As the regular season passes the half way mark the New York Islanders GM is still scratching his head with where the team sits in the standings. After such a productive offseason adding a top pairing Dman and investing a ton in development of the younger core this team is still struggling to find the right chemistry to make it playoff worthy. After another solid campaign last season Richard Backman is getting no help from his young D core so he is having to work like a dog to get this team competing every night. The offense has struggled finding chemistry all season and it is leaving the GM Vanturennout asking a lot of questions about who is going to be the solution. A trade block was recently posted which would see the team move on from their top playmaker in Quinton Howden, and top goal scorer in Artemi Panarin. This team is full of opportunity for a younger group looking to get a break so they are hoping to add some pieces they can really work with long term, right now the focus is on getting Cash for developing and bringing in the right young talent to propel this team higher in the standings. Only time will tell if a few changes in personal can help save the season or if the Islanders are heading for another low finish and potentially a top 10 pick which is not the outcome this team is looking for. One bright spot to note is the play of backup goalie Kokko who through 500mins of ice time has already given the head coach a reason to play him more as the season goes on. Hard times for a fan base looking to get back to playoff glory, the feeling is they are only a few pieces away from making something happen but they will need cap space to do it.
9/25/2025 - 316 words
