I believe the idea of a LHH group meetup has been discussed in various forms in the past, but I wanted to bring up the idea again, and thought that there's no better time than the middle of the summer.  I'm not talking about a small meetup either, I'm looking to see if a meetup with a grander vision would be something our community of New York Islanders fans would be interested in.  I would also like it to be something that our group members would be able to attend, whether they live out of town or around the corner from the Nassau Coliseum.

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Over at Lighthouse Hockey, we had a mock draft for the 1st round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.  I was given the opportunity to pretend to be Brian Burke for the Leafs' first round picks.  While I'm not a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, it gave me a challenging and fun opportunity to not only learn about some prospects that may become Leafs property this weekend, as well as learn about some of the long term needs and depth waiting in the wings for the Leafs.  Naturally, I used Pension Plan Puppets as one of my reference tools in making my mock decisions.

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Thank you once again to Leafs Nation, the Minnesota Wild, the people of Minnesota, and also to the Boston Bruins for winning the Stanley Cup.  Without further ado, with the 30th overall draft pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs select, a soulful defenseman from the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL, Scott Mayfield.

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Greetings to everyone in Toronto, Schenectady and the rest of Leafs Nation.  First, I would like to thank the Minnesota Wild and City of Saint Paul, Minnesota for hosting the 2011 Entry Draft, as well as to Lighthouse Hockey for this latest episode of Epic Mock Draft Time.  I would also like to thank Toronto Maple Leafs fans the world over for being patient as we build a perennial Stanley Cup contender.  It is with the utmost honor and most esteemed privilege that I will announce the 25th selection in the 2011 National Hockey League entry draft, a left winger from the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League, Mr. Brandon Saad.

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I was checking my Facebook and Twitter accounts before I went to bed last night, and I saw a whole bunch of blurbs about ESPN 1050 reporting that Rick DiPietro was in a car accident, breaking his shoulder and pelvis, and then DiPietro not being in a car accident.  Apparently, this had become newsworthy enough that the New York Islanders had to step in and confirm that DP was not in an accident.  It was probably the work of some bored and bitter fan of the Short Island Smurfs, but you would think that the media would exercise greater control and restraint about reporting the correct information.

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I've read a few blurbs from some news sources (Pierre LeBrun being one) that John Tavares was at the latest NHLPA meeting, trying to take everything in.  I'm not sure if he is the New York Islanders' union rep (who is their rep if Tavares is not?), but it seems like Tavares is looking to take on a greater responsibility as a player.  It's nice to see that Tavares gets that idea early on in his career.

Here is a news update from the Albany Times Union on Bobby Hughes, the current or former New York Islanders prospect (to be honest, I am not sure if he is still Islanders property) and a rape trial he finds himself in.  This comes from an October 2008 incident when Hughes was a member of the Albany River Rats and the Carolina Hurricanes organization.

Here is the news article...

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=937142

Trying to see if there is any interest beyond what has been discussed on the blog already, I was wondering if there would be any interest in an Albany area Isles draft party gathering?  There has to be some Islanders friendly establishment in the Capital Region for such a gathering (Union Inn in Schenectady has an Islanders Bud Light neon sign in the front window).  Please let me know if there's any interest (you could respond to this post I guess) and I'll think of something that works for whoever is interested.

If the Islanders decide to be sellers come the NHL trade deadline, which players do you think could be finding themselves a new home come March?  While it is possible that the Isles could remain in contention for one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, the realistic part of me thinks that the Isles will finish in the range of 8-12 points behind the 8th place team in the conference.  Yes, I am certainly rooting for the team to turn the dial and have a strong finish, I am thinking that it may be beneficial for the Islanders to continue building towards the future.  Assets in a trade will probably involve the form of draft picks, probably in the 4th round or lower.  I don't think that Garth Snow will do any better than that, but you never know.  With the player assets the Isles have, I don't anticipate prospects coming our way.

Martin Biron - I think he would be the strongest candidate to be traded.  I think that it is more of a matter of which teams are willing to invest in some goaltending depth for a playoff run.  The Ottawa Senators may be a good fit for Biron, or possibly the Montreal Canadiens if the Habs decide to trade Carey Price or Jaroslav Halak.

Doug Weight - I'm surprised his name hasn't really been mentioned, but I wouldn't be surprised if a playoff bound team goes for Weight in order to have some depth, playoff experience and leadership.  I don't know how many more years Weight has remaining in the NHL, so it may be fitting to send Weight off with a playoff run.  I think he may fit in well on the Los Angeles Kings.

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Some follow up to the November 2009 arrest of Islanders prospect Bobby Hughes via today's Albany Times Union.

Apparently Bobby Hughes has rejected a plea deal for a third-degree sexual assault charge which would've garnered him two years in jail, plus 10 years of post-release supervision.  Hughes' attorney, Robert Molloy, was quoted as saying "the deal was rejected because no criminal act occurred".

Bobby Hughes is now playing for the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies.

Read the article at...

Ex-Rat: No deal in sex case - Albany Times Union

If anyone is up at 8:20am (New York time) and would like to see former New York Islanders players Alexei Yashin, Chris Simon, Josef Vasicek and Mattias Weinhandl play in the Kontinental Hockey League's All-Star Game, you're in luck.  A flight to Minsk, Belarus is not necessary as coverage of the game is being offered on ESPN360.  The game will feature commentary from Steve Levy and Barry Melrose.  Apparently, they did not make the trip to Belarus either, and will be broadcasting the game from ESPN's studios in Connecticut.

The All-Star game features a format that is Russians against everyone else.  Team Yashin is the Russian team, while Team Jagr features players from other nations represented in the KHL.  Sergei Federov, Sergei Zubov and Sandis Ozolinsh are among the other players who will be playing in today's game.

You may check out the complete roster and further details at ESPN.com.