John Tavares

Talk of a possible Islanders move has recently sprung up again, with the Barclay's Center as a landing ground. Owners of the Barclay's Center have been doing their best to attract the attention of the Islanders ownership in the hopes of making a permanent move.

But realistically, is Brooklyn the best option for this team? 

While they may be All-Stars, not every player playing in Sunday's game is on the radar of your average sports fan. That is going to change after they see what these stars are capable of. 

Playing on bad and/or small market teams has kept these studs relatively unknown. After they shine on a stage with the rest of the world's best, that is no longer going to be the case. 

John Tavares, C, New York Islanders

There's a new trend in the NHL these days. Captains seem to be getting younger and younger.

In 2007, Sidney Crosby was named captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins at the age of 19, becoming the youngest captain in NHL history.

Two years later, it was Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks, who at 20 became the third-youngest captain in NHL history.

The next year, Alexander Ovechkin at 24 became the second-youngest captain in Washington Capitals history.

The following list takes a look at several young players who are most likely to follow in these footsteps.

With 3:01 in the third period, Joffrey Lupul laid a cross check on John Tavares. The Islanders were down 4-3 after coming back from a three-goal deficit and had controlled the momentum for much of the third period.

With the Isles expected a powerplay and a chance to tie the game and bring it to overtime, the refs also awarded Tavares a penalty for diving.

Diving? Yes, diving.

The Pittsburgh Penguins rebounded from an ugly loss to the New York Rangers by shutting the Washington Capitals down. The Capitals could only manage two shots on goal in the third period and lost to the Pens by the score of 2-1.

Four lonely playoff appearances in 15 years. Not one series victory in a decade and a half. The New York Islanders have almost done nothing but lose lately, and their plight is turning off even their most dedicated fans.  

Browsing the Islanders' stat sheet this season will not induce any dumbfounded looks of disbelief on how a season can go by, and no player on the entire team has reached a certain seemingly easy-to-reach milestone.

The past three seasons, the Islanders' player stats were if not embarrassing, they were shameful.

Over the past three years, only three players  have scored 50-points or more, and none more than 56.

When New York Islanders GM Garth Snow stood at the podium in Montreal during the 2009 NHL entry draft, Isles fans held their collective breath, anxiously awaiting the moment we'd finally know who the team was going to select with its first overall pick.

The Islanders hosted a draft party at Nassau Coliseum that evening, and more than 10,000 fans packed the old barn on Hempstead Turnpike to watch these events unfold.

Let's see a show of hands, Flyers fans.

Put your hand in the air if you had heard of Jason Akeson prior to 2:54 p.m. EST on Mar. 2, in this 2011th year of our Lord.

Having won six of their last seven games, the New York Islanders are taking the high road, in both the metaphorical and geographical perspectives of the phrase.

The Isles will try and keep their improbable playoff push alive, heading north of the border to face the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre tonight.

New York is just 11 points out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference, and there are still 22 games left on the schedule.