Both the New York Islanders and New York Rangers were expected by many to be playoff teams this season, yet both will miss the postseason in what can only be described as a massively disappointing year for New York hockey.
The Rangers missing the playoffs is a downright shock to most NHL fans. In fact, they are part of the 'Original Six' teams based in the United States, and this year they have all missed the playoffs, for the first time ever.
Just one year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy with an NHL-high 114 points and reaching the Eastern Conference finals, the Rangers failed miserably this year. Peter Laviolette's club never seemed to get things going and it was evident as they scuffled around .500 for most of the year. This team looked like it gave up before December at times and really had checked out the past month. Consider the checked-out mentality when you realize they did not come back in any game down 2 goals the entire season.
Now, they enter an off season with the distinction of being just the second team in franchise history and fourth team in NHL history to go from Presidents’ Trophy winners to missing the playoffs the next season. There is certainly a bullseye on coach Laviolette, but this goes even deeper as fans will hold the players and front office accountable as the await what moves will put them back on track and be able to call this lost season a fluke, rather than falling off the cliff. As of now the Rangers look like Wile E. Coyote as they fall from grace.
The Islanders expectations were certainly less, but this is still a bad season for the Isles by any measure. The cross-town rivals' failures might take the sting off, but that is no consolation for true Islander fans who feel like the team has been floundering for a while. Maybe this is their wake-up call that wholesale changes must be enacted.
The Islanders failed to make the playoffs for the first time in three seasons and just the second time in the previous six seasons. Yet, with that success did anyone really give them a chance at the Cup during any of those years. They were more so middling and now have cratered down.
This is no off season for excuses from the front office. Matt Barzal's missed 28 games will be a built-in excuse but this team had more problems than just his injury. This team still doesn't have enough offense, and we could say the same thing for the past decade or so. They were shut out the 4th most times in the league this year and when you don't have a stellar offense you need to win close, defensive games. They didn't do that losing 12 games in overtime or a shootout, and 19 one-goal games.
Their off-season plans have to bring in offense in any way they can, the problem is they have been searching for that for so long it's starting to sound like an impossibility. Both New York clubs have a very important off season on the way where major changes have to be installed to restore the faith in the fans after this down year.