Don't mind me as I stop by, but I want to correct a misconception.

The Isles (and Garth) do not select NHL ready players. In fact, they hold a belief that you select the best player of the next 5-10 years. Therefore, you select accordingly on that projection.

This is a pretty widely held belief across the NHL, as well. The only teams who should be selecting "read-now" players are contending teams. They can afford that.

EG: Philly getting Couturier, while the Isles who liked him chose Strome instead. They felt Strome would be the better projected player career-wise.

So when Bob or any others talk about NHL-ready players, pay it no mind. For the Isles adhere to this, and players like Murray might not even be selected if there at the #4 spot UNLESS they feel he will have the best overall projected career. Being NHL ready doesn't even enter their mind until they can contend and afford to choose that way.

Have a good weekend all. Just wanted to impart that.

thx for mention Dee!
- B.D. Gallof

A good strategy, but if they're not concerned with picking players who can step in sooner rather than later, they shouldn't push those players into service sooner rather than later. Two of their last four top picks were clearly playing in the NHL before they were ready.

All I know is that Tampa was real interested in him, Yzerman and Boucher were both publicly very high on him. I think it was kind of expected that he was going to sign there, but Tampa beat writers tweeted a few minutes ago that whatever talks they were having fell through. Only reason I even mention him is because we have Streit and Niederreiter.
- eichiefs9

Who knows? They seem to be a tight group those Swiss

First bold. Not sure how to take that? That is something thats debated. I don't see any end to this "rebuild" in all honesty. "Team" in the second bold should be changed to Snow I'd think? It is his job after all, isn't it? The excuses ran out for me last year. There is no way to defend this circus. It's not a matter of patience it's a matter of professionalism at this point. That is something this team lacks from top to bottom save a few players. It's hard to watch this team most nights and it has nothing to do with the age of the players and that they are "rebuilding". Snow needs to make some drastic changes and add in all areas of this team minus goal tending to have any chance of this team even sniffing the playoffs any time soon.
- Cptmjl

Our goaltending sucks too....

WOW! The WOLF PACK is running wild today!

Our goaltending sucks too....
- mighty13duck

No argument there but you know it's not going to be addressed by Snow. We do have some legit talent in the wings. Didn't feel the need to even bring it up so i can get attacked by some lemming for saying something negative about the second coming of Roy, Nabakov.

i am not pro-Wang by any imagination...

but I have always been a supporter of the rebuild and the mechanics and tough work they had to do to get the prospect pool in order. I think fans impatience, though valid, way too soon. No rebuild turned around in 4 years. And be assured, this rebuild started at the draft of 2008, b/c i wrote about it.

I think another season or two needs to be allotted here. Team inability to get UFAs to push rebuild faster or have good talent inhouse to speed it up, sad to say.


So if I do not go along with the fan moan and groan it is because though they are customers and have every right to be impatient and complain, I do not feel it is completely valid on its own as criticism of Garth or hockey operations.

Garth has made a few mistakes... be assured. And for that I have made sure to cite it, but not anti or pro... just try to call it how I see it.
- B.D. Gallof

I agree with what you're saying, however, the problem is, when Wang, Snow and Capuano, hold a press conference before the season last year they clearly said this team was ready to make the next step (playoffs). As far as im concerned, at this stage in the game, the prospect pool is better than its ever been, and the 4th pick in this years draft should be used to aquire a player that will help this team get to the next level.

WOW! The WOLF PACK is running wild today!
- SCLI

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

A good strategy, but if they're not concerned with picking players who can step in sooner rather than later, they shouldn't push those players into service sooner rather than later. Two of their last four top picks were clearly playing in the NHL before they were ready.
- UIF

Excellent point

Who knows? They seem to be a tight group those Swiss
- Cptmjl

Hopefully. Adding some potential top-6 talent for free would be great. 2 years, $2mil sounds like a contract we wouldn't regret, regardless of how he pans out.

A good strategy, but if they're not concerned with picking players who can step in sooner rather than later, they shouldn't push those players into service sooner rather than later. Two of their last four top picks were clearly playing in the NHL before they were ready.
- UIF

Very true words. Makes the point completely invalid when you think of Nino.

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
- Cptmjl

Wooof

WOW! The WOLF PACK is running wild today!
- SCLI

can I join?

A good strategy, but if they're not concerned with picking players who can step in sooner rather than later, they shouldn't push those players into service sooner rather than later. Two of their last four top picks were clearly playing in the NHL before they were ready.
- UIF

As usual UIF you nailed it.

No argument there but you know it's not going to be addressed by Snow. We do have some legit talent in the wings. Didn't feel the need to even bring it up so i can get attacked by some lemming for saying something negative about the second coming of Roy, Nabakov.
- Cptmjl

I thought that was DP?

can I join?
- mighty13duck

I thought you were already a full fledged member.

A good strategy, but if they're not concerned with picking players who can step in sooner rather than later, they shouldn't push those players into service sooner rather than later. Two of their last four top picks were clearly playing in the NHL before they were ready.
- UIF

I thought you were already a full fledged member.
- SCLI

This is news to me

I disagree...I guess John Taveres was not NHL ready when they drafted him...lets put all the cards on table BD...the Islanders management sucks...they have no clue what they are doing...hence the lousy results. Dave Maloney said it best during one of the Saturday Hockey Night broadcasts. He said (and I'm paraphrasing) outside of Tavares, Okposo and Hamonic, they are the only NHL players they have. He said they got lucky with Moulson but Parenteau and Grabner and the others they bring in are other teams castoffs and unitil they change their thinking, they will continue to be at the bottom of the standings. I'm not a Dave Maloney fan but I pretty much agree with him...
- kear20

so really outside of tavares, ko, hamonic, and moulson....hard calling grabner a castoff, the guy was contending for rookie of the year 2 years ago.

are guys like bailey, neilson, ullstrom, nino, matt martin, amac, etc. belong to the castoffs? cause they arent castoffs or from the scrap heap like pap, some call them "prospects".

what "thinking" do they have to change? drafting? getting young guys? im not saying the isles are 100% by any stretch, but for a hockey analyst to not see what they are doing speaks more to how little he knows than anything else.

so really outside of tavares, ko, hamonic, and moulson....hard calling grabner a castoff, the guy was contending for rookie of the year 2 years ago.

are guys like bailey, neilson, ullstrom, nino, matt martin, amac, etc. belong to the castoffs? cause they arent castoffs or from the scrap heap like pap, some call them "prospects".

what "thinking" do they have to change? drafting? getting young guys? im not saying the isles are 100% by any stretch, but for a hockey analyst to not see what they are doing speaks more to how little he knows than anything else.
- LetsGoIsles

While drafting has not been perfect I wouldn't consider it bad either. Garth has done a decent job drafting but there is more to being a GM then draft day.

so really outside of tavares, ko, hamonic, and moulson....hard calling grabner a castoff, the guy was contending for rookie of the year 2 years ago.

are guys like bailey, neilson, ullstrom, nino, matt martin, amac, etc. belong to the castoffs? cause they arent castoffs or from the scrap heap like pap, some call them "prospects".

what "thinking" do they have to change? drafting? getting young guys? im not saying the isles are 100% by any stretch, but for a hockey analyst to not see what they are doing speaks more to how little he knows than anything else.
- LetsGoIsles

I agree plus its coming from Dave Maloney, so its not like its coming from an expert or anything

Lindsay Lohan ... doesn't sound good.

It Ryan Murray is there and they don't pick him...then like I said in another post...they are clueless...
- kear20

clueless?!? strong words from a guy who id bet the house doesnt know more about these players than isles management? unless you have scouted all these players, which you havent, and know how each of these guys, not sure how you can make such a statement....

can I join?
- mighty13duck

Join? You were in from the get go

The guys you mentioned...I bet two are traded before next season starts...my guess is Kabonov will be the first one sent packing with a pick for an NHL defenseman...Garth was pissed when he sid he was going to the KHL...Petrov could be right behind him....
- kear20

hahaha...cut your losses dude.

I thought that was DP?
- mighty13duck

No DP was our all star franchise goal tender