Now we are half done...

The Islanders season-long journey toward securing the first-overall pick in the entry draft is complete. With last night's 6-1 shellacking (pasting?) in Pittsburgh, the Isles are now going to finish with the worst record in the National Hockey League this season.

The Islanders, with this last-place achievement, can only pick first or second this June. That means they're all but assured of getting a top player in the draft. Whether they'll pick John Tavares or Victor Hedman is unknown right now...but I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that I am hoping for #1 so that Garth Snow and Ryan Jankowski can say the name "John Tavares" in Montreal at the draft.

Let's face it: for all of the heartbreak and disappointment the Islanders have inflicted on the most loyal fans in sports, to get a guy who has the makings of a marquee scorer like Tavares will only add good vibes and a feeling of hope as the team works on the Lighthouse initiative. Plus, adding goals will validate the rebuilding program in the syes of the ticket-buying public. The past few months have been a revelation for the younger players like Bailey, Nielsen, and Comeau, etc. We need to keep that momentum going and get people excited.

To that end, the Isles made some other signings of younger draft picks.

The team signed defenseman Mark Katic and left wing Justin DiBenedetto to three-year contracts. Both players are reporting to Bridgeport for the rest of the Sound Tigers' seasons.

Katic is interesting to me as he is another puck-moving defenseman and was a major part of the book "Future Greats and Heartbreaks: A Year Undercover in the Secret World of NHL Scouts" by Gare Joyce. It's a book I recommend highly.

DiBenedetto was a sixth-rounder last year who "suffered" by being Steve Stamkos' linemate during Stamkos' last year in junior with the Sarnia Sting. Too many people thought DiBenedetto was riding shotgun and getting inflated stats because of playing with last year's first-overall pick. This season, again with the Sting, DiBenedetto proved his detractors wrong with 45 goals and 48 assists in 62 games.

The Isles are going to need guys who were tagged as reaches like DiBenedetto in their draft years for the turnaround to be complete. DiBenedetto reportedly loves nothing more than proving his detractors wrong--which is a great attitude to have as a late-round pick.

According to Point Blank, the Isles also signed a youngster named Ryan Duncan from the University of North Dakota. Duncan is listed at 5-6 and 150 lbs--so he's tiny--but he has produced at UND and will play with the Sound Tigers on a PTO contract. He had 39 points and apparently is tough enough to have not missed a game in four years.