Lighthouse Hockey: FanPosts

SB Nation Survey + Chance to donate $500 to a charity of this community's choice

2010-03-20T00:47:58Z

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What the 2010 Draft MIGHT Look Like: Part 1

2010-03-19T20:06:16Z

This is a preliminary view based on likely draft order and what Hockey's Future has assessed as organizational needs for each team. Edmonton will finish last but could go down one peg in the draft via the lottery. Any of the teams on this list could shift a spot or two either way. I expect that this will be the complete list of the bottom 14 but it is possible that Detroit or Boston could slip so I have projected their likely picks as well.

1) Edmonton Taylor Hall

Edmonton's one area of organizational weakness is at right wing and drafting Hall would move Magnus Paajarvi Svensson to #3 at left wing so a trade is not impossible. In all likelihood, however, the Oil will pick Hall.

2) Boston Cam Fowler

The greatest strength in Boston's VERY deep system is at center. They have a few centers who could probably start on some other teams. On the other hand, although they have some nice defensive prospects as well, they do not have any of elite quality and Chara's deal ends next season. Plus they have what promises to be a mid first round pick and several second rounders to address the other weakness at wing. Although I put Fowler's name in there, it is certainly possible that Boston would prefer Gudbranson or Gormley.

3) Islanders Tyler Seguin

If, as I expect, the Isles pick at 3 and Seguin is still on the board, he is the guy. The Isles do need another top four defenseman, but this draft is loaded with potential top fours and I can only assume that Garth gave up all those picks for DeHaan because he wants to groom him as the team's future #1. Apart from that, although center is an area of strength for the Isles, Seguin projects to be a better center than anyone currently in the fold. The one caveat to that is that Anaheim and Ottawa badly need an elite quality center and have the assets to make attractive offers.

4) Columbus Brett Connolly

They badly need an elite quality right wing.

5) Carolina Kirill Kabanov

Ditto

6) Florida Erik Gudbranson

They don't have any glaring organizational weakness, but defense is the area where they are least strong and, happily, the best player available at this point is on defense.

7) Dallas Brandon Gormley

Even with drafting Ryan Ellis last year, they still need to stock up at defense.

8) Tampa Mark Pysyk?

They have added some blue chip talent, including Big Victor. They still, however, need a skilled puck moving defenseman. If they miss out on Fowler, Gudbranson, and Gormley, a trade down may be in order. A team with a surplus of puck movers with a late round pick might be able to move up into the top ten via trade with Tampa.

9) Anaheim Emerson Etem

At this point, neither Peter Holland or Kyle Palmieri have delivered as promised for Anaheim and they are still looking for an elite quality center to presumably plug into their second line. They also might go with Mikael Granlund, but they have had a preference for bigger guys.

10) Rangers Vladimir Tarasenko

Given the Rangers' need at right wing, their likely draft position, and their prediliction for Russian wingers, this is a no-brainer. I would almost favor the trade down with the Ducks just to see the look on Sather's face when we pick Tarasenko just ahead of their draft spot.

11) St Louis Jack Campbell

St. Louis is VERY strong at every position EXCEPT goal and Campbell is the only goalie projected for the first round.

12) Minnesota Alexsandr Burmistrov

The Wild need a top end wing.

13) Atlanta Nino Niederreiter

Waddell has been looking for talented big men up front.

14) Phoenix Teemu Pulkinnen

They are weakest at right wing.

Boston and Detroit have needs similar to Minnesota, Atlanta, and Phoenix. Their picks should not be very different.

Poll

Would you favor a trade down with Anaheim or Ottawa if the Islanders have a shot at Seguin?

Parsing Hockey's Future's Islanders Top 20 Prospects Spring Edition

2010-03-18T02:09:46Z

A couple of days ago Hockey's Future published their new list of Top 20 prospects in the Islanders system. After reading it, it leaves one to wonder: Has the author actually watched any of these guys this year?

Disclaimer: This is basically an elaborated version of my fanshot on the subject. The opinions expressed in this piece are solely of the author and not of the proprietor of the site.

Just to review who's on the list:

1. Calvin de Haan

2. Jesse Joensuu

3. Travis Hamonic

4. Kirill Petrov

5. Andrew MacDonald

6. Rob Schremp

7. Trevor Smith

8. Jason Gregoire

9. Rhett Rakhshani

10. Aaron Ness

11. Mikko Koskinen

12. Anders Nilsson

13. Corey Trivino

14. Casey Cizikas

15. Justin DiBenedetto

16. Brian Day

17. Matt Donovan

18. Kevin Poulin

19. Dustin Kohn

20. Blake Kessel

"Just Missing Out" - Mark Katic

First let's start with the notable snubs. How did Matt Martin not make this list? Not only has he made an impact at the AHL level for Bridgeport but he's shown that he belongs in the NHL. How is Katic considered a near miss on the list but there's no mention of Martin, whose played in the NHL this season. All Anders Lee did in the USHL was put up 63 points in 52 games, 7th in the league in scoring. He and the Wild's 7th round draft pick Erik Haula will be the steals of the 2009 draft. HV 71's David Ullstrom was once in the Elitserien's top 5 scoring leaders. While an injury derailed his scoring a bit, he still played a key role in HV 71's run to the Elitserien plaoyffs.

Second let's go with Schremp and MacDonald. I think they've both graduated from prospect status at this point, no? Both played extremely well before injury ended their seasons, but if Jack Hillen and John Tavares have graduated from prospect status, shouldn't have these two as well?

Trevor Smith is another story. I am surprised he made the list because it's becoming more and more obvious he's not in the Islander's future plans. The author says of Smith:

With four forwards slated to become unrestricted free agents in July, the Islanders will likely turn to skilled young players such as Smith to fill vacancies on the third and fourth lines.

Does anyone seriously think of the four potential UFA's (Park, Weight, Sim and Jackman) Smith will replace any of them? Smith isn't a checking line, grinder type like Sim or Jackman, isn't adept at PK like Park (I know Park's usefulness on the PK is debatable right now, sue me) and isn't the playmaker or leader Dougie is. Any of these holes Garth is probably going to fix with players other than Smith.

Third let's go with the head scratchers. While Koskinen dropped precipitously due to his injury (From 2nd in the fall to 11th on this list), poor play hasn't affected some of the players on the list. Two of the Isles NCAA prospects, Aaron Ness and Corey Trivino haven't exactly had seasons to write home about, but both are still ranked relatively high, above guys who have had better seasons in Donovan, Poulin and Kessel. Donovan has had a terrific year for University of Denver and the USA WJC team, while Ness has had a poor year for the Gophers and didn't make the cut for the WJC.

While I agree with some of the rankings, such as de Haan at 1, Hamonic at 3, Joensuu high though not necessarily at 2, this list is bizarre. You would think a website with the high reputation of hockeysfuture.com (a site quoted in both the Sound Tigers and Islanders' Media Guides when profiling prospects) would have a more thorough list or editor.

Anyway, go ahead discuss the list and your thoughts on it.

The Likelihood of Making the Playoffs in the East

2010-03-16T01:01:32Z

(Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that I'm basically copying and pasting this from a fanpost by Missy from the Nucks Misconduct blog. I thought it was interesting {98% chance of playoffs if we run the table} so I figured I'd share it.For those who are interested, This leads to the original post and This leads to the Western Conference post)

As some of you are probably aware, Sports Club Stats is a fascinating website that tracks each team's likelihoods of making the playoffs, what they need to clinch spots, and what seeds they're most likely to finish in. Here's an explanation of how it works, direct from the site:

Sports Club Stats calculates each team’s odds of making the playoffs, how each upcoming game will impact those odds, and how well they have to finish out to have a shot. It knows the season schedule and scores for past games. Each night it grabs any new scores from the internet and simulates the rest of the season by randomly picking scores for each remaining game. The weighted method takes the opponents record and home field advantage into account when randomly picking scores, so the better team is more likely to win. The 50/50 method gives each opponent an equal chance of winning each game. Both methods let an appropriate percent of games end in a tie or go into overtime in leagues where that matters. When it’s finished "playing" all the remaining games it applies the league’s tie breaking rules to see where everyone finished. It repeats this random playing out of the season million of times, keeping track of how many "seasons" each team finishes where. Finally it updates this page with the new results for you to read with your morning coffee.

Fascinating.

Anyways, with most teams now sitting at 15 games left in the season, I felt it was time to show each team's chances. After the jump, I'll show each team, what they need to guarantee clinching a playoff spot, what will make them guaranteed to drop out of the playoffs entirely, and their most likely finishing position. This post is for the Eastern Conference.

In order of the current standings:

Washington Capitals

Already clinched playoff spot
Most likely finishing position: 1st in East (100%)

Pittsburgh Penguins

14 games left
Need 3-9-2 to clinch (pretty much in now)
Most likely finishing position: 4th in East (55%)

Buffalo Sabres

16 games left
Need 6-9-1 to clinch
Can drop out with 0-13-3
Most likely finishing position: 3rd in East (67%)

New Jersey Devils

16 games left
Need 4-10-2 to clinch
Can drop out with 0-15-1
Most likely finishing position: 2nd in East (52%)

Ottawa Senators

14 games left
Need 5-4-5 to clinch
Can drop out with 0-13-1
Most likely finishing position: 5th in East (34%)

Philadelphia Flyers

16 games left
Need 9-5-2 to clinch
Can drop out with 3-13-0
Most likely finishing position: 5th in East (37%)

Montreal Canadiens

13 games left
Need 8-0-5 to clinch
Can drop out with 1-9-3
Most likely finishing position: 7th or 8th in East (both spots are at 29%)

Boston Bruins

16 games left
Need 10-4-2 to clinch
Can drop out with 3-12-1
Most likely finishing position: 7th in East (28%)

New York Rangers

14 games left
Need 12-0-2 to clinch
Can drop out with 3-6-5
Most likely finishing position: 9th in East (26%)

Tampa Bay Lightning

15 games left
Need 13-2-0 to clinch
Can drop out with 4-8-3
Most likely finishing position: 10th in East (22%)

Atlanta Thrashers

15 games left
Need 13-0-2 to clinch
Can drop out with 6-8-1
Most likely finishing position: 11th in East (22%)

Florida Panthers

16 games left
Need 14-0-2 to clinch
Can drop out with 6-7-3
Most likely finishing position: 12th in East (23%)

Carolina Hurricanes

15 games left
Need 14-0-1 to clinch
Can drop out with 6-7-2
Most likely finishing position: 13th in East (27%)

New York Islanders

15 games left
Need 15-0-0 to have 98.3% chance at clinching
Can drop out with 8-5-2
Most likely finishing position: 14th in East (52%)

Toronto Maple Leafs

15 games left
Need 15-0-0 to have 44.4% chance at clinching
Can drop out with 11-3-1
Most likely finishing position: 15th in East (80%)

Weight is out for the season

2010-03-13T17:17:03Z

Via Katie Strang

As much as I like Weight, I think now would be the perfect time to step down as captain and hand the reins over to Kyle Okposo. If nothing else it will give Isles fans something to cheer for. Maybe a desire to see how the new "C" adjusts to his role will put some more butts in the seats at NVMC now that the playoffs are effectively out of the picture.

An Early Look at Islanders UFA Targets

2010-03-12T02:21:38Z

[Editor's note: This is a FanPost we can probably chew on for several weeks. Thanks for doing the legwork, mdelbags.]

I apologize for jumping the gun on this but I'm a teacher and have been giving standardized tests all week, so I've had a lot of down time to day dream...I figured I might as well pass the time by playing Isles GM and take a peek at every available UFA for this summer. We already have a resident Draft expert in BCISLESMAN...so I'm applying for the UFA job.

I started out just printing out a list of all the players set to become unrestricted free agents (nhlnumbers.com) at the end of this season. I then constructed a list of players that I would like for the Isles to attempt to sign. That list was way too long to make any sense of so I created another list attempting to target players that may fit a need that the Isles will have this summer going into next season. I broke the needs into separate categories in order from most pressing to least and numbered the players based on my preferences. When selecting players I tried to keep age and salary in mind. I tried to stay away from players well into their 30's unless the need was for a veteran and steered clear of the obvious All-stars (there are no Kovalchuks, Marleaus, Lidstroms or Nabokovs here). That type of player just doesn't seem to make any sense for where we are in our rebuild.

Please correct any misconceptions or misplacements I have made as I'm sure there may be quite a few. Who did I forget...who should I have omitted?

I am in no way suggesting that the Isles should try for every player below, but I do feel like Garth should at least attempt to sign one player from each category.

This is also assuming that the players below all want to come here (why wouldn't they?) and will not be resigned by their own team prior to becoming a free agent (small assumptions I know).

Parenthesis show current ages and this season's salary in millions according to nhlnumbers.com

Solid stay at home shut-down D-man

It seems that most of us agree that the Isles D need a very quick upgrade and although I know we have many young prospects that we hope will fill those spots soon, this can never be counted on. A tough, mean shot blocker and crease clearer that can play big PK minutes(Witt before he began to decline) will help the Isles in so many ways that to me, this is the most important need.

Anton Volchenkov: (27; 3.2) His agent should probably be the first guy that Garth calls on day 1 of free agency. The question is how far above his current 3.2 mil salary should we go?
Willie Mitchell: (32; 3.5) He's a bit expensive making 3.5 mil this season but he fits all the above attributes (and he can skate!)
Jay McKee: (31; 0.800)
Jason Strudwick: (33; .700)
Paul Mara: (29; 1.675)
Nick Boynton: ( 32; 1.5)

Back-up/ 1B goaltender

Who knows what's going to happen to DP but I'm ready to move on. Yes we've got some solid looking prospects but for the sake of next year we'll need at least a competent back-up for Rollie if the Isles and Biron decide to part ways. So why not give a guy a (or another) chance that at one time was the future of some other teams' goalie plans?

Dan Ellis: (29; 2 mil)
Chris Mason: (33; 3 mil)
Peter Budaj: (28; 1.250)
Curtis Sanford: (29; 0.600)

Puck-moving D-man

Yes back to the defense. Even if we sign a player from the first group we'll still need another puck mover. For this category I tried to focus on guys who seem to be just on the cusp of making a big step who also had reasonably small paychecks this season and wouldn't require much of a raise (or we can just resign Freddy Meyer IV...not that there's anything wrong with that....seriously).

Kurtis Foster: (27; 0.600) I wanted the Isles to grab this guy last summer but Tampa got him for a song. He plays in every situation, including the powerplay and he can be physical as well.
Zbynek Michalek: (26; 1.5)
Jordan Leopold: (28; 1.750)
Dennis Seidenberg: (27; 2.250)
Carlo Colaiacovo: (26; 1.4)

Hard-skating Grinders

(bonus points for having a mean streak)

The fact that the Isles seem to get pushed around alot and very rarly initiate the pushing has been discussed quite a bit lately. Maybe we need to add a player or two that plays the game (not a goon) on the edge. Or how about a player that just really annoys players on the other team (you know like Jon Sim only...effective).

Raffi Torres: (27; 2.75) former isles draft pick is just entering his prime...he's got playoff experience and he plays the game with a snarl.
Matt Cooke: (30; 1.200) I hate when the Isles play him but I'd love him if he were an Islander.
Fernando Pisani: (32; 2.500) I was suprised to see he only had 14 PIM last season. He always struck me as a hard skating grinder but maybe he doesn't belong in this section.
Arron Asham: (31; .640) I actually hated this guy when he was on the Islanders for taking so many dumb penalties but he meets the criteria and he plays RW

Veteran Two-way Forwards

(bonus points for willing to mentor the kids)

If the Isles don't re-sign either Weight or Park there will be a big need for some veterans that can help on the ice as well as the locker room. A guy that can play 3rd or 4th line minutes and help out on the PK would be key.

Jere Lehtinen: (36; 1.5) To me he would instantly help our struggling PK as well as provide team oriented leadership
John Madden (36; 2.750) This guy always seemed like a tool to me but perhaps it was just because he was a Devil for so long
Manny Malhotra (29; .700)
Jeff Halpern (33; 2.0)
Glen Metropolit (35; 1.0)

Depth Forwards

(only if they are good team guys)

With Martin and Joesnuu having a good shot at making the squad next season this may not be much of a need but if Sim, Tambi, Weight, and Park all don't return then we may have a need for some depth at F.

Adam Burish (26; .725)
Eric Nystrom (26; .775)
Colby Armstrong (26; 2.4) this guy always seemed to me like he should be an Islander.
Chris Higgins (26; 2.250) will have to take a pay cut but he still has potential
Brandon Bochenski (27; .550)
Ryan Vesce (27; .550)

Depth on Defense

(aka please take Gervais' roster spot)

This may not be necessary as well but there were some interesting d-men that didn't make it to the above lists so here they will go. Sign one of these guys and who knows maybe we'll get another Martinek...umm but without all the injuries.

Sheldon Brookbank (28 .550)
Christoph Schubert (27 .900)
Aaron Johnson (26; .540) didn't realize he was still so young
Lukas Krajicek (26; .700)

Ok, so that's my stab at being Garth Snow...

Poll

What type of player do you think is the most important for the Isles to sign this summer?

What I want to see in the last month of 09-10

2010-03-08T14:40:14Z

I am a little disappointed that the Isles have fallen off and will more than likely miss the playoffs(dropping to 14th in the standings). That said I am happy we had some success this year. I am very happy with Roloson. I think Bailey has improved abd hope to see similar from JT next season. I am overall happy with JT, it is tough that he hasn't scored in 20 games, but atthe start of the season I would have been happy knowing he could put in 15+ goals.

Now, what I hope to see in the last 17 games:

John Taveras scoring a couple of goals. I think it is very important he has a positive last few games in order to come back next season confident. I fear that if he ends the season at 17 goals it may mess with his head. I would like to see him break 20 goals

Matt Moulson- Lets see him put in #25, if he gets hot could we see 30?

Kyle Okposo- hope he can break 50 points, and that could start with a goal. Last time he went without a goal for awhile, when he finally tallied a score he had a great couple of weeks after.

Josh Bailey and Rob Schremp- I think they have both been the bright spots of the season. I see them constantly making plays, so I just want to see more of the same, and hopefully luck is on their side and they tally a few scores.

Frans Nielsen- I just want to see his name consistently on the score sheet. He seems so talented but doesn't have the numbers, except in the shootout.

Trent Hunter- He came back strong from his early season injury, and since has done very little. Maybe he can do the same when he gets back in the lineup. He needs to be a lot more consistent next season

Jon Sim- he has been scrappy all season long, he can score on occasion but maybe Matt Martin can take his role, or take Tim Jackman's role. We need Martin's energy im the lineup, I thought he brought a lot to the games before the break. Tim isn't the player we need when he can't be physical.

Blake Comeau- well he has been hot, can he do more of the same, he has proven that he can play. Lets hope it is more consistent. I hope he is back from the hit and scoring a few more times. maybe he needs some PP time.

Richard Park- I would like to see him get less TOI. I would like to see some other guys get PK time, just to find guys who can play next season. Park is good at the PK, but now is the time to experiment and find the next generation of PK. what can it hurt, we are what 78%.

Doug Weight- I like this guy, but he has very poor numbers. I would find it hard to warrant him coming back. 1/16/17 just doesn't cut it. I like his locker room presence though so if he can put a few points up at the end of this season, and we resign him, that isn't the worst thing.
Bergy- I have lost my confidence in him, I would rather he was a scratch and Tamby got the TOI. tamby has 7g/6a/13points in 27 games, Bergy 5g/8a/13points in 47 games. Both feature some speed, and tamby is much better in a shootout.

Mark Streit- he has been the most consistent D we have, and even after playing during the olympics he seems to be strong. I hope he can put a few PP goals in here to end the season, break 45 points.

Bruno Gervais- how about a + the last part of the season,

Freddy Meyer- shoot more, some PP time on point, he seems to have a better shot than previously shown

Jack Hillen- just stay healthy, he hasnt been the same since the shot to the face, but he is playing decent. He was playing very good before hand, and as long as we get him back healthy next season he is a good player

Dustin Kohn- just log some TOI, give him different tests, PK, PP 4 on 4, lets see what he can learn for next season

Andy MacDonald- I think we have to wait until next season to see him again, just get healthy.

Dylan Reese- also just log some TOI, shoot some, lets see that offensive you have.

PP- we are better since the break, keep it up

PK do something, how about 85% the rest of the way

Not that I am a conspiracy theorist type person but...

2010-03-03T15:06:53Z

DP's latest injury is B.S. This is an elaborate scheme by Frank Cashen Snow in order to move one of the other goaltenders. He didnt like the offers that were coming in because the other GM's knew that he was under the gun and HAD to make a move on one of his netminders, this potential DP 'swelling' may cause some teams (SECOND city, filthadelphia) to step up their game and offer a higher pick

sigh...he is simply just hurt again and in that case I am sick of it.. stick with Roleson and maybe trade him draft day or for something else for the expiring contact if you dont get what you want now.

Botta reports Philly and Chicago fishing for Roloson

2010-03-02T18:50:43Z

This could be a very intriguing trade deadline for this team. If Snow can pull a late first for Sutton and a second for Roloson this team is in great shape heading into the draft. Optimally I think you'd like to see Philly get in on the bidding for Sutton. That will throw Washington and perhaps a few other eastern conference teams in the bidding. I don't think anyone wants to go a long series having to face both Sutton and Pronger for six to seven games.

Overall I'd say this team, if they trade Roloson and Sutton at the deadline, is solidly in the running for the services of Cam Fowler. I don't see anything standing in the way of them landing the third overall pick in the draft barring any lottery ball madness.

Overall I'd say this is a good thing. This team just plays .500 hockey with Bailey, Tavares and Okposo finishing strong, this team has a shot at at least some B level UFAs this summer. Perhaps even some high level UFAs looking to strike a one year deal to pad their numbers.

This draft should be this teams defensemen draft. You can never have enough of those. If you get stuck with too many you can always trade them in for some talented forwards or high draft picks later on. If anything Garth Snow should use this draft to corner the markey on young Defensemen. Next years draft is going to be weak so their really is not much immediate help coming up for at least the next two seasons.

There is one problem here that needs to be considered. One has to hope Dipietro's latest injury woe is just a minor setback. Otherwise this team is going to waste even more draft slots on goaltenders.

Olympic Hockey not filling the void of NHL hockey

2010-02-25T05:40:00Z

Now I am a huge patriot and love my country. I served for 5 years and still stay involved with protecting the American way but I am just not into the Olympic Hockey that much. I am watching and think we have a good shot at gold, and that is somewhat exciting but not as exciting as watching the Islanders skate to a victory. Maybe it is because there are 2 Rangers on the team and no Islanders.

I would rather see the games go back to the old format, and leave the NHL alone. I am like a drug addict in withdrawl, and might lose it before 3/2 when the Islanders take up their season again.

What will happen between now and then? Who will be traded? I am about 95% sure someone is gone. Can Taveras have a positive run at the end of the season? can Rollie and DP share the goal and play well enough to win? Why wasn't DP sent to Bridgeport to play some?

Just some thoughts, missing NHL hockey

Czechoslovakia vs Russia

2010-02-21T17:27:56Z

Anyone else think that this would be a good idea? When the Soviet Union was still intact this was one of the greatest rivalries ever in international play. A team of the top players in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia will compete against Russia in a Summit Series like event every year, two years or four doesn't matter, to see who reigns supreme.

Some might say it won't be competitive but I beg to differ. Before the start of the Olympics many people looked at Slovakia's and the Czechs roster and saw that if they put the two together than they would have a pretty good team. Others might say it wouldn't make sense to put players from two countries that split apart back together but remember there are plenty of Czechs playing with Slovaks in the NHL and in Europe. I would love to see this match up and would watch every game if it was on T.V. though considering I'm the only one that I've seen think of this idea but I pray it happens. Feel free to disagree with me.

Poll

Is this a good Idea?

Yes, good idea and I think it can happen

0 votes

I like it but this will never happen

5 votes

Wouldn't work

3 votes

8 votes | Poll has closed

Women's Tournament

2010-02-17T22:48:50Z

Not really sure if anyone else has been watching the women's tournament, but it has been surprisingly good hockey so far. I have never really watched too much women's hockey in the past. In 1998, the first year they were in the Olympics, the hockey, to be honest, was not very good. But to see how much improved the game has gotten in only 12 years is pretty amazing.

The only downside in my opinion is that there is no checking. But the game is very wide open due to that; so maybe it's not all bad.

Just a quick post to try and open people's eyes to it. Canada is playing Sweden right now on MSNBC. Check it out!

I need your help, Lighthouse Hockey Universe - Help me decide who will grace my next jersey

2010-02-16T04:52:59Z

Since we don't have any serious Islanders news for the next couple of weeks (Unless Streit does something heroic or gets injured), I thought I would pose this question now. Who should I get on my next Islanders jersey?

After long contemplation I have decided to purchase a new Islanders jersey. IThe last time I bought an Islanders jersey was about eight years ago when I got my Steve Webb 20 and an authentic Fisherman in one fell swoop. Since this is quite the investment (the lowest customized price I was able to find was roughly 165 with shipping), I don't want to rush into whom I would like to put on the back. So I want your help in deciding what jersey I should be rocking.

Alright, first I have a couple of guidelines as to my choices. I don't want to be another DiPi or JT in the crowd. While I love those guys, I want a little bit of originality in my choice. I have already decided it will be this season's 3rd/next season's regular. I also want to avoid any major jersey fouls so I don't wind up on Puck Daddy. I've narrowed it down to eight choices in two groups, current and past Islanders.

Current:

Josh Bailey - Pro: One of the two current Isles I've been leaning heavily towards. Coming into his own this season. Con: Well, none that I can really think of other then in a couple of years if he continues to get better the 12 replica will just be another face in the crowd (And that's not necessarily a bad thing).

Sean Bergenheim - Pro: I love how this guy plays. He's aggresive on the forecheck, responsible defensively, does all the small things that don't show up in the box score. Con: He might not be here that much longer. He's constantly on the trade block/waiver wire

Andy MacDonald - Pro: Looks like he will be a cog in the blue line for years to come. I got to see him develop in Bridgeport the past few years. He just keeps improving every game. Con: Like questions about people looking to get Martin jerseys now, will he wear 47 beyond the end of this year? I almost invested in a DiPietro #1 jersey, and I am rather glad I didn't as he switched to 39 shortly thereafter.

Jesse Joensuu - Pro: Like aMac, a guy I've had the pleasure of watchign develop down on the farm. Again, I love how he plays, going to the net and playing a sound defensive game. Con - Like aMac, will he keep 58 past this season?

Past

Kenny Jonsson - Pro: You don't know what you got 'till it's gone. Jonsson was here through the bad, and luckily some of the good as well. To know all you need to know about Jonsson, just look at the video of Tommy Salo's gaffe in 2002, while all the other players on Sweden are staring dumbstruck as the puck trickles in the net, he is diving head first trying to knock it away. Cons - Well, there were all those concussions. And that did lead to him leaving permamently for Sweden.

Tommy Soderstrom - Pro: I always wanted that helmet. He, like another one of my favorite goalies Archie Irbe, was also not that big (5'9"), and I have a soft sport for short goalies (Maybe it's because I tried to be one unsuccesfuly) Cons: Well, he kinda sucked when he was an Isle.

Pat LaFontaine - Pro: While honestly I never really had the chance to root for Pat as an islander, this one has a special meaning for me. When my 6 month old nephew was in Maria Fereri Childrens' Hospital at Westchester Medical Center a year ago after sustaining a serious head injury, Pat was there visiting as part of his Companions in Courage with Lord Stanley. I remember getting the call from my brother-in-law (Sabres fan) while I was at work that Pat had decided to spent a while visiting with my nephew and his family. He didn't need to, but he did. Cons: Well, he was kinda before my time.

Future?

Calvin de Haan - Pro: Future PP QB of the Islanders. Pretty much set what number he will wear (3). Untapped potential. Update: I can change my name to De Haans and Franz (HT to bob l). Cons: As a prospect still in Juniors he is still a great unknown.

Mikko Koskinen - Pro: He's Big, he'll probably be a part of this organization for a while and who knows he might be the Isles 1A down the lien. Cons: Just kidding. I would truely be insane to get this jersey now with him playing in all of 2 AHL games in his career and just coming off of labrum surgery.

So there you have it. Personally out of the eight serious ones, four are really under serious consideration (Bailey, aMac, Jonsson and LaFontaine). Any others I should consider? I want to stick to players from the time I have been a fan, so 93-94 season to present and not nececarily the "marque" type players either.

2010 Olympic Hockey TV Schedule

2010-02-15T18:29:40Z

Though the Islanders not named Mark Streit will be off in Mexico, Ontario and assorted points in between, we'll still be talking hockey of all varieties during the NHL's Olympic break here at Lighthouse Hockey. Part of that will be the occasional game thread/chat and quick review. If you have a must-see game you're going to watch, chime in -- even start a FanShot thread if there isn't one already up. My rooting bias will be anything involving Streit, as well as the USA and Czech Republic for my own "roots" reasons; but all your partisan cowbell-clanging is welcome here.

And by all means, feel free to write your own Olympic content in FanPosts: Confessed Norwegian homer Hans und Franz got us started off with reviews of the lesser-known Olympic hockey rosters here: Part I (Norway and Switzerland), and Part II (Latvia), and Part III (Germany and Belarus). And Swiss partisan BenHasna left his thorough remarks about Streit's team.

For reference, after the jump is a list of men's and women's games, with U.S./Canadian TV schedule when available. The NBC networks have listed almost all of these as "LIVE," but you know with Olympic coverage that can mean a lot of things -- particularly with the large window placed next to some of these games (something that is doubly irritating for DVR purposes, when the only window available is six hours with a game scheduled smack dab in the middle). Though Canadian networks are also listed when I've found them, the time windows (EST) are from the U.S. corporate giant and "NHL partner" that has paid good money to slap their logo all up and down these games.

Update: Thanks to TMC for posting a more precise schedule -- minus the "Oh, catch hockey sometime in between snow angels and this feature on the Mongolian figure skater" windows.

Note: All times Eastern.

Monday, Feb. 15

MSNBC
5:30-8 p.m. -- Women's -- Canada vs. Switzerland

Tuesday, Feb. 16

USA, TSN: Noon-6 p.m. -- Men's -- USA vs. Switzerland

CNBC, CTV: 5 p.m.-5 a.m. -- Men's -- Canada vs. Norway; Russia vs. Latvia

MSNBC: 5:30-8 p.m. -- Women's -- USA vs. Russia

Wednesday, Feb. 17

MSNBC: 3-8 p.m. -- Men's -- Finland vs. Belarus and TSN; Women's Hockey -- Canada vs. Sweden.

CNBC: 5 p.m.-5 a.m. -- Men's -- Sweden vs. Germany and TSN; Czech Republic vs. Slovakia; Women's -- Switzerland vs. Slovakia

Thursday, Feb. 18

USA, S-NET: Noon-5:30 p.m. -- Men's -- USA vs. Norway

CNBC, CTV: 5 p.m.-5 a.m.; Men's -- Canada vs. Switzerland

CNBC, TSN: Slovakia vs. Russia;

CNBC: Women's -- Russia vs. China

MSNBC: 5:30-8 p.m. -- Women's -- USA vs. Finland

Friday, Feb. 19

MSNBC: 3-5:30 p.m. -- Men's -- Belarus vs. Sweden

MSNBC, CTV: Midnight-3 a.m. -- Men's -- Finland vs. Germany

CNBC, S-NET: 5 p.m.-1 a.m. -- Men's -- Czech Republic vs. Latvia

Saturday, Feb. 20

MSNBC, S-NET: Noon-5:30 p.m. -- Men's -- Switzerland vs. Norway; 7:30-10 p.m. -- Men's -- Slovakia vs. Latvia

MSNBC, TSN: Midnight-3 a.m. -- Men's -- Belarus vs. Germany

Sunday, Feb. 21

NBC, TSN: Noon-6 p.m. -- Men's -- Russia vs. Czech Republic

MSNBC, CTV: 7-10 p.m. -- Men's -- USA vs. Canada; Midnight-3 a.m. -- Men's -- Finland vs. Sweden

Monday, Feb. 22

USA: Noon-6 p.m. -- Women's -- Semifinal

CNBC: 5 p.m.- 1 a.m. -- Women's -- Semifinal

Tuesday, Feb. 23

NBC: 12:35-2 a.m. -- Men's -- Elimination Round Game

USA: Noon-6 p.m. -- Men's -- Elimination Round Game

CNBC: 5 p.m.-2:30 a.m. -- Men's -- Elimination Round Games

Wednesday, Feb. 24

NBC: 3-5 p.m. -- Men's -- Quarterfinal.

CNBC: 7 p.m.-2:30 a.m. -- Men's -- Quarterfinals (three games)

Thursday, Feb. 25

MSNBC: 2-4:30 p.m. -- Women's -- Bronze Medal Game; 6-9 p.m. -- Women's -- Gold Medal Final (a.k.a. USA vs. Canada)

Friday, Feb. 26

NBC, CTV: 3-5 p.m. -- Men's -- Semifinal (a.k.a. All of Canada on pins and needles)

CNBC, CTV: 6 p.m. - Midnight -- Men's -- Semifinal

Saturday, Feb. 27

MSNBC, CTV: 10 p.m.-12:30 a.m. -- Men's -- Bronze Medal Game

Sunday, Feb. 28

NBC, CTV: Noon-6 p.m. -- Men's -- Gold Medal Final (LIVE).

Time for me to make some friends here; Trent Hunter has to go!!!!

2010-02-13T23:57:24Z

Yes, the lead in is dripping with sarcasm.

I'm not a knee jerk reactionary when it comes to talking about trading guys. Trent Hunter is clearly a case of two things:

1) A guy who never developed beyond the 25 goal mark of his rookie season.

2) A guy, like Brendan Witt, who's career is in decline.

There are certain players on this team the fans have suffered some wierd kind of "Stockholm Syndrome" with. On my list over the last few seasons it's been Hilbert, Park, Hunter and Bergenheim is starting to slowly find his way on it. Hunter is a bit of a different animal though. Had he not had a 25 goal rookie season and followed up two seasons later with another 20 goal season there probably would be no need for this conversation.

To make matter worse, despite the fact that he never really lived up to those numbers, his career is in decline. This is no longer one of those guys where you say, "He had a good rookie year and has fallen off a bit. He just needs some time to get back on track."

Actually watching his game he has become a perimeter player. He's become the kind of player that other younger players get beef for. The ironic thing is that Hunter is vet so there really is no excuse for him playing that kind of game. UNLESS, as I've mentioned and repeated often enough here, you career is in decline and you are no longer capable of getting to the sweet scoring spots in time.

Hunter does have value on the trade market. Teams that don't play a speed game or are trying to implement one are perfect landing spots for a guy like Hunter. The backwards thinking on the part of the franchise is that this is a third liner at best. There really is no need to keep him beyond this trade deadline on a rebuilding team. If your really hanging on to a guy like this what does that say about your ability to draft guys that can even work they way onto the third line?

Those guys are a dime a dozen in any given draft!!! Not to mention easy to sign on the UFA market for peanuts.

As I see it, his value (IOW the best you could get) at this point is that of a third round pick. That's pretty decent given that this guy was a 6th round pick up by Anaheim in 98. A second rounder would be absolute robbery. Granted we are talking a late second rounder given that it would most likely be a playoff team picking him up.

My overall thinking is that another year with Hunter and we are stuck with another Brendan Witt situation. A guy you can't trade cause his career is on a downhill slope and everybody knows it.

Lesser Known Olympic Hockey Teams: A Primer for Vancouver Part 3 of 3

2010-02-06T03:18:03Z

This is the final segment in my "Get to Know a Small Hockey Nation" preview for Vancouver. A quick recap, in Part 1 I looked at Group A with Norway's 1 NHLer, Mark Streit's Switzerland and a brief look at the qualification process. In Part 2 I looked at Dinamo Riga, errr, Latvia in the Group of Death, B. Now I conclude with Group C's Germany and Belarus. They will be competing against Finalnd and Sweden. Wait, what happened the last time Belarus and Sweden met in the Olympics? Oh yeah... This!

Tommy Salo could cure Cancer and AIDS tomorrow and he'd still be known for letting in that goal and Mike Milbury making him cry during arbitration (BTW, a couple things about that clip: 1 - You'll notice while all the other Swedes are standing around looking at the puck trickle in, Kenny Jonsson is diving head first into the net trying to clear the puck. That's just the kind of player he was. Also I don't think you could find a game more beloved by Finnish and Norwegian hockey fans than this one, you can tell by the Finnish pop song playing in the clip). While Group B is undoubtedly the Group of Death with Russia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Latvia, Group C will probably be a tough group to get through too.

Again, if any knows more about these teams then I do or would like to add their own analysis, please do in the comments. I wanted these to be interactive and informative (and maybe a little bit humerus/snarky), so please feel free to contribute or call me a dumb ass if you don't like my analysis. And I fully admit to an Anti-Swedish bias. Those pansies suck.

Germany

IIHF Ranking: 12
Last Olympics: 2006
How Qualified: Defeated Austria, Slovenia and Japan in Hannover
Medals?: 1 (Bronze, 1932)
NHLers?: 6 - Marco Sturm (Bos), Thomas Greiss (SJ), Dennis Seidenberg (Fla), Marcel Goc (Nas), Jochen Hecht (Buf), Christian Ehrhoff (Van)

Goalies: Gone is the venerable Olaf Kolzig, the starter for Germany the past two Olympics. Thomas Greiss gets off the bench in San Jose and steps into the crease for Germany. The current Shark will be backed up by former Shark prospect Dimitri Patzold, currently playing for Ingolstadt in the DEL. The third keeper is Augsburg's Dennis Endras.

Defense: This is probably Germany's strongest group with the Canuck's Christian Ehrhoff and Florida's Dennis Seidenberg anchoring a veteran group. Christopher Schmidt and Jason Holland are two Canadian born-Germany qualified d-men who will add size and North American experience to the side. this is a very tall group, with only Jakob Ficenec under 6'.

Forwards: Of all the lesser teams profiled, Germany has potentially the best group of forwards. NHLers Jochen Hecht, Marco Sturm and Marcel Goc are joined by Buffalo prospect Phil Gogulla and young power forward Marcel Muller (6'4"/212; 21 years old; undrafted) It is also a relatively young group with 4 of the 13 over the age of 30. They have the scoring depth to compete with Finland and Sweden.

Key Player: Thomas Greiss - Evgeny Nabokov's heir apparent will get his chance to shine on the big stage in Vancouver. In his limited time in San Jose this year he has put up respectable numbers (2.51/.919% in 11 Games) and with Nabokov likely leaving via free agency at the end of the year, Greiss will likely try to use this stage to cement his spot as the Sharks' future number 1.

Player to Watch: Christian Ehrhoff - The Canucks blue liner will be playing on home ice in the tournament. Vancouver has suited Ehrhoff as he is on pace for a career season offensively as he already has a career high in goals (11). While he has had success for Vancouver, this will be his first appearance in the German National side since the last Olympics in 2006.

Outlook: I am going to pick the surprise here and say Germany finishes 2nd ahead of Sweden and behind Finland. Uwe Krupp's team has a good mix of veterans and youth and has plenty of players who are currently in the NHL/AHL or have played in North America. This combined with the two Scandinavian powers in transition years, this is a prime opportunity for Germany to strike. Out of all the "Minor" nations in the tournament I believe Deutschland will be uber alles.

Belarus

IIHF Ranking: 8
Last Olympics: 2002
How Qualified: Automatic (Top 8 IIHF Ranking)
Medals?: Nope
NHLers?: 4 1 - Ruslan Salei (Col), ~~Mikhail Grabovski (Tor,~~ injured), ~~Andrei Kostitsyn (Mtl,~~ injured), Sergei Kostitsyn (Mtl)

Goalies: Andrei Mezin, hero of 2002, returns for what is likely his final Olympics. Mezin is having a decent year for Dinamo Minsk in the KHL, posting a line of 2.61/.901% over 36 games. He will be backed up by youngster Maxim Malyutin and his regular backup for Minsk Vitaly Koval.

Defense: Well, even before Salei went down with a back injury this was a thin group. Salei was the only returning member of the blue line from the 2002 team, with the rest of the group being fairly young. The defense will now be anchored by big man Nikolai Stasenko (6'5"/235) of the KHL's Amur Khabarovsk. UPDATE: Salei has recovered from back surgery, is healthy and will play. Obviously, this will help the defense, as Salei will liekly get ~25 minutes a game and take preasure off his young comrades.

Forwards: This was to be Belarus' strength with the Kostitsyn brothers, Grabovski and former Pen's prospect Konstantin Koltsov, but injuries have decimated the group. The offense will now be put squarely on the shoulders of Koltsov and Sergei Kostitsyn. This is also a smallish group of forwards that mights get over powered by the defenses of Sweden, Finland and Germany.

Key Player: Andrei Mezin - With Belarus' weak defense, Mezin will need to be in top form to give his country a shot. He's been on this stage before in 1998 and 2002, but his lines in the Olympics aren't pretty (3.54 GAA in 1998, 5.42/.868% in 2002).

Player to Watch: Nikolai Stasenko - He's got the size NHL teams crave at the blue line, and his contract with Khabarovsk is up at the end of the year. Similar to my Latvian player to watch, Lauris Darzins, if he has a good tournament he might get himself an NHL contract, or a heft pay-raise in the KHL.

Outlook: 4th behind Finland, Germany and Sweden. Well, the magical 2002 team this is not. Many of the players from that team have moved on or retired. Belarus is also decimated by injuries to ~~three~~ two of their key players, ~~Salei~~, Grabovski and Andrei Kostitsyn. Even with those ~~three~~ two, the rumored infighting between the Kostitsyn brothers and Grabovski looked to derail Belarus' campaign before it even started.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this journey. Hopefully this has helped you not scratch your head as Canada pummels Norway in the opening game or if one of these teams pulls a 2002 Belarus and Henrik Lundquist is forced into seclusion for a horrendous mistake that costs Sweden a chance at a medal (We can only hope).

One last thing, I would like to thank Dom for supporting this series and putting the first post on the main page and to commentor BenHansa for his comments on Part 1 about the Swiss team and a lesson in German.

Lesser Known Olympic Hockey Teams: A Primer for Vancouver Part 2 of 3

2010-02-02T02:38:21Z

In Part 1, I looked at Group A's two team you might not know much about, Norway and Switzerland. Now we look at Group B. Group B can be considered the Olympic version of the Group of Death. Tournament favorites Russia headline the group with the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Latvia the other three teams. The top three teams in this group are pretty stacked with NHLers or well known former NHLers, so Latvia will be the only team in this group I will look at.

If anyone has any analysis or information about Latvia I missed or think I was wrong about something, feel free to critique me in the comments (HT to BenHansa in Part 1 for his analysis of team Switzerland).

Latvia (a.k.a Dinamo Riga)
IIHF Ranking: 10
Last Olympics: 2006
How Qualified: Defeated Italy, The Ukraine and Hungary in Qualification Tournament
Medals?: Nope, Best Result 8th (1932)
NHLers? 2+ - Karlis Strastins (Dallas), Oskars Bartulis (PHI), Kaspars Daugavins (Split season between Ottawa and Binghamton)

Goalies: This will be Latvia's first post-USSR Olympics without Arturs "I thought I must be like a wall and not let them score" Irbe in goal. All three goalies are from KHL team Dinamo Riga. Edgars Masalskis will probably be Latvia's number one goalie after starting the last two WC's for his nation. His previous Olympic experience is 1 game, 7.49 GAA/.818% in 2006 in relief of Irbe. He is joined by both his backups at Dinamo, 40 year old Sergejs Naumovs and 25 year old Ervins Mustukovs .

Defense: This is a group of players that have played together quite a bit, anchored by ~~North~~ Stars vet Karlis Skrastins. They also boast the Flyers' Oskars Bartulis and former Devils pick and Albany River Rat Krisjanis Redlihs. All but three (Skrastins, Bartulis and Grizzly Adams Wolsburg's [Yes, that is the actual name of a team in Germany] Arvids Rekis) ply their trade for Dinamo Riga. This will also be the first post-USSR Olympics for Latvia without Sandis Ozolins. While Ozo might have been a bit of a liability defensively (to put it politely), they will miss him on the power play.

Forwards: Again a Dinamo Riga heavy group, but there should be some familiar names among this group. Janis Spukts played for Florida last year before returning to Latvia this season. Senators prospect Kaspars Daugavins and former Bruins and Lightning prospect Martins Karsums will also add to the offense. They will need secondary scoring to compete with Russia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, but the question is who will supply it? In the past Latvia could at least count on some production from Ozolins, but this crop of defensemen doesn't have anyone that can prodice that kind of offense.

Key Player: Janis Sprukts - If Latvia has the hope of competing with the Czechs or Slovaks, they have to score. Sprukts will have the wieght of Latvia's offense on his shoulders. While he has some help, the scoring depth is a bit thin beyond Prukts, Darzins, Daugavins and Karsums.

Player to Watch: Lauris Darzins - At 25, the 6'3" 200 lbs power forward and former Predators pick (Lost his exclusive rights, no "Bona Fide" offer at end of his WHL career) is already a veteran of the SM-Liiga, WHL, Czech League and the KHL. His contract with Dinamo is up at the end of the year and he is tied for 3rd on the team in goals. He needs to have a good tournament providing secondary scoring if Latvia is going to make some noise. Given his age, size and experience a good showing in the tournament might garner some interest from NHL clubs, a la Ville Peltonen at Turin. Or he could get a considerable pay raise in the KHL.

Outlook: 4th in group B. Not good. Not good at all. While Latvia might have some of the best hockey fans in the world, and some of the coolest names on the roster, those fans will be left watching their team loose. Watching the Latvians is always fun none the less, they have terrific fans who always put on a good show and it will be entertaining to listen to Joe Micheletti, Doc Emmrick or Darren Pang butcher the names of Edgars Masalskis, Aleksandrs Nizivijs and Herberts Vasilijevs.

Next, I will complete the series with Group C, looking at Belarus and Germany. It should be fun, if only to see how many different videos of Tommy Salo's screw-up against Belarus in 2002 I can uncover.

Lesser Known Olympic Hockey Teams: A Primer for Vancouver Part 1 Update

2010-01-29T22:10:24Z

With the start of the Olympic hockey tournament two weeks away, I thought I would do this since I know a good amount about the lesser known teams in the IIHF. I figured tonight would be a good time too since we don't have a game to watch and discuss, and there isn't much Isles news otherwise (Woohoo, Trevor Gillies!).

We all know the big guns going into Vancouver, but I'd thought I would give a quick primer on the lesser known countries so that you won't feel totally ignorant when watching Canada or the USA crush Norway, or see Belarus upset Sweden again (You'll never live that game down, Tommy Salo). I will go by group, starting first with Group A's Norway and Switzerland.

UPDATE

Due to some confusion for qualification, I will elaborate on the qualification process.

Qualification was as follows (12 Team Field)

The host nation, in this case Canada, automatically qualifies for the tournament.

The top eight teams in the IIHF rankings on May 18th, 2008 excluding Canada qualified automatically. These teams (In no particualr order) are USA, Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden, Finalnd and Switzerland.

The final three sports were determined by three qualification tournaments that took palce on February 5th-8th 2009:

Oslo: Norway defeated Denmark, Kazakhstan and France
Riga: Latvia defeated Italy, the Ukraine and Hungary
Hannover: Germany defeated Austria, Japan and Slovenia

Norway

IIHF Ranking: 11

Last Olympics: 1994 (Host Nation), Last Qualified in 1992

How Qualified - Defeated Denmark, France and Kazakhstan in Qualification Tournament

Medals?: None, Best Finish 8th in 1972

NHLers?: 1, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen (~~PHI~~, Det)

Goalies: Norway's number one for the past five World Championships, Pål Grotnes, will again be the starter in Vancouver. He will be backed up by youngsters Andre Lysenstøen and Ruben Smith . None of the three play in a league that would be considered a high level of competition, Grotnes and Smith play in Norway and Lysenstøen plays in the second tier of Finnish hockey.

Defense: This will be the key if Norway are going to make any noise in Group A. They are a defensive-minded team and this group has been together a while. All but one played for the Norwegian team at last two World Championships. The most recognizable name is Tollefsen, formerly of Columbus and now a healthy scratch for the ~~Flyers,~~ Red Wings. The captain and elder statesman of the team is Tommy Jakobsen. The diminutive 39 year old has played in 17 World Championships and the last two times Norway made the Olympics, this is probably his swan song. Keep an eye out for Jonas Holøs, the Colorado draft pick has been playing well in the Elitserien this year and will probably be playing his trade in North America next year.

Forwards: There are a few familiar names among Norway's forwards. Patrick Thoresen (Link) is an ex-NHLer, of almost ruptured testicle fame, currently lies 4th in the KHL in scoring. Marius Holtet is a former 2nd round pick of the ~~North~~ Stars. Most of the forwards play in either the Elitserien (Mats Zucarello-Aasen, Per-Age Skrøder, Martin Ylven Laumann, Mathis Olimb, Kristian Forsberg, Holtet, Mads Hansen and Martin Røymark) or the DEL (Tore Vikingstad, Morten Ask and Anders Bastiensen). There are some scorers in Thoresen, Zucarello Aasen (2nd in the Elitserien) and Skrøder, but for the most part they are a defensive minded group.

Key Player: Pål Grotnes. This is a defensive team, but for the system to be effective Grotnes needs to perform. He has in the past, in the 2008 WC in Halifax. He held off the Canadian onslaught for two periods before he came back down to earth and had an overtime loss to Finland.

Player to Watch: Mats Zucarello-Aasen. On a MoDo team that has Peter Forsberg, Marcus Naslund and Niklas Sundstrom, the young Norwegian is the offensive star. He is small (5'7", 161) but has averaged over a point per game since moving to the Elitserien two years ago. He is small, shifty and an ace in the shootout.

Outlook: 4th in the group. You would think that the NHL size rink would be a detriment to such a Euro-Centric team but Norway's recent success on the International stage came in Halifax on the NHL rink. But, they will be the sacrificial lambs for USA and Canada, and I don't think they have enough offense beyond Thoresen and Zucarello Aasen to overcome the Swiss defense and goalies.

Switzerland

IIHF Rank: 7

Last Olympics: 2006

How Qualified: Automatic (Top 8 IIHF ranking)

Medals?: 2 Bronzes, 1928, 1948

NHLers?: 2+, Mark Streit (NYI, duh), Jonas Hiller (ANA), Yannik Weber (Split time between NHL and AHL), Luca Sbisa (split time between NHL and WHL)

Goalies: Hiller will probably be the number one backed up by former NHLer and current KHLer Marty Gerber. Former Dallas prospect and Sound Tiger Tobias Stephan will likely be watching most of the tournament from the press box. Hiller has played well for Anaheim this year, supplanting J.S. Guiguere as starter.

Defense: Like Norway, this is Switzerland's strength. Mark Streit will be captaining his home country for the third Olympics. He will be joined by promising youngters Luca Sbisa, Yannick Weber and Roman Josi. The remaining members of the blue line (Blindenbacher, Bezina, Diaz and Seger) are all veterans of the NLA. This groups will be fun to watch, as it does contain the only Islander and three promising young players.

Forwards: This is a weak group, as Switzerland had to recruit Canadian, ex-Whaler and all around awesome name Hnat Domenicelli, who has been playing in the NLA for the past seven seasons. The rest of the forwards feature Hartford Wolf Pack-er Andres Ambuhl, and a bunch of NLA vets. The Swiss decided not to put 17 year old phenom, Lucas Sbisa's newest teammate and BC's Favorite (and future Islander?) Nino Niederreiter on the roster. This is probably for the best, as while they could use his offense it is better for his long term development not to play against the big boys quite yet.

Key Player: Mark Streit. He is the Islanders only Olympian, and it isn't his first time on this stage either. He was captain of Switzerland in 2002 and 2006, and has played in eleven WC's. As team captain and head of the defense, he will be logging big minutes for the Swiss. Expect to see him in all situations and probably teamed up with one of the two youngsters Sbisa or Josi.

Player to Watch: Roman Josi. The 19 year old, 2nd round pick of Nashville has a big shot (9 goals in 24 games for Bern) and a fairly productive WJC. I give him the slight nod over Sbisa and Weber to watch because he isn't state-side yet. He will probably be playing for Nashville's AHL team next year.

Outlook: 3rd in group, Loosing to Canada and USA, beating Norway. Defense and Goalies keep games vs. USA and/or Canada close, Defense shuts down Norway's 1 line and a cloud of dust offense.

Let me know in the comments if you like this and want me to continue with the other two groups (B, Latvia and C, Germany and Belarus) sometime next week. If you don't like it, I won't continue. If I steppend on anyone's toes by doing this too, I'm sorry.

my thoughts on the post olympic season

2010-02-12T06:16:52Z

I think we have dropped out of a playoff spot at thi spoint and will see some trades, mostly for draft choices. This will lead to a few more call-ups and looks.

I was happy with martin the last few games and see Gordon giving him a spot for the rest of the year after the break. It was smart to send him back for the break.

so who gets traded?

Forwards-

I think Martin is going t fill the role that Jon Sim has been doing, and that makes Sim trade bait. I am not sure what kind of want there is for him, but playoff teams do like to add a little grit, and fire to the lineup at the trade dead line.

Doug Weight- this guy has been valuable in the locker room from what everyone says, but he has not produced in the game. He has 0 goals, but he is a good passer and could help a team on the PP, especially if a team finds themselves with an injury late. I hate to see him go, but he has seemed a step behind since his return. Where will taveras live?

Richard Park- great PK, has lost some on his shot though. he will attract some interest and be gone, he is too old for the NYI, and not part of the big plan

Tamby- I like this guy but it seems that Gordon does not so he will be thrown in on one of these trades

Trent Hunter- possibly, but I am very iffy on him leaving

all these trade will bring us draft picks, 2nd or 3rd rounders maybe, or players who haven't fit another teams system

Defense

I think we see either Bruno Gervais or Freddie Meyer possibly get traded, but maybe not til after the season. I like the way both have come along but think we will see Harmonic or De haan next season. I wonder if we will see Martinek back. I think we will go with Hillen, macDonald, and Kohn next season. Hopefully we keep Sutton because I think he is becoming a very good blue liner

Goalie

I hate to say it but I think we trade Rollie, I think it will be a mistake but I see us keeping Biron as our backup and DP starting. I do not see Rollie staying to back up, because even at 40 he has proven to be capable if he plays everyday, but a little poorer sharing the net. plus he should get us something back, hopefully a good young D, someone big.

What are your thoughts, where do you see us moving guys.

If the Isles are sellers come the trade deadline...

2010-02-11T17:56:59Z

If the Islanders decide to be sellers come the NHL trade deadline, which players do you think could be finding themselves a new home come March? While it is possible that the Isles could remain in contention for one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, the realistic part of me thinks that the Isles will finish in the range of 8-12 points behind the 8th place team in the conference. Yes, I am certainly rooting for the team to turn the dial and have a strong finish, I am thinking that it may be beneficial for the Islanders to continue building towards the future. Assets in a trade will probably involve the form of draft picks, probably in the 4th round or lower. I don't think that Garth Snow will do any better than that, but you never know. With the player assets the Isles have, I don't anticipate prospects coming our way.

Martin Biron - I think he would be the strongest candidate to be traded. I think that it is more of a matter of which teams are willing to invest in some goaltending depth for a playoff run. The Ottawa Senators may be a good fit for Biron, or possibly the Montreal Canadiens if the Habs decide to trade Carey Price or Jaroslav Halak.

Doug Weight - I'm surprised his name hasn't really been mentioned, but I wouldn't be surprised if a playoff bound team goes for Weight in order to have some depth, playoff experience and leadership. I don't know how many more years Weight has remaining in the NHL, so it may be fitting to send Weight off with a playoff run. I think he may fit in well on the Los Angeles Kings.

Jon Sim, Richard Park, etc. - Possible trade assets, but unlikely. I don't think Sim has a place on the Islanders of the future, but maybe Park does. Park may be more of a tradable asset than Sim. Andy Sutton is also a possibility, and I think he is at the end of his contract, but I somehow envision the Islanders wanting to keep him around, probably for another season as the young crop of defensemen continue to mature. Maybe the Isles can find someone daring enough to take Tambellini or Witt off their hands, but we may have a better chance seeing pigs fly.