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| Should be a good |
Although I may not be able to make it, the New York Islanders will be facing-off against the New Jersey Devils at 7 PM in the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Islanders fans will be the firsts to see hockey at home, so the long wait is truly almost over.
With a little bit more than a week to go, the Islanders, like their fans, have to scramble for the start of the 2013 season. Majority of the Islanders' roster has made it to IceWorks this morning, and will be evaluated for the beginning of the season. John Tavares, Ryan Strome, and Michael Grabner have all arrived today, and according to Kevin Schultz of Islanders Point-Blank, Grabner looks to be at full speed.Training camp is expected to start on Sunday, and the Islanders still have a ton of questions that need to be answered, starting with who will be on the ice for opening night.
This is a tough one. With no preseason games, it's going to be difficult to accurately gauge chemistry, so lines will be made on a trial-and-error basis. Obviously, Tavares and Moulson will be put together, but outside of that, not much was generated from the Islanders last season. Here's my predictions for all of the lines to open 2013:
Matt Mouslon - John Tavares - Brad Boyes
Jesse Joensuu (Nino if injured) - Ryan Strome - Kyle Okposo
Josh Bailey - Frans Nielsen - Michael Grabner
Matt Martin - Casey Cizikas - Eric Boulton
Travis Hamonic - Andrew MacDonald
Mark Streit - Matthew Donovan
Lubomir Visnovsky - Matt Carkner
Evgeni Nabokov
Rick DiPietro
The first-line is a given. The Islanders expect Brad Boyes to fill PA Parenteau's shoes on the Islanders' top-line. John Tavares and Matt Moulson will do their thing, and if Brad Boyes cannot keep up, he will be replaced. For the first game, Boyes will be on JT's wing. I bet he scores one, too.
Every line after this gets a little tricky.
My second-line prediction is based off of a few things. Kyle Okposo is expected to be a top-6 forward, so he will be treated as such. He ended last season on a hot streak, so the organization hopes for Kyle to continue his goal-scoring ways. Ryan Strome should make his debut. At worst, he gets 5 games and gets sent back to the OHL for one last time. Strome is the Islanders' future #2 centre, and the lack of depth on this team makes him the immediate #2 option. Although I would love to see Nino up on this line, I think the Islanders will try to keep him in the AHL for the rest of the season because of his success there now, and the gross mishandling of him last season. Jesse Joensuu, who is another big body, will be expected to score some goals for the Islanders, especially after his success in Finland. Of course, if he's injured he will not be there, and then I can see the Islanders incorporating Nino in an attempt for Nino and Strome to find some real chemistry together.
The third-line is going to be a very solid two-way line. Frans Nielsen, Josh Bailey, and Michael Grabner have been three go-to Islanders for big defensive situations. Nielsen has meshed well with Bailey and Grabner on separate lines. This line can be very capable on the offensive side of the puck, and should be expected to be an easy plus in the ratings. This line has the ability to do special things in all three-zones.
The fourth-line is a bit more predictable. Casey Cizikas is an excellent two-way centre, and will provide the offense and enthusiasm that Marty Reasoner could not. Matt Martin will do Matt Martin things, and be able to score a few himself (I still see him as a capable 10-15 goal-scorer). Eric Boulton will not be in the line-up every night, but he will be on opening night against his former team. Boulton will drop the gloves.
On defense, Travis Hamonic and Andrew MacDonald should be our first pairing. They have been our top defensive-line over the past two seasons. They are not a liability on defense, and can both move the puck. Travis Hamonic was the only Islanders defenseman to have a plus rating (+6).
Mark Streit is paired with Matt Donovan. Streit has been in past Norris Trophy discussion. His offensive upside is 50-60 points, and he is more than capable in the defensive zone. Admittedly, he looked bad at times last season, but he looked much better towards the end of the season. Matt Donovan will learn from Mark Streit. Donovan is an offensively-gifted defenseman, but has also shown he's solid in his own zone. Donovan will gain a lot from playing with the captain, who has a similar style of play.
Lubmoir Visnovsky is paired with Matt Carkner. Visnovsky has shown no interest of playing on the Island, but will show up, and will be thrown on the bottom-pairing. Matt Carkner will be breaking faces and put fear into opposing forwards that come too close to our goalie.
Our goalie situation remains the same. Evgeni Nabokov has not played during the break. Rick DiPietro's here for now. Let's see how long that lasts. Wouldn't surprise me if both kids form Bridgeport were in NHL by the season's end.
Those are my predictions for January 19th.
Other story-lines include KHL holdouts (Visnovsky vs.Kovalchuck), the Eastern Conference Champions playing without Zach Parise, Eric Boulton returning against his former team, and the NHL returning from the lockout.
The Islanders are also expected to have an afternoon game on the 21st against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Within the next week, I will have predictions for the Islanders and their upcoming season.
Hockey's back. Let's go Islanders.
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I'm Chris Triants, and this is my blog.
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I think you're on to something, just see Reasoner being the 4th over Casey, they'll keep CC in Bridgeport until they send Strome back and then move him or Nelson up to the big leagues.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and taking the time to comment, Steve.
DeleteI could see Reasoner in the mix, especially if they feel Casey could use some extra time in Bridgeport. Reasoner only has 48 games left on his contract, so they do have a placeholder. I also don't expect him to be as terrible as he was, so if he does play, hopefully he plays his role.
If Strome gets sent back to the OHL, which is probable, I see Nelson and Nino coming up together.
A Brock Nino Kyle line would be fun to watch. I agree. Is it January 19th yet?
DeleteKeep up the good work. Really enjoy the site.
So excited for the 19th.
DeleteI think down the line, Brock Nelson is going to play a similar role to that of Jordan Staal with Pittsburgh. The team is going to be very solid down the middle.
Thanks a lot. Glad you enjoy it. As long as you're reading, I'll keep posting.
Strome isn't going back. Dougie Hamilton is playing for Boston this year and Niagara just made a few trades to get younger. No way they make any kind of push in OHL playoffs without Hamilton. Since WJC is now over, I have no problem with a 48 game trial with Strome as #2 center.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting. Although it's very possible the Islanders will keep Strome up, there should be talk within the organization if it's worth burning a year off his contract by playing him in a shortened season. Of course, if Strome will re-sign, and the experience would be more beneficial than stunting, keeping Strome is for the best.
Delete