New York Islanders

Islanders Preview: Optimism Overides Fear Of The Inevitable

Hey everyone. Sorry I disappeared for six weeks, but there wasn’t a hell of a lot to report and my job took over my life. I’m back for good now that the season starts Friday night at New Jersey.

OK, like you I’ve read the prognostications for the upcoming season. THN picked the Islanders 15th out of 15 in the East. Most every major media outlet has the Isles finishing last in the Atlantic.

To quote the immortal Jim Mora: “Playoffs? Playoffs??? Are you kidding me? PLAYOFFS?????”

I’ve spent the last few years dedicating my Islander time to fear and dread, mostly because this team has had some talent and I feared the embarrassment of not making the playoffs. Those days, though, are over.

I’m all optimism from here on out because, to be honest, the organization has finally decided to do what the fans had hoped for in lieu of not spending money. The massive rebuilding process is in full swing.

Names like Okposo, Tambellini, Bergenheim, Bailey, Comeau, Hillen and Nielsen are going to dominate this blog going forward because, again, this is what I asked for. These guys — or most of them — will be with the big club all season, making this a house money season. The team can’t get worse because I define not making the playoffs with 80 points as just as bad as finishing out of the fun with 50 points.

Having said all that, here’s my list of pros and cons for the current squad and what to look for going forward:

PROS:

1. Scott Gordon. If you’re going to truly go ahead with a rebuilding project that’s going to take years, you might as well have the best coach in the AHL spearheading the effort. Throughout the preseason Gordon has not wavered in his approach. The Islanders will play an intense forechecking system that will focus on creating turnovers and odd-man rushes, almost certainly because they don’t have the personnel to play otherwise. They are not going to beat teams 5-on-5 in the offensive end, no matter how hard they work in the corners. This is so because they don’t have the wherewithall to finish on anywhere near a consistent basis.

To his credit, Gordon has stayed consistent with his plan. There have been injuries as a result of the complete overhaul of how the Isles do things. Andy Sutton and Chris Campoli could be gone for months with unspecified injuries, though word on the street says Campoli has a shoulder problem. But injuries were to be expected. You change the entire way things are done in practice and, inevitably, there will be physical casualties.

While the jury is still out on how productive Gordon’s new system will be, there will be no questioning this team’s work ethic. The defense and goaltending is good enough to keep the team in every game, but how the young players develop on the offensive end will almost certainly tell the final tale as to where this team finishes in the conference.

2. Leadership. Bill Guerin, Doug Weight, Brendan Witt, Richard Park, DP and Mike Sillinger are just a few of the guys who may be long in the tooth in years, but are almost certainly not in the mood to be an embarrassment. There will not be dysfunction in the locker room. The younger players have great role models to emulate here. The team’s desire and will to win will not be an issue in 2008-09.

3. Youth. It goes without saying, the development of the core group of youngsters I mentioned earlier will define not only this season, but seasons to come. If Okposo, Comeau and Tambellini turn into the players we think they can become the Islanders will be competitve and will prevent the front office from screwing things up with ill-advised signings and trades. If you take nothing else from this season, you have to pray to God that these three become bonafide NHL players. Keep an eye on Nielsen. He’s played exceptionally well in the preseason when paired with Trent Hunter. Jack Hillen will likely get some ice time early with Sutton and Campoli on the mend. How long he sticks around will depend. Bergenheim strikes me as a guy who would score 30 goals with the Red Wings, but on an inept offensive squad like the Isles has to work twice as hard every game. He has the skills, but like Tambellini, we’ll soon find out if he’s a true “tweener” (as in AHL god vs. NHL scratch artist) or someone ready to take that next step.

CONS:

1. Wait for it … Ah yes. Goal scoring. If Gordon’s forechecking system works the way it’s supposed to work and the veterans do what they’ve done in past years, the Islanders should be able to manage 2-3 goals a night. That will leave DiPietro and a very good defense corps to do the rest. That’s a huge “if” I know, but not out of the realm of possibility. Mike Comrie needs to be Mike Comrie. Him finishing with 50-60 points and Guerin scoring 25-30 goals or more is also not a ridiculous notion. But the overall offensive success of this squad will be determined by the development of the kids. Case closed.

2. Health. DP has been a bit of a tin man over the last two years. I, for one, do not question his heart. What I do question is this suicidal idea he has in his head that he can play 70-plus games. Forget it. Joey McDonald will get his fair share of PT. We’ll all just have to deal with it.

Defensively, the Isles have the depth to withstand some bumps and bruises, but cannot afford to have Radek Martinek or Witt miss significant time. The same can be said on the offensive end. Comrie must stay healthy, as do Sillinger, Hunter and Park, mostly because they serve many masters, including the power play and penalty killing.

3. Power play. Until proven otherwise, or until Mark Streit shows that he can be the quarterback this team has lacked forever, the man-up unit will be scrutinized to no end. One thing is certain, the Isles should get a lot more PP opportunities than they did last year because the up-tempo forechecking system should force the opposition into taking a lot of penalties. The focus will be on Streit, Guerin, Comrie and Okposo. If things go as I think they will the Islanders will have to be an efficient special teams team to have a shot every night because we know the offense at even strength will be a major work in progress.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Okposo, Jon Sim, Comeau, Nielsen, Bailey, Bergenheim, Tambellini, Streit

PROGNOSIS:

I am counting on a slow start. The new system is just too complex to get down quickly. The veterans will be counted on to keep things in order for the first quarter to third of the season. But once everyone is comfortable, this team won’t be as bad as everyone thinks. Of course, there are about a million things that must break right for this team to avoid bottom-feeder status, but as noted earlier defensively and in net, the Islanders are right there with anyone in their division. The hope is they’ll win their fare share of 2-1 and 3-2 games, because the odds of them scoring more than that on a nightly basis is a real stretch.

Ultimately, the Islanders circa 2008-09 will hover around 10th in the East. If they finish any higher than that, Gordon should be coach of the year. Playoffs? Doubtful, but they’ll be an interesting bunch to watch nightly. Try to take pleasure in watching the youngsters because, as I said earlier, they will be what this team will be.

Right now, that’s not saying much. But it could be a lot worse. 

Isles to be aggressive, but that’s been their problem

Listening to Scott Gordon, the newest in a long line of Islanders head coaches, speak, I got the feeling that I had heard all of this before.

Gordon, the reigning AHL Coach of the Year who beat out a handful of NHL-experienced candidates, some even with Stanley Cup championships on their resume, says the rebuilding Islanders will be an aggressive club that will try to force turnovers in the offensive end, ah la the great Devils teams of old, as a way to generate sorely needed offensive chances.

I’m all for a killer forechecking system that pays extra attention to the defensive end and preventing odd-man rushes, but the Islanders have played this style under their last few coaches, only to get repeatedly killed due to a lack of discipline.

Yes, applying pressure and trying to get opponents to get rid of the puck before they want to is a very effective way of creating turmoil, but the Islanders of the last few seasons were entirely over-aggressive and that often meant a puckbag-full of penalty minutes and power-play goals against.

Gordon has to find a way to instill in his young players — and veterans — control. He must teach them to attack the opposition with the body, not the stick. I have watched on in horror far too many times as the Islanders would take lazy penalties on the forecheck, primarily because they either weren’t quick enough or in the proper position to effectively use the body. The resulting shortcomings would usually result in stupid stick penalties — hooking, slashing, holding, take your pick.

Make no mistake, the Isles’ past problems in this regard had little to do with conditioning. Ted Nolan worked his players to the bone, but they came up short on the forecheck because, tactically, they lacked the requisite wherewithall and execution.

Gordon certainly has his hands full. The good news is he’s got the type of veterans that will buy into what he’s selling, thus making the youngsters’ transition to the new system easier to stomach and then pull off on the ice.

Bill Guerin, Mike Sillinger, Jon Sim, Richard Park and Doug Weight are responsible veterans who, though lacking offensively for the most part, can process direction and transition into a solid work eithic that the younger players will have no choice but to emulate.

I do not worry about this team defenisvely. Between Brendan Witt, Andy Sutton, Radek Martinek and the rest of the probable nightly six, they’ll be able to construct enough of a wall in front of Rick DiPietro. Further, Gordon and DiPietro need to form a bond that only goalies can create. One has to hope that all of DP’s knee and hip surgeries don’t catch up with him. He has to make 60-70 starts. He’ll have to keep a goals-against average no higher than 2.50 and a save percentage well above .900 for this team to have any shot of being a threat on a nightly basis.

The Islanders are going to win and lose their fare share of 3-2 and 2-1 games. It would help Gordon immesaurably if the defense and goaltending end up being what many assume each will be — better than average and certainly good enough to provide the offense a chance every night.

It’s far too early to even discuss what, if any, plan Gordon has to improve the goal scoring. Odds are there will be many young players among the four lines. To me, the continued development of Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau is a must. Of all the young players, Jeff Tambellini may have the biggest bull’s-eye on his back. He must find the scoring touch he showed in the minors.

Sean Bergenheim should already be more productive than he’s shown. Andy Hilbert has no more excuses now that he’ll be playing under a coach he once scored 35 goals for in the minors.

Islanders fans need to just prepare themselves for an up-and-down season that will, ultimately, not be the disaster many think it will be. If the Isles had no defense, I’d be worried. The guys they have patroling the blue line and their goaltending will keep them in every game every night.

Gordon has to find a way to keep his players out of the box and develop the neophytes into consistent scorers. An improved power play would surely help, but that’s why Mark Streit and Weight were brought here. As Gordon said Tuesday, a good power play is designed to fail 80 percent of the time.

Well, one way that can happen is if opponents don’t get five or six chances of their own each game.

Basically, this will all boil down to smarts.

Let’s just hope Gordon takes his years of experience working with young players and makes a genius out of Garth Snow.

It’s not out of the realm …

Search Over: Gordon Gets Isles’ Gig

Obviously this has already been reported by David. I’m excited about Scott Gordon because who better to lead a massive rebuilding project than a guy who just won AHL Coach of the Year?

Everyone seems to rave about Gordon, so I guess we’ll see. A lot of Isles’ fans will be disappointed they didn’t go with John Tortorella, Paul Maurice or Bob Hartley, but in the end this type of move is exactly what fits the organization’s recent line of thinking.

I hope this means Josh Bailey will be up with the big team.

Anyway, I’ll give you a lot more on this either late tonight or Wednesday.

Isles list of potential coaches long, all over map

 Now, depending on who you read and which NHL insiders you know, the next coach of the Islanders will be someone who is accepting of a massive youth movement. No, wait, he’ll have to be able to deal with disgruntled veterans. Hold it. That’s not it either. I got it. I think.

He’ll have to be a little crazy. Why? Besides the obvious reasons like a terrible arena, dysfunctional front office, roster politics and a general malaise that encompasses the entire organization? Well, the decision GM Garth Snow makes regarding the next coach is probably the most important decision in the history of the Islanders franchise. If glory is ever to return to Uniondale, the next coach will have to lay ALL the groundwork, if not achieve it himself.

Think about it. Whomever takes over this sinking ship will have to deal with little to no talent, an owner who knows nothing about NHL hockey and a GM who thinks he knows just about everything about, well, everything.

For their part, Isles fans I have spoken to and monitored on various sites and in polls seem united on two potential names.

John Tortorella and Joel Quenneville.

I would take either in a heartbeat. Tortorella won a Cup with Tampa Bay and is a former Rangers minor league coach. He is more than qualified at every level. Quenneville is a former Jack Adams winner and seems to make something out of nothing every year. He did it with St. Louis and Colorado, the latter with a team decimated by injuries.

The Isles win if they get either guy. The $1 million question is: Are either insane enough to become the warden of the Long Island asylum for hockey inept?

The list has several other names, many with fairly impressive resumes, if you consider merely being an NHL coach as impressive.

Here’s a look:

Paul Maurice: Said to be straight shooter. You know where you stand with him if you’re a player. His teams, however, have missed the playoffs in seven of his 10 years behind an NHL bench, his trip to the 2001-02 Stanley Cup finals with Carolina notwithstanding. Bonus: He just got fired by Toronto for finishing fifth. Sparkling potential.

Bob Hartley: Stanley Cup winner on Colorado’s bench in 2000-01. Disciplinarian. Friend of Snow’s. That could be an ominous sign, but maybe its better to have two guys you don’t care for on the same page than one you like and one you can’t stand walking in opposite directions. Bonus: Just fired by Atlanta.

Jack Capuano: Bridgeport coach. Successful. Bright. Probably a longshot considering the number of 35-somethings presently on the Islanders.

Scott Gordon: AHL coach of the year with the Providence Bruins. Don’t know much about him. Anyone who does, please enlighten all of us.

Bryan Trottier: I can’t get crazy about a former Islander great coaching the team. It didn’t work with Butch Goring. And though he wasn’t a great by any means, it didn’t work with Lorne Henning either. Trotts is the man. We all know that, but we need serious people for this job. He simply doesn’t have the track record. If anyone should be coaching a minor league affiliate to work on his chops, it’s Trottier.

Greg Gilbert: Got run out of Calgary but is coming off a great year coaching the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, going 50-21-3-6. Gilbert also won two Cups as a player with the Islanders. I’d call him a darkhorse, but he’s proven at the minor league level, has respect as an NHL champion and probably has what it takes to mesh with veterans. 

So there you have it. Of course, knowing Snow’s track record, or not having a clue what Snow will do (take your pick, both generally haunt my dreams), he could hire someone completely off anyone’s radar.

Regardless, he better make the right choice here. Not because he runs the risk of being fired. Mike Milbury proved that under Charles Wang, if he likes you personally, you have tenure. You can run a franchise into the ground and then move on gracefully to another job and still have influence over the one you just destroyed.

No, Snow better make a great hire because I know Islanders fans will simply stay away. I wouldn’t blame them at all. It’s bad enough the team sells out four games a year with the help of the Rangers faithful. Let’s see how quickly this franchise relocates to Cleveland after another year or two of this nonsense.

Party on, Garth.

BREAKING NEWS: Nolan out on Long Island

The Associated Press is reporting Ted Nolan has been fired by the New York Islanders. The team’s official Web site has confirmed the move.

General Manager Garth Snow on Nolan’s ouster:

“Ted has helped us achieve some success over the last two seasons, however it has become clear that we have philosophical differences and have decided together to part ways,” said Snow. “Since last season and continuing into the summer, I have realized we do not share the same philosophies. I would like to thank Ted for his two years with the team and wish him the best.

“I have a list of several qualified candidates. After a thorough process, we will hire the very best coach to lead the Islanders on the ice.”

With this move, the Islanders have solidified their standing as the joke of the NHL. It’s clown school on Long Island with Snow wearing the biggest shoes and the reddest nose.

This is a DISASTER for all fans of this franchise. Nolan is a tremendous coach, great motivator and solid human being. He’s done pretty well with crap to work with. Owner Charles Wang has clearly been brainwashed by Snow. The Isles will rebuild but will not sniff serious spring hockey for years.

Nolan’s only crime was that he wanted veterans to push for the playoffs. Wang has more money than God. Regardless of the fact that this team loses money and plays in a terrible arena, Nolan wanted to win. Snow and Wang are satisfied with less than mediocrity.

 This is a joke.

I couldn’t begin to tell you who the replacement will be, but you can bet your house on the fact that it will be someone who can be bossed around by Snow. If you are expecting a big name, forget it. Maybe Paul Maurice is coming here. That’s not terrible, but with the amount of problems this organization has, expect more of a Snow yes man.

I’ll be back with more later ….

Garth Gives Isles Good Chance To Be Medicore

 I’m not going to go crazy about the Islanders’ draft or their free agent signings to this point because I’m somewhat encouraged by what’s gone down over the last few weeks. Garth Snow is nothing but honest. He said he’d do things to facilitate the rebuilding process and help the club wins some more games. He did, albeit on a minor level. As currently constituted, I see the Islanders where they always are, a 70-85-point club fighting for eighth in the East. It’s better than the alternative. ….

Selecting Joshua Bailey with their first pick was a nice move. He’s not Filatov, but 96 points in the rough-and-tumble OHL is nothing to sneeze at. I say let him play now. Get him up with the big club as soon as possible and let him learn on the job ….

Kirill Petrov in the third round was a steal, but the big Russian will be hard to get to the NHL because he’s locked up over there for two years and will probably be paid a king’s ransom to stay in his league. The Russian super league is throwing around mad cash. I guess we’re in wait-and-see mode with him and will remain that way for a while ….

As for the free agents they have signed, I love the Mark Streit move. He’ll quarterback the power play and get 15-18 minutes a night in the second or third defense pairing. I don’t expect 62 points again, like he amassed with Montreal in 2007-08 because the Habs are a vastly superior offensive club compared to the Islanders. That said, though, when you get a chance to get a defenseman in his prime (He’s 30) who had as many assists as your club’s leading scorer had points (Mike Comrie with 49), you do it. Streit will be good for years and should fit into the rebuilding process perfectly ….

Doug Weight. OK. He’s 37 and had 25 points last year. Look beyond the numbers, though. He, along with Bill Guerin and Pavol Demitra, was largely responsible for St. Louis’ rebirth. He’s moved on since then, but you can’t discount the value of veteran leadership. Plus, he will be the Islanders’ man behind the net on the power play. Don’t let last year get you down. This guy has averaged 60 points a season for his long career, has won a Stanley Cup and what he’ll bring to the locker room is immeasurable ….

I would have liked to have seen the Isles go after Michael Ryder or Kristian Huselius, but we knew going in Snow wasn’t going to do much out of fear of taking away roster spots and ice time from youngsters. Oddly, Demitra is still out there, as is Miro Satan. Maybe one of the Slovakian snipers ends up on Long Island. But don’t count on it. The Isles must be way under the cap, so if Ted Nolan gets through to the troops and they start off well, they may be in a position to add firepower come the trade deadline.

Don’t read too much into what I’m writing. This team has many, many problems, mostly on the offensive end. Bit I ldo ike their defense pairings. Brendan Witt, Radek Martinek, Andy Sutton, Chris Campoli, Streit …. not bad. I expect the Islanders to be good defensively and in net, provided Rick DiPietro stays healthy.

The problems, though, will be glaring. They won’t score anywhere near enough. My hope is Kyle Okposo develops into the sniper many expect him to be. Getting 20 minutes a night will only help.

The Islanders have the veterans to bring the youngsters along. Guerin, Weight, Witt, Sutton, Richard Park, Mike Sillinger, Jon Sim … It’s not as bad as it seems. Nolan must start the season with Okposo, Blake Comeau, Bailey, Frans Nielsen, Jeremy Colliton and Jeff Tambellini among the final 20 for this rebuilding to begin in earnest. If not, you will have a ton of 35-something guys out there with diminishing skills.

I’ll be back after the holiday with a lot more. Enjoy the 4th everyone ….

It’s all about winning players

 I wish the Islanders had more guys who know exactly what it takes to win the Cup. Guys like Petr Sykora.

Sykora is exactly that type of player. Yeah, he’s bounced around, playing on five teams during his 13-year career, but he won a championship, with New Jersey in 1999-2000 and got to the finals with Anaheim in 2003. He’s now turning into the ultimate playoff rent-a-player. For whatever reason he didn’t look like the greatest investment in the Eastern Conference finals or first four games of the Stanley Cup finals, registering just a goal and an assist. However, he changed all that in the third overtime on Monday.

If you were watching Game 5 as intensely as I was, you may have seen Sykora tell NBC’s Pierre McGuire on the bench during the first OT that he was going to score the winner. That stuck in my mind the rest of the game. I ran to my car after I got out of work to catch the third period and when the legendary Sam Rosen did his famed “it’s a power-play goal!” call midway through the third extra session, I just knew Sykora had scored.

After a split-second delay, probably because Rosen was trying to figure it out himself, he screamed Sykora’s name. Immediately I said, “Damn man!”

Sykora reminds me of Butch Goring, not so much physically — Goring was more of a miniature bull, while Sykora is more smurf-like than anything — but definitely mentally. He just knows where to be on the ice at all times and scores big goals.

Of his 300 or so NHL goals — counting playoffs, about one-third have come in the final five minutes of games. He has 32 goals and 68 points in his playoff career.

Overtime heroics are nothing new for Sykora, who ended the fourth-longest NHL playoff game in a fifth extra session on April 24, 2003, during Anaheim’s run to the Stanley Cup finals. That team was coached by current Detroit bench boss Mike Babcock.

“We have a great thing going right now. We just wanted to win this game,” Sykora told The Associated Press in the early morning hours following the Game 5 win. “We didn’t really look ahead. Now we’re going back home. We’ve got nothing to lose. We know what we have to do and hopefully we can bring it back here to Detroit.”

The one knock on his game is he’s a total finesse player. He doesn’t like physicality, and his 6-foot, 176-pound frame isn’t really built to withstand the rigors of bone-crunching NHL playoff action. Yet, Sykora consistently finds his spots on the ice and delivers in the clutch.

The Devils made a mistake trading him back in 2002 because New Jersey is always in a position to contend for the Cup. Had the Devils been rebuilding, I could understand moving him, for Sykora is not a player you build a franchise around, but he’s certainly one that you turn to in the postseason.

If the Penguins are smart, and they usually are when it comes to building teams, they’d keep Sykora around so that he can continue to provide that veteran presence and clutch mindset to players like Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal going forward. Sykora will only be 32 when next season gets underway and probably has three more good years left of around 30 goals, 60 points and playoff headaches for the opposition.

I’d take him on the Island in a second. Even if his production tailed off he’d be worth it for any team because of all the intangibles he brings to the ice on a nightly basis, the types of things the Islanders haven’t seen in 15 years.

Isles going forward, or backward if you’re paying attention

 I’m not sure what is more disheartening — not making the playoffs or hearing Islanders brass describe how they are going to fix the problems in the offseason.

Charles Wang, he of the billions of dollars and no hockey sense, said recently the team is going to aggressively continue to work to develop young talent and fix this thing by building through the draft. Oh boy. Joy.

Minus Marian Hossa, this offseason’s stock of unrestricted free agents is the least exciting in years. And you can bet good money on the fact that Hossa isn’t coming to Long Island.

That leaves Wang and GM Garth Snow with the fifth pick in the draft and a prayer. The only thing that is certain is Kyle Okposo will be a very good player in the NHL. He may not score 50 goals, but 40 is possible and a point-per-game is doable. Considering the fact that Mike Comrie led the Isles in scoring this year with 49 points and I think Islanders fan would sign on the dotted line for just about anything as an upgrade.

It’s too early to delve into the free agents that will be available, but it’s not too early to look at the current roster and decide who you want to bring back. I was pretty much convinced that Miro Satan, Josef Vasicek and Ruslan Fedotenko should go, but now I’m not so sure. Believe me, I wish there was another way, but if Wang and Snow are determined to stick with the Jeff Tambellinis, Frans Nielsens, Sean Bergenheims, Steve Regiers and Matthew Spillers of the world, they better keep around someone or two who knows how to skate and put on his helmet properly.

I’m not saying the aforementioned youngsters won’t develop into serviceable NHL players, but this idea that a team that finished last in the league in goal scoring will suddenly be better next season with the same young guys going weeks at a time without putting a puck in the net (Tambellini), is very shortsighted.

There’s got to be a way to infuse some offense into this team, and the players to do it have to have worn sweaters from different clubs in 2007-08. I have faith the Islanders can win 3-2 games, but not 40-43 of them as would be needed to make the playoffs. I mean, seriously, when was the last time they enjoyed a laugher? I cannot remember.

If they bring this team back with no signicant upgrades and dump some of the veterans you are looking at a disaster next season. If they keep some or all of their decent veterans they still won’t be good enough to make the playoffs. If you get creative and throw some money around, you have a better shot of being decent, but who exactly can they rob/lure to get players to Long Island?

As it stands, minus the buyout of $2.02 million to Alexei Yashin, the Islanders again figure to be well below the salary cap next season. Rick DiPietro and Comrie will be making around $4 million per and are the highest paid players on the team. Satan makes around that number now, but will want some kind of raise to come back. But, put it in perspective: Satan, Fedotenko and Vasicek combined for 48 goals in 2007-08. That’s some pretty sad commentary when you think about the fact that Isles management is considering getting rid of them and NOT signing (be it because of a small pool of free agents, no snipers available, etc.) anyone even remotely significant to fill their voids, as small as they may be.

Bill Guerin deserves a medal because at 38 or however old he is he still managed to score 23 goals on this team. If he had some help he would have scored close to 40. Okposo could be the guy to play with him, though the youngster looked real good with reliable veteran Richard Park. Mike Sillinger’s season-ending injury hurt, but he’s also approaching 40. Trent Hunter actually got a five-year extension for $10 million, which is great because he does so many things, but is awful because he scored just 12 goals this season.

Yeah, the problems with this club are endless, and the specter of coach Ted Nolan bolting after next season or being fired before it even begins looms large. DiPietro is suddenly always hurt and his reliability is seriously in question.

I think when healthy, the Isles have three good defense pairings, but they have to re-sign Radek Martinek and pray he doesn’t get hurt (again), and they are almost forced to bring back Freddy Meyer or Bryan Berard, though I would opt for the former if given the choice, and let Aaron Johnson fill the other slot. Also, a lot can be said for Andy Sutton’s impact. Before he got knocked out for the season, the Islanders were in the midst of a six-game winning streak, were 28-25-7 and right in the East race. After he went down with a torn hamstring, they went 7-13-2. He was just one of a slew of injuries, but Sutton was getting better every game and his loss was one they never recovered from.

This whole thing is pretty much a train wreck. The only solace you can take in this organization is Okposo’s development and the hope that the politicians in Nassau County will push through the redevelopment of the Hempstead hub and allow for the Coliseum to be renovated.

Until we get some good news, this is an organization that will continue to shadow box with mediocrity. The other shoe always seems to drop. There’s really no reason to think it won’t happen again — sooner rather than later.

Isles jerking Nolan around, but WHY he asks?

 No coach likes to go into his final year of a contract as a lame duck. He also doesn’t like to be thrown under the bus for failures that are not his fault. Lord knows Ted Nolan has earned a big extension at top dollars. I don’t care that the team fell short of the playoffs this year. He had zilch to work with and anyone in NHL circles you ask will tell you the same thing.

The problem the front office has with him appears to be over a roll-of-the-dice move a few weeks back when he started Wade Dubielewicz in both ends of a home-and-home with the Rangers. Rick DiPietro, he of his quickly developing “Tin Man” alter ego, was on the mend from the injury which eventually sidelined him for the season, but was deemed healthy enough to play. Nolan chose to go with the hot hand. Dubie had beaten the Rangers in the first game.

OK, so the Isles lose the second game 3-1. Of course it’s Nolan’s fault because Dubie didn’t score three goals.

WHATEVER.

Nolan is the best coach this franchise has had since Al Arbour retired the first time. Give the guy a break. Garth Snow and Charles Wang let everyone walk this past offseason, some justifiably so. But if there’s a finger to be pointed at someone for the team’s failures this season it should be directed at those two because the guys they signed — all fairness to Bill Guerin … a true warrior — were a downgrade from what they had. Say what you want about guys like Viktor Kozlov and Tom Poti, even Alexei Yashin on some levels. I’m not saying they should have kept Yashin. No chance, but at least TRY to get something better. Those three may not have been the greatest players for the Isles, but they sure were better than any combination you want to put together of Josef Vasicek, Ruslan Fedotenko and Sean Bergenheim, to name a few.

No, Isles management was high on something to think a team composed of career third-line players (minus Guerin and Mike Comrie. They are good, but better as supporting parts) could make the playoffs.

Snow tried to sign Ryan Smyth. He threw a ton of cash at him, but Smyth went to Colorado. That accidental non-move was the best move Snow made the entire offseason because “Cryin’ Ryan” has been a bust in Colorado. But the bottom line is once Snow backed up the truck after the 2006-07 season he didn’t come close to restocking with anything resembling an NHL-caliber offense. He didn’t rebound from losing his “all in” hand with Smyth.

None of this is Nolan’s fault and neither is the team’s struggles this season. In fact, a case can be made that he went above and beyond the call of duty with the rejects he did have. Add in the fact that 12 guys from the original 25-man roster are currently out with injuries, including their top four defensemen and franchise goalie, and the last thing anyone should say is Nolan failed this team or the Long Island community.

Nolan deserves a three- or four-year extension at middle-of-the-road NHL coach compensation at worst.

And as for you Mr. Snow, I stood up for you huge last offseason when everyone was making those “backup goalie-turned-GM” jokes. I may turn around and lead the verbal assault calling for your ouster if you don’t give Nolan an extension and find him and the fans some guys who can actually score, forget 40 goals, try, say, 20 goals.

The idea that the New York press is even hinting that Nolan could be gone is a crime. And I blame you for it.

Cut the crap and get with it. Give Nolan a vote of confidence, a new deal and move toward free agency with everything in order. Nolan will win a Cup as a coach before he leaves this earth.

It better be behind the Islanders’ bench.

DiPietro out for the season

 ESPN and Newsday are reporting that Rick DiPietro will miss the remaining eight games of the season due to a tear in his right hip. DiPietro will have surgery at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo., on Wednesday.

He had similar surgery at the end of last season for an injury to his left hip.

I still love DP’s contract because he will be a bargain down the road, but the last thing you need is a franchise goalie who misses big chunks of time with leg injuries. Hopefully, he’ll come back strong in time for training camp and both of his hips will be better than they were before the surgeries.

I know Ted Nolan is a fine coach and he puts his players through a rigorous training camp, but something has to be done about their conditioning on a year-round basis because half the team is currently collecting disability.

The Islanders and Rangers close the regular season with a home-and-home set. At this point, Garth Snow should do what he can to get the following players on a red-eye to Long Island:

“Dr. Hook” Tim McCracken, Clarence “Screaming Buffalo” Swamptown, Ogie Oglethorpe, Dave “Killer” Carlson, Barclay Donaldson, Tommy Hanrahan and any of the three Hanson brothers.

I say this because the Rangers are going to kick the Islanders  all over two rinks within 48 hours. Might as well put on the foil and get something out of it.

“Officer, I knew Eddie Shore and Toe Blake …”