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Morrow said the search for seasoned help, especially on defense, is a tough one, not just for the Islanders. Morrow, who was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame on Saturday and has served as the pro scouting director since 1993, is on the hunt for veterans to target over the summer as free agents.

"It's almost recruiting now," he said. "You don't just identify who you'd like to sign; you have to try and convince them to come to your team.

"They had some talent, but they were organized, they were aggressive, they were fast, tough. They were not big, but you could see they had big hearts. I still remember Ken Morrow was a towering guy compared to a lot of these smaller guys, Broten and Johnson. But they had the right mix of talent and a lot of character."