2009-2010 New York Islanders Preview

It has to be really hard to be an Islanders fan right now. Your owner has said that he regrets ever buying the team, your team plays in a decrepit arena, your owner has threatened to move the team if the Lighthouse Project doesn’t go through, your local politicians are lukewarm to the idea and your future on Long Island is in serious doubt. Oh, and your team hasn’t been good in a very long time and is expected to be one of the worst in the league this season. The Stanley Cup dynasty of the early 1980s has never seemed further away…………

Looking Back at 2008-2009

The Islanders were awful last year. Their final record was 26-47-9 and they finished dead last in the National Hockey League by a wide margin. To make matters worse, the team dealt away most of their recognizable stars and franchise goalie Rick DiPietro suffered a major knee injury and might not play this season. The Isles suffered from a chronic lack of scoring: defenseman Mark Streit was the team’s leading scorer! There was very little that can be taken from last season that can be viewed as a positive.

The Offseason

The Islanders finally got a break this summer, winning the NHL draft lottery and the right to select uberprospect John Tavares, who is a franchise-caliber player. The Isles also brought in goalies Dewayne Roloson and Martin Biron to solidify the position but this team is expected to largely rely on youth and journeymen this year.

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2009-2010 Outlook

The Islanders are going to immediately be John Tavares’ team. Tavares broke Wayne Gretzky’s junior scoring records and petitioned the NHL to be eligible for the draft two years ago! He’s considered the best prospect available since Sidney Crosby and he should make an immediate impact on the top line and power play. Unfortunately, aside from Kyle Okposo and Doug Weight, there really isn’t much scoring available and the Islanders will struggle to score if their super rookie isn’t on the ice.

The Isles are even worse off on defense. Streit proved to be an excellent two way player last year but beyond him the Isles are very thin. In short, this group will be populated by a mixture of extremely young players and journeyman veterans.

In goal, Biron and Roloson actually give the Isles a pair of solid keepers who will give the Isles an outside chance of hanging in a lot of games. Both have proven to be very capable tenders in the past and both could approach the 40 game mark.

PREDICTION: I don’t honestly see any scenario that involves the Islanders competing for the playoffs, much less actually earning a spot. The only reason to really tune into an Islanders game this season will be to watch the highly-touted Tavares develop towards superstardom. This team probably will end up with the NHL’s lowest payroll and the looming specter of a relocations struggle is going to be a distraction all year. So, you certainly can’t expect a young team to compete for the playoffs and you know that the Isles aren’t going to bring in any expensive veteran talent to help out. The only logical conclusion is that the Islanders are going to finish 5th in the Atlantic Division and will likely challenge for the worst record in all of hockey.

By Matt Baxendall
DFN Sports & ProHockey-fans.com Staff Writer

Feel your team is underrated? Tell Matt Baxendell why at matt.baxendell@gmail.com

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