This post may seem appropriate more in the off-season, but I'd rather get this discussion going now. Also, it's more philosophical than prospect right now, so please excuse that, I promise to highlight guys soon.
The Islanders have become a blue collar hard working team this year, one you just can't help but to root for. yes the big club had a horrendous streak that more or less ended their playoff hopes in mid-December, but they came back and fought hard night in and out staving off elimination until last night. Yes, they've lost 550 man-games to injury and suspension this year, but the Isles have become a team that, if healthy will be a playoff team. Since the infamous "Brawl at the Barn" against the Penguins back in February the Isles have gelled and taken on a blue collar "fight to the end" type of identity.
Considering the team has a few budding superstars mainly John Tavares and Michael Grabner, and VERY quietly Matt Moulson, and an inability to attract cream of the crop talent in Free Agency (and do NOT throw the "Jurcina Stat" at me, I know the record, but if the Isles had come up with any of Michelak, Martin or Volchenkov, Jurcina would've been an afterthought signing, or not at all; that's not to say I don't like Jurcina, I love his play, I'm just saying things would've been different) this mentality is a GOOD thing. In fact I think the rest of the affiliates should start adopting it, mainly Bridgeport, who's had a worse season than the parent club. The biggest reason for this is simple: teach guys that may become future Islanders the "Islanders way." what I mean by that is preach the blue collar work ethic and the "never say die" attitude. What I don't mean is institute Jack Capuano (any any Islanders head coach)'s system onto Pat Bingham in Bridgeport or Nick Bootland at Kalamazoo. Preach mentality, not style of play, doing the latter doesn't help if all three teams are struggling and play the exact same way.
This obviously is easier to say than act upon especially since things bring teams together or tear them in different ways. that is the experiences of the team can shape mentality and such. A LONG losing streak at any level can wear down a "never say die" attitude especially if those losses are more often than not close games or overtime losses, these things will effect a team differently at different points in the season, but that's something that causes the team to make adjustments and all of that. But if the head coaches and management at every level are brought together in the off-season saying "this is the mentality we want going forward" that's a good starting point. From there allow the coaches to develop upon that identity and build it using variations on a theme. Coaches creativity shouldn't be squandered in a quest for "achieving the way." Alright that sounds a bit ridiculous, but what I'm trying to say is have the coaches institute a mentality of blue collar work, NOT forcing them to use a particular forechecking system or "run and gun" offense or a trap and things like that, you know?
There's another aspect of this that should be taken into account, and it's probably going to sound controversial but I'm a big believer in awarding good play. So if players aren't achieving and producing the organization has to be willing to promote and demote guys that aren't getting the job done. Yes at the NHL level this is difficult to do with guys who aren't on two way contracts, but if a guy is struggling and you can make a call-up on emergency conditions, find a way to sit the guy not getting the job done. The Isles have sort of done this this season, the biggest example was sending Josh Bailey down when he was struggling, as well as placing call-ups in the lineup over Robbie Schremp. However it's easier to accomplish at the minor league level and should be used as a tool to make guys hungry and keep them from getting complacent.
If you have a guy not performing his role at Bridgeport or Kalamazoo and there's a guy performing better at a lower level bring in the guy performing and send down the guy struggling. that is to say (for example) if Rob Hisey is in a bad funk and Kory Karlander is lighting the lamp repeatedly, sit Hisey and sign Karlander to a PTO and bring him in and have him play. Maybe Karlander struggles and Rob finds his way in practice and lights it up going forward, but you've rewarded a guy playing well at one level and made a guy push himself. Now I understand this is the ideal and that the hockey world doesn’t quite work like that; and that the Isles can only have 50 guys signed to a contract, but you have to be willing to make guys who are struggling but have a world of talent expendable if there are others who can do their jobs as effectively. I don’t mean this in a “be a cheapskate way,” but a guy like Trent Hunter, who is perpetually hurt is going to take a roster spot over a guy because he’s signed for three more years, that’s not cool, I know it’s how it works, and that a healthy hunter is a pretty good bottom 6 role player and one of a few Islanders with playoff experience, but you have to pencil him in over a Rhett Rhakshani or Brian Day or Anders Lee or a Nino Niederreiter because they have options (for lack of a better term, and I’m thinking of baseball season, sorry) and Hunter is basically immovable unless he proves healthy. Now, in recent years the Isles have bought out players who haven’t achieved and there’s replacements for, and it’s possible that Hunter may be a buyout candidate (I’d make him one), but let’s assume that’s not the case, would the Isles waive him in season if he doesn’t produce; I don’t know, but I’d say yes if there’s someone else who can fill his role better than he can, and let the money be damned. Again this is not an exercise to pick on Trent Hunter, but an example of my thinking in making guys expendable if it means bettering the team.
This happens at the AHL all the time with guys who get hurt. Bridgeport has grabbed countless guys on PTOs to fill in and then do away with them once the injured return. Jason Pitton, Eric Castongauy, Jon Landry and Brady Leisenring are all examples of this. I understand the moves, and Landry and Leisenring were at Kalamazoo at the time of their PTOs, but Castongauy and Pitton were with other ECHL clubs, you shouldn’t go outside your affiliates if you don’t need to. Now it’s possible that K-Zoo couldn’t spare anyone, but there were guys producing that K-Zoo should’ve been willing to send up as an injury fill in if they were going to get actual time. But that’s just me I guess.
Now, this whole institution of being a blue collar organization should NOT prohibit the draft, if there’s a chance to draft a superstar, or a very good prospect, take him and when they join the pro ranks THEM get them into the blue collar mentality, not by forcing an adjustment of their game, but that they’re part of a family and to stick up for themselves and their teammates. Sure the Isles can draft feisty guys, but they’ve done so when appropriate and never in the first round, Garth Snow’s draft strategy shouldn’t change one bit. But, draft picks should be taught at prospect camp that they are going to be part of a blue collar caring family that will ALWAYS stick up for them, but if they don’t produce, their job is NEVER secure…
A lot of this stuff the Islanders already do, so I’m basically preaching to the choir, but pushing guys to know their jobs shouldn’t be secure unless they produce (whether a first round pick or signed for 15 years) should add to that mentality. I welcome any debate on this, just stirring the pot I guess in the hours since we were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
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