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LanteriX · 10-14-2009, 02:45 PM

2009-2010 Season Preview

New York (AP) - There are less than a handful of teams with lower expectations coming into this 2009-2010 NHL season than the New York Islanders and their fans have.

Try telling that to John Tavares.

For Tavares, the media spotlight has been cast over him since the age of 13-years-old. Just 18 now, and with the weight of so many expectations riding on his shoulders, Tavares is already the face of a franchise. Dubbed the 'Next One' by the media, a similar tag which was applied to superstar Sidney Crosby, Tavares is tasked to lead this New york Islanders franchise out of obscurity and back to the successes they once had in the early 1980s.

That's not to say Tavares will be going it alone. The Islanders, led by GM Garth Snow, have assembled a promising young corps of forwards to put around Tavares and company. Matt Moulson and Kyle Okposo, both talented young snipers will be joining Tavares on the top line. Moulson has limited NHL experience, but has been a talented goal scorer at the AHL level turning in 25, 28, and 21 goals in the last 3 seasons for the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL. He was signed to a 1-year deal this offseason. Okposo is expected to be Tavares' #1 target. The 21-year-old played just one year of college hockey before he elected to leave the University of Minnesota to play for the Islanders. He played just 35 games for Bridgeport before earning a call-up to the Islanders and has not looked back since.

The second line is headed up by the team's elder statesman, and captain Doug Weight. Weight was signed as a free agent last year and elected to return for one more year. He will be flanked by Rob Schremp, who was claimed off waivers from Edmonton and Blake Comeau. Both wingers check in at just 23-years-old each.

The third line again features two youngsters in Sean Bergenheim and Josh Bailey, with the veteran Trent Hunter mixed in.

The expectations for the 2nd and 3rd line are mixed. While both lines have potential to provide that extra offensive punch, it remains to be seen wehther the youngsters are able to do it with any kind of consistency, or if they live up to expectations at all for that matter.

For the youth of the forwards, the Islanders have built up a veteran group of defensemen with the youngest amongst the group being Bruno Gervais at age 24. Last offseason's big free agent acquistion Mark Streit gets the top pairing with Radek Martinek. The aforementioned Gervais will skate alongside 34-year-old veteran Brendan Witt, and Andy Sutton will join Freddie Meyer on the 3rd pairing.

In net for the Islanders, at least for October will be Dwayne Roloson and Martin Biron. They are expected to split the starts about 50/50 while Rick DiPietro recovers from multiple right knee operations. DiPietro is expected to return sometime in November, but it remains to be seen how effective he is post-surgery. Roloson turned in a so-so season last year in Edmonton turning in a 28-24 record with a 2.77 GAA and .915 save %. Biron basically was run out of Philadelphia after turning in yet another disappointing season in net.

10-14-2009, 02:45 PM	#4
LanteriX MVP OVR: 15 Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bristol, CT Posts: 1,619	Re: The 'Next One' - Lan's New York Islanders 2009-2010 Season Preview New York (AP) - There are less than a handful of teams with lower expectations coming into this 2009-2010 NHL season than the New York Islanders and their fans have. Try telling that to John Tavares. For Tavares, the media spotlight has been cast over him since the age of 13-years-old. Just 18 now, and with the weight of so many expectations riding on his shoulders, Tavares is already the face of a franchise. Dubbed the 'Next One' by the media, a similar tag which was applied to superstar Sidney Crosby, Tavares is tasked to lead this New york Islanders franchise out of obscurity and back to the successes they once had in the early 1980s. That's not to say Tavares will be going it alone. The Islanders, led by GM Garth Snow, have assembled a promising young corps of forwards to put around Tavares and company. Matt Moulson and Kyle Okposo, both talented young snipers will be joining Tavares on the top line. Moulson has limited NHL experience, but has been a talented goal scorer at the AHL level turning in 25, 28, and 21 goals in the last 3 seasons for the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL. He was signed to a 1-year deal this offseason. Okposo is expected to be Tavares' #1 target. The 21-year-old played just one year of college hockey before he elected to leave the University of Minnesota to play for the Islanders. He played just 35 games for Bridgeport before earning a call-up to the Islanders and has not looked back since. The second line is headed up by the team's elder statesman, and captain Doug Weight. Weight was signed as a free agent last year and elected to return for one more year. He will be flanked by Rob Schremp, who was claimed off waivers from Edmonton and Blake Comeau. Both wingers check in at just 23-years-old each. The third line again features two youngsters in Sean Bergenheim and Josh Bailey, with the veteran Trent Hunter mixed in. The expectations for the 2nd and 3rd line are mixed. While both lines have potential to provide that extra offensive punch, it remains to be seen wehther the youngsters are able to do it with any kind of consistency, or if they live up to expectations at all for that matter. For the youth of the forwards, the Islanders have built up a veteran group of defensemen with the youngest amongst the group being Bruno Gervais at age 24. Last offseason's big free agent acquistion Mark Streit gets the top pairing with Radek Martinek. The aforementioned Gervais will skate alongside 34-year-old veteran Brendan Witt, and Andy Sutton will join Freddie Meyer on the 3rd pairing. In net for the Islanders, at least for October will be Dwayne Roloson and Martin Biron. They are expected to split the starts about 50/50 while Rick DiPietro recovers from multiple right knee operations. DiPietro is expected to return sometime in November, but it remains to be seen how effective he is post-surgery. Roloson turned in a so-so season last year in Edmonton turning in a 28-24 record with a 2.77 GAA and .915 save %. Biron basically was run out of Philadelphia after turning in yet another disappointing season in net.