Will Reinhart Go Beyond Nine?

It's probably more likely than less likely that underage D Griffin Reinhart starts season with NYI but final decision still to be made.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) September 29, 2013

My take: As I had said here on IslesTalk, Reinhart is the wild card of the bunch. Donovan and Nelson have looked good so far that they may have already earned their spots, but Reinhart, as expected by most will probably get a nine game look. He's earned, there's no questioning that. However will the Islanders just send him down to juniors again (Like they should) or could they keep him as a 7th defenseman and groom him like the Devils Adam Larsson has been groomed. It's only now after a few years that Larsson is being called upon to step up. With the Islanders top 4 in place for the net two years, it's possible Reinhart good be groomed with no pressure this year in the NHL. Thoughts?

Don't forget to follow me @Netminder39

Pulock Signed

From New York Islanders.com

The New York Islanders announced today that Ryan Pulock has agreed to terms on a three-year entry-level contract.

Pulock, a native of Dauphin, Manitoba, scored 45 points (14 goals, 31 assists) in 61 games last season with the Brandon Wheat Kings during his third Western Hockey League campaign. The 6’1, 213-pound defenseman served as team captain as an 18-year-old last season with the Wheat Kings.

In 2011-12, Pulock was named to the WHL East First All-Star Team after posting 60 points (19 goals, 41 assists) in 71 games with Brandon.

He represented Canada at the 2012 Under-18 World Junior Championships, scoring two points (one goal, one assist) in six games to help the club earn a bronze medal.
The Islanders selected Pulock with the 15th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.

My take: I'm excited to see how well he develops this year as I believe he could a top 4 defenseman for the Islanders in the future. A few fans love the idea of having Reinhart and Pulock together in a couple of years. For now, it's a good signing and it continues Garth Snows trend of signing his first round picks now before the season starts. Good luck to Ryan.

And Then There Were Five

So with a few preseason games in the books, the New York Islanders have a few more days to tinker with the system and experiment with players at different spots. The learning of the powerplay and penalty killing is crucial this time of year for everyone. But for me, I’m more concerned about which young player remains on the big club. As of this writing, there are five remaining: Brock Nelson, Ryan Strome, Griffin Reinhart, Johan Sundstrom and Matt Donovan. Let’s take a look at what there chances at making the big club.

Perception Before Prediction

I would like everyone to first watch what Dan Rosen of NHL.com had to say about the Islanders because he is spot on. I know a lot of fans are really excited about this upcoming year after what the Islanders did previously, making the playoffs for the first time in years and having an epic battle against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round before bowing out. It left a great positive feeling for the fans and now the fans want more. This is where I'm going to caution everyone: When you start doing your yearly predictions, please, please throw out last year! You heard me, toss it out! Why? Because you're perception may be wrong.

Allow me to explain: the definition of perception is this: "Perception (from the Latin perceptio, percipio) is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the environment." Translation: You're expecting what you saw last year. You're perceiving the Islanders to be better than an 8th place team because of what they did to Pitt. You're perceiving this team to go deeper in the playoffs because other teams really did not "improve" theirs as much. You get my point. Here are a few arguments why you need to get knocked off the high pedestal:

First, this is an 82 game schedule not 48. This season is longer, tougher and more stressful especially this being an Olympic year. It will take more than a good month and a half of winning hockey to make it to the playoffs.

Second, competition gets better with the addition of the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets. Until I see a full implosion from the Red Wings, they're in the playoffs. Why? Cause they've earned that right. As for the Blue Jackets, they're better then the Jets and that bothers me.

Third, anyone who is good at math (like me) who comes out and says that the Islanders were on pace for 94 points last year and says they should be between 95-100 this year should never go to Vegas and play those odds. There is no mention of the Islanders battling in the 28 Western Conference games this year and doing well, that's all perception because of how well they did in the East the year before. To add to that, during a normal 82 game schedule after 48 games are played maybe three teams can be considered "eliminated" from playoff contention.  

My advice to my fellow Islanders fans is this. Perceive this team as a "Bubble Team," a non top 6 team, just for this year. Do the Islanders have the players and talent to make a legit run this year? Yes, of course! BUT enjoy you're teams training camp, see what moves they and other teams make because there will be a lot of moves before the season starts, then you can make a better prediction as to where your team is headed. Enjoy training camp!