Future Power House?

[dustyrockon]

I think they have all the young players its going to take to be playoff contenders in a few years. What do you guys think? Check it out...


Kyle Okposo
Height: 6-1
Weight: 203
Position: RW
Shoots: Right
Born: Apr 16, 1988 - St. Paul, Minnesota
Draft: 2006 - 1st round (7th overall) by the New York Islanders
This season he played 65 games and put up 18 goals for 39 points. He is a key future player for the team. Okposo is a good power forward who can see himself playing on the 1st or 2nd line in the near future. He should be given plenty of PP minutes and should be able to come through.

Josh Bailey
Height: 6-1
Weight: 188
Position: C
Shoots: Left
Born: Oct 2, 1989 - Oshawa, Ontario
Draft: 2008 - 1st round (9th overall) by the New York Islanders
08-09 was his first NHL season playing 68 games with 18 assists and 25 points. He has great potential to be a very good play maker in the league. He can quarterback on the PP and can play both ends of the ice none the less.

Blake Comeau
Height: 6-1
Weight: 207
Position: LW
Shoots: Right
Born: Feb 18, 1986 - Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan
Draft: 2004 - 2nd round (47th overall) by the New York Islanders
He has been around for 3 seasons each season getting better and contributing a bit more to the offense of his team. Also achieving 18 assists and 25 points in only 53 games. This young LW has what it takes to be a good second line winger in the future.

Andrew MacDonald
Height: 6-1
Weight: 188
Position: D
Shoots: Left
Born: Sep 7, 1986 - Judique, Nova Scotia
Draft: 2006 - 6th round (160th overall) by the New York Islanders
MacDonald played only 3 games this season. He got 0 points but managed to be +2. He has been said to be a good offensive defense man. He is very eager to help on the offensive rush.

Frans Nielsen
Height: 5-11
Weight: 192
Position: C
Shoots: Left
Born: Apr 24, 1984 - Herning, Denmark
Draft: 2002 - 3rd round (87th overall) by the New York Islanders
He has been around the NHL for 3 seasons, although his most outstanding season was this one. He played 59 games racked up 24 assists for 33 points. He is agreat player maker and has alot of passion for the game.

Those are some of the more KEY young players the Islanders currently have. Also lead by several other young players such as Sean Bergenheim, Jeff Tambelini, Jack Hillen and the great Rick DiPietro. Unfortunately Rick was injured for the most part of the season. But has still come through for his team in the past and should continue to do so in the future.

Also The 1st round pick, 1st overall belongs to the Islanders. With a very deep draft the Islanders will most likely Draft John Tavares adding even more offensive depth as a center. Or perhaps they will go for Victor Hedman? The Islanders do need a little more back on D. What will GM Garth Snow decide? Its leaning more toward Tavares.

John Tavares
Pos.: C
Shoots: Left Handed
Height: 6-00
Weight: 198
Birthdate: 1990-09-20
Hometown: Oakville, ON
John Tavares is an outstanding player. He is able to score goals as well as assist them. This season with the Oshawa Generals and the London Knights he played a combined 56 games recording 58 goals, 46 assists for 104 points. Also with the Oshawa generals he has put up two 100+ point seasons and is an excellent choice for a first overall pick.

Victor Hedman
Height: 6-7
Weight: 220
Position: LD
Victor Hedman is ranked as the top Defense man in the 2009 draft. While playing with MODO in the SEL league he played 43 games putting up 7 goals and 14 assists for 21 points and 52 penalty minutes. Hedman has very fast and smooth skating for his size. He has great vision and play making skills which is a great asset for the PP. Yet he still gets plenty of time on the PK on the top pairing. He is said to play some what like Chris Pronger. He makes for a great 1st overall pick as well depending on what the team needs.

The New York Islanders have been in a rebuilding process. In hopes that this great young talent wont go to waste on their team they should be quite the power house in the future. Alot of the young players how ever have some of their ice time cut down by some of the older players. Moving Guerin at the deadline was a good idea. It allowed for some roster changes and line changing which allowed more ice time to the younger generation.

I hope you enjoyed reading my little analysis of the team. Throw in your opinions if you agree or disagree!

[V-HAB]

I think the Islanders are still a few pieces away from being a "powerhouse," but they are on the right track to be an eventual contender.

Barring a huge surprise, Tavares will join the lineup as soon as next season, and begin what should eventually be a very nice one-two punch down the middle with him and Bailey. As you mentioned, their offense is also shaping up nicely with the likes of Okposo, Comeau and Bergenheim, but even if all of these players develop decently they will still be lacking depth, but that can be addressed as the team progresses and the younger players gain experience.

The most important thing that will need to be addressed by the Islanders, though, is their defense. Obviously, you can't pass on a player like Tavares, but I don't think picking Hedman would be a bad option either. Regardless, the Islanders will likely focus their later picks on defense, as aside from Streit, they are lacking at that position, and Streit won't be around forever.

DiPietro remains a question mark to me, he's proven that he is capable of being a solid goaltender - when he's around. All these injuries are starting to become a factor, and a worrying one considering the length of his contract.

[Mr. Hockey]

All I'm going to say is don't get your hopes on the Islanders