Does Alex Tanguay Make Sense for the New York Islanders?

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

When we look at the projected New York Islanders' lineup for next season, we are able to notice two things: several important overall changes and several gaping holes that still remain.

Obviously the addition of John Tavares will be a pleasant change to an offensively starved lineup, as long as he can transcend his OHL scoring abilities to the NHL level. Besides his marketability, Tavares brings a level of excitement that the organization has lacked for a very, very long time.

Secondly, there will be a very healthy competition between Dwayne Roloson and Rick DiPietro for the position of number one goalie for the 2009-10 New York Islanders.

The reason I use the phrase “healthy competition” is that there is no way DiPietro can be considered a No. 1 goalie one at this point in time, taking into account the fact he hasn’t appeared in a hockey game in several months; furthermore, he hasn’t played consistent hockey for well over a year. Scary to think he has plenty of years remaining on his 15-year contract and we are in this situation.

As for the holes in the line-up, they are much more visible than the changes.

First off, with the addition of John Tavares comes the need to not only protect him, but also to protect Kyle Okposo, Sean Bergenheim, Josh Bailey, and the rest of the Islanders' youthful core. This protection could have come in the form of Colton Orr, Donald Brashear, or several other free agent enforcers; however, these players and other decent enforcers are no longer available, as they have signed contracts for next season.

Looking at the way the market has played out, and who is available to be the fourth-line enforcer, it seems as if the best option would be to try and acquire an enforcer through a trade. I will eventually delve deeper into this, just not today, as this isn’t the focus of my article today.

The focus of my article will be placed upon the gaping holes on offense.

While the Islanders have a promising core of players already in the NHL, including the likes of Tavares, Okposo, Bailey, and Bergenheim, there is a dearth of experienced talent up front who can help to move along the rebuild.

Considering this is a rebuilding stage, any free agent acquisition should meet certain criteria:

First, he should be able to contribute to the Islanders for at least another five years (a player who is 30 or 31 would be the cutoff age, in my opinion); second, they should be a proven top-six forward who can provide support not only 5-on-5, but also on the power play (if they can be an effective penalty killer, hats off to them); lastly, not only should they fit into the system, but they should be acquired for a position where the Islanders lack organizational depth (right and left wing, specifically). 

When you think of a player in these terms, several players who were free agents this year come to mind: Alex Tanguay, Alex Kovalev, Michael Cammalleri, Marian Hossa...you get the picture.

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