Islanders Raise Bar On and Off Ice with 2019-20 Season

Even as far as the New York Islanders went this season, getting to Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final, the end always seems to come a little too quickly.
They were one of the final four teams left playing in 2019-20, but even making their first conference finals appearance since 1993 didn't take the immediate sting out of being on the wrong end of a handshake line with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
A playoff loss hurts every year, and given all that went into the NHL's Return to Play: the socially-distanced skates, the midsummer training camp and seven-week sequester in Toronto and Edmonton, away from families and newborns, there were a lot of extra sacrifices made along the way. Head Coach Barry Trotz said he was proud of how much his team and their families committed for the run.

"It's a special group in our room," Captain Anders Lee said. "Till that very last minute, every single one of us believed in each other and what we were doing and the road we were on. Obviously we came up short, but there's a huge sense of pride right now in every single one of those guys and everyone involved."
Instagram from @rpulock: Not the final outcome we came to the bubble for, but extremely proud of every one of these guys. Thank you islander fans for your support from start to finish. #wewillbeback
But the 2019-20 season shouldn't just be remembered for games in August, the Toronto and Edmonton bubbles, Zoom interviews or the empty arenas. The Isles' campaign should be remembered on its merits, for building off the foundation Barry Trotz and Lou Lamoriello set last season, and literally laying one at UBS Arena.
Go back to the start, literally a full calendar year from the Islanders' first preseason games. Even after a second-round appearance in 2018-19, there was skepticism about whether or not the Isles could build off it this year. If some saw 2018-19 as a blip, the Islanders saw it as a benchmark, determined to at least reach that threshold for a second straight season. It's no easy feat either, only five Eastern Conference teams have advanced to the second round in three of the past five years: Tampa Bay, Boston, Pittsburgh, Washington and the Isles.
"The bar has always been set high," Scott Mayfield said. "This year shows maybe other people how high we think it is. There's been ups and downs, there's been some tough times, but with the staff we have here, the ownership we have here, it's turned the corner and we showed that last year in playoffs getting to the second round and this year getting to the conference finals. It hurts now, but that's a silver lining. It's trending in the right direction."
The Islanders showed what they were capable of early in the season, rattling off a franchise-record 17-game point streak (15-0-2) in October and November. They stayed among the top echelon of defensive teams, allowing the ninth-fewest goals-per-game during the regular season (2.79). They tightened the screws in the playoffs, allowing the fourth-fewest goals-per-game (2.32),
shutting down the Florida Panthers
and
Washington Capitals high-flying attacks
,
eliminating the Philadelphia Flyers
in seven games.

They leaned into their identity as a four-line team, but there were plenty of other meaningful individual moments throughout the season. Mathew Barzal showed off his speed,
winning the Fastest Skater competition
at the NHL All-Star Weekend.
John Tonelli
and
Butch Goring
assumed their rightful places in the rafters of Nassau Coliseum.
Five Islanders set career-highs during the season, while numerous others continued to grow. Anthony Beauvillier scored a pair of series-clinching goals vs Florida and Washington. Josh Bailey had the Islanders' most productive postseason since Ray Ferraro with his team-leading 20 points. Brock Nelson opened up a lot of eyes outside of Long Island after posting nine goals and 18 points. Semyon Varlamov had big shoes to fill after Robin Lehner's departure, and after a solid regular season, set a record for the Isles' longest playoff shutout streak (138:17). Thomas Greiss pitched a shutout in Game 7 against Philly, and his blood pressure didn't even raise a beat.
Even in a loss to the Lightning, the Islanders proved they could hang with a perennial contender. Throw out an exhausted Game 1 loss and it was a close series. Consider that the Lightning only led for a total of 8.8 seconds in Games 2, 3, 5 and 6 combined.
"We learned to go the distance and the distance is hard," Trotz said. "The growth for our group has been really good. We'll see if we can build on that and take the next step... You don't always do it your first crack at it, that's why you have to go back until you climb that mountain."

After inking core forwards like Nelson, Anders Lee and Jordan Eberle to long-term deals last summer, the Isles shored up their center depth for the foreseeable future, acquiring JG Pageau at the deadline and extending him for six years. Pageau proved his worth in the playoffs, scoring eight goals - and winning the team's ping-pong tournament. He's a versatile and dependable center, who isn't afraid to stand up for a teammate, or challenge a player twice his size. The next step will be signing restricted free agents, like Barzal.
There were some glimpses of what's to come as well. Noah Dobson played 34 games as a 19 and 20-year-old rookie and he, Kieffer Bellows and Cole Bardreau scored their memorable first NHL goals. Russian goalie
Ilya Sorokin signed with the club in July
and spent a month practicing with the team up in Toronto and Edmonton to get acclimated, reportedly taking English lessons with a tutor in his down time. Sorokin is one of the most accomplished goalies outside the NHL and even though he's arriving six years after his draft date, he should be well worth the wait.
As these young players continue to grow and new ones enter the fold in October's draft, they'll do so under the tutelage of Trotz, the 2019 coach of the year, and Lamoriello, the 2020 GM of the year, who have established a new team culture in short order since arriving two years ago.
A lot happened on the ice this season, but perhaps the biggest development came off of it, as the Isles broke ground on
UBS Arena
at Belmont Park
on Sept. 23, 2019
, with the arena scheduled to open for 2021-22.
It was a monumental day for the franchise, as the Isles found a long-term home after years of trying to secure a new building. The symbolic gesture of shoveling dirt at the groundbreaking officially kicked off construction and unofficially buried the arena issues and relocation rumors that plagued the franchise in year's past.

Over the past year, that hole in the ground has quickly developed into an impressive steel and concrete structure with a roof currently being laid over top. A
state-of-the-art ice plant was delivered
,
naming rights were acquired
and the building is
still on schedule to open
for the 2021-22 season, despite a pause due to the coronavirus. There's no understating what it means to the franchise to have a new home.
"Organizationally it's really important to see what's happening on the Island," Trotz said. "The change obviously with Lou coming in, the facilities, what the Island is all about, the excitement of Belmont, a permanent home for us and the type of character that represents the Islanders. Just a lot of good things. Anytime that you can do deep in the playoffs, for any organization, there are experiences for going deep for your org that you can't get any other way."
There is still another whole season to be played before moving into UBS Arena and the Islanders will look to build off the success of this year when the puck drops again, whenever, wherever and however that is. Only one of the 31 teams will end their season on a winning note, so even though this one ended with a loss for the Isles, it was by no means a failure.
If it still feels unsatisfying, that's okay, expectations are high with Lamoriello, Trotz and the current group. The bar has been raised. The future is also bright.
"This is one of the most resilient teams I've coached and I've coached for a long time," Trotz said. "I'm real proud of what we've done and the strides we've made."