from Adam Proteau of The Hockey News,

While battling in a difficult division in 2021, the Isles again earned a playoff spot and won their first-round showdown with the Pittsburgh Penguins, then lost again to Tampa Bay.

But the most crucial thing they did was prove the previous two years were no fluke, and that the days of disregarding the Islanders were at an end. And now, as they prepare to begin the 2021-22 campaign, the Isles no longer are considered an underdog.

If their health holds up, they’re going to be one of the favorites to win the highly competitive Metropolitan Division, and nothing less than a return trip to the Eastern Final will suffice.

For a team that has almost always been the hunter, the Islanders now are the hunted. And despite the accompanying pressure that always comes along with being a top dog, that change in status is a great thing for them.

The turnabout in fortunes may have happened at the precise time veteran NHL GM Lou Lamoriello took over the Isles’ reins and he hired Cup-winning head coach Barry Trotz away from the Washington Capitals, but the Islanders’ improvement hasn’t all been about management.

read on