The Islanders announced yesterday afternoon that they have signed one of the organization’s top prospects, Ville Pokka. The 2012 second round pick had a standout season for Karpat of the Finnish Elite League. In 54 games, Pokka recorded 6 goals and 21 assists and was a mind-boggling plus-32. Pokka is known for his all-around game, but he can move the puck and can help out on the power play. I expect Pokka to really stand out at this fall’s training camp and seriously compete for a roster spot.
With Pokka now under contract, the Isles have added depth to their organization. I have been told that Islanders General Manager Garth Snow is aggressively looking to continue to bolster the blue line before the start of free agency on July 1st. While the Islanders will definitely be looking to add a d-man via free agency, Snow has been contacting teams trying to trade for a top 4 defenseman as well. The biggest trading chip is the Islanders first round pick—fifth overall— in next month’s NHL entry draft.
The free agent market is super thin on the blue line which means the entire league will be battling over 12 quality defenseman. As we know, the Islanders are a long shot adding a top-four d-man in that manner. This is why the trade route is probably the best option for the team. When I have more specific information on possible teams or players, I will pass it along to you. This is an encouraging sign for the Islanders. The team knows it has clear weaknesses, and I can only hope that this is the offseason when they aggressively try to fix them. The fact that they have already found their starting goalie before June 1st is a promising start.
The Islanders will also be in search of a backup goaltender. General Manager Garth Snow said on XM Radio this morning that the team is confident that starter Jaroslav Halak can play 50 plus games, but the team needs to find a “backup or a 1-A goalie.… It appears that one to two d-men, another goalie and a top-six winger will be on Garth Snow’s to-do list for this offseason. If these needs are aggressively filled, this could be a significantly better squad next year. For everyone involved it has to be better. We all know the Isles have been quiet in the past (last offseason especially), but this must be the year they make some noise.
With news on the team being slow at best, I thought I’d make Monday’s article interactive. Between today and Monday morning, please send any questions you have on the team. It can be anything that has to do with Islander hockey. Send me your questions via personal message on Hockey buzz, or you can send it to me through twitter at @DanDanNoodles78. I will respond to them on Monday, and if there are a lot, I’ll break them up into two articles next week. I want to hear from you!