Pete DeBoer reveals how the NY Islanders can surprise people next season

Pete DeBoer isn't promising miracles with the New York Islanders, but he believes fixing two glaring weaknesses can get them back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

DeBoer has built a reputation as one of the NHL's most successful coaches, leading multiple franchises on deep playoff runs and turning struggling teams into contenders.

But even he knows there are no shortcuts.

Speaking with TSN on Friday, DeBoer made it clear he isn't walking into the New York Islanders' bench expecting a miracle. Instead, he believes getting back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs comes down to fixing the problems that kept them out in the first place.

"[Making the postseason is] the plan, that's the million-dollar question," DeBoer said. "We're gonna go in and we've looked at some things from a coaching perspective that we want to fix. You're not making the playoffs with a 30th-ranked power play, and you're not making the playoffs bleeding high-danger chances like they did last year and relying on your goaltender that much so we've got to dive in and fix some of that stuff."

It's a refreshingly honest assessment.

DeBoer didn't point to bad luck or injuries. He pointed directly at the numbers.

The Islanders' power play was among the NHL's worst, consistently failing to capitalize on momentum-changing opportunities. Defensively, they asked Ilya Sorokin to erase too many mistakes, surrendering far too many quality scoring chances night after night.

Those aren't cosmetic issues. They're the kinds of flaws that separate playoff teams from lottery teams. The encouraging part for Islanders fans is that both problems are fixable. Plus, the league has shown that quick turnarounds are possible, and that every year there are surprises, some teams expected to be playoff teams miss the postseason unexpectedly while other teams go on runs.

“I think five years ago there was two or three teams that legitimately could win, and I think last year showed with what Montreal did, the run they went on, the run Buffalo went on, that you can turn things around pretty quickly,” said DeBoer. “Some of these teams that you feel aren’t contenders can turn it around quickly if they have the right personnel.”

But the Islanders do not need magic. They need fewer dangerous chances against, a functional power play and a system that asks Sorokin to be excellent rather than superhuman.

That may not guarantee the playoffs. It does give DeBoer a believable path back.

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