The boat is not sunk yet, but....

The New York Islanders are off to a disastrous start to the season, (W 7 L 10 OTL 4) and are currently sitting in last place in the NHL. It is still early in the season, and the boat is not sunk yet, but things are not looking promising, Here are a few reasons why Isles fans should be concerned.

1) Goaltending continues to be a concern- When is that last time the Islanders had a true elite goaltender in net? Billy Smith is probably the last superstar to play in net, and that was during the 1980's. Actually Roberto Luongo would qualify, but he only played one season with the team before being traded to the Panthers. Yeah that one really worked out in there favor.

Don't get me wrong, Jaroslav Halak is a decent starter. However, he has shown that he can not handle the vigor's of an entire NHL season. Thomas Greiss is respectable, but not a reliable goaltender. Even worse, is that they don't really have a strong prospect goaltender in their system. In other words, the Islanders goaltending issues will continue to occur, and for many years to come

2) Comical Management- From GM's like Mike Mulbury and Garth Snow. To an owner who has no idea how to run a team. It's just has become comical and down right sad. Take the handling of Pat Lafontaine via this link. Or the way they have drafted. Since 2008, only one player they drafted in the 1st Round has become a true superstar. (That being John Tavares) To be successful in the NHL, you have to build within, and this is a department that the Islanders are severely lacking in.

3) Stadium Silliness- Up until last year, the Islander played in an outdated Nassau Coliseum. Then they moved in to a clustered Barclay's Center, that holds 15,000 seats, with many of those seats being obstructed.

Clearly this is not a stadium built for a hockey team. This is only the second season the Islanders are playing in Barclay's Center, and there is already talks about the team opting out of the lease. ( read here) Talks about moving the team to Queens, or revamping the old Nassau Coliseum are in the works as well. Yikes! Seriously, Islanders fans must feel they are getting continually beat over the head with a frying pan.

The Islanders have made the post season the last two seasons. However, I am going to make a bold prediction and state that streak will come to an end this season. The boat has not fully sunken yet, but it is barely trending water, and sinking faster and faster each game.