I’m not one for All-Star Game anymore, especially this ridiculous NHL format, but it would be an absolute travesty if at least four Islanders, quite possibly five, aren’t represented in Tampa. The last time four Isles were represented was 1985, when Mike Bossy, Brent Sutter, John Tonelli, and Bryan Trottier donned the Wales Jersey. John Tavares is a lock for his sixth trip to the game, but not being voted as the Metropolitan division captain will likely hurt the team’s chances for four Isles. Under the three-on-three format, each division is comprised of six forwards, three defensemen and two goaltenders.
Sidney Crosby will likely captained the Metro, Alexander Ovechkin is a lock. The Flyers Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux are deserving, as well as Crosby’s teammate Phil Kessel. What’s really going to hurt the Isles is what helped them for so many seasons (Scott Lachance, Kenny Jonsson, Adrian Aucoin), the fact that each team must be represented. Is their a Carolina Hurricane deserving?
Projected Metropolitan Division All-Star Team (what should happen) F Sidney Crosby (Captain) F John Tavares F Phil Kessel F Josh Bailey F Alexander Ovechkin F Mat Barzal D Shayne Gostisbehere D Seth Jones D Nick Leddy G Brayden Holtby G Sergei Bobrovsky
If the league really wants to showcase it’s players, which they traditionally fail to do, they’ll have Mat Barzal in the game. The 20-year-old is tailor made for the three-on-three format. It’s completely unfair, however, leaving Anders Lee out of the game, but with this format, you have to.
Projected Metropolitan Division All-Star Team (what will happen) F Sidney Crosby (Captain) F John Tavares F Phil Kessel F Taylor Hall F Alexander Ovechkin F Jeff Skinner D Shayne Gostisbehere D Seth Jones D Ryan McDonagh G Brayden Holtby G Sergei Bobrovsky
Left out, the league leader in assists, a top three goal scorer and the rookie leader in points who is currently in the top 20 in points.
The league needs to bring back the YoungStars game, which was abandoned in 2009. It would showcase the top youngsters, including Barzal, and allowed each team to be represented during the weekend. Teams should also be represented during the skills competition. The Isles lone representive in 2011, Michael Grabner, participated in the fastest skater competition.
Speaking of Barzal, he was named the NHL “Second Star of the Week…. He became the 11th rookie in Islanders history Saturday to score three goals in a game and the first since the 23-year-old Grabner on Feb. 13, 2011, against Buffalo. He also became the youngest Islander to record a hat trick since 19-year-old Pat Lafontaine on March 3, 1984, against Toronto.
His three-goal performance yesterday gave him 12 on the season. Two more than his last year with Seattle in the WHL. Pretty impressive.
A little bit of role reversal yesterday as Jordan Eberle assisted on all three of Barzal’s goals. Eberle has a modest four-game point streak and is easily on pace to pass last year’s goal (20) and point (51) total.
Lee’s career season continues as he netted his 22nd goal Saturday against the Jets. Lee’s goal was his ninth of December. He needs six goals to close out 2017 if he wants to pass LaFontaine, who had 14 back in 1990.
With defenseman Calvin de Haan likely to miss the rest of the regular season, general manager Garth Snow needs to find a replacement ASAP. I don’t see Snow making a deal, if any, before the February 26 trade deadline. The replacements can come from within. Devon Toews and Sebastian Aho are having tremendous seasons in Bridgeport. Both are among the AHL leaders in defensemen scoring. The roster freeze is lifted on Thursday. Could we see either defenseman?
“I haven’t thought about that,… head coach Doug Weight told the New York Post. “We have seven good D here. Devon and Sebastian have played very well and we’ve got to see them quite a bit. As you move forward, everything’s a possibility. We’ll continue to keep an eye on [them] and keep in contact with the staff down there. But they’ve done nothing to hurt themselves, that’s for sure. We have to play to win, so we’ll see what happens.…
If the Isles are playing to win, Dennis Seidenberg cannot be on this roster. Half of the defensemen on this team skate like their in quicksand. Both Toews and Aho are gifted skaters. Toews might even be faster than Nick Leddy.
Staying in Bridgeport, Michael Dal Colle is starting to heat up. The 2014 fifth overall pick has six points in his last six games, including two assists in the Sound Tigers’ win over the Hartford Wolfpack Saturday. I mentioned a role reversal with Eberle and Barzal, Dal Colle set up Josh Ho-Sang for a beautiful one-timer on Friday. One thing to be encouraged regarding Dal Colle is that his shot totals are increasing, 11 in the last four games.
2016 first-round pick Kieffer Bellows has been named an alternate captain of Team USA at the World Juniors. The 19-year-old has had a bounce-back year after leaving Boston University for the Western Hockey League. In 31 games, Bellows has 19 goals and 21 assists. It would be alarming had he not put up numbers in the offensive happy WHL.
Last week, New York State awarded the Islanders the right to develop the land at Belmont Park. The earliest that the Isles can move into their world-class arena would be the 2020-21 season.
Islanders owner and savior Jon Ledecky already said that the team is committed to Barclays for the 2018-19 season. The team will need a home for at least for a season, probably for two. Everyone, except for Billy Joel, who was probably saving his voice for a concert Wednesday night at MSG, was begging NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to let the Islanders play at the Nassau Coliseum. It reminded me of when Bart and Lisa Simpson kept begging Homer to take them to Mount Splashmore.
What I think will ultimately happen is that they will play 6-12 regular season games at the Coliseum and the rest at Barclays. What would be entertaining is if the Islanders traveled from arena to arena, like the Harlem Globetrotters. A bunch of dates at Barclays, the Coliseum, MSG, Bridgeport and Hartford. Sweet Georgia Brown can be their new goal song.
Happy Holidays everyone!