DON’T GO FOR A SNACK BETWEEN 1 AND 26
NYI will look to move up in the first round
Islanders Point Blank on Twitter
Fans attending the Islanders Draft Party might want to stay in their seats after the team selects John Tavares with their first pick. Scouting meetings over the next two weeks will include a great deal of focus on the team moving from 26th overall to the 16-22 range in order to pluck another high-end talent.
“If last year’s draft was about adding depth to a barren roster,” said one person with knowledge of the Islanders’ thinking, “this year they know they must bring back at least one more blue-chip prospect beyond the first overall pick.”
The most likely scenario involves Garth Snow packaging the 26th overall selection plus the 37th pick acquired from Toronto last summer at the draft. If Snow finds another GM willing to fall back for an early second-rounder, the Islanders could move up to the 18-20 range. To ascend any further, it would cost more picks – probably more than the Islanders will pay.
Bank on the Islanders being very reluctant to give up the 31st overall slot. That’s the first pick of the second round and, more importantly, the first pick on Saturday morning. To have all Friday night to meet into the late hours and have their choice of every prospect remaining is like candy to boss Ryan Jankowski and his team of scouts. Teams love that slot and are traditionally hesitant to give it up.
You can make the case it would be wise for the Islanders to stay at 26, 31 and 37. But know this: when the first round reaches the 15th pick, it’s all but certain at least one prospect (and probably more) in the Islanders’ top 10 on their draft board will still be available. Although it won’t be easy to part with the 37th, the Islanders will do it to get a young man the staff believes in as a potential first-line forward or top-pair defenseman.
Last month we listed six defensemen who could be around at 26-37. David Rundblad of Sweden (pictured at top) is one kid on our chart the Islanders would have to move up for. Rundblad and fellow hot-shot dboy Simon Despres could fall to 15-20, but no later. The Hockey News has rising American stud John Moore at No. 18. We don’t think Moore will make it past 10 – Edmonton has to be salivating over adding him or Ryan Ellis – but if he does you better believe the Islanders will get on the phone.
We looked in a little more detail at six forwards. Zack Kassian will definitely not be there at 26. Same could be the case for Carter Ashton and Chris Kreider. On one hand, it comes down to the Islanders’ draft board. On the other, after the Islanders bring home a star forward at No. 1 smart money says they’ll have a laser focus on a front-line defenseman with their second first round pick.
The coordinators of the Islanders Draft Party plan to show the VERSUS broadcast for as long as the show is on the air on Friday night, June 26. VERSUS might not be around for the Islanders pick at 26, but they could be if Snow successfully makes his move up the first round. Don’t touch that dial.
Comments.
138 Responses to DON’T GO FOR A SNACK BETWEEN 1 AND 26
NYI will look to move up in the first round
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Dally Mac says:
Find a way to grab Kassian, Snowman or Simon Despres two big offensive, physical players. The 26th can’t come quick enough.
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doc says:
This is getting good.
What time does the coverage start on that Friday night?
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Mike says:
What do you mean VERSUS may not be around for #26? Don’t they usually show the entire first round? Why would they cut their coverage halfway through the round? Is cage fighting and bull riding really that important?
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PSV says:
Cage fighting and bull riding probably get better ratings.
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Jon Mac says:
If the Islanders can add another blue chip prospect in addition to JT or VH, then we are going to be in great shape for the future. With Okposo and Baily on the verge of really making a name for themselves, we could realistically compete for a playoff spot in 09-10 and then who knows in 10-11. The future is bright!
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Matt Scordato says:
Chris, would Isles mgmt be inclined to go w/ the TSN telecast at the draft party to ensure there is not interruption. Can’t imagine it will go over very well if VS decides to cut out and go to some fishing show while the draft is going on.
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It all comes down to your board. Do you value the the offensive, physical d-man (Despres) or the Milan Lucic type forward (Kassain). Or someone else. This draft may very well start setting the table for Snow’s legacy in years to come.
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Harold says:
Tavares and Kassian…that would be a jolt to the system for sure.
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Voteherout says:
versus is only simulcasting tsn’s coverage…
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txdbog says:
not that i expect this to happen but if the isles can find a way to grab Ryan Ellis after JT i will run the entire LIE naked
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Gary9-19-22 says:
I feel like a kid at the candy store waiting for them to unlock the door!!!!!
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drouin says:
What’s up with the first sentence? Did I miss something or is this a shameless ploy for comments?
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#4, Bailey is NOT on the verge of making a name for himself. KO, absolutely, but Bailey is not there yet. Promise? Yes. Reasons to be optimistic about him? Agreed. But Bailey is not there yet.
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Matt says:
Clark Gillies was on NHL Live and just said he thinks Snow should take Hedman. He also said he likes what the organization is doing now.
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Jethro09 says:
Who cares about pick #37? I’d rather have a pick at #20 or slightly better, if possible, than #26 and #37, especially with the Isles having #31 and Boston’s second rounder already. I say package #26 and #37 and move up as much as possible, hopefully into the top 15.
I would even be open to moving #31 if the Isles could get back into the top ten (#26, #31 and #37). Last season’s draft was all about quantity. This season’s has to be about quality.
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Giaco says:
CB or anyone know what to expect at the draft party?? Other then Isles alumni / chance to buy merchandise / season ticket subscriptions…
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G. HOWITT says:
#9 SPOT ON !!
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Matt #15: I think the world of Gillies, but he’s wrong. Tavares or bust. Clark, I apologize for doubting you.
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Brian G says:
If the draft is as deep as all of the NHL insiders say it is – they should keep all of their picks in the first 3 rounds.
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isles68 says:
i love gillies but i think he took one to many punches to the head…ISLES NEED JT!!
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Mark P says:
The latest Hockey News talked about Depres recently bombing in the under 18′s and that ISS has him dropping to around 30th. If he freefall’s we may not need to tradeup if he is a target.
I also saw that at least 3 teams in the 12-18 area of the draft are without 2nd round picks….maybe there are potential partners in that mix? -
RHL Vin says:
CB, where is Jordan Schroeder slated to go in the draft? Any chance the Isles can trade up to get him?
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Dave says:
I’m praying that either OEL or Kulikov fall to where we can grab them.
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isles99 says:
in addition to getting tavares, i firmly believe a top-notch defenseman like john moore will serve the nyi very well. john moore’s stock continues to rise and he is often mentioned as a jay bowmeester carbon copy. if john moore is not available, i would like to see the nyi pick another high-end forward with a finishing touch like scott glennie, jordan schroeder, louis leblanc, or peter holland. i don’t want a guy like ashton or kassian because their scoring and finishing ability is suspect. i want someone who can contribute more than just hitting and fighting. i also want to see the isles take tomas tatar with one of their second round picks. tatar was 3rd in goals scored at the world juniors behind tavares and filatov. tatar can play and is simply a pure goal scorer. he tends to get less recognition for some reason but he is extremely fun to watch. look him up on youtube. i want the isles to build up the forwad pool with high end talent. we can supplement this talent by giving bowmeester 6 mill for 4,5 years in fa. why draft a bowmeester copy when you can have bowmeester in his prime. imagine streit and bowmeester on the blueline and a first line of okposo, tavares, and player X. we can call it the TKO line. either way, isles cannot go wrong.
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TS 22 19 says:
JT or VH you can’t go wrong! Potvin/Lidstrum and Trottier/Yzerman were the foundations for both originizations Stanley Cup runs. You need one of each of these type of players to win. Either way we are half way there.
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Pete says:
If we do not draft JT, we will still lose tons of games as we have NO offense and they team is boring on top of it. No to Hedman. I am with Botta 100% on this…Tavares and Kassian.
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jmarcus says:
I doubt Versus will cut out, I recall last year they were scheduled to air some random 80′s movie at 11, but they went over that time to air the rest of the 1st.
As for the subject, as a Blue Jackets fan, I wouldn’t mind trading down from the 16 for the 26 and 37.
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kevin fitz says:
Yea Jethro,
Why should we trust what Gilles thinks?? All the commenter’s on this website obviously know more than him. -
admin says:
(13) Nothing other than I still think that’s who the NYI are taking at 1. “Shameless ploy for comments?” lol. Has the blog been comment-starved?(17) That about sums up the draft party. I’m sure they’ll have someone like Billy Jaffe hosting, too.
(21) I don’t know of anyone who thinks this draft is so deep that it’s 90 or even 50 picks deep. The whole “this draft is deep” thing is way over-used. You want a great player, you better be pro-active.
(23) I.S.S. is lost on Despres. He’ll be gone long before 30.
(24) Schroeder should be gone by 12.
(25) Keep praying
Thanks as always for all the participation on the blog. The visit stats have been amazing all offseason. Thanks for that…CB
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Unless the team can make a significant jump, I don’t see much of a difference between the prospects to be had after the 15th pick. I think keeping the picks and taking the best available player at that point may be the best way to go. I hope Snow doesn’t go reaching.
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Please keep this blog going past the draft CB!
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Willis says:
I hope we commenters get the chance to break participation records here with you next season CB.
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Strummer's Army says:
Hey, Jaffe won’t be hosting the draft party. He said the other day on NHL LIVE he badly wants to be there but is working I think in Manhattan but is gonna try to make it at least for the later portion.
I think Deb Kaufm….Placey said she would be there.
Kassian is the ideal fit. If Snow finds a way to grab big Zach he’ll be our first Gillies/Nystrom player since those two skated for us. Cowen is the other guy I’d do a back flip over my couch for. Those are the two best fits after the first pick.
I don’t know enough about the d-men other then Hedman and Cowen to know who might be worth movig up for. The problem is most of the highly ranked d-men are tiny puck movers and the Isles are over the limit on those. Despres and Moore might be the exceptions but I don’t believe either is very physical.
I’d prefer Hedman or Tavares and then Kassian or Cowen.
Then in round two there are some bigger, skilled d-men, like Olsen and Murphy and several others. I think big Doughty might make it to end of round two or round three.
Man, this draft is going to be so exciting. The only thing that could spoil it is 1) if Snow passes on both Tavares and Hedman for Duchene (with nothing else added) or 2) he drafts a bunch more small guys and then goes on a rant about team toughness.
Smallest softest team in the NHL and that needs to be fixed especially with such high end talent as DiPietro, Bailey, Tavares/hedman (whoever is picked first is gonna be a target), and Okposo.
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StevieL says:
After Tavares draft the biggest, nastiest SOB that is still on the Board.This team needs to be more physical. Look at how physical the Pitt-Det. series has become! Everybody is hitting everybody!!Size does matter!!!
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Joey303 says:
How bout Atlanta trading # 4 and Kovulchuk to Isles for 26,31,37,90, next years# 1, Frans and………oh wait a minute, that aint happenin. I would Love to see the Isles move up to the 15-20 range. Do it in a second!!! Then maybe a 3rd or 4th for a legit young player
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Section 320 rocks!!!!!! says:
I know last year they had a guy from espn host it. I think it was John Buchigross or something like that.
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Vlad from Brooklyn says:
Is it June 26th yet?!! Can’t wait for what Garth & Co. going to do. See you at the Draft party…
StevieL, couldn’t agree with you more. -
West Coast Fan says:
#15, what does Gillies know? All the fans and CB say that Tavares is the pick, so he’s obviously clueless. I mean, when you put his meager 4 Stanley Cup rings up against… oh wait, never mind…
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bob l says:
anything i hear from isles camp about who they want or what they are doing, or even from old players of theirs about what they SHOULD do, i believe NONE of it, this whole campaign from day 1 has been one big subterfuge party, wow, site says around 10k already for the draft party… this thing is so gonna sell out
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Staten Islander says:
#36. i TOTALLY agree
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Ben says:
CB as you said in your comment to #21 “you better be pro-active” and as I have said already, we should use our next years 1st draft pick (2010, packaged with someone we can unload and get that blue-chipper now.
I can not understand the logic of holding onto next years first pick if we can trade it and get that blue-chipper now!
Be creative Garth and obtain these top assets now. The building process will then begin in earnest!
GO ISLANDERS !!!!!!!!!!!
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Lorne Myers says:
I am cautiously optimistic we will take Tavares. There can be close to 10,000 people at the draft party, and the team knows it is a huge day for the Islanders fans. Why spoil it by taking Hedman, or better yet why start a mass riot. You think fans stormed out last year. That will be considered peaceful compared to this year. Looking forward to seeing those #91 jerseys on sale this summer at the team stores.(Hopefully)
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kevin27NYI says:
draft tavares and then trade up and try and get the best guy available ( hopefully kassian)
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Tom Barone says:
OHHHHHHH YEAH!!!! STRAP ON YOUR SEAT BELTS, this is where it starts to get FUN! ; )
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CB – quick question, When this Ises drafted Okposo, did they go up there with the names of all the players drafted before him? Just in case a deal can get made? I wonder just how many names they bring with them (that can be placed on the back of a jersey real quick)
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thepolishprince says:
I personally don’t think NYI have the assets to trade up too high (read into the top 10). Also, I hope they don’t try to move up and take Ellis – don’t we have enough skilled small dmen? Moot point anyway as he’ll be off the board at the point we use our 2nd first rounder. I’d love them to draft Kassian – he’ll probably be gone also. Any chance Kreider will still be on the board if garth and Co move up a few slots to say 22 or 23?
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Greg says:
They better have riot police on stand-by if they dont intend to draft JT. The Barn will be a burnin……
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James says:
as long as we don’t trade tambellini i’m fine with whatever we do
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Tony B says:
To Lorne #44:
Firstly, even if they give away 15,000 tix to the draft party, only expect a quarter of the people to actually show up at the Coliseum.
Secondly, the Isles braintrust does not care in the least if they’ll get booed–they’ll choose whichever player they want regardless of fan reaction at the draft party.
And to anyone who has never been to the draft party–don’t expect much. It is really only a way for the Isles to do the direct hard sell on the fans for season tix. If any former players show up, you probably won’t get near them. And we’ve all had the locker room tour already. Just sayin……
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Rob76 says:
In regards to your first line of the story – if they pick Hedman instead of Tavares with the first pick – no one will be staying in their seats at the Coliseum in anticipation of later picks – it will be the second straight year of beat the Traffic – Draft Party Style
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hud says:
Did anyone read si from last week? Talks about crosby scoring almost all his goals in close this playoffs. That is how goals are scored in the playoffs, that is what JT does, after he is picked garth will have the power of many picks to do what’s best for the isles.
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Schultz39 says:
Whoever the host is, he/she better have some battle armor on in case the crowd gets ornery.
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I was one of the draft trip winners, when we had the lunch at the NVMC last week, we were all interviewed by News12 and TV55 and asked who the Isles should pick and why? Every one of us (6 in total) said Tavares and claimed how bad we need scoring and a true potential superstar. Both Snow and Ryan were both in the room and definitly heard us
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Coral Springs Isle Fan says:
I do believe we have Toronto’s second round pick from last year. Maybe ole Burkeee would want to get that back so he can add another player to a team that is desperate for young talent.
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CT Isles Fan says:
Hmmmm. You think Snow would disappoint 6 context winners who are making the trip up to Montreal to hopefully see JT picked?
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Frank says:
Isles MUST get Schroeder this kid has REAL talent… Imperative for the Isles to at least make an effort for this kid!
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Bryan says:
If you ask me its a bit of a crap shoot once you get out of the top 10. I believe the Islanders would be best off drafting at 26 and 37th.
If they really want to move up I would feel much more comfortable doing so at the expense of a roster player that no longer fits into our long term goals.
For example pick #26 and Andy Sutton for the #15 pick.
Whether you like Sutton hate Sutton believe my offer is an under payment or an over payment I think we can agree that Sutton will not be back after this season.
So in this scenario or one similar to it the Islanders move up but without sacrificing a high 2nd round draft pick.
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ldk says:
My picks for NYI:
1. John Tavares, C, London
26. Stefan Elliot, D, Saskatoon
31. Carl Klinberg, LW, Sweden
37. Calvin De Haan, D, Oshawa
56. Tony Rascala, F, Finland
62. Robin Lehner, G, Sweden
We might have our goalie of the future and starting first line. Plus sign Oduya and Prucha(RFA). And trade Tambellini. -
I too would prefer to see them package players who aren’t in the longterm plans for trades rather then picks. What value these players have who knows but it would solve several problems. Witt, Geravis, Martinek, Hunter, Kohn, Katic etc could all be packaged with pick 26 to move up. Less painful that way. For those teams that have to win now they’d rather have players who can make an impact now and the 26th pick (Toronto and Col are in the win now mode), it wouldn’t work for teams like the Isles who truly are building with youth.
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Sutton has ZERO trade value to all other teams. He hasn’t played a full season in years… is always hurt and makes a lot of money. And… he’s just not that good.
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Versus? Really? Thank goodness for Point Blank and timely updates. I need to go click an ad.
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42 bob l (42): I think you are spot on and I dont buy any of it either lol. Like Tavares said, the Isles want this to be exciting… I think they also want the entire NHL going bananas over wth they are going to do, and why not?
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Luke R says:
anyone have the info on Round 2 and beyond coverage on Saturday? what time does it start? is versus covering it?
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Hock says:
I hope Snow moves that #26 spot up and grabs another offensive player with size.
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felix says:
please isles fans do not become toronto fans and over value our players. toronto fans all think that everyone of their playres is good enough to garner a first round draft pick. our players have not value even included with a draft pick especially to teams with no cap room. as nice as it would be for sutton to get us down in the draft it wont happen.
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Islanders1984 says:
How about this for a draft day.
Isles trade # 1 and Comeau to Atlanta for Kovalachuk (barring a long term deal signed) and the # 4. Ises take # 4 and the 26th and trade it to Colorado for the # 3 and then take Duchene
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andy sutton for a bag of pucks,4 broken hockey sticks,and 1 goalie pad i understand….but andy sutton and the 26th pick for moving down…come on man? any GM who makes that trade will get fired immediately….sutton couldn’t play a full season if his life depended on it….no one on our team besides ko, dp (maybe), bailey is going to garner a first round pick..lets be realistic
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Irish Isle says:
“9 Harold on Jun 8th, 2009 13:07:52 said:
Tavares and Kassian…that would be a jolt to the system for sure.”Not only that, I would add to picking Dylan Olsen w/ the 31st Pick, as I want a D-Man w/ bite, as we have a few puck moving dmen already.
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In my opinion, Streit is that #1 dman we sorely need. I understand he’s 31 or whatever, but how old is Lidstrom? I’m sure he’s late 30′s pushin 40 and he is still king (although I would take Streit).
I think we have Streit for the long haul. He loves playing here, and we can get another solid 9 YEARS out of the guy (4 contract and the rest a hopeful re-sign). In that time, we can find his replacement of the future. But it does not have to be now. We need to draft JT. We’ll find another Hedman down the road or even later on in this draft. -
Botta….if we do not pick JT, would you mind not having the moderation rules on that day? Lol! We will need to vent!
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Dont they always show the whole first round on TV? I cant remember a year where they didnt go to the end of the first round? NHL Network has the whole 2nd day too looks like. Wonder if thats a first?
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Zach Teller says:
#60 2nd round and beyond will air on the NHL network here in the states and will have every round after as well on Saturday
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tond24 says:
we need J.T. and Zack Kassian …kassian is a big tough guy to be who can play like a getzlaf…lets go get them garth..the D is overrated our D is good we need to put the puck in the net
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Leviticus says:
I love the kassian bandwagon… Very funny!! Guess you guys all saw him play… Wait, you didn’t! Why don’t we fire the scouts and have the Isles make pics by fans opinions (primarily based on how big the guys are)…. This is like a hockey comedy site!
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77 Leviticus we actually get the OHL on our Sportnet channels up here in Canada so yeah, I’ve seen him. However, I do get your point, just a rather rude way of making each. But valid bro.
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Barry says:
I believe the Wild,Sabres,Ducks and Blue Jackets do not own a second round pick due to various trades. However they ALL do own a first round pick in the first(12,13,15 and 16). I believe it will be difficult to move into the 12 or 13 slot, but 15 or 16 is possible.
I believe thhe following players may be available at pick 15 or 16….
John Moore, Scott Glennie,Simon Despres, and Carter Ashton.
Players like Ellis,Schroeder and Kassian will be gone before picks 15 or 16.
I’d love to see the Isles trade up for Moore or Glennie.
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I have seen about 8 of Kassian’s games over the past two seasons and he’d be great for the Isles.
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Hold on…
why would a team with a first round pick at around 12, 13, 15 or 16, but no second round pick… want to trade that first round pick for our 2nd round picks?
Those teams would still get a very good player and possibly luck out and get a great player at 12, 13, 15 and 16. A player that would probably play next year.
I would be shocked that teams would trade out of the 1st round unless they were completely blown out of the water with multiple picks this year and possibly something for next year.
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Steve says:
Great insight. Let’s go with Tavares at #1 and hold on to #31. Package #26 and #37 to the highest bidder.
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Pete M says:
doc, I think he’s talking about trading the 26th pick plus a second rounder to move up. They do stay in the first round and get back into the second round.
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Chris R says:
Only trade up for Zach Zassian or Ekman-Larsson. Otherwise, keep the picks and pick either Tim Erixon or Calvin DeHaan 26th overall.
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beatlebailey says:
if i was at 16-18 i would do 26 and 37 to move back..but i am not a gm so really who cares what i think
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barry says:
To #81(doc),
Yes, the Isles would obviously have to trade their pick at 26 with second round pick(most likely toronto’s 37) to move in the range I was talking about.
if your talking higher than that it will cost them # 26 with additional picks and/or the Isles own pick at #31.
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19 ISLE in NJ 22 says:
All fans over value the players they want to get rid of … because basically … They are worth more off the team.
All this has my head spinning. Deep draft deep into the 2nd round … but make no mistake … a player ranked 15th has a lot more upside then 37th.
18 days!!!
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bergie20 says:
i think this is a mistake b/c i think this draft is much deeper than most others. nyi will get a very good prospect at 26 so i don’t see the point in wasting picks in a very deep draft to move up for a player that very well might not be better than what they pick at 26. i do, however, think that minnesota at 12 (who don’t have a 2nd or a 3rd rounder) is a likely trade partner. if we have to trade up i trade up for scott glennie, kulikov, or ekman-larrsson.
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ken says:
Don’t forget Scott Parker was taken 20th overall. He was a considered a big guy, who could hit, fight and score, but wasnt a great skater. sounds a lot like kassian.
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C.J. says:
I think to get up to #12 the Isles will need to move the 26th, 31st, and 37th. Too much in my opinion in such a deep draft.
If they can hold on to that 31st pick and only move the 26th, 37th, +NYI 3rd, then you definitely do it. Thus walking away with likely 2 ‘can’t miss’ prospects and another very good one.
Anything more than that, I stand pat if I’m NYI.
Too much depth and VERY good propsects remain to be taken at 26, 31, and 37.
If only Boston had sucked this year. Another early 2nd would be a gem.
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btw, i could have swore that versus showed the entire first round last year. pretty sad if they don’t show the entire first round this year. the good news is that i believe the nhl’s website runs tsn’s coverage non-stop from rounds 1-7 but that doesn’t help anybody at the draft party.
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beaker says:
boston wants colorado’s # 3 for kessel, any chance we give them # 26 and some good prospects for him?
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#77 get real..hardly anyone saw kass play and i never said i did..i read the scouting reports, what else should i or go by mr. hockey…i like the fact that he fights and he scores..i think we need that type of player..who do you think we should draft, or do you think we should just pick anyone.
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Brian B says:
I just love how CB continues to flat out say the Isles are drafting Tavares. Makes me confident haha.
Anyway, like CB says, if Snow really wants a player in the middle of the first round, he’s gonna try to trade up. If not, or he really likes 2 or 3 guys that are still on the board in the 2nd round, he’s gonna proabably stay.
After Tavares, I really don’t care what Snow does, cause I don’t know too much about any of the other players. So whatever Snow does, I’ll trust him with the pick.
Tavares is too perfect for the Isles by the way…so pick him garth.
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michael says:
DRAFT – TA – VAR – ES
(nm)
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Jeff says:
For # 88, if the Minnnesota WIld at #12 do not have a second or third round picks in this year’s draft, lets make some trade proposals. Islanders #26, Boston’s second rounder, Islanders second round pick in 2010, and the rights to Blake Comeau for the #12 pick. If that is not good enough, take off Boston’s second rounder and reluctantly offer them #37 in place. Maybe negotiate to include a D in that trade (not Streit or Witt). I do not want to give up more than 2 picks in this year’s draft, so pivotal to include a second rounder in next year’s draft. By putting Comeau in the deal, here is the reason, the Islanders when you think about it have 4 third line wingers: Hunter, Bergenheim, Comeau, and Joensuu, I consider them today 3rd liners. Comeau has potential and he was I believe in the doghouse early last year. I would put a guy like Comeau in a trade like this.
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if the isles don’t trade their picks, here is what i would do:
1- John Tavares
26- Landon Ferraro/Louis Leblanc
31- Richard Panik
32- Tomas Tatar
56- Taylor Doherty
I would be really happy if they trade up for a finisher or john moore. -
Really want Taveres with a solid defenseman. Ellis is too small and Larson seems like a good pick. Kassian would be great too though, tough decisions but they have to be great picks. Only concerned that Isles select Hedman because he fits Gordons type of play, he likes to jump into the attack. Hoping they stick with JT…
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Railbait says:
Draft Tavares, please. If not, expect there to be a large number of hockey fans looking for a new team to follow because this one won’t be around much longer.
On that note, the man responsible for the Islanders being here in the first place, Roy Boe, passed away yesterday. Thank you Roy! Without you, there would be no cups here. I lift my cup to you sir!
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#89 I understand the point your trying to make but it doesn’t fit. Kassian is probably better in all facets of the game then Lucic. He has legit soft hands for scoring and plenty of skill in addition to the hitting/fighting leadership. If you compare his stats to Parker’s at the same age not even close. Kassian (don’t know how he finished the year) but if he didn’t finish tops in his teams scoring he was one of the top few on his team. He’s way more Lucic, Gillies, Nystrom then Parker.
Also, I keep hearing Phaneuf is available, now that is a guy I’d trade the 26th pick for.
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Alex says:
Isles will trade down to 2 or 3, getting a high caliber player (Lecavelier) in addition to drafting Duchene. They will then package this player along with pick #26 to get a second top 10 pick. You heard it here first…
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why do i semll a isles-boston connection coming up at the draft.. ie. .we draft hedman, and trade 26,36 and a player NOT named okposo to boston for Kessel since they probably wont have the cash to sign him and would be hit most likely with an offer sheet b/c of that..
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Gloobenberg says:
Alex #100: What are you smokin??
Not a chance bro.
Tavares will be #1.
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dave chyzowski says:
you don’t smell anything but weed. gimme a break. no one here wants Hedman either instead of Tavares.
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Blizzard says:
There aint no Boston connection. They arent trading the pick. All movement, if any will be to trade down with the 26th pick and a second rounder. How high the Islanders move up will depend if it includes #31.
or they just draft out right. I would love a move into the top 15, there they can get a jem that has slipped…….gonna be fun I cant wait.
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db says:
boston is not gonna trade kessel unless its for a top 10 pick but since they are up against the cap they will look to unload patrice bergeron who is 24 has 2 70 plus point seasons under his belt with the only negative being the concussion history. he makes 4.75 for the next 2 years if the isles are interested he could be had for cheap im thinking the boston connection would be trivino and next years 3rd for bergeron. any thouhts!!
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Chris Mc says:
As long as the Isles dont trade #1 and #31 I dont care what they do to move up. Like CB said, #31 is a huge pick. Especially since there will be a handful of talented players around that spot, having all night to pick whomever you want out of them is huge. Look at the NFL draft and how the Jets traded for the first pick on Day 2 and ended up with a talented RB. Can’t get rid of either pick.
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Dan says:
It should be interesting. We will never really know who the isles have rated where because whoever they pick they will say that was their guy. So yes maybe we will be jumping for joy or we could only jump once and be shaking our head a little while later. It really comes down to the scouts. We cannot have the Nielson and Parise fiasco. It also might take a couple of years too but as long as their is a steady progression of team and individual success from season to season. Just as we saw we KO this season.
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John G. says:
#101, god forbid
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Numbers65 says:
It would be nice if the Isles would just say they are taking Tavares. What other teams pulled this kinda schtick. Let us breath a sigh of relief and buy jerseys!
CB- We are promised Independent Daily Coverage and that you deliver!!! Thanks!! Great work! You are better than an underrated hockey player! -
@Dan…this team is not even close to being good. It does not take much to stand out on this team and that is why some fans act like Hilbert and Park are great players. Most of our players are a dime a dozen in the NHL.
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I agree with #110 and with CB. It would be great if they just declared they are taking Tavares. It would cause us fans to relax, sleep better at night as a result and not speculate. but Garth does have a job to do. This team needs Tavares for all the obvious reasons. Package # 26, # 37, second rounder in 2010 and Comeau to for either pick numbers 12, 13, 15, 16, or 18, as those teams do not have second rounders picking at those spots. Then maybe pull a reverse on last year by trading the pick you just acquired a few slots down to a team and get a second rounder in return, or trade down again, it can be creative. But the thing I want here is Tavares with number 1, trade up from 26 keep #31 first pick the next day and take the best scoring winger avaiallbe at that slot. The pick to move up for a blue chip d man, hopefully Moore or Cowan.
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Rich says:
i really want the Isles to pick Brayden McNabb with one of our 2nd rounders…he plays with a mean edge and can put up some solid points…I’ve heard him compared to a Shea Weber type.
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XXX says:
Yes, Garth should declare Tavares so that you can go buy a Tavares jersey. That is a much bigger priority than exploring trades and doing more research. Botta is creating an army of Tavares fanboys. It’s unreal
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Islanderfan1967 says:
Clark Gillies was on NHL Live and just said he thinks Snow should take Hedman.
John Davidson was on NHL home ice XM and said that out of the top three, Hedman was the most likely to make it to the NHL next season… -
I guess that shows you how clueless John Davidson is. Wasn’t it just a month or 2 ago that some people were saying they didn’t think Hedman should go NHL next season?
Tavares is a born leader and a born winner. How do you think anything else?
I understand about picking a player, nlot because of the fans but still i have to believe the whole Draft Party issue. How do you not draft a player that EVERYONE wants?? For that possible reason alone, i’m glad i wont be there. I’ll watch at home and have my own personal breakdown if that happens.
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anthony c says:
Tavares or bust. Its that simple. If the isles can move up to get this guy john moore midway through the 1st that would be huge. He’s got good size, is a great skater, and I’ve heard he has some similarities to scott niedermayer. He’s ranked #6 among north american skaters.
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Speaking of the draft party … 9,500 as of yesterday … the place is going to be pandamonium … I wonder if they are gonna run the siren, flash the lights and play the goal scoring song after drafting Tavares? LOL!
Seriously … A great marketing strategy during the draft party … aside from having kiosks selling Tix, would be to have kiosks that open after the Isles announce their first overall selection selling Isles’ classic 3rd jerseys with the draftee’s name on it. Assuming (God willing) it’s Tavares … they’d sell about 10,000 jerseys with a special commemorative Draft 2009 patch on the jersey that you can only get at the Draft Party. That’s $1M bucks in jerseys if they are sold for a mere $100 bux. I’ll be one of those buying one if they do it.
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More thoughts on the Draft Party …. The biggest shame is … SMG is going to make out big time on this Party … Parking and Concessions … ugghh!
So anyone think that they are going to distribute 16,234 tix?
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I would 100% stay at 26. You will still get a good player. I would keep 31 and 37 also. No need to trade top 40 picks.
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i dont think they charge for parking. they didnt charge last year.
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NoSo Isles Fan says:
I just got back from Stockholm, Sweden the other day and I can tell you we don’t need a D-man from there. Hedman is not going to be the enforcer that we need, he’ll play the typical swedish finess defense and we’ll get scored on as bad as we did all last year. We need to take Tavares and trade up one or two of our picks to get a solid D-man. End of story.
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the bomber says:
i would bet a pitcher at champions that someone at reebok will know we are picking Tavares before the 26th … theres no way wang and his minnions pack 5 K + into that draft party and blow the chance of selling a TON of #91 jerseys which would need to be pre-ordered. that being said, if there is no order, we are picking hedman or trading down…and there will be a riot and nobody will spend a dime on a jersey….
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bossy22 says:
Another reason I think the Isles will select JT is the NYIslanders main site. They are listing the top 30 or so prospects and JT has yet to be mentioned. They will save him until the end that way fans can really get to know who he is before his name is called (by Snow) at the draft.
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judging by some of these “trade proposals” and “ideas”, i think some of the commenters may in fact smoke crack on a consistent basis.
ever heard of keeping it simple?? lol
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1 – seems lots of you guys want to trade comeau, he’s only 23, cheap, and hasn’t exactly been relied upon or expected to light it up, yet put up 1/2 ppg last year (about the same as KO) so he’s still got room to grow — plus, is he going to be that valuable an asset when trading???
2 – we all love him now, but they all but ran him out of MON. so what would Streit’s trade value be at this point???
top 5, top 10, 15? — unlikely to happen given his economical contract, but i have a feeling not too many people are untouchable on this team…*just kinda felt like stirring it up a little there =)
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“How do you not draft a player that EVERYONE wants?? For that possible reason alone, i’m glad i wont be there. I’ll watch at home and have my own personal breakdown if that happens.”
Thats part of the reason I want to go. I want the Isles to draft Tavares. However if they draft Duchene think of all the possibilities . . .
Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria! -
great line irish isle, speaking of which, the next “movie” in that series comes out in video game form via PS3 and XBOX360 very soon
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Our #26 pick this year, next years #1 pick, Witt and Gervais for Tampa’s #1 pick this year.
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I have Purchased 6 NHL Draft Previews so Far and more and more they say expect the Isles to take Hedman #1..Both McKeens Hockey Draft Preview and RedLine Report Ranked Hedman #1..(RLR had Tavares #3…McKeens had J.T. #2)…Between those 2 Mags they had 5 different experts do Mock Drafts…3 of them Predicted Hedman #1 ..2 said Tavares..Bob McKenzie says it will be Hedman for the Isles and so does Craig Button…Darren Pang said the Isles should take Hedman..Though I still occassionally read how the Isles are interested in Duchene too(besides Chris Botta)..That is what Islander Fans should be afraid of….God Forbid we draft Duchene #1 overall…Garth is crazy enough to do it too…Thats the thought that keeps me up at night…
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the1gwiz says:
bossy22 (125), while I love that theory, I’m pretty sure the official site is going in alphabetical order. Sorry
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#93: you like him because he fights and scores? And the other guy saw him on TV 8 times? Like I said, let’s get rid of the scouts and let the fans make the pic..after all, why bother to have pros scout games when we have fans that are so skilled at player evaluation!
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CIsle says:
Worth trading the 26 and 37 + to move up for:
Schroeder, Kulikov, Ekman-LarssonAbsolutely not worth trading the 26 and 37 + to move up for:
Despres, Holland, EllisFor the most part, in a draft with this depth, the team is likely getting more from any two guys they could take with picks 26+37 than almost anyone they could get 13-25, with the exception of the first three names above.
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Upgrade says:
As much as everyone doesn’t want to hear it, Garth will not be picking #1, right now he’s checking in on who of the top 3 want to move up but he is also making it known that he could move the #1 to a lower position out of the top 3 if the price is right. Right now the key player is Hedman and trying to get TB to bite that they or another suitor is interested in him. I think the Isles really want Duchense but are trying to max out their return before drafting him. If they can’t get TB to bite, they’ll probably swing a deal with Colorado dropping to 3
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#133 – I think we all wish we could be at the meetings discussing who to pick and giving our input.
Look at Tampa Bay – they have what you suggested but in their case “fans with enough money to buy the team” and those guys are making MM look like a genious!
I am cautiously optimistic about what the Islanders are preparing to do. At least they are showing that they are not going to leave a stone unturned (after picking JT #1 overall).
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#96 All respects – but if we want something we have to give up something. All you offer are pieces we are not interested in. We are a 30th place team and we can afford to give up the guys you mention?
To get something you have to give up something AND whoever we are trading up with has to have an interest in the player or two we are offering up.
It would hurt somewhat no matter who we give up.
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Do we really think the Islanders will pay over 6 mil for any player?
Heatley? Not part of the Islander picture – especially at that price!
Is it basically a given that the team will trade up for a player at a different position from their first choice? That is to say, could they take Taveras and then another forward? Hedman and another blueliner?