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Monday, September 4
Updated: September 5, 9:33 AM ET
 
A Closer Look: New York Islanders

By Brian A. Shactman
ESPN.com

More on the Islanders
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  • If it weren't for expansion, the futility of the Islanders might have gotten more publicity. But as ESPN.com takes a Closer Look at the Islanders, it's clear that, although the Isles aren't necessarily contenders, they're on their way back to being credible and competitive.

    Season Review: Bottom dwellers
    Mariusz Czerkawski
    Czerkawski
    No matter what can be said of the improved "product" over '98-99, the Islanders remained pretty bad for much of last season. Their 194 goals were the league's second worst behind Atlanta, and only Tampa Bay (310) and Atlanta (313) allowed more goals than the Isles' 275. On some nights, the Isles competed for three periods, regardless of the opponent, while on others, the Isles were cannon fodder.

    To put the lack of consistency in perspective, take a sampling of late-season performances. In the last month of the season, the Islanders beat playoff-bound teams like Florida, Ottawa and Toronto. But during the same period, the Isles lost to lowly Atlanta and got smoked 8-2 by both Pittsburgh and New Jersey.

    As would be expected, few players had statistically productive seasons. Mariusz Czerkawski clearly the best, scoring 35 goals and earning an All-Star selection. After him, Brad Isbister was the next-highest point-producer with 42. Rookie Tim Connolly had his ups and downs, but the fact that he played 81 games shows he has NHL durability. But that's about it -- and not much at that.

    When the Felix Potvin era ended with his trade to Vancouver, several interesting things happened in net. Kevin Weekes, who came over in the Potvin deal, played well enough to take some quality time away from highly regarded prospect Roberto Luongo. Both Weekes (3.41) and Luongo (3.25) had high GAAs, but on a team like the Isles, stats like save percentage are more important. And Weekes (.902) and Luongo (.904) were decent in that area.

    The Open Market: Making waves
    With new ownership, GM Mike Milbury finally had a mandate to try and craft a winner -- as opposed to reduce payroll. So, Milbury set out to shift the negative tide on the Island. And although, some of his offseason moves can be questioned, Milbury created some excitement -- and certainly got the franchise a lot of publicity.

    FREE AGENCY
    Key unsigned free agents:
    Roman Hamrlik, Zdeno Chara.

    Signings/offseason acquisitions:
    Jesse Belanger, Aris Brimanis, Kevin Haller, Kenny Jonsson, Robert Petrovicky, Ray Schultz, Mike Stapleton, Dan Trebil, Jeff Toms.

    Start with the draft. Call it the year of the goalie. Milbury used the No. 1 pick to select young and brash Boston University backstopper Rick DiPietro -- the first time a goalie had been picked No. 1. To make room for the goalie of the future, Milbury traded Weekes and Luongo. Weekes went to Tampa Bay for draft picks. Milbury shipped Luongo to Florida -- along with Olli Jokinen -- for Oleg Kvasha and Mark Parrish.

    If that wasn't enough, Milbury also dealt Eric Brewer, Josh Green and a draft pick to Edmonton for defenseman Roman Hamrlik.

    After the draft, Milbury continued to be active, signing several free agents, most importantly veteran goalie John Vanbiesbrouck. The Beezer, despite some of the criticisms he received in Philly, is a proven goalie, and his presence means there's no need to rush DiPietro if he's not ready for the NHL out of camp. The rest of the signings were second-tier guys the Islanders need for depth.

    Things recently brightened on the holdout front when captain Kenny Jonsson inked a one-year deal. Now, two key roster players, Hamrlik and Zdeno Chara, remain unsigned. Hamrlik's absence in training camp could hurt quite a bit, mainly because he's so talented on the power play -- and with 5-on-5 transition. The Isles struggled to a 14.1 percent power-play efficiency, and Hamrlik's five goals and 21 assists on the man advantage most definitely make that unit more potent.

    How to improve: Keep it positive
    The Islanders won't exactly take the Devils head on, but there's no doubt they won't lose to them 8-2 anymore. The Islanders gave up a lot to reshape the roster, but with Hamrlik and Jonsson on defense and with forwards like Czerakwski, Parrish, Kvasha, Claude Lapointe and Bill Muckalt there should be more scoring, especially if Connolly improves as expected.

    If DiPietro begins the season in the minors, Vanbiesbrouck and backup Wade Flaherty should be able to handle things fairly well. If the youngster does make the big club, Vanbiesbrouck can complement him, especially considering the aplomb the Beezer handled the emergence of Brian Boucher in Philly last season. But the odds are Vanbiesbrouck plays a lot more this season than he did in '99-00.

    The key for coach Butch Goring is to keep all the young guys positive through the rough spots -- because there will be some. There is a good core to build around, and if Hamrlik can be signed long term, he'll provide the type of flair and puck movement the Isles have lacked.

    Look for improvement but no miracles. And keep an eye on Luongo and Weekes because no matter how well DiPietro plays, Milbury gave up two talented goalies this offseason.

    Brian A. Shactman is the NHL editor for ESPN.com.





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