The New York Islanders traded forward Thomas Vanek at the NHL trade deadline as expected, according to NHL.com. What was not expected by most fans of this beleaguered franchise was how little they got in return. The Vanek trade was just the latest in a series of bad moves and bad luck that has caused the 2013-14 season to become a disaster for the Islanders franchise.
The issues facing the Islanders go back to last summer, when the team made some fundamental errors in judgment about its talent level and future. Injuries have compounded the mistakes, but we can trace the disaster that this season has been back to the end of the Islanders' playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins last May.
If you recall, the Islanders put a scare into the top-seeded Penguins, sending the series to six games. With the exception of Game 1, the Isles played Pittsburgh close in the remaining five games and could have won the series with a few breaks. Nassau Coliseum was rocking in a way the franchise hadn't seen in nearly a decade.
Then the offseason began, and things started to go south.
General manager Garth Snow realized he ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Brad Kurtzberg
Doomed Vanek Trade Icing on the Cake for New York Islanders’ Disastrous Season
March 5th, 2014 by Brad Kurtzberg Leave a reply »
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