The signing of Casey Cizikas last week delayed the final part of our look at the Islanders positional report. Since many people have been very opinionated on the Cizikas signing I’ll weigh in briefly. Yes the money is a bit much. I think we all agree that he is probably getting 800 thousand a year too much but if you break down what Cizikas means to the roster I am okay with this deal.

Many members of the media have crushed this deal based off Cizikas’ stats over the past couple of seasons however everyone I have talked to who are involved in the game say this deal is more than fair for the caliber of player Casey is. The bloated contracts on this team belong to Josh Bailey, Nikolay Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski because their play have led to a lousy return on investment. I think with Cizikas you know what the return will be and therefore this contract will not hurt them.

Okay, today we conclude our look at the Islanders forwards by focusing on the first line of this team. We all know that John Tavares will be the center of this line but other than the captain there is nobody else set in stone to play next to him.

This is what General Manager Garth Snow must address during the offseason. Many believe Snow’s greatest shortcoming is the coaching staff he has installed but I believe his biggest failure to date is to acquire or develop talent that can play alongside Tavares. This has to change this offseason.
The Isles tried everyone alongside Tavares last season with mixed results. Kyle Okposo had his moments. So did Brock Nelson and Anders Lee. Frans Nielsen looked dynamic alongside number 91 but that thinned out the roster up the middle. Nobody stepped up alongside Tavares on a nightly basis.

The question is how do the Islanders address this? If the Islanders bring back Nielsen could he play alongside Tavares? If Garth Snow decides to do this then he will have to acquire a second line center to provide some depth. After the seasons of Ryan Strome and Brock Nelson they cannot be trusted in anything other than support roles.

If the Islanders let Nielsen walk or want him on the second line then the Isles need two wingers for the top line. Islander prospect Michael Dal Colle will need time in Bridgeport and I don’t expect him to make the team. New York continues to insist that 2015 first rounder Mathew Barzal will play center therefore he seems out as Tavares’ winger as well.

Garth Snow will have to address this via trade and free agency. Perhaps the Islanders sign one forward and trade for another. New York has the assets to make more than one trade to improve their roster. There is no lack of prospects or picks that could be moved. Andrew Ladd appears to be a player that the Isles have targeted. While I don’t love Ladd, he is player with a solid resume who would also bring some much need sandpaper to the top line.

As for the trade market, I am honestly willing to give anyone with a solid resume a chance. We have all heard the names out there. Jordan Eberle, Jeff Skinner, Jeff Carter, Cam Atkinson, Max Pacioretty. Honestly the Isles have been so desperate for quality first line wingers, I’m willing to give any of them a shot. During the course of his career John Tavares had an all-star caliber winger alongside him once. When Thomas Vanek was with him they were one of the most dangerous lines in hockey for that brief period.

The bottom line is that Islanders General Manager Garth Snow must be aggressive in fixing this problem. No more hoping that the kids will get better. No more plugging in retreads or taking a flyer on the likes of Cory Conacher.

There has to be an influx of talent to not only the top line but throughout the top three lines of this roster. If something isn’t done this summer we are back to saying what if. What if Strome bounces back? What if Nelson shows he can be consistent? What if Barzal makes this team? The time for asking questions are over and for the Islanders to move forward they need to start making some statements.

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