The last decade was an up and down one for the Islanders. In some seasons, the Islanders were struggling to stay competitive, while in others, cup contention was on the radar. Regardless, lots of coaches, players, and other staff have come and gone throughout the 2010s and they all left their mark one way or another. This article will focus on five particular members of the Islanders organization during this time, in no particular order, who were influential, whether that be on the ice or off the ice.

Barry Trotz

It goes without saying that Coach Barry Trotz has had a massive influence on where the Islanders are today. The Jack Adams winning bench boss has implemented a brand new defensive system on Long Island, which propelled the Islanders to their first-round sweep of the Penguins in 2019.

In fact, his influence was so strong that the Islanders went from “worst to first”. The Islanders gave up the most goals in the NHL in the 2017-18 season under Doug Weight, followed up by the least in Trotz’s first year, 2018-19. By establishing discipline and instruction, Trotz did a spectacular job of making sure everyone bought in to the defensive system as a group.

Not only that, he has completely turns around some player’s careers. Players such as Adam Pelech went from being a 7th defenseman to a reliable, steady top-pairing defenseman in the National Hockey League after one year of Trotz’s coaching. Scott Mayfield, Nick Leddy, and Ryan Pulock have also all made major improvements under Trotz’s defensive agenda. By turning around a team that quickly, and uniting them as a hardworking group; it is difficult to argue that Barry Trotz is not the most influential coach in the National Hockey league.

John Tavares

Love him or hate him, star player John Tavares has done a lot for this organization that will never be taken away. In simpler terms, he put the Islanders back on the map. He was an elite scorer and player for his nine seasons on the Island and led the team to their first playoff series win in 23 years against the Florida Panthers in what seemed like an eternity.

He was an extremely hard worker and led by example on and off the ice during his time on the Island. He always looked to better himself and his teammates. Even if he receives a lot of hatred now, he has always been a fantastic leader and delivered a lot of clutch goals for the Islanders- like Game 3 against Washington in 2013, or the game-tying and double-overtime winner against Florida in Game 6 in 2016.

Not only did Tavares help bring the franchise back to legitimacy, but he also made his teammates so much better. Players such as Matt Moulson, Kyle Okposo, PA Parenteau, and Frans Nielsen did not produce nearly as much on other teams without Tavares playing with them. This doesn’t mean they are bad players, it just shows how Tavares had such influence on all the players around him and for the organization.

Robin Lehner

Robin Lehner’s story is as inspiring as it gets. General Manager Lou Lamierello picked you the Buffalo netminder in the 2018 offseason, and little did Lehner know, this would completely change his life.

Not only was Lehner incredible in goal, posting a .930 SV% in the 2018-19 season with New York, but he had battled alcoholism with the help of the Islanders organization to get his life back in the right direction. This fight against alcoholism led to one of the most inspiring sports stories in recent memory and awarded him a much deserved Bill Masterton Trophy at the 2019 NHL Awards ceremony.

Every game Robin Lehner played with the Islanders was played with passion, heart, and energy. The Islanders were giving him a chance he thought he was never going to get, and he left it all out on the ice every opportunity he got. He certainly rose to the occasion and his story will live on forever.

“I’m not ashamed to say I’m mentally ill, but that doesn’t mean mentally weak.”

Robin Lehner

Scott Malkin

While Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky work as a team as owners of the New York Islanders, this article will focus on Malkin’s work because it can go under the radar as Ledecky deals with most of the public relations.

Scott Malkin is a billionaire businessman. This certainly helps when running a franchise. Most of the financial complexities and transactions for Belmont are being run by Malkin. If it weren’t for his leadership and intelligence, the Islanders may not have a home. And people don’t necessarily realize that and how important of a piece Scott Malkin is to this franchise.

When asked about their goals for the franchise, Ledecky and Malkin responded with a “fifth ring.” These men clearly have their priorities in check.

Mitch Korn

Mitch Korn has always seemed to follow Barry Trotz, as the two coaches have been working together for over twenty years in Nashville, Washington, and on Long Island. Having attended one of his camps as a shooter, I can confirm that Korn is a goaltending guru. He knows the position as well as anyone else on the globe.

Mitch Korn got stellar seasons out of Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss in 2018-19, which were tremendous bounce-back seasons for both of them as their 2017-18 campaigns weren’t one for the history books.

With on-ice and off-ice instruction, Mitch Korn is the best goalie coach in the NHL. He uses medicine ball training quite frequently to improves goaltenders’ cores and runs his practices at high-tempo with lots of instruction. Without Korn’s teaching, the Islanders’ goaltenders would not be nearly as good as they are.

Who do you think are some of the most influential Islanders, on and off the ice, during the 2010s? Leave a comment below!