Historically, the Islanders are in their worst position through 33 games in over a decade.
In terms of the standings, they have the good fortune of competing with a group of teams that don't look all that much better than them.
No matter how you look at it, the Islanders' 31 points in 33 games is a terrible number, but even though they are in the lead, they are only three points behind the Senators, who currently occupy second place in the wild card spot. There are still plenty of chances for a turnaround. At this point in the season, it's the worst record since the 2013-14 season.
In other similar years, the Islanders' only chance of making the playoffs by now would have been to wait for a miracle.
The 2021-22 season has been the latest benchmark for a nightmare start for the Islanders. The year began with a 13-game road trip, then the COVID-19 pandemic essentially destroyed their chances of making it to the conference finals for the third straight year. .
That season, it took them until January 21 to play 33 games (the product of a long five-week road trip), but they hit that benchmark with 34 points and the Islanders were already in the playoffs with three games remaining. They fell 14 points short of qualifying. hand.
In 2016-17, the Islanders were just one point ahead of their current group through 33 games, but at that point they were 12 points out of the final playoff spot and tied with the Sabers for last place in the East.
Generally speaking, over the past decade, teams with a scoring percentage below .500 at this point in the season faced a very tough situation to make it.
The Islanders are currently two wins short of that mark, let alone their actual winning record, but with nearly 50 games remaining on the schedule, it's very likely they still have a legitimate chance to advance. I'm lucky.
But that good fortune won't last forever unless the wins start coming.
The Islanders waived Grant Hutton on Wednesday. According to Elliott Friedman of Sportsnetthis could be an indication that they are ready to activate Anthony Duclair from LTIR.
Waving Duclair would require additional moves to comply with the salary cap, but waiving at least one player (which turned out to be Hatton) was a necessary precursor.
This is also a sign that management expects Isaiah George to return to the lineup soon after suffering two healthy scratches.
If George had no plans to play, Hutton is unlikely to be exposed since George is exempt from waivers due to his entry-level contract.
The Islanders did not practice Wednesday after returning home from Carolina.
