New York Islanders - Let's See How Long This Lasts

    Sitting here wondering what to do with my time has led me to log into my old Blog Box Blogger (Is that still a thing?) account and try to put some words together again as it pertains to our favorite team, the New York Islanders. 

    Looking back at past posts, I haven't posted a blog here in a LONG time. So much has changed. Lou Lamoriello is the General Manager of the New York Islanders. I know that isn't exactly Earth shattering news these days but if you look at my last article from 2016 something like that happening was absolutely unthinkable. The last article I wrote was after the Islanders lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning (Irony!) in the second round of the playoffs after beating the Florida Panthers in the first round for their first playoff series win in 23 years. Garth Snow was still the GM. Jack Capuano was the coach. Barclay's Center was their home arena. 

    The thought of a brand new arena in Nassau County was a pipe dream and no Stanley Cup winning coach or GM with any kind of winning pedigree would ever come here to coach. Now we have Lou, Barry Trotz and UBS Arena, a state of the art, ONE BILLION dollar building growing right next to Belmont park that will open up in approximately one years time for the Islanders to call home. 

    The changes that have gone on since the last time I clicked "publish" at the top right of this screen are absolutely astounding and those are the changes off the ice. Looking on the ice the Islanders just came within one short handed breakaway goal by Brock Nelson from forcing game seven of the Eastern Conference Final. What planet are we on Islander fans? 

    Things have gotten so bright here just two years after our former captain turned his back and walked away from a team that failed to make the playoffs and walked into what he thought was a Golden State Warriors like super team up in Toronto. They got worse. Yes. They are worse. They have broken up a team that had 105 points that showed so much promise in 2017 and handcuffed themselves paying four players 40 million dollars. 

    The Islanders, under Barry Trotz, the 2017 Stanley Cup winning, 2018 coach of the year and three time Stanley Cup winning, Hall of Fame and current General Manager of the year have flourished after "he" walked away. Anders Lee has become the leader we all wished that other guy was. Ilya Sorokin, the guy who everyone said would never come to the Islanders, is here. Mat Barzal has turned from a dynamic one way center into a two way center who resembles a young Pavel Datsyuk. Brock Nelson has blossomed into maybe the most under rated center in the NHL. Josh Bailey, the perennial whipping boy of a small sect of Islanders fans has become a valuable two way winger who always seems to make the smart play or come up big when it matters most. 

    Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, and Scott Mayfield all at one point under former administrations as guys who could never be top four defenseman have all become exactly that. The Islanders are so deep at defense they were able to trade Devon Toews for draft picks and there still aren't enough spots in the top seven for everyone ready to play at this level in the organization. 

    That's not all that is different. At the trade deadline the New York Islanders acquired arguably the best forward available in J.G. Pageau. Before he had the opportunity to become the next Ryan Smyth, he was promptly signed to a six year contract extension. That wasn't all. To shore up the defense beat up with the injuries they acquired Andy Greene, the captain of the Devils. Let's not over look the fact that Greene had a full no trade clause and waived it to come to the Islanders. Could you ever imagine anyone waiving their no trade clause to come to the Islanders before now? 

    While you're thinking about that think about this. They are seemingly one piece from being a team that could realistically win the Stanley Cup. Everyone knows they need power play help. Someone who can fire the puck to open up the ice and relieve the pressure on the points on the power play. Despite the salary cap constraints we have (well most of us, anyway) the confidence in the management as fans that they will address this at some point this off season. Will it be from within? Will it be someone like Mike Hoffman who still hasn't signed a deal despite being the best shooter available? Will Oliver Wahlstrom be that shooter? Bellows? Will they go off the board and take a shot at Andreas Athanasiou? We as fans just do not know. 

For the first time in decades literally anything is a possibility. It's finally not a pipe dream any more Islander fans but a real possibility. The sky is the limit.