The NY Islanders are about to find out what life is without Noah Dobson

While the New York Islanders have looked impressive in their back-to-back wins recently, the big story has been the injury to Isles defenseman Noah Dobson.

One can only guess at the extent of the injury, due to the cryptic disclosure policy of the NHL, but it looks like Dobson will be week to week and headed for LTIR at some point following the win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Some have speculated on his injury and his timeline for a return to skating, but due to the vague diagnosis of "lower-body injury", he may be looking at a post-trading deadline return.

Islanders to find out what life is like without Dobson

While no one would wish an injury on a player, the time that Dobson has to work on his recovery away from the game may have a positive upside for all parties involved. Dobson had a breakout season last year, setting career highs in every category, and looked to be poised to expand on that success this season. However, his first 46 games this season have been nothing that the player, coaching staff, and fans expected from the sixth-year pro. In fact, it's been pretty painful to watch, with most nights his game being subpar.

While the Isles have faced a lot of adversity when it comes to the injury bug this season, especially on the blueline, Dobson has failed to step up and show any kind of veteran leadership on the ice. His decline this season has not gone unnoticed by the Islanders fans, with many clamoring for a trade by GM Lou Lamoriello come the deadline this March. As one fan put it on Reddit following the report of Dobson potentially missing the next few months, "At least now we can see if the haters are right who say that this team would be better without Noah Dobson (I'm looking for positives)."

Now that it is known that the Isles blueliner will be sidelined for the foreseeable future, maybe this will be an opportunity for Dobson to recharge his batteries and have a complete reset of his game. The time away from the rink should give Assistant Coach Tommy Albelin a chance to go over film and breakdown his game for improvement. Watching from the players' box hopefully will give the 25 year-old new perspective and insight on how he can right the ship and salvage what he can of this season. It will also go a long way to earn the trust back from not only his coaches and the GM, but the fans who have been unimpressed with his play for the first 46 games this season.