razor ray
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- May 8, 2011
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Did not see this discussed anywhere but this could be a gem like Ottawa’s pick. No Tavares now. Might be one of the first picks in the 2nd rd.
Did not see this discussed anywhere but this could be a gem like Ottawa’s pick. No Tavares now. Might be one of the first picks in the 2nd rd.
Yeah this is a good pick to have gotten from Vegas. I don't expect it'll be as good as Ottawa's was this year as the Islanders still have a lot of good players without Tavares (Barzal Will be just fine as the 1C), but I can't see them making the playoffs without Tavares when they couldn't with Tavares so it should be top 10 in the second round.
Yeah this is a good pick to have gotten from Vegas. I don't expect it'll be as good as Ottawa's was this year as the Islanders still have a lot of good players without Tavares (Barzal Will be just fine as the 1C), but I can't see them making the playoffs without Tavares when they couldn't with Tavares so it should be top 10 in the second round.
I disagree. They were a bottom ten team last year with a top 6 or 7 center on their team and Barzal playing as the number 2. All defenses will be on Barzal from the hop this year with no real secondary scoring. I could see them falling 5 spots in the standings into the bottom 5 for sure
The problem is the Islanders were a lock playoff team with something even resembling good AHL goaltending.
If I remember right their numbers were tremendous outside of goalie. Now I think some of that is some D-zone coverage. But I don't think they lack firepower up front at all. They have the two of the most natural goal scoring prospects produced by the USMNTDP on the way maybe even this season, not sure if they are considering elevating Wahlstrom right away or not. The Islanders should score in bunches even without Tavares.
But they have to get better goaltending help. People can try focusing on Barzal but he is a tough matchup, I expect they will back-off more like what we saw with Larkin his second year, but Barzal is such a lethal playmaker he is likely to crack that strategy faster.
The loss of Tavares if they get a little better goaltending probably locks them into that playoff bubble scenario. The other interesting thing is the Islanders having a solid season is perhaps our best chance of dumping Howard on somebody decently early. Not sure what to make of them. But they have legit top 6 talent and lots of talent on the way, I don't necessarily buy they are going to have the bottom fall out especially with Trotz at the helm.
In my opinion, no team loses a premier player without some kind of replacement and improves because of it. Not like Tavares was bad in the lockerroom, so I think they are going to struggle. Barzal will be covered even more than last year, as Newfy said, and won't have the luxury of someone else drawing top defenders away from him, like with having Tavares. They are going to need improved goaltending by a lot, just to finish where they did last year, is my thought.
What like the Avs and trading away a Olympic Gold medalist last year?
The Islanders didn't do a whole lot of winning with Tavares. Getting better goaltending is probably a bigger component in all honesty. They got the worst goaltending in the league and finished 10 from the bottom. I just don't see them as a bottom five team, they are demonstrably better than a lot of the basement teams without Tavares still.