A few years ago, a band named Five for Fighting came out with a song entitled “Superman,” which exclaimed “It’s not easy to be me.” Well, if you’re Trent Hunter, I think it’s fair to say it’s not easy to be you either. After scoring 25 goals in his rookie reason, Hunter had many Islander fans thinking he was the next big thing. However, since then, he has failed to top the 25-goal plateau, leaving many fans wondering what his true potential really is.

I personally think that there is so much more to this guy’s game than goals. He kills penalties, takes the body, works hard in corners, blocks shots, plays in all game situations and never gives up. There’s a reason why he’s on the banner of this website. To me, he epitomizes what hockey is all about. However, despite my ardent feelings about his character on the ice and what he CAN do, the fact of the matter is he has to score more goals.

Last season, writers all over the internet were writing him off as an offensive talent after a slow first half, to only watch him come back and score 20 goals. This season, while Hunter’s shooting percentage was a lackluster .054, he did set a career high in assists with 29. To me, that shows that Hunter can change his game and put himself in a position to help his team win. Nonetheless, that doesn’t excuse the fact that he only lit the lamp 12 times. Simply put, anyone who takes over 200 shots in this league is either on a horrible team, is a proven offensive threat or is someone who simply has a nose for the net and consistently puts himself in a place to score. While the Islanders record is almost indicative of the first term prescribed here, I do think that the other two ring true in a certain respect as well.

Recently signing a five-year deal with the Isles, Hunter isn’t the same wide-eyed rookie who scored his first NHL goal against the Maple Leafs in 2002. He’s a veteran who can help lead this team out of the mediocrity they’ve been infested themselves within for the past six seasons and find a way rejuvenate the fan base. They’ve already shown on numerous occasions how much they appreciate his effort on the ice, it’s Hunter’s turn to turn in a 25-30 goal campaign next season and prove to them he can be someone who can be the captain of this team one day.