By: Nick Lanciani
What will retired numbers look like around the league in the future? While there’s only a finite set of numbers to utilize on the back of a jersey, many teams choose to retire (or honor) some numbers based on extraordinary circumstances, dedication to the organization, or legendary status.
With that in mind, I explore what each team around the NHL might do in the coming seasons. Feel free to speak your mind and drop us a line in the comments or tweet to @DtFrozenRiver using #DTFRNumbersGame.
For each team, I thought of former and current players that should have their numbers retired now or once they hang up the skates.
New York Islanders
Current Retired Numbers- 5 Denis Potvin, 9 Clark Gillies, 19 Bryan Trottier, 22 Mike Bossy, 23 Bob Nystrom, 31 Billy Smith, 1500 Al Arbour
Recommended Numbers to Retire
91 John Tavares
Before the New York Islanders became America’s team this past season, let’s face it- they were terrible. The only bright spot they had was Tavares and the future he might bring. Luckily the Islanders have drafted well enough to continue to build a team around their star center and have landed several notable players via free agency and trades- most notably, Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk.
So years from now, number 91 will hang from the rafters of the Barclays Center, alongside many other NYI greats. Other than that, Tavares is the only player that’s a step above the rest on the Islanders for now, such that he will deserve special recognition in the form of retiring his number.
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