CTC Off-Season Outlook Anthony Wyng Stlye: NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Team #19

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

And with the first overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Islanders are proud to select: ?  WHO KNOWS?  Right now, only Garth Snow and Co. really know who is going first overall.

A miserable season ended with one amazing positive.  The Islanders won the draft lottery and obtained the first overall pick.  A very interesting situation to be in after a long, hard, disappointing season.

The Islanders have two options, either go with a franchise player at the 1st overall (Hedman, Tavares, Duchene) or, trade that 1st overall pick, and get a return of needs all around.  Sure, the franchise player will put money in the Islanders bank (jersey sales, ticket sales, etc), but right now the Islanders need a lot more than just money. Even with the first overall pick, the Islanders aren’t going to have a complete overhaul from last season with the drafting of one player, no matter how elite that said player is or will be. There is a lot of work to be done and time is more a need for a team that looks like it is in rebuild mode (which btw, if I’m the Islanders, I’d pay close attention to the Pittsburgh Penguins of the earlier 2000′s and what it meant to be the doormat of the league for more then just one season).

However, the situation the Islanders are in aside from putting a team together to play this upcoming season, is another blog for another time.  Right now, it is all about this upcoming season. With five picks in the first two rounds, the Islanders can very much solidify a sound future with lots of potential.

Let’s check out the Islanders for 2009-2010:

The Blue Line:

Mark Streit, Andy Sutton, Brendan Witt, Radek Martinek, Bruno Gervais, Freddy Meyer

Cap Hit: $13.4 million

UFA: Thomas Pock, Joe Callahan, Chris Lee

RFA: Jack Hillen, Jamie Fraser

Hillen and Callahan are the two that I feel should be brough back, with Fraser re-signing and probably staying aboard with the Sound Tigers.

Estimated Cap hit after re-signigns: $15 million

The Fowards:

Doug Weight, Trent Hunter, Josh Bailey, Kyle Okposo, Sean Bergenheim, Richard Park, Jeff Tambellini, Frans Nielsen, Tim Jackman, Joel Rechlicz, (Jon Sim)

Cap hit: $10.7 million

UFA: Andy Hilbert, Mike Sillinger, Dean McAmmond, Mitch Fritz, Ben Walter, Kurtis McLean, Mike Iggulden

RFA: Nate Thompson, Blake Comeau, Trevor Smith, Jeremy Coliton

Comeau, Coliton, Thompson are brought back with potential raises (however, nothing drastic) and possibly qualify Trevor Smith. With the UFA’s, it’s tough and all depends on the direction of the team.  I’m going to leave that speculation up to GM Garth Snow and the actual “experts”.

Estimated Cap hit after re-signings: $12.9 million

In net:

Rick DiPietro

UFA: Joey MacDonald, Yann Danis

RFA: Peter Mannino

Cap hit: $4.5 million

Total team estimated cap hit: $32.5 million

Plenty of cap space to make a splash in the free agent market, but maybe an offer sheet or two is the better way to go here?  Phil Kessel could help this struggling Islanders team (along with whoever they draft with the 1st pick, and Okposo, Bailey and company.  It could provide a real boost to the offense with a bright looking future).  Let’s see which way GM Snow decides to go.

Team needs: Back up goaltender, possible starting goaltender (depending on how DiPietro progresses), a sniper, better talent.

The kids are going to have another year to prove a lot to the Islanders. Again, if the Islanders are smart, they go into that rebuild mode and develop as much youth as they can. It would be the “smart” thing to do at this point.