Yashin Bashin'

It's that time of the year again!

There comes a time in every Islanders season when the fans start to doubt our 7 million dollar man.

With Yashin out with a knee injury and his lack of production the past few weeks, people are once again questioning if he will pull through and really display the characteristics of a true captain.

It wasn’t too long ago, however, when we saw Yashin at his best. Playing with Blake, Yashin and his line were unstoppable. They were scoring practically every game, and after each goal they grinned from ear to ear. It finally seemed as if Yashin has awoken.

When the Islanders were down by a goal or two everyone wanted to see the first line out. They were exciting to watch and you could almost guarantee a genuine scoring opportunity with every shift.

They were a tough match for opponents and people started to take notice.

Unfortunately, Yashin was injured and things started to plummet from that point on.

When he came back, he simply wasn’t the same. He was slower and lurked on the ice. It was obvious that he was struggling to regain his form. And now, injury has struck again.

It is important to give him some time after he comes back from his injury before we scrutinize him. He showed us his flashes of brilliance early on in the season and showed us that he has “heart.”

“Heart.” It is what Isles fans have asked of him for so long. And I do not believe that his last injury damaged that heart. That is why we should give him time; the problem doesn’t seem to rest on his lack of heart, but rather on an actual physical injury.