New York Islanders Roundtable: Back to the Future

Colby Guy

Many people don’t think about this, but I think the best way to provide a change to this team and potentially find a winger for Tavares to play with is calling up Micheal Dal Colle. Dal Cole has been absolutely amazing for the Sound Tigers, as he’s tied for the team lead in goals (last time I checked) with Steve Bernier.

Sure, the move may throw the hot Sound Tigers off, but we’re in dire need for offense and Dal Colle could possibly bring it to us without having to give up any assets at all. If Tavares can find chemistry with the former 5th overall pick, it could spark this team offensively and give us new life.

Another way to wake this team up is to bring in a new coach. As the Penguins did when Mike Johnston was fired, the change in coaches will make them realize that something isn’t going right, and who’s a better candidate to come in than former Islanders assistant coach, Gerard Gallant. Gallant coached a Panthers team that had been awful beforehand into a playoff contender and guided them into the first round against us.

As we saw during the series, the Panthers played with dominance and was able to hold the lead for the majority of the series, Gallant also helped develop the young guys down in Florida. The fact that Ekblad already has the leadership qualities of a seasoned veteran already shows us the wonders Gallant can do, so why can’t he do it for us?

All-in-all, I definitely feel like change is a very necessary thing to do if we really want this team to get back on track. Some people might think I’m crazy, but I think it might just work.