New York Islanders 2009-2010 Season Preview

By Tom Verde

New York Islanders 2009-2010 Season Preview by Tom Verde

2008-2009 Recap: 26-47-9, 61 Points (Last Place in the Eastern Conference)
As expected, the 2008-2009 New York Islanders were hardly a competitive team. Devoting the season to getting young prospects playing time and bringing in Scott Gordon’s aggressive forechecking system, the Islanders officially began rebuilding. Adding to their difficulties was the injury bug, as the Islanders had an astonishing 500-plus man games lost. Perhaps none of those losses was bigger than that of franchise goaltender Rick DiPietro, who saw action in just five games last year due to knee and hip injuries. Further adding to this frustrating season was the lack of progress being made to the Lighthouse LI Project, putting the Islanders future on Long Island in question.

This Off-season
Certainly there is a perk to coming in last place, and that is having the best chance of winning the number one draft pick in the lottery. Fortunately, the Islanders won the lottery, allowing them to take consensus number one prospect John Tavares from Oshawa of the OHL. Tavares put up huge numbers in juniors, and did it while being the focus of the Canadian media since age fourteen. It would seem Tavares is the real deal after he broke Wayne Gretzky’s OHL scoring record. His presence has already sold tickets, and hopefully it will help move the Lighthouse LI Project along. The Islanders also traded some of their stockpiled draft picks, moving up from number 26 to number 12, in order to select puck-moving defenseman Calvin de Haan. Although de Haan was considered a late first round prospect, the Islanders really liked his skill, and he has drawn some comparisons to Tomas Kaberle for his hard accurate shot and great hockey sense. Calvin de Haan will be headed back to Oshawa for another developmental year in the OHL.

Besides this off-season being remembered as the year of John Tavares, it will also be remembered as the year of the goaltender. The Islanders chose not to re-sign either of last year’s goaltenders, Joey MacDonald or Yann Danis. Instead, the team shored up the goalkeeper position by signing free agents Dwayne Roloson (2 yrs/$5 mil) and Martin Biron (1yr/$1.4 mil), and also drafted Mikko Koskinen (Finnish League) and Anders Nilsson (Swedish junior League) in the second and third rounds, respectively. Essentially, the Islanders are telling their fans that Rick DiPietro’s future is in doubt. It seems likely he will already miss time to begin this season, as most reports suggest “DiPi” will be out until at least November.

As expected, the Islanders were not major players in the free agent market. This further shows their commitment to rebuilding, as budding young players such as Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, Frans Nielsen, and of course John Tavares will continue to receive major playing time. However that does not mean that Garth Snow sat by idly, as I received information that the Islanders were at least in talks for Brian Gionta, Alex Tanguay, and a few other free agents. The team also had little to replace, as the only major departures were that of Mike Sillinger (retirement), Andy Hilbert (FA) and Dean McAmmond (FA).

2009-2010 Season Outlook
The Islanders still have a lot of work to do. John Tavares alone is not going to get them into the playoffs. However the Islanders are committed to rebuilding, and that is a great thing. Expect Tavares, Okposo, and Bailey to receive major ice time again this season, including lots of time on the power play. Also on offense, Doug Weight is back and will be here to mentor Tavares during his rookie campaign. Richard Park, one of the NHL’s most underrated players, will be back and good for about 30 points, in addition to being a mainstay on the penalty kill. The Islanders are also hoping for big things from Jeff Tambellini, Sean Bergenheim, and Frans Nielsen. Both Bergenheim and Nielsen looked impressive during stretches last year but both missed time due to injury. Tambellini is still trying to drop his tag of being “a great AHL-er,” and will look to match some of the scoring touch he has shown while in Bridgeport. Trent Hunter will be back, and he is one of the most consistent players on the team. Rookie Jesse Joensuu will also get playing time this year, and the Islanders hope he will continue to develop into a presence both in front of the net and down low.

Everyone’s favorite Swiss athlete, Mark Streit (no not Roger Federer), will be back to lead the Islanders and anchor the defense. Streit led the team in games played (74), points (56), and plus/minus, finishing the season with a highly respectable plus-6. He definitely quieted doubters during his first season as a full time defenseman. As for the rest of the defense, health is a major issue. Brendan Witt can be a dominating physical force on the blue line, but he has missed considerable time the last two seasons. Similarly, Andy Sutton has a big frame and knows how to use it, but he has only played more than 70 games once in his career. Radek Marinek has proved a solid defenseman when he’s healthy, recording a career high six goals last season when not out of the line up with shoulder and foot injuries. Jack Hillen and Bruno Gervais are young and improving, and have both proved capable of moving the puck. Freddy Meyer also looked good last year when healthy and in the lineup, recording nine points in just 27 games.

Final Prediction
To put it plainly, the Islanders won’t be very good this year. This is a good thing, however, as the team is still several building blocks away from becoming the new Pittsburgh Penguins or Chicago Blackhawks. This is also good for the development of the prospects already on the team and in the system, because it means more ice time. The team is committed to Coach Scott Gordon and his high-pressure game, and they will only get better as the players become more comfortable in his system. Also, with two established veteran goaltenders (three if Rick comes to play), the Islanders will be better than last year’s team. Unfortunately though, they won’t be better than anyone in the division.

In more important news, the Islanders need a new building. For some reason, Town of Hempstead’s Kate Murray does not agree. Setback after setback has been placed in front of Islanders owner Charles Wang. The final hearing for the Lighthouse project is September 22 at Hofstra University, interestingly enough the same night as the Islanders pre-season game in Kansas City. If the go ahead does not come by the team’s regular season opener at home on October 3, Charles Wang will pursue all other options (yes that means moving the team to Toronto/Hamilton/Kansas City/Vegas?). For our sake, let’s hope a deal is reached by the third.

Bottom Line: Fifth place, Atlantic Division