O Captain, Our Captain- Why Guerin, Comrie and others are poised for a big year with the Isles
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by Arudy
The news is in: Bill Guerin is going to be wearing the 'C' this year. The arrival of this news at roughly the same time that Yashin's agent chose to announce that he hasn't received any substantial offers that he's willing to consider is somewhat ironic. And it's a signal of the direction that this team is finally moving in- a direction that it hasn't been moving in in a long time: forward.
So Ryan Smyth didn't sign. Big whoop. Sure, it would have been great if he did, and everybody would have been happy, but think of the consequences- one big injury; a falling out with a coach or a teammate- anything like that happening to a player locked in a 5 year deal at almost 7 million a year spells trouble for a team (ahem! ...Alexei Yashin). Instead the Islanders get a different proven leader- one slightly older, but also slightly more accomplished.
Bill Guerin is probably not going to score 36 goals again this year (although no one will be upset at him if he does). What he will do is provide the veteran leadership that the Isles were hoping to bring aboard in Ryan Smyth, with one big difference: Guerin WANTS to be here.
There's also something about being in the dressing room with people who have already taken a sip out of the cup that really has an effect on a team. In some cases the effect is negative, and in some cases it's positive. Since it's hard to imagine Bill Guerin as having a NEGATIVE influence on the team, you have to imagine that everyone will be driven to give that extra 10%, something they probably weren't doing under the Yashin regime.
One player who really might benefit from playing with Guerin is Trent Hunter. Hunter is a big aggressive power winger who uses his grit, determination and natural athletic ability to produce points, just like his captain. Don't be surprised to see Hunter's play improve dramatically this season if he gets off on the right foot.
Another big factor that could contribute to the Islanders success this year will be players who have something to prove. One such player is Mike Comrie. Comrie immediately enters into a contract year, and, given the spotlight this year, will certainly try to prove to NHL teams that he can thrive in it.
Ruslan Fedotenko is another player out to prove he's worth his contract. Coming off a pretty quiet year with Tampa, he and the Isles front office both believe he's capable of a lot more than 12-20-32.
Lastly, Jon Sim, the acquisition who flew under the radar, will certainly want to prove- if only to himself- that last season wasn't an aberration. In limited ice time with the Thrashers last year he scored 17 goals in 77 games. If he can steadily improve those numbers over the course of the next 3 years, Garth Snow will be happy with the return on his investment.
All-in-all, while certainly not the odds-on favorite for the Cup this year, the Isles are nowhere near the mess they were last December. When compared to the somewhat underwhelming roster the Isles sported last year before the trade deadline, it's not hard to understand why Snow feels that this season will be better than the last.
