Reason to Believe: Islanders 6, Red Wings 0

Just some things I'm thinking about following a joyful night of joyful hockey...

Matt Moulson's offense is heating up again. And he's finding the net while playing with Frans Nielsen. Both circumstances help negate the ideas that Moulson is a flash in the pan who got off to a hot start and that his production was due mostly to his pairing with John Tavares.

How nice it is to once again be able to legitimately pin the future of the Islanders on Kyle Okposo, Tavares, AND Josh Bailey. Bailey looked like a boy last year. Suddenly he looks like a man, and plays like one too.

Despite his slow start in the goal column, Okposo will surpass his goal total from a year ago. Watch him light it up in the second half.

Seeing my favorite player of his era, Kenny Jonsson, back in the Islanders family for one night.

The part of NHLer Rob Schremp now being played by...Rob Schremp.

BD might be right that keeping Martin Biron on ice (as opposed to on the ice) might improve his trade value. At the very least, it won't harm his value and it will also protect him from injury (as much as that recalls the awkwardness of the Bill Guerin situation last year).

At first I was opposed to the idea of keeping Biron out of the rotation. I thought he deserved to at least dress on occasion and his exclusion reflected poorly on him and reduced his perceived value. But this is going to be all about Dwayne Roloson and Rick DiPietro, and who gives the team the best chance to win night in, night out. That's clearly not Biron.

I would, however, not be so quick to pull the trigger on a deal for Biron. Let's see DiPietro get the rigors of a few NHL games under his belt before the team puts itself one more injury away from last season's goaltending carousel.

It was a shame that the 6-0 domination of the Red Wings had to occur on the same night as a thrilling shootout (in more ways than one) between the other locals. Not good for getting the deserved local press. On the other hand, it was the kind of win that the rest of the league's cities will notice.

It's good to see some old friends still plugging away in the Blog Box.

I resisted doing this for a long time, but I finally caved.

Schremp Quotes from Newsday

I had to laugh a little at the quotes from team brass in Katie Strang's Newsday article about the Islanders claiming Rob Schremp off waivers. This is what you want to hear about the gifted player with upside who has yet to fulfill his potential:

"He's a highly skilled, offensively gifted player with great vision. He's at an age where he is still maturing as a hockey player and a person, so there's upside there for our organization," Islanders general manager Garth Snow said. "To take a chance on a player like this, it seemed like it was a no-brainer to claim Rob."

This, not so much:

"He's got incredible skill," Gordon said. "On a breakaway, he can make a lacrosse-style goal. His hands are really good."

Let's not start out by setting expectations so low that a trick shot is one of Schremp's main selling points. Leave the scoop-n-shovel to the NCAA kids and the minor leaguers. We want to see if Schremp can actually cut it as an NHL regular without being known as a one-shot wonder who encourages labels of immature and unprofessional to be cast the Islanders' way.

On the other hand, he would probably get along really well with John Tavares's uncle.

Schremp Will Try to Make It on the Island

The Islanders have claimed 23-year-old Rob Schremp off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers. Schremp, described in the club's press release as a left wing, is more commonly known as a highly skilled centerman who has yet to break through at the NHL level. Schremp has logged seven games total in the NHL, accumulating 3 assists, all in four games last season.

In the AHL, Schremp has been a steady scorer with totals of 47-124-171 in 216 games with the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Springfield Falcons. The Syracuse, NY, product also made his mark in the OHL. As a junior player, Schremp piled up 154 goals and 230 assists for 384 points in 247 games as a member of the Mississauga Ice Dogs and the London Knights. His final season in junior hockey resulted in a 145-point season on 57 goals and 88 assists, in 57 games.

The Oilers drafted Schremp with the 25th overall pick in the 2004 draft.

With the Islanders already short a few regulars up front, this is precisely the kind of opportunity that could allow Schremp to prove that his minor league feats can translate to the NHL. There is little risk for the team, which suddenly has an interesting replacement to look at while Franz Nielsen recovers from his knee injury and Doug Weight gets back up to speed after nursing a groin. While of the classic criticisms of Schremp may play out, this is the perfect time to see if there's something there.