Bottom Line: New York A Mediocre/Limited Team In 2011-12

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No doubt it's a very tough time for the fans, or everyone associated with the New York Islanders.

There were realistic expectations of winning this season that came crashing down starting on opening night.

Unlike last year, this time expect the second half to be more of the same with a lot of frustration. It's a different club. Jack Hillen can progress, Bruno Gervais, Ty Wishart and even a fringe veteran like Dylan Reese can come up and progress.

Mark Eaton, Mike Mottau simply do not have that capability at this point in their careers. It's fair to write Frans Nielsen is someone who can still progress offensively at five on five, but to expect that does not reflect his career on a team where Josh Bailey is not ready to produce regularly, or Marty Reasoner has flat out not been able to.

Same can be written about Milan Jurcina, even when he has a good stretch.

As I have written many times since opening night, this team has flaws it simply cannot get past, it goes beyond any one specific player. It also goes to the basic construction in terms of speed, toughness, size.

All three goaltenders for the most part have lost very few games directly, even with the goaltending hanging by a thread in Nabokov at this time.

Jack Capuano no doubt is frustrated. He can single out players indirectly, however his team for the most part has been in every game. Having written that too many players on this roster are limited in what they can give each night, either by being too old and limited or too young and not ready.

I absolutely do believe all of them are doing their best most games.

The 2011-12 New York Islanders took some steps back with the decisions made last summer. Some were good gambles that failed, others just poor decisions in a weak UFA market that did not feature the kind of player who could replace the faster defenders who left or add the scoring veteran needed.

At best this group seems capable of a few steps forward, followed by a few back, it's not last year's first or second half beyond a few names on defense.

No pulling punches, after all the years of injuries, all the years of waiting for Bailey, Okposo to take the next step, for the most part it has not been working for the first round picks.

For Carl Hagelin to have same six goals as Kyle Okposo and score two critical goals against the New York Islanders is not acceptable at this point in their careers.

I'm not going to write this is a bad team yet, even with it currently in 15th place they have been in virtually every game.

Still, good/excellent teams dominate mediocre/limited teams, it could get a lot worse in the second half as the frustration builds, if it has not already.