Just who are these Islanders? It depends on where you look

RALEIGH, N.C. — The element of the unknown is far more present in this Islanders season than in recent years.

One of the byproducts of Lou Lamoriello’s continued belief in the group — and the lack of turnover that resulted — was that we knew, more or less, what the Islanders would look like, how they would play and what their strengths or weaknesses would be before any games were played. Any variance was, in a sense, by accident.

These Islanders are different. Through nine games, we don’t know more than we know. Their record is 4-4-1, and you can get into the weeds and spin that any which way you want.

So in that spirit, I’ll spend this newsletter trying to parse through what I know, what I think and what I’m still not sure about at this early stage.