New York Islanders Roundtable: Worst Team in the NHL Edition

Farrell Hirsch

No. If you say they are the worst team because they were beaten by Colorado and Arizona.  Then they were cup champs when they beat Pittsburgh. It doesn’t work that way.

The Islanders have some valuable assets that have present value. Aside from Tavares, they have a decent, and deep group of defensemen. And there are a few flawed forwards who are accomplishing NHL level play this season in Bailey, Nelson, Lee, Cizikas.

(Since the question is asked in the present tense I won’t include players who have previously played well enough to have NHL value like Ladd, Kulemin, or Strome. And I won’t include those with future value like Beauvillier, Barzal and, well, Strome)

The Coyotes roster has much less present value. And they display that nightly. 

They had as many shots on goal in the shootout against the Isles, as they did in the third period of that close game. The Avalanche have a potentially terrific core, no depth at all. That should be more than enough to play their way out of league cellar. But it isn’t. They’re awful.

And you know what else? That Devils team is horrendous on any night where goaltending isn’t spectacular. Yippee!!! My homerism gets the Isles to 4th worst.