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By admin, January 2, 2010 2:55 am

Its amazing how stuff works in my head sometimes. Originally I wanted to compare the 99-00 Islanders Depth Chart to the 09-10 Islanders Depth Chart. If anyone can actually find a depth chart or the regular lines from the 99/00 season contact me. There were too many players who only played 40 games for me to guess. But instead I realized something else. The Five youngest players of each team had a good deal of potential that went unrealized for the Islanders. So lets compare.

1999-2000 Islanders

Tim Conolly

Aged 18 and the Islanders #5 pick overall in 1999, he played in 81 games that season. With 34 Points but a minus 25 rating (only ahead of Chara’s minus 27) Conolly finished third on the team in scoring. It was a hopefully promising start to his Islanders career. He ended up being traded in the deal for Peca. Although solid but unspectacular, he tends to get hurt easy and hasn’t played a complete season in over five years now.

Mathieu Biron

Aged 19 and the 21st pick overall in the 1998 draft. He was acquired as part of the Palffy/Smolinski trade with the Kings. He played 60 Games, Managed 8 points and was -13 on the year. The 60 games would be a career high for him as the following season he was in Milbury’s doghouse and sent to the AHL. He was eventually traded for Acouin. He spent last year and this year in the German Hockey League.

Olli Jokinen

Aged 20 and the 3rd overall pick in the 97 draft. Olli was highly touted and was part of the same Palffy/Smolinski deal with Biron.  This was his one season on the Island and he managed 21 points in 82 games. On the bright side he did finish with a Zero in the +/- column. He would later be dealt with Luongo for Parrish and Kvasha. He was the Panthers Captain for five seasons and has racked up a good career with 539 points in 827 games.

Eric Brewer

Aged 20 and the 5th Overall pick of the 97 Draft. Brewer found himself in Milbury’s doghouse rather quickly in his second season. He managed a minus 11 in 26 games with only two points. Brewer ended up being dealt in the deal for Hamrlik with the Oilers. It ended up better for Brewer, as he is currently captain of the Blues, a Gold Medal Olympian and considered a top dman.

Roberto Luongo

Aged 20 and the 4th overall pick in the 97 draft. Originally angry at not making the team out of camp, he was eventually called up given Potvin’s trade. He had a good season for a rookie on a horrible team, matching or improving upon the stats of former All-Star Potvin and older Weekes. He ended up being dealt with Jokinen for Parrish and Kvasha.  He is a four time all-star, the captain of the Canucks, and has more Records then I could list here.

I’m actually surprised at how Talented the 99-00 team was. Three of the Top Five picks of the 97 Draft played for the team. That might be the only time that’s happened. All of them except Biron are still in the NHL Today, and Luongo – Jokinen – Brewer might have been a good core for any team to build around.  All three of them have been captains of their respective teams. So how does the future hold up?

2009 – 2010 Islanders

John Tavares

Aged 18 and the first overall pick of the 2009 draft. He currently leads all rookies in Points and Goals, and should be leading in the Calder trophy if the Islanders continue challenging for the playoffs. Obviously one year does not make a career, but Tavares has been everything the Islanders could have wanted out of him this year. Teams are game planing to keep him out of “his office” in front of the net.

Joshua Bailey

Aged 19 and the #9 overall pick in 2008. Although he hasn’t been the scoring machine he was in the OHL (At least this season is an improvement on last) his defensive play has been highly rated. His plus 6 is second on the team and he is third on the team in goals. I sense this could go either way, but I’ll be happy if he just ends up a solid defensive center.

Kyle Okposo

Aged 21 and the 7th overall pick of the 2006 draft. Okposo is proving that 39 points in 65 games last season (Good for 2nd on the team) was no fluke. He’s already racked up 27 points in 41 games which is good for 2nd on the team and puts him on pace for 54 points barring injury. Okposo looks like he is going to be a force for years to come on the Island.

Andrew MacDonald

Aged 22 and a former 6th Round pick in 2006. MacDonald is a sign of something new on the Island, patience. Given time to work up to the NHL level, MacDonald was an all star in the AHL last year, led all Bridgeport dmen in points and was sixth on the team in points himself. Over the course of 18 games MacDonald has managed a plus 5 on the season and has managed to earn the trust of Scott Gordon and given more ice time as his play showed he was worthy. MacDonald might be a drop in the bucket, or he might be a long term dman for the Islanders. But after years of late round picks being wasted he is a good sign of what can come of patience and the right player

Blake Comeau

Aged 23 and drafted 47th overall in 2004. Although he hasn’t been impressive enough to earn a full time slot this season (11 Points in 26 games). He is yet another sign of a change of culture. This is now his fourth season on the Island and there is no talk of doghouses. There is no GM running around bashing him in the press. There is just that feeling that as the Islanders improve, this might be one of the last chances for Comeau to prove he can play with the big boys. Whereas in the past his 15 points in 51 games in 2007/08 might have meant the trading block, he’s still on the Island knocking on the door and working for the chance.

In Conclusion

This article became something I didn’t think it would. Its not about a comparison of Luongo – Jokinen – Brewer to Tavares – Bailey – Okposo. Instead its a story of how the culture of a team can change. How a team can leave the dark ages and show you the light is at the end of the tunnel. How one man can shamelessly destroy a team. Of the 99 team, Luongo played 24 games as an Islander, Conolly 163, Biron 74, Jokinen 82 and Brewer 89. You can’t look at a 20 year old or younger playing under 100 games and say what the future will be.  By the same token, Comeau has 133 games, MacDonald has 110 AHL games, Bailey 109, Okposo 115 and Tavares 41. By now in the past Okposo and Bailey would probably be on the trading block, Comeau would be long gone and MacDonald would have never been called up (A questionable Vet would have been brought in).

So for the first time in years, I can look at the Islanders and feel like the future might be bright. That in a few years we might be talking about the cup. I don’t have to worry when Snow goes to the Podium at the draft because he’s not insane. Lets just hope the future on the Island is as bright for Tavares – Okposo – Bailey as it was once for Luongo – Brewer – Jokinen.

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By admin, November 19, 2009 7:44 am

This should be pretty easy, No. A majority of my posts have nothing to do with the Islanders. Instead most of them having something to do with the Islanders have to do with Milbury. Its tough to describe, as I consider Milbury one of the worst sports GMs to ever have control of a team. You’ve got to imagine if someone built up all your hopes and dreams of a team and then proceeded to do a dance on top of them and mock you about them. That’s how I feel about Milbury. And no, he doesn’t get any credit for getting the Islanders back to the playoffs. Any moron given an open wallet could screw up a team horribly and get them to the playoffs.

So where is this coming from? Interestingly enough faniq.com has decided to add me to the list of Islander blogs. I have no idea why or how, nor am I complaining because I’m all about free publicity. But all you have to do is Google “Islanders Blog” and you can find much more deserving blogs out there. Its rather silly to have me listed as such. I tend to go off on whats on my mind. Technically this blog is supposed to help bring attention to my Paper Street Brigade. But I also tend to like writing, and I highly dislike the commercial sites like Livejournal. They tend to have stupid nonsensical rules that are hard to argue with.

So I hope even though this isn’t an Islanders blog, everyone who happens to read this will enjoy the minute thirty-nine the average person spends on this blog.

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By admin, November 9, 2009 5:39 am

I still remember the excitement I had the day Mike Milbury got hired as GM. Don Maloney had just gotten done running the team into the ground. Brett Lindros, allowing Glenn Healy to leave, His proclamation that Turregon was done and a defensive Islanders squad anchored by Kirk Miller was the future. It seemed that the Islanders with Maloney had hit rock bottom. Miller refused to even play for them despite being only three years removed from a Canadians – Islanders conference final. The Miller embarrassment was the last straw as it cost Maloney his job.

Enter Mike Milbury. He was already head coach, but everyone knew he was hired to take over as GM. With some impressive youngsters already on the Island and in the farm system (Ziggy Palffy, Todd Bertuzzi, Tommy Salo) it was going to be all about the future. A five year plan meant that by 2001 the Islanders would be ready to compete for the Stanley Cup. Finally the rudderless ship that seemed to be the Islanders had some direction.

As my Ranger friends let me know, every year their newest expensive addition to the roster was going to bring them the cup. But I could always strike back with just wait till 2001. The Islanders are going to get to their first  Stanley Cup finals in 20 years in 2001. I can not underestimate the excitement I felt. I even somehow managed to convince my dad to take me to the 96 Islanders Draft Party. I remember cheering as we got JP Dumont, another piece of the future championship team.

I probably should have known nothing was going to go according to plan pretty early, when Milbury traded Dumont for the worthless bust Dimitri Nabokov. But I stayed calm, Milbury would eventually bring us to the promised land in 2001. The Islanders organization was continually rated as having the best prospects in hockey. A number of deals had finally given us our Goalie of the Future in Eric Fichaud.

The Goalie position had been a mess. Since the Islanders decided NOT to reward Healy with a contract after his 93 Run, the Islanders went through a laundry list of mediocre starting goalies. Ron Hextall, Jamie McClennan, Tommy Soderstrom all started and weren’t the answer.  The top goalie in the Islanders system at the time, Tommy Salo, hadn’t exactly been spectacular during his NHL stints. So the future was in Fichaud. I remember I even got a Fichaud replica goalie stick.

Other trades slowly but surely got rid of older Islanders and brought in a large number of first round picks and young prospects. The future was looking bright, and I knew that in time the Islanders would be back in the playoffs and pushing for the Cup.

Obviously that didn’t work out. But I’ve been playing around with the idea of trying to write a book based on the 96-01 Islanders under Milbury. Interviews with some of the Isles players who were “In The Doghouse” and coaches who had to deal with Milbury’s insanity (Rick Bowness) and this looked like it might make a good forward. I just wanted to show that I didn’t always hate Milbury, and once thought he was going to help lead the team to the Stanley Cup.

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By admin, August 28, 2009 12:04 pm

Just a quick look at the 2010 Playoffs and the possibility the Islanders might make it. First off what the Islanders need to do it.

1. Stay Healthy. Islanders have lead or been close to the lead in man games lost to injury nearly as long as I’ve been a fan.
2. Biron and Roloson have to have career years. They both have the motivation to get it done. Roloson surprised the Oilers by not resigning because he wanted a 2 year. Biron after a heroic run to the conference finals a year ago is let go because of salary demands and ends up signing for 50K more then his replacement.
3. The young forwards have to step it up as they have a year or two under their belts, and Tavares has to have a Stamkos type point season.

Then it comes to the competition. Team by Team based on confrence standings.

Boston: Automatic to be in unless Thomas fades
Washington: Near Automatic unless Ovechkin gets injuried or their goalies can’t get it done
New Jersey: Automatic even with questions about Broduer
Pittsburgh: Automatic, young team might be a dynasty.
Philly: The season is in the hands of Emery, whose best years were with a much more talented club and he’s a head case.
Carolina: Borderline. Despite getting to the confrence finals, the Southeast should be better this year.
Rangers: Added almost nothing in the offseason, but still have Redden! Team lives and dies by Lundquist and might be less talented then last year.
Montreal: Should miss the playoffs this year. Should have missed them last year as well. The only tiebreaker they had over Florida was an OT shootout victory over them.

Thats it for last years playoffs team. Four teams should most definitely be returning to the fold, leaving four spots for the next seven teams

Florida: Losing Bouwmaster should kill this teams playoffs hopes early.
Buffalo: Would have made the playoffs last year if not for Miller’s injury. Should make them this year.
Ottawa: With the Heatly mess and goaltending mess this team might come in the top 6 in the confrence or bottom out.
Toronto: Can’t expect much from a Rookie Goalie from Sweden, no matter how big he is and how good he looks.
Atlanta: This is a do or die season for Atlanta in more then one way. If they can’t get to the playoffs they probably have to trade Kolachuk and start rebuilding again in a town which doesn’t care about them. This might be their season to make some noise in the playoffs and get Atlanta excited.
Tampa Bay: If it wasn’t for Phoenix, people would realize how much of a mess this team was.

So at the very least two teams should be out of the Eastern Confrence Playoffs and two should be in. I’d say that the Rangers and Flyers are my choices not to return to the playoffs. Buffalo should make it with a healthy Miller. That leaves Atlanta, Tampa, Toronto, Ottawa and Florida. If Ottawa can get an equal value for Heaty or if Atlanta plays with determenation either team should have enough talent to get in.

But just in case you want a glimmer of hope as an Isles fan, as I do, Leclaire and Lehtionen, the starters for both teams have had a tendency to miss half seasons due to injuries lately. Roloson and Biron can be starting for just about any team in the league, so lets cross our fingers for some injuries to finally kick some other team in the ass.

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By admin, June 11, 2009 1:02 pm

This is something I’ve been meaning to do and wondering about for a bit. Basically who could have been on the 200X Era Islanders if not for a maniac being behind the wheel.

First off, Lets never do the Linden deal. Linden was just about to crash down the backside of the Talent hill and Bertuzzi was just about to head up it. This also means that the Isles keep McCabe.

Next off, instead of the Madman over-reacting to Salo’s injury and trading for Potvin, the Islanders keep Berrard.

Now in the 2000 draft the Isles pick Dany Heatley instead of (or picking DiPietro with the 5th pick) DiPietro. They also don’t trade Luongo and Jokinen in one of the worst NHL trades ever.

The Islanders don’t trade for Yashin, meaning that they draft Spezza and Keep Chara.

The Islanders do make the trades for Peca (Pyatt and Conolly {Conolly means the Isles make the Palffy trade to LA}), the trade for Hamrlik (Green and Brewer) and the trade for Aucoin (Biron).

So after all that, this is where I think we sit.

First Line
LW-C-RW
Bertuzzi – Peca – Heatley
Second Line
Isbister – Jokinen- Hunter
Third Line
Bergenheim -Spezza- Czerkawski

Defensive
First
Chara – Berrard
Second
Hamrlik – Acouin
Third
McCabe – Jonsson

Goalies
Luongo – DiPietro

One of the problems I had going through the Islanders roster was that there was almost no high point wingers on the Islanders since 2000 other then Kvasha and Parrish. Also some of these players didn’t play together at times when they were with the Islanders. So yelling at me that contractually it would be impossible is pointless. Some of it might be pointless, as I doubt the Isles would keep both Luongo and DiPietro after both were at the NHL level and trading one would probably help the Isles shore up the winger position, but hopefully a well established Luongo would get more then he did when he was traded. I just wonder what might have been for this Islanders team.