If nothing else, the Islanders at least have done a decent job of stockpiling draft picks.
All they have to do is turn them into decent players.
After Friday’s trade of Mike Comrie and Chris Campoli to Ottawa that brought San Jose’s first-round pick, the Isles have five selections in the first two rounds of June’s draft.
GM Garth Snow said he realizes how important those selections are to the organization.
“It’s huge,” Snow said of the draft, before Yann Danis made 39 saves in the Isles’ 4-0 victory over the Devils at the Coliseum, a year to the day since the team’s last shutout. “Just like last year was big for us.”
The Isles rebounded well after a drubbing from Carolina on Thursday. As pleased as they were with the win, though, the focus remains on upcoming seasons.
“We need to build this team through the draft and then, once we draft the players, we have to develop them,” Snow said. “We know where we’re going, we have a plan to get there, and this is just another example of us following through with our plan. . . . Now, it’s up to us to draft a good player with that pick.”
The Islanders hope that process starts at the top of the draft, where their league-worst record gives them the best chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick in the lottery. Though that may pay off down the road, it’s not necessarily good news for the team’s veterans.
“There’s nothing you can do,” said Bill Guerin, who has a no-move clause in his contract, but is another established player teams may be interested in before the March 4 trade deadline. “That’s the direction we’re going in. That’s fine. Business-wise, it’s probably the right thing to do. As an older player, you have to understand it.”
“It’s never easy to wait,” Bruno Gervais said.
Dean McAmmond made his Islanders debut last night after coming over from the Senators, and Joe Callahan was called up from Bridgeport to take Campoli’s spot.
Snow said the team would look to make more moves before the deadline.
“I don’t think any of us on this team and on the staff thought we would be a 30th-place team,” Snow said. “As tough as it’s been to lose as many games as we have, we still have to stay the course and draft and develop.”
And hope for the best.