We’re kicking off this year’s NHL Draft Project with Dee Karl giving us her take on the New York Islanders. Dee’s better known as @7thWoman on Twitter as well as the writer for her website NY Islanders 7th Woman. I could have answered all of these questions myself—but I wanted the perspective of people that live and die with the team for 82 games per year. Heading into the 2009 Draft, here’s where the New York Islanders stand:
1. What was the biggest strength of the Islanders last season?
As the team that came in 30th, I’d have to say simply the ability to still get out on the ice night after night. I’ll attribute that to Scott Gordon’s patience and ability to coach even when he wasn’t quite sure who the hell was on the bench. When you have over 500 man games lost and a rotating line up, there is no chemistry.
Right now, Okposo is the future...
2. What was the biggest weakness of last season?
Scoring, followed by defense, followed by inconsistent goaltending.
3. What is the biggest strength of the pipeline/young players?
Kyle Okposo is coming into his own, just as Snow thought he would.
4. What are the biggest holes in the pipeline/young players?
Simply experience. We have some very good players in Bridgeport, many of whom made their NHL debut last season. Garth & company have worked hard to stockpile youth. They just need the experience. (And a goalie we can keep wouldn’t hurt.)
5. Who do you think your GM (Garth Snow) will pick?
Conventional thinking says John Tavares. He’s got the goods. But everyone knows, the Islanders often think “outside the rink.” All I know is that I do not envy Garth Snow. This is an important difficult decision that will follow him and the organization for years. It can’t and won’t be made lightly. And no matter who he chooses, there will be those that complain. You can never make ALL the fans happy. That’s just part of the game.
6. Who do you think the Islanders SHOULD pick?
I am one of those fans that goes against the grain. While the majority of Islanders Country is clamoring for John Tavares, I’m wondering if Mr. Snow can pull a rabbit out of a hat and walk away with both Victor Hedman AND Matt Duchene. It’s hard to pass up a 6’6″ 220lb defenseman that can skate. But since we need scoring too, well…. maybe we can GROW a sniper. But no matter what, all the boys that walk away from the draft chosen by the NY Islanders, we will welcome with open arms and open minds… and crossed fingers. Because the draft is nothing but a crap shoot.
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It’s going to be hard for the Islanders to go with anyone other than John Tavares. He and Viktor Hedman are universally regarded as the cream of this year’s crop—one defenseman and one forward. But more important than “Best Player Available” or “Drafting for Need,” is the fact that the Islanders need someone to be the face of the franchise. When I say that, I mean no disrespect to either Kyle Okposo or Rick DiPietro. I’m just saying they need that marquee guy that can help them sell seats—especially if they want the Lighthouse Project on Long Island to be a success.
As @7thWoman said, conventional wisdom says that Garth Snow will take John Tavares. But then again, with Charles Wang at the helm, anything is possible!
We’ll be doing the same thing every day between now and the NHL Draft on June 26th. Here’s the complete schedule of Draft Previews– tomorrow we’ll be taking a look at the Tampa Bay Lightning and their #2 overall pick. We’ll see you then!
If you want to follow the most recent happenings of the Islanders, you can follow Dee on Twitter or check out the Islanders blog.
Website: www.7thwoman.blogspot.com
Twitter: @7thWoman
Matt Reitz
Matt Reitz is an NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports and the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com. When he's not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he's usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It's a never-ending job.
