The first step to fixing a problem is recognizing there is one.

Three straight disappointing games against Edmonton, Calgary and Buffalo should signal to Islanders management that this team isn’t going to playoffs, let alone winning a Stanley Cup. The team needs to let its fans know they see the problems too.

This is easier said than done. Few people enjoy admitting when they’re wrong, especially management groups of professional sports teams. Luckily for general manager Lou Lamoriello, the team down the road has a pretty good blueprint to follow in such scenarios.

At about this point of the 2017-18 season — one year after a 48-win season and three years after a conference finals berth — the New York Rangers were clearly missing the playoffs. Management sent a letter to fans announcing plans to refine their roster to win a Stanley Cup in the future.

“As we approach the trade deadline later this month and into the summer, we will be focused on adding young, competitive players that combine speed, skill and character,” the letter read. “This may mean we lose some familiar faces, guys we all care about and respect. While this is part of the game, it’s never easy. Our promise to you is that our plans will be guided by our singular commitment: ensuring we are building the foundation for our next Stanley Cup contender.”

After sending the letter, the Rangers traded key pieces of their roster for draft picks and young players. They spelled out their mission and stuck to it. The Rangers went after big fish free agents when necessary, investing heavily in Artemi Panarin in 2019. They got lucky along the way too, picking up two top-three draft choices in Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko.

It took only one year of intense rebuilding for the Rangers to get back into the playoff race. They were 37-28-5 when the 2019-20 season was paused because of COVID-19. Perhaps they would’ve beaten Carolina in the qualifying round with a healthy Igor Shesterkin. They regressed the following season but could’ve arguably made the playoffs in any other division. Regardless, they sharpened their roster once again and are sitting in third place in the Metropolitan Division this season.

That’s the model the Islanders need to follow. The past three seasons were magical, but the team needs to face reality. Josh Bailey, Anthony Beauvillier, Kyle Palmieri, and even Anders Lee aren’t performing up to their contracts. The defense, outside of Adam Pelech and Noah Dobson, is old and slow.

The team still doesn’t fully know what they have in Oliver Wahlstrom, Kieffer Bellows and Robin Salo. The longer head coach Barry Trotz refuses to give them elevated roles, the less his team could get for them in a possible trade, should the team see an opportunity to leverage assets. Or maybe playing Wahlstrom and Bellows on the top two lines with no pressure is just what the doctor ordered for their development.

This team already has pieces to build around.

Mat Barzal is a superstar. If the team can give him support, he can return to the point-per-game scoring pace he had as a rookie. Adam Pelech is an elite defenseman entering the prime of his career. He proved, in Ryan Pulock’s absence, that he can play with just about anyone on his right side. Dobson is an emerging offensive threat and power-play specialist on the back end, and Ilya Sorokin is the goalie of the future.

The team has to sell at the deadline. Even losing key veteran players for minimal returns can free up valuable cap space to use in free agency.

Everyone was wrong about the Islanders — fans, coaches, analysts and management. But nothing will get better unless this team acknowledges it has major problems. I eagerly await my letter.

Ben Baruch

Born and raised on Long Island. Isles fan since 2009. Studying journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park.