Islanders Need to Make Changes

Sometimes it is easier to start from scratch than rebuild.

When the New York Islanders began in the National Hockey League in 1972-73 as a ragtag collection of other teams’ castoffs, fans didn’t expect much from them--and that’s just what they received.

But now, four Stanley Cups are a distant but unforgettable part of Islanders lore, making the Islanders’ mid-point record of 11-27-2 even harder to take. After qualifying for the playoffs in every spring since 1975, the Islanders are in danger of being idle in April.

It has been a painful transition, especially since the 1987-88 Islanders were the regular-season champions of the Patrick Division--a deceptive accomplishment, as the Islanders were only seven points ahead of the last-place Pittsburgh Penguins.

Stability has long been an Islanders hallmark, but a series of injuries and the Islanders’ rapid descent to the division basement changed that. There have been 35 different players in blue and orange jerseys this year, and two coaches in dark suits. Al Arbour returned behind the Islanders’ bench, replacing Terry Simpson on Dec. 7.

Arbour made a reluctant decision to try to help General Manager Bill Torrey turn the Islanders around. The Islanders began to show steady improvement under Arbour, but quickly reverted to bad habits. After winning three of four games, the Islanders suffered a lost weekend with erratic losses against the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks.

The Islanders have some decisions to make as they head into the second half. Do they let youngsters such as centers Rob DiMaio and Tom Fitzgerald develop in the minors, or keep them on hand to add a spark as they did in their NHL debuts Sunday? How do they encourage the newer players to develop into leaders with the intimidating presence of proven winners such as Brent Sutter and Bryan Trottier still in the lineup?

“We’ve got a lot of kids, and they don’t know what it takes to win,” Arbour said. “It’s like going out on your first date. It’s part of growing up.

“We don’t have that many veterans, and some of them have taken as much as they can,” Arbour added. “The young guys have got to find their identity. They’ve got to emerge. When something like that happens, something triggers it off and it all happens at once.

“It’s like a Gretzky going to L.A. Look at what it’s done for some of those guys. All of a sudden they started coming into their own. Now, that left some of those guys in Edmonton off-balance. It’s not the same (for the Oilers). The guys are still good hockey players, but maybe they’ve lost some of that cockiness. It’s going to take something good to make it really happen.”

That kind of maturity can’t be forced. It has to develop gradually, and until it does, the Islanders can only wait until someone acts as the catalyst.

Goaltending: Kelly Hrudey was so spectacular early in the season that he almost single-handedly stole two victories for the Islanders. Simpson made Hrudey his No. 1 (last season, Hrudey and Bill Smith shared the load almost equally), and Hrudey responded at the start.

Smith, 38, is getting more playing time under Arbour than Simpson. Smith made eight appearances in 27 games under Simpson, five in 13 under Arbour. Hrudey is benefiting from the rest, Smith from more frequent work, and both goalies are enjoying Arbour’s attention to team defense.

Defense: Pinpointed as a trouble spot because of Denis Potvin’s retirement and the three rookies on the blue line, the defense corps, as anticipated, is a weakness. But it isn’t the kids who have been at fault.

Steve Konroyd started the season carrying a heavy burden as the cornerstone of the defense, and it was too much for him to bear. In November, Konroyd and forward Bob Bassen were traded to Chicago for Gary Nylund and Marc Bergevin, who were billed as heavy hitters but have not lived up to their advance notices.

Ken Morrow’s aching 32-year-old knees were pressed into everyday service because of injuries--especially to Gerald Diduck, who missed 14 games--and he made a gallant effort to contribute. Tomas Jonsson, at 28, experienced such a sharp decline that Arbour has reduced his role to strictly special teams. Forced to look outside the organization for help, Torrey came up with 32-year-old Reed Larson, signed as a free agent Dec. 5. Larson’s point shot is the best on the team.

Rich Pilon, the surprise of training camp, may be the steadiest Islander of all on defense in his rookie season. Pilon is now paired with former U.S. Olympian Jeff Norton, who has the worst plus-minus on the team (-18) and has had difficulty adjusting to the quicker-paced transition game of the NHL.

The Islanders never got a chance to see Dean Chynoweth develop. The No. 1 draft pick of 1987 has had a lost season, inactive since he was gouged in the left eye by Rick Tocchet on Oct. 27.

Forwards: The front line has been full of surprises. Some have been pleasant, as in the case of rookie David Volek. Others, in the cases of Mikko Makela and Alan Kerr and Trottier, have not.

Volek defected from Czechoslovakia in the summer and has made the difficult adjustment to living in the United States and playing in the NHL. His 14 goals are second only to Pat LaFontaine’s 20.

“I’m very pleased with the way Volek has been playing,” Arbour said. “Game in, game out, he’s been one of our most consistent players.”

But Makela, a 36-goal scorer last season, has only eight at the midway point. Kerr, who missed seven games with a knee injury, has only five goals after a 24-goal season. Trottier is no longer the dominant player he was during the team’s glory years.

After a poor start, Brent Sutter is warming up for a strong second half. Sutter had only one goal in his first 16 games, then netted 11 in the next 24. With Sutter centering for Volek and Patrick Flatley (recently sidelined again after a successful return from extensive knee surgery), the Islanders had the makings of a line that could provide the game-breaking goals. If Flatley is out for an extended time, that chemistry will again be lacking.

Outlook: A playoff berth is still a mathematical possibility, but that’s about it.

“There’s always hope,” Arbour said. “You never give up. You see a lot of strange things happen.”

Seeing the Islanders in the playoffs this year wouldn’t be strange. It would be just short of miraculous.