New York Islanders’ fans have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season despite their early-season struggles. They battled through a 13-game road trip and are dealing with multiple injuries in addition to having a significant portion of their roster out due to COVID-19. This is not the start we had envisioned for the Isles, who are last place in the Metropolitan Division, but the season has not been all bad. There are some silver linings to be found among the stormy beginnings of the season. Let’s go over them.

UBS Arena

Patience is a necessary asset for Islanders’ fans who wish to maintain a firm grasp on their sanity. Before their 2016 first-round series win over the Florida Panthers, the franchise went 21 seasons without winning a playoff series. It took over five years for Ilya Sorokin to make his way to North America after being drafted in 2014, and many fans have been awaiting a new arena for more than 10 years. The fans also had to wait over a month for their first home game this year, but the wait has proven to be worth it. The team has their own, new, built-for-hockey arena and it is amazing. So Isles’ fans, rejoice!

Young Players and Prospects

Nobody ever wants to see players getting sick or injured, especially ones on their own team, but there is an upside amidst the chaos. Islanders’ head coach Barry Trotz is known for keeping a tight leash on young players and for leaning towards established veterans who may not be as skilled — players who are low-risk, low-reward — but the injuries and absences of late have given fans the opportunity to see some of the prospects in the system battle it out at the NHL-level.

Robin Salo led the team in time on ice in his first career game last Saturday. Sebastian Aho got the chance to lead the first power-play unit against the Rangers on Wednesday. Grant Hutton has been getting a significant amount of ice time, and Otto Koivula registered an assist in his first game of the season. It’s always exciting to see prospects and minor-league call-ups play their hearts out and try to prove themselves at the NHL level.

13-Game Season

The Islanders opened the season on a 13-game road trip prior to Thanksgiving. That means that a large majority of their remaining games will be at home. The hard times of the season should be in the rear-view mirror when they surpass their COVID-19 struggles and get more of their lineup back. They have been dominant on home ice the past few years and should benefit from that in the latter part of the season. They will need to go on a run at some point if they want to make their way into the playoff picture, and a heavy slate of home games should be beneficial to that end.

Long Season

While the Isles’ playoff odds have decreased significantly since the start of the season, it’s still only November. It is not time to panic. In January of 2019, the St. Louis Blues had the worst record in the entire league and went on to win the Stanley Cup. The Islanders are a resilient team and while panic may not be an unreasonable resort, it is not yet a necessary one.

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John Smark