It's Always Good to Have Protection!

If we are to look at many successful teams across the NHL, they are able to roll four lines and have confidence in each line to get the job done. The fourth line, which tends to be the least skilled line, is usually good for getting some solid hits, playing somewhat decent defense, and maybe even cycling the puck down low for the occasional goal. What the fourth line is also used for is protecting lines one through three. The true enforcer tends to play on line four and is put on the ice when they need to make a point about protecting the top lines. While it is hard to say lines one through three on the New York Islanders are top lines, it is also hard to say we have a true enforcer anywhere in our system that can compete at the NHL level. While it is especially important for all good teams to have a solid enforcer, I believe it is even more important for young, rebuilding teams to have a legitimate enforcer as well.

Next year, we are looking at a situation that we have not seen on the Islanders for many years. We are finally starting to see a true rebuilding process that will hopefully bring us some success in the near future. Between Mad Mike’s roster-decimating trades that cost us amazing, young talent and also some other trades here and there that emptied our pockets of prospects and picks, we have truly lacked the support and depth an NHL organization is supposed to have. So as we look forward to next year, we look forward to a roster that will include many extremely young players, along with some aging veterans who will hopefully guide the kids in the right direction. What we lack is the enforcer to protect not only the young guns, but also the aging veterans, none of which are fighters. My question to Garth Snow is simple. Why is it that we can have so many third and fourth-line players, yet none of them is an enforcer? As great as Andy Hilbert is on the penalty kill, I am sure he is expendable. Look at Georges Laraque, for example. Not only would he slot in nicely as a fourth line winger, but I bet he can put up just as many points as the lowly Hilbert. Do I feel Hilbert and Park make up an excellent penalty killing combination? Yes, of course, I think they are fantastic. But to be honest with you, I feel there are other players who could step into Hilbert’s role on the penalty kill and do just fine, while still giving that slot for a fourth-line enforcer. We sorely need a player like Laraque or Brashear to come in and protect our players. Now that Garth Snow has public stated that he may very well be done with the free-agency craze, it makes me wonder what his plans are to protect this team. As much heart as Comrie wants to show in a fight, he still lacks the size and strength to put down some of the leagues enforcers. Same goes for Guerin, who should actually be a protected player instead of a player protecting his teammates. As we saw last year, Davison just lacks the fighting sense and Kip Brennan is like watching a five year old who is extremely overweight skate around on the ice. It is time Garth Snow stepped to the plate and added just a little bit of protection, otherwise we are not only going to see a team who gets beat on the scoreboard, but a team who gets beat-up physically as well night in and night out.

There are many reasons I feel that we need an enforcer, and I am sure many of you will agree with my opinion. Tell me though, who would you like to see patrolling the ice for the Islanders, and protecting our youngsters?