Thursday, April 16, 2009

Don't Mess This Up, Garth

Anyone who knows me has a pretty decent idea of where I stand on the whole Tavares/Hedman issue. Tavares may be a highly skilled sniper who will be a "quick fix" in putting people back in the seats at the Coliseum, but the bottom line is that a winning product on the ice is a time proven way to sell tickets, and to do that, the team needs to focus on defense, an issue which has plagued them all year. In adressing this need, I am going against the other 95% of Islander fans and claiming that with the 1st overall pick, the New York Islanders should pick Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman.

Fans hear the comparison of Tavares to the likes of the great Islander, Mike Bossy, and immediately think that he will do the same thing that Bossy did in the 80's. People see how the likes of Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin have saved their respective franchises, and that Tavares could potentially do the same. This all may be true, but think of it in this aspect...

The Islanders draft Tavares, so they try to make up for the lack of a big defenseman via free agency. Jay Bouwmeester is out of their reach, and Mike Komisarek signs a huge deal elsewhere. The Islanders may make some minor moves, such as bringing in someone like a Francois Beauchemin or trading up in the first round to grab someone like Oliver Ekmann-Larsen (notice there is NO mention of Matt Gilroy). This leaves the Islanders with a SLIGHTLY improved defense and a talented, yet extrememly young offensive core. Let's not even bring up the fact that Rick DiPietro is or isn't going to be healthy next year (the jury's still out on that one).

The Islanders have a lot which they can build upon on offense in the likes of Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, Frans Nielsen, Sean Bergenheim, Blake Comeau, and Trent Hunter. On defense, however, you have quite possibly the best signing in the NHL last year in Mark Streit, Bruno Gervais, and for arguments sake, Brendan Witt as three guys you absolutely know you can count on. Do Islander fans really want to take a chance on Jack Hillen or another year of the chalk-for-bones play of Radek Martinek?

If the Islanders draft John Tavares, he may live up to the hype of his reputation, being the player that saves the franchise. However, if Garth Snow really wants to put the best team available on the ice five years from now, he won't listen to the fans in section 330 chanting "John Tavares, John Tavares". Instead, he will look to the Islanders teams of the past, teams with the defensive dominance of players like Denis Potvin and Ken Morrow, and maybe then he will realize that the right pick in this years draft is Victor Hedman.

Or than again, maybe he'll just trade down twice again...

4 comments:

SvL009 said...

I respectfully disagree for one main reason discounting others. It is much easier to find a great defenseman than to find a natural goal scorer. Take Taveras, if he sucks, trade him, even for a d-man. But right now, the Isles may as well take advantage of having the 1st overall pick and take who many scouts call by far the best player in the draft. Take him, and we'll work from there. Should be a no brian-er. Just do it.

Fscfaceoff said...

While everyone is entitled to thier own opinion, I think this is a lame argument. Every scout who has watched Hedman plays says the same thing about him: he's a generational defenseman, the kind of guy who comes along once in every 25 years. People say that Tavares can be the face of the franchise, but does the name Kyle Okposo sound familiar? He has shown that he can have 40 goal potential in the NHL. To me, the bust potential on t Tavares is rediculously high. Not to mention, does anyone else remember Alexander Daigle?

Anonymous said...

Tavares is the consensus best player available. You talk as if the defense needs to be in place immediately. There is time to improve it gradually (it all hinges on the Lighthouse) and is easier to do than to find another Tavares. No, Tavares is not Gretzky but neither is Hedman Lidstrom. Most professional scouts indicate Tavares is better right now. Unless you have a crystal ball, why second guess that? How has going against the grain helped lately? There is no reaon to think that John won't be a pretty great player for us.

Mike from Philly said...

Give me Tavares and call it a night. You do not pass up on the best player available in the draft when you have the 1st pick!