The Misery on Long Island
↵↵Just when you think things can’t get worse for the New York Islanders, another shoe, or perhaps another skate, manages to drop.↵
↵↵An injury-riddled start to the season has left the once proud franchise at the very bottom of the league, a full five points behind the 29th place Atlanta Thrashers. And now it appears that Rick DiPietro, the goalie who was signed to a bizarre 15-year contract a couple of seasons ago, will most likley miss the rest of the season with a knee injury that simply refuses to heal. ↵
↵↵Without DiPietro in the lineup -- he’s only made five starts thus far this season -- an Islanders team that’s overmatched talent-wise up front by every other franchise in the league is truly without a last line of defense. So while backup goalie Joey McDonald, who was also recently injured, has played heroically and proven that he belongs in the NHL, it’s not enough to keep the team even marginally competitive.↵
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↵The misery on the ice is reflected at the gate, as the team ranks dead last in attendance averaging just 13,566. Of course ownership, the same folks who brought you two of the most ridiculous contracts in the history of the league -- those belonging to the aforementioned DiPietro and the erstwhile Alexei Yashin -- will complain that attendance has been hampered by the fact that their arena, the Nassau Coliseum is one of the oldest in the league and that local government is not moving quickly enough to help pay for a new facility. And with the Islanders agreeing to play the Los Angeles Kings in an exhibition in Kansas City in an arena that's actively looking for a tenant, you have to wonder whether or not Islanders owner Charles Wang has finally decided to play hardball.↵
↵↵So is there any good news? Well, like Pierre LeBrun said earlier today, Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey -- the player the Isles traded down to get after passing on Russian sniper Nikita Filatov -- look like they have futures in the NHL. And with the Isles sure to remain a bottom feeder for the rest of the season, next June’s draft in Montreal will likely yield one of two budding superstars, John Tavares or Victor Hedman.↵
↵↵Then again, by the time either of them break big, the Isles might be playing in Kansas City. Or Las Vegas. Or Hamilton. Stay tuned.↵
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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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