Year 2 of the Rebuild (It might be Year 25, but whose counting?)

The Islanders are going about rebuilding their team in the absolutely correct fashion, going through some tough years to pick up some supremely high draft picks and developing young talent. Of course, not every team has to stink it up for three to five years and serve an NHL basement prison sentence to get good again. Some teams, like the Detroit Red Wings, can simply rely on ridiculously strong scouting and management to consistently field a contender. But a team like the Islanders, after not having any true elite scoring talent since Ziggy Palffy, and proving that they can only lure in second and third tier free agents at this point, were in dire need of a dose of someone like John Tavares. After only five or so games, Tavares is already giving this team the first line talent they've lacked for so long. He is forming great chemistry with fellow future star Kyle Okposo and even helping long-time minor leaguer Matt Molson make his mark in the NHL. For a team that didn't have a 20-goal scorer last year and saw a defenseman lead them in scoring last year, preceded by a year in which Mike Comrie led the team with a pathetic 49 points, it is truly a breath of fresh air.

After the Tavares line, as far as I'm concerned, it is completely an open playing field. What the Islanders need to do over the next one or two years is establish a healthy competition for spots on lines 2 and 3. More important than immediate results is determining who sticks and who is junk. Out of some of the current players on those two lines, it looks like Sean Bergenheim has the biggest shot to stick around, but that's mainly because his 15 goals last year were significantly more than any of his "competition." Bergenheim's greatest attribute is that he is gritty enough to play on the third and fourth line if his scoring numbers don't add up.

Frans Nielsen also showed last year that he has some great playmaking skills and can put up some decent points, as he was about a .5-a-point-per-game player last year despite having a bad knee injury and taking some time to find his game at the beginning of the season. He is defensively responsible and is a good third line (potentially second line) center option if he is complemented by wingers with some size.

Rob Schremp, unlike someone like Bergenheim, must rely on his offensive numbers to stick around the club, and must prove capable of being put in a scorer's role. He must show the Islanders that he is more than a package of nifty shootout moves. He is not big and his game is not based on grit, so his offense must do the talking. I'm guessing he will have the season to show what he can do, and based on the fact that he will receive significant minutes and has some excellent overall skills, I think he can end up with some good numbers.

Blake Comeau is one of the Islanders that is probably the most difficult to get a thorough gauge on. Comeau came up in the 2007-08 season showing veteran-like poise and excellent puck control, which impressed most Islander fans. But the rookie novelty has worn off, and he must soon begin putting up numbers to back up that poise and puckhandling skill, otherwise he will just be the little-puckhandler-that-couldn't. On the plus side, Comeau does have some size, something the Isles lack especially given they play in the 6'3"-and-up filled Eastern Conference, and can occasionally play with grit.

And finally, I come to Josh Bailey. Bailey so far this season has been one of the biggest sources of Islander fan chatter, as some have argued he looks out of place and is way too easily pushed off the puck. Basically, they believe he isn't ready for the NHL. While some time down in Bridgeport to put up some big time numbers and to gain the confidence back might be great for Bailey, the truth is Bailey is at the stage where many other young Islanders have been before him. Showing glimpses of his overall skill, but not yet putting up the points to appease the masses. I attended the home opener versus Pittsburgh on Oct. 3, and in between screaming my lungs out in praise of John Tavares getting his first NHL goal, I also watched on a few shifts where Bailey found linemates Trent Hunter and Jon Sim with remarkable passes. He threaded passes through Pittsburgh forwards and defensemen alike effortlessly, and it is that level of talent that I look forward to hopefully watching bud over the next few years.

I'll do plenty more breakdown of the "Battles for Lines 2 and 3" throughout the season and will also look at the next wave of potential scorers to back up the boys on Line 1.