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Lottery Luck & Coach Jack

April 12, 2011, 7:48 AM ET [ Comments]
Dee Karl
New York Islanders Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
10:50 pm: Fifth. Fifth again. And somehow Lou gets a gift from the Hockey Gods and moves from 8th to fourth. Yeah.
10:34 am: Hey look! What a surprise! Jack Capuano is named Islanders head coach!
"As per club policy, the terms and conditions of Capuano’s contract are not disclosed. "
And as Scott Gordon so rightly said, "You never know how long you'll have the job."


For those teams that finished with the worst records this season, tonight is bittersweet. The trip to the TSN studio to sit on a panel waiting to see if your club will draft 1st or fifth overall on June 24th in St. Paul is much less appealing than a trip to the playoffs.

Once again, there's a seat saved for a representative from the NY Islanders. According to the article on NHL.com, the Isles have a 10.7% chance of walking up to the podium first while Edmonton has a 25% chance of doing so.

However, with the young talent the Islanders have managed to accumulate and develop, the most chatter this year surrounding the entry draft isn't picking one player over another but "Package the Pick and get a Player!"

Ofcourse, we will never hear that from Garth Snow since he doesn't like to tip his hand to anyone. But you will hear that from every media outlet from NY to Toronto. The higher the pick, the more he'll be able to get for it.

Snow was not willing to give up the overall first when he drafted John Tavares no matter what Brian Burke was willing to offer him. "Garth said No." Burke was overhead telling his associate as he walked from the table. Priceless.

Perhaps this summer, Garth will say "Yes."

The NY Isalnders have amassed enough high-draft first-rounders to fill small party room at Friendly's. And while those youngsters are making names for themselves, it may be time to bring in a big gun to complete the puzzle.

The problem is finding the right fit. For the NY Islanders, it's not just the talent level, but the mental attitude and personality that has to fit more. They will need to find a character player young enough to be inserted into the 'Band of Brothers' that has become that locker room.

Considering how lucky they have been at picking-up the right fit talent, while a daunting task, I think they'll pull it off.

I still haven't heard who will be representing the Islanders tonight in studio. I voted for Doug Weight. The guy is perfect for TV, although if he gets to speak, the half-hour show may run overtime.

I'm guessing the NY Islanders come in third -- and they take it from there.

Can they get to third? The entire lottery process confuses me.
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