A Holiday Present Delivered Early
Yesterday, both the Islanders and University of Minnesota confirmed that Kyle Okposo would be leaving the Golden Gophers and will join the Islanders organization after playing in the Under-20 World Junior Championships.
This can only be a good thing for our Islanders, who are dead last in scoring in the NHL. After last night's game, where we outplayed Buffalo and still lost, it is clear this team needs a scorer who can actually put the puck in the net. While the team was able to put 40+ shots on goal last night, many of those shots were from far outside or from poor angles. Of those 40+, I would say roughly 10 were actually good shots on net. The addition of Okposo could change the face of this team dramatically. It would allow the Isles to take the wonderboy Andy Hilbert or Tim Jackman (who actually is filling in nicely to the role that Simon should have been playing) out of the lineup. I would then put Okposo with Comrie and Ruslan to give Comrie move room to handle the puck and let Okposo use his big frame in front of the net. Comrie had one of his better games last night and I feel one of the main reasons was because he actually kept his head up while skating and puck handling.
While I agree with Nolan not to play MAB after 2 horrible games on the defensive end, I can't justify playing FMIV. He is clearly nothing better then a decent AHL dman. Where has Berard been? I realize he played poorly prior to his benching but Nolan loves to give Hilbert and others (namely Simon) more than second chances, so where is Berard?
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28 comments:
I can think of several young players whose careers were sidelinded by the Islanders. Tim Connoly, Jokinnen, Luongo and even Bertuzzi were all rushed to the big club before they were ready. Several lost confidence and it took a change of teams for them to reacquire their self worth.
Leave Okposo in the AHL to develope where he belongs. Rushing him up this season is not going to change what is basically wrong with this team and probably will do more harm than good.
Shink, I don't want to see Tambellini of the 4 th line. I would like to see him on the 3 rd line in Hilberts spot. Hilbert does not deserve to be on this team anymore than Simon or Jackman does.
Guerrin-Tank-Comrie
Satan-Joe V-Bergy
Sillinger-Hunter-Tambellini
Walter-Comeau-Park
Does that look so bad to you? It looks better than the sad sacks we see out there every night. Anyone else agree or disagree?...............Bill
Bill,
The problem with this team is the production of the first line, we are getting little or no production and they are not holding up their end in the defensive zone. Clearly Okposo would first be sent to the bridge but if he lights up it down there you wouldn't want to see him getting ice time up here?
Bill,
I like those lines a lot better then the lines we have now. However, I don’t think it is going to happen. Nolan loves Hilbert too much to sit him. We can hope....
I have to disagree with you about Okposo. The players you mentioned careers weren’t sidelined by the Islanders. We simply got rid of them when they were still young and that was a mistake. Obviously players are going to get better with experience in this league. Okposo is a very talented player and why not let him adjust to the speed of the NHL. I predict him to make an immediate impact as soon as he comes up. I think he can come up and be a top 6 forward on this team.
P.S. Tim Connelly reminds me of a much better and more talented Andy Hilbert he actually creates a lot of scoring chances but has the same problem he cant finish.
Tonight’s game is very winnable considering Pittsburgh’s inconstant play and goaltending problems. I see the Islanders losing tonight and winning tomorrow at home against another inconsistent but less talented Washington Capital team. I am very excited to see Crosby and Ovechkin on back to back nights.
Double G, I don't know if you were a fan back when Tim Connolly was rushed into the line up when he was 18.
It was brutal. He was a boy playing with men. The team was horrible (like now) and all of the
fans were looking to him to be a savior. Of course he couldn't live up to the fans expectations and he was never the player that he should have been. He was booed unmercifully and almost had a breakdown.
Most hockey people will tell you that the experience set his development back about 5 years and seriously ruined his confidence and that he was never the same player after that.
More or less Jokinnen, Bertuzzi, McCabe and Luongo all went through the same thing. Not as bad as Connolly, but they all turned into stars somewhere else.
Okposo is only 19 years old. I would hate to see the weight of a lousy team fall on his shoulders.
He is not going to turn this franchise around by himself.
Let him go to Bridgeport and see how he handles that. If he lights it up down there, then bring him up. By then we should know where this team is going.
Okposo is the one real chance that the Islanders have to develop a star player. Let's not rush him for the sake of one miserable season.
Yes, I know you guys are all saying that I am the one who always advocates bringing up the kids to play here. But the difference is that Walter, Tambellini and Neilsson are all 23 years old and have a couple of AHL seasons under their belts.
Okposo is 19 and has barely a season and a half of college hockey for his entire career.
There are very few wunderkinds who can step into the NHL as a teenager. Gretsky, Crosby, Jagr, to name a few.
Okposo is not in that class.
Let's not ruin the one good thing that may be coming to the Island in the future......Bill
I think Geoff hit it when he said that we should start Okposo in the AHL and see what happens. If he starts lighing up the AHL, then it will be hard to leave him there while the Isles are starved for offense.
Bill,
I have been an islander fan since I am 5.Trust me the fans aren’t going to boo Okposo. Okposo is different from Connolly. No one think Okposo is going to be the savoir this year. There is nothing wrong with bringing him up. I have played hockey my whole life and don’t believe getting booed is going to affect a player for 5 years. Maybe for a game but, 5 years that’s way too extreme. I don’t care what expert believes that I just don’t see it. Connolly hasn’t improved that much his entire career besides his one good year in 05-06. He had 14 goals 10 goals 10 goals 12 goals 8 goals 16 goals 1 goal in only 2 games and now 5 goals. The new NHL is much better for Connolly it gives him time to dangle. Before 05-06 the NHL was much more physical and not set up for Connollys game. Anyways that is completely irrelevant because Okposo won’t be booed. He is big and strong and very talented. I played with someone who played with Okposo at Des Monies and he said out of all the players in the league Okposo was not only the most talented but was the most clutch hockey player he has ever seen. He scored big goal after big goal. If he is successful for a few games in the AHL they have to bring him up. Experience is only a good thing for a hockey player. As you go up levels the game gets a lot faster and having him in the NHL this year will help his game.
Big win tonight. The islanders outplayed the Penguins for most of the game. Although the first 2 goals we scored should have definitely been stopped we outplayed Pittsburgh and deserved the win. Witt and Martinek were awesome tonight. They made Crosby look like anything but Crosby. Martinek is one of the most underrated players in the league. He eats up minutes and is very solid player. We worked hard every shift tonight and hopefully we will do the same tomorrow.
Double G "I have been an islander fan since I am 5."
Sounds like you are in you twenties, now. I have been a fan since the first game the Islanders ever played. In fact, since the league had six teams. It doesn't make me any more knowledgeable than you.
It just means that I have seen more hockey than you have and know the history of the franchise first hand.
If Okposo doesn't play well, he will get booed.
In a season where the team is starved for offense, fans will be looking to Okposo to score. If he fails to live up to his billing, the fans will turn on him. It is just the nature of fans everywhere.
No matter how you slice it, the kid is just 19 years old. To rush him into a situation that he is not ready for, would be foolish.
Let him get his feet wet in Bridgeport. I would rather see him play the season down there and prosper than come up here and fail.
There are no other stars on the horizon for this franchise. Let's be careful with this one.....Bill
Another good game by Comeau. I hope he can continue to play well. Perhaps it will convince Snow to give a few others a chance.
Bill, this team is "horrible"? Wow, you have some high standards. Don't know how a team 1 game over .500, 2 pts out of a playoff spot & 7 pts out of first in the division (w/ 2 games in hand) constitutes a horrible team.
Must be hard to live life with such high expectations. Lighten up pal!
Bill,
So why isn’t Guerin getting booed? He only has 8 goals and isn’t living up to expectations. You probably do know the franchise better then me I never tried to argue that. I don’t think they are going to boo a 19 year old in his first season. He isn’t expected to come in and score 50 goals. My point was getting booed doesn’t set a hockey player back 5 years. Any expert that says Connellys games was set back 5 years because of the Islander fans clearly has never played the game. The reason for Connelly being so successful in the 05/06 season wasn’t because the 5 years off from getting booed, but from the new rules to the game. As I said before the new NHL fits his game much better. That is definitely the major reason for his big season as well as learning to play in the NHL. Bringing Okposo up is exactly what we need to do. It is a no loose situation. He will most likely help the team offensively and if he doesn’t (which is extremely unlikely) he will be able to adjust to the speed of the NHL and prepare him for next year. As a player it’s hard to adjust as you move up levels. The game gets a lot faster and players are bigger and stronger. Unless you are a superstar you need some time at the new level to adjust. Having Okposo play this year will only make him a better player next season and I believe he is going to come up and make an immediate impact.
Okposo should start in the bridge as there is a clear difference between college hockey and AHL. As I stated earlier, if Okposo plays well down in the bridge over a 5-10 game span there is no reason why not to bring him up here to get his feet wet in the NHL.
The way our younger plays have been playing this year (Campoli, Bruno, Bergs, and now Comeau), I only want to see more youth inserted into the lineup, especially if it means we can rid our lineup of the Hilbert's and Simon's of NHL.
NYISLES
"Must be hard to live life with such high expectations. Lighten up pal!"
Do you live your life with low expectations??? If you do, I guess you get what you wish for. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you.
This team is 12th out of 15 teams. Yes, I do consider that horrible.
Top 4 is excellent, 5-8 is a acceptable, 9-11 is bad and 12-15 is horrible. Aim low and never be disappointed.
Double G, Sometimes players suffer setbacks due to mental problems.
Chuck Knoblach couldn't throw the ball to first base. Mackey Sasser couldn't reach the pitchers mound after catching the ball.
Tim Connoly had trouble regaining his confidence due to his Islanders experience. He also had severe concussion problems that have plauged him for a large part of his career.
A large part of any sport is your mental approach to the game. This is why several teams have sports psychologists on their payroll.
5 to 10 games is not enough for Okposo in the AHL. 15 or 20 would be more like it.
Bill Guerrin, Mike Comrie and Hilbert should be booed. It just shows the apathy of Islander fans that they can't be bothered to boo.
Don't take my word for it. Any of you long time fans feel free to jump in and recall how Tim Connolly was treated when he was brought up at 18 years old.....Bill
I didn’t say Connolly wasn’t booed. I was a fan than as well. This is a different time and team and he won’t be booed I think everyone will pretty much agree with me on that issue. (Please someone comment) I don’t think any player has been booed on our team this entire season. So why would the fans start to boo a player who is 19 year old who isn’t expected to be Sidney Crosby? I agree the mental aspect affects a player’s game. However, do you honestly believe it set him back 5 years? Do you really believe Okposo will be booed and Tim C was set back 5 years because as a knowledgeable hockey fan (which I think you are) I just don’t believe you can honestly believe that?
Double G, I actually was very interested in Tim Connolly's career and followed it pretty closely. I thought that he would turn into a much better player than his numbers have indicated.
I can only go by what people that know him and hockey commentators have written. Whether it was five years or four years , I know that he believes that the Islanders rushed him into a situation that he was not ready to handle.
From listening to interviews with him, he freely admits that the booing affected him and had an adverse effect upon his development and his career.
Too much pressure thrust upon a young player is never a good thing. I don't have a clue if Okposo is one of those rare athletes who can handle it or not.
From his play this year, it appears that he has not adjusted well. Let's see how he does in the Worlds, before bringing him onto a team that can't score.
I just feel that he is too precious a commodity to risk on a team that is going nowhere.
Let him excell in the AHL and bring a helemt full of confidence to the Islanders when he is ready....Bill
So Bill, if you're a devils fan this season, then you would think the team is horrible for the first 15 games of the season, and now excellent?
That makes no sense. The season is 82 games long. Your gloom and doom must be hard to live with.
Re: I don't think anyone can attest to Okposo's actual potential until he plays in the AHL. He's not having a great year in college, but that means very little. College teams have way too high talent turnover, and for all we know UMN might have no one else surrounding him. Or have a lot of young guys. Lets see what he does in BP, and lets bring him up.
Blake Comeau is impressive out there. I'm also somewhat impressed with Jackman...that line is so much better without Simon. Now instead of getting rid of Hilbert, like so many are calling for, I'd like to see Sillinger replaced with Walter. The guy wiffed on another scoring chance tonight, and pretty much only brings face-off wins to the table. And now we have Park out there winning the big ones anyway, so we shouldn't miss him. Sillinger aged about 5 years in the offseason, and is hurting out there. Maybe we can package him in a trade somehow?
Regarding Timmy C there were two main reasons that happened during his career with the isles and in the NHL in general that set him back. The first is that as a 19 year old we on the island threw Timmy right into the role of 1st line center of a very young team (with little to no defense outside of Kenny J). While everyone knew that Tim had and has the skills to play this role in the NHL at that beginning point in his career it was alot of pressure to put on a kid especially since he had little support surrounding him. Also throughout his whole career, Tim has been consumed by the injury bug. I believe it has been within the last few seasons that he missed the entire season to a concussion problem. I also remember he was in and out of the lineup while on the Island as well.
While Okposo is also a 19 year old soon to be entering the league. I don't believe anyone here in their right mind would see Okposo's potential spot in our lineup to be even close to what was expected of Connolly during his tenure here.
Another solid effort by the boys. After tonight, I have decided that being stuck with steady Freddy on the blueline is not nearly as bad as MAB throwing shots at Ricky once or twice the time. My main problem tonight was: who was playing on the powerplay. As hot as Satan has been, I don't understand why Nolan hasn't moved him down back into a winger position during the pp as that is where he is most effective with the puck. I realize he is trying to save some of the dmen's energy such as Radek and Bruno but that isn't maximizing our powerplay to it's fullest potential.
Both Bergs and Comeau are exciting to watch and playing some solid hockey. Guerin has been scoring some of the luckiest goals I have seen in a while. I guess it is better to be lucky then good.
Agreed about Guerin's goals, but then again, he does have to be in the right position to get those goals. I would love to see Bergy start scoring. He's becoming one of my favorite players to watch, and I really hope he starts hitting the back of the net on a consistent basis. He was criticized early on for being "too energetic" and flying around the rink without producing, but he seems to improve on that nightly. I guess thats a positive outcome of the Nolan-system... he's probably worried about defensive gaffes and ending up in BP again.
My ideal lineup, pending a solid performance in the AHL from Okposo.
Guerin-Okposo-Satan
Comrie-V-cek- Tank
Hunter-Comeau-Bergie
Hilbert-Walter-Park
First 2 lines are really interchangeable. Okposo should be given top line minutes, along with 2 seasoned vets who can guide him.
Have we seen Hunter & Bergie out there together? I think they might complement each other well. Hunter & Bergie stir things up in different manners, and Comeau will hopefully be the beneficiary of all that.
Its a good mix of the young guys w/ some older veteran talent. The guys who've been called up have shown more defensive responsibility than people like Comrie, so I'd rather see them out there anyway.
NYISLES
"So Bill, if you're a devils fan this season, then you would think the team is horrible for the first 15 games of the season, and now excellent?
Correct. The Devils were horrible. They have turned it around and have played excellent hockey for the remaining games
It must be awful for you to think that bad things can't turn into good things given time.
"That makes no sense. The season is 82 games long. Your gloom and doom must be hard to live with."
See above. A long season allows any team to turn it around. It doesn't change the fact that when you win 3 out of 11 you stink.
I must be very easy to live your life as someone who accepts mediocrity as a way of life.
It is far less stressful to be a failure, than to reach for a higher goal. Always be satisfied and never strive for something better.
I prefer to go for the prize and give it my all. To each his own.....Bill
The Islanders' prospects had a good start to the World Juniors. Okposo had a goal and assisted on Rhakshani's game winning goal. Robin Figren had two goals in Sweden's win over Slovakia. Tomas Marcinko scored the game tying goal for Slovakia. Both Figren and Marcinko were named Players of the Game.
Glenn Healy is a hack, and TSN should never let him do Islander games. He doesn't have one ounce of objectivity and makes it pretty clear he dislikes the Islanders organization. Not only that, but he's making up stats, claiming the Islanders have the 28th ranked power play.
The Islanders have the worst ice in the NHL. Every game looks like they are playing with a tennis ball.
Big win. Blake’s turnover allowed the Islanders to win it. Park stripped the puck and made a heads up play to get the puck on net. Blake has the same problem now that he did with the Islanders. He constantly turns the puck over. Blake is a good player but clearly was overpaid by Toronto. He works hard every shift and is extremely fast but doesn’t have a great shot and is plagued by his turnovers. Dubie might have won the game, but the truth is he isn’t an NHL goaltender. He is way too small and doesn’t cover enough net. He wasn’t tested tonight. Hopefully we will have DP back for Ottawa because Dubie will let up at least 5 goals.
Double G, I disagree about Dubie. I think that he is just fine for a backup. He more than proved his worth last year. He also played a solid relief role tonight. The two games that he lost were not very good team efforts. Tonight, the players seemed to rally around him and played well in front of him.
Justin or J is a goalie and I would love to hear from them just how hard it is to sit on the bench night after night and know you are only going to play in an emergency.
I would imagine that it is gruelling on a player mentally.
Let's face it. DP is going to play 70+ games. I thin that it takes a special type of player to stay focused and sharp when you know that you will play less than 10 games all season.
If DP is seriously hurt, than I would think that the team would have to look elsewhere. If not, I am fine with Dubie filling in for a short spell.
Throwing him in against the top team in the East, is not really a good yardsick to measure him by.
Other than that, Comeau looks to be a keeper. I have also been really impressed with the work of Trent Hunter. I still think he should be signed long term and that his value to the Islanders is not only measured on the scoresheet.
Nice to get three wins in a row. Little things are starting to build here. Perhaps it is Nolan's waking up to the fact that the merit system is the best way to go. I can only wonder what took him so long to realize it.
Berard looked horrible on the Leafs second goal. I can't see him and FMV playing in the same game. It should be one or the other.
The power play has been powerless for the last four games. Isn't it about time MAB got another shot?
Maybe not against Ottawa, but certainly against NJ.
Here's hoping that everyone had a joyous Chrismas and that you all have a great New Year....Bill
Bill,
I agree about Hunter. He has been playing well and I also think they need to give MAB a chance. Yes it’s hard to sit on the bench and be a backup however, Dubie isn’t talented enough to be a backup. He doesn’t have the tools to be an NHL goaltender. We will see tonight. Dubie knows he is starting and I believe he is going to get lit up. Heatley, Spezza and Alfredsson are going to have a field day. Hopefully Dubie proves me wrong but I see us losing big tonight.
Double G Dubie may get lit up tonight, but what does that prove?
All it will prove is that the Sens are a better team than the Isles. Ottawa lights up almost everybody.
A better test will be against the Devils on Sat. It is not really fair to judge the guy on one game against the best team in the East.
Anyway, who do you suggest that the Isles replace Dubie with?
First of all, there are pretty slim pickings out there and second how many guys want to come to the Island to sit behind DP?
Any suggestions?
On another note, I don't think that it is coincidence that the Isles started to play better once Comeau got here. The kid has proved his worth and has made some of the other players wake up and play better. It is really a shame that Nolan had to be forced into this situation by Simons suspension.
A better coach would have realized this long ago.....Bill
Dubowitz was lit up. (Just like I expected) He can’t handle the puck and even worse he can’t stop the puck. You have to stop a soft backhander short side. There is definitely a lot of goalies out there better then him. His positioning is awful. He is too small and flops around. He seems like a nice guy but he is definitely not an NHL goalie. I know DP will play most of the games but having Dubie in net is almost like we are giving up the game.On a positive note Guerin’s second goal was a blast. He has to keep firing the puck. I love the play of Comeau and the team is playing a lot better.
Double G, It's clear you don't like Dubie, but I doubt that tonights outcome would have been any different no matter who was playing goal.
Dubie got beat on 2 breakaways, a shorthander, a puck batted out of midair and a 5 on 3 tap in.
Perhaps DP may have saved one of those breakaways but not much else.
Of more concern to me, is the fact that the Isanders gave up their 8 th shorthand goal. The coaching staff has to take some responsibility here. Once again, Nolan goes with Berard who has brought nothing to the powerless play and is a defensive nightmare.
Berard and FMV should never be in the lineup at the same time. I hope we see MAB against NJ on Sat because Berard just does not have it anymore.
As for the game itself, a clearly superior team won. Scoring two goals (one with a few minutes left) simply does not cut it in the NHL.
The Islanders had several great chances and once again could not bury the puck when Gerber was down or out of position.
I don't think that anyone who saw this game can blame it on goaltending. The better team won. The Isles are simply not in Ottawa's class....Bill
I don't blame last night's loss on Dubie, but he stinks. Had DiPietro played, we probably would have lost 3-2. The first two goals DiPietro would have saved. The first one, Dubie over-committed to the shot and apparently didn't realize it was passed. The second one, he was down way before Alfredsson shot (much like the goal he gave up against Toronto). He's too small to stay deep in his net and go down well before the shot.
I wasn't able to see last nights game but from what I have read it seems like we were just overmatched against Ottawa. While Dubie may not be the best backup in the league and probably will either be back in the bridge next year or not with the team at all, he deserved this shot at being Ricky's backup this year with the way he helped us get to the playoffs last year.
Islanders' prospects had another strong day at the World Jrs:
Okposo & Rhakshani - 1 assist each
Robin Figren - 1G, 1A (Tied for tournament lead in scoring)
Stefan Ridderwall - played one period giving up one goal, and recording a win.
It's too bad there is no coverage of this in the US.
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