The New York Islanders are one summer away from a massive rebuild. The moves they make in the summer of '17 and the results based off those moves will decide the direction of the coming roster overhaul.

The Isles are coming off their fifth season without a playoff appearance in captain John Tavares' eight-year career. In the three occasions they qualified for the postseason, they couldn't made it out of the second round.

Islanders head coach Doug Weight stressed Thursday how committed Tavares is to winning, and winning often.

"Ultimately for him, that's his goal, and if it has to be somewhere else, I think it would be," Weight told Sirius XM NHL Network Radio.

The Islanders are heading into a pivotal offseason with an estimated $2 million in cap space, and defenseman Calvin De Haan listed as a restricted free agent. In the final year of Tavares' contract, they'll start almost the exact same roster that went 41-29-12 and missed the playoffs by a single point in 2016-17.

In order to convince their star he can win his desired "multiple Stanley Cups" in New York, they'll need to show a commitment to winning with little wiggle room under the projected $73-million salary cap. Any significant alterations to their roster will have to occur via trade.

Whether it's with the Islanders or a new team, Tavares will see himself as the centerpiece of a much different roster in two years.

Should he ultimately elect to stay in The Big Apple, he'd join the nine players currently under contract for the 2018-19 season.

(Courtesy: CapFriendly.com)

These nine players account for an estimated cap hit of $35,684,643, leaving the team roughly $37 million in salary room, assuming a $73-million cap.

Here's a look at some ways the Islanders can turn themselves into a perennial winner and show Tavares they're as committed to his future as they want him to be to theirs:

Get Ovechkin

Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan mentioned earlier this week that while he's not actively seeking out a trade partner with maligned forward Alex Ovechkin, he would accept a "hockey deal." Ovechkin's massive cap hit makes him a tough fit for New York, but the team could put together a competitive package of similar overall salaries. For example:

To New York: Ovechkin ($9.54 millions through 2020/21)

To Washington: F Ryan Strome ($2.5 million for 2017/18), D Nick Leddy ($5.5 million through 2021/22), F Joshua Ho-Sang ($863,333 through 2018/19), D Ryan Pulock ($853,333 for 2017/18)

The four pieces coming back in exchange for the declining Ovechkin could interest the Capitals. The NHL salaries are similar, leaving New York with just a little fine tuning to be in compliance with the cap. It weakens the Islanders' long-term outlook, but with so much freedom just one more year away, they might be able to bring Batman back with a new and improved Robin, and worry about the rest of the supporting cast when the time comes.

Get a head start on the 2018-19 free-agent class

Another difficult path Islanders GM Garth Snow can take to show his commitment to Tavares is acquiring players with just one year left on their contracts and re-signing them prior to the team's 2018-19 rebuild. This move would help the team be competitive as soon as next year, while also bolstering its long-term outlook.

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson represents the best of the forwards expected to be available next summer. He's owed $3.5 million in real salary and in cap hit for 2017-18, and is coming off a career-best 62-point campaign. The Blue Jackets have more than $20 million in projected cap space for 2018-19, and Atkinson quickly became their top offensive star, making him a very tough get. Snow may be forced into overpaying both in trade assets and salary.

Nothing they give up, though, would be as detrimental as Tavares leaving for free.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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