stuck on long island

How bad are the New York Islanders? After tonight's game, they will have lost 20 of their last 21 games.  Their record of 5-18-5 is the worst in the league, and the club has another high draft pick to look forward to next spring.  Losing top D-man Mark Streit for the season certainly didn't help, but even with him they would be in tough.  Rick DiPietro's 15 year contract at this point is laughable.  What concerns me the most about this team is the lack of veteran leadership for the young players, particulary John Tavares.  If you look at some of the more successful young players over the past couple years, each has had a veteran to ease them through the tough times.  Much of Steven Stamkos' success can be attributed to Gary Roberts, who helped him through a tough rookie season and turned him into one of the hardest working players in the offseason.  Crosby had Lemieux, and Shawn Horcoff's leadership in Edmonton seems to be paying off for their young stars.  If Tavares is to be the franchise player on Long Island, the team needs to build up it's veteran leadership before this bright young star loses all his confidence.