The New York Islanders could really use some help. Finishing dead last in the Atlantic Division did nothing to help the fans who bought tickets for Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The drafting of Josh Bailey and the signing of Mark Streit and Doug Weight can only help. The time Sean Berganheim, Blake Comeau, and Kyle Okposo got on the ice was helpful too for a team that remained in the playoff hunt until the trade deadline.

The question is will the Islanders be able to survive another season in the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division with teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins, the New Jersey Devils, and the New York Rangers.

One thing is for sure, the points leader better have more than 49 points if the Islanders are to crawl out of the bottom of the division. Maybe left wing Jeff Tambellini or center Ben Walter from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers could help.

Something has to happen and the franchise appears to continue to struggle to find some kind of consistency at the top, especially after the firing of Ted Nolan. Whether or not there were “philosophical differences” is no longer important. What is important is that the Islanders find some way to show the players that there is some clear, agreed upon direction and an organization that backs the team.

In the mean time, the Islanders will continue to be the New York Jets to the New York Rangers. It is hard enough to find new hockey fans as it is, but when the front office is a mess it makes it that much harder.

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