Islanders could be stuck in “no man’s” land, analyst claims

The New York Islanders could be another one of those teams stuck in no-man’s land. They have great pieces to fight for a playoff spot, but aren’t exactly close to becoming true contenders. Conversely, they’re not bad enough to tank for a top-10 draft pick.

So, that situation has notable insider Craig Button to ponder a philosophical question: “What are the New York Islanders?”

During an appearance on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio on October 16, Button explored the situation that afflicts the Islanders at the moment. As Button pointed out, the Isles have a solid core led by one of the NHL’s best goalies. They have good blueliners and great scorers in Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal.

However, there’s too much uncertainty about what else is beyond those foundational elements. He stated:

“Every team has five or six good players. Who do they have after that?”

To answer that question, Button proposes:

“I think there has to be a serious examination of where are we? And where does this take us? Does it take us to where we want to go? I’m not so sure that if they ask that middle question, that they can really feel that that’s going to take them to where they really want to go, which is being Stanley Cup contenders.”

Ultimately, Button underscores the fact that Islanders GM Mathieu Darche may have no choice but to reassess his original plan and make tough decisions, lest the Islanders land in that mushy middle so many teams are afraid of.

Are Islanders really headed toward a rebuild?

Did Mathieu Darche’s efforts this summer really put the Islanders in a position to win? Or did his actions just delay the inevitable?

Unless the club can win on the ice, you would think a rebuild seems like an evitability. The Islanders have high-end talent coming up the pipeline, five good pieces on the current roster, but really lack a strong supporting cast.

By that assessment, would a retool be more suitable?

Perhaps. Darche may choose to ship out pieces that don’t really contribute to the team’s overall vision and focus on bringing in players who could. Such a retool may imply turning over pretty much the entire bottom six and about half of the defense core.

The Isles have the luxury of an elite goalie. So, it would be a shame to blow it all up. The Islanders don’t have another Ilya Sorokin in the system. So, just because the team has a goalie like Sorokin, it’s worth putting a decent team in front of him.

One final thought. Trading Sorokin would immediately unleash a full-on rebuilding. Judging from the way it’s gone in Detroit, Anaheim, Ottawa, Isles fans could be looking at a tough decade.

If things go much the way they have in San Jose and Buffalo, it could take even longer.