Friedman: Sportsnet's Marek: Snow Owes It To Islanders To Be Aggressive At Trade Deadline

By Daniel Friedman
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The Islanders find themselves atop the Metropolitan Division and right on the periphery of the Eastern Conference stratosphere. Here to comment on just what the heck has gotten into them and what may lie ahead is my pal Jeff Marek, the host of Hockey Central on Sportsnet:

First place in the Metro. Did you see that coming?

JM: "No, I didn't see it coming. I thought they'd be a much-improved team, especially after picking up those pieces from Chicago and Boston (Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk).

"There's a couple of different reasons: They're getting saves. This year, the Islanders have the goalie -- saves can erase a lot of mistakes pretty quick and (Jaroslav) Halak has been nothing short of fantastic. I think the second part is, outside of the (Kyle) Okposo injury, this has been a relatively healthy team and they're taking another step in their maturation process.

"They're that much older and that much more experienced, and John Tavares continues to be one of the best players in the world. They're also getting contributions underneath the first line, most notably from Ryan Strome. This was eventually bound to happen if this team stayed healthy."

One of the most intriguing aspects here is that the Islanders have been able to get by despite their atrocious penalty kill. Is this sustainable given their PK woes?

JM: "Penalty killing, in a lot of ways, is all about sacrifice, will, determination and all of those things that you don't necessarily have stats for. A lot of intangibles go into that, as well as the particular skill sets you have in your penalty kill. Will it hurt them? You could surf on it for 82 games, but come playoff time, if you don't have a good PK, that could shut down your team pretty fast."

What's your take on Chad Johnson and their backup goalie situation? Would you go out and get someone at the deadline?

JM: "It all depends on who's available, but I've always believed in Chad Johnson for whatever reason, I've always liked him as a backup goaltender. He hasn't had the best season for the Islanders, but I'm still a Chad Johnson guy. I like a veteran guy that understands who he is, understands what his role is. Having said that, if something happens to fall into Garth Snow's lap that he just can't turn down, it's probably worthwhile."

Should the Islanders at all be concerned that Halak might burn out?

JM: "Yeah, he might. You want a fresh goaltender come playoff time. I just don't think the Islanders are in a position right now where they can cherry pick when they want their goaltenders to play, and as much as you want to give Halak a breath, the Islanders would prefer to have home ice in the first round.

"If you ask any goaltender, the majority of those guys want to play every night. Rightly or wrongly, some coaches just allow that. But you always run the risk with a goaltender that's not a large man that you might burn him out."

Say you're Garth Snow, are you buying at the trade deadline or staying neutral, and if you're buying, what kind of players/positions are you targeting?

JM: "First off, I think if you're Garth Snow, you owe this team a break. If you're the general manager here, you need to say 'you know what? these guys need something to help get them over and they need to know that management is as committed off the ice as they've been on the ice.'

"So, you do have to go the extra mile if you're Garth Snow and try to find someone else that can score, a veteran guy. I have always been a big believer that you can never have enough depth defensemen for a playoff run. As we've seen before, the playoffs are a battle of attrition, and you will probably lose a defenseman somewhere along the way. So, you better have an NHL-ready guy, whether they're veterans or young players.

"You can never have enough NHL defensemen at the ready. But, at the same time, that's what every team wants. Everybody's looking for a blueliner; rental or otherwise."

Gun to your head, is Boychuk an Islander come July 1?

JM: "It depends on a couple of things: if you can open up your wallet large enough for Johnny Boychuk and If he believes that the Islanders are a good team and will be for a long time.

"My gut tells me no, and here's why: You never want to let a guy get close to free agency. You never want to let a guy have a look at what's on the other side, and if you're a player like Johnny Boychuk, maybe you look at the offseason and say to yourself: 'You know, it's me and maybe Cody Franson and that's it for top line blueliners.'

"We see all the time that, come July 1, everyone overpays for blueliners. I'd be concerned about letting Boychuk get anywhere close to July 1. That said, Garth Snow's been able to pull some rabbits out of his hat before, so maybe Boychuk re-ups. But don't let Boychuk get too close to July 1, because nine times out of 10 they're gone."

You follow the OHL pretty closely – what have you seen from Michael Dal Colle and Josh Ho-Sang?

JM: "We'll start with Dal Colle. I know he was disappointed because he didn't get picked for the Canadian WJC squad, and that seems to have motivated him. What you're gonna get from Dal Colle is a great release; the kid's got a wonderful shot and he can fill the net. It's goals, goals, goals. He gets on the ice and scores goals, it's that simple. The puck's on his stick, the dot's down, it's going in.

"Ho-Sang's been an interesting case. There have been some games where Ho-Sang's looked like he couldn't care any less what's happening in the game, and then there's been other games where he's been dynamic and the best player on the ice. He's been that player that, when you go back and look at last year's draft, you say to yourself that just as far as skill goes he's top three in the draft. The question is, can he put it together on a consistent basis and, over the past two weeks in Niagara, he's been a top dog.

"If the Islanders can get the inspired Josh Ho-Sang, the guy that wants to work, the guy that even if there's an optional rookie camp, he still goes and doesn't just stay home and eat cereal, they'll end up with one of the steals of the draft last year. Nobody doubts this guy's skill. Honestly, when you watch the kid play and when he wants to play, he's special."

Do you think this is the Islanders team to finally win a playoff round for the first time since 1993? How deep of a run can they make?

JM: "I think so. Yes, absolutely. If they stay healthy, and we'll see what Garth Snow does at the trade deadline, and assuming you get the hot goaltender, I can definitely see the Islanders winning a round. If Halak gets hot and everyone stays healthy, the Eastern Conference is a jumpball. If things break their way, they could probably win a couple of rounds. I wonder about the depth and I wonder about the experience, but I never discount the squad that has the hot goaltender."

It's the final season at Nassau Coliseum. What are your thoughts about the old barn?

JM: "It gets a lot of knocks, and I might be in the minority, but I always had a great time when I went to Nassau Coliseum. I have some great memories from Nassau Coliseum. Growing up, the Islanders were my favorite team to watch. I still remember sitting on Bob Mackowycz's (TSN Radio personality) couch watching (Bob) Nystrom score that goal against the Philadelphia Flyers and almost instantly becoming a New York Islanders fan. I'm in the minority here, but I'm gonna miss Nassau Coliseum."

Follow Daniel Friedman on Twitter at @DFriedmanOnNYI

Jeff Marek is a television personality for Sportsnet and a co-host of the popular "Marek vs. Wyshynski" podcast. You can follow him on Twitter at @JeffMarek