What Should the Islanders do With Corey Trivino?

After Corey Trivino's court date was postponed from late April to late May, many have been wondering what lies in store for the ex-Boston Terriers standout. Trivino's reputation at Boston University was well known before the forward decided to drunkenly harass a female Resident Advisor. While the center was highly valued by the Boston Terriers, head coach Jack Parker said that Trivino's tendency for drunken behavior had finally gone too far. (wallyg/Flickr)

On the other hand, Trivino was on a point per game pace (17 pts. In 15 games) for the BU Terriers at the start of the 2011-2012 NCAA season and could have shattered his previous season high of 28 points that he had set a year earlier. Trivino's 13 goals were leading the team as the senior was centering BU's top line and was a large reason for the Terriers' standing in the Hockey East.

Trivino's troubles may have cast doubt on his future as a hockey player, but there is still some upside to the pivot. The center was showing signs of improvement during the 2011-2012 season for BU and it would be rash to write off the forward at this point and time. Trivino definitely has talent, but one knock against him is that he is undersized and loses puck battles because of that factor. Regardless, Trivino's court date will still be the first step in determining a clear-cut path for the young man.

If Trivino can somehow return to hockey activities and prove to the Islanders that he is 100% dedicated to the game, then it would be prudent for the organization to at least take a look at the center. Trivino still has aspects of his game that he can work on, but his talent makes him a risk that is still worth gambling on. Everyone raised their eyebrows when Kirill Kabanov dropped to the third round and was selected by Garth Snow, but the decision seems to be rewarding the GM right now as Kabanov is honing his offensive talents in the QMJHL.

Trivino did make a horrible decision in early December and his actions illustrated a complete lack of self control. However, the young man deserves another shot if he can clean up his act, and Garth Snow might just be willing to accept the center if he shows that hockey is priority number one.

Everyone makes a questionable decision throughout their lifetime. Sometimes those decisions can have ramifications that can set an individual back for a while, but it has always been up to the person committing the questionable act to set things straight. It seems that Garth Snow has been accepting of this fact on more than one occasion. It was less than two years ago that the Isles' GM snagged Evgeni Nabokov off of waivers and the netminder refused to report to the team. Instead of feeling jilted by Nabokov's actions, Snow gave the goalie every chance to succeed on Long Island and prove his worth to the team as its number one goalie.

The same case can be made for Trivino. This is in no way, shape, or form an acquittal of Trivino for his reprehensible actions, but it would be foolhardy to think that the young man does not feel some shame , embarrassment, or remorse about his current situation. Trivino's first test will come on May 30^th when the Brighton courts decide what kind of punishment the young man deserves, but Trivino's fate will be in his own hands after that. If he decides that the best plan of action would be to dedicate himself to hockey, then Trivino must realize that he must pursue his dream through sheer willpower and without any indulgence in substances that can drag him deeper into self-destruction.