Good Morning, Islanders Country.
There’s regular-season hockey this week. Thanks for being with us.
Every training camp reaches a point when optimism runs out of room to hide. For three weeks, everything gets explained away.
The kid looks good? Keep watching. The veteran looks a little slow? He’s getting his legs. The lines look strange? They’re experimenting. The system breaks down? It’s preseason.
Then the exhibitions end. And somebody has to make decisions.
That day arrived for the Islanders on Sunday, and Mathieu Darche’s choices said plenty. Isaiah George spent camp trying to prove the Islanders already had their sixth or seventh defenseman. They signed Logan Stanley.
Cole Eiserman kept reminding everyone that his shot already looks NHL-ready. He’s going to Hamilton. Kashawn Aitcheson made the Islanders think longer than expected. Hamilton, too.
And after three weeks of Pete DeBoer installing a new system, the Islanders closed the preseason Saturday by getting outworked, outshot, and beaten 4-1 by New Jersey. Not exactly the sendoff anyone wanted.
Still, inside the room, the belief that this team will surprise remains.
Bo Horvat said that when everything comes together, the Islanders have “a really good hockey team.” Ryan Pulock talked about being motivated by all the predictions that have them missing the playoffs. Matthew Schaefer has made it clear he enjoys the doubt and loves when haters hate.
There are reasons for confidence. Schaefer is special. Kyle Palmieri and Alexander Romanov are healthy. Semyon Varlamov is back after two knee surgeries. Victor Eklund looked the part and made the team. Matias Maccelli adds skill. And most importantly, DeBoer has done this before.
But belief gets you only so far. By Wednesday night in Toronto, the 84-game story will unfold, and time will tell us unequivocally and unapologetically who was right all along. The Isles? Or the naysayers?
