SNY POINT BLANK TV: DARREN DREGER
Season Preview: Will the NYI add another piece?
Does the rest of the league see the Islanders as a team on the rise? Will franchise uncertainty affect the players? This and more from today’s interview with TSN’s NHL Insider. Comments on Darren’s thoughts are welcomed.
66 Responses to SNY POINT BLANK TV: DARREN DREGER
Season Preview: Will the NYI add another piece?
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Dom says:
I am hopeful too that this year the Islanders will take that step towards establishing themselves as a “competitive” franchise once again. Stay healthy, get some decent goaltending and I think it can happen.
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Daniel says:
Great job Chris. I love coming home from a stressful day at work and seeing a new article or interview on the site. There is no doubt the Islanders are “contenders” for a spot. All the talent is there, they just need to put it together and execute.
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JerseyIslander says:
Dreger had a freudian slip… “New Ownership…errr uhh, arena”… Hmmm…
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Billy the Kid says:
Great segement but OMG when Darren used a certain phrase that Garth does to prve that he’s working, I burst out laughing.
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chyzowski says:
Seems to me after everything that’s happened the last 4 years the fans and the league will look at it as a triumph if we come in 10th place this season. That’s not right. Good answers by Dreger and good questions. Thanks Chris.
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voter says:
I agree with what DD said about the Islanders’ situation not right now being as pathetic as Atl and Phx but our players have to be wondering about playing in a community where their owner’s deal for a new agree was shot to bits by the taxpayers.
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Tom D in NJ says:
This time of year just about every NHL team is optimistic about their future and upcomming season. I think the Isles key questions are a) Will guys like Comeau, Bailey & Okposso get better? B) Will there be consistently good goaltending? C) Will the Isles bring in a player or two to really make them legit? If the answers are yes, I will feel really good about the Club.
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kevin morris says:
Just after a minute or 2…. Isles arent looking for a DEPTH defenseman.. we have 3 already (Eaton, Mottau, and Jurcina)
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If Garth adds a top 4d-man, we will be in the best shape we’ve been in in a while. We have a healthy DP, as well as 2 other VERY competent NHL goalies. Personally, I will be fine putting any one of those guys out there for the first few games until we see who really stands out.
Our offense should not be a problem at all. We had 5 20 goal scorers; 2 30 goal scorers (+jt who had 29). If Bailey steps up (if he resigns) and KO and Streit come back fully healthy, we could get up to 8 20+ goal scorers. 8! That would be the highest in the league. It will come down to D and Goalie! -
texas_isles says:
Great job Chris. Amazing what a “blogger” can do. This is truly to only real source for Islanders info anywhere. Time for Snowang to end the ban. Remember we are all Islanders!
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Battfist says:
That is the one intangible the Islanders have going for them…
They are a team playing for each other.
We have a good group of young men on the roster.Im excited about the upcoming season.
“New ownership”?
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Winning says:
I dont think players have any good thoughts on tje isles. In the media, players will say positive things. To their agents , plays say “dont bother with the islandets i would never play for a team that is ten yeats away from being able to spend more then the cap floor”. Players, agents, and anyone tjats followed pro sports at least 8 yeats understand that teams with the lowest payroll every year are highly likely to be cellar dwellers. The stats dont lie.
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I think DD is a class act and is knowledgeable about the league. He does have a pulse on the game. I really think Wang needs to make a move sooner rather than later for a new home, if it is bklyn, so be it! We need resolution and stability for the players and fans alike!
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jeff says:
The Islanders are always a possible playoff contender and then the season starts.
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Mike in Wantagh says:
GOD I hate the arena situation topic. Its such a drain on everything. I just want closure on it and thats it!!!!
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LOVE Dreger! I think his work is awesome, as is yours CB!
Awesome new interface for the video player!
Now let’s get that top D-man!
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the best part of the interview was when mentioning the historic meaning of the franchise with new ownership. what that really means is the nhl realizes the isles were the most respected nhl franchise at one time and are now the biggest laughing stock and joke thanks to charles wang continuing to do what ever he can to destroy the legacy of the greatest nhl franchise ever. how sad will it be when we will have to see those hideous disgusting 3rd. jersey clown suits. at least thanks to wang since the isles have no real radio station and no newspaper coverage,not to mention no payroll, i cant wait til 2015 when wang will either sell or move the team. by then it wont matter because there will be nothing left of the once greatest hockey franchise ever.
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D in Big D says:
Loved DDs comment “we all know that the Isles are a gritty group that plays for one another”.I wonder if that was a reference to the “meaningless” game in Pitt.That clearly,to me,was a turning point to for this team.Hopefully the winning continues when the games matter most.Isles must get out the gate fast and injury free.Not too concerned w/ adding a free agent @ this point.More concerned about the DP factor.That above all must be resolved one way or another.
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Steven says:
I’m not sure if Garth can be called aggressive. I love the rebuilt but would love to see more trades to add pieces.
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Piper (in DC) says:
Still need top 2 D-man and starting Goalie.. those two players will be whats needed to keep the team alive all season…
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bones says:
Lets not get crazy. The season hasn’t started and we haven’t even begun our first 20 game loosing streak….
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greg h says:
great negativity already and rob, if you feel that way why dont you just pack it up already. Please leave because that post contributed absolutely nothing to the commenting of this interview.
Great work again Chris. Looking forward to the season to start and to see what happens. Let this be a time for some optimism, the players want to prove that they are ready for the next step and together as a team can make some noise in the league, conference and most importantly the division. I highly doubt they are truly on the edge of their seats about the arena situation or other off ice issues.
They are looking forward to starting the season healthy as a unit and showing what they can do. Most analysts have the forward core as a dangerous group that can do damage. The d has some holes yes, and the goalie situation will resolve itself. Have some optimism, because nobody cares if you keep on saying we have been losing for the past 20 years.
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dedshark says:
Post number 18. Honestly Robert, people like you just aggravate me. Enjoy life a little and stop trying to bring everyone down to your miserable level.
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Boss says:
Thanks for doing these CB. It’s like having a regular segment on the Islanders on WFAN. That will never happen so I appreciate you doing these for us. More please.
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Stu says:
If one of the most knowledgable and connected reporters in the NHL says the Islanders are rising and the rest of the league knows not to take us lightly anymore, that’s good enough for me and should be good enough for all Islanders fans.
Dreger is friends with Chris and has no reason to kiss up to Garth Snow. So obviously what he says has no conflicts and he has no agendas. Thanks for putting the garbage aside CB and bringing these to us as much as you do.
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Turgeon1993 says:
Very excited to hear positive things about my team from some of the top people in the media.
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nyc dork says:
Darren mentions that the isles are a tough team to play and the isles stick up for themselves. Well, lets not forget that the isles played this way for the first time in YEARS. And a big reason we seen the isles play this way was because of Konapka. I think is bold for anyone to think the isles will have the same veteran team toughness. I’m not saying konopka is a savior but we should use the word “if” instead of “are” when we talk about this roster.
the isles have not improved in any position till this date and its makes me sick.
Prove to me that;
the isles will have the same veteran team toughness; a voice like konopka; that grabs is not a 1 yr wonder. that we have a decent goalie. that are D will be better. Etc..
I’m excited to see this young talented group to take the ice again but still annoyed that this organization makes no improvements. so in the end the young core will have another yr of experience and another non-playoff season. -
The new isles gm says:
Solid interview. There seems to be a theme with the questions surrounding this team. Arena issues aside it sounds like once we get our defense and goaltending set, it will be much easier for this team to put games away and not have a Dec losing streak end your season. At the end of the day, there is no replacement for time. I will say though it has been a pleasure watching these kids develop since the “rebuild” was declared. My hope however is that Garth can speed up the process with a solid trade. Something we can all sit back and just go “wow”. I find it interesting Doughty is still available. If “The Great One” can get traded more then once, why can’t Garth pull this off? Everything is always for the right price. We know Snow is under strict orders to spend only so much money but how much can we go above the cap floor remains to be seen. We’re almost there.
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Sean says:
Just wish we didn’t sign that waste of space Dp for 15 years. Nabokov can kiss my ass with his BS. Montoya hopefully he can do the job.
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derek says:
If we don’t get the dman we need before the regular season, we can always get him in October. It’s not my first choice but probably not the end of the world if we start the season with the current top 7.
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gino says:
good conversation between Dregs and Botts. Looking forward to the rest of them. How many did you record?
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isles516 says:
So pumped for this season. I don’t know if there are enough of us true fans. Scares me that the guys could be back playing in front of a half empty Coliseum on weeknights.
Thanks for getting Dreger on. He knows his stuff. Him and McKenzie are the best by far in hockey.
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jensen says:
He didn’t get into to it too rough but by the way Drger talked you know the critics are just waiting to make fun of the Isles again for the Nabakov disaster. The only way we turn it around if if Nabby stands on his head.
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jeff w says:
Thanks CB, cant wait for the rest of the posts this week. If we get that D man and one of our goalies stands up and and plays well, we will be in great shape for a playoff spot. Just imagine if we are sitting in 7th at the trade deadline at the cap floor while all of the east contenders are at the ceiling…..We can sure up our team with a few UFA salary dumps and go for a cup! Why not dream…its september:)
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Jon Gimps says:
Great interview CB, as always valuable insight from DD. I look forward to all of these interviews before the season starts.
A valuable top-4 d man is what is still needed, a physical crease-clearing type. A trade might be necessary for the Isles to hold up against the best of the east.
I’m not as concerned up front if all (or some) of the young guys continue to improve. The rookie Nino playing full-time will only help. There is enough scoring talent on this team, and our powerplay with a healthy Streit should be in the better half of the league.
The DP issue forever lingers, however there are now two other legitimate NHL goaltenders behind him. How the coaches manage the situation will be a source of great interest as the season unfolds.
Thanks for everything CB I look forward to the next one.
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When people say that the team has not changed one bit and nothing added over the summer makes them sick, well:
1. Who were the Islanders supposed to get, who was not taken, or did not want to play here. Feel free.
2. Training camp, nor the season has started.
3. You cannot say this is the same team that lost 20 in a row from last season. Look at that roster and look at todays roster, as of right now they look very dissimilar.
4. Continuity and growth from last years success under Cappy, the players opened up and were allowed to be much more creative while adhering to a defensive system that pushed the rush.
5. Health, as of right now, everybody is either returning from injury or already healthy.
6. Zeke, the guy put us on the PK more times than anybody in the league, he may be a good face off man and looker room presence, but he is not the second coming of Hannibal, suddenly going to take over the roman empire.There may be holes on this team and a question on who will start the season in net, but that is something that will be sorted out. I am confident garth will find a useful player between now and the start of the season. He seems to find them every year now. Have some optimism for your team, instead of shooting them in the foot before they begin the season, nobody wants to talk hockey with somebody who constantly whines about their team.
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lottadraught says:
Garth aggressively picks up other teams’ discards off waivers and is actively scared to make trades. Could this be called the ‘Milbury Effect’? Is he afraid to get burnt? Chuck is pulling his strings so he stays at the salary floor until he off-loads the team the regrets buying. He just has to secure a new arena deal before some sucker pays his price.
“…with the New OWNERSHIP, er ah…” One can only dream. “PESKY GROUP” = No hope in heck making the playoffs.
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Paul says:
DP will be a problem, the D is weak. No playoffs. Fire Snow.
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Bob Massapequa says:
Truth is that the Isles need a top 3 defenseman. We have enough depth guys. If you look at last year, Garth will find a way to upgrade the defense. As for the goalie situation, DP will go into the season as #1(the contract dictates this). If he stays healthy, he plays. Which means Montoya is the back-up. Nabokov will need to prove that he can still play. At some point he will get traded or released (loss of 570K). Poulin in minors until DP gets hurt.
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gary91922 says:
First and foremost we need to catch a break and have no major injuries to core players. Stay under 200 man games lost to injury and keep the core healthy.
If we get one physical crease clearing d-man and our goaltending issue is righted quickly we have a shot.
If we continue another season with a 3 goalie circus and continue to get beat up physically then we will have another top 5 pick.
Go Isles, you have to like this team way more than the crap we put on the ice at the beginning of this latest rebuild.
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nosebleed says:
As long as DPuke is wearing pads, this team will never sniff the playoffs.
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BryanG says:
Nice to hear Dreger so complimentary of a GM who hasn’t fielded a competitive team in 4 years.
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Patty says:
“Kicking tires”
that was funny even if he didn’t mean it
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underover says:
If by exciting season you mean 10th place, then I guess it will be exciting.
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Garthsnow says:
Post #37, Right on. Also add on that Tavares is going into his 3rd year. I think he is going to hit 100 points if the D stays intact. This team has a ton of potential, cant wait for this season to start. Lets go Isles!
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Erika says:
My main concern is in goal. Will they allow the best goalies to play, or will they be forced to play D.P and Nabakov. Sure, everyone deserves a chance to prove what they can do and that chance should be in training camp, not the regular season. D.P. cannot take the rigors of the N.H.L. and Nabakov was a has been for the past 2 years, what makes anyone think they will all of a sudden turn into superheros? Like I said, they should get a chance….in training camp!
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mht says:
If given the chance, AL Montoya will be our Tim Thomas.a player who persevered and who believed and is humble.Kevin Poulin shares the same the mental qualities.Players with character.Rick DiPietro and Evgeny Nabokov are Characters who are players.The sooner the Islanders get rid of the characters,and keep the players who possess character the better.
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Cold Spring Harbor says:
Whenever national hockey personalities talk about the Islanders I am always grateful and then remember that for a 7 year period (’78-’84) we were always the talk of the league. Let’s hope that can come back but for the right reasons.
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nobigwhup says:
Fire Snow? For what? Not acting like Mad-Mike. Learn from history. Do not give rediclous contracts to sub-par players. This FA period was full of medicority. Good for Snow to not deter from the strategy to grow within. Fire Snow? We have argueably the best prospects in the league. We have complimented this with key waiver pick ups in PA and Grabs. Made key trades w/o compromizing the future – See Montoya. And we have been graded for the past 3 years with A+ in our draft hauls. We are not the Yankees. We are a SMALL MARKET TEAM which has to be creative and build from wihtin, strike when the deal is right and move on. Like TB Rays. I think SNOW is doing a great job. I think we will have a competitive team day in and day out challenging for a playoff spot. If we finish 7 or 8th – terrific. If we finish 9-10, we have improvement from bottom 5 and will be even better next year. LETS GO ISLANDERS>
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Mike from Philly says:
Good Interview Chris, hopefully the Islanders do some damage this year. Only 5 more weeks till Opening Night!!
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Jisles says:
No big whup #50,
100% agree with you with you on Garth. I am glad he didnt go crazy. I didnt want any of those FA’s. Our best options are through trade or RFA offers. We allknow where the weaknesses are. D and goalie. I disagree with you that the islanders are a small market team. They cant be when they are located in an area with 3 million people. That is what makes them intriguing is that you do have a small market feel to them but they play in a big market. It is the ownership and the arena that is dictating them to be “small market” in terms of salary. The best comaprison would be the cubs. They play in a huge media market in chicago but have a small town fell about them but they are in no way small market.
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Toomas22 says:
I think with Isles addition of Marty Reasoner they are all set. I look forward to a very, VERY strong season.
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j from nj says:
This team will rack up 500 man-games lost to injury, like they do every year. It’ll be over by December, because Wang will enforce DP’s “no. 1 goaltender status” and half of the team will be hurt with leg injuries. Mark-my-words. This franchise is cursed.
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Jmig15 says:
No top 4 defensemen=no playoffs…crap even with that top 4 d man still good chance no playoffs..this is the summer of the pending BIG MOVE…weve been suckered into believing again
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Toomas22 on Sep 1st, 2011 13:28:47 said:
I think with Isles addition of Marty Reasoner they are all set. I look forward to a very, VERY strong season.thanks i needed a good laugh
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hey #53 toomas-they are all set to do what?
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jonj77 says:
I really like this team, but our huge, number one problem is Rick DiPietro, and the fact that for some reason we have to start him. This dude isn’t an NHL goalie anymore. If it weren’t for the worst contract in hockey history, DP would currently be retired.
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Bob E says:
its amazing how everyone’s outlook has changed on isles in just half a season.
I really hope we stay healthy. B/c with this offense and some healthy defense we can most certainly make a splash.
But we cant just give 10-15points away by playing DP. i really hope the best goalie in camp is the starter.
Cant wait till the rookie game sept 13th.
Chris thanks for this.
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Hock says:
The team stood up for one another last year. We saw guys who were willing to drop the gloves when needed. However, they still need to play bigger and tougher in the game battle aspects. This will determine whether they make the playoffs and have a chance to advance.
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upstateIsles says:
Rolston is an underrated addition. Not gonna go all Toomas #53 on you and say hey we got Rolston, be prepared for a VERY strong season..but Reasoner and Rolston are short term additions of veteran presence and skill (while some of you may argue that part, Rolston has speed and more left in the tank than most give him credit for..and Reasoner will play big minutes on the PK and in the Faceoff Circle..certainly an upgrade from Zenon..and who cares if he can’t fight we have Haley and Gillies..and Haley truly has the most hockey skill of any of our fighters. I think keeping Haley and Gillies and letting Konopka go was smart…and the only reason I think keeping Gillies was smart is because that means he’s not gonna beat anyone on our team up while wearing another sweater..not that anyone would probably pick him up..not sure on that)
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PotvinRocks says:
Good job. I think other teams in the East will not look at the Islanders as a speed bump on the schedule. But Darren is right, who comes out of a playoff position to make room for the Islanders? The Devils, Toronto and Carolina all see themselves as playoff teams so where is there room?
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Ethan K says:
Hey Chris, any chance we get to hear from Billy Jaffe this year? Last year’s interview he was fairly critical and I’d love to hear his thoughts for this season.
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Toby says:
Vote for Chris in CBS most important blog contest 2011. Sports category.
I’d post a link, but I we cannot here in comments.
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Big Market/Small Market…..It has long bothered me that the Islanders operate like a small market team and yet they have an NY in their logo. The sad part is they coulnt get an arena vote right in their own county. Charles should be proactive all the time and the team needs more personality and a marketing plan that extends to all of NY, Ct and Jersey.
Even Charles acknowledged that the season ticket base is spread out well beyond Nassau. -
Hopefully Garth and Wang have learned lessons from the 3 ring goalie circus from 2 years ago when roloson, DP and Biron were were jumping through hoops. It was clear the roloson was the best man. When DP returned we were in the middle of the playoff race and the wheel fell of the unicycle. He simply wasn’t the better goalie anymore. If they dont play the best man, players who earned their spots will loose passion, there will be disgruntled fans, an empty colliseum and the islanders once again the joke of the party. Please wang and snow, do the right thingany play the bestman not the best contract
Awesome job as always, Chris. I really hope to see you around the Coliseum this year doing what you do best.