After making it to the Eastern Conference Final for the second consecutive season, the New York Islanders are finally commanding the respect of the NHL and are forcing the league to recognize that they are one of the very best teams in the league.
Unfortunately, the Isles have met the eventual Stanley Cup-winners, the Tampa Bay Lightning, during both conference finals appearances, but their window is still wide open.
The Islanders did lose their number one RW Jordan Eberle to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft, but there’s a lot to be optimistic about.