New York Islanders All Long Island Starting Line Up

1 of 4

UNIONDALE, NY – MAY 05: A general view prior to the removal of the rink from the Nassau Coliseum on May 5, 2015 in Uniondale, New York. The New York Islanders have played their last game at the Nassau Coliseum and will begin to play at the Barclay’s Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York City next season. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

The New York Islanders offseason is centered around two topics: John Tavares’ extension and the arena drama. Let’s take a step away from that and have some fun in these dry summer months. What’s a Long Island starting lineup look like?

What if the New York Islanders could only stock their team with talent from Long Island? What would the 2017-18 Islanders starting lineup look like?

I say starting lineup because there aren’t enough active NHL players from Long Island to even make a full NHL team. Which doesn’t bode well for what I was actually able to find. Of the 200+ players in the league, I found three forwards, two defense and a single goaltender that hail from Long Island.

This is a pure distraction piece. Ever since July 1st rolled around all we talk about is John Tavares’ extension and when, and if, it’s ever going to get signed. Or where are the New York Islanders going to play in the next few years? Those two topics are all consuming and after a while, it gets to be stale.

I’m sure there are others that I may have missed. Maybe they were born in Buffalo but were actually raised in Syosset or in Hempstead. Let me know in the comments below. Either way, it’s Sunday. It’s time to think of something else than Tavares and the arena for two seconds.