By Brian Bohl

A tumultuous season featuring two new general managers, a new head coach, heavy roster turnover and a near-miraculous stretch run finally came to an end in Buffalo Friday night for the Islanders.

The President’s Trophy-winning Sabres won the Eastern Conference quarterfinals series 4-1, capping an arduous 10-month journey that started low expectations in training camp and ended with an unlikely playoff spot and a close first round series.

Islanders owner Charles Wang hired former Rangers GM Neil Smith on June 8, the same day they introduced Ted Nolan as the franchise’s third head coach in 12 months. Wang quickly fired Smith after 40 days because of philosophical differences and replaced him with Garth Snow, who served as the backup goaltender last season.

Snow became the NHL’s youngest general manager and quickly raised eyebrows by signing former teammate and fellow goalie Rick DiPietro to a record 15-year guaranteed contract. The front office also refused to buyout Alexei Yashin’s contract, while Nolan returned to coaching in the NHL after being fired by the Sabres 10 years ago.

That type of heavy turnover made the Islanders an easy pick to finish last in the 30-team league, but Nolan guided the organization to their first postseason berth since 2003-04. Here is a look at the good and the bad of the surprising but always interesting 2006-07 campaign.

The Good:

Rick DiPietro’s emergence as a upper-echelon goaltender. The 25-year-old southpaw responded to his new contract by tying a franchise record for wins in a single season, going 32-19-9 with a .919 save percentage. He would have likely shattered that record, held by Hall of Famer Billy Smith and Chris Osgood, if he did not miss the final seven games of the regular season after suffering two concussions in a 12-day span in March.

His return for Game 2 against the Sabres provided the Islanders with their only win the first round series and reenergized a team that was thoroughly outplayed in the opening game. The former first overall draft pick proved he is comfortable being the face of the franchise for the next decade.

Ted Nolan’s return to the bench: Nolan won Coach of the Year honors with Buffalo before disagreements with management left him unemployed in 1997. That stigma stuck with Nolan, who coached in the junior leagues before Wang reached out to him this summer.

Since taking over for interim coach Brad Shaw, Nolan guided the team to a 40-30-12 season, marking the franchise’s first 40-win season since 2001-02. Their win total improved by four from last season, and his focus on discipline and accountability helped the Islanders remain successful even after DiPietro went down.

Snow’s acclimation to the front office: The former goalie transferred his ability to make heady decisions from the goal crease to his role as an executive. His two trade-deadline deals with Edmonton fueled the playoff run. The first Oilers trade netted Marc-Andre Bergeron, who gave the Islanders one of their few weapons on the power play.

Acquiring All-Star winger Ryan Smyth was risky, but the four-time 30-goal scorer recorded five points in the playoffs and could till re-sign with the team as an unrestricted free agent this summer. During the season’s final game, just nine of the 25 listed players appeared in 30 or more games for the franchise the previous season, showing a drastic change in personnel that altered a losing culture.

Jason Blake’s career year: The speedy winger posted his first career 40-goal season, leading the Islanders in scoring. Blake is also an unrestricted free-agent and almost was traded, but Snow kept No. 55 and the 34-year-old helped compensate for Alexei Yashin’s injury absence.

Wade Dubielewicz: The former third-string goalie played in minor league Bridgeport for most of the year before relieving Mike Dunham during DiPietro’s injury hiatus. The easy-going 28-year-old goalie made most of his first extended chance in the NHL, winning two shootouts while going 4-0 to end the season and clinch a playoff spot. His poke check on Sergei Brylin in the final round of a shootout secured the eighth and final playoff spot and cemented Dubielewicz’s place in Islanders lore.

The Bad:

Suspensions: Chris Simon took his shameful place among the perpetrations of the NHL’s most violent on-ice acts ever. His intentional slash on Rangers forward Ryan Hollweg’s face netted Simon a minimum 25-game ban, costing the Islanders a potential pivotal point in the standings during a one-goal loss March 8. The infraction and subsequent suspension demoralized the team for the next few games.

Sean Hill nearly upstaged the final postseason meeting with the Sabres when it was announced before Game 5 that the veteran defenseman became the first NHL player to be suspended for violating the league’s drug policy. Hill received a 20-game band and his absence forced Nolan to play with a weaker defensive corps in an elimination game.

Oh captain, my captain: Yashin is the Islanders highest-paid position. Wang refused, again, to buyout the former Senators star this summer. Instead, they named the player with a 10-year, $67.5 million contract as the captain.

Yashin missed 24 games mostly due to a knee injury, and his soft-spoken demeanor did not make him a good captain. He ended the regular season with points in nine of the final 10 games but was demoted to the fourth line during the playoffs. He wasn’t there when Nolan needed his star players to perform.

What home ice advantage? The Islanders split the first two games against the Sabres, temporarily retaking home ice advantage. Two controversial video replay calls both went against the Islanders in Games 3 and 4 at Nassau Coliseum, prompting sold-out crowds to disgracefully throw objects onto the ice each time. Islanders have not won a home playoff game since 2002, making them 0-6 combined in three different series.

Overall assessment:

The positives far outweighed the negatives. Nolan took a team many predicted would finish dead last and guided them to an unexpected playoff berth. Simon and Hill are not vital parts of the future, making their possible departures no big loss.

DiPietro’s emergence and greater stability in the front office and coaching staff means the team’s future is looking much brighter than it did in September.

Despite losing to the Sabres, the Isles can take a lot out of this season.