Usual suspects predict NY Islanders 14th-15th

New York Islander Fan Central | 8/22/2007 10:57:00 AM | | |
Hardly a shock and it could turn out this way but like last year some of the editors or writers at some of these publications/websites simply do not understand hockey or have their favorites, clearly they do not include the New York Islanders.

Coming out of the lockout they had Carolina at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and got it wrong on so many club's it was comical.

Islanders have been to four of the last five playoffs and have a franchise goal tender who was outstanding last year and many of those players are returning, especially on the backline.

If DiPietro did not get a concussion there is a very good chance this club finishes sixth which is where they were into late February before acquiring Ryan Smyth and with Alexei Yashin on the shelf for most of the second half, with Blake struggling at times. Poti also had some back problems for a short stretch in the second half and this was with losing Martinek and Gervais.

Losing Blake, Poti, Yashin or Kozlov may be a big deal and the players the club brought in may not be able to score. Sutton may not play as well as Hill and no one on the back line was signed to provide Poti's steady play with the puck and this group may not be able to replace that. Last season's club was hardly an offensive powerhouse that had a power play to penalty disparity of over negative ninety which was second worst in the league.

It's tough to see a faster club with more skill having the same pp to penalty disparity again that should make a big difference.

The 2007-08 New York Islanders can finish fifteenth, it's also possible in my perspective this club could finish as high as fourth of fifth. A lot has to happen right or wrong for either of those predictions to come true. Truth is you can take about ten clubs in the Eastern Conference and make the same prediction.

In my perspective a lot of these reviews just seems like poor research or other things coming into play that have nothing to do with the roster. Ted Nolan is one of the best coaches in this league in getting the most out of a team and this is a roster both Snow and Nolan put together and many of the players are facing UFA and a poor season will cost them if they do hit the market next summer.

As I have written a lot of times, if someone asked me to review the Western Conference, I would miss a ton of things and likely do a poor job. A lot of these predictions seem like they have only noticed Blake-Smyth leaving and can only recall Neil Smith last summer or Mike Milbury trades from the nineties which has nothing to do with 07-08 and even less with an organization that has been to four of the last five playoffs.

That's where this organization is right now and what's it's recent record is and that's where I think a projection has to start.

Anyway here are predictions from the Hockey Forecaster, Hockey News and McKeens.

Feel free to discuss here in the comments or on the message board.

The Sports Forecaster
Islanders Fifth in the Atlantic.

The Hockey News
Ottawa
NY Rangers
Pittsburgh
Buffalo
Carolina
Tampa Bay
New Jersey
Atlanta
Philadelphia
Washington
Toronto
Florida
Montreal
NY Islanders
Boston

McKeen's

EASTERN

Pittsburgh
Ottawa
NY Rangers
Buffalo
New Jersey
Toronto
Carolina
Montreal
Tampa Bay
Philadelphia
Florida
Washington
Boston
Atlanta
NY Islanders