Why NY Islanders fans should respect and not resent Hurricanes’ Success

For years, many New York Islanders fans have looked at the Carolina Hurricanes with a mix of jealousy, frustration and maybe even a little resentment.

The Hurricanes were always there. Twice they knocked the Isles out the playoffs in the first round, once in 2022-23 in six games, and then again the following yearin five.

Every spring, it seemed like Carolina was making another playoff run while the Islanders were trying to figure out how to get back into the postseason. Every offseason, the Hurricanes lost another notable player and somehow came back just as strong.

But instead of hating what Carolina has become, Islanders fans should respect it.

Because the Hurricanes have built exactly the kind of organization the Islanders should aspire to be.

Think about the players Carolina has lost over the years. Dougie Hamilton left. Vincent Trocheck left. Brett Pesce left. Brady Skjei left. More recently, they moved on from Martin Necas and watched other key contributors depart.

Yet somehow the machine kept running. Why?

Because Carolina never became dependent on one player. Their front office consistently identified talent, developed players internally, and replaced departing pieces before the losses became crippling. They built an organizational structure rather than simply building a roster.

For years, critics mocked the Hurricanes for repeatedly falling short in the Eastern Conference Final. The narrative became that they were good enough to contend but not good enough to break through.

Sound familiar?

Islanders fans heard the same things after the back-to-back conference final appearances in 2020 and 2021. The difference is that Carolina was able to sustain their regular-season success while changing a number of the players that Rod Brind'Amour and staff had to lead. The Isles, on the other hand, kept doubling down on the same roster, with diminishing returns.

But now there a chance for a fresh start and to perhaps emulate the Canes success in the years that follow. The arrival of Matthew Schaefer gives the franchise a cornerstone player to build around. Now it becomes the responsibility of Mathieu Darche and his staff to build the type of sustainable winner Carolina has become.

The Hurricanes are not a team Islanders fans should hate. And if the Islanders follow it correctly, perhaps one day they will be the organization everyone else is trying to copy

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