Feb 23, 2017; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New York Islanders forward John Tavares (91) skates during the warmup period before the game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

To all my New York Islanders fans that are watching this Rangers-Ottawa series right now; we will be there next year. Do not lose hope, faith or sanity in this franchise, as I do believe it’s going in the right direction.

Let’s face it the New York Islanders missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs by only ONE point. That’s quite an extraordinary feat after the abysmal start through 20-30 games. There are reasons to believe the mistakes this year will lead to a deep playoff run next year.

There is no doubt that the NHL’s playoffs are truly the best in all of professional sports, and it’s upsetting to watch this year with the Islanders, not in it.

It’s the second season, players don’t shave their beards, the hitting comes out of nowhere, and it’s just a new game. Watching the Rangers these playoffs really makes me believe the Islanders will make a deep run next year.

Why Do I Believe This?

For starters, the Islanders only missed the playoffs by one point after a horrid start. They fired Capuano who was really holding the team down, and now Doug Weight is officially the Islanders coach.

The team just seems to respond better to Weight, even though their metrics barely changed under him.

Another reason will be the duo of Greiss and Halak. For some odd reason, Snow stayed with the three goalie system and that worked out horrendously for him.

Halak showed that he still has plenty in the tank when he came up for the last few weeks of the season and was lights out going 6-1-0

Josh Ho-Sang and Anthony Beauvillier will also light up the NHL next season. Ho-Sang is unlike any talent that I’ve seen in the last 15 years for the Islanders, besides Tavares of course. Beau also has shown flashes of brilliance, and can only build on that next season.

You Should Have Hope Too

Hope is a word that can be defined in many ways, but is truly a word used by New York Islander fans year in and year out. That word will soon be gone.

I know how hard it is to be an Islander fan. I know the ups and downs this team has brought us (mostly downs). I strongly believe you need to stay positive and look forward to next season. We took a lost season to work the kinks out between coaching and players, and all these mistakes and changes will prove beneficial next year.