There Is A Light At The End Of The Tunnel

If you thought Thursday nights 9-2 drubbing by the sticks of the Penguins was the low point of this Islanders season, I regret to inform you that your wrong.

What we all know about this Islanders team, is that there will be growing pains. Ya know, the kind of pain where you start grabbing your leg because you think you feel the bone stretching. This past loss is only the tip of the iceberg.

Coming into the season, some fans(including myself) were excited to see what Coach Scott Gordon could do and to watch guys like Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen grow. Well, unfortunately for the Isles, Okposo and Nielsen both have significant injuries and will miss a major chunk of what would have been a very important season for both players. Rookie Josh Bailey has come up and impressed quickly but career underachiever, Jeff Tambellini has been just that.

With the General Managers meeting just having wrapped up, expect things to get much,much worse. The Islanders are in the midst of a youth movement and have plenty of veterans to move at the deadline. Bill Guerin,Doug Weight,Jon Sim and Richard Park are all players who may be spending their last few weeks playing on the lovely ice surface at the Coliseum. With vets moving out and more youngsters moving in, the growing pains may reach Andre the Giant size proportions.

But like I said, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. That light also has a name, and that name is John Tavares. For those of you who don't know Tavares, he will be the 1st overall selection in the 2009 NHL draft. Here are some of his stats for you:

2007 Season-67 games, 72 goals, 62 assists, 134 points
2008 Season-59 games, 40 goals, 78 assists, 118 points

Tavares is the jewel in this years draft. And let's face it, the Islanders are going nowhere this year or perhaps for the next few years. Is it better to grab an 8 spot in the playoffs or to get a stud rookie. I vote the latter. Let the Islanders stink up the joint for the next few months, let them trade the vets, stockpile draft picks and be bad enough to win the draft lottery.

The thought of a line with Kyle Okposo-Josh Bailey-John Tavares only makes me salivate and yearn for the day that this becomes a reality.

But for now, buckle up fans, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

-Alex