Respect, a hard quality for the Islanders to find over the past many seasons.But oh! What a difference a year makes! My son Dan, an Islanders fan who bleeds blue and orange, remarked to me after the 2018-2019 season,”Well Dad, i guess nothing ever changes” My response to him was,” Give it a year.Management has to shuffle the deck.”
And what a difference it was.Owner Scott Ledecky hired Lou Lamoriello ,who then hired Barry Trotz.And with that, a whole new era of culture returned to the Islanders.
From the top down everyone had a new sense of direction and accountability.The Isles found ways to win and brought new hope to the fan base.Most remarkable was the change in goaltending this year. The combined efforts of Lehner and Thomas Greiss resulted in the Jennings trophy, and Lehner won the Masterton. And the NHL recognized the wonderful year that Coach Trotz had awarding him the Jack Adams.With the draft happening this Friday, the fans will be watching to see what happens next, and are anticipating next season with continued growth
