New York Islanders: 3 Reasons to be Optimistic About 2017-18 Season

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Mar 2, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; New York Islanders interim head coach Doug Weight watches his team take on the Dallas Stars during the third period at the American Airlines Center. The Islanders defeat the Stars 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

The New York Islanders had a disappointing 2016-17 season after making the playoffs the season before. Why should they be optimistic for next season?

After reaching the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 1993 in the 2015-16 season, the New York Islanders took a step back this season.

In the offseason, the Islanders made a lot of changes, which after one season certainly affected the team negatively. The decision to not bring back Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen and Matt Martin turned out to be the wrong move for the Islanders after seeing them miss the playoffs this season.

In fact, the Islanders got off to such a poor start that they eventually fired head coach Jack Capuano. After the firing of Capuano, the Islanders went on a very nice with Doug Weight as the head coach. With Weight as the head coach, the Islanders were able to play some great hockey, but they still came up just short of reaching the playoffs.

Weight will be the head coach once again in the 2017-18 season, as he clearly deserved a shot to be the head coach for a full season. With some drama about where the Islanders will be playing in the near future, there is a good reason to be pessimistic about the future of the organization. However, there is also some reasons to believe that the Islanders can be right back in the playoffs next season.

Here are three reasons to be optimistic about the Islanders in the 2017-18 season.

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