to 12 was very cheap and I would’ve been happier if it was Kassian or Moore being selected in that #12 slot. Calvin De Haan is an interesting pick and time will tell if it works out. In my opinion, it would have been a better pick to see the Isles’ defensive size increased by selecting John Moore.
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joey303 says:
Tavares -what can you say :O :O – I was thrilled -De haan…lets give the scouts some credit on him. Im excited so far -I think we might trade 31 tomorrow for some more picks back or a player. A team like Philly just might shed some cap space tomorrow.
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Dave says:
I loved the night. I’m really excited to see how de Haan turns out.
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JKP on LI says:
A great night. I can’t wait for all the “TAVARES OR BUST” people to say they wanted Duchene all along as soon as JT has a bad game next year.
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Stevie10703 says:
There’s not much to say other than finally! All that anxiety to take Taveres a kid that will make us all proud to be Islander fans and a cornerstone in the rebuilding process. When was the last time we could say we not only have a true first line player but, a finisher of this caliber? Its been a long time coming and I’m looking forward to seeing the barn rocking again.
Though the DeHann pick up was strange..we had the #26 pick move up 12 spots in order to draft a kid that was ranked around 24-26? THat being said, there was a lot of good things said about him. I think we already have a lot of these puck moving d-men we needed some more size. I would have liked Kassian at the 12 but, after Taveres, I think we can forgive everything else.
Great job tonight by the Islanders!!
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Frank James says:
Thrilled about Tavares.
Don’t know about #12.
Pierre Maguire was singing the praises of Garthuntil
the pick of de Haan was announced.
Hopefully all those picks were worth it for de Haan.
Maybe the Isles are going to make a run at Komisarek so they can wait for de Haan to develop.
Can’t wait to see JT play
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Rob says:
Schroeder has our guy at 12… Schroeder and Tavares would have tore it up for 10 years…
And if Schroeder becomes a Ranger, I will puke!! -
Pablo says:
Just got back from the colisseum, all the way back to norther NJ. Anyway I noticed CJ Papa’s reaction when Tavarese was announced, both shocked at the amount of noise and bewilderment at the level of excitement for a draft pick.
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Isles4life says:
I have to say, for the first time in a really long time, I really feel this team is going in the right direction. Im truly excited for this team again. For everything that we as fans have been through for the past however many years, I dont think im alone in saying that the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to shine through.
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Schultz39 says:
Overall VERY happy to be an Isles fan tonight. Now we need to focus on size on defense, a NHL goalie as a FA, and would like to add some more size. The future is bright with JT, Okposo, Bailey, Ness, Comeau, Trivino, Figren, etc etc etc.
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IslanderNation says:
Absolutely psyched about the upcoming season. A great night for the Isles. Sure, they may have been able to wait in drafting De Haan but clearly they saw something in him.
Hockey News previously said about De Haan – “Sky is the limit on his potential. ”
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Danbury Islander Fan says:
I am very happy with what Garth Snow did tonight. He gave us a face with the pick of John Tavares, and he gave us a defenseman with a lot of potential. From what I read he sounds a lot like Mark Streit.
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savetheisles.webs.com says:
the good also brings the bad
Yeah for Tavares but Haan im not happy,
we got JT so im fine
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Tavares #1 says:
Thrilled about JT, not thrilled about de Haan at all.
But we got the best, enjoy the night guys.
Can’t wait to see KO, JT and JJ crashing the net.
Martin and DiBenedetto not far behind.
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frank nyc says:
I am happy and excited.
We got the best player in the draft in John Tavares
and we got a blue chip defensive prospect in Calvin De Haan.
That is all i wanted. I’ll trust Garth and Jankowski.
These rankings after the top 10 are pretty useless.
Plus we still have #31 tomorrow.
Overall a great day for the New York Islanders. -
Strummer's Army says:
I was thrilled and feeling so positive when the Isles did the right thing and drafted John Tavares. For so many reasons it was the proper thing to do. I was even more pumped up when they moved up to 16, I sniffed an even bigger move coming. I had suggested a few weeks back they could trade up to 12 based on what the Wild GM said about willing to trade back. It happened. I thought my God this is perfect. Pick-by-pick was lining up just right for the Isles to get Zach Kassian. We got to 12, the dogs and I got on our knees and prayed in front of the TV, thank you, thank you, Kassian, Kassian. I was a bit worried it would be Moore but thought Snow gets it, this has to be Kassian. It wasn’t. It wasn’t anyone I thought it might be around there.
I can’t believe he blew the 2nd pick so badly. I do believe De Haan will turn into a fine NHL d-man. Sounds a good bit like Mark Streit from what I read but I feel really down right now. Philly gets Pronger, he’s a dirty SOB, he tried to injure guys. We need (ask Pit)players who can protect our top players. The Isles defense is filled with wussy’s, outside of Riechlecz, Joennsu, Martin (in another 2 years at least)there is no toughness (please no one respond with Tim Jackman, Witt or team toughness). There aren’t enough guys who like to hit or throw hands on this team. There wasn’t last year.
Logie and Botta assured us Snow now got it that he didn’t need anymore small puck moving d-men but he gave up a ton of picks to get one.
Toughness still hasn’t been addressed. Defense is still in shambles. No matter how good De Haan is he won’t be doing it for a few years.
Let’s see Snow try to acquire Kassian in a trade now or maybe Bitts from Bos, Bieksa etc.
Snow had a shot to send Isles fans into a feeding frenzy but from reviewing the responses almost everyone wanted Kassian.
The Isles have been the smallest and softest teams in the NHL for a long time,so far nothing has been done at all to change that. While the Isles added two more skill guys tonight in Tavares and De Haan not a thing has been done to change the spirit of this team. You still have guys like Martinek and Geravis who wouldn’t step in to help a teammate if someone shot them with a gun.
I need to see toughness added and a good amount of it and fast.
In Botta’s d-preview he even said he thought the Isles would add big skilled playes on offense and defense if they traded up.
So to surmise on the day the Isles picked John Tavares I end up feeling more down then I have in years and my concerns I had about the team have been magnified.
SIGH
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Isles fan Ken says:
Great night, like the picks. This is the begining of new times, can’t wait until opening night. Let’s go Islanders!
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JAS says:
Excitement and relief we didn’t screw it up on JT. Draft party great for me and the family and the explosion when Garth said his name was awesome! If they like Calvin De Haan, OK with me although I would’ve like a bigger DMAN or Kassian with a #12. But with JT why complain its a great day for the franchise.
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Ryan says:
great job snowy…had a can’t miss with the number one and Calvin de haan is going to be a beast although we probably didn’t have to trade up for him but still a great job
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Bryan says:
Gotta say something that Moore and Schroeder havent been picked yet. Looking at past rankings, the nhl clubs have many players ranked much differently than the scouting services do. I have never heard of DeHaan, but sounds like hes a sure thing if he can grow a bit physically. We aren’t ready to win yet, so Im not worried that he’s not NHL ready.
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Obs says:
Just got home from the NVMC. Want a great time. Sat on the floor and the chanting was all about Tavares. Looked for ya CB and did not see ya. Met with Nystrom, and Bossy. Missed Gillies, Trotts. Tim Jackman was in the Locker room when we took the tour. You would be surprised how small the locker room really is. Great time, I figured about 10k fans showed. See you in October.
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Tom says:
Tavares will soon battle Crosby and Ovie as the best forwards in the game! GO ISLANDERS!!!!
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Finally, we fans can be happy and go into a season with optimism and excitement. This isn’t the final step, but my god it is a BIG FIRST step – Tavares, Okposo, Bailey, Streit, DP (if healthy) – we are well on our way to something special in Uniondale. Thanks Isles for a special night.
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Isle be Damned says:
I am thrilled they got Tavares. I am scratching my head over DeHaan though. He’s a fine looking prospect but i gotta believe he would have been there at 16.
then again, GMs talk to eachother all the time. Odds are Snow felt someone from 12-15 would have taken CDH
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BringtheReign says:
I’m not too upset about passing up Kassian, from what i’ve read he’s very in and out with his attitude, not someone Snowy would want to mold into the team, doesn’t seem like a skater for Gordon’s system. But I would have loved Moore.
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Numbers65 Dynasty Era Fan in OHIO! says:
Great night. Other than being picked at 12, I think De Haan sounds really good. No complaints, hopefully he will also be part of our turning point that began tonight and will make our scouts look smart.
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alex says:
like what happened tonight.. and the way it’s going, it looks like we might stil have a change for wither Moore or Scherider
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Justin says:
I’m thrilled with Tavares and I’ll put my trust in Snow and Co. on de Haan. But no more No. 1 picks unless we win the lottery by a longshot. I would like to see improvement each season.
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MikeO says:
Great first pick of course. John is a winner, and I think will be a building block in the resurgence of the NYI. Not sure what to think about the 2nd pick. It’s not that I don’t like De Haan as a pick, I just don’t understand why we felt we needed to move up that far to get him. There must have been a team ahead of the Islanders that they thought they were going to take him. Overall, a great!!! first day. Good on Garth for building the suspense. By far the most exciting draft for me.(and I’ve seen alot of them) Cheers Long Island!
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Pat says:
They were pulling our chain all along – there is no way they did not know Tavares was the choice from the get go – otherwise – they don’t get 8k in the house tonight. It was really a magical moment for me when they drafted him. Its like “We’re back” !!! Back in the NHL. Back to being serious again.
I really doubt NJ got 8k in their shop tonight for the draft. No way.
Pat
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O.Bender says:
I scared my wife and kids when I Screamed “YES”, as we were pulling into the parking spot. They thought I ran over a squirel or something.
Thanks CB for all of your great work and dedication. I hope JT is everything we expect him to be and more.
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UIF says:
Pumped about Tavares. I’m a bit confused about de haan at 12 and will be interested to see what the thought process was there. I hope Garth explains the thinking and doesn’t treat it like a state secret.
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Hud says:
De Haan had 55 assists in 68 games last season, 55! Not bad, happy to have JT and hope Calvin becomes the first Calvin to suit up for the Isles since I can’t recall another Calvin.
It’s been a good night, CB, great work. I look forward to free agency and trade talk now that JT is an Islander.
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john from merrick says:
Very happy on JT. I can sleep tonight. there is a god. The franchise is still alive. CB you were right since day 1. CB creditabilty is off the charts. Greg Logan needs to find a new line of work. Cant wait for next season in my seats in sec 209. Lighthouse here we come.
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MIllertime says:
It’s all positive, they have improved the team significantly and now with July 1st just around the corner, let’s hope the Isles make at least one more BIG announcement. Who needs tickets? Anyone selling?
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M Howard says:
Was at the Coliseum, what a great event! Couldn’t be happier with Tavares! I’m a little suprised by the de Haan pick, but I’m sure SnoJanks did their homework and am willing to wait a year or two for him. Can’t wait for rookie camp at Iceworks, and for next years draft!
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whatever says:
JOHN TA-VAR-ES. JOHN TAV-ARES.
CLAP CLAP CLAP. MOVE OVER BLUESHIRTS WE’RE GONNA OWN THE TOWN AGAIN.
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LIhockey says:
palmieri at 31 would make this the ultimate draft. nuff said
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Brian B says:
I’m so excited…its ridiculous how I feel…I felt confident it would be Tavares…Like CB, I just thought it had to be. I’m so pumped that I honestly don’t care right now if the Mets lose to the Yankees lol.
P.S. I would really like to know why teams, and guys like Logan and Jaffe thought were so certain we were taking Matt Duchene.
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Jason says:
Hey, it has to be a good night. The Isles are the top story on ESPN.com. When is the last time that happened?
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With The Addition of John Tavares, I Believe At The Very Least…Our Power Play Became That Much Better. However, this Dehaan pick, I am alil suprised. I knew they would take a defenseman however they must have really went with their instinct on this one. He was ranked lower then where the Islanders chose…so I would think that maybe the Islanders just picked a sleeper…? We’ll know that in a couple of years. Honestly…they could have traded the 26th pick for a case of pucks…as long as they got Tavares tonight, I am happy!
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mLem says:
Being there when they picked Tavares was electric…when can we start? My other real question is, does DeHaan play in the NHL next season? And if so, who takes a seat?
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MattNC says:
One scouting report on de Haan:
21. Calvin de Haan — Carp, On — 6′0″ — 165 lbs (team page says 173 lbs.)– OHL — Oshawa – D
One-Timer: The dynamic puck-moving d-man actually increased his production after the trade of Tavares, scoring 17 points in his final 13 games. As a OHL rookie, he finished with an impressive 63 points in 68 games. He was awarded OHL Rookie Of The Year. He actually out-dueled Matt Duchene to win the puck-control relay at the Top Prospects Skill Competition. He does need to fill out physically and although adequate in his own zone, he could improve his defensive play, although he is very poised with the puck. Given his high-end offensive arsenal of passing, stick-handling and shooting skills, de Haan could definitely here his name called even earlier on draft day.
NHL Player(s) Comparison: Niklas Kronwall, Mike Green-Lite, Scott Niedermayer-Jr.-Lite
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Soon they will go back to the hotel with the list to see who will be the #1 tomorrow! YES! Many expected higher picks still left!!!! Goodie!
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Steve says:
Great day for the Isles! We’ll get another mid-late first round talent at 31. The draft is already a huge success with J.T. even if we got nobody else. I look forward to CB educating us further on De Haan and why he was worth the steep price to move up. EXCITING!
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jethro09 says:
Best night in years…great job Garth and co.
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Josh says:
THRILLED about Tavares, of course. I had de Haan picked by the Isles at #31. I’ll give GMG and company a chance with that pick since it was obvious the Isles thought he’d be gone quickly.
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James C. says:
By not announcing JT on lotto night they “risked him not feeling like he was the bona-fide pick for what the isles want”….. what a joke that is.
I cant imagine JT feeling more wanted then when he sees video of the coliseum when they announced his name.
Garth played this very well, and 10,000 (+?) NYI faithful will not forget tonight anytime soon.Go Islanders!
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BR says:
de Haan doesn’t play in the NHL next year. Not physically ready. Like most newly drafted D, he’ll need a few years to mature.
Was I expecting de Haan with that pick? Not necessarily. Might he have been availble at least 16? Perhaps, but we don’t know what was discussed on the draft floor or where our guys had him ranked (obviously near the top of our D list).
At this point, I don’t care. There is a guy named Tavares who will be on our first line next year, so, in Garth I Trust!
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geduffer says:
Great night for the Isles. The excitement for JT allows us to have patience to see how Calvin de Haan develops before making a judgement. It’s funny to see how fast Garth went from an incompetent joke to a genius. Now I’d like to see everyone who swore they’d buy a ticket plan if the Isles took JT follow through.
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Smokey says:
Three words: Snow fooled everyone.
This organization runs an airtight show. Things have changed around here, and given the value (or lack thereof) they gave up to move to 12, it looks like Long Island is finally truly smarter than everyone else in the room.
Get excited for July 1, boys and girls.
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Peter says:
I’m happy that we did the right thing and took Tavares. I get a kick out of seeing posters go from slashing their wrists to jumping for joy. Such is the life of an Islander fan! I’m excited about next season and almost more excited that everyone else is excited.
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Scott, East Meadow Long Island says:
I love both picks – Tavares!!! De Haan – the more i think about it, the more i like. I think that he is going to be a big player on our blueline for a long time..
Good draft so far Garth! Keep it up
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Jon #2 says:
Snow did with the 12th pick what I feared he would do with the first. Try to prove he is the smartest person in the room.
de Haan and Bailey both drafted way above where anyone had them ranked. Not a good trend.
He did the right thing with Tavares so all is forgiven for now.
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Mark in Ottawa says:
Great job on Tavares.
Bit of a reach with De Haan.
I would have liked either:
Kassian, Josefson or Moore.
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John G. says:
My personal best day ever at the coliseum. I got Bryan Trottier’s autograph, Bob Nystroms autograph as well as a picture with him, and a picture with Billy Jaffe. Scored a 130 dollar jersey for 25 bucks! w00t. On top of all that, they did the right thing and drafted John Tavares!!!!!!! I was yelling soo much I got light headed and almost fainted. It was great. Oh, also, meeting Tim Jackman was awesome, so was the locker room tour. aaaghhhh im still excited!!!! Can’t wait for the 1st home game!!!!
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Tim says:
I’m surprised they traded up and left Rundblad on the board, but enough good things have been said about DeHaan to justify the pick. Oh yeah, and the ISLANDERS GOT JOHN TAVARES!! Better times ahead, for sure.
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avolp55turgeonfichaud says:
BEST NIGHT EVER
I threw my back out jumping up and down for JT……. you called it CB- thanks for all the heads up leading up to today.
I won’t forget this for as long as i live
In Garth We Trust
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Houda says:
You gotta love the “experts” on this board who KNOW that we could have had DeHaan at 16 or even 26! What was one of you sitting at each of the other 29 tables and checking the teams’ draft lists? And I’ll also bet that not one of these experts has ever seen the kid play!
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hyedray says:
Garth wanted our trust. I have posted many time he needs to earn that trust!
Tonight, Garth earned my trust. He took the right player at number 1!
I am a bit puzzled with the DeHaan pick, but it makes a bit more sense when you factor in his time playing with Tavares in Oshawa.
The rumors about more moves intrigue me, but I am hoping to keep Bailey, Okposo and next years 1st overall.
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Nick says:
I was in attendence at the coilseum tonight, and boy did that arena roar when snow announced tavares!
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Chris M says:
Love the Tavares pick- I’m pleasantly surprised. We gave up a lot for the #12, but this is a great day for the Islanders. It’s about time.
Chris- any chance you can post the Duchene article you were preparing if they had drafted him? Would be interested to see what your thoughts would have been.
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potvin05 says:
The longer this draft goes on, the more the deHaan pick makes sense. You have to think Minnesota (the team they traded with) liked deHaan enough because of who they picked. Moore stayed on the board for awhile and Despres is still out there. We’re obv. going to make a run at a relatively young Komisarek to be here for awhile. deHaan will def. not be on the roster next year, if anything he’ll be in the Worlds (maybe), he needs to fill out, but he obv. has a ton of talent, so I’m willing to give Snow and Jank. the benefit of the doubt for now.
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My excitement was tempered some when one of my fears came true. Instead of taking the best player available, Snow made a big reach for a player who may have fell into our laps at 26 or at least 16. I thought some better players were available, especially forwards. I think Garth went with a need pick which is not a way to draft. I hope Snow and company know something that everyone else doesn’t, but I doubt it. The Draft Party was fun though and it was great getting pics and autographs and such. Traffic to and from Jersey kinda sucked though.
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JZimm says:
Check out Calvin deHaan on mynhldraft.com – though he’s a defenseman, he seemed to have some chemistry with Tavares. I’m just really very excited. With Tavares, all is good.
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Paul23 says:
Excelllent night overall. My feeling is that Tavares knew all along that it was him and also gave his input to the Isles on De Haan.
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doug says:
It seems dehaan and Tavares have some chemistry when they played together in juniors…
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Austin H says:
Pumped my fist at the computer screen when I saw JT at #1 (still at work in CA during the pick)! The wait was worth it. 26 to 16 to 12 was setting up real well…gotta trust the scouts and GS at this point. Wish we didn’t have to wait 2 to 3 years on him though. At least we still have #31 tomorrow AM.
When do we get to see JT on the ice? What number will he be…61, 91 or something else?
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kevin27NYI says:
it was great. we have an identity in tavares. i cant wait for next season! de haan also seems like a great pick although i would have waited at 16. him and gervais and hillen and ness may be small but look to be a great offensive core for the future. de haan and tavares also look to have great chemistry from oshawa so im very happy
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isles316 says:
Very happy. Still not sure why people are so sure that the Isles could have had De Haan at #16. If they could, they wouldn’t have traded up. They must love him and it sounded like he had a very nice year all around.
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Isle_in_LA says:
I am relieved, excited, and a little confused. Relieved and super excited about the first pick. I think we’re all confused about the second pick. But, we’re not the scouts, right? I don’t understand the rationale behind the move up to grab a player that might have been there at 26, but we got Tavares, so who gives a flying &#^$! Yeah baby, yeah!!!!
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Alex Kinkead says:
Wow im so happy we got our man at #1 and we got his buddy at #12. All is well in Islanders Country!
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Brad says:
Thank God Snow listened to Chris Botta.
Great coverage leading up to the draft hope you will continue.
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Rachel says:
What an AMAZING night. The coliseum was awesome!!! I left like pretty much everyone else a few minutes after Tavares was picked. Went out with some friends, had a beer and toasted to John Tavares. The suspense was worth it!!!! Thank you Garth Snow!
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Several good players left to fall to us first thing tomorrow morning. If de Haan was near the top of our D list, I go for someone like Morin next. Word on the street is that he’s the second best natural scorer in the draft. I take him, and hope that someone like Olsen is still available with our remaining 2nd round pick.
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CB-
The only reason I had any faith in the Islanders taking Tavares was because you remained so confident. My brain was telling me it would be Tavares, for all the reasons you stated, and my heart was craving JT. But as my ears kept hearing “Duchene, Duchene, Duchene,” I started to worry.
But no, despite everyone thinking the pick would be Duchene, CB stayed strong. “It’ll be JT,” you said. And you were right.
The three seconds between Garth’s words, before he said “John” we among the longest of my life. It was a truly harrowing experience. And when they made the right choice, it was more than just relief I felt, it was sheer jubilation. For once, this team did something right. For once, I was proud to be an Islanders fan.
Congratulations, Garth, Ryan, Charles. You did a hell of a job. This organization has some momentum moving forward. I can’t wait until October. -
Lav says:
Alright! Let’s go to work boys! This is the beginning of the foundation. This is a great day for us as islander fans, but its just the beginning, love tavares, but he alone will not turn us around. Let’s hope the islanders continue to establish a solid team and build it for the long haul. Oh yeah, Eff the rangers!
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Isles fan in CA says:
Teared up a little when Garth called up Tavares. Stoked to see one of the Isles brass checking out pointblank on his laptop when VS panned the table during the Isles # 12 pick. haha AWESOME!!
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Zach says:
Kassian is said to be a bit of a head case and is inconsistent on the ice. One night he plays like Lucic and the next night he dissapears so I’m not as worried as some other posters about passing on him.
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KLann says:
jt
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303Joe says:
Great to get Tavares the kid will put the Isles back on the NHL map. Dehaan at 12 is a strech didn’t think there was any reason to move from 16 for him. Would have loved Kassian/Moore/Kreider or Rundblad but let’s hope the Isles see something the other teams didn’t. Let’s hope for a nice start tomorrow at 31 they’ll be some good kids dropping down. We will have a shot at one of these 5 who were ranked in the 1st round Elliot/Ferraro/Ashton/Morin/Shore as there are only 3 picks left in the 1st round. Not to mention a bunch of 2nd rounders Oreilly/Klingberg/Olsen and all the goalies. We will see what happens.
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rob in j says:
Thank you Garth! Well played! I can now go to sleep knowing JT is an Islander!!! Let’s go Isles now let’s go after Komi!!
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Ann Aquarian says:
Awesome. Just awesome.
Now, give us a building.
By the way, did anyone notice Pierre McGuire mention passing up on Parise again? Haha, he sounded like he put it on Snow. That was Milbury Pierre, you know – the guy you hang out with on NBC.
Anyway, thank you Garth Snow!
Welcome to NY, John Tavares.
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MT says:
In all honesty, I would’ve been fine with whatever name came out of Garth’s mouth, but let me tell you when I heard “…John” I went nuts. It was just relief.
God bless Sno Janks
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Tom B says:
Thank you! Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!
Lets get to it!
opening day I’m there with 14,000 other Tavares Jerseys sweet!
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I’m PROUD to be an Islanders fan again. How long has it been since any of us could say that?
The number 12 pick seems good to me. If there is someone you want, you do what it takes to get him. And they obviously wanted him.
There is that rumor that Logan posted about maybe some sort of deal for Lecavailer. Not sure how I feel about it. I don’t want to give up Bailey or Okposo and I don’t see how the deal gets done without one of those 2. Maybe our first round next year, Aaron Ness and another draft pick? Seems like a quick fix move to me. Plus his contract is enormous.
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It looks like a handful of good goal scorers will be available in the 2nd round for us to pick from.
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ShardZ says:
Aside from the picks (how can you not be happy about JT, I was jumping up and down I was so excited), my favorite part of the night was hearing the islanders being talked about in a positive light by the media. At one point they mentioned the islanders making good moves “for the first time since Torrey” or something similar. Obviously Snow has a long way to go before being in the same league as Mr Torrey, but you can’t help but feel our team is turning a corner. Remember this moment, we might be finally putting the years of Mad Mike behind us!
Can’t wait till we start playing hockey again! lets go islanders! -
James says:
after i qualify this with the whole Garth-never-tipped-his-hand-thing: that was awesome.
years of Isles fans enduring crappy trades and prospects being moved in questionable deals, THIS WAS A HOME RUN.
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John says:
Misc comments not spoken about on these boards that I observed at Coliseum:
* Nasty storm clouds over the Coliseum at 7pm. Burke summoning the hockey gods to strike us down? We withstood it and when the JT pick was made, it stopped raining.
* Saw an Islander #79 jersey with Yashin crossed out and Taveras written in. Would be a hoot if JT took #79.
* The girls in their summer clothes.
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Captain Crunch says:
Elated that we made the conventional pick (FOR ONCE) and took Tavares. I was stoked that we moved up to 12 (thinking Kassian, etc.), but then seriously bewildered at who we took with a moderately-high pick in a deep draft. We moved some of the picks we acquired by trading down last year (foregoing Schenn or Filatov in favor of Bailey) for a guy we in all likelihood would’ve gotten at 26 (and CERTAINLY at 16). But the new Face of the Franchise makes that misstep tolerable.
Overall grade: B+
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firel28 says:
alot of off the board picks,we dont know where anyone else had De Hann so we trust our GM!! 31 is first thing in the morning 10am!
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KZ says:
Landon Ferraro still on the board after Round 1!!!!!
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BK from the Shore says:
ferraro is available at 31 … can we start the season early??
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Chris D. says:
Huge sigh of relief and excitement when Tavares’ name was finally called. DeHaan seems to be one of those “Snow knows better” picks which always makes me nervous (considering the Isles traditionally “zig” when everyone else “zags”), but I think the scouts must have had a lot of influence on that one. His value may have been higher on the floor than in the scouting bureaus as well. Seems to have a huge upside anyway, so in reality shouldn’t matter too much that we passed on some other higher ranked players. Overall, JT is the highlight of the draft and I’m happy. Having the first pick tomorrow is just a bonus at this point. Maybe with JT we can actually attract some UFA’s now!(?)
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Chris Mc says:
Obviously Im happy we got JT. And I dont know enough about Calvin de Haan but for the Isles to trade 4 picks and move up that far for someone projected to go in the 20′s they must really think hes something special.
Im a little bummed out the Lightning moved up to 29 and stole Carter Ashton bc I was praying he’d slip down to 31 for us tomorrow, but Lil Landon is still there. Either him or Ryan O’Reilly should be the pick to start tomorrow.
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steve in tampa says:
Chicken Parm Jr (Ferraro) tomorrow at 31!!!!!
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isles 14 says:
glad it’s over.now i can go to sleep.welcome to long island jt
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I would like to see the isles draft Ferraro, Morin or O’Reilly
Good Job Garth!
Lets go Islanders
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AZS says:
I’m extremely happy about today’s events …
1) We get the star player we all wanted
2) Regarding de Haan …it seems that many players went in spots where the “experts” didn’t have them pegged …I wouldn’t really read too much into the fact Snow jumped up to get this kid …look at where everyone went – besides the top 10 and you’ll see a lot of guys jumping up and sliding down – it wasn’t just Snow this year …Looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings ..
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upwithsnow says:
wow. I guess this more of a RELIEF than anything haha. I can’t describe how happy I am to see this franchise finally do what needs to be done, and to finally have something to legitimetly be excited about. Tavares slipping that jersey on is STILL the front page of ESPN.com. After threatening to not spend a time on this team ever again I can gaurentee I’ll be at MANY games next year and might just get myself a Tavares jersey. NO heat to Garth if he never even scores 20 goals in a season. This is what we needed and he delivered. Its a good night for Islander fans.
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Priest says:
I’m glad they took Tavares. I couldn’t veleive ow fast my heart was beating as Garth took the mic. Still not sure about the trades, my inital reaction is they paid WAY too much, but we’ll see. Snow and the scouts have been impressive lately with going “off the board” a bit, so we’ll see…
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Church Hill Drew says:
Morin please…or my second choice, Landon Ferraro. Maybe take a flier on Richard Panik??? Excited by today’s events and looking forward to tomorrow!
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Mike says:
I think it’s Ferraro or Morin tommorow. O’Reilly is a Center and I think we are deep there.
I must say GS did a fantastic job tonight. He moved useless picks to get quality and quantity.
Taking Ferraro is #1 tomorrow followed by the goaltender they need in one of the 2nd picks.
from Winnipeg go Islanders!!!
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jeff says:
Now that it’s over, all of the secrecy seems just silly.
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bergie20 says:
isles get their franchise player that will score a million goals and sell a million tickets. they also get a young version of mark streit that has great chemistry with said franchise player. in other words a great night that brings immediate respect, hope, and credibility back to the franchise and it’s suffering fanbase. the pick at 31 should be jeremy morin. 2nd best pure sniper in the draft behind said franchise player.
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Moose says:
Garth talked about building equity… trust with the fanbase. You’ve done it, GMG. You’re on your way to being a made man.
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Everyone raving about De haan,so lets hope he works out. Would’ve loved to still have 31 and 37…. Morin,Ferraro,O’reilly ???what about a goalie??
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CIsle says:
The staff should have fun deciding who to take 31st. If I had to gander at it, I’d say the team would have to consider Morin and Elliot to be the two most logical choices at this point.
Here’s hoping Rajala is available at 56 or if not, that Snow could coax Shero into being nice in light of Guerin’s contributions and sending us 61 & 63 for the 56 and Jon Sim.:-)
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Nova Scotia Isles Fan says:
Will you please stop with the “Garth makes me nervous when he tries to prove he’s the smatrtest guy in the room” s—, errr, stuff?
He and the scouting staff obviously felt the need to go after someone that wasn’t ranked as high by the media and probably was on someone’s radar at 13-16. I like the pick. He’s got unlimited upside potential and that’s all you can say about any of them outside the top 5. Now we wait to see how he develops.
With the possible (and I say possible, b/c it was a decent flyer, given what we gave up) of the Ryan Smyth deal, and MAAYbe the DP Contract (which probably wsn’t his idea, anyway, IMO), Garth hasn’t made a bad move yet. Guess what guys, we have a PROFESSIONAL running the show, for what seems like the first time in forever.
Ferraro is available at #31. I think this is absolutely bonus.
Party on Garth.
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Don says:
Awesome tailgating, even through cautious pessimism. The clouds that settled over the Coliseum before the Draft started seemed to be an omen, but almost as soon as Tavares was announced, the clouds broke. Foreshadowing?
Loved the move up to 16, but not sure de Haan wouldn’t have been there if Garth hadn’t moved to 12.
Also loved the fact that Burke got neither Tavares nor Schenn. Can’t wait for the Globe and Mail to spin Kadri as the true power of the London Knights…
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vigs says:
I have to agree, the 31st pick should be either Morin, Ferraro or Elliot if they want another d-man. Maybe they will go off the board again and take someone like Budish.
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Mikko Makela says:
Very excited about JT and KO teaming up for years to come! Would have liked to see Carter Ashton on the board at 31 but I’ll take Chicken Parm Jr instead. Go Isles!!!!
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James says:
Living in Arizona now, it’s tough to follow my beloved Islanders, but I have to say I think that this draft was what Snow was planning for the past few years. Didn’t know to much about deHaan at first, but the more I hear the more I like the pick. Naturally I love the pick for Tavares as I feel that with the young strong talent the Islanders have that this is building to a very competitive team in the up coming years. Here’s to you Garth, hopefully you can rope in some strong, young (or experienced) FA to continue to make this displaced Islander fan proud.
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RylanIsle says:
The islanders franchise has made me a happy man today. Garth and Co. have definitely gained my trust.
As for Calvin Dehaan, even tho it seemed like a bit of a reach I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on this one and hope he lives up to that #12 selection. Cant wait for the season to start.
Lets Go Isles!!!!!!!!!!
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woooo says:
j.t baby wooooooooooooooooooooo
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Bri on Li says:
JT… everything else is just gravy. Wish I could have been there for the draft (draught) party.
LET’S GO ISLES!
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Pd says:
JOHN TAVARESSSSSSSSSSS……Calvin De Haan that trade wasn’t necessary to snag him at 16 could of saved some picks but whatever solid defenseman. also what is this bs with vinny to the island?
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millsie says:
While I’m excited the we got JT, let’s not hail Garth as a hero. All he did was not screw up the pick.
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StevieL says:
Great night at NVMC! I don’t know if VS. did justice to the crowd! There were a lot of people there!! The live feed had a delay, so i don’t know if you saw the real crowd reaction! The crowd went nut’s with the JT pick. Also it was a quick exit for a lot of people before the 12 pick! Those that were left got pretty excited with the trade down from 16 to 12. We all thought the pick was Kassian or Moore. When DeHaan was announced there was silence! A lot of surprised people!Anyway a great night. Bossy, Nystrom and Trottier signed everything Real Class!!! I was surprised Jackman was the only current player. No sign of DP! Already and interesting first pick tomorrow. The Isles are back!!
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michael says:
CAN’T WAIT FOR THE SEASON TO START!
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Isles6 says:
Tavares had to be the pick…why did they think they had to give up so much for de Haan? And why did Morin slip out of the first round????
James where in AZ?
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Long Suffering says:
Best part of the night — Garth choking up as he talked about JT during the post draft interview. Very impressive — Garth has a huge heart and cares very much about bringing a winner back to Long Island. You are the man Garth.
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Froggy says:
What an amazing night. Most electric the old barn has been since the Bates penalty shot. I am not going to lie, got teary after the pick. Just a release of emotions. As for DeHaan – in Garth I trust. If the staff loves the kid, then you need to trust them. Sure people were looking for a Kassian, but the staff liked DeHaan better.
On a side note – CB – amazing job you do for us die hards. Thank you once again.
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Islander Fan in Boston says:
CB – someone at the Islanders draft table was reading ISLANDERSPOINTBLANK.com
Right before they announced the De Hann trade they showed the Islanders table. A bald dude was reading your blog. Pretty cool dude. You are the man.
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IslesFanInAtlanta says:
Incredible evening, i’m tired. For awhile during the day I was fine but then the clock hit 6 PM, still working but going home soon…. knowing a lot of our future will be decided at 19:20 or so. I was in knots as the show started, then whammo.. the pick. He did it, bloody hell he did it. In Garth we trust, who knows… maybe tomorrow we’ll have another Ferraro in the organization.
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Al S. says:
I want to do great things, I want to be the best player I can be and I even want to be the best player ever…JT on TSN see video
“Featured : 2009 NHL Entry Draft – 1st Round : Introduction” -
Sean says:
Love the JT pick. Absolutley hate what Snow did after that. Trading THAT MUCH to move up to take a guy who was a late 1st, in some mocks even a 2nd round talent is a horrible thing to do.
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Greg says:
Was there,was the most emotion ive seen at the coliseum in a while..great night there,and i literally almost cried from being so happy when i heard garth annouce his name…oh i was speechless,still somewhat am,cant wait to see him live..oh man its going to be amazing
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Fist of Gillies says:
Will this write up help some of you off the ledge about de Haan?
#21 Calvin de Haan– The Hockey Spy’s 2009 NHL Entry Draft Rankings
Christopher Ralph is a hockey writer with a focus on prospects and the entry draft, as well as the Leafs’ correspondent here at THW.
“Full Potential” Prospect Profile:
Calvin de Haan — Carp, On — 6′0″ — 165 lbs — OHL — Oshawa – D
One-Timer: The dynamic puck-moving d-man actually increased his production after the trade of Tavares, scoring 17 points in his final 13 games. As a OHL rookie, he finished with an impressive 63 points in 68 games. He was awarded OHL Rookie Of The YearHe actually out-dueled Matt Duchene to win the puck-control relay at the Top Prospects Skill Competition. He does need to fill out physically and although adequate in his own zone, he could improve his defensive play, although he is very poised with the puck. Given his high-end offensive arsenal of passing, stick-handling and shooting skills, de Haan could definitely here his name called even early on draft day.
NHL Player(s) Comparison: Niklas Kronwall, Mike Green-Lite, Scott Niedermayer-Jr.-Lite
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Belarus says:
Maybe there is something wrong with me, but second Snow’s pick has ruined the party for me. I mean completely. Talking about a monstrous reach…
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Knight of Cups says:
I was so psyched to be a part of the tailgate for Islander Mania and experience the power of my fellow Islander fans when we heard the name we were waiting to hear. Welcome JT.
I am anxious to learn about De Haan and hope he fits in as well as the media outlets say. Cant wait for the rest tomorrow. Lets go Islanders.
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RAmen says:
Great day to be an Islander fan – and it starts again tomorrow! Chicken Parm Jr would be good for lunch tomorrow.
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Frustrated Voter says:
Now all we need is a new stadium!
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Gillies Goring says:
JT.. great relief. De Haan write-ups look pretty dern good too.
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Mike F says:
We all knew that they were gonna draft JT after the golf outing….but De Haan, that was exciting…make no mistake, De haan is gonna be a sutd
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Loved the Tavares pick. I think deHaan was drafted too high but overall think he could be a 6’0 Kenny Jonsson. He has that amazing awareness, intelligence, poise, tape to tape passing, never makes a mistake, will get a ton of assists. He’s just smooth as silk out there. Has an accurate- easy to tip pt shot. He is talented enough to play in NHL this coming year; except he needs more muscle on his frame. I could see how the Isles could fall in love w/ him, watching him for the 1st 1/2 of the year playing w/ J.T. He completely dominated the World U-18′s for Canada playing w/ Dylan Olsen on the top line. Even after Tavares left Oshawa, deHaan assists didn’t fall at all.I am praying the Isles draft either Morin, Budish, Ferraro, Tatar, Olivier-Roussel or Werek.
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West Coast Fan says:
Yeah! Duchene baby!!!
What??? We picked Tavares?
lol…
I’m not so sure about De Haan’s “I know my limits” comment…
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Jamerson says:
This was an amazing night for the Islanders organization. But it was also an AMAZING night for NYI Point Blank. Chris, you crushed it. You demonstrated your instinct to look past the red herrings, to distinguish between the genuine and the misleading evidence. In the prediction game, you competed and won against the very best, and you did so without ever compromising your convictions to the very end. Job well done. Best Islanders blog ever. Amazing night tonight. I’m moving out of town this weekend, but I had delayed the moving date just so that I could attend the draft party. No regrets.
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dalcy says:
JT and Hedman were the only sure things in this draft. if the scouts feel De Haan is worth it than so be it. to move up that far to get him they couldn’t have been the only team to think that. what a great day to be an islander fan.
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Patty16 says:
I have been an eternal optimist with this team for years. I consistently travel hundreds of miles each season to watch the isles no matter how bad the product is on the ice, and I can confidently say that I have NEVER been this disappointed in the team. Garth Snow got absolutely backdoor sodomized tonight. The first pick was a no-brainer (and luckily he was, since our GM has no brain), and then we made the equivalent of the Minnesota trade for Hershel Walker as we gave away half of our draft to get a guy we could have drafted at 26. I was SURE we were drafting Kassian at 12. I actually was annoyed we only moved up to 16 since I assumed Kassian was the target. I could have even lived with Moore. But to move up to 12 to take a guy that was not considered a top 20 pick is unforgivable. This is why the team stinks and will continue to stink. If de Caan turns out to be Denis Potvin, this is still an awful pick by the Isles since they could have had him without giving away the farm system. The point of drafting and trading is understanding present value. Garth clearly has no clue what present value is. He paid in dollars when pesos would have sufficed. He had his pants GMed right off of him tonight and should do us all a favor and not show up tomorrow, which I suspect was his plan since he gave away the entire second day of the draft to pick the kid that lives down the block from me. I would rather punch myself in the face while vomiting on my shoes than be treated the way Garth was treated by opposing GMs tonight. If he has no pride in himself or his team, he should politely step down and play goalie next season for the inevitable 78 games that DP will miss.
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CB – thank you for giving all of us diehards an outlet! you have been very knowledgable and it is much appreciated! once again, thank you!
lets go islanders!
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Bryan says:
I’m very happy… still confused about DaHaan. I’m not saying anything bad about him but did we really have to trade up so high to get him?
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Bryan says:
Did we really have to move up from 16 to 12 for dehaan?
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mrlbem says:
Would love to hear Snow explain why he thought he had to trade up to 12 to get De Haan. More importantly, who are we going to pick at 31 tomorrow? Ferraro or do we go for size/character (O’Reilly)?
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PSM1966 says:
John Tavares
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db says:
You might not like the draft pick of dehaan (patty #162) but the reality is the move from 26 to 12 did not cost us that much. for instance columbus traded from 26 down to 21 and gave up their 26th and 37th. the islanders on the other hand traded from 26 down to 12 and only had to include a 3rd rounder #62 a fourth rounder #92 and a 7th rounder #182 and the 26th and 37th of course. so if you are following me so far 26 and 37 got you to 21 we only paid a 3rd 4th and 5th to move from 21 to 12 now that is very cheap in pesos or dollars. i understand you dont like the player we drafted which i do after seeing how the draft unfolded with guys dropping and alot of 20-25 guys going in the teens. but you cannot say we got fleeced getting to 12 as that is just false.
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Mike in Bohemia says:
The vast majority of numerous mock drafts had de Haan over 20th. I think it was a waste to trade from 16th to 12th for him.
With that off my chest, lets hope he turns out to be a stud, and cut Snow some slack. He made the right (and obvious) choice at No. 1……..JT BABY!!!!!! -
b-ri says:
Well when the night started i was nervous. Thankfully mad mike isnt running this show anymore. Pumped that Tavares is an islander, gonna get my nice 3rd jersey with tavares on the back once i know for sure whether he will be 91 or 61. In other news, De Haan…would have liked for them to take him at 16, and the draft guys were a little surprised, but they also said that not even Calvin knows how good he is going to possibly be, which is a positive thing for sure. Draft party i felt was eh…didnt show enough of the draft for my liking, hence why i left to watch it at my buddys house. All in all cant wait to see what happens tomorrow
Party on Garth
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rb says:
bravo to Garth for being the anti-Milbury! and as for de Haan, I don’t know anything about him but I really like the reports…I am more than willing to give the scouting guys the benefit of the doubt, and also Garth the benefit of the doubt in moving up to take him…sounds like a very good prospect, and he must have been on other teams’ radar
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Joe says:
I’m thinking the reason he picked De Haan was Tavares. They were teammates for Oshawa and had great chemistry on the power play. Maybe Tavares asked Garth for a favor or something…
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drive45 says:
patty 16 – kassian had several mixed reviews. we can find other tough guys. you have no idea if other teams were planning on picking deHaan higher. I like the pick. Sure I wish they stayed at 26 to get him, but they must have known he wouldn’t be there at 26 or 16. Lighten up dude. We got JT and his assist buddy from the Generals.
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Billy says:
awesome day, one of the best I have had as an Islander fan. I count 1500 posts on draft day. CB this must be the best showing yet!!!!!!
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dmoney says:
Amen #76…Also, for all of you saying deHaan is just another d-man in the mold of the small puck moving guys already in the system, keep in mind deHaan is 6′ at 18 and probably has plenty of growing to do.
Also, just a thought, maybe Snow is planning to package one of the small, puck-moving defensemen we have and the late 2nd rounder for a more established d prospect? Any one out there that might be fetched for such a price?
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Rex says:
de Haan surprised me alot too. BUT if you look at alot of the Mock drafts alot of guys in the 30′s went higher Glennie was projected around 16 he went 8. Leddy was projected around 25 and went 16. Erixon was projected as a 2nd rounder & went 23 Ashton was the other way predicted around 20 and went 29.
That’s just a few so sure 12 seems a reach for de Haan but maybe it wasn’t. Maybe another team wanted him, probably after say the top 7 or 10 its a craps shoot and you just gotta take who you think is the guy for u.
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Joe says:
Awful choice on the second pick but absolutely amazing that the Isles got JT!
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Twisted Wrister says:
Great night. Made the right pick in tavares. DeHaan is a risk, but I feel okay knowing that he scored so many assists last year and played with Tavares, so they’ll be chemistry. That kind of absolves them going off the board.
Frankly put, the Isles got 100000% better tonight.BTW: MAJOR PROPS to CB for sticking to his guns even when NEWSDAY called it for Duchene
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doc says:
It was said many time… Draft Tavares and the rest is gravey.
De Haan “seemed” like a reach… but if you watched some of the highlights of the players drafted after De Haan, none of them are NHL ready players. Some if not all are 2 to 3 years away… including De Haan.
Obviously… Garth and Co. have watched him quite a bit… (probably scouting him while scouting Tavares) and saw something that they really liked. At those spots in the draft… You want to get THE GUY that you WANT!!!
They wanted him… so they went out and GOT HIM!
Way to go GARTH.
And besides… we can’t go and KILL Garth for taking Tavares just because it was the obvious thing to do.
Garth, in the end… played this draft beautifully. KUDOS GARTH/Jankowski/Wang/Morrow/Kallur et al.
And let’s remember… maybe Morrow had some influence here. I have no idea whether he did or not… but just maybe he did. So let’s not kill Garth for having a strong feeling about a future player and then going out, using some assets to make sure he got what he wanted.
DOC
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#171…that makes sense. I cannot fault Snow for wanting to build around the best player in the draft and picking an ex-teammate of his.
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LW says:
I had to work late tonight. I dvr’d the draft in the hopes of watching it when I got home as if it were live. At about 8pm I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to find out. I came here first for the news. Garth and Company did the right thing. Go Isles!
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WarrenG says:
I know most of you are sayin your confused about DeHaan, but if you watched the draft, the announcers all loved his game. He was incredible playing with Tavares, and although he is a few years away from the NHL, he will deff be a stud. COmparisons to STREIT, maybe it was bold to move up to 12 to get him, but who knows, Florida may have wanted him since they think they are gonna lose JayB. Garth is smart, he didnt fail us with JT, he knows who will be good for this TEAM…
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Brian G says:
Tavares great move
De Haan – what were they thinking they gave up so much to get a guy who was ranked 20 to 30 range…they need so much and its not like this guy is going to be stepping in next year…it doesn’t make sense….these were the picks that were going to build the organization from this deep draft…16,26,37,62,77,92,182 = 12
these are the canidates for #31:
Ferraro, Morin, O’Reilly, Budish, Elliottor Trade#31 for a pick & player
or multiple picksI still think the Islanders contridicted them self with this backward trade – ???
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haathead68 says:
TAVARES!!!!..YEEAAAH!!! Thank you Garth, Ryan, and Charles!!!
Way to call it CB!! At the risk of nitpicking, although De Haan seems like he has a lot of potential as an offensive dman, I don’t understand why they moved all the way up to 12th only to pass on Zack Kassian?! Hopefully they select Zack Budish with the 31st to add size, toughness and scoring on the wing, and Taylor Doherty maybe available late 2nd round for size and toughness on defense.
P.S. – CB, it was great to meet you at the exit after the draft party was over. I came over with my three boys before we left for home in Farmingville. Hope you keep up Point Blank, but if not, a sincere “thank you” for a truly great service to your fellow Islanders fans. -
DaveyD says:
Great Night. CB Meeting and talking to you at Dugans was great you truelelly are a class act. Billy Jaffie is the Man hands down. He was chillin at dugans with the fans drinking a beer having a good time just taking in all of the excitment. People say that hockey is dead on Long Island?? Tell them to look at the video of the draft party after snow announced JT and tell them to see the scene at Dugans after it was one big party and im happy to be apart of it. Thank you again Chris you are the man!!
Dave
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Ed from Philly says:
I’m very pleased with both picks.
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isleguy 78 says:
Count me as one of the many that Garth Snow fooled. By the time I arrived at the Coliseum I had myself convinced we were taking Duchene.
Bravo Garth and congrats to Tavares and all the fans that have stuck with the this team through the bad times. Here is to good times ahead!
Did anyone else catch the comments by Brian Burke during the draft? It was great, he was mic’d up and was talking to someone at his table. He was still visibly angry at the events that had unfolded. He said he could have moved to the #2 but he was not trading Schenn, he will be his captain one day, and besides that he wouldn’t have gotten Tavares anyway. Then Burke says, “How stupid would I have looked!” Well done Garth!
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ray since 74 says:
The JT pick is the one. I am willing to give SnoJanks the benefit of doubt on de Haan, after top 10 it becomes a crapshoot anyway.
Would love to see Ferraro at 31. He sounds like he could be another Zach Parise type.
I’ll be looking out tomorrow at 10am.
All in all a good night. All those bad Milbury vibes are fading.
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anyone catch that clip of Gainey saying hes moving Vinny to us?
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DanK516 says:
This was a great night for the Islanders! Great job Snowjanks Wang, CB without this team I would be upset. Tavares…still kinda speechless on that. de Haan I like that the de in his name is lowercase and I trust Snow more. I am so proud of this team . Lets Go Islanders!!! Oh and by the way…Hello JT and welcome! I couldnt make it to the draft party but I was cheering in my hotel room down in annapolis!
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Gainey did not say he’s moving Vinny to “US”. First of all, Gainey is the GM of Montreal… Vinny plays for Tampa. What would he have to do with Vinny?
What was caught on mic and seen on the Versus feed was Burke talking to Gainey… Burke was trying to “bait” Gainey. Burke said he heard a rumor that Vinny was going to be moved either to Montreal or the Islanders. He was looking for a reaction from Gainey. When they turned away from each other… you could see Burke smiling… almost laughing.
I don’t believe the rumor to be true… it was just Burke being an a$$ and trying to stir the pot with more false rumors.
DOC
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OpieAnthony says:
184…That was Burke saying he heard that Vinny is going to either Habs(Gainey’s team) or Isles.
Brian Lawton is the lightining GM.
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kreatiiv says:
i am thrilled with this draft. deHaan’s only problem is that the top of the draft was so deep… in any other draft we would be thrilled with this kid. this draft just happen to have several nhl-ready players, which is not the norm… this kid is six foot and will fill out nicely and after another few years working the minors will be ready to slide back into playing with his buddy JT.
i think garth not only did a great job, he played GM just as well if not better than any other in the league… kept the most secret hand any GM has played in 20 years by some quoted and threw everyone in the wrong direction… and gave burke a greasing. gotta love THAT. even had burke thinking we were going to get vinny. gotta love that even more.
garth pulled a nice draft out of his hat and i applaud him for it.
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Crazy night at Dugan’s after a crazy night at the Coliseum. Jay and Richie did a great job tonight. Tomorrow-first pick…Landon Ferraro. That would be wonderful!
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fwb says:
I love all the complaining about drafting De Haan, more so how they got him. Obviously, like Bailey, they liked this kid and wanted him. Obviously, they moved from 26 to 16 to get a better pick for a few guys. Obviously, they must have had some facts or major hunches that De Haan was going from between the Wilds 12th pick and their new 16th. Maybe you can trust the professionals and not your copy of the Hockey News. Everything I have read (and yes, like everyone, I have never seen De Haan play) sounds great. Adding a top pair d-man who seems to be great with the puck (a must today) is a big plus. Trust your people. For once, it seems like the group running this ship (i.e. Jankowski and Snow) know what they are doing.
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Dan L says:
I can honestly say thats the best night I have personally ever had at the Coliseum. I didn’t agree with all the moves to move up to 12 for De Haan but after seeing Garth and Co. make the right move with JT I will have faith in that pick. It will be awhile before we know how it turns out but I couldnt be happier after tonight. I wish the Pens didn’t take Despres with 30 but oh well, great job Islanders I am a proud fan tonight.
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german islesfan says:
i stand up at 8 o clock. my first think was yeahh we have JT
and what i have read about De Haan that sounds not bad. i have trust in our scouting team.
for me is it a perfect weekend. GO ISLES! -
all you guys who are complaining about the trade rely way too much on draft rankings. how many of you have ever seen dehaan play? i haven’t, so i will reserve my judgement for when they kid comes up. everyone needs to chill out and enjoy the fact that we got tavares 1st overall.
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Will OC says:
What a great night. Everything was great until I came on here and read comment after comment of pessimism regarding the second pick. I had no problem with people trying to sound like experts in why the Isles should choose Tavares simply because there has been so much analysis and spotlight on the top 3, but I refuse to believe that anymore than a handful of people on here really have witnessed a few of de Haan’s games and the rest of the middle of the pack picks to call Snow’s trading manuevers foolish.
There’s a group of people who did see alot of de Haan’s games though and they are the Isles scouting staff… You can bet they saw plenty of him while watching JT all season, so why follow up the great excitement of drafting Tavares with immediate pessimism in the de Haan move?
The only true info to go on is that of previous drafts, and a brief review of the last 4 or 5 drafts (post top 10 picks)suggests more “smaller, puck-moving Dmen” such as Letang, Vishnevskiy, Niskanen, Lashoff, Goligoski, Shattenkirk, McDonaugh, Karlsson, Sbisa, Corrente, Green have proved to be more valuable players/prospects as opposed to the large, physical dmen such as Rogers, Mihalik, Jessiman, Thelen, Pokulok who have been busts or the jury is still very much out on…This is not to say that there haven’t been successful big dmen drafted in the post top 10 spot, it just seems they take longer to develop and are tend to be very hit or miss
Regardless, its going to be a very long summer and eagerly awaited fall
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big dally mac says:
Problem is, I think it’s a definite that a great player would have been there at 16 …80% chance De Haan would have been there. Kassian was right there at 12, the Cloiseum would have come unglued again for the Lucic-prototype. But they liked him and moved up, good job. Some first round talent slipped to us at 31 for tomorrow, so should be interesting. Pick 31 and 56.
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John T - Halifax, NS says:
My fellow Islander fans, It was a great night, INDEED!!!! Although, I too felt trading up to 12 to take de Haan was a *bit* early as he may have fell to 16, but I like that they went up to 12 to secure the D man\player they wanted to get. I would have been happy if they went with Kassian at 12 too. Either way, nice pick.
If you think about it, de Haan is really not that bad a pick. I look at him as being the Hedman equivalent, minus the 6’6″ frame. Check out the scouting report on him. He has the same exact tools as Hedman without the size. Speed, Mobility, great hockey sense, high end puck skill, great passing and great shot. Im telling ya, this is a great pick for us. Im VERY excited to see our teams future.
I hope this finally puts to rest all the people who doubted Garth Snow as our GM. Once again, he is doing a FINE job. Well done Snowy!!!!!
LETS GO IS-LAND-ERS!!!!!!!
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Mike says:
A miracle I didn’t completely shred my vocal cords with the amount of joyful roaring I did when Snow called Tavares’ name.
Honestly, the announcement was a blur to me. The only thing I remember is hearing the letter J, then ecstasy ensued. What a great night it was. Trading up for de Haan was definitely a reach, but after Tavares I wasn’t about to complain. Let’s get Ferraro, Moore or Lehner next to add to the jubilation. -
Billy-no-not-Jaffe says:
Totally blown away and thrilled at the Tavares pick. As close to a sure thing scoring star as we will ever get since Bossy.
The price paid to get DeHaan, and the player himself, kind of threw some cold water on my happiness. We spent the #37 that we got last year from TO in the Bailey trade down, plus another 4 picks just to get a physically immature puck moving defenseman who was ranked late 1st round-early second. I wanted a big strong bone crusher D man like Olson or a Kassian or Carter. We paid a lot and got too little for a #12. -
Since72 says:
Relief. I don’t have to convince my self Snow knows more than the rest of us with a pick other then Tavares. I’m very curious how high their expectations of Da Haan are for them to give up picks 26 37 62 92 and 182 to get him. Several high ranked prospects available after 26, they must have belived someone in the 13-15 slots was going to grab him. In a draft this deep some very good NHLers will come out of rounds 2-4. A real crap shoot projecting them but we gave up four darts at the board. Let’s hope Da Haan develops into a top pair D’man. Add another future key asset at pick 31 Garth!
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The PolishPrince says:
I’m excited the team didn’t go against the grain and came away with Tavares. I for one am not expecting this kid to be the savior of the team but he’s sure gonna be an important piece. Welcome to LI JT! After letting the trade up and pick of DeHann sink in I have much less of a problem with it than I did originally. We can all sit at our computers and say that he would have been there at 26 or 16 but I’m willing to bet few of us have actually seen DeHann play (I have not) and none of us were on the scene leading up to the draft. I’m sure he was high on the Isles board and they had a good feeling someone might step up and grab him before 16. Have faith in the scouts and give the kid 3 years.
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Hale says:
lets try this…NO B*tching about anything today…trust our scouts…if de hann was the 5 rated d man and we took as the 3rd..who cares..trust the scouts!!
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IslesFanInCali says:
Hi guys. Just found this site and it looks great. I grew up in NYC in the late ’70s and early ’80s when the Isles won the 4 cups. I now live out here in California, but still follow the Isles. I’m THRILLED they got Tavares! I’m really hoping he makes the team so that when I pay for the NHL Center Ice package I’ll have entertaining games to watch.
GO ISLES!
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Bob Bassen says:
All that’s left to do is smile, smile smile! Today anyway (wink).
Go Isles! -
JayK says:
It’s interesting reading the ESPN review of all the picks. There’s nobody in the range where de Haan was picked that they are gushing over. All of them have weaknesses, except maybe Kulikov, and he’s got contract problems. In fact, if anything, they seem to have more upside potential for de Haan than the others picked around where he was chosen.
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tond24 says:
JT awesome A+ Dehann F traded so much for a guy that wasnt that high on any scouting report…what happened to last years game plane we should have just taken schenn..we passed on schenn to get extra picks to trade them away for dehann bad move. fix it garth take ferraro just for the old school feel
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Matt Scordato says:
First of I am thrilled that we have Tavares, now all of the guessing games can stop. BUT, lets be honest here, there are still lots of work to do done with this team. JT is only an 18 year old kid, while it is a huge leap forward, let’s not put unrealistic expectations on him. Recall the first season the Penguins had Crosby, while they were improved, they didn’t make the playoffs and still had many weaknesses. I see the Isles in the same boat this season. Improvement, YES. They will be a fun team to watch. Playoffs could be a stretch.
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DM says:
wish i could’ve put money on picking tavares and de haan as i did a few posts ago – although i thought they’d move up to 22 to get him, not 12. gonna have to go with the scouting dept on this one and trust that they did all their HW on de haan – remember all the reports of how thorough they were and brought in the most kids to interview, etc etc…if he turns into another streit (and even if it takes 3 years to make the NHL) i’m not gonna complain. add that to tavares, and i am THRILLED.
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gary says:
im not argueing about the players picked as you have to give the scouts the advantage to knowing
What i am rather dissappointed with is moving up, TWICE and losing 4(?) picks in the process to pick a player that most likely would have been there at 16 anyway, as per his rankings etc. The first trade wold have been acceptable price wise–i think someone panicked on the Isles side
It seems like a heavy price to pay and we could have had a couple more to catch lightening with -
Joe G says:
I hope they are taking Ferraro or Morin with the 1st pick in the 2nd round
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Brother Rat says:
It would be great to see Landon Ferraro, but Swedish G Robin Lehner is still available, and a name to watch. CB, any rumors now for Day 2?
Oh what a night….let’s hope for more fun today.
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WM says:
The Isles sold $79,000 worth of season tickets within the 1st hour of selecting Tavares. Great stuff!
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yes because our scouts are so good..go zack parise…lets take Ryan O’Marr in the 1st round..should i go on
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Tond24, I believe we took Robert Nilssen that round. Hey…even the RAGS passed on Parise. It happens.
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Tony says:
I made a promise before the draft that if the Isles drafted Tavares, that I would buy a ticket plan and a jersey, and if they didn’t, I would become a casual fan.
Looks like I’m gonna be happily spending some major coin in the next few weeks. Thanks Garth!
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Moose says:
Any one know what time round two starts?
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10am – NHL Network. Streamed live on nhl.com
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10am
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beatlebailey says:
208 – that is like 25 season tix? meh
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I think it was hilarious, that the first thing one of the announcers said during the broadcast about Ellis and Kassian was great poetential but lacks skating and motivation sometimes. Then they were surprised about the DeHann pick, but didn’t say a bad thing about him, he will be solid. I also remembering one of the announcers saying that he thinks he is becoming an Islander fan. I am so pumped about the positive press the Isles have gotten, it’s been a long time. Lets get Ferraro, he is there for the taking and Ray wasn’t too shabby, hopefully Landon can exceed. Lecalvier is just smoke and mirrors, unless we can get him for an old kavasha jersey!
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bulldogs7 says:
lets get landon ferrero with the 31st today and the draft will be a huge success
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Bruce says:
Great day to be an Islander fan last night.
how about taking Ray Ferraro’s kid Landon……anyone else have any idea where there goin with the 1st pick?
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Budish is a possibility – power forward from Minnesota. Should be interesting.
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all on the same page buddish or ferraro..which means snow going with a goalie…guess it dont matter anyone he picks isnt comming near the nhl for 2 years
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Jordan says:
Our team gets alot better today, but I hope we pick another defence with our seconds. We need to build from the back now
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rc28 says:
It looks like the Flyers have some serious cap problems after that Pronger trade. Maybe the Islanders can “help” them out by taking Jeff Carter ($5,000,000, 24 yrs old) off their hands for #31 and some prospects (not Okposo, Baily, Streit, or Tavares)?
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I like what they’ve done so far, though picking Tavares will probably overshadow all the other kids they take in this draft. There are a lot of good kids at 31, maybe Landon Ferraro or Drew Shore, and I’m confident we can get some solid prospects here. Thumbs-up to the scouting staff.
#231 – I was thinking the same thing. Philly has cap issues now, and they still need a goaltender to be taken seriously. They’re clearly going for it, I just can’t figure out how they actually plan on going for it.
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Pete M says:
What time does day 2 start? Is it televised somewhere?
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AM says:
I like Morin and there are some big Europeans still available.
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pj says:
Let’s just all enjoy this. Last night was great night for us fans and this team. Not sure what i want at 31. But either way who ever it is lets all be patient and not jump to conclusions. Keep it Garth, great job.
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JPinVA says:
I definitely liked what transpired last night. I don’t know a damn thing about de Haan except what I’ve read, and he seems to fit the plan they have laid out. Garth deserves high marks for sticking to his plan.
I definitely see some players being moved in day two. Maybe we can get back some picks or catch somebody trying to clear some cap space. -
#219 yeah those where 2 diff drafts but poor picks..guess i didnt explain it right.
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JTorBust says:
Did anyone catch pointblank page open on one of the scouts laptops at the Isle table. Great job CB and it is validation that this site really has influence on the franchise -
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islesfan999 says:
Draft Morin, Ferarro, Shore or Budish and I will be happy at 31.
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John from ATL says:
The good (great)the bad and the ugly;
The Good: We got Tavares so if they gave away the remaining picks (and they did) it was still a good day. The Bad: Trading 4 picks (including #37) for de Haan (The Ugly, who they could have got at 26 makes no sense.Here’s hoping for some more good at 31. Morin, Ferraro, or O’Reilly. I’m hoping for Morin.
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Calgary got Bouemeester from Florida for Jordan Leopold and a 3rd round pick!
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Pete says:
I’m more than pleased with the Draft. I believe the Islanders staff traded picks to get this Kid DeHaan because they saw something special that other organizations saw. I was hoping for Kulikov but when I saw the stats from DeHaan I agreed with the pick. He looks solid and oncce he develops I believe he can be an excellent compliment to the Islanders Blue Line. What more can you saw about Tavares other than our misreable season earned up a franchise player for years to come.
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whatever…snow is nuts
IM EXCITED!!! cant wait for the season to start