New York Islanders preview: Mathew Barzal leads group of misfits

Mathew Barzal will lead the New York Islanders’ group of misfits. But will adding Barry Trotz to the coaching staff be enough to turn the tides of the franchise? 

Back in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, it was cool to be a fan of the New York Islanders. They won four straight Stanley Cups from 1979 to 1983 and nearly won a fifth in 1984. Unfortunately, it has been nothing but stormy weather for them since then. Though Mathew Barzal certainly gives them hope, they haven’t even made a Conference Final in 25 years.

A large part of this has been lacks of direction and accountability within the organization. Those days are over now. The addition of Lou Lamoriello to the front office and Barry Trotz to the coaching staff give the Islanders the structure they have long desired. I’m not sold Lou’s the right choice for general manager, but it’s hard to argue with his resume.

Trotz will be asked to perform his second organizational rescue after leading the Washington Capitals to their first Stanley Cup. He joined them after the 2013-14 season, which was a very dark time for the franchise. Trotz immediately turned them into Stanley Cup contenders.

Though he has experience turning around organizations, the Islanders will be a much tougher team to turn around than the Capitals. For one, Trotz had Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, Matt Niskanen, Mike Green, and Braden Holtby (among others) in his first season in Washington. With the Islanders, Barzal, Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, and Nick Leddy are his only sure things.

Trotz will be asked to overhaul a defensive system that failed miserably. Merely fixing that should give the Islanders a fighting chance, even in a tough Metropolitan Division. The Isles will need a ton of things to go right for them to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the addition of Trotz suggests maybe their luck has changed.