The New York Islanders entered the 2009-2010 season with limited expectations in year 2 of their "re-build". They got their prized franchise player in the draft and kept the core intact while adding depth between the pipes after going through all of last season without a legitimate NHL goaltender.
But when the team plays better than expected and goes on a nice mid-season run, people raise their expectations. When you are sitting in a playoff spot after January 1, all of a sudden the playoffs look much better then a lottery pick.
But what happens when you lose 6 in a row and find yourself chasing 7 teams ahead of you for 3 playoff spots? Panic starts to set in. Which is where the Islanders find themselves at this point and time. They are a team that has lost their identity from earlier in the year and is struggling to regain it. A team that was always praised by opponents for their relentless puck pursuit and work ethic earlier in the year are now being dominated by their opponents on a nightly basis. This has not come from a lack of work ethic or heart, but a lack of talent.
Garth Snow started this process with the intent of seeing it all the way through. I am glad him and Assistant GM Ryan Jankowski are sticking to that. Considering the situation Garth has been put in, I believe him and his staff have done a great job. Compliments go to his scouting staff for finding their leading scorer and number 1 goaltender as free agents completely under the radar this past off-season.
But what the Islanders lack they do not have internally. What they have now are about 9 players they plan to build a Stanley Cup team around, the rest are expendable. For the time being, the current roster is filled with 3rd and 4th line players that are plugged in to get by this season and possibly next.
As long as Garth Snow's hands continue to be tied by Charles Wang, who's hands are tied by a terrible arena lease and the Town of Heampstead, me and every other Islanders fan around the world have to realize that as long as the situation remains status quo, the Islanders will not be a contender. You can not expect the team to pay $100 million for Ilya Kovalchuk when they wont even pay for the team to have a regular radio station and broadcasters.
That last paragraph may be tough to swallow for a lot of Islander fans. Go back and read it again if you have to, but do not try and convince yourself that it is not true, because it most certainly is.
So what do you do now if you are an Islanders fan? You sit and wait. You watch the remainder of this season hoping they turn things around and make a strong push, or hope they bottom out and end up with a lottery pick. You also hope for good news from the Town of Heampstead about the redevelopment of the arena.
If your Garth Snow you stick some lines in the water for players YOU think are best for your team in the future and you DO NOT pull the trigger unless you are satisfied with the terms. You also look to sell of dead Weight for as much as possible.
As far as the present goes, the Islanders need to ask themselves one question...who is going to step up? Who is going to take responsibility and put this team on their back for stretch run? My bet would go to Kyle Okposo with pretty good odds too. They need to play much more hungry then they have in the past 2 weeks and they absolutely must improve their play on special teams. If you have watched this team all year you've noticed that in recent games they have not been getting any quality scoring chances whatsoever. Goals have come from battles in the front of the net or 30 foot shots that ricochet off of bodies on their way to the net. They have not scored a goal scorer's goal in at least 3 weeks. Get back to the team you were a month ago that teams were afraid to play on a nightly basis, and you make a decent run at a bottom playoff spot.
I will have a Super Bowl XLIV preview tomorrow, needed to rant about this now. Comments
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