Thoughts on a cloudy Monday…

Here we are, six days into free agent frenzy, not a speck of sunshine and I am sitting at work with no vacation in sight.

I always love to see how many GM’s seemingly go loopy during the first few days of July but having sat back over the past week to look at the overall landscape, I can say that I am truly impressed at the number that have not gone stark raving. Of course there will always be a few head scratchers, but there just seems to be a lot less of it going around this July.

Can it be that some teams are actually starting to learn from their past mistakes?!??! Hmmm...then again when I think of the Gaborik and Havlat signings, some teams still have lots to learn.

I have also kept an eye (as most of you have) on the cast of characters still out there as the Islanders in July are my favourite Soap Opera to watch. I can honestly say that thus far, I have been surprised; not with the lack of movement by the New York Islanders, but by the lack in depth of players available out there. If one takes a look at the amount of players still available to your friendly neighbourhood franchise, one will find quantity, but not necessarily quality.

I still feel that Snow should sign at least 1 D-man and a bruising forward, but I am no longer convinced that he will do so. It is looking more and more like he is biding his time, patiently putting the pieces together, knowing this season will be another struggle on the ice. I can’t help but wonder if his patience has to do with giving the kids more room to grow, or positioning the Islanders for the 2010-2011 season. It is widely expected that the Salary Cap will drop significantly for that season and the Isles with a very low payroll and plenty of wholes to fill would be in a perfect position to add the necessary pieces to the puzzle of success. With so many teams looking like they might be in a salary bind … I wonder?

Patience may be a virtue, but I will be curious to see just how patient Long Islanders will be with the 2009-2010 roster that will be long on youthful enthusiasm and short on grit. There is still time for our GM to sign the likes of Beauchemin, and Tanguay, or a diamond in the rough but the summer is short and I for one am not holding my breath, I just do not have that kind of lung capacity and blue is not my color.

Tomorrow, I will share my thoughts on what the Tavares Press Conference means to all in Isles Nation…stay tuned…

July Follies...

It is that time of year again. The skies in Canada will be full of fireworks and hockey fans will be dreaming of the next big scoring center, bruising D-man, and managers, well, they will simply lose their proverbial minds.

Yes, free-agency season is upon us all, and I am buckling up for what promises to be an interesting 2009 off-season, not necessarily a busy one. I am looking at this off-season a little differently than most prognosticators, in regards to my favourite team. Most have stated that the Isles will not make any significant signing come July 1, as has been re-iterated by Garth Snow. There is no debating the fact that the New York Islanders will have to over pay to attract anyone, those disagreeing with that are living in a bubble, and yes, that is ok too.

Having said all that, the Isles are significantly below the salary cap floor for the upcoming season and so I believe that the team has no choice but to be active starting tomorrow. They will be looking for a goalie, at least one D-man and a bruising winger that can drop the gloves (I smell Chris Neil).

I can only hope that Tambellini and Sim will disappear within the team’s farm system come October and maybe one of those managers that will undoubtedly loose their minds within 24 hours, will want to trade for one of them (no, I am not on meds), but that will never happen. There is no disputing the fact that the Islanders have roughly $10 million to make up in order to reach the floor of the cap and signing RFA’s Comeau, Thompson and Hillen, will not come anywhere near the amount needed.

It is ok for us all to dream of major signings… that is what hope is all about… but let’s get real.

Final thoughts...before the big day

I know… I know… I just finished moaning about people continuously re-hashing about this weekend’s upcoming draft, but having said that, if I gave you the choice between drafting Dale Hawerchuk, Bryan Trottier or a defenseman that defies all comparisons, who would YOU choose.

I do not believe that an Islanders fan alive would choose any-other player over Brian Trottier.

Well, on my way into work this morning I was listening to TSN’s Pierre Mcguire on the radio and the hosts of the Ottawa morning show asked him to compare Tavares, Hedman and Duchenes to players gone by and to my surprise, he did just that.

Good old Pierre started off by stating that Tavares is very NHL ready and if he were the New York Islander’s GM, he would draft Tavares in a second, quoting marketing, promotional, and all his qualities….hmmm…sounds familiar. What surprised me was that he compared Tavares’ skill set to that of Hall of Famer, Dale Hawerchuk.

He had difficulty comparing Hedman to any previous defenseman. According to the hockey expert, the young D-man’s skill set is unique (size, speed, mobility…) and could not find anyone to compare him to….interesting!?!?!

When it came time to compare Duchene’s skill set, Pierre Mcguire's take was that the closest player to Duchene was none other than Brian Trottier. As per the TV personality, the young man’s all around game, energy and vision is quite comparable with one major difference-Duchene is a better skater than Trottier ever was.

Now tell me again, who would you prefer?

Time keeps on ticking...but not fast enough

So here we are, four days prior to the upcoming 1st round draft day in Montreal. The blogosphere is drowning with predictions; people trying to scratch claw for their little bit of “look at me” moments. I just wish certain guys would heed the old adage; “sometimes less is more”.

Seeing so-called experts re-hashing the same old-same old; Tavares… no Hedman… no Duchenes, arguments are annoying at best and sickening at most. I can only hope that Friday gets here fast, if for no other reason than to put this nonsense to bed once and for all.

As far as I am concerned, I do not care who the Islanders choose, as their first pick (notice I did not say 1st overall…hehehe). I simply want them to make a pick out of the top 3, period. For those clamouring for Tavares (which I was one), he will not turn the NY Islanders around over night, he has the potential to be a cornerstone, but not a saviour. Hedman, has the potential to be a top 2 defenseman, with All-Star written all over his towering build. As for Duchenes, well how can any fan in their right mind argue with the fact that scouts are calling him a winner, a guy that will lead you to a Stanley Cup!!?? There is no wrong choice from where I sit.

As I have previously stated, Tavares should speed up the rebuilding process, but that only means the build might take 3 years rather than five. To all the fans screaming that they will cancel their season tickets if the team drafts anyone else other than Tavares, give me a break and get real.

For all the loyal followers on the Island, go to the draft party; enjoy it for what it is; a breath of hope, a sneak peek at what might be and dream of better days ahead. As for me, I will be sitting on my comfy chair and enjoying every moment of my team being in the spotlight on this much anticipated day.