New York Islander Country: What To Watch for as the NHL Season Draws to a Close

Twelve games is all that remains to the season for the 08-09 New York Islanders. They've basically been out of the playoff race since December, but there is still plenty to watch over these last dozen games, until the season draws to a close.

The first thing to watch for is; where will this team finish in the standings. They seemed destined to finish 30th in the league, but have actually started winning some games as of late, and are only four points behind Tampa, to climb out of the basement in the league.

Many fans seem to think this team needs to "tank" over the final 12 games to secure a top two pick in the draft. I disagree with this thought though.

As much as I want to see the Isles in a position to draft John Tavares or Victor Hedman, I want to see the young guys on this roster win as many games as they can.  

The Isles need to develop a winning attitude among these players to help them going forward into next season. If the Isles decided to tank, it can give the younger players the feeling that losing is all right, and that's not a good philosophy. These guys need to taste some success to make them hungry for more, and help them along their development.

Another reason to watch these games is to see the continued development of the younger players on the roster, such as Kyle Okposo, Blake Comeau, Sean Bergenheim, Josh Bailey, Frans Neilson, Yann Danis, Bruno Gervais, and Jack Hillen.

Okposo seems to be destined for stardom in this league. More and more every game, you notice this guy when he is out on the ice. He is strong on the puck, and will continue to get stronger as he is still only 20 years old.

Also, despite a wrist injury earlier in the season, Okposo is right on the 20 goal doorstep (he currentlyhas 16). With 12 games remaining, Okposo should easily clear 20 goals.

If Okposo hadn't suffered the injury that cost him about a month, he may have been able to finish around the 25-goal mark. Not too bad for a rookie.

Sean Bergenheim, who was mostly an afterthought at the beginning of the season, is another guy who could turn into a key player on this team in the future.

It's taken Bergenheim awhile to put everything together (he's 25 years old), but over the last month or so, he has been one of the Isles best players. He's not afraid to go into the corners, and throw the body around, despite being a small guy.

He was also on a push to score 20 goals, but a groin injury that will cost him about two weeks will likely prevent him from hitting that 20-goal mark.

If Bergenheim can continue to put it all together, he may finally be able to get that "1st round bust" label off his back, and should be a solid 2nd or 3rd liner on this team.

Josh Bailey, the Isles first round pick last season, is another guy to watch over the last 12 games of the year. He has excellent vision on the ice, and has shown flashes by making some tremendous passes this year (the Campoli O.T. winner in Montreal earlier in the year, and Comeau's goal against the Devils a couple weeks ago come to mind).

Bailey has not looked out of place at all this year. He does need to work on faceoffs, and needs to be stronger on the puck, which should happen as his body matures and he gets stronger because he is only 19.

While I don't think Bailey will be a top line center, I do feel he will develop into a solid second line center for this team in the future. I also don't think he will be a big time goal scorer, but he should be an assist machine, like Doug Weight or Adam Oates

On defense, Bruno Gervais has improved his play tremendously over the course of this year, particularly since being paired with All Star Mark Streit. Gervais seems more poised with the puck, and has cut down on the mistakes he has made.

Defensemen generally take longer to develop, but it looked like time may have been running out for Gervais earlier in the season, especially since the Isles do have some good prospects in the system.

Injuries that have decimated the blue line, gave Gervais what might have been his final chance to prove his worth to this team. He has taken full advantage of it. I fully expect him to be among their top six defensemen next season, and should develop into a second pair defenseman for this team.

Jack Hillen has also improved his play, especially since Chris Campoli was traded. That trade gave Hillen a regular spot in the lineup, and he has shown he can be a third or fourth defenseman for this team in the future.

There are still some things Hillen needs to work on, such as getting back on defense, but that will come with time. He should be re-signed and able to compete for a spot on the opening night lineup next season.

Yann Danis has turned heads with his solid play this year. After taking over for Joey MacDonald in a game against the Rangers in January, Danis has basically taken over the starting goalie position.

Danis has gone 9-11-2 with a 2.40 GAA, a .925 save percentage and two shutouts on the year. If he continues his stellar play, he will make it very hard for G.M. Garth Snow not to re-sign him to be Rick Dipietro's backup (assuming he is healthy) next season.

Finally, one last thing to watch for, is if Mark Streit can hit the 60 point mark for a second consecutive season. Streit, who many thought was a spare part and a defensive liability for the Habs, has been tremendous for the Isles this season.

He leads the team in points with 52, and has an excellent opportunity to hit the 60-point mark. As for being a defensive liability, Streit has played major minutes all season, and is a plus seven on the worst team in the league. Pretty good for a defensive liability.

Even though he won't, Streit should get consideration for the Norris Trophy this year for the way he has played on one of the worst teams in the league.

The Isles do not play again until Friday, when they continue this six game road trip in Carolina. With not much else to write about for this team, I will share with everyone what my off-season plan would be for this team if I were the G.M.