Jamie Nye: John Tavares leaving was actually the beginning of the Islanders’ rise

The off-season of 2018 for the New York Islanders saw three storylines play out and we know which one made the biggest headlines.

On July 1, John Tavares signed with his hometown and childhood team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, leaving the Islanders without their captain. The narrative is it set the Islanders back and there were serious question marks on how they would look without their biggest star.

Also that off-season, in May, Lou Lamoriello showed up from Toronto and in June, just 10 days before Tavares left, Lamoriello got his coach when Barry Trotz arrived. Trotz was just days removed from winning the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals.

And since then, we’ve come to know which moves have defined the Islanders more.

While Tavares has yet to win a series with the Maple Leafs, the Islanders now have won five series and are in their second consecutive final four. It’s a rematch against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team the Islanders took to overtime in Game 6 last season.

The Islanders’ story proves star power doesn’t necessarily win championships. Culture does — and it also shows that Barry Trotz and Lou Lamoriello don’t get nearly enough credit for what they’ve accomplished post-Tavares.