The Islanders are in an easy spot. Finish bottom 5 this year, use the Tavares injury as an excuse, pimp the new pick as part of a bright future with Tavares, Reinhart, Strome, Hamonic, Hickey and give up next years pick.
Keeping next years pick and telling your fans/players our plan/expectations are that we will be absolute garbage next year would be an awful choice. The Islanders looked awful since the Olympic break and don't have a ton going for it but with no pick next year they have every reason to go all in and it is hard to imagine they will have worse goaltending than the Nilsson/Poulin/Nabokov poo poo platter.
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