Every week Stan Fischler, Stefen Rosner, and Zach Weinstock link up for a lively Islanders shmooze. This week, the gang discusses the top line, Stefen offers his report on the top Isles prospects, and the Maven predicts another young Islander for a major breakthrough, namechecks Bob Bourne and reveals the first joke he ever told Brock Nelson.
Every week Stan Fischler, Stefen Rosner, and Zach Weinstock link up for a lively New York Islanders shmooze.
This week, the gang discusses the top line, Stefen offers his report on the top Isles prospects, and the Maven predicts another young Islander for a major breakthrough, namechecks Bob Bourne, and reveals the first joke he ever told Brock Nelson:
ZACH: Good morning fellas, and Happy Brocktober. Summer's long gone, the season is upon us.
STEFEN: Absolutely, but first thing's first. Stan, how are you holding up over in Israel?
STAN: Best we can. Hockey has been my best distraction at the moment.
STEFEN: Your fans have been messaging me asking how you are.
STAN: THANKS! for the support, in and out of emails, X, and the rest of the available cryptograms. That's very nice, and it's always appreciated.
ZACH: Amen, and as the Hebrew saying goes, Hashem Yikom Dammam. So if hockey's your best distraction, let's distract you for a few minutes. Stefen was out at Islander training camp every day, so he has a read on some players the rest of us have never really seen a lot. What did you think of the youngsters?
STEFEN: I think a couple of them are really going to surprise people one day.
ZACH: For years, we've been hearing from the national hockey media that the Islanders have the most shallow prospect pool in the NHL.
STAN: So let's take solace in the fact that the media rarely know what they're talking about, except for THN, of course.
ZACH: Right. But that said, the Islanders haven't had a first-round pick since before Covid.
STAN: First round shmirst round. They have prospects.
STEFEN: Yep. There are four in particular that I really like. First is Matthew Maggio. He just won OHL Player of the Year.
ZACH: Okay. I saw him make a rush in the first Rangers preseason game last week that was quite striking.
STEFEN: He's smart, fast, quick thinker, and always seems to make the smart play. He's also a warrior.
STAN: OHL Player of the Year is no joke. Just look at the list of recent winners.
STEFEN: Well, he was older than those other guys, like, say, Marner, McDavid, and DeBrincat, when they won it.
STAN: But anytime you're even in any category with those guys, it's certainly intriguing.
STEFEN: I was talking about him with Anders Lee and J.G. Pageau. They both say his IQ and drive are incredibly high, and that makes their job easier as vets. And given Lane Lambert's tone when answering questions about Maggio, he sounds like a coach's dream. He's also going to be a fan favorite because the guy is a quote machine – a real down-to-earth kid.
ZACH: What kind of quotes? Lay one on us.
STEFEN: Well, in his first-ever preseason game, he broke his nose and took a brutal knee-to-knee hit on the very next shift. We come in after the game, and his nose is a train wreck, so we ask him, and he says, "Just take Advil. Take some Tylenol, and be ready for tomorrow."
STAN: That's a hockey player.
STEFEN: No doubt. Another is Isaiah George. 2022 fourth-rounder. Best skater at this year's rookie camp and carried that strong play into training camp. Think of a combination of Pelech's defense and Leddy's skating style.
ZACH: What do you mean Leddy's skating style? Nick Leddy had one of the most distinctive, graceful skating styles we ever saw. Do you mean he actually cruises like that, or are you just saying he's fast?
STEFEN: I mean, he skates like Leddy in terms of having the ability to get up the ice like him, and he's got strong edges. But his gift is his defensive play. Then we've got William Dufour. He may be the Islanders' top prospect.
STAN: They call him "Du-score."
STEFEN: Yeah, him. NHL-caliber wrist shot, bordering on elite. The biggest growth from last year to this year is his skating. No question he can be a top-six player once he gets more comfortable with the speed of the NHL game.
ZACH: Not bad for a fifth-round pick.
STEFEN: Right. And the last guy I really like is Arnaud Durandeau. Given his age and his success in Bridgeport, I think he's ready to make an NHL impact. I say he'll be the first call-up of the season.
STAN: So none of the guys you mentioned are first, second, or even third-round picks. But there have been so many great players throughout history who weren't either.
STEFEN: Yeah. People like to get on Lamoriello for trading first-round picks, but you trade a first-round pick every day of the week and twice on draft night for an NHL-proven player.
ZACH: Okay, well, I don't think many would disagree that Pageau, Palmieri, and Horvat are NHL-proven players. But I think as a family, we do need to have a talk about Romanov.
STAN: I like him.
STEFEN: Me too. And he's only going to get better.
ZACH: Well yeah, I'd hope so.
STEFEN: I thought as the season progressed, he showed exponential growth alongside Pulock.
ZACH: To me, he's a fascinating case because when I look at his numbers I start to think maybe perception was unduly tainted by our expectations for him, which were kind of high. This guy had me pulling my hair out the entire second half and playoffs last year, yet apparently, he tied for second on the Isles in plus-minus with a career-best +13 and was third on the team in "defensive point share," whatever that is.
STAN: Oh, here we go with the analytics gibberish.
ZACH: Yeah, I get it, but we all understand plus-minus.
STEFEN: I actually liked his second half better than his first half. Yes, the playoffs were different because he was battling a shoulder injury that made playing his physical brand of hockey incredibly painful. He definitely needs to improve on his first pass at times
ZACH: You mean you didn't like that attempted dump-in in Game Four?
STEFEN: Fair enough. Chalk that up to the injured shoulder. In camp, it was clear he was working on puck handling, and it looks like he's focusing on joining the rush a lot more.
STAN: Listen, I said I like him, but I need to see Romanov joining the rush the way I need to see a rhino joining a wet tee shirt contest.
ZACH: I think another thing that may be working against the popularity of that trade as far as the fans are concerned is the fact that the final price for the pick was Kirby Dach, who, while a bit inconsistent, wound up with a nice year production-wise at age 22.
STEFEN: But even if you loved Dach, he is a center, and the Isles had those four slots filled at the time.
ZACH: By that logic they wouldn't have brought in Horvat.
STEFEN: They made room by moving Barzy to the wing.
ZACH: They could have done that before the season.
STAN: Zach, are you comparing Kirby Dach to Bo Horvat?
ZACH: No, absolutely not. But I like Barzal on the wing.
STAN: I actually think if the offense sputters, they should consider moving him back to center. Carrying through the neutral zone and dishing are his forte. Let him use the whole rink.
ZACH: Speaking of Barzal and Horvat – here's a question some beat writers have been kicking around for a bit; Who is going to be on their left wing come Saturday night?
STAN: I always believed – or maybe wished - that Anders had a lock on LW1 for as long as he's Anders.
STEFEN: All signs have pointed to Lee starting the season with Pageau. Both have played well with one another. Everyone wants the answer to the LW1 question, but if Barzal and Horvat are going to gel the way they have been since the start of camp, does it really matter?
ZACH: Yes. It's your first line.
STEFEN: Sure. Listen, a high-caliber player is certainly ideal, but at the end of the day, Barzal and Horvat will produce. What they just need is someone who can do dirty work and find these two guys.
ZACH: Remember when Blake and Yashin were on a line with Chris Simon?
STAN: Barzal-Horvat-Ross Johnston. Sign me up.
ZACH: That's the vaunted "Space Maker" theory.
STAN: Listen, if Gretzky could line with Marty McSorley…
STEFEN: Palmieri should be the answer, assuming he's fully healthy. But a player like Julien Gauthier or Pierre Engvall does what the line needs.
ZACH: Engvall seems like a good candidate because of his speed and puck retrieval. But part of me still believes that, being as Barzal is one of the best passers in the league, I wouldn't mind a finisher on the other wing. But there aren't so many of those in the left-handed variety.
STAN: Right, it should be a southpaw. That's why I shy away from King Kyle or Gauthier. Engvall would be nice.
ZACH: Speaking of Gauthier, do we think he cracks the lineup opening night?
STEFEN: Yeah, I think he will. It's crazy to think Oliver Wahlstrom would be on the outside looking in, but I think that's where we are. Gauthier has been the biggest surprise of camp because he's shown off his IQ and, more importantly, an accurate howitzer.
STAN: Well, there you go. That's supposed to be something Ollie provides.
ZACH: Ollie seems to spend one month per season as the best scorer on the team, then recedes into the background, or worse, injured reserve.
STEFEN: Right. There isn't much question about Oliver's physical skills. For Gauthier, on the other hand, his perceived lack of finishing ability is the reason he's bounced around the league. But here, in camp and preseason, it's been a strength. A standout strength.
STAN: Let's give Ollie a chance. He's still young and has had plenty of tsouris, which is Yiddish for anguish, or in this case, injuries.
STEFEN: He just didn't make too many standout plays this camp.
ZACH: It's interesting to hear you say the book on Gauthier was speed but no finish. That definitely reminds me of another late bloomer they once picked up, the great Michael Grabner, who had 915 breakaways between 2012 and 2014-15 and scored on about two of them.
STEFEN: Gauthier's bigger, but otherwise, it's a decent comparison.
ZACH: Fittingly, one play that probably came to mind for most Islander fans when they heard about the Gauthier pick-up was last October when he went end-to-end against the Isles at UBS Arena and was stopped by Sorokin. There was plenty of speed on that play.
STAN: Speed and lack of finish reminds me of a hero who had speed and finally found the other part – Bob Bourne; king of the end-to-end rush.
ZACH: Grabby eventually went to the Rangers and rediscovered his scoring touch. I'd love it if Gauthier does the same thing in reverse. The hockey gods owe us one.
STAN: I'll tell you this; I am confident that Gauthier is going to emerge as a major asset. Even more than Hudson Fasching did last year.
STEFEN: Fasching's picked up where he left off last season. There was a game last Saturday night where he was the Islanders' best player. He's so effective.
STAN: I am fascinated with Fasching, and not because he's the first Islander ever named after a river that we all know. Unlike you, Stefen, I still harbor doubts that he'll continue up the NHL ladder, but on the other hand, I'm tickled pink that he's doing latter-day imitations of Bob Nystrom. Frankly, I love what the lad has done so far; the family, the story, the whole schmeer.
ZACH: Very effective and dependable. And those great plays he made in that epic comeback in Pittsburgh are going to be hard for fans to forget.
STAN: Correct! People need to remember how hot the Isles were last year down the stretch. And this is ancient history but worth noting - had the right call been made when Scott Mayfield was high-sticked vs. Carolina, we might now be talking about an Isles team that could have gone two more rounds.
ZACH: Mave, the power play in the playoffs was 5 percent. I can't say for certain they could have gone two more rounds. But they definitely deserved better against the Canes, and we all agree it was a terrible miss on Mayfield. But fine, let's play that game! With 2023-24 beginning, let's officially say goodbye to 2022-23 with one last airing of grievances, or regrets, about the 2023 playoffs. Then we officially move on to 2023-24.
STAN: The call on Parise in Game Four was sour tuna fish.
STEFEN: No comment.
ZACH: There's a lot, but the one that still burns is Engvall's turnover on the tying goal in Game Six.
STAN: Okay, I'm done with last spring's recriminations. Best to cleanse the palette with a gag.
STEFEN: Bring it on.
STAN: Leo the MGM Lion goes to a Hollywood shrink. The Hollywood shrink tells Leo, the MGM Lion, to get on the couch and express his concerns. Leo the MGM Lion says, "EVERY TIME I ROAR, I HAVE TO SIT THROUGH A THREE-HOUR MOVIE!"
ZACH: Stan, what was the first joke you ever told Brock Nelson?
STAN: I said, "I just gave you a nickname – 'Lord.'" He said, "Why?" I said, "Lord Nelson, the famed British hero who defeated the Spanish Armada." Brock said, "OH!"
STEFEN: "Oh," like he knew what you were talking about? Or "Oh" like, please get away from my locker?
STAN: A little of both. I could get a laugh out of some guys. Nabby was the best. Matty Martin is hip, and Johnny Boychuk was a fun guy. And Greiss is Nice! He could've been a comedian.
STEFEN: Zach, you mentioned the power play. I think an interesting development that came out of camp was when Coach Lambert said he is going to be overseeing both special teams' units more this season.
ZACH: Wow. That is big. Let's see what happens.
STEFEN: It's all about confidence with these players. The talent is there.
ZACH: No doubt.
STAN: One aspect that's hardly been covered is the players' reaction to the coach and his staff the second time around. Not that there's anything detectable so far.
STEFEN: Everyone should be more comfortable from the get-go.
STAN: Yes, and that is vital. A key element will be how well they break from the gate. Now here's a Maven Prediction of the Day: This WILL be Dobson's breakout year.
ZACH: 100-1 odds to win the Norris. So you're saying that's a bull market for you, Stan? I hope you're right.
STAN: Where do you get your cockeyed odds from? Joe-Red's pool room at the base of the Williamsburg Bridge? Or S&L Deli at Marcy and Dekalb? Forget odds. Forget analytics. The one issue – of all issues – is how this many vet guys handle the 82-game marathon. As the great World War II movie stated: "THIS ABOVE ALL."
ZACH: Great point, Stan. This is something to start thinking about all the time as the remaining core of this "Silver Age" of Islander hockey advances into their golden playing years. The earliest sons of the post-Yashin rebuild are now in their 30s and counting. Mr. Bailey has already aged out. But many others – like Brock and Casey – have never looked better. When does it fall off? They say gradually, then all at once.
STAN: I went deep into my analytics room and studied the charts. The answer is: IT FALLS OFF WHEN IT FALLS OFF!
STEFEN: I think we still have years to go.
ZACH: Me too, but like Stan said, it can happen at any moment.
STAN: What puzzles me is the clamor among some bloc of fans to have the Pulock-Pelech pairing split. Nay, a thousand times Nay. This duet is tried and true, and no more should be split than Abbott and Costello.
STEFEN: You do it for a more balanced backend. Dobson needs Pelech's d-support.
STAN: Nay again. What did I tell you about Dobson?!? And another thing; with the hoopla last week surrounding Taylor Swift and the Jets game, it got me thinking about the Islanders, and now I say BRING BACK HILARY DUFF!
STEFEN: Wow, what a reference.
ZACH: Didn't see that coming.
STEFEN: That little Mike Comrie era was the very last thing to happen before The Silver Age began.
ZACH: Yup, and now here we are, basically 15 years later, and it's kind of still going.
STAN: Amazing run. And with Ilya in net, you're darn right it's still going. This team still has a chance to be highly, highly competitive, even in this brutal division.
ZACH: And they're back at it Saturday night.
STEFEN: Can't wait.
ZACH: Me either. Let's talk next week. Stan, Godspeed. Everybody's praying for you.
STAN: And I'm praying for 96 points and a playoff berth.
ZACH: That too.
STAN: Seriously, thank you to everyone back on the Island and beyond. It means a lot. AM YISRAEL CHAI!
STEFEN: Amen.