Islander Follies

At the 2012 NHL Draft, the New York Islanders wrote a startling new chapter in their ongoing saga of ineptitude, mismanagement and misfortune. It was first reported by The Columbus Dispatch that GM Garth Snow had offered the Blue Jackets the Isles' entire slate of picks (No.s 4, 34, 65, 103, 125, 155 and 185) for the second overall choice in what was widely regarded as a thin and very dicey draft crop. The object of the Isles' affection was believed to be defenseman Ryan Murray, who ended up going to the Jackets. The Isles took Griffin Reinhart, the first of the seven blueliners they drafted that weekend. To some observers, the Isles' proposed trade was redolent of madness, and par for the course for a once-proud franchise that has sadly lost its way for a long time. Here are the lowlights of its journey into the dark night of the hockey soul.