New York Islanders Are Just a Few Steps Closer To Being a Contender

It’s been a long time since the glory days of the early 1980s. The Islanders built one of the greatest franchises ever seen in NHL history. Players like Potvin, Glllies, Bossy, Trottier and Smith were great players that quickly made this team a contender. Fast forward some 30 years, and it seems like the Islanders are on a similar pace right now.

In the mid and early 1970s, the Islanders drafted Potvin, Gillies and Bossy. All three had a huge role with the team in the future years. They built a team that would become a contender for years. They were dominant, hard-hitting and physical team.

Now, the Isles of today seem to be doing the same. Since 2006, the Islanders have had five top 15 draft picks. Taking guys like Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, John Tavares, Calvin de Haan and Nino Niederreiter have made this teams future bright. Small additions that have become forces in the NHL like Michael Grabner and Matt Moulson also have made this team very exciting.

Next on the list: The offseason of 2011.

This offseason has been a good one so far for the Isles. The Islanders resigned their rookie sensation Michael Grabner. The Lighthouse Project, the teams plan to build a new arena, is finally looking like a strong possibility. The draft in a few weeks will just add to the teams success in the future. Some guys like Sean Couturier, Adam Larsson, Dougie Hamilton, Jonathan Huberdeau and Ryan Strome are the guys that the Islanders will most likely target in the draft. All of them would help and improve the team.

This team was one of the best in the league in the second half of last season. Guys like Tavares, Bailey, Grabner and Okposo will only improve.

The only question mark for the team is the goaltending situation. Rick Dipietro has been injured on and off for the past few years. But if he is successful, it will only make the team better. If not, players like Al Montoya and Kevin Poulin will need to step up.

Other than that, this team is on the rise and on their way to being one of the better teams in the league. Fans haven’t been this excited since the team won their four consecutive Stanley Cups in the early 80s. Fans are hoping that this will be the last top draft pick that the Islanders will have in a long time. It’s not a question of if this team will be good. It’s a question of when.