Chris Bruton Joins The Islanders On One-Year Deal

Former captain, former Memorial Cup Champion.

It's always quiet during playoff time when your team is out of the running. There are few transactions. There isn't usually much to talk about besides speculation. I mean, yeah, there is playoff hockey, but I'm not here to talk about other teams.

Well, Isles fans - good news! The New York Islanders made a small transaction today. It may be another name that you never heard of, but Chris Bruton, a forward, signed with the Isles on a one-year, two-way contract.

It's not a move that's going to change the organization. Chris Bruton is more of a fighter than a scorer. At 26-years-old Bruton is still looking for his first shot at the NHL. Stranger things have happened on the Island, though, and Bruton's player fits the Islanders' recent structure under Garth Snow.

Promote One, Demote One, Trade One: Ryan Strome, Nino Niederreiter, Brock Nelson

Just pretend Kabanov is Nelson...

The off-season continues. Although I am enjoying the playoffs, I am anxiously waiting for the end of the postseason because I'm ready for more Islanders, and less everything else.. The draft looms. Free agency follows. The Islanders will have a chance to improve on their playoff team's roster, and for the first time in a long time, the Isles have the respect that might attract some players that would have never thought of coming to the Island in the past.

Expect there to be plenty of competition in training camp over the summer, and you can bet on that. With the current roster that took this team to the postseason, the possible off-season additions, and the Islanders' deep prospect pool, players will finally be fighting to keep their jobs, while others battle to take them.

Of course, the competition for roster spots also means the inevitable: someone is not going to make the roster on opening day. Think about it. Most of the players on this past season's roster will be returning, and many of those who aren't locked up (Hamonic, Bailey, etc.) are expected to be. The roster is already full, despite Ryan Strome, Nino Niederreiter and Brock Nelson, among other prospects, that are waiting in the wings.

It's a funny thing about those three prospects, though. We lose patience when they're up with the big club(see Nino in 2012), and we lose patience while they're not up with the big club (see Strome, Nelson and Nino in 2013). The upcoming 2013-14 season, though, is when we are supposed to expect all three of them to be NHL ready. Of course, and as I mentioned, there may not be enough room. Our future "phenoms" are going to have to earn it.

Today, Isles fans, we are going to play a little game. With little space available on the roster, the desire for a trade (whether it be Vanek, Bernier, Ryan, etc.), and Nelson, Niederreiter, and Strome waiting for their chance to play for the Islanders, who would you say makes the cut, who gets another year in the minors, and who gets sent away in a package for a top name player. Try to resist the urge to say all of them!

If you could only pick one...demote one, promote one, trade one - GO!

Saturday Afternoon Discussion: What Is The Islanders Biggest Need Heading Into The Off-Season?

Is this the Islanders biggest need in July?

OK, Isles fans. It's time to close the door on the 2013 season. It has been one week since the Islanders met elimination at the Coliseum, and it's time to move forward. There's no doubt that the Islanders had a very exciting push this season, and there's no doubt that the Islanders are on the right track to bigger and better things. Now, though, it is time to focus on making the New York Islanders Hockey Club better.

The Islanders have plenty that worked last season. For next season, plenty of the things that worked will be coming back. The Islanders have a very good fourth-line. They know what they already have in John Tavares and Matt Moulson. Returning forwards Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen and Michael Grabner combined for 74 points. Travis Hamonic, Andrew MacDonald, and Lubomir Visnovsky leaves the Islanders with a solid defensive foundation. But alas, the playoffs spotlighted some possible needs for the New York Islanders.

Goaltending during the postseason was awful. Evgeni Nabokov was not himself. The defense played well, but a couple of mistakes killed them and they constantly gave the Penguins the blue-line. The forwards were shut out in two games, and after Game One, the lines were shuffled.

With that being said, what are the Islanders to do in order to improve this hockey team? Plenty of what Garth Snow has put together on the Island has worked, but there are still several areas the Islanders need to improve on. Isles fans: for this weekend's discussion, let's figure out what the Isles most need to address heading into the off-season.

Top Ten Moments Of The Islanders 2013 Season

What was your favorite moment of 2013?

We still have a little bit more reminiscing to do over here at Islanders Op-Timism. Yeah, yeah, I know. Some of you are ready to move on. We want to talk about the draft. We want to talk about free agency, and any other possible ways the team can get better in the off-season. No worries, Isles fans. That will come in due time. Like I said, I still have a little bit of looking back to do before we move forward.

Today, I want to discuss the 2013 Islanders one last time. After today, we look ahead. No more looking back, unless, of course, we are looking for comparisons. In today's piece, still less than one week since the Islanders were eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins, I want to go over my top ten moments of this Islanders' season.

What made it special? How did the Islanders get to where they are, and what moments stick out as the cause for the Islanders' turn around? After the jump, you will read Islanders Op-Timism's Top-10 Moments of the Islanders 2013 Lockout-Shortened NHL Season. I urge you to leave you top moments in the comments section.

The Inaugural Isles Op-Timism Awards Presentation

Mr. Marginally Talented is a Hart Finalist.

Regardless of what anybody says, I'm going to tell you the Islanders' season was a success. From the beginning, the Islanders have been moving forward baby step-by-baby step. This season, the Islanders took their biggest step of all, finally beginning to walk after crawling since the infancy of this rebuild.

No, the Isles didn't win the Cup, but you're fooling yourself if you thought that's where the Islanders were headed this season. Instead, though, the Islanders made their first playoff appearance since 2007 during a lockout shortened year where nobody gave the Islanders a chance out of the gate.

Respect is hard to come by in the NHL (at least if you're the Islanders), but New York grabbed the attention of the hockey world by achieving two "impossibilities": The Islanders made the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the Islanders took the Penguins to six games.

As we head into the off-season, the ride is paused momentarily. Islanders' fans have no hockey to cheer about until October, but we still do have our rooting interests around the NHL. One, in particular, is John Tavares, who is a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy.

Well, Isles fans, I cannot guarantee you that John Tavares will be named MVP in June. I also cannot guarantee any other Islanders' player or coach wins an award this off-season. What I will do, though, is give out awards (some real, some fake) to our New York Islanders' players for their efforts in 2013.

With that, I would like to announce the inaugural Islanders Op-Timism Awards Presentation. Drumroll, please.