Islanders Point Blank: Isles Future Taking Shape?
- Thread starter The Underboss
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MatthewBarnabysTears
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- Mar 18, 2013
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MattMartin
Killer Instinct™
Where you a fan in the mid 90's? If so, you should know we now have actual prospects that are finally giving us a ray of sunshine. Dueling and Holland will not be our "marquee" prospects coming up.
Le Grec
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- Jun 28, 2011
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SLAPSHOT723
QU! Bobcats!
Le Grec
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- Jun 28, 2011
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MatthewBarnabysTears
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- Mar 18, 2013
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Yes. And **** rays of sunshine. Every year for the past seven years our season has hinged on hoping players fulfill their potential. Excuse me if I'm skeptical that these prospects are different.
Our future will take shape when we import, at a bare minimum, a legitimate starting goalie and multiple top-4 caliber D-Men. Until then, spare me the optimism. I'm with you in hoping for the best but I've been punched in the mouth by this team too many times.
TommytheCat
Registered User
This ^^^^ I think many of us are not hopeful about anything with this team... Hopefully we are proved wrong next year ....
MattMartin
Killer Instinct™
I agree that the "wait and see approach" is no longer desirable around these parts (and rightfully so). I will also say this group of prospects is the best we have had in a long long time. Strome GR, Pulock, Nelson, and Lee (just to name a few) are leaps and bounds ahead of Comeau, Mapletoft, Campoli, and Gervais. Will they pan out? who knows, but, I like our chances much better with these kids and some REAL veterans. The years of Hough, Sacco, Guerin, Sillinger, and Weight as our key veterans are hopefully soon too be long gone. I want Veterans in their high 20's or early 30's, not guys literally on their last legs.
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blinkman360
Loyal Players Only
Another difference is that most of these young guys are already showing what they can do. There is a lot to be encouraged about. Up front, we are about as deep and talented as we have been in quite some time. With Tavares, KO, Frans, Strome, Nelson, Lee, Grabner and Bailey, we shouldn't have much trouble finding secondary scoring next year.
On defense, we have the makings of a real top-pairing with CdH and Hamonic. We also still have Vis for another year, and Big Griff who should be a regular. I know some people always expect the worst with rookies, but the way similar caliber prospects in Murray, Lindholm, Trouba and Maatta played this year as rookies, it should at least keep people open minded about Reinhart potentially being an asset. Although he doesn't get much praise, Hickey has solidified himself as part of our 3rd pairing going forward.
The two biggest needs in order are goaltending and a 2nd pairing veteran RHD. I'm pretty confident that goaltending will be addressed, if for no other reason than we need to reach the cap floor, and it's clearly our biggest weakness. If we can somehow add the defenseman as well, I'll feel pretty good about our playoff chances(assuming we bring in a new HC, of course).
blitzkriegs
Registered User
macleod50
Registered User
Oh god, the other names that those two conjured up...
Kaminsky
Fichaud
Luhning
Chebaturkin
Berenzweig
Zehr
MatthewBarnabysTears
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- Mar 18, 2013
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This is a bit disingenuous — we also had, at various points during that run, JP Dumont, Mathieu Schneider, Kenny Jonsson, Wade Redden, Zdeno Chara, Todd Bertuzzi, Roberto Luongo come up through the system. The fact that only one of those guys fully flourished with the Isles wasn't for lack of drafting or being able to identify young talent — it was because Milbury got sick of guys at a rapid, insane pace.
SLAPSHOT723
QU! Bobcats!
So would I. We need at least two guys like him in terms of leadership and experience.
ahh.. spring.. snow melting, sun getting higher and stronger, Isles displaced from the playoff race for months now.. so nice....
and yes.. the thoughts turn to "well.. we have some young prospects to really look forward to watching next year"
<inserts gun into mouth>
JUST WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR!!!
and yes.. the thoughts turn to "well.. we have some young prospects to really look forward to watching next year"
<inserts gun into mouth>
JUST WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR!!!
Oh, I agree completely. I was just posting the names that popped into my head of random prospects we had at the time that I'd hear about repeatedly, but went nowhere. I think every team in every time period has a list of those.
Sparksrus3
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- Jun 2, 2012
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Mark Lawrence. Late bloomer, big kid , what a pick up, 60 games 30 points, more to come ,
Can't wait, here he comes, this is great , then,-------- poop--------.
Can't wait, here he comes, this is great , then,-------- poop--------.
ScaredStreit
Registered User
MattMartin
Killer Instinct™
The one common in that group is MMM. At least we are seeing Strome, Nelson, CDH, and Lee and mostly signing their praises. I remember we had no idea what Chara was at the time. Dumont and Redden never played a game with the Islanders. Luongo was the head scratcher. Bertuzzi just wasn't cutting it here. Schneider reminds me of Streit because he was brought in on the cheap and was another PPQB who got a big deal going elsewhere. KJ was the best MMM move. I still think we are much better off with Hamonic, JT, Okposo, Nielsen (just too name a few) then we ever were at that time, + add in the kids we haven't seen yet.
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