Islanders: Lubomir Visnovsky was underrated

When looking back at the time period where the New York Islanders went from cellar dweller to playoff contender, one name that doesn’t get the recognition that they deserve is Lubomir Visnovsky.

Sure, in the early to mid-2010s people remember John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Travis Hamonic, Nick Leddy, etc. as the key pieces to the turnaround but what about Lubo?

I was scrolling on Twitter today and was reminded just how good he was, even in his late 30’s, as an offensive defenseman. JFresh pulled the numbers on 2014-2015, the team’s first 100 point season since 1984, and Visnovsky was really solid on the blue line that year.

In his three years with the Islanders, he was averaging 20:46 of ice time and giving the Islanders respectable outputs offensively. Sure, he wasn’t a defensive wizard but he more than held his own while really driving even-strength offense.

In that season specifically, he had 20 points (5 goals, 15 assists) in 53 games and in his Islander career, he was at .40 points per game from his age 36-38 season.

Yes, unfortunately, Tom Wilson essentially ended Lubomir Visnovsky’s career with his dirty hit in the 2015 playoffs but that shouldn’t be the lasting memory for Islanders fans when it comes to Lubo.

Who remembers this insane play in overtime from the 2013 season? This seems like a more appropriate way to remember him.

The Islanders were able to acquire Lubomir Visnovsky before the 2012-2013 season when Garth Snow traded a 2013 2nd round pick for the veteran d-man.

He was heading into the final year of his contract making $5.6 million against the cap. Snow would then sign him during the 2012-2013 season to a two-year $9.5 million ($4.75 million) extension.

While Lubomir Visnovsky probably won’t go down as an Islanders legend, he was a darn good role player during the time period where the Isles were turning their fortunes around for the better.