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The 2018-19 New York Islanders surpassed all expectations put upon them by various hockey pundits. The perceived season many thought would come after the loss of star forward and Islanders’ captain John Tavares was that of failure. Failure was not the outcome we received. A surprise playoff berth shocked the hockey world, as the left for dead team was now leaving teams in their dust.
Their triumphant season that capped with a second round exit should be seen as a success. Although in the hockey world, once one season is over, we fixate on the future which is the sparkle in our eyes. The future of the Islanders looks bright, but a bright future does not equate to success.
An offseason of worry and anticipation plagued Long Island. Expectations of Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky turned into Semyon Varlamov and losing Vezina Finalist goaltender Robin Lehner. While many hockey pundits are once again writing the Islanders off like many moons ago, I see success on the horizon for the blue and orange.
A defensive system forced upon the Islanders by Jack Adams Award-winning coach Barry Trotz should help guide any struggling goaltender to consistency and confidence; furthermore, a stern, hard-nosed general manager can help bring class and professionalism to any organization. As I look to the 2019-20 season, while many see a much improved Metropolitan Division, I see an opportunity to improve on the previous season. Many Islanders fans may tremble at the thought of their long-time rivals in the Metro surpassing them, but I feel the ambitions of many of those teams will fall to the wayside.
The Devils and Rangers, while improved, lack in key areas preventing them from true playoff ambitions. Take note of the New Jersey Devils. Acquiring Jack Hughes and trading for P.K. Subban for pennies on the dollar will surely improve the bottom-feeding team; however a lack of depth in the organization and mystery surrounding star forward Taylor Hall should cripple the Devils’ playoff hopes. Columbus has lost its star power, and at best will be a wild card team. The Philadelphia Flyers annual inconsistency will most likely show up, and the Carolina Hurricanes’ magical season will be hard to replicate. These quick reviews leave us with three teams; the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and your New York Islanders. 
For me, the Washington Capitals should be the cream of the crop of the Metropolitan, but that still leaves a tantalizing spot open for second place. The Pittsburgh Penguins were swept in the first round by the Islanders, but signing depth players for exorbitant contracts will not drastically improve the declining Penguins yearning to relive the glory days of years prior. Second place in the Metropolitan division is the Islanders to lose, and a second round playoff berth is a possible scenario yet again. 
With these expectations established, a berth in the Eastern Conference Finals can be a reality to this young team sprinkled with veterans. All it takes is the confidence shown in their previous season and a little magic from Lamoriello that we all know he has.

John Smark