head coach: Rick Bowness

roster: C - Robert Reichel, Travis Green*, Bryan Smolinski, Claude Lapointe, Sergei Nemchinov. LW - Mike Hough, Paul Kruse, Ken Belanger, Jim Storm. RW - Zigmund Palffy, Mariusz Czerkawski*, Dan Plante, Steve Webb, Todd Bertuzzi, Mick Vukota. D - Scott Lachance, Bryan Berard, Dennis Vaske, Richard Pilon, Bryan McCabe, Kenny Jonsson, John Namestnikov. G - Eric Fichaud, Wade Flaherty, Tommy Salo.
*-Unsigned free agent.

injuries: None.

transactions: 07/01 - Signed free agent left wings Mike Hough (Florida), Jim Storm (DAL), and goaltender Wade Flaherty (San Jose); signed center Sergei Nemchinov (Vancouver) to a three-year, $4 million contract. 07/02 - Signed free agent center Claude Lapointe; renewed their affiliation with Utah of the International Hockey League. 08/14 - Announced that goaltender Tommy Salo was awarded a one-year, $750,000 contract by an arbitrator. 08/19 - Named Brad McCrimmon assistant coach. 08/25 - Acquired right wing Mariusz Czerkawski from the Edmonton Oilers for left wing Dan Lacouture. 09/04 - Agreed to terms with free-agent defensemen Scott Lachance and Doug Houda. 09/08 - Extended the contract of goaltender Tommy Salo through the 1998-1999 season. 09/10 - Agreed to terms with free-agent center/right wing Bryan Smolinski. 09/12 - Agreed to terms with free-agent defenseman Kenny Jonsson.

standings:

1996-97 FINAL RESULTS
RECORD:     
 OVERALL      29-41-12
 HOME         19-18-4
 ROAD         10-23-8       
POINTS:             70 (22nd)
GOALS SCORED:      240 (12th)   
GOALS AGAINST:     250 (18th)
POWER PLAY:      13.9% (22nd)
PENALTY KILLING: 83.4% (14th)

game results:

PRE-SEASON RESULTS
9/13 at Carolina        L 4-1 

team news:

by Michael Dell, editor-in-chief

FISHERMEN COULD CATCH PLAYOFF INVITATION

The New York Islanders have missed the playoffs the past three years. With GM Mike Milbury running the show, that trend should change in the very near future. Milbury turned the coaching duties over to Rick Bowness near the end of last season and has been concentrating solely on building the Isles into a playoff contender. They already have the best young defense in hockey and one of the game's best goal-scorers up front, but there still needs to be some work done before this club plays hockey in late April.

OFFENSE: And a Man Named Ziggy Shall Lead Them

He's only been in the league for three seasons, but Ziggy Palffy has already established himself as one of the league's most dangerous goal-scorers. The 25-year-old right winger from Slovakia has piled up 91 goals over the past two years, including a career high 48 last season. At only 5'10", 183 pounds, Palffy can't exactly dominate a game physically, but he's as sneaky as all outdoors. A lot of times he just seems to come out of nowhere to score goals. He has the uncanny ability to slip away from the defense, get forgotten, and then burst into the open at just the right moment. A magical stickhandler, Palffy can also weave his way through the tightest of defenses or simply put on a show for all the kids back at the orphanage. Ziggy's a true superstar.

The problem the Islanders had was trying to find someone to play with their young star. Milbury addressed that issue near the end of last season when he acquired Robert Reichel from Calgary. Reichel and Palffy immediately hit it off and forged a tremendous rapport on the ice. The duo went nuts during the first few weeks following the trade, and teamed up with left winger Bryan Smolinski to give the Isles an extremely potent top line. Reichel finished with five goals and 19 points in his 12 games as an Isle. He has amazing puck skills and is a two-time 40-goal scorer (1992-93, 1993-94), so those numbers weren't a fluke. The only drawback to having Reichel and Palffy together is that they may not be big enough, or mean enough, to compete against the rest of the Atlantic Division. Smolinski will hit and go to the net, but he isn't exactly going to deter opponents from beating up on his talented linemates. However, he does have a big shot and can finish the plays created by Reichel and Palffy. How this trio fares when things get rough will go a long way to determining how successful the Islanders are this season.

Travis Green, provided he gets re-signed, will be back to center the second line. Green has posted 40+ assists in each of the past two seasons and is excellent on the man-advantage, where he led the club last season with 10 power-play goals. He'll likely have newcomer Mariusz Czerkawski on his right side. Czerkawski, acquired from Edmonton in an off-season trade, had 26 goals and 47 points for the Oilers last season. He has great individual skills, but is pretty much a one-dimensional player. He should at least be able to help put the puck in the net, tho', and that's all the Isles are expecting from him.

The third line this season will be anchored by veteran Sergei Nemchinov. Signed as a free agent from Vancouver, Nemchinov is quite familiar to Islander fans for the years he spent with the New York Rangers. He's an excellent defensive center that has enough talent to also chip in with the offense. His strict, no- nonsense approach to the game earned him the nickname "Sarge" during his Ranger days. Milbury added some more veteran leadership by signing 34-year-old winger Mike Hough from Florida. Hough is a superb penalty-killer and checking-line winger. Both Hough and Nemchinov should be excellent additions to the young Islander squad.

One guy who the Islanders will be counting on to make an impact is right winger Todd Bertuzzi. The 1993 first-round draft choice has stumbled through his first two seasons in the NHL, even getting demoted to the minors for a time last year. Bertuzzi, 22, has the size (6'3", 224) and temperament to be a dominating power forward, but his intensity and work ethic has run hot and cold to this point his career. This will be his third year in the league, tho', which is when a lot of young players tend to make their move. If he can show up every night, Bertuzzi has the potential to be an impact player.

The rest of the Islander offense is made up of checking role players such as Claude Lapointe, Randy Wood, Dan Plante, Paul Kruse, Steve Webb, and Ken Belanger. Not a whole lot of talent there. If the Islanders are going to score, the top line of Reichel, Palffy, and Smolinski is going to have to do it.

DEFENSE: Youth Has Been Served

The Islanders' blue line is really starting to gel. They have a great mix of youth and experience. The club's top four defensemen of Bryan Berard, Bryan McCabe, Kenny Jonsson, and Scott Lachance are all 25 or younger, while veterans Dennis Vaske, Rich Pilon, and Doug Houda are around to add experience.

Berard, 20, certainly delivered the goods in his first season, scoring eight goals and 48 points in claiming NHL Rookie of the Year honors. He's a major talent that could one day be a point- per-game defenseman. Look for him to be in the 15-goal, 60-point range this season.

While Berard gets most of the attention, McCabe is the real leader of this team. The brash, young blueliner was recently named the team's captain, becoming the youngest captain in franchise history and the youngest current captain in the league at just 22 years of age. McCabe has become a leader on the team through his hard work and aggressive play, which led to 165 penalty minutes and nine fighting majors last season. He's a steady stay-at-home defender that moves the puck extremely well and plays in all situations. He has never missed a game during his two-year career and recorded career highs in goals (8), assists (20), and points (28) last season. But the fact that the team had enough confidence in him to stitch the "C" on his sweater is really all you need to know about McCabe.

Jonsson is the typical Swedish player. He's a smooth skater, intelligent with the puck, and possesses good overall skills. He still needs to become more physical in his own zone, but it's hard to find a more talented 23-year-old defender.

At 25, Lachance is the old man of the front four. He's never put up the scoring numbers, but Lachance has developed into a reliable defensive defenseman. He represented the Isles at the All-Star Game last season when Ziggy had to bow out with an injury.

Now that Vaske seems to be recovered from post-concussion syndrome, he'll regain his status as a major component of the blue line thanks to his quiet, dependable style. Pilon adds muscle and grit to the group, collecting 179 minutes and six fights in just 52 games last season. His big problem is staying healthy. Pilon has never played more than 65 games in a season (1991-92) and has appeared in 28 or fewer contests in three of the past four campaigns.

The Isles also signed Zdeno Chara over the summer. Chara is a 6'8", 230-pound behemoth that will definitely add size if he makes the squad.

GOALTENDING: Number One Still Up for Grabs

The goaltending picture is still unclear. Eric Fichaud and Tommy Salo split the number one duties last season, with Salo coming on strong late, but neither one has established himself as the clear cut favorite. Milbury doesn't really like Salo, and let it be known during a recent arbitration hearing won by the GM. Among other things, Milbury said that Salo was the worst-conditioned athlete on the team. Yet he turned around and extended the Swedish netminder's contract for another season, so the guy can't be all bad.

When the Isles acquired Fichaud in April of 1995 from Toronto, they expected the former 1994 first-round pick (16th overall) of the Leafs to be their man in net for years to come. But Fichaud has progressed slower than expected. So much so that the Isles drafted top goaltending prospect Roberto Luongo in the first round of the Draft. That selection couldn't have made Fichaud sleep any easier at night.

The situation in net was clouded a bit more by the signing of former Shark Wade Flaherty. Most consider his signing to be a wake up call for Salo. Whether he answers it still needs to be seen. But whoever is in net, whether it's Salo, Fichaud, or Flaherty, goaltending will be a weakness for the Isles.

GEE, THAT'S SWELL

* Ziggy is a bad man.

* Reichel's chemistry with Palffy could give the team a potent top line.

* The defense is young and deep.

TROUBLE

* Not a whole lot of scoring up front.

* Not a whole lot of anything up front.

* Goaltending is a big concern.

1997-98 OUTLOOK: New York is gradually improving. The defense is set, but the offense and goaltending still need help. There just isn't enough scoring depth up front to take the load off Palffy and there isn't anyone in net who's going to steal games. It'll be close, but they still might need one more year. At least the club scrapped the lame fish stick logo and will be going back to the old school Islander crest. They still may not be a playoff team, but at least their uniforms will no longer inspire laughter from man, woman, and child alike.

PREDICTION: Sixth in the Atlantic and out of the playoffs.

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