Getting Mathew Barzal to Long Island took a long series of moves, hubris and dumb luck, and his start as an NHL player was delayed by a couple of seasons. But once he got his chance on an Islanders team on shaky ground on and off the ice, Barzal fulfilled the promise of his sparkling junior hockey days and showed that his inherent cockiness was both warranted and a major part of his game.
While Barzal was the only consistent player on the roster, the Islanders were seemingly falling apart at the seams. They played in an unsatisfying new arena under an unproven head coach with a fiery personality that wasn’t always helpful.