This was the lovely record of the New York Islanders last year. That totaled 61 points; a full 32 points out of a playoff spot. Yet I see on some message boards that some fans think the Isles have a chance to make the playoffs. Look, I understand that it is natural for fans to think their team is better then they are. Living in Western New York I am surrounded by Buffalo Bills fans. Every year they all say they are going to be 10-6 and squeak into the playoffs. It has now been 10 years since the Bills have made the playoffs, yet every year the fans think they will be good.
It's only natural for fans to feel this way. Every opening night I want to believe that the Islanders are going to be a competitive team. I want to believe that Trent Hunter is finally going to live up to the potential he showed when he scored 25 goals as a rookie. That DiPietro is finally going to be healthy and take that major step. That Jeff Tambellini will become the goal scorer that would justify first round pick used on him. There are so many other ifs that fans want to believe will come true. But they won't. Trent Hunter is not a 25 goal scorer. He is an 18 to 21 goal scorer tops. DP has not yet taken that step and he just cannot stay healthy anymore (however, he is the one of the "ifs" that can actually happen). Jeff Tambellini is just NOT a regular NHL scorer.
We must let reality take over here. Is it impossible for the Islanders to make the playoffs? Of course not. But in order for that to happen, it is going to have to be because the following players develop far more than expected since last year:
Kyle Okposo
Josh Bailey
Frans Nielson
Jack Hillen
Bruno Gervais
Sean Bergenheim
These are the players that will have to make major leaps for the Islanders to be a competitive team this year. I personally do not see that happening. That's not to say that each of these players won't be improved from last year. They will be. But unless your name is Crosby, Ovechkin, Malkin or Kovalchuck, it takes a few years of NHL play to develop into the player that you can become.
I did not add Tavares to this list because we have no idea what kind of NHL player he is going to be yet. In all honesty, I have only seen a couple of You Tube highlights of him. That is the extent of which I know about his game. Could he have a Bossy type of rookie season and score 50 goals? quite possibly. And I sure as hell hope so! But he could also have a Steve Stamkos type of rookie season. Start off slow, learn the ropes, and pick it up in the second half of the season. If his rookie season is like the latter scenario, then it will not be enough to put this team into the playoffs. This is the type of season I am expecting out of him. If he scores 20 goals this year, we should consider it a very successful rookie season.
Our playoff hopes are not going to hinge on what Martinek, Sutton and Witt can do (when healthy of course), or even on what Streit and Weight do. Streit and Weight are great players and will be the 2 biggest leaders on this team, but we already know this going into the season and even with this knowledge, the team is not projected to be a playoff team.
Jeff Tambellini? Please. Time to move on. Sorry to be so harsh, but it is the truth. He is just NOT a regular NHL player. He doesn't lack the skill or even the heart in my opinion. I truly believe he is trying his best to become the goal scorer his natural skills could allow him to be. But professional sports are as much mental as they are physical; and Tambellini just does not seem to have the mental make up to be a NHL regular. It has taken me a while to accept this. Up until about the midway point of last season I was one of the few left defending him. I truly believed he just needed to have the confidence that he was going to stay up on the Islanders and not get sent down or benched after one bad shift, as happened while Ted Nolan was the coach. The 2 year, one way contract should have given him that confidence. But it didn't. He just cannot put it together at the NHL level. Look how good he is during shootouts. He scores almost every time. But in live action, the natural talent just does not come out. So we have one more season with Tambellini and he will be gone. He is not an impact prospect for this organization anymore.
So playoffs?? No. I'd say there is only a 1% to 2% chance to make the playoffs this year. Even if there are no playoffs, this can still be a successful season. If by the end of the year they are scoring more goals and are more competitive then last year and their young players have made major strides in their developments, no matter where they end up in the standings, they will have taken a step forward in their rebuilding.
I did not add Tavares to this list because we have no idea what kind of NHL player he is going to be yet. In all honesty, I have only seen a couple of You Tube highlights of him. That is the extent of which I know about his game. Could he have a Bossy type of rookie season and score 50 goals? quite possibly. And I sure as hell hope so! But he could also have a Steve Stamkos type of rookie season. Start off slow, learn the ropes, and pick it up in the second half of the season. If his rookie season is like the latter scenario, then it will not be enough to put this team into the playoffs. This is the type of season I am expecting out of him. If he scores 20 goals this year, we should consider it a very successful rookie season.
Our playoff hopes are not going to hinge on what Martinek, Sutton and Witt can do (when healthy of course), or even on what Streit and Weight do. Streit and Weight are great players and will be the 2 biggest leaders on this team, but we already know this going into the season and even with this knowledge, the team is not projected to be a playoff team.
Jeff Tambellini? Please. Time to move on. Sorry to be so harsh, but it is the truth. He is just NOT a regular NHL player. He doesn't lack the skill or even the heart in my opinion. I truly believe he is trying his best to become the goal scorer his natural skills could allow him to be. But professional sports are as much mental as they are physical; and Tambellini just does not seem to have the mental make up to be a NHL regular. It has taken me a while to accept this. Up until about the midway point of last season I was one of the few left defending him. I truly believed he just needed to have the confidence that he was going to stay up on the Islanders and not get sent down or benched after one bad shift, as happened while Ted Nolan was the coach. The 2 year, one way contract should have given him that confidence. But it didn't. He just cannot put it together at the NHL level. Look how good he is during shootouts. He scores almost every time. But in live action, the natural talent just does not come out. So we have one more season with Tambellini and he will be gone. He is not an impact prospect for this organization anymore.
So playoffs?? No. I'd say there is only a 1% to 2% chance to make the playoffs this year. Even if there are no playoffs, this can still be a successful season. If by the end of the year they are scoring more goals and are more competitive then last year and their young players have made major strides in their developments, no matter where they end up in the standings, they will have taken a step forward in their rebuilding.
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