PARRISH

General manager Mike Milbury picked up just enough nasty to ensure that the Isles will not be fun to play against. They could have used centers Jason Wiemer and Arron Asham in April to burn Leafs after Michael Peca, the linchpin of last season's success, was mugged in Game 5 (busted left knee, returns in December). Goalie Chris Osgood can steal tight games, but 60-point right wing Mark Parrish will have to make it on his own.

	The Big Question
	Q: Can they stay in the hunt without Michael Peca? Staying in the hunt until Michael Peca makes it back into the lineup shouldn't be a big deal for the Isles. Alexei Yashin will play more and that should offset the absence of Peca's 25 goals. Shawn Bates, Brad Isbister and Oleg Kvasha are all legitimate threats to bust the 20-goal mark. What the Isles will miss is Peca's leadership and ability to play head-to-head against the best. The East is there for the taking anyway. Only Washington and the Rangers have really improved and Boston and the Devils have lost key players. -- Bill Clement
	Good: Adrian Aucoin exceeded expectations a year ago, but he also got a chance to play major minutes for the first time. Why can't he repeat? Few defensemen can top 200 shots and contribute across the board. Bad: Michael Peca had a wonderful start last season, then cooled off before being knocked out of the playoffs with a significant knee injury. Even when he returns a few months into the season, expecting a 60-point pace is asking a lot. -- Eric Karabell
	Top Prospect
	Rick DiPietro, G A third-year pro, DiPietro should be just about at the peak of the learning curve. He had an excellent playoff last year, winning 12 games, and should be out of the minors for good some time this season.
	Minors Outlook
	Bridgeport Sound Tigers Having been raided by the Devils' organization over the summer, the Sound Tigers will be hard-pressed to repeat last year's performance when they reached the Calder Cup finals. The return of DiPietro from the Islanders would help. -- Bill Ballou

Forwards Contrary to popular belief, one career year does not a player make. Mark Parrish and Shawn Bates still have to prove their worth, and without Michael Peca around to anchor a decent second line, that will be tough this season. That leaves Alexei Yashin is the Islanders' only legitimate top-line forward, until Peca returns, of course. Because there is little to brag about in quality, there is even less to brag about in depth. Don't expect the team to make an appearance among the top 10 in goals scored. Eastern Conference Position Ranking: 9th Defensemen Adrian Aucoin, Kenny Jonsson and Roman Hamrlik are a nice blend of style and substance -- and all of them can crack the top four of any team in the conference. Radek Martinek was having a promising first year before he was sidelined with season ending knee surgery in December. Even without Eric Cairns (6-6, 232) the Islanders are big and, most of all, mobile. The entire unit's dedication to defense will be tested this season. Eastern Conference Position Ranking: T5th Goalie Chris Osgood is no Dominik Hasek, but he proved last season he didn't deserve the bad wrap he got in Detroit (OK, maybe a little bit of it). At 30, Ozzie is still young in goaltender years, and with Garth Snow, 33, as a back up and Rick DiPietro, 21, waiting in the wings, goaltending shouldn't be a concern for a while. Eastern Conference Position Ranking: 4th

Rankings: 9th Overall
Forwards | Defensemen | Goalies

RECORD: 42-28-8-4, 96 points Rank: T8th overall 4th East 2nd Atlantic Playoffs: Lost to TOR in first round Home: 21-13-5-2 Road: 21-15-3-2 2001-02 results 2001-02 statistics 2002-03 schedule 2002-03 roster OFFENSE DEFENSE GOALS FOR/AVG. Overall: 239/2.91 (6th) Home: 124/3.02 (8th) Road: 115/2.80 (7th) POWER PLAY Overall: 16.3/59-363 (11th) Home: 12.5/22-176 (30th) Road: 19.8/37-187 (2nd) GOALS AGAINST/AVG. Overall: 220/2.68 (22nd) Home: 115/2.80 (25th) Road: 105/2.56 (9th) PENALTY KILL Overall: 85.8/52-366 (11th) Home: 85.2/24-162 (14th) Road: 86.3/28-204 (5th) STATS LEADERS GOALS Alexei Yashin (32) Mark Parrish (30) Michael Peca (25) ASSISTS Yashin (43) Peca (35) Shawn Bates (35) POINTS Yashin (75) Parrish (60) Peca (60) PENALTY MINUTES Eric Cairns (176) Brad Ibister (113) Dave Scatchard (111) PLUS/MINUS Adrian Aucoin (+22) Peca (+19) Bates (+18) GAA (MIN. 20 GP) Chris Osgood (2.53) SAVE PERCENTAGE Osgood (.909) * - no longer with team