Islanders dilemma and age old question

NEW YORK – This time last year we knew the Tampa Bay Lightning were going to select Steven Stamkos with the first overall pick because the club had purchased billboards using the slogan, “Got Stamkos?” This year the signs are pointing in circles as the New York Islanders have not only stayed away from announcing who they will pick, but they have invited the draft’s top three rated players into their offices for interviews.

The consensus number one pick is John Tavares, who has already visited the club. Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene are scheduled to come in. With those players coming in for visits, it can only lead to speculation that Tavares may not be the Islanders first choice or that a deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the number two selection might come to fruition. One thing is for certain, and that is the Islanders are primed to add talent in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. They currently own 11 selections in the draft, including five picks in the first two rounds. The Islanders also hold the 26^th choice in the first round giving General Manager Garth Snow a chance to add assets who could help turn the franchise around. The club also made out in two trades which involved conditional draft choices. The first trade took place before the 2007-08 season when Petteri Nokelainen was traded to the Boston Bruins for Ben Walter and a conditional second round pick in 2009. The conditions were met when Nokelainen played in a certain amount of games with the Bruins during the 2007-08 season. Snow also picked up a third round pick in the Bill Guerin trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Islanders needed the Penguins to advance past the first round and for Guerin to play in half the Penguins games to upgrade a conditional fifth round pick. Both conditions were met. No matter what happens in the draft, the club believes it will be a better team next season for the simple fact that goaltender Rick DiPietro is supposed to be healthy after appearing in only five games last year due to injury, none of which came after January 2, 2009. Supposed to come back is an applicable statement when discussing DiPietro who has played well when healthy, but staying healthy has been an issue for the goaltender who has 13 years remaining on his contract. If the club can rely on DiPietro and does not sign a goaltender who could start in case of emergency, they could suffer through another long season. Look for Snow to avoid that situation and bring in an experienced NHL goaltender who could start in case DiPietro cannot. The Islanders strength and deepest talent pool is up front. They have solid young players such as Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey already in the NHL, and there are hopes that Corey Trivino and Kirill Petrov will come along someday. Tavares or even Matt Duchene would definitely be of use to the Islanders because, despite the presence of Bailey and Okposo, the Islanders need more forwards. There isn’t much in the way of up-and-coming defenders on the Island which might give Hedman the edge over Tavares and/or Duchene. Mark Streit led the team in scoring, albeit with just 56 points, but Streit is 31, expensive, and is not going to be the long-term answer for the club. In addition to Streit, Bruno Gervais, Radek Martinek, Freddy Meyer, Brendan Witt and Andy Sutton each played over 20 minutes per game with the team this year, but an argument can be made that this unit needs to be supplemented. The Islanders hope Jack Hillen, Aaron Ness, and Travis Hamonic can improve enough to crack the roster someday soon. The club holds out the most hope for Hess who some think could develop into a defender who can produce points. Hess should be given time to physically mature in college (U. of Minnesota) before turning pro. So what do the Islanders do? Add Tavares or Duchene to a unit which already has top-end talent? Or do they select Hedman to anchor their blueline for years? Perhaps a trade is not out of the question if another team has a player in mind that they believe to be a true superstar. A trade could also help the Islanders bring some NHL depth in. Finally, and probably most importantly, the franchise has struggled financially and there is an arena and development deal in the works. A marketable star name might just make sense since the club needs to sell tickets and have a player that they could use as the face of the organization. It is my opinion the club should either trade the pick or go with Hedman. However, I believe in the end Tavares’ name and offensive skills are too good to be passed up and he will be the Islanders, or with whoever sits in the number one position. Still, baring a trade, you can expect to hear these words come out of Garth Snows mouth at the NHL Entry Draft in March. “With the first pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Islanders proudly select, from the London Knights, center, John Tavares.” Contact the author at Tom.Schettino@prohockeynews.com