Trottier made Bossy better, Bossy made Trottier better....both contributed mightily to Clark Gillies' HOF selection, while Gillies kept both of them safe. All 3 guys along with others helped hide Potvin's deficiencies.
That said, the heart on soul of those teams were the secondary guys: Nystrom, Tonelli, Morrow, Sutter's...….they along with Smitty always upped their game in the playoffs. 19 straight playoff series wins....nobody is touching that record.
Those Islander teams always played with a chip on their shoulders, they were seen as second citizens in NY to the Rangers during the 70's and never received the national notoriety of Canadian and Oiler teams that preceeded and followed them.....even the 70's Flyer teams are better remembered. That chip still sits firmly on a number of their shoulders well into their 60's and likely will the rest of their lives.