Regardless of how the Islanders finish out the 2023-24 season, one thing remains clear: The team is simply not a playoff team. The Islanders are not the same team that went to two straight Eastern Conference Finals in 2020 and 2021. Over the last three seasons, the philosophy of the Islanders’ management has been one of throwing stuff at the wall, hoping that something will stick. In other words, trying to add different players to a group is just not good enough. The Islanders have not been shy about pulling the trigger on trades and trying to infuse key players into the lineup. Three different head coaches have been behind the bench over the last three seasons. Unfortunately, none of these moves have stuck. The Islanders are heading for their second missed postseason in the last three seasons.

One source of inspiration for the Islanders may be their fiercest rivals: The New York Rangers.On February 8, 2018, the New York Rangers altered the course of their franchise. After going to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for seven straight seasons, including three conference finals appearances and a Stanley Cup Finals appearance, the Rangers President, Glen Sather and General Manager, Jeff Gorton, sent a letter to their fans announcing that they have begun to embark on a rebuild.

A section from the Rangers letter read:

“So, as we do every season, we have been continuously evaluating our team, looking for areas that can be improved to enhance our chances of winning. We began the process of reshaping our team this past summer when we traded for assets that we believe will help us in the years to come. 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. 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.”

That is exactly what the Rangers did: they traded away their core. The same core that was responsible for their dominance and exciting playoff wins throughout most of the past six years. The team was simply getting older, and the days of competing for the Stanley Cup were behind them. The team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2014, Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2015, no longer existed and the current players could no longer compete at that high level.

In 2016, the Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated the Rangers in just five games in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Rangers did not just lose to the Penguins. They were flat-out embarrassed. In just five games, the Penguins outscored the Rangers 21 to 10. After the Rangers’ first-round exit, there were definitely talks about whether the Rangers could return to the highest stage with their current group of players.

It was evident after the Rangers’ second-round loss to the Ottawa Senators a year later in 2017 that the Rangers’ core had declined to the point where contending for the Stanely Cup was no longer a reality. The Rangers’ management realized that their core was strong enough to win regular season games and make the playoffs but nowhere near the level of competing for a Stanley Cup.

After the Rangers publicly announced their plans to rebuild, they missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the next four seasons. However, in 2022, they went to the Eastern Conference Finals, and in 2023, they returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

After watching the Islanders from the 2021-22 season onward, it is evident the team has regressed. While there have been new faces added to the team and various players have increased their point production, the specific things that made the Islanders so difficult to play against from 2019 to 2021 are no longer present.

For example, a staple of the Islanders’ identity has been the Islanders’ fourth line. The Islanders’ fourth line has been a tremendous source of depth for the team, and it was highly prominent that the Islanders had the luxury of being able to roll all four lines in the playoffs, something that not every team had. However, Casey Cizikas is 33, Matt Martin will be 35 in May, and Cal Clutterbuck is 36. No player in the NHL can remain effective forever, but players who have built their careers on their physical play usually have a much shorter window in the NHL compared to a highly skilled player.

The Islanders’ regression extends far beyond their aging 4th line. Over the last three years, the Islanders’ identity has shifted. The Islanders used to be one of the most sound defensive teams in the NHL. The Islanders currently have a negative 29-goal differential. Their entire philosophy was centered around shutting teams down defensively. However, today, the Islanders are one of the least resilient teams in the NHL. Every other team knows they will break down if they apply enough pressure on the Islanders. The Islanders’ have blown an absurd amount of leads this season and has also been completely run out of the building on numerous occasions as well.

What is the root cause of the Islanders’ regression? It is hard to say, but the most noticeable factor seems to be that the Islanders can no longer sustain their wear-and-tear defensive style of play with an aging roster. As the Islanders continue to get older, every other team in the NHL is increasingly becoming faster and younger. Numerous players on the Islanders’ roster have begun to slowly decline in their level of play, and with that, the identity of the Islanders’ roster becomes slower, older, and simply cannot keep up with a young team that can score off the rush with ease.

The Islanders do not need to trade every single player on their roster. However, it would make sense for the Islanders management to recognize that the team must be retooled and become younger. Otherwise, the Islanders run the risk of continuing in their constant state of limbo, where the team is not good enough to make the playoffs but not bad enough to build through the draft.

Featured image courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Ethan Halle

Ethan is an Economics Major at the University of Florida looking to pursue a double major in Sports Management with a minor in political science.