clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Summer Questions: Which Islanders great would you add to today's lineup?

As we start to think about maybe counting down the days until camp, we'll be posing some thematic questions to let our commenters carry the day.

By Dominik
I like to think Trottier would tower over today's roster too. Metaphorically, I mean.
I like to think Trottier would tower over today's roster too. Metaphorically, I mean.
Bruce Bennett

Today's "summer question" is one you can take in a hundred different directions -- only a few of them involving your favorite band or Michael Grabner's ice time.

The assignment: Fire up your time machine (a DeLorean is a fine choice) and pick a past Islanders player -- any ex-Islanders player (so he can still be active) -- in his prime who you would most like to add to today's lineup.

I'm curious which way some of you will go with this, so I'll try not to lead you. But possible preferences could include:

  • A favorite player, just because you'd like to see him again.
  • A key player who, in a purely functional way, would fill a need in today's lineup.
  • A Hall of Famer (or the like), because why settle for one John Tavares talent when you can have two?
  • Mick Vukota or something.
  • No cloning current players though (you can't actually have two John Tavareses).

Also, it's up to you -- and the fellow commenters who might shame you -- if it's okay to pick someone who was good back in the day but whose prime skills might not translate to today's game. (I'm looking at you, Chico.)

For me, as much as I was in awe of Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier, as much as I loved watching John Tonelli and Clark Gillies, and as tempted as I am to pick a goalie to fill what I see as the Isles' biggest question mark heading into 2013-14, I'm going with the player and role I think would make the biggest difference on today's roster:

Denis Potvin.

Add an all-zone, all-situation, vicious hitter with excellent offensive and defensive skills, and you'd have the Pronger Effect (only better) on this roster. The Isles are deep at forward and would be embarrassingly wealthy if they added a superstar defenseman to the top of the blueline depth chart. That would assuage my worries about eh goaltending.

Honorable Mention: Darius Kasparaitis, purely because it would be fun to see him go Kaspar-vs-Lemieux on today's stars.

So who would you pick? As noted above, the criteria is open. Use it wisely.