New York Islanders 2008-09 Season Preview: Sixth In Eastern Conference

Bottom line these young players will do more things that do not always appear on a score sheet to win a sixty minute hockey game that last year's group were not capable of doing. This will offset some of the numbers as they produce their share of offense while continuing to improve.

Veterans and Scoring?
It was a big hit to lose Jon Sim's speed, aggressive play and seventeen goals last year but no one should mistake him for a top six reliable scoring forward. Some media wrote about this but most did not, Sim seems to have fully recovered from his knee injury which is like signing an UFA who replaces one of the departing veterans numbers and hopefully can improve the club in other areas which was one of the reasons he was signed in the first place.

Doug Weight comes here and the questions are whether he was the fifty point player at this time a year ago or the player he was in Anaheim at the end of last season as a healthy scratch? Does he still has his passing skills and powerplay vision? If he is a fifty point player and can still set up a powerplay that should more than offset the uneven play Josef Vasieck provided in what seemed a season where he performed to his ceiling but still went almost thirty games between goals. if not someone is going to take Weight's spot because there are a lot of centers in this organization waiting for a chance along with the possible return of Mike Sillinger at some point.

Bill Guerin now has his friend and former teammate again at his side, coming back off a full year as captain acclimated once again with the Eastern Conference and a top six role expecting to produce more and reportedly ready to jump on anyone not pulling his weight. It's a more settled situation for him than a year ago that should provide him confidence to play within his capabilities as he often talked about his own confidence a year ago as he struggled to start and finished playing injured. He still has his shot off the wing and flashes of speed when it's time to get to high quality areas to make a play. Last year he spent far too long in low percentage shooting spots waiting for the puck to come his way, was that the system or a players declining skills?

Mike Comrie came here wanting to be the go to player on offense and a first line player, regardless how that plays out expect the most skilled offensive talents with the most upside on his wings whatever line it's called on paper that should push his play to it's highest level. He has to be healthy and should come in like Guerin with something to prove because this player only seemed to scratch the surface on the leagues lowest scoring club a year ago with his forty nine points.

Trent Hunter knows he can and should score more, his overall hard work should help the speed, skill around him produce and return the puck to him where he can be most effective. On paper this reads well, on the ice it has to happen and should because there is still an expectation of what we saw in 2003-04 before his knee on knee with Sean Brown. Hunter is the template for the kind of the character player this organization wants to build it's core around.

This time around I expect Richard Park and Andy Hilbert

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