Isles are out, but still look forward to playoffs

What optimism? It's not like Boston, NJ, Pittsburgh or Washington are suddenly going to suck next year. Plus, all the big name free agents are going everywhere BUT Nassau. Lastly, unless DP starts playing in a suit of armor, you can expect another injury-plagued season.

Yes Tavares or Hedman will help,(provided we don't slip out of 29th or 30th place or Garth decides to draft down). However, don't expect a playoff spot next year as the top teams ahead of them are both young & deep.

By the way Garrth, where's the high scoring prospect???? All of the draft picks he has amassed over the past couple years & not one has been able to be called up & start scoring. And don't give me that "he didn't have a lot of first rounders that are high scoring" garbage. David Krejci in Boston scores a lot & he wasn't a high pick. Neither was Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Martin St. Louis or plenty of other players.

Amassing draft picks is one thing. Picking 1 or 2 that can come in and score is another.

You have to be optimistic when you watch this team and I am sure the guys playin are too. Since the trade deadline this has been a different team. Look at how many young players scored there first NHL goal this year in the few games they have played. Okposo almost scored 20 and could have if he had been healthy for the entire season. And did you see Baily's goal vs. Tampa, he's only 18 or 19 not sure? In a few years we will be as deep as any other team and scoring will be pretty much contributed by a bunch of players instead of just 1 or 2. That's what this team really needs. These young guys just need to be kept together learning how to play with eachother and it'll be fine.

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"Obviously," Gordon said, "the second half, the last 32 games [in which they are 14-14-4], and throw in the combination of 30-plus one-goal losses and [losses that would have been by one goal without] empty-netters, and you look at the potential that's there for us next year. You know, what does a true No. 1 goalie do for you in those games? The goaltending Ricky [DiPietro, who made only five early-season appearances before sidelined by injury] can be a big swing for us."
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I completely agree with Gordon here.

Well I think Bailey is going to be a good player and score more, but will always be a better playmaker. He has only been the gm 2 years. Its hard to draft someone in 2 years and for them to adapt to the nhl game and start scoring so quickly.

You need to be more patient HHAW there are several kids in the minors that look like they can be scoring threats (DiBenedetto, Martin among others) but they are still 18-19 years old...
If they had taken Filitov last year they would already have a scorer (hasnt played much at the NHL level but he has look good so far), but Snow wanted the extra picks, we wont know if that was a mistake or not for a couple more years.

TheMetalChick wrote:

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"Obviously," Gordon said, "the second half, the last 32 games [in which they are 14-14-4], and throw in the combination of 30-plus one-goal losses and [losses that would have been by one goal without] empty-netters, and you look at the potential that's there for us next year. You know, what does a true No. 1 goalie do for you in those games? The goaltending Ricky [DiPietro, who made only five early-season appearances before sidelined by injury] can be a big swing for us."
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I completely agree with Gordon here.

the question is, which Ricky will we get next season? the one we think can win us alot of games, or red light Ricky?

Rob wrote:

<quoted text> the question is, which Ricky will we get next season? the one we think can win us alot of games, or red light Ricky?

Rick has been better some times over others but he has never had what would be called a poor season in the NHL- and I dont think he will start now. Of course that presumes health, but there is nothing wrong with thinking he will be healthy. Its not as if other goaltenders havent had the same problems and come back strong. Honestly, this "red light Ricky" stuff is perpetuated by Rangers fans who wish the worst for the Isles. For whatever its worth, the only place I really see it posted over and over and over is in the comments sections of this Dolan-owned newspaper.