Record-wise, the Islanders are in their worst position through 33 games in over a decade.
Standings-wise, they’ve been given the good fortune of competing with a group of teams that do not appear to be much better than they are.
By any measure, the Islanders’ 31 points through 33 games is abysmal, but with just three points between them and the Senators — who currently occupy the second wild-card spot — there is still a legitimate chance of a turnaround, despite the club holding its worst record at this point in the season since 2013-14.
In other similar years, the Islanders’ only chance of getting into the playoffs by now was to hope for a miracle.
The 2021-22 season is the recent benchmark for a nightmare start for the Islanders — whose year started off with a 13-game road trip, then a COVID-19 outbreak that essentially derailed their chances of a third-straight trip to the conference finals.
It took them until Jan. 21 to play 33 games that season — a product of the long road trip being spaced over five weeks — but with 34 points through that benchmark, the Islanders were already 14 points out of a playoff spot with three games in hand.
The 2016-17 Islanders were only one point better than the current group through 33 games, but were 12 points back of the last playoff spot at that point, and tied with the Sabres for last in the East.
Generally speaking, over the past decade, any team with a points percentage below .500 at this point in the season faced steep odds to make it.
The Islanders, currently two wins below that mark — let alone an actual winning record — are extremely lucky to still have a legitimate chance at making it, even with nearly 50 games left on their schedule.
That luck, though, won’t last forever if the wins don’t start coming.
The Islanders waived Grant Hutton on Wednesday, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, which could be an indicator that they are readying to activate Anthony Duclair off LTIR.
Activating Duclair would require additional moves to get into compliance with the salary cap, but waiving at least one player — who turned out to be Hutton — was a necessary precursor.
It is also a sign that management expects Isaiah George to get back in the lineup at some point soon after two healthy scratches.
If the plan were not for George to play, it’s unlikely Hutton would have been exposed, since George is exempt from waivers due to his entry-level contract.
The Islanders did not hold practice Wednesday after returning from Carolina.
