Shifting Goalposts

Is the Islanders belief level where it used to be?

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

On Wednesday’s podcast, I brought up an article by Ethan Sears in the New York Post about the Isles’ shifting goalposts when subconsciously talking about the objectives for the rest of the season. Sears noted that some form of the phrase “the ultimate goal is to win a Stanley Cup” is rarely uttered these days compared to when he first started covering the team in 2021-22.

It was a keen and telling observation.

When discussing the Isles, so much is focused on whether Lou Lamoriello’s doubling and tripling down on the team’s core is justified. But the goalpost shifts from everyone, including the GM, provides the answer.

If you’re consistently talking about winning the Stanley Cup, you are not hoping to be a playoff team. You know you’re going to have that opportunity. When was the last time the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, etc., worried about simply making the post-season? Barring unforeseen circumstances, they’re penciled in and are there every Spring.

Meanwhile, it’s been 4 years since the Isles felt that way. Not since the shortened 56-game 2021 season have you known the Islanders would be a playoff team throughout the season. Think about that. FOUR YEARS.

The Islanders’ core has been living off the credibility they earned with back-to-back deep playoff runs. However, the belief in them has waned with inconsistent regular seasons and early playoff exits. The Isles have 316 points since the start of the 2021-22 season, which is the 20th in the NHL.

The Islanders are a team that now talks about making the playoffs and getting in to see what happens. That’s not indicative of an organization that believes it can achieve the ultimate goal like it did three or four years ago, and that should drive its direction moving forward. They’re an organization of hope vs. strategy.