SNY POINT BLANK TV: SCOTT CULLEN OF TSN
Digging into his “Off-season Game Plan” for the NYI
As we wait through the Mangano/NIFA-fight, time to talk hockey again. Scott Cullen has written a fair, balanced, intelligent, thorough feature on the Islanders called “Off-Season Game Plan” for TSN.ca. I had to have Scott on to discuss his latest and greatest edition. Your NYI OSGP, in 150 words or less, is welcomed in Comments.
73 Responses to SNY POINT BLANK TV: SCOTT CULLEN OF TSN
Digging into his “Off-season Game Plan” for the NYI
-
Ethan K says:
Pitkanen or Bieksa were both players I’ve been thinking could be good fits for the Isles. Sizeable, two way dmen to pair with Streit to really help round out the defense. I also like his suggestion of Joel Ward/Scottie Upshall.
Really well written piece by him and good interview.
-
James from Swindles says:
I enjoy Cullen’s Off-Season write-ups; good interview. My game plan (wish list):
1. Goal. Sit DP down and explain the job is no longer his to lose; that it’s at least a three horse race (him, Montoya, and Poulin), and the two best players will make the team. …I’d trade Nabokov, which clearly seems to be the plan.
2. Defense. The way I see it, there are three keepers (Streit, AMac, and Hamonic), three average-to-below average “placeholders” (Mottau, Eaton, and Jurcina), and maybe two prospects with a shot to crack the team in DeHaan and Wishart. Would like to see Snow make a concerted effort to land two top-four defensemen to displace one or more of the placeholders. Bieksa, Erhoff, Pitkanen (or someone via trade) all come to mind.
3. Forwards. I like this group but would consider re-signing Konopka and anticipate the arrival of Niederreiter. Hunter is probably a buyout candidate.
4. Draft. Best player available, with a focus on defense (Hamilton, Larsson, Murphy, Siemens) is it’s a toss-up at #5. Consider dealing the pick if it’s in a package for a game-changer (e.g. Parise, Weber, etc.).
5. Do everything possible to ensure a vote on 8/1. That means actual meetings with NIFA, studies, town hall meetings, etc., not BS pep rallies at the Coliseum.
-
Steve K says:
Sign Chris Higgins!
-
19 Isle in NJ 22 says:
CB — I read Scott’s article a few days ago… That was pretty much on-point.
I also agree with him that the Isles need another top pair defenseman with Streit. Then again … Hamonic could step up his performance again … He was really firing on all cylinders at the end of the season. Still … it couldn’t hurt as Scott pointed out.
I loved how you formatted your follow up questions against his article … More like that in the future please. Sometimes I want to register on sites just to make a point out something, but you and Scott pretty much hammered out a good Q&A between you two.
The key thing for me is what you and Scott followed up with at the end. Who among the 8 that made the playoffs is going to be displaced by the Islanders … and of course Devils. I guess the logical answer is the Rangers, Canadiens or Sabres are the most vulnerable.
-
Finally, a voice of reason! Agree with almost all of his sentiments, especially the one where he said goal tending can either make or break our playoff chances. A decision must be made by the end of training camp. We can not squander points by using the regular season to determine whether D.P. can play mediocre hockey. If they can straighten that out, they will be in the playoffs. Bieksa or pitkanen would be nice, but I will not hold my breath. Garth has been doing well under the circumstances. But look at the lightening, they did not make the playoffs in a few years, made a few aquisitions, and…voila…serious cup contenders!
-
Lenny says:
I’m not holding my breath waiting for a major UFA like Pitkanen or Bieksa. Snow will have another ready-made excuse about the arena.
-
Al says:
This interview is why we come to Point Blank every day. No one else talks Islanders hockey in May like you do. Great job by Cullen.
-
Sean says:
Never mind your credential. The Islanders should be paying you CB. You talk realistically and respectfully of the team without buying the team’s nonsense. You keep the talk going about the hockey when only one or two other blogs are writing about them.
-
IslanderFAN says:
@Steve K – I hope you are not serious about Chris Higgins, they Isles dont need him.
-
UIF says:
Cullen’s article was a nice surprise when I read it a while back. It’s not often you find lengthy features on the Isles even from news outlets on Long Island, let alone on TSN. It was a good read…just a thorough assessment of the roster without maybe all the stereotypes and politics that surround the team.
-
2Bit says:
I have not watched the video yet, but going by the article … Tavares has a 3.75 mil cap hit???
-
Al R. says:
Nice piece. We need physical D-men to play in the East. Although I would love to draft this type of player I don’t think we can afford to wait the necessary time for them to develop. A trade or free agent signing makes sense but I don’t want to give up the #5 pick- Torrey would never do that.
-
Strummer's Army says:
I wish I could have seen Botta’s face when Cullen said “Bieksa” lol. He probably crumpled the paper in his hand. Think Chris got pretty sick of me saying it a few years ago. Funny but I am not less enamored with Bieksa. His game seemed to slip but he’d still be an updrade over everyone on this defense not named Streit, Hamonic, and Mac D.
Chris Higgins is a terrible player!
Two big mean nasty skilled D, added to Hamonic, De Haan, Mac D and one of the current Isles D-men. The final Isles D-man is just a seat warmer until DeHaan is ready. Winner of Mottau, Hillen, Jurcina, Eaton.
Hunter needs to go. I’d actually laugh my butt off to see Hunter skating in super slow motion at the same time Grabs is burning up the ice.
I am fine with just adding Nino to the offense. It will be a huge upgrade. Not as high on Comeau as Cullen is. We’ve seen him. His point totals are impressive but he is a very soft guy and not the kind I think you win a playoff series with. I think if Isles are going after Laich then is there room for Comeau or is he really good trade bait right now?
Big Rick supporter but at this point he is penciled in until he proofs he can remain healthy and I hope he can.
Montoya was dissapointing at the WC’s and left injured. I think the plan is to build his value as much as they can and move him by the deadline.
Draft Hamilton and as many D_men like him as they can. The LW Kelsy too.
Trade Nabokov, Geravis, PA, and don’t resign Martinek.
Resign Konopka and Gillies.
I think if they do those simple things it will have been a very good summer.
-
moonshine says:
i’d keep in touch with all the players to get a message thoroughly across that each and every single day next season they ought to get out of bed in the morning with their first thought being ‘we’re going to make the playoffs.’
iow, what the isles need is consistency, consistency, consistency. -
vrinqueens says:
Nah, They need to get winners like Roloson, Bergenheim, N.Thompson, M.A. Bergevin, Brewer, Chara, Torres……. hey wait a minute!!!!!!!!
-
Jim Clark says: My off season plan for the Islanders is to keep my credit card locked up until I see some real improvement. No buying tickets early for me.
Islewangers should draft the best player available because a 26th place team need help everywhere. They should also campaign actively to get the new arena built. Advertise on WFAN. And give CB his press credentials back.
-
Billy the Kid says:
Trade Nabokov but not to Philly unless they overpay, which they wont. No use making our division harder.
Bieksa is not a huge guy but is a tough nut that plays a big man’s game. Pitkanen is more a skater than a physical presence.
Ericsson (Detroit) would be a fit.
Joel Ward is overpaid but for the right amount we could find a place for him on the bottom 6.
It will be a struggle to make the playoffs and every point will count. As someone said, we cant spend half the season experimenting to see if Rickity can cut it (or Montoya for that matter). The team needs to get off to a fast start and build some swagger and confidence, excite the fans (who will know by then if the new Areener is approved by Nassore). -
Thanks for bringing us a fair and balanced and smart writer from North of the border. Cullen did a great job here. I agree with everything he said. It’s not an insult to him to say a lot of this is common sense. Let’s hope Snow also knows we need better defensemen and veterans to lead the kids. And a goalie.
-
Tom from PA says:
My plan: top 4 dman, better goalie than Montoya, top 6 forward if it means trading a chip, better head coach.
-
isles516 says:
I like Cullen’s plan because it’s realistic. There’s no reason why Snow can’t add those players without going too far over the cap floor. It also shouldn’t matter what happens with the Coliseum vote. His plan doesn’t ask for much.
-
Good talk, CB and Scott. You should do this every month in the offseason. Like you said, this could have gone on for another 90 minutes.
-
Billy the Kid says:
Just as CB wrote and we knew would happen, Newsday has an article tonight about all the problems with the arena vote. It’s gonna be a long two and a half months. I’m glad to be watching an interview on Islanders hockey tonight. Thanks.
-
Joeisles says:
Cullen should get credit for having the guts to tell it like it is. Everyone else thinks Streit will be enough on D. No way.
-
a top 4 defensemen, cause they don’t grow on trees in the NHL. very hard to find, and very very expensive to sign as UFA. look back at the last crop of nhl defenders who were graded out as top 4, and how much they were overpaid. if the isles think larsson is such a player, please move up and get him. the cost now, is far less then what it will be after draft day.
the isles need to get a netminder who can stop the puck every game, no matter the last name, or the salary… -
Steve says:
Good interview CB. My NYI OSGP is for Wang and Mangano to back their words and be transparent regarding all the financial details of the new arena plan. Be honest and specific because nobody is buying the fact that this won’t cost taxpayers money if and when the bonds can’t be payed back. I would try and trade up to get either Adam Larsson or Gabriel Landeskog. A top pair Dman or a top six Mike Richards type forward. Can’t go wrong with either.
-
nova says:
Less than a week later and there’s been more articles trashing the arena deal than stories about people for it. The vote may happen but it’s not happening on August 4th.
Cullen was good with the article and the interview. The needs are right. Let’s hope we have a team here in a few years.
-
charlie says:
I’m more excited about this season than I have been in 20 years!!!
-
Awesome interview. Can we have one of these every day for the rest of the summer?
-
nhl80 says:
I agree Nino is going to be on the team but he’s not ready to be a big contributor on a winner. His playoff stats are inflated because how he did against weeker competition. He didn’t show anything in the championship vs kootenay. Watch the tapes. Last thing we need is another teenager forced into the lineup to prove how young we are. He won’t get 15 goals in the NHL next season and he’s goona be a liability because of his inexperience.
-
nyislanders93 says:
I tried to post on TSN to praise Scott for a great and well written article but my post wasn’t approved for some reason. For a guy who spends the majority of his time following the Canadian teams, this was a fantastic and accurate article that very few Isles fans will disagree with. As a full time follower of the Islanders, I don’t have a single thing to disagree with from Scott Cullen’s edition of Off Season Game Plan.
-
this was awesome and Cullen’s book of a feature on the TSN site is outstanding. i think it’s very accurate.
I’m the same as Strummer though in that I can do without Comeau. I think he’s simply a beneficiary. But, if we did bring him back, I wouldn’t be too disappointed, I like him. I just think he can be upgraded.The rest of the game plan…not sure if anyone mentioned it but should have…
**RE-SIGN MICHEAL HALEY!! I’m serious. I think this is more important than Zenon, Comeau, and just about any D that would need to be re-signed.
Another SOLID and tough D-man is needed. The Jurcina signing is still a headscratcher, and I really feel like this team has overrated Eaton and Mottau. Not mobile enough, not tough enough. Barely steady enough. It’s funny – again with Strummer, I was reading his post as Bieksa scored. The playoffs is really showing me we need toughness.
Bring on NINO and be fair about the goalies. Oh and DRAFT A STUD!!
-
Rob76 says:
Off-season game plan – use this years pick(5) and next years first as chips to bring in top line forward to play with JT. It will help us win and maybe more importantly it will excite the “casual” fan that might have “forgotton” to vote on 8/1/2011. address the defense through free agency not with a top five pick if we dont trade it please.
-
Tim says:
Rob — I like what you’re saying but I don’t think Snow has the guts to make a move like that. Everything he has done has been very cautious. I’d love to see him prove me wrong. CB asked Cullen at the end what does he think if they just add Nino and a couple of middle level FAs and that’s what I for one expect to happen.
-
Alex says:
Besides Streit for 4 million a year the Islanders haven’t made a splash with a FA or trade under Snow. He’s not going to change now. He still has the uncertainty of the arena as an excuse.
-
My bet is this is the summer the Islanders take a big step forward with a couple of moves to improve the team. It makes sense to do that now, August 1 vote or not.
-
Volek says:
Bieksa
-
Trade the pick as part of a package deal for Weber.
Sign Paraise to an offer the devils can”t match.
Under no condition, no matter how many injuries, does Gervis get 1 more minute in a Islander jersey. -
Cary says:
My OSGP:
1. Add a top-line forward for JT and MM.
2. Add a top 4 defenseman with size and grit.
3. Keep some toughness on forward whether it’s ZK or not.
4. Let the goaltending situation play itself out over the first dozen games or so – decent goalies seem to always be available.
5. Take out the trash – Gervais, Reese, etc.LGI!!!
-
No way Nashville is trading Weber…if your TN besides the pick who are you taking from the Islanders???
-
Nice interview Chris, At forwards they are pretty deep just a little young.. sprinkle in a few vets (Ryder, Cole) would cost at least $4 mil. per or maybe a little cheaper and go after a Leino or Upshall, forget Gillies/Konopka and just sign Mac Intyre and all the cheap shots to Tavares will end. Grabner needs some speed to keep up with him.. Dvorek and Samsonov can be gotton real cheap and on Defence H. Gill is a nice crease clearer and maybe Wizniewski might come back. Forget Nabakov to Philly they’re going to throw tons of money at Vokoun.
-
Dave G says:
IslandersFan #10: I saw Higgins play against Sharks tonight. Played pretty well and surely has some playoff experience under his belt.
Great interview. I think he is pretty spot on with about everything. Wish you would have asked something about the draft as it is approaching. Just read TSN:s draft watch, had Hamilton at #10. Interesting.
A top 4 d and maybe an experienced top 6 forward and we should compete for the playoffs.
-
i’d like to know from people who are skeptical about comeau, how they felt about bergenheim. if you want to debate comeau, you’d end up having to prefer someone like joensuu in his place. i mean, you can’t expect to upgrade from the outside at every position.
ehrhoff and bieksa are both free agents, a lot of teams might be poking around in case vancouver can’t/won’t sign both. i don’t know if the islanders could get in the mix, but they might try.
-
gary9-19-22 says:
CB – I dont think we can seperate the “hockey” talk from the “arena” talk. We need to get EVERYONE to understand that we need every bit of excitement we can generate for this team to help with the vote.
Yes, we need to still get our prospects put in positions to succeed and grow. Nino should be called up, DeHaan should be seasoned in the Bridge, etc…
We need a SPLASH!! A splash is a true NHL from liner to compliement Nino and JT. Can anyone guess who I am reffering to… intials ZP….
As succesful as MM is I truley beleive the JT gave of himself to allow MM and PA to be succesful. We need a player that lets JT be as succesful as possible and thrive. Free up some ice and let him be.
That said, from a hockey perspective we need even more desperately, a BIG puck moving physical d-man. Doen’t have to put up more than 30 pts but we need physical presence in from of our goalies and someone who initiates the rush with good first passes.
SIGN KONOPKA!!! Fan favorite and good role model. He played injured for a last place team, imagine how he will give of himself in a playoff series. This will win votes on Aug 1. The fans also love Gillies.
Lose Hunter, relegate PA to 3rd line. When he flounders, wave him…
Get every ex-Islander from Benoit Hogue to Eddie Westphall to JT and rally all ages of voters to step up and simply “SAVE THE ISLANDERS, SAVE THE ISLAND”. That’s my slogan.. feel free to use it…
-
sean says:
Good interview, comment 39 nailed it right on the spot, I hope Bruno doesn’t come back, overrated dman he is. I am worried about NIFA rejecting the loan and the votes on august 1st. Do they realize that if the islanders leave nassau county they won’t be making the revenue they do now and tax payers will have to cover that lose. Also how can that marlin gut from NIFA com
-
this is a continuation from comment 41: marlin jerk Compares a 4,300 stadium that is out in Washington, to a new state of the art arena that can attract new shows, expos and etc In a new York market. Nassau colisuem is ranked the worst venue in the US. It’s ugly, outdated and so on. If they reject this and no new arena picture a boarded up arena and weeds growing in the hub.
-
Bob E says:
cullens write up was excellent. when he put out last week, i thought he was so spot on i fowarded it to all my hockey buddies.
Singled biggest edition would be another big name DMAN.
Goalscoring is not our problem. Tavares, Bailey still have alot of upside. Nino could be calder candidate.
-
Mars Bonfire says:
Bieksa is our guy. He is 30 and is tough as nails. He also has some offense to his game. Thank goodness Paul Martin did not want to sign last year. $25,000,000 contract and soft as a baby’s butt.
-
93 Miracle says:
I would LOVE to sign Pitkinen, he is a first pairing. He is is a better defensemen that marc staal. Pair him with streit, oh my god! While I would take Bieksa he is a #4 so I do not overpay for him but I do like his game. Their is really not much we can do on offense. I look to trade Parenteau on draft day but thats the only player I would trade. I go hard after Joel Ward. If we make the playoffs which I think we will, he can be the biggest difference we win a round. Hes a big game player. We need a 1st liner. That will probably be Nino down the road but probably not next season. Im just not a huge Parenteau fan on THIS team or at least not on the top 2 lines.
-
Ian says:
With the resigning of almost all of their RFAs I think the Isles will be pretty close to the Cap Floor, which will be around $45-$46MM. I don’t expect a high dollar UFA signing because the Isles don’t have room on their top two lines (MM, JT, KO, MG, FN, NN) They have a decent third line in BC, JB, TH and a fourth line of MH, ZK, MM. This still leaves PP and JJ as the extra forwards, there just isn’t room unless Garth can trade TH for a pick or minor league player. For D they have MS, AM, TH, MJ, MM, ME, JH with Wishart, Reese, Katic, Kohn, deHaan providing AHL depth. The only chance for a move here would be if MM can not return from injury. Even then we’re only looking at a $2MM player at best to stay around the floor range.
-
Seth says:
Have a solid draft, sign Brooks Laich and Kevin Bieska, hope for the best on 8/1, and stay away from all negative press.
-
4theisles says:
Sign a vet goalie. Snow knows that position and keeps DP because of CW’s investment, which is a costly mistake, but hanging on to him is even a costlier error. I think a Brook’s Laich type forward would complete our upfront line-up. Unfortunately the price may be too high. Of course top shelve help at D is a must.
-
Erik says:
1. Any chance the islanders add depth signings to round out Bridgeport’s roster, especially at the forward position? Last year Bridgeport’s lineup was depleted due to lack of Depth provided by the Islanders. I think the Islanders should sign Andrew Gordon, a player we can possibly strike gold with again a la Moulson, Parenteau and Grabner. Gordon has been buried in a deep Caps farm system.
-
BanGarth says:
All for Mac Intyre and please sign Haley , guy brought such energy and gave the team a backbone.
-
sign Curtis Glencross or Fleishmann;
laitch would be the optimum choice but I believe that the Isles cannot sign him
Villie leino could be a sleeper as well -
Chris18 says:
vrinqueens- could you please tell me which team Marc BERGEVIN is currently on? I guess somebody needed a real vet!
Obviously you meant Bergeron, but I found that amusing.
O- add Nino & Laich. Offer sheet to Parise.
D- Crease clearing guy. Have enough puck movers.
Goal- 3-way challenge for #1(Montoya, Poulin & DP). Only one I wouldn’t try to send to Bridgeport is Montoya. Somebody would claim him with his 1 year deal. Poulin has a 2-way deal. Nobody is going to take Rick’s remaining 10 years, so if he’s not up to snuff, waive him. Trade Nabby for anything.I think the biggest thing the Isles need to do is take a very in depth look at the strength & conditioning dept. It doesn’t matter who you have if they blow out a knee or shoulder. The Isles have lead the league in games lost to injury 3out of last 4 years, and I think were up there in years 5 & 6 as well. Obviously there is a problem with the workout routines not getting bodies ready for the season. Granted, glass-bones Martinek & Rickety Rick make up a large portion of the annual totals, but something needs to be changed.
If they can remain relatively healthy I see them making the playoffs as a 5-6 seed. If they have 600 games lost again, they’ll finish 10-12. -
DocDuke says:
My NYI OSGP…
First, the subtractions…
Nabokov, Gervais, Hillen, Reese, Gillies are a must to go.On the bubble, Hunter, Mottau, Parenteau.
I will try and keep this as real as possible, with a little hope.
First: Moulson-Tavarez-Tanguay
Second: Grabner-Bailey-Okposo
Third: Comeau-Nielson-Niederreiter
Fourth: Martin-Marchant-Haley
Konopka would be welcomed, but I don’t think the Isles want him. Tanguay & Marchant are 2 guys who have Cup rings and getting them wouldn’t cost that much or ruin are Future.
On D…
1st: Streit-Hamonic
2nd: Macdonald-Gill
3rd: Jurcina-EatonGill would also bring a ring. If any of the kids make a splash this pre-season, trade Eaton or Jurcina.
In goal, well D.P. is staying along with Montoya. The only thing I could ask for is that management is fair about D.P. If he struggles, send him down. It’ll cost nothing as he is sure to clear waivers.
X-factor: I know he’s signed, but Parenteau has to go. I don’t care how many goals he scored riding a kids coat tails, he is a major liability. Trade him now that he has some value. Hillen is just too small; he would get killed in the playoffs. And Hunter, I love him when he’s healthy and playing his game, but that hasn’t happened in awhile.
Draft: Just be smart and please don’t trade any picks.
-
jisles says:
Hey CB, What about the possibility of reeling in Brad Richards? Everyone puts the idea off because he’s expensive(looking forward) and a centre, but what can be bad about adding a great player to your team? He is a P.E.Islander, maybe for the right contract he’d like to play a little closer to home on the east coast. Just wondering why he’s not being mentioned based on the cap space available and the upgrade he would be. It’s much more likely than an offer sheet for Parise, even though both are unlikely. Richards is a great player.
-
Chris (#56) right now Marc Bergevin would probably beat out half the D-men we have now and I mean right off the couch, LOL!!
There are only a few elite(overpriced)UFA’s this year and 29 other teams are ready to throw money at them so the Richards, Bieska signings appear unlikely. Snow should try for the Gill’s and Leino’s. I would love to see him sign a couple of speedsters(Dvorek, Samsonev) or even Afinegenov (KHL)to play with Grabner and watch them light it up. -
streit02 says:
First, kudos to Scott Cullen for his write up on the isles. As i commented on TSN.CA it was the first article written about the isles from an outside source that the author actually did their homework on the team.
OFFSEASON GAMEPLAN: Pretty simple
1. Veteran top 6 forward, possibly to play with JT.
2. Gritty defenseman capable of playing a top 4 role.
3. Try to re-sign Kyle Okposo to a similar deal we gave Michael Grabner.
4. Tender Josh Bailey a qualifying offer.
5. Re-sign Zenon Konopka to a 1 yr deal
6. Inquire about players who fit our needs above on salary strapped teams
6. Draft the best available player at the 5th spot in the draft.
7. Plant the shovel in the ground for the Colliseum
8. Explore the possibility of sending our players on the ice in bubble wrap to limit our # of injuries this season. -
Al L says:
Eric #53! Interesting that you mention Andrew Gordon. I reside in Hershey and see quite abit of Gordo. The kid is an energetic 6′ 200 lb engaging type who finds the nooks and cranny’s down low and isn’t afraid to pay the price. It doesn’t hurt that he has soft hands. Being a huge Hershey Bears fan,selfishly I’d hate to see him go,but at 25 he deserves to come out from under the numbers game in Washington and get a fair look.
Keep in mind he is a RFA and will demand compensation,although not the 1st,2nd and 3rd round pick a high priced player would. -
Might I add,for what its worth Gordon has a winning pedigree also. He was an intregal part of a back to back Calder Cup Champion and AHL All Star.
-
shlo says:
All of you are throwing names we should sign like they are standing on line to come to the Island. Get real, we cannot get a real quality free agent to come here.
They will have to come via trade and we don’t have anything of value to give in return unless you want to give up Moulson, Tavares etc. , that is what any decent GM will ask for. Snow will have to get real lucky with a cap strapped team. -
Winning says:
If dipietro plays even 15 games, with his agility and terrible save %, the isles would miss the playoffs if they added bryan trottier and denis potvin in his prime. So nothing mattets much when its nepotism rules on long island. Teams dont go a quarter century without winning playoff round by accident.
-
Hal Gill can be gotten for a reasonable contract and hopefully Wizniewski wouldn’t mind coming back to the team who traded for him and a couple of veteran players like Leino/ Upshall and Dvorek certainly wont break the bank either. Payroll will have to be increased if this team is too compete.
-
Petey Pete says:
CB, you are the man! The amount of work you’ve put in to bring back media relevance to this team both in the hockey media and greater sports media community needs to be applauded. AOL, ESPN, SNY, Puck Daddy…you’ve been a big reason for the Isles getting more and more press than it ever has in the last 5 years (almost single-handedly). Thanks again for bringing back some legitimacy and pride!
-
Frans Dish says:
OFSG: New Arena!, new arena!, top 4 d-man (Bieksa or Erhoff would be awesome), and a possible veteran forward that these young guys can learn from. Can’t stress the importance of a veteran leadership that these kids from learn from. Oh and a new arena.
-
Double Chili says:
This team makes the playoffs with the following:
Add 1 Top4 DMan (or better) thru FA/Trade.
Have a REAL No.1 goaltender. We have plenty of 2nd stringers/prospects. RDP& Montoya are both question marks.
For “Sprinkles on Top,” but not a necessity, a Top6(or better) Forward thru FA/Trade. Buyout/Trade Trent Hunter. Release Bruno, Gillies, Weight.
According to the “Statistics” the Mendoza-Line for making the playoffs is a Positive GF/GA diff.(TampaBay, the one exception.)
Simply, by allowing less goals, we will score more/lose less. We have offense & more on the way. Keep 30/35 less pucks in our net and everything’s groovy. -
Bryan says:
We need a quick scoring forward to compliment JT. We also need a big, tough dman. We also need to establish a #1 goalie-not DP. But most of all, we need to save our team on August 1. If the team isn’t here, then none of this matters.
-
Daniel says:
I read this on TSN a few days ago and it is as accurate as you can get. What I like is how he pretty much says some pieces are missing, however they are not huge pieces. The core is definitely there, it just needs to be complimented. I really feel that this is the summer for Garth to make a real statement. My ideal signing is a HUGE stretch, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the thought of Rick Nash playing on the wing with Tavares. A big power forward goal scorer, who is young, and has a lot of years left on his contract. It would definitely take a lot (2011 1st and 2nd, 2012 1st, and Bailey and perhaps Comeau/Parenteau). Hey, I can dream right?
-
Jaymz27 says:
I agree with everything he wrote except for Hamonic taking his lumps early. Hamonic did not look out of place at all this past season.
-
Y2G says:
1: Moulson JT Nino
2: Grabner Nielson Okposo
3: Comeau Couterier PA (the french connection)
4: Martin Bailey Haley
D1: Streit Andy Greene
d2: Mac Ham
3: Eaton Jurcina
G: Montoya -
DJFROMMIAMI says:
Isles gotta clean up the junk. Bring back Haley. Throw some money at the following players and see who accepts: Kris Draper;Matt Bradley;Kevin Bieksa;Christian Ehrhoff;Ed Jovanaski;Jean-Sebastien Giguere;Alex Auld.
My Offseason Game Plan=
-A passing vote on 8/01
-Two big, nasty, clease clearing defensemen signed and or traded for. In order to be a winner we need them! Just look at other teams Defense.
-We score plenty of goals..it’s time to keep some goals out of our own net!