|
July 1st Reset; Roloson Gets the DiPietro Sidecar |
|
|
|
|
|
Let's get the ball rolling again with some good stuff.
Congratulations to John Tavares for being selected No. 1 overall in the 2009 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders.
Congratulations to the Islanders for putting on a show for their fans and sticking to the script.
Congratulations to Islanders bloggers for being all over the draft and continuing to make a serious impression on the coverage of NHL hockey.
Finally, congratulations to Dee Karl for being appointed to cover the Islanders as a blogger for HockeyBuzz. Dee is a good friend and a dynamic blogger. I'm thrilled that she's been given this opportunity to bring her entertaining and passionate style to a wider audience.
As for me, it's been only slightly frustrating to be taking a break during perhaps the most interesting time for the Islanders in their recent history. The last few weeks have been a great time to be an Islanders blogger, so sitting on the sidelines has been a little strange. But I knew it was coming. Well, some of it anyway.
For those who may be interested, my son arrived a few weeks early at the end of May. He and my wife are both doing wonderfully. Devoting nearly all of my free time to being a dad is the most fun I've ever had. There's simply nothing like it, and there's nothing I'd rather be doing.
When I accepted the offer to join HockeyBuzz, I viewed it as a short-term gig, both because I expected B.D. to return and because I knew the end of the season was going to bring changes that would impact the amount of time I could give to things like writing about hockey. As the draft drew closer and the blessed event in my life was bookended by two sinister ones, I knew that it was time to call for relief. Without getting too specific, we lost a signficant member of the family on the same day our son was born, and another was diagnosed with a serious illness about two weeks later.
As I told Eklund, family life is clearly my number one priority right now. I obviously can't give the HockeyBuzz community, particularly the Isles contingent, the kind of coverage it deserves. Eklund has been kind enough to allow me to continue contributing when I can fit it in. In the meantime, please enjoy being in Dee's capable and prolific hands.
****
In the days leading up to the draft, Garth Snow was already being lauded for his handling of the first selection. By not tipping his hand at all, he was keeping the Islanders squarely in the spotlight league-wide, while simultaneously piquing the interest of the fan base. Upon converting the tap-in of actually selecting Tavares, Snow has continued to receive praise.
In the end, the most important thing is that John Tavares ended up in an Islanders uniform. But Snow's approach to selecting the sorely needed goal scorer does carry at least one potential negative consequence. By allowing Matt Duchene and Victor Hedman to be 1B and 1C to Tavares' 1A, Snow has inextricably linked the three players in the minds of many fans. These fans will be following the careers of Duchene and Hedman the same way they follow Luongo, Gaborik, Spezza, Heatley, and every other could've-should've-been.
Indeed, when you weigh it, it's a small risk for the crowning moment the Islanders were able to orchestrate on the evening of June 26th. 10,000 fans roaring their approval isn't often achieved in June. And the solution to all that could ill? Tavares goes out and pots 40 a year for at least the next decade. How hard could that be?
The great thing about the draft being over is that it's finally starting to feel like Tavares is really an Islander. Even if you were 100% sure that the Islanders would draft him, there was something uncomfortable about the relationship, fostered no doubt by members of the media intent on making it uncomfortable. But there was a sense that even if the Islanders drafted Tavares, he wouldn't really be theirs. At best, he was a loaner, conscripted to Uniondale according to the rules.
Now, that feeling has completely drained away. What remains is a potential star for Islanders fans to enjoy free from paranoia about Tavares bolting, snowballing, or blowing away like a leaf.
****
Hey, today is July 1.
Greg Logan reports on his Newsday blog that the Islanders have signed veteran goaltender Dwayne Roloson to a two-year contract worth $5 million.
This is a fine solution to the questionable status of Rick DiPietro for the upcoming season. Once given the job outright, Roloson was very solid in Edmonton last year and can fill the gap until DiPietro is ready to fully carry the load again or, in the worst-case scenario, one of Nate Lawson, Mikko Koskinen, or Anders Nilsson is ready to step in.
Snow is getting on a little bit of a roll in the kudos department.
****
It would be quite the touch of irony if, after all the hometown campaigning, Gilroy, Higgins, and Komisarek all ended up on the Rangers.
Join the Discussion:
»