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What Players are the Keepers Moving Forward

Levi Walking Bear

Levi Walking Bear

Brilliantly Boring
Oct 8, 2009
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Was talking to a friend yesterday. We went over the Islanders current roster (no players from
Bridgeport, Junior or College, just on the Isles now) and picked out a list of players the Islanders
can build with. John Tavaras, is obvious so the question for anyone playing GM is which players
will still be Islanders when the team gets really good.
 
Upgrade the x's and you got a solid team. Hold on to the others.

Moulson-Tavares-x
Bailey- x - x
Grabner - Nielsen- x
x-Cizikas-Martin *McDonald is a good fit but is expendable

x-x
x-Hamonic
Amac-Strait

*Hickey

Okposo is the outsider. Used to love him but out of the current core he is the most tradeable and could help fill more roster holes then just one he is in.
 
Using only guys on current roster:

Centers - JT, Nielsen, Cizikas (need good #2)
Wings - Grabner, Martin, Bailey, Okposo, maybe Moulson if he takes cheapish deal. All he does is score
Dmen - Amac, Hamonic, Strait
Goalies - Poulin

Where id put them:
(maybe Moulson)-JT-xxxxx
Grabner-xxxxx-xxxxx
Bailey-Nielsen-Okposo
xxxxx-Cizikas-Martin

xxxxx-Hamonic
xxxxx-Amac
Strait-xxxxx

Poulin
xxxxx

hopefully kids like Strome, Nino, Nelson, Reinhart, Donovan, Nilsson all fill the holes, but i didnt want to throw in the prospects since this is about keeping players on the current roster.
 
Hamonic, Macdonald, Martin, Nielsen and grabner off the top of my head are guys I could visualize on a contending islanders team long term.

I'm not going to consider veterans like streit/viz/nabby etd because their careers are likely over in the next few years.
 
Indispensible Players on current roster

F: (6/12)

John Tavares
Matt Moulson
Frans Nielsen
Michael Grabner
Casey Czikas
Matt Martin

D: (2/6)

Travis Hamonic
Andrew MacDonald

Would gladly keep a smattering of Strait, Finley, Hickey, Carkner, Streit, Vis

We don't have that many NHL ready D prospects so having the above serviceable ones is a good thing
 
JT, Hamonic, Poulin, Martin, Cizikas, Moulson, Grabner, and if they can get him to the 3rd line then Nielsen...everyone else can go away forever.
 
Moulson - Tavares - X
Grabner - X - X
Ullstrom - Nielsen - Okposo
McDonald - Cizikas - Martin

Hamonic - X
MacDonald - X
Strait - X

Nabokov for another year or two
Nilsson/Poulin

Obviously, players such as Strome, Nelson, Niederreiter, Donovan, and Reinhart are considerations to eventually fill some of those X's, but more is needed from outside the organization.

I think Bailey can be a useful bottom six wing, but don't really see where he fits.
 
Honestly if and when the team becomes a cup contender not many of these players should be on the team or if they are they will be moved down the roster:

xxx-JT-xxx
Moulson-xxx-xxx
Grabner-Neilson-Bailey
Martin-Cizikas-xxxx


xxx-xxx
Hammer-Amac
xxx-xxx

Nabby IMO could probably win on a good team now but is to old for our contending goalie. I don't think Poulin will be the guy either.

Not to say that some of the above xxx won't be filled by farm system guys like Strome, Nelson, Nino etc. but current roster players for a cup contender...This is where these guys should play.
 
isles31 said:
Using only guys on current roster:

Centers - JT, Nielsen, Cizikas (need good #2)
Wings - Grabner, Martin, Bailey, Okposo, maybe Moulson if he takes cheapish deal. All he does is score
Dmen - Amac, Hamonic, Strait
Goalies - Poulin

Where id put them:
(maybe Moulson)-JT-xxxxx
Grabner-xxxxx-xxxxx
Bailey-Nielsen-Okposo
xxxxx-Cizikas-Martin

xxxxx-Hamonic
xxxxx-Amac
Strait-xxxxx

Poulin
xxxxx

hopefully kids like Strome, Nino, Nelson, Reinhart, Donovan, Nilsson all fill the holes, but i didnt want to throw in the prospects since this is about keeping players on the current roster.
Click to expand...

Ughh, we need to get past mediocrity; Okposo and Bailey are useless. If they both were gone tomorrow, nobody would even notice. And all Moulson does is score? There are probably 25 other teams that would love to have Moulson. We need an upper tier D-man vet, another solid D-man, and a winger to set up JT.
 
I keep Bailey as a third line defensive forward. YES, he was a first round pick who should shoot lightning bolts our his sphincter when coming near the crease, fine, but his defensive game and passing is solid. Very solid.

And he can hit when not coached by a chowder head.
 
StumpNYI said:
Upgrade the x's and you got a solid team. Hold on to the others.

Moulson-Tavares-x
Bailey- x - x
Grabner - Nielsen- x
x-Cizikas-Martin *McDonald is a good fit but is expendable

x-x
x-Hamonic
Amac-Strait

*Hickey

Okposo is the outsider. Used to love him but out of the current core he is the most tradeable and could help fill more roster holes then just one he is in.
Click to expand...

I concur
 
OlTimeHockey said:
I keep Bailey as a third line defensive forward. YES, he was a first round pick who should shoot lightning bolts our his sphincter when coming near the crease, fine, but his defensive game and passing is solid. Very solid.

And he can hit when not coached by a chowder head.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. He was rushed bc of Wang's fuzzy math that he spent a career doing...

This kid had bona-fide second line pivot potential. Now, he'll become a malhotra/Fitzgerald/Sillinger type over time.
 
Moulson Tavares

Bailey

Grabner Nielsen Okposo

Martin Cizikas Ullstrom



Hamonic MacDonald






Depth guys perhaps:

Hickey Strait
 
Last edited:
StumpNYI said:
Upgrade the x's and you got a solid team. Hold on to the others.

Moulson-Tavares-x
Bailey- x - x
Grabner - Nielsen- x
x-Cizikas-Martin *McDonald is a good fit but is expendable

x-x
x-Hamonic
Amac-Strait

*Hickey

Okposo is the outsider. Used to love him but out of the current core he is the most tradeable and could help fill more roster holes then just one he is in.
Click to expand...

This.

Wouldn't mind seeing Ullstrom on the 4th there, hes got the energy and the physical ability for it.

And anyone who keeps Okposo on this roster is a complete idiot. Guy is absolutely useless, and makes everyone else on his line worse.

Case in point, those two no-look drop passes today to Washington. GTFO my island!
 
People who aren't considering Bailey a keeper are crazy! He's the best passer this team has outside of Tavares. He plays a very solid game, he's come a long way, and to me is at worst a third liner going forward. He's still young enough that it could eventually click and become a 60 point type guy. Not a world beater but a good 2nd liner IMO.
 
Everything is relative...I think the players listed below, in those spots, can be part of a winning team. But JT is pretty much the only player on this team that couldn't be replaced.

Moulson-JT-??????
Grabner-?????-????
Bailey-Nielsen-Okposo
Martin-Cizikas-Ullstrom

??????-????????
??????-Hamonic
MacDonald-Strait
Hickey
 
GusTheo said:
People who aren't considering Bailey a keeper are crazy! He's the best passer this team has outside of Tavares. He plays a very solid game, he's come a long way, and to me is at worst a third liner going forward. He's still young enough that it could eventually click and become a 60 point type guy. Not a world beater but a good 2nd liner IMO.
Click to expand...

I agree he will also be a good guy to have on the second line, with strome or nino to help there defensive lapses. I see a second line of grabner-strome- bailey.
 
InformTheMasses said:
Tavares, Grabner, Cizikas, Martin, Nielsen, Hamonic, Strait, MacDonald, Poulin

(Ullstrom and Hickey are maybes need to see them play more but talent is there)
Click to expand...

Are you serious? Poulin is a keeper at this point? Wow. I have hopes, too...but he needs to actualy do something before he should be considered a keeper.
 
Thanks for your thoughts. Most of the top keepers listed in the posts are about the same.
Where it gets interesting is the borderline candidates. That is why I posted this thread.
Here are mine-

Tavares
Moulson
Grabner
Cizikas
Hamonic
Martin
Strait

Close-
C. McDonald, really good in his role.
A. MacDonald,not there is a rush to move him,depends how others develop in a few years.
Nielsen,again no rush to move him,how Strome,Nelson,Sunstrom develop, Cizikas could
become a better version of Nielsen,except for the shoot outs of course.
Bailey,even when drafted, thought is offensive ability was overrated. Still could be a solid
two way player who can get in the 40's point totals.
 
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