New York Islanders Organic Growth the Key Says Ledecky

The New York Islanders new majority co-owner Jon Ledecky addressed media and season ticket holders alike recently. Much has been made about his statements to propel the Islanders into the upper echelons of the league, but this isn’t going to be overnight.

The New York Islanders won their first playoff series in twenty-three years by beating the Florida Panthers in 6 games this past post-season. It was a great achievement for the Islander, but clearly well short of the ultimate goal; the Stanley Cup.

New majority co-owner Jon Ledecky said some great things over his two days of talks. And what he’s saying is getting fans and media alike salivating. But I want to focus on a less popularized statement that he made.

A month ago I published a story laying out expectations for the Islanders 2016-17 season. In it, I stated a few things that need to happen, but mainly the point I made was that the Isles needed to maintain the progress they made in 2015-16, and take a step forward.

And this statement was corroborated by Ledecky last Wednesday

Moving Upwards and Forwards

On July 13th Jon Ledecky met with members of the media. At this meeting, Ledecky was asked what the standard was for the Isles going forward. Ledecky answered: “The standard this year has to be, you won the second round and went to the third round.”

This isn’t a “tute-your-own-horn” piece, although I’m certainly happy that my thoughts are being resounded by Isles management.

But it’s important to note that Ledecky didn’t jump immediately to winning the Stanley Cup. He eventually gets to it later in the thought that I sourced at the start. But he didn’t leap to it.

Ledecky instead focused on steady growth. Something that is often overlooked when building to success. Clearly, the ultimate goal is the Stanley Cup. But getting to that point doesn’t happen over night.

From the Basement to the Penthouse

Sure it’s entirely possible to go from the basement to the penthouse, but sustaining that kind of meteoric rise isn’t possible.

And that’s where Ledecky’s business acumen starts kicking in. Slow, steady, calculated growth will get you to the top. It might take a few years, but you’ll get there.

More to this is that playoff hockey is clearly an expectation. Almost an afterthought. Missing the playoffs such as in 2013-14 isn’t in the plans, and would be a great disappointment.

We’ve had playoff hockey for three years over the last four seasons. The guarantee is to keep that. Sustain and progress. That’s the model here.

Next: Benn Sets the Precedent for Tavares

And that’s exactly what the Isles actually need. Sustainable organic growth towards a fifth Stanley Cup. This leadership group is hitting all the right notes, let’s see how they plan on actually executing it.

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