The Islanders "Fisherman" logo of the mid-90's.

Kyle Okposo poses with the new uniform.

Wednesday, the New York Islanders revealed the new alternate kit they will be wearing during the season. They are no stranger to the alternate jersey universe, as they have graced us with the “Fisherman” logo to your right in the mid 1990′s. That was a logo you’d more see on the jersey of your Sunday night beer league team that is sponsored by a bar than on a professional franchise.

This time around, they changed things up and went with the intimidating but popular black as the main color. They kept the design simple, with an arched “ISLANDERS” across the chest with the number underneath the team nickname and on the sleeve. The shoulders are gray with orange and blue trim. The standard Islanders logo flanks the edge of the shoulders. The numbers are orange trimmed in gray and blue. The neck features the lace-tie which has become popular in recent years. The team had an event at the Nassau Coliseum team store which several players attended including John Tavares, Matt Moulson, Kyle Okposo and their families attended along with fans. Check out the video below from the photo shoot the players did when they first wore the uniform after a recent practice.

HWB is participating in “Movember” to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer Research. Make a difference, make a donation.

The Islanders hope Michael Grabner can build off of his succesful 2010-11 season.

Key Offseason Additions: Brian Rolston, Evgeni Nabakov

Key Offseason Losses: Doug Weight, Rob Schremp, Zenon Kenopka, Radek Martinek

Last Season Ranking: 14th in East

Offense: The Islanders have a solid group of young players, lead by John Tavares who began to really pile on the points during his sophomore season. Tavares will try to improve upon his 67 point campaign while surrounded by the likes of PA Parenteau, Matt Moulson, Michael Grabner, and Blake Comeau. These players are not quite household names yet, but they are good young players who have a lot of potential. Adding Brian Rolston to the mix gives the forward unit a man with much more experience and great leadership qualities.

Moulson, who put together a surprise season in 2009-10 with 48 points, improved on that number last season. His 31 goals and 22 assists were both career highs, and he will be expected to continue that improvement for the Islanders this season. Michael Grabner will be an important piece to the offensive puzzle as well. Grabner lead the Islanders in goals last season as a rookie, with 34, and had 18 assists to go along with it. On a team full of minus players, his team leading plus-13 shows he is an all around player, and important to the success of the franchise.

The health of Kyle Okposo will be a bonus to the orange and blue. Okposo missed the first half of last season after having shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum. He returned to have a modest 20 points in 38 games, but will be counted on to contribute upwards of 50 points this season.

The Islanders could see Nino Niederreiter return for an extended stay in 2011-12 and make the team right out of training camp. The fifth overall pick from 2010 played in only nine NHL games last season, picking up a goal and an assist. Playing full time with the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, Niederreiter tallied 70 points on 41 goals and 29 assists. When he finally makes the transition, expect his numbers to be consistent with the guys mentioned above. He’s a skilled young player, as you can tell from videos like this, and will fit in nicely playing alongside a young, talented Islanders team.

Defense: The return of Mark Streit, who missed all of last season with a shoulder injury, will be huge for the Islanders defense. He typically hovers in the 50 point range, but more importantly, he can effectively captain and lead the power-play unit to much more success. The loss of James Wisniewski at the trade deadline last season will continue to haunt the Islanders blue line, however. Their defensive units, besides Streit, will be young and inexperienced. The young theme is constant throughout the squad, and on defense, it’s going to hurt more than it will help this year.

Goaltending: The goaltending situation for the Islanders continues to be a question mark. Last season, a total of six goalies started games, with the majority going to Rick DiPietro, Dwayne Roloson, and Al Montoya. Roloson has moved on to bigger and better things, but DiPietro continues to work his way through a lengthy contract. The addition of Evgeni Nabakov never panned out last season, but he is supposedly ready to give it his all in New York this season. Much of the work will likely fall in Nabakov’s lap as DiPietro has not played a healthy season since 2007-08. Regardless of who is net, however, the young squad will make some mistakes that even the best goalie will not be able to recover from. Nabakov, a steady regular season goaltender, will likely bring a solid game to help the Islanders squeeze a point or two out of some close games.

HWB Playoff Prediction: Not playoff bound. Despite having a young group of talented forwards, there is still a lot of work to be done on Long Island. Expect a season long performance much like last seasons.

New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow confirmed today that he has had talks with Yashin’s agent, Mark Gandler, about the possibility of Yashin returning to the Islanders.

“I’ve had discussions with both Mark and Alexei,” Snow told Newsday on Friday. “I’d rather keep those conversations private, but Alexei has been skating at our practice rink in Syosset and he looks great. I’ve been on record saying I’d explore all options and any player that would improve our team and help us make that step.”

Yashin spent five seasons with the Islanders before being bought out of his contract at the conclusion of the 2006-07 season. He played in the KHL for the next four seasons.

Yashin’s agent also confirmed the contract negotiations and admitted that the Islanders have offered his client an NHL contract.

“At this time we are negotiating with the Islanders and are seriously considering their offer,” he told the Russian news site Sovietsky Sport. He also stated that the Islanders are the only team showing interest in his client.

At this point, this could all be a ploy by Yashin’s agent to start a bidding war either between rival NHL clubs or between NHL and KHL clubs to drive up the price for Yashin. And even if Yashin signs with the Islanders it will likely be for more than he deserves because the Islanders are currently $9 million below the $48.3 million salary cap floor – which is probably why Yashin is seriously considering the offer.

But at 37-years-old, it’s tough to determine how effective Yashin will be in the NHL after spending four seasons away. In 52 games last season with St. Petersburg SKA, Yashin only managed 15 goals 18 assists in a league largely viewed as having less talented players than the NHL. Could Yashin actually benefit from playing with talented young players such as John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Michael Grabner and Matt Moulson? More so, will those budding young stars benefit from playing alongside the likes of Alexei Yashin?

The Islanders went on to win the contest by a score of 5-2. Check out a video of the goal below:

CCM Vector U + CL Grip Stick Tavares Edition Sr.

CCM has produced one of the lightest sticks on the market in the new CCM Vector U + CL Grip series and have added the Tavares edition. The stick is modeled after John Tavares of the New York Islanders, having all the same features of the CCM U + Crazy Light, but sporting a eye catching blue and orange Islander’s colors as well as the Tavares curve.

CCM has produced a lightweight stick of 405 grams in total weight by using multiple layers of high-grade carbon fiber.

As most hockey players, a concern with the lightweight stick is the sacrifice of performance and durability. CCM has addressed this in full with an impact enhanced slash zone and a tapered shaft for a low kick point aiding in faster shot releases.

Throw in the matte textured feel for better puck control and you have yourself one heck of a hockey stick.

CCM has a video explaining the separation between them and the competitors. Also check out the  CCM U + CL Hockey Skates that Matt previewed to match the stick. Both can be found at Ice Warehouse.

Key Offseason Additions: James Wisniewski, Mark Eaton, Milan Jurcina, Nino Niederreiter, Zenon Konopka, P.A. Parenteau

Last Season Ranking: 13th in East

John Tavares needs to have a big season for the Islanders to have a chance in 2010-11

Offense:

The New York Islanders are continuing to work with a young squad, spending much of the past decade rebuilding their team. This season, we should see tremendous growth out of the 2009 first overall draft pick, John Tavares. He started the 2009-10 campaign on a roll, and finished strong as well. Over the last 8 games of the season, he tallied 11 points. Throughout the middle of the season, however, Tavares struggled. As he develops and gets better, so will the Islanders.

To compliment Tavares, the Islanders have brought back 30 goal scorer Matt Moulson to play on his left wing. On the right wing will be Kyle Okposo. He put together a nice season last year, picking up 19 goals and 52 points, but is still only 22 years old. Okposo’s numbers have increased in each season with the Islanders, but with another year of experience under his belt, and playing alongside Tavares and Moulson, look for Okposo to have a real break out season.

Beyond the top line, the Islanders don’t have too much going on. While their lack of depth will hurt again this season, they have made some big strides. Blake Comeau is another youngster who put together a nice season last year, putting up 35 points in only 61 games. If he stays healthy, he’ll be a nice threat on the 2nd line. Additionally, we could see Rob Schremp really have a break out season. He was a highly touted prospect with the Oilers organization, but management didn’t really think he had a shot with the team. Instead, after coming to the Islanders, he put up 25 points in only 44 games, including 5 goals and 5 assists on the power play.

Finally, we have a couple of new additions to the squad. First, Nino Niederreiter, the 5th overall pick in the 2010 draft. He’s a Swiss stud who’s only 17 years old right now. He’ll turn 18 on September 8th, but is said to already have NHL size, and could very well see time with the big boys this fall. Nino has put up good numbers everywhere he’s been, including a 60 point campaign, in 65 games, last season with the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. Beyond that, the Islanders brought in Zenon Konopka to protect the current and future stars. Konopka bullied his way to 265 penalty minutes with the Lightning last season, and will more than likely have a repeat performance.

Defense:

The defense continues to build up and add depth, just like the offense, but the 2010-11 line-up still won’t be enough. Leading the way is Mark Streit, one of the better defenseman in the game. He moves the puck very well, and is a star on the power play. Streit ended last season pretty hot, and should pick up right where he left off.

The new guys, James Wisniewski, Mark Eaton, and Milan Jurcina are all experienced defenseman. Wisniewski is the youngest, and has the most potential as well. He’ll see lots of time on the power play, and should have a pretty big impact at that role. Eaton should see time on the power play as well. Both he and Jurcina will pick up more responsibility with the Islanders than they had with their previous teams. Radek Martinek and Jack Hillen will also battle for ice time on defense.

Goaltending:

The Islanders have two skilled goaltenders in Rick DiPietro and Dwayne Roloson. However, DiPietro has only started 12 games in the past two seasons combined. His injury troubles have certainly plagued the team, but with Dwayne Roloson on the squad as well, they have two netminders who are capable of holding the number one spot. Expect a strong battle through training camp, and even into the season, for the number one goaltending position. If DiPietro can stay healthy, and regain his old form, he could earn back his position.

Season Outlook:

The New York Islanders are still in the midst of a rebuilding project, but the situation is definitely progressing. Youngsters like John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Matt Moulson, and Rob Schremp will lead the way this season, while future stars such as Nino Niederreiter try to make the squad. Doug Weight will also return to add veteran leadership. Unfortunately, the Islanders still lack enough depth to be a true contender this season. A playoff appearance might not be out of the question though if all the pieces fall in to place and the Islanders can add some additional help at the trade deadline.

Tyler Seguin will be a good fantasy pickup for any league, but don't expect him to be the top point getter of an already deep rostered Boston Bruin club.

The Boston Bruins have come to terms with second overall 2010 NHL draftee Tyler Seguin.

Seguin, the proud prospect of the Ontario Hockey League is expected to make the NHL entry level maximum of $900,000 with a additional bonuses based on production that could bring him in the $4 million range, mimicking that of number 1 overall pick Taylor Hall of the Edmonton Oilers.

With all the sporting news of NFL rookies not signing and holding out for big contracts, or other players signing big contracts but not passing fitness tests, it is good to see the NHL have their ducks in a row in regards to rookies. Seguin and all other rookies will have to earn their place on the team as well as the team’s respect.

Seguin will be under a microscope with the hard to please Bruins fans, but expect him to excel at the role he is given, however do not expect him to match numbers like New York Islander’s rookie last year John Tavares. Tavares posted 54 points on a team that asked him to carry the workload, while Seguin will be coming into a more support roll at the second or possibly third line. It would be surprising if Seguin can put up 54 points in his rookie season, but it won’t be surprising for him to at least hit the 40 point mark.

The league this season is cutting down on head shots and recently displayed this by handing a suspension to Phoenix Coyote defenseman Ed Jovanovski for his elbow to New York Islanders John Tavares. The question becomes though, will the league suspend Gonchar?

The league has been under scrutiny for wanting to make the game a cleaner, safer game for the players, by removing dangerous plays. This year specifically by the means of removing head shots. Yet earlier in the season, when time to muscle up and stick to their guns, the league did not suspend Philadelphia Flyer’s Captain Mike Richards for a hit on Florida Panther’s star David Booth, leaving Booth on the IR to this day. So the question becomes, is the league playing favorites?

Recently stated, the league suspended defenseman Ed Jovanovski for an elbow to John Tavares’ head. Was this done because it was dangerous and shouldn’t be in the game? Was it done because it was blatantly obvious?  Or was it done because the person being hit was The John Tavares, the next greatest thing to hockey according to Canadian news for the past few years?

One would hope that that the league intends on removing dangerous plays, for the betterment of the players, but sometimes you do wonder if favorites are being played. Are you more likely to get a suspension if you hit a prominent figure in the NHL, or is the justice blind?

Underneath is the play where Gonchar took a run at Clutterbuck. You be the judge on a suspension or not.

Here’s the problem with Schremp. He blew away the competition in the OHL and averaged 2.5 points per game, but he faltered in the AHL and only managed seven goals and 35 assists last season in 69 games. Plus, Schremp’s ability to backcheck has also been called into question. With more talented players coming up through the ranks in Edmonton, Schremp was never able to crack the lineup for more than a few games a season and never showcased enough talent to stick with the club when he was recalled.

On the positive, coming into New York will allow Schremp the chance to play with other young stars such as John Tavares and Kyle Okposo. The Islanders are a team building from square one, which should ultimately benefit someone like Schremp. It gives him the opportunity to learn on the job along with the other youngsters. The Islanders are willing to give Schremp a chance, let’s see if he takes it and runs with it.