By Brian Bohl
Kyle Okposo isn’t the first Islander prospect to be hyped during the early stages of a professional career. But unlike most of the high draft picks the past decade, the promising winger actually made it up to the NHL without being traded first.
The Islanders actually held on to Okposo after signing him to a three-year contract to leave the University of Minnesota and join minor league Bridgeport. Injuries and a league-worst offense dropped the big club out of playoff contention, paving the way for the 19-year-old to provide a jolt of optimism.
Okposo was brought up for hockey’s equivalent of the MLB September call-up. His cup of coffee won’t knock a year off his contract but is providing him with a chance to perform at the highest level. The move is working out for both sides. The seventh overall selection in the 2006 draft recorded three points through his first three games, including his first career goal against future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur that went down as the game-winner in a victory over the Devils over the weekend.
“It’s no different than what I’ve played,” Okposo said after his debut March 18. “Obviously, guys are better, but hockey is hockey anywhere you go. I didn’t have any expectations. I’m just trying to play well up here.”
Okposo represents the future. So should current coach Ted Nolan, who inexplicably has yet to receive an extension offer from owner Charles Wang despite taking a talent-challenged team to the playoffs in his first season and competitive during the current campaign.
That move would leave Nolan a lame duck as he enters the final stage of his original three-year deal. Despite a revolving door of players and an offense developed on the cheap, Nolan has guided the Islanders to a 74-66-19 record in his tenure, including an unlikely run to the playoffs after nearly everyone dismissed the club’s chances in the final month.
“They haven’t offered an extension,” Nolan said. “There hasn’t been a discussion of it.”
For an owner like Wang or likes to this he’s smarter than the average owner, this could be a case of overplaying a hand. How could has Nolan been at his job? He has led the Isles to a 34-36-7 record despite a goals-scored/goals-against differential of minus 43.
The Islanders have allowed nearly 50 more goals than they scored and might not crack the 200-goal mark as a team. Yet there’s a decent chance the franchise will finish .500 or better. To coax that type of effort means the coaching staff is getting the very best out of a team with meager talent.
But by rewarding Nolan for a non-playoff season, ownership would also be forced to admit that it didn’t do all it can to win games. Well, too bad. The fact is Nolan did his best to maximize offense after losing top scorers Jason Blake and Ryan Smyth in the offseason. He has changed up lines and cut the ice time of veteran players. He even sat Rick DiPietro, who owns a 15-year contact, one game because backup Wade Dubielewicz earned a second straight start following a stand-out effort. It takes guts to demote veterans and high-priced players, yet Nolan continues to operate in a manner that earns the respect from fans to management. He plays the best players on that night and goes with the moves that provide the best chance at a victory.
The Islanders responded to the offseason exodus by bringing in talented-but-unsteady forwards like Mike Comrie, Bill Guerin, Ruslan Fedotenko and Josef Vasicek. Guerin might finish with a 25-goal season; good production but a goal total that shouldn’t lead the team. Even in a salary-cap era that is supposed to level the playing field, the Islanders $43 million payroll places them 23rd out of 30 teams. Claims of small-market hardships should fall on deaf ears when you consider St. Louis, Florida, New Jersey and Calgary spend much more on players.
Nolan showed he could still be a top-flight coach even after waiting nine years between NHL jobs. After a good two-year run in Buffalo, Nolan was let go following the 1996-97 season. The nearly decade-long exile is still the subject of rumors, yet Nolan still handles that situation with the tact that has marked his stewardship of the Islanders.
The Islanders play in one of the most affluent suburbs in the country. Cries of poverty and a poor stadium deal should be discarded, especially since a bad arena lease was the reason why Wang was able to the purchase the Isles for a good price in the first place. In other words, it would be like you getting a Rolex for 40 dollars because of an obvious defect, then complaining that the watch you just bought because it’s not in top condition.
Wang knew the situation when he became an owner. Nolan can minimize a lack of talent only to a certain degree. Every NHL coach needs some level of talent to mold into a championship contender. He’s done his part and earns an extension. Now, it’s ownerships turn to show a commitment to winning a Stanley Cup.