Islanders’ training camp begins in full swing tomorrow. Rookies and veterans alike are all in camp and getting ready for the journey that will be the 2014/2015 season. With the Islanders’ actually having depth for the first in years this camp will be as cutthroat and competitive as any in the league. We are all aware of the logjam of one way contracts upfront and on the blue line but there are still rosters spots that can be won with an amazing camp.
It is way too early to project the opening night roster with the abundance of players on the roster but with the exception of a few players, there are not many guys who should feel safe and secure. You will have veteran players looking to secure a spot and you are going to have kids like Ryan Strome and Anders Lee who will try and make it impossible to send them to Bridgeport. You will also have players like Cory Conacher and T.J. Brennan who are looking to show that they can play in this league as this might be their last chance at a NHL roster spot.
The blue line while crowded is not set in stone. After Calvin de Haan, Travis Hamonic and Lubomir Visnovsky, I would not say that anyone else has a guaranteed spot on the roster. Griffin Reinhart will be a strong contender for the roster, but would anyone be surprised if the likes of a Ryan Pulock, Ville Pokka or Scotty Mayfield stepped up and won a spot in the top six? With no trades for a defenseman on the horizon I am looking for competition. If this is the hand we have to play then the Islanders desperately need one of their blue-chip defenseman to prove that he is ready for prime time.
This camp will be all about those battles. I know some will say that a player’s contract will dictate their spot on the team. The perfect example of that is Josh Bailey. I understand the fanbases concern on this issue. I am going to pretend that this will be an open competition. If it is, the Isles brass may be forced to make some tough decisions. For the Islanders to be successful the likes of Strome or Lee or Reinhart need to make the organization keep them. They have to perform at a level that makes them impossible to send to Bridgeport.
This team is clearly better. The goaltending is the best it has been in over a decade and there is finally some stability and depth between the pipes. We all know this team will score goals and regardless of the line combos the forwards should be much improved at both ends of the ice. The question that remains is how will that blue line hold up? Until we see this blue line perform I cannot put them into the playoffs. I think this team is close to being a playoff team but the same can be said for a majority of the Eastern Conference. There are not many locks in this conference outside of the Bruins, Rangers and Penguins. We are in that group of eight to ten teams that can land anywhere. Right now on the eve of camp everyone thinks that they improved over the offseason. It will take to time to separate the contenders from the pretenders but the journey to the playoffs is now underway. Honestly, I don’t know what the season holds for the Islanders right now. I do imagine it will be a much improved team over last year but I’m still not ready to go “all-in… on this team. But for once I have a feeling that I honestly haven’t had in years in regards to this team, hope. As always for more on all things hockey please follow me on twitter at @DanDanNoodles78.