Stop us if you’ve heard this story before. The New York Islanders get off to a good start. Fans that were already hopeful that this would be the year that the rebuild starts producing fruit, allow themselves to start believing in the team. The wins mean the dark days may finally be coming to an end. Then, just as quickly as it started, the hope pulled away and the Isles are in last place faster than you can say Alexei Yashin.

The story this year is that the Islanders have lost nine out of 10 games. The story last season was that they lost ten straight. You see, the story this year is really the same story as last. The Islanders went though one of the worst losing streaks in recent memory last season. It was so bad that the promising young head coach, Scott Gordon, was offered up as the sacrificial lamb while the rest of the organization tried to figure out what had gone wrong.

Last year, they completely missed the point.

The losing streak was rough—but it was much more representative of the players that they were putting on the ice on a nightly basis. Take an objective look at last year’s roster and they just didn’t have the guns to compete with the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Looking at their blueline, they didn’t even have the talent to play with the average teams on a nightly basis unless they brought their “A game” to the rink. It is what it is.

It wasn’t Scott Gordon’s fault last season when they lost and it’s not Jack Capuano’s fault that they’re losing this season. Scotty Bowman couldn’t win with this roster this season.

In many ways, this year is an ugly reflection of last season. The Islanders still have some young, promising young pieces. Yet aside from forwards like Matt Moulson, Michael Grabner, and John Tavares, they don’t have players that are ready for the responsibilities demanded on this team.

Mark Streit is an underrated defenseman, but where’s his help? Are Steve Staios and Mark Eaton the kind of players that can log 20 minutes per night for a team that expects to win? Even a guy like Travis Hamonic has shown that he’ll be an NHL defenseman; but asking him to play 20 minutes a night at this point in his development is asking him to fail.

Let’s be honest: Islanders head coach Jack Capuano will find his head on the chopping block if his team doesn’t start winning games in a hurry. Wins. That’s all that will save him at this point. The young forwards could develop into good two-way players, the young defensemen could learn how to play with better awareness, and the entire roster could learn to play with more maturity. All are necessary for the Isles to succeed in the long-run; but if they don’t win, improvements for the long-term won’t save him.

Unfortunately, depth and inexperience aren’t the only problems for the organization—it looks like the team that lacks elite talent lacks heart as well. While Capuano desperately tries to press any button he can to light a fire under the players, he consistently gets subpar efforts from guys he likes to call “passengers.” In fact, he told Newsday exactly how he felt about a faction of his team:

“There are guys who need to find their game and show some will. Once again, we had a few guys take a night off. They may talk a good game to the media, but you’ve got to perform. We can’t have guys continue to feel comfortable they’ll be in our lineup every night.”

It wouldn’t be shocking if this collection of players quit on their coach in the middle of the year. You know how we know? Because they did it to Scott Gordon; and even though people knew the players quit, it was viewed as Scott Gordon’s failure. If it happens a second time, to a second coach in only 12 months—then maybe the real problem lies with the 20 guys in the locker room.

Honestly, Capuano may have been thrown into a situation that he wasn’t ready for quite yet. Last season he was coaching in Bridgeport and it was the right spot for him. Just like players, coaches learn their craft in the AHL as well. And just like players, if a coach is called up to early from the minors, it could be a disaster.

Goalie musical chairs isn't really helping matters...

Yet look at the roster. Does it have pieces to give fans on Long Island hope? Absolutely. Does the team have the DEPTH they’ll need to succeed over an 82-game season? Absolutely not. Do they have the goaltending they’ll need to provide a solid backbone when some of the young players make their obligatory mistakes? That all depends on which one of the three goaltenders they have in the net on a given night. Unfortunately, the only guy succeeding between the pipes is the last guy management wants to be thriving in net.

The team hasn’t lost 9 out of 10 because of poor coaching. The team is losing because the roster isn’t good enough to compete with Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and the New York Rangers over the course of a six month season. They just don’t have the weapons. And they certainly don’t have enough weapons to coast through games and expect to compete with other NHL teams.

Depending on who you talk to, the lack of depth (and high-end talent) falls at the feet of one of two men. Is it general manager Garth Snow’s fault because he has put together a very average team? Or is it owner Charles Wang’s fault because the Islanders are consistently one of the cheapest teams in the league?

It’s been the most important question surrounding the team for the last few years.

Just like we can’t completely blame Capuano for the poor performance, we can’t completely blame Snow for the poor roster. Sooner or later he needs the man who is writing the checks to start writing bigger checks. Until then, he’ll be forced to depend on players like Andrew MacDonald and PA Parenteau to get the job done in rolls that they have no business filling.

The Islanders will end up firing Capuano because that’s the easiest thing to do. Firing Snow would admit that their rebuild isn’t working—and the rebuilding project is really only halfway done. Wang stepping down and inserting a Terry Pegula type owner is the answers to every Islanders fans’ prayers, but there are only so many billionaires floating around that want to use an NHL team as a toy. So Capuano is the convenient scapegoat at the beginning of an underwhelming season. Just like Gordon was a season ago.

Again, stop me if any of this sounds familiar.

It’s a viscous cycle that has no end in sight. Either admit that the team is in the middle of a rebuild and take the loses in stride or spend money to put a competitive “win-now” team on the ice. Is there anyone who really expects the latter while Wang is at the helm?

The worst part is that the Islanders could be on the right track. They have good pieces in place. They’re making a conscious effort to patiently develop prospects like Nino Niederreiter, Ryan Strome, and Calvin de Haan. But when you’re being patient with prospects in juniors while other young players find their way at the NHL level, the team is going to lose. That’s reality. It sounds so obvious, but it’s something that either the fans or the organization has lost sight of over the course of the rebuild. If not, the people wouldn’t be calling for Capuano’s head. They’d understand that it’s part of the process.

"I should have listened to Scott..."

Rebuilding is hard work. If it were easy, then everyone would do it. The problem is that it’s hard and it’s time consuming. As the years pass, the pressure to win and rush young players becomes greater and greater as fans starve for any semblance of hope. But if the organization really wants to set the team up to succeed for the long-haul, they’re going to need to realize that they need some stability at the head coaching position.

Young players need a guy they can learn from in practice. They need a guy they’re comfortable with on a daily basis. But more importantly, they need some continuity. Learning how to play in the best league in the world is hard enough; trying to find your way while dealing with a new head coach every 12 months is just an added burden. And an unnecessary one.

You’d think they would have learned that a year ago when Scott Gordon was given his walking papers. Since they didn’t, what’s to make us think that they’ll learn anything from Jack Capuano’s demise?

The Islanders biggest problem is not that they can’t find the solution to all of their problems. No, their biggest problem is that they can’t even figure out what their problems are. They think their problem is coach or his style. It’s his inexperience or that he’s “lost the team.” But those aren’t even the real problems in Long Island.

The real problem is that they say they are rebuilding, but won’t accept the trials and tribulations that go along with the reconstruction of the team.

Every team understands that there are two ways to build a team: either a) bring in veterans, spend to the cap, and try to win now; or b) rebuild with prospects, teach them the right way to play, put them in a position to succeed, and hope they fulfill every bit of their potential. Part of that is learning from a coach that they understand and trust. From a coach that provides a solid foundation in the locker room. A voice that all players can follow.

When the organization is constantly shuffling in coach after coach, how can a player learn his craft from a coach who is as stable as an alcoholic in an earthquake? Yet with news that Jack Capuano is on the hot seat, we’re reminded that the Islanders organization just doesn’t get it.

Forget the solution—they don’t even understand the problem.

This year we’re doing something a little different for the Trade Deadline. Every blogger out there is going to tell you who’s going to be a buyer, who’s going to be a seller, who needs this, and who needs that. And for the record, we reserve the right to do the same thing later—although it might just be more entertaining to make fun of teams and completely overreact after the fact.

But we wanted to do something a little different around here. This year, we wanted to put these same questions in front of fans who cheer passionately for their teams. It’s one thing to hear answers from a blogger who follows the team and has an eye towards objectivity; but it’s something else completely when you ask the question to a diehard fan who cheers with their heart on their sleeve. We’re talking about people who watch their team every game, know what their team needs, and have strong opinions on what they need to do to get better. They’re you and me. Hockey fans.

What better place to look for passionate hockey fans all over North America than checking out Twitter? So that’s where we went—and here’s who we found! For the Atlantic Division, we have Michael representing the Flyers, Jason for the Penguins, Doug for the Devils, Angelica for the Islanders, and Justin for the Rangers.

Hope you enjoy the project as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it together. After checking out everyone’s views, we’d love to hear if you agree or disagree with everyone’s answers. We know you have an opinion as well!

**Editor’s note: Some of these contributions were submitted before early trades were executed.**

1. Is your team living up to the expectations they had going into the season? Do you think there’s more or less pressure to make moves at the deadline because of those expectations?

Michael (Flyers): I think the Flyers have had some high expectations placed on them this season after exceeding the expectations last season by going 6 games into the SCF. My own personal feeling is that they are meeting those expectations, rightly or wrongly put on them. You could argue that goaltending, always the Flyers Achilles heel for the last 2 decades, brought about some of the expectations when Leighton and Boucher teamed up to have a pretty great run in the playoffs. Expecting the same from them this season, added with a rookie in Bobrovsky, may have been unrealistic and added some undue pressure but they all have been solid ( Leighton of course lost his job in the process). There is still some talk about adding someone like Vokoun, but I don’t see that happening. I’m happy with the recent move to get Versteeg and glad they didn’t give up anyone on the roster or mess with chemistry. I think that should be it for moves. We are loaded at forward and I like our defense this season. I’m happy with things the way they are right now with back-to-back wins over Lightning and Panthers. Let’s just stay the course now!

Jason (Penguins): I’m not 100% sure what expectations the Penguins had going into the season, but I’m certain a concussed Sidney Crosby and surgery for Mark Letestu and Evgeni Malkin weren’t among them. I’d say most fans thought we’d compete for the Atlantic division and maybe the overall Eastern conference. While the recent rash of injuries has all but erased those thoughts, there are two bright spots: 1) We’re still fourth in the East and 2) Ray Shero has some cap space to work with because of players on injured reserve. I’d say moves are inevitable, but I don’t think there’s a ton of pressure; we’ll be fine in the long run when we’re healthy again and I think most fans understand that.

Doug (Devils): I can honestly say, this is not what I expected of the Devils this season. With the signing of Kovalchuk in the off season I expected the Devils to be a top 4 team in the east, not battling to just get into the playoffs. There is no pressure to make a move. The missing pieces may be on the team already, just unable to play due to injuries.

Angelica (Islanders): Honestly, no. And not through any fault of their own, though I have my doubts about the Roloson and Wisniewski trades – what with the injuries to so many guys at both of these positions. Still though, it’s incredible how bad our luck is. Mike Mottau, Milan Jurcina, Mark Streit, Mark Eaton, Kyle Okposo for much of the season, Doug Weight, Trent Hunter, and recently Rick DiPietro and Kevin Poulin… how many guys is that? I’ve lost count. But you get the idea- obviously little is beyond Jack Capuano’s or Garth Snow’s control. And if I could tell you before the season started that the Islanders would undergo another coaching change before the halfway point of the season, I would be a hero right now.

With all of that said, did I expect them to go into the Finals? No, of course not, but with the lineup at the beginning of training camp- not to mention all of the expectations for John Tavares, Okposo and Josh Bailey, among others- I expected them to at least make a determined push for the #8 spot. I think with everyone healthy, the Islanders could have been a surprise for the Eastern Conference. That, of course, can’t really happen now, but it’s wonderful to dream.

As far as the deadline goes, I think there’s relatively little pressure now that we’re in, what, 28th, 29th place? The EC has always been tight, but what with all of our losses and man-games lost, I don’t think we’ll be in any position to contend for a postseason spot once the trade deadline comes near. There have just been too many games where the Isles have let leads slip away, or fallen behind too early and waited until too late to catch up. The same goes for overtime losses and one-goal games. This is all part of the learning curve for a lot of the younger players in particular, but at some point the guys who have been here the longest have to buckle down and say, “Okay boys, we need to do this, this, and this in order to win.” With Doug Weight pretty much headed to retirement (as it looks), it’s up to guys like Okposo, Streit (once he’s back), and Tavares- not to mention Zenon Konopka, who’s seemed to take a leadership role- to make that happen.

Justin (Rangers): The New York Rangers are definitely meeting expectations considering that this particular team is built for the 6th or 7th seed at best. Knowing the Dolans, they won’t really do anything but add one or two bit role players. The Rangers are too close to the cap to really make any major moves as far as I am concerned.

2. Will your team be a buyer or a seller? What are fans hoping to see the team do at the deadline?

Michael (Flyers): Definitely not going to be a “seller” in the sense that moves need to be made, but the Flyers are loaded with forwards: Carcillo, Zherdev, Shelley, Nodl – someone may be sent packing. Some fans would like another defenseman or even a goaltender like Vokoun just to sure-up that back end. Right now I am of the belief neither is “needed,” certainly not Vokoun. Although I do like him, I have faith in Boucher and Bobrovsky. I don’t want to see a move made just to make a move, though if one of these forwards can be moved for a solid 5/6 defenseman, I’m OK with it though it’s not necessary.

Jason (Penguins): Buyer. We don’t have much to sell except some role players and draft picks. I’m guessing we’ll bring in a rental player or two to make a run in the playoffs. Then again, maybe we just make our best effort with the current young players on our roster. I honestly think I’d prefer the latter. The young guys playing for our team right now could gain some valuable playoff experience. I think fans want to see us make a playoff push, but at the same time understand that we have a solid core of players and don’t need to do anything too drastic at the deadline.

Doug (Devils): If the Devils make any moves, they will be sellers. They already tried to unload salary by waiving Brian Rolston earlier in the season. I personally can’t speak for all Devils fans, but the team has proven with a recent streak that they can win. Any change at the deadline is not guaranteed to give them that push into the playoffs.

Angelica (Islanders): I think my team will be a buyer. I don’t expect Snow to give away any bodies, considering we’ve been way too messed up by the injury bug for that to be feasible without getting someone back; however, he has fooled me before, so who knows. I would like for us to grab someone who could contribute to the team on something other than a microscopic level, whether it be a young guy with promise or a savvy vet who’s still got some miles left in him. To be really honest, I have heard some rumors, but being in Buffalo and not really being able to do anything other than glance at trade rumor sites or Twitter every now and then, I wouldn’t be too sure who’s out there and who isn’t. Then again, if I were to tell you we need a big name, maybe I’d be a little too shallow in my decision; after all, how many people had really heard about Michael Grabner before we picked him up on waivers? I also know Garth Snow is set on this “youth movement” and rebuild phase, but in order to help the building go faster, we DO need guys who have been there before, so it wouldn’t hurt to look at who’s available in that regard.

Justin (Rangers): Considering that they are getting great contributions from players like Matt Zuccerello, I really don’t expect the Rangers to do much of anything to improve. If I were Glen Sather I would at least *try* to add a scorer or a quality defenseman without wrecking the farm system. Doing that is easier said than done given….yeah the cap situation. (Thank you Boogard for making it worse)

3. What specifically does your team need if they want to take the next step? Which players/prospects are on the trading block and could be on the move by Deadline Day?

Michael (Flyers): In my opinion, the only thing the Flyers need in order to get to a game 7 and win the Stanley Cup (last season’s scenario), is to play solid defense which they have done. By the time they got to game 4 against Blackhawks, Pronger was out of gas due to the fact that they only had 3/4 guys who could do the job. Sean O’Donnell has been a great addition and if the goaltending holds up, he could be the difference maker. The addition of Versteeg could be icing on the cake. I think because of the amount of forwards the Flyers have though guys like Carcillo, Shelley, Zherdev, and Nodl should probably have a bag and toothbrush ready to go next week. We are hearing that Nodl may be injured, so that may nix a move with him. As far as moving any prospects, I don’t believe there is much of a demand for any Phantoms (AHL). They have been a last place team past 2 seasons with internal team problems. In summation, I like where the Flyers are at today. No moves “need” to be made, but if it happens hopefully it won’t be a move just to make a move.

Jason (Penguins): We’re obviously missing goal production, but our faceoff wins are down as well. Letestu and Crosby were our two best faceoff guys and their absence really left a void. Again, with both of those guys hopefully returning this year I think we’re fine in the long run. But if either player’s return is questionable then we definitely need someone strong on faceoffs to make a serious run in the playoffs.

There are also some questions on defense, which has often looked less than stellar (or maybe I’m just still excited from watching the Rob Scuderi tribute at Consol Energy Center the other night). Alex Goligoski has found himself in Dan Bylsma’s doghouse on a few occasions and, although he’s signed through next year, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s moved. Our young defenseman Simon Despres should be in his last year of major junior and headed to the big club soon too, making one of our current defensemen expendable. And I think everyone knows that Tyler Kennedy is on the way out. But other than those guys, as well as what exactly Shero expects in return, it seems to be up in the air. Whatever happens, I just hope Alexei Kovalev doesn’t end up here again. Go Pens!

Doug (Devils): The Devils have one major hole: Finding a goaltender who will replace Brodeur when he retires. That is very unlikely to happen at the trade deadline. The only name that has come up on possibly being dealt is Jason Arnott. Arnott waived his no trade clause to come to the Devils prior to this season and is only likely to waive it again to a team that he believes can win the Stanley Cup.

Angelica (Islanders): The Isles just need to look at all areas. Offensively, the team has recently exploded, and we have three 20-goal scorers on the team again- Grabner, Tavares, and Moulson, which is wonderful. However, we also have players who have just stalled in terms of offensive production- Josh Bailey, Blake Comeau, and Frans Nielsen, as well as Rob Schremp. Maybe the problem is that a couple of these guys are more playmakers than anything, so we could always look for a finisher. Defensively, we are a mess, as well as in goal, so we could definitely pick up some guys there. And goalie – well, that’s just self-explanatory, isn’t it? As for moves, Matt (@mattclausen) believes Comeau may be on the way out, and he also said a while back that either Tavares or Parenteau could go (though how true that is, I have very little faith in). Bailey would also be plausible- he makes great plays and can score in bunches, but I don’t know where his head is right now and that is a problem for the Isles. Perhaps that could fix itself somewhere else, though I’d hate to see him go. Overall, though, I don’t know if Snow would be willing to make very many moves with his young players unless he wants to stockpile more draft picks for this summer (which he always wants to do, apparently). Let’s just hope that if he does, he’ll make them good ones.

Justin (Rangers): More than anything, a bona-fide goal scorer is needed to raise the team from mediocre 7th seed to possibly contending for the 4th seed. Injuries and another losing streak are going to guarantee that they miss the playoffs…again.

Also, to be really honest, I’m not really up to date what is going on in Hartford (err… Connecticut). Hopefully someone is dumb enough (Brian Burke) to take any of our underachieving, higher salaried players. If that happens, no matter what they win by taking salary….until the NEXT overpaid signing is made this summer!

They have great forwards. They have depth at forward. They have one of the best defensemen in the league and one of the defensive corps as a whole in the league. They’ve been at (or near) the top of the NHL standings all year and they gained valuable experience by going to the Stanley Cup Finals last season. So what is there to worry about in Philadelphia? Well, just like it’s been for 20 years, look no further than goaltending to find the source of angst and nervous energy for Flyers fans.

With this in mind, we thought it would be best to ask those around the Flyers if the goaltending was going to be enough this year. Even more than that, we were wondering if stellar goaltending even matters anymore. With the team the Flyers have assembled, do the Flyers even need a top-notch goaltender to navigate the pressure-packed Stanley Cup Playoff grind? Last year, the Blackhawks were able to succeed with a ton of depth up front, a spectacular defensive corps, and a goaltender that was trusted to bail them out when called upon. You could make the argument the Red Wings have been winning with that recipe for a decade.

There’s no way I can look at the Flyers roster and say they aren’t a Cup contender. Not only do they have high-end superstars, they have a lot of good players to spread the responsibility around. Mix in the experience they had last year, and they may be able to succeed even with average goaltending. If someone could give them spectacular play between the pipes, I’d start investing in the confetti business in the greater Philadelphia area.

Check out what each of our contributors had to say—and let us know in the comments what you think about the Flyers team this season.

Question: There’s no questioning the fact that the Flyers are Stanley Cup contenders this season and expectations are as high as they can be. But with an aging Brian Boucher and rookie Sergei Bobrovsky in net, is the goaltending good enough to carry a team through the Stanley Cup playoffs and to a championship? Does it even matter with the 18 guys they have in front of them?

The Philadelphia Perspective

Travis Hughes (Broad Street Hockey): I’m obviously biased as you can get, but yes, I think the goaltending is good enough to get the Flyers through to a Cup. People love to talk about how Sergei Bobrovsky is a rookie and how Brian Boucher is everything but consistent, but when it comes down to it, has either goalie really played like that this season? If you’ve watched every game this season, you’ll know that sure, Bob’s gone through a few tough stretches. Even in those tough stretches, though, he’s been more than capable.

As for Boucher, yes, over the course of his career he’s played inconsistently — from the AHLer to the rookie who carried the Flyers to the Conference Finals in 2000 to the guy who has the record for consecutive shutouts. But he’s been anything but inconsistent this season. He’s not ever going to be a great goaltender, but there’s no evidence that suggests Boucher’s been anything less than very good this year.

The goalies are each playing well enough that they could each take the team through the playoffs, especially with the defense they have in front of them. Boosh said on Thursday that it’s by far the best defense he’s ever played behind. Not hard to understand why.

The biggest question now surrounding the goaltending is who will be the No. 1 in the playoffs, but really, I don’t think it matters. I think it’ll be Bob, and Laviolette will ease him in to a defined No. 1 role down the stretch of the season. But that’s what I was getting at before: if Bob struggles in the playoffs, Boucher steps in and it’s not a big deal. Not that Bob’s done anything to indicate that he’ll struggle mightily in the postseason.

The goaltending issues in Philadelphia are way, way overblown. Hell, they got within a bouncing puck of Game 7 in the Finals last year with Boucher and Michael Leighton, and I can tell you right now that Bobrovsky is better than Michael Leighton.

Dustin Leed (The Hockey Guys): It seems like the more things change in Philadelphia, the more they stay the same; the million-dollar question; always about goaltending in these parts. Can Brian Boucher and Sergei Bobrovsky carry this talented Flyers team to a Cup championship? Yes. I believe there is a chance they can do it. Boucher proved last season what he is capable of doing and thus far, Bobrovsky has shown that he can be counted on to carry the load. But, to be honest – I don’t think the Flyers want to think they can do it; they want to know they can do it – and I’m not sure there is that kind of confidence in Boucher or Bobrovsky. I think ownership realizes this window the Flyers have to win is as close as ever before and goaltending is going to be the weakest part of this team entering the Playoffs. If there is any kind of deal that makes sense for the Flyers around the trade deadline to upgrade in net without making big-time changes to their roster – I think they snoop around. The goaltending position is the only question mark this team has.

Dave Strehle (NHL Hot Stove): The Flyers’ crease position has been their Achilles Heel for the better part of two decades, but seem to have found the right mix with the Bobrovsky-Boucher tandem. While rumors are swirling in Philly that Holmgren is looking to make a deal for a playoff-proven veteran (J.S. Giguere is most-mentioned), look for him to stand pat and for Bobrovsky to get the bulk of the workload down the stretch and postseason. With the offseason upgrade to the team’s defense, the current goaltenders should be fine in the Flyers’ quest to return Lord Stanley to the City Brotherly Love.

The Outsiders’ Perspective

Mike Colligan (The Hockey Writers): Don’t let anyone fool you, defense still wins championships. All that stood between Philadelphia and a Stanley Cup last year was a capable third pair of defensemen. The team shipped Simon Gagne out of town and used the money to bring in Andrej Meszaros, Sean O’Donnell, and Matt Walker to fill the #5 and #6 roles on defense and in the process made themselves the deepest team in the NHL. If Chicago proved anything last year it’s that you can still win despite a very inconsistent goaltender, but I’m still convinced Holmgren has one trick left up his sleeve and Tomas Vokoun will make this team virtually unbeatable.

Declan (Puck Central): I sure hope not! But, in all honesty, I think that the times have changed and teams can go deep and win the Cup with unproven goaltenders if they have an all around solid team and a goaltender that is on a hot streak. Last year the Blackhawks won Lord Stanley with Antti Niemi, a guy that only had played a total of 42 games heading into last year’s playoffs. At the opposite end of the ice during that series was Michael Leighton who had 103 NHL games going into the playoffs. I still wouldn’t rule the Flyers out on making a move for a goalie at the trade deadline, but I think that even if they don’t it won’t determine whether they win the Cup or not.

Derek (The Pens Blog):  Simple answer to the question is no. The more complicated answer is we’ll see.

The Flyers are going to have to basically prove to everyone that they can win a cup with goaltending that is almost an insulting to their stacked defense.

Don’t get me wrong. The Flyers, as it stands right now, are in my opinion the best team in the east.

But how do we know Bobrovsky is ready for the beast that is the NHL playoffs?

The playoffs are just such a different story. Just ask Jim Carey, the former capitals goalie, the next time you order your fries at your local McDonalds. He’ll tell you.

Honestly if the Flyers made it with suspect goalie last year, they could very well do it again. Chris Pronger is a machine in the playoffs. The rest of the defense is stocked with veterans of many a playoff battle.

But until we see Bobrovsky have to play under that enormous playoff pressure, we just don’t know.

You know that leadership thing? Some people have it; some people don’t. There are people in this world who are naturally the leaders of the pack and there are people who are naturally wallflowers. Neither is necessarily wrong, it’s just how we’re built. It’s a comfort level thing—and its how others perceive us as well. In the business world, an employee can accomplish tasks before they’re even asked. But just because they’re a hard, productive worker doesn’t mean their worth translates to a leadership position. Just like the real world, just because a hockey player can put the puck in the net or deliver body checks doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the kind of player who can lead his teammates.

“He went on from there to wow the crowd that included Mark Messier and other former Rangers captains with his personality and wit, making it official: There’s nothing you can throw at this kid that he can’t handle.” –Kevin Clark (Wall Street Journal)

You know that leadership thing? Derek Stepan has it. The New York Rangers rookie has that persona that is ideal when looking for a guy would has leadership potential. He has an easy going nature off the ice, but he’s extremely competitive on the ice. He’s well spoken and thrives in the most pressure-packed situations. Oh, and he’s going to be a pretty good hockey player as well. Then again, any time you’re compared to someone like Brad Richards, that goes without saying.

In fact, he’s already proven that he knows what he’s doing when he’s wearing the “C” on his chest. As much as Capitals fans want to believe that John Carlson was Captain America, it was Stepan who was the captain for Team USA’s World Junior Championship team. That would be the gold-medal winning World Junior Championship team. Not only did he lead in the locker room, he lead by example in being named to the All-Tournament team. He led the entire tournament in scoring with 4 goals and 14 points in only 7 games. The 2 points-per-game average showed that he’s just as good on the ice as he is in the locker room.

After playing his first two seasons at the University of Wisconsin, Stepan made the jump to the NHL level by earning a spot during training camp. The borderline player who was fighting for his place on the team had an incredibly impressive training camp to make the opening night roster.

“We never thought he’d make the team right off the get-go, but he has. I think he’s the kind of kid who’s smart, constantly developing and figuring his game out. He should be a good player.” –Glen Sather (ESPN.com)

He rewarded his coaches and the organization when he had a hat-trick in his first NHL game. For the record, he’s only the 4th player in history to record a hat trick in his very first NHL game.

Besides potting goals, he does all the little things that makes a player who will lead by example. He knows that as a center he needs to be in position defensively and do the dirty work in the corners. It’s one of the things that separated him from his peers as he rose through the ranks at Shattuck-St. Mary’s and the University of Wisconsin. His all around game (with his elite scoring ability) is why the Rangers have been so high on him.

“Stepan has the ability to make plays and score goals. He understands how to do all the little things defensively that are such an important part of winning hockey games.” –Ray Clearwater, Rangers’ amateur scout (via Hockey’s Future)

But lately the Rangers want more from him in this area as he continues to learn at the highest level. As usual, he’s saying all of the right things after receiving criticism from his coaches:

“You have to work hard to get an ugly goal,” Stepan said earlier this week. “You’ve got to work hard to get any goal, but you’ve got to work extremely hard to get those grind goals, and that might be take a hit to make a play, give a hit to make a play – stuff that sums up a hard-working guy, a hard-working team, a hard-working unit.” –Derek Stepan (NY Daily News)

As a young guy trying to break into the league on a John Tortorella coached team, he’s going to have to remain impressive if he doesn’t want to end up with Wade Redden in Hartford. But some of the special things about Derek Stepan have nothing to do with the goals or assists in his rookie year. Instead, watch how he learns to handle the jump from college to the NHL. Watch and see how he learns to deal with the jump from Madison, WI to NYC. Watch how he handles the learning process as he discovers what it takes to become a professional.

When fans see how well he answers those question marks, they’ll see a guy who could end up wearing the “C” on Broadway. Luckily, that’s something that you don’t learn.

We always hear that patience is a virtue. Given, we usually hear it when we don’t have what we want. And the person telling us usually already has everything they want. But still, that whole “patience is a virtue” thing has been around as long as the “do unto others” thing, so there might be a little truth to it.

"I didn't sign up for this. Wait, maybe I did..."

But what do you do when you’ve been trying to be patient and the world keeps crapping on you? Do you keep being patient and blindly following the same path hoping the karmic Gods do you right? Or at some point do you take a look around, acknowledge that it’s hit the fan, and change course?

We haven’t started the regular season yet, and this is the dilemma facing the New York Islanders. What in the world do you do if you’re Islanders GM Garth Snow? We aren’t even to October, and he’s already endured two significant injuries that have the potential to ruin the season. First, there was news that star defenseman Mark Streit was injured in an intrasquad scrimmage by teammate Matt Moulson. He tore his left shoulder and looks to be lost for the majority of the year. That’s bad luck, but hey, it’s hockey and things happen. Every team deals with injuries.

If it were Streit alone, the Islanders would have their fair share of problems. Dominik over at Lighthouse Hockey could already see the writing on the wall:

“The biggest problem with a top-tier injury like Streit is suddenly everyone has to move up, everyone has to take on assignments above their paygrade. Sometimes that produces revelations (such as Andrew MacDonald after Radek Martinek’s injury last year), but more often it produces overexposure (Bruno Gervais playing too many minutes).

So now James Wisniewski becomes even more important, although his career thus far has shown he’s no #1. Martinek’s health becomes more important. MacDonald’s role and Jack Hillen’s role each increases. We probably end up seeing a forward on the powerplay point more than we’d like — and we might see Wiz on said powerplay shoot more than we’d like. Mark Eaton and Milan Jurcina, brought in to fill the depths behind a likely top pair of Streit-Wiz, now shoulder more.” –Dominik (Lighthouse Hockey)

As bad as losing Streit will be, it’s the next injury that is cause for serious concern in Islanderville. As if losing Streit until March wasn’t enough, one of the Isles young cornerstones, Kyle Okposo, decided to follow suit and injure his shoulder, as well. Any hopes that the injury was minor were thrown out the window when it was announced that he needs surgery and will be out indefinitely.

To recap: It’s September. Best defenseman is out for most of the year. Best all-around young forward out indefinitely. Hungry fanbase. I don’t envy Garth Snow at all.

For the record, Snow’s plan for the future has not failed. We can’t really say it’s failed or even succeeded for that matter. What we CAN say is that the Islanders have asked their fans to be patient for the last half decade and have little to show for it. We’re two weeks away from opening night, and without making a move, the organization would already be asking them to stick it out for another painful 12 months of hopelessness. Their already thin blue line loses its best player and a major piece to their young core is already out with a shoulder injury. This isn’t an Islanders thing—this would apply to any club in the league. Very few teams could survive that kind of September, rebuilding or not.

So here are the choices Garth Snow faces: a) Stay the course and endure a nightmare start to the season,  b) make a trade to try to plug some holes while waiting for Streit and Okposo to return, or c) make a big trade involving some of their prospects to replace Streit and Okposo.

Silver Lining: "Out Indefinitely" is better than "Out for the Season."

Personally, I’m a strong believer in staying the course when in the middle of a rebuild. There’s no question that rebuilding sucks. It takes a long time and NO one likes losing that much. But you know what sucks more than rebuilding? Rebuilding for a few years and only having an average team at the end of it. There better be some kind of payoff at the end of the hardship.

Of course, it’s easy for me to say that because I haven’t invested thousands of dollars in season tickets and don’t really have a rooting interest either way. For me, it’s a little easier to be objective. But what about the guy who rocks the Denis Povtin throwback jersey when he goes out for a slice of pizza? What about that guy? Is he really going to accept another year of losing BEFORE THE SEASON STARTS? Is he still going to be willing to throw down hard-earned money on a team that is going to struggle to even finish fourth in the Atlantic Division?

It’s been hard enough to get people into Nassau Coliseum—and this certainly wouldn’t help.

Snow has already started to move on and signed Mike Mottau to a two-year deal to help out on the blue line. It’s a nice move that would have looked a little better if it was made two months ago when Streit was still eating up 25 minutes per game. He’s a nice depth defenseman—but there’s no way the Isles can expect him to replace their #1 d-man. He’s a stopgap.

The fact that he’s already gone out and acquired a body to serve as a placeholder might give us a glimpse into Snow’s thought process. Option B really is the safest option—it gives the appearance of addressing the problem while not sacrificing the future. But while it’s a safe move, it’s also safe to say that the team isn’t going to be anywhere near where fans WANT them to be. Keep that in mind when they’re at the bottom of the division and complaining about injuries. They know about the injuries early enough to do something about it—but it’s dangerous to do something.

Should they go out and grab a package of players to help win today while sacrificing the future? Probably not. They’re not in the situation where their Stanley Cup window is open—so it’s pointless to make rash decisions for the short-term. But, when they start claiming that injuries cost them this season, stop and remember that the Islanders were not helpless without options. They have the choice right now to make the team better or to ride out their hardships. If they decide to pick up unwanted retreads on the free agent market, you’ll know they made their decision.

It might not be an easy decision, but make no mistake about it: by not actively seeking replacements, they are controlling their fate this season.

________________

Let’s open it up to the readers. If you were Garth Snow, what would you do?

a) Ride out the season with young players and continue the rebuild?
b) Bring in a few stopgap players and try to survive?
c) Make a big trade and try to win for the fans THIS year?

Can’t wait to hear what you have!