Club: New York Islanders
Fantasy Impact Rating: Cool
Superstars: N/A
Big Producers Mark Streit
Mid-Level Flyers Kyle Okposo, Doug Weight, Trent Hunter
Rookies/Prospects: John Tavares, Calvin de Haan, Jesse Joensuu, Mikko Koskinen, Anders Nilsson
Sleepers: Sean Bergenheim, Richard Park, Josh Bailey
Avoid The Hype: Frans Nielsen
We’re brushing aside the fantasy stereotypes to help savvy managers make the most of the New York Islanders situation in 2009-2010. While the Islanders don’t have a standout superstar, they do have a couple sleepers, some promising prospects, and some decent “middle of the road” options for depth in deeper fantasy hockey leagues. Have an open mind and maybe you can find a “diamond in the rough” somewhere in this rebuilding franchise.
Many Long Islanders were hoping that New York’s aggressive offer to late bloomer Mark Streit would not backfire in their faces. Well, for once, it looks like this move will pan out for them. Streit had a dynamite season in a dismal market in 2008-2009 putting up 56 points and 62 penalty minutes. He’ll be anchoring the point with the man advantage again this season and could very well top his career highs from Montreal with the improving level of talent in New York this season. Any increase won’t be earth shattering, but considering Streit a 55-65 point guy this season seems like a relatively safe bet. It’s unclear as to who his running mate will be on the power play this season right now. De Haan may bow out before the 10 game mark, and after that, the offensive output from the blue line drops off significantly, so anything beyond Streit may be a waste of a roster space. Some managers may pass on Streit because of the market that he’s in. That’s fine. All the more for you to enjoy, my friend. It may be entirely possible to grab 2, even 3 players before Streit is uncovered, so if you’re a manager who likes to build up forwards/tenders before addressing the defense, then Streit may be a perfect option for you this fall.
The players in the mid-level grouping offer fantasy managers huge upsides, consistency and veteran leadership in 2009-2010. We’ll start with Kyle Okposo, since he has the most upside of the three. Now, Okposo won’t be stuck in this grouping for long, that’s for sure. He’s a dynamite talent who had a pretty decent rookie campaign in 2008-2009 lighting the lamp 18 times and adding 21 helpers to boot. He’ll get some help on the top line this season with John Tavares in town and could easily end up with 50-55 points this season. The cat may be out of the bag on Okposo’s talent, but don’t worry too much. Managers looking for depth at their right wing position could easily nab Okposo as a 2nd, potentially 3rd option at right wing. There shouldn’t be any reason the Islanders take him off the top line this season, so consider him a great value in rounds 7-10 in a standard 12-manager draft, and a friggn’ steal anywhere beyond that point. Behind Okposo this season should be Trent Hunter. Now, while he doesn’t have much value in standard leagues, Hunter offers a decent depth option for managers in deeper fantasy leagues. Right wing is an awfully thin position, and managers who are looking for a 3rd/4th option this fall may want to consider Hunter as an option. If anything, it’s hard to argue with his consistency over the past several seasons, so consider him a middle-to-late round selection and expect between 30 and 40 points again this season. Lastly, Doug Weight has returned to The Rock for another season, but trying to pinpoint his role in the offense could be difficult. With the emerging talent appearing at center, Weight may find himself with reduced time this season, especially if Josh Bailey picks up his game out of the gate. Now, on the flip side of the coin, one could look at the situation and argue that Weight will have an increased role in the offense this season as the Islander youngsters need a “father figure” in the lineup to help them through. Either scenario could be true. It’s still too early to tell. For now, consider Weight an option in only the deepest of fantasy leagues to start the season. If we see his role in the offense increase, we may bump up his status, but for now, we have faith that you can find a center with more offensive upside in a more stable market.
The New York Islanders had an extremely successful draft in 2009. They were able to land John Tavares, Calvin de Haan AND Mikko Koskinen in the first two rounds of the draft. John Tavares is the future of the Islanders organization and should be with the club for the entire 2009-2010 season. For fantasy purposes, he’s got an incredible keeper buzz around him as he should be quite successful in the National Hockey League. As for this season, play it extremely conservative with Tavares. He should be a 3rd option at center for most fantasy clubs this season. If you’re a manager who reached for Stamkos last season, you probably know where we’re coming from with this approach. Plain and simple: play it smart and don’t get burned again, ya hear? Please note that Tavares’ value in keeper leagues far outweigh his value in year-to-year leagues right now, so adjust yourself accordingly if you’re in a long term situation. Despite him thinking that he’s ready for the big show, Calvin de Haan may need a season of conditioning under his belt before he tackles the bigs. Managers in keeper/dynasty leagues, however, may want to make an investment in de Haan now simply for the fact when he does make it to the NHL, he’ll most likely be inserted as a #2 defender who will help Streit quarterback the power play. We may see de Haan for a few NHL games this season, but a full NHL season may still be a year or two away. The last prospect worth mentioning at this point is Jesse Joensuu. Like we mentioned above, the Islanders’ left side is extremely thin right now, and Joensuu could be a solid scoring option for the Islanders if given the chance. He has spent most of his career in the Finnish Elite League, posting decent numbers for a team that couldn’t seem to find their way out of the basement. He’s currently in Bridgeport of the AHL waiting for his chance. If you see him up with the Islanders again this season for more than 9 games, flag him and monitor his progress.
Two of the players that we’re calling sleepers this season are going to be occupying New York’s extremely thin left side. We feel Sean Bergenheim is the best fit for the Islanders on the top line this season and savvy fantasy managers could really benefit from the situation. He put up 14 points in 20 games last season after the New Year but still went relatively overlooked, even in the deepest fantasy leagues. If he gets a shot with the first line this season, it will most likely come with increased power play time which could lead to Bergenheim doubling his point totals from 2008-2009. A player that could challenge him for top honors at left wing is Richard Park. We hesitate to give him the advantage because he is the best penalty killer the Islanders have and could be a top 10 shorthanded threat in the NHL. And with New York finishing 19th last season in overall penalty minutes, it may be wise to minimize Park’s duties so he can concentrate on the penalty kill. When all is said and done, Bergenheim could be a late, late round pick in regular size fantasy leagues that could produce around 50 points if given the opportunity; Park should be of consideration in leagues that reward heavily for shorthanded points. Managers in deep, competitive fantasy hockey leagues need to make sure to keep Josh Bailey in the back of their minds as they scout players this fall. He’s got top line potential and could be a fall back plan if Tavares struggles this season. He could also see some power play time with the top unit, depending on whether they run an extra forward with the man advantage. He could easily be picked up in the last several rounds of a draft, so it may be worth your time to grab him for a couple weeks to see how he does to start the season. If you’re drafting him that late, you’ll probably have him as a 4th center or bench option anyway, so it shouldn’t impact the roster too terribly.
Lastly, we were all impressed with Frans Nielsen last season as he emerged out of nowhere to finish 5th on the team in scoring. The only problem with Nielsen this season is that he’s a center competing with Josh Bailey, Doug Weight and John Tavares for time, so he may be the odd man out. Unless injuries pile up at center or they move him to wing, leave Nielsen be this season.
Grade: C+
Starter: Rick DiPietro
Backup: Dwayne Roloson/Martin Biron
What a mess. Fantasy managers, especially those in keeper leagues, who have invested in Rick DiPietro at some point have been burned over and over again by his injuries. So, to keep the club competitive, the Islanders have gone out and acquired not one, but two backup goaltenders for the 2009-2010. Now, DP will be the starter this season if he is healthy. If he does go down, however, then it’ll probably turn into a platooning situation between the pipes. If DP does stay healthy, it’s difficult to determine which backup will get some spot starts to give DiPietro a break. Rather than racking your brain to try and figure it all out, just avoid it all together if you can.
It’s worth mentioning that the Islanders have 2 goaltending prospects in the system that could be with the club in a couple of seasons. Mikko Koskinen and Anders Nilsson both have a long way to go, but it’s worth mentioning their names in case the “Rick DiPietro to retire” internet rumors come to fruition.
We’ll be looking at every team in the NHL this off-season, so make sure you check out all of our Team Breakdowns before you draft this season.
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