Bridge season strategy and DeBoer's playoff guarantee

The Islanders are in a retooling/bridge season with no major moves, drawing criticism. However, they have $40M in cap space next summer and DeBoer has guaranteed a playoff berth. An optimistic article counters the bridge narrative, citing DeBoer's full year, returning injured players, and young player development as reasons the playoff drought will end this season. Barzal's projected 72-point season post-injury supports the optimistic view, and a new article argues he deserves more national recognition, reinforcing his value. A training camp preview adds context with roster battles (Duclair/Engvall), backup goalie competition (Varlamov vs Vanecek), and rookie chances (Eklund, Eiserman, George).