Breaking the Silence

With the Islanders' season well in the rearview and the players dispersed for the summer, things have been quiet in New York since the end of the EHE regular season—an effect that has only been amplified by the fact that the Rangers also missed the postseason dance.

Suffice to say, hockey hasn't been a hot topic in the Big Apple lately.

But where the Rangers always draw attention in Manhattan regardless of their on-ice fortunes, out on Long Island a lack of success tends to lead to a rapid decline in fan interest—not to mention the club's bottom line. Perhaps that was why the Islanders chose this week to finally lift the cone of silence around the organization; with a long, playoff-less summer staring them in the face, their approach seems to be that any attention is good attention.

No surprise then, that the team's biggest star was front and centre in yesterday's publicity mini-offensive, with Nathan MacKinnon calling in from Nova Scotia to share his thoughts on a turbulent year.

"Not the way anybody wanted things to go, that's for sure," said the Islanders captain. "We really shot ourselves in the foot right out of the gate [the Islanders went 2-7-0 to start the season] and it came back to bite us at the end.

"We definitely played well in stretches but it wasn't good enough. Not even close to the standards we set for ourselves."

Asked about his own performance—his 37 goals was the second best total of his career, but his 38 assists was his lowest mark since 2016—MacKinnon was his usual uncompromising self.

"I let everyone down with my performance, myself included. Right from the start it seemed like no matter what I did between games it just didn't translate when it mattered. No excuses, I just never figured it out, and I didn't help elevate my teammates. That's what hurts the most."

As to the organization's infamous end-of-season audit, which delayed the summer plans of players and staff for over a week, MacKinnon demurred.

"That stuff will stay behind closed doors. I think everyone was annoyed, but it showed the buy-in we've got through the whole organization. It'll stay behind closed doors, but I will say it was good, and it was necessary."

Looking ahead to next season, the 4th overall pick in the EHE Inagural Draft came across as determined but frustrated.

"Yeah, if I could get back at it right away I would. I wish the season opener was tomorrow, because I'm getting (expletive) sick of these long summers.

"I'm going into my ninth year next year," he concluded, "and I haven't won shit."

For those disgruntled Islanders fans still thinking about hockey instead of holidays, it was the kind of emotional statement they were likely hoping to hear. Indeed, if frustration can be turned into fuel on the ice, the Islanders will be a dangerous animal in 2022-23, with MacKinnon leading the charge.

If not, it seems unlikely there will be another quiet off-season on Long Island—but this time the action might happen off the ice for a core group of players that, in the words of its leader, hasn't won shit.