Start of Camp Brings Questions, But Few Answers

Summer time is a very dull time for hockey fans. We all crave for October to come and bring along a new season. Watching a game from last March in which Blake Comeau scores a hat-trick against the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks can only keep our cravings satisfied for so long. But thankfully, training camp is right around the corner to bring some hockey news back into our lives.

By now, I'm sure we all have heard that Garth Snow has extended invitations to a few unnamed free agent players to come to training camp on a try-out basis. From what I have seen, quite a few people have questioned this idea, but this can certainly work out well. Will these invites bring in a top-six forward for the Isles? Maybe not, but it can certainly add depth to the team. The Islanders made this same move a few years ago, and it resulted in the signing of Richard Park, a fourth line center who could score occasionally and play very strong on the penalty kill. Park eventually became a fan favorite before being let go this summer. The Islanders also invited Mike Dunham to training camp, signed him, and now he is the Islanders' goalie coach. Most likely, we will not see one of these camp invites become a top-six forward, but these players can certainly add depth to the Isles, or at the very least, bring in competition for the many young prospects who have thoughts of possibly making the team out of training camp.

Training camp in September should also give us a good indication of Rick DiPietro's health. He said in a Twitter question-and-answer session that his surgically repaired knee feels great and he will be ready, but only actual time on the ice can prove that claim. Hopefully, for all involved, Rick is ready to go and can play for more than the eight games he managed last year, because this team is much better with him in net. Is Rick ready? Time will tell.

There are other questions surrounding this year's training camp that in about a month will be answered. Will Kiril Petrov be able to get out of his KHL contract? It is believed that he is ready to make the Isles on the third line, but it is unknown whether he can get out of his contract. His coach had recently made it clear that Petrov will play out his remaining year in the KHL and then head to the Islanders. This is good and bad, as it gives Petrov another year of free development, but it also means that he won't be scoring goals for the Islanders this year. It is also possible that Kiril Kabanov or Nino Niedereitter could make the team out of camp. What about Travis Hamonic or Calvin de Haan? Those two players both have a chance at skating for the Isles this season. There are many questions heading into camp, and in another month we will have answers to those questions.

One thing is for certain heading into training camp: Butch Goring is now the new color commentator, replacing Billy Jaffe on Isles telecasts.