N.Y. Islanders: A Sinkhole Grows In Brooklyn

From the desk of:  NO SLEEP TILL BELMONT

Last Place: Metropolitan Division

Last Place: Metropolitan Area

New York Islanders: Just When You Thought It Could Get Worse, It Did ...

The New York Islanders were still above .500 on Dec. 31, 2017, albeit only barley with a 20-15-4 record.

Then 2018 hit them like a wrecking ball.

The Boston Bruins showed up at Barclays Center on the night of Jan. 2 with permits in hand to commence demolition of the local hockey season.  That night's loss to the Bruins dropped the Islanders down to par, but more effectively served as a preliminary watering down of the greater Flatbush Avenue area in preparation of the real implosion to come - all approved by chief architect Garth Snow, that is.

The Islanders are now 11-19-6 in this calendar year.  They enter Monday's game against the Florida Panthers with a 31-34-10 overall record (72-points), and firmly anchored in last place of the Metropolitan Division.  Between Feb. 19 and March 8 they lost eight in a row.  Otherwise, they're just 2-6-3 in March with seven games left in the regular season.

I would love to know what Jonathan Ledecky is thinking at this very moment, considering the new owner needs a new general manager; a new head coach; a new goalie; and a more committed compliment of two-way players and better skilled defensemen in particular.

There's also a good chance he may need a new franchise player if he fails to retain pending unrestricted free agent John Tavares. By the time Ledecky and Co. open their new arena at Belmont, Tavares will be 30-years old.  If he was unsure about extending his career with the Islanders before, then there's every chance the Islanders present condition could reinforce any inclination Tavares may harbor to leave.

And I wouldn't blame him, because what transpired this season is a disgrace.  Not that I'm an Islanders fan; I'm not.  I believe my readers know that.

But I'm sure any fan would agree that we're talking about one of the most bipolar teams in all of hockey.  For a great majority of the season, the Islanders were among the league's top leaders in goals scored and power play percentage.  At the same time, they've consistently been among the league's very worst in goals against and penalty kill percentage.

If you are a fan, that sort of stuff is infuriating.