Islanders AHL affiliates second straight brutal season raises eyebrows

Among the many things the Islanders need to take a hard look at this offseason, here’s one that’s flown a little under the radar: the state of their AHL team. The Bridgeport Islanders still have yet to finish their season officially, but with two games to go, they went into Friday holding an abysmal 15-48-4-3 record, not only in last place in the Atlantic Division, but 30 points behind seventh-place Hartford. It’s the second straight season in which Bridgeport has finished last in the AHL and the third straight season in which it has missed the AHL playoffs, despite six of eight teams making it in the Atlantic Division. Its 4-28-1-3 record at home also marked the fewest home wins in AHL history, with an astonishing minus-70 goal differential on home ice, per the AHL’s Patrick Wiliams. Winning is not always a top priority in the AHL, but the Islanders have not developed many prospects in recent years, either.Kyle MacLean and Marc Gatcomb both stuck on the fourth line after being called up, but otherwise, prospects have largely stalled out in the AHL. It’s also raised eyebrows that Bridgeport has regularly made young players healthy scratches, playing veterans who have little chance of making the NHL instead. Isles GM Lou Lamoriello said in February that the AHL team’s record didn’t concern him. “We ask the coach to put players in situations they can come up and play here,” Lamoriello said.

“In all fairness, goaltending has played a major concern in Bridgeport.… The only thing you worry about is you want people in a winning attitude, environment, but they understand what’s going on and how it is. “I think when you see a Gatcomb coming in, you understand what the roles are of those people and what you do is you get some people put in situations they’re not used to.

I’d like to see people who’ve never killed penalties who might be prospects kill them in the minors.I think that helps in every possible way.” The AHL reduced Br...