The Big Bad D

We have beaten the analysis of the forwards into the earth and there's not much else we can do to manipulate it. It will be Snolan's call whether Bergenheim and Tambellini finally get a fair shot, or whether we will be horrified with another year of the Hilberts, Parks, and Bates'. Now let's take a look at our big bad defense.

If the season started today, our defense would include in its top-6: Brendan Witt, Radek Martinek, Andy Sutton, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Bruno Gervais, & Chris Campoli. Freddy Meyer is the best bet for the 7th defenseman and one-time Isles' Calder winner Bryan Berard is coming to camp on a tryout basis. Not the best crew, but certainly not as bad as it was a few weeks back. Sutton gives the Isles a legitimate NHL crease clearer, standing at 6-6, Sutton is undoubtedly an upgrade over the slow-footed/undersized/offensively-challenged Sean Hill. Further, no one knows for sure how Berard will come to camp, but there's one thing I do know about Berard: he will come to camp ready to work. Anyone who can battle back from the kind of injury that Berard suffered will certainly come to a "tryout" more than ready to prove his worth. Kudos to Bryan for all he has achieved thus far in his career.

The first pairing should include Witt and Martinek. Witt does it all: shot blocking, penalty killing, first line match ups, the works (except the powerplay). Same goes for Martinek, at a much quicker speed with less muscle. Yet Martinek's small frame constantly lands him on the injured list because he tries to play a game beyond his physical capabilities. But for now, these are easily our top-2 D-men, with Sutton as the third. MAB is prone to defensive lapses and needs to be paired with a defensive minded D-man. I think Sutton-MAB is a good match up. While everyone is quick to point to MAB's defensive blunders, he was still a plus-rated player last season and averaged almost a point per game. I'll take that this season.

That leaves Gervais and Campoli as the likely 5/6 D-men. I've been over their numbers before. Gervais was the worst rated plus/minus D-man on the Isles last season and Campoli wasn't that much better. Both should be looking to rebound after below average performances last season. Neither are overly physical, especially Campoli who was continuously seen being out-muscled along the boards, in front of the net, etc. If either falters during training camp, look for Berard to jump right in. Berard is a seasoned vet who has proven his career-threatening injury wont affect his determination. Knowing Snolan the way I do, look for the third D-man pairing to include Gervais and Berard over Campoli.

Adding Markov would certainly upgrade our D. The reason for this is plain and simple: Markov is currently a better defenseman than Gervais, Campoli, MAB, and Sutton. This would indeed knock Campoli to the Bridge for the season, but if the goal is to put the best product possible on the ice, then this is a smart move. In addition, things would not spin out of control if Martinek went down with an injury. However, if the goal of the season is to build for the future, then it would be best to give Campoli the NHL playing needed in order to further develop his game.

Some other issues...

Jokinen: I am hesitant to welcome back Jokinen (not that it's plausible). Some players can't seem to produce in an Isles uniform and for whatever reason, I believe Jokinen is one of those players. He was a high-draft pick, but never showed the motivation or determination to succeed as an Islander. Jokinen was not one of those Isles prospects who we simply traded before he was given a fair chance to fully develop, (that was more the case with players like Bertuzzi, McCabe, Luongo, etc.) Jokinen played a lackluster game (Kvasha-like) and I don't believe it's a guarantee for him to put up the numbers he has put up with Florida, with the Isles. It's just a gut instinct, I have no data to back up such an opinion.

Hunter: Snow definitely messed something up here. Hunter should have been locked up for the next 5 years at a reasonable market price. Hunter is a good team player and a clutch goal scorer, so I find it strange that Snow went all the way to arbitration here while failing to sign him to a long-term deal. However, I don't think a Trent Hunter is going to make or break the Isles franchise. Let's hope Snow can lock up Hunter at some point during the season.

Peca: I was a fan of bringing back Peca, but with the signing of Vasicek, there's just no room for Peca here. Bill said it best when he remarked how important Peca was for us when he first came, but also how he would merely be another 3rd/4th line injury-prone player. I'm glad Garth stayed away.

Lost FAs: The only FA Snolan lost who we would have liked to keep was Poti. Kozlov was OK during the season, disappeared for weeks at times, although he was handy in the shootout. But having players who only play when they feel like it screws with a locker room. I was certainly not sad to see him go. Yashin good-riddance, same to Blake, Zednik, etc. Snow may have under-estimated the value of the market, but I don't think it really mattered all that much. I don't think the Isles would have paid what the Caps are paying Poti, and most of the other FAs probably weren't coming to the Isles anyway. Someone like Priessing may have slipped away from Garth, but I can't think of any others.

The DP Contract: For now it's an all-star move. We have an elite goaltender locked up for below his market value. That being said, I'm not sure why Wang couldn't have tamed his impulses and offered DP a 10-year deal. Goaltenders are streaky and they can lose their magic pretty quickly (see the careers of Felix Potvin/Chris Osgood).