The New York Islanders defense was often criticized last season as old and slow, struggling to keep up with the opposition’s speed. For the first time in general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello’s tenure, the unit was a weakness, allowing 3.15 goals per game. Heading into the offseason, the Islanders needed to pivot.
Related: Lamoriello Still Has Work to Do This Offseason
They didn’t. Instead, the Islanders re-signed Mike Reilly to a one-year deal, keeping the veteran in the lineup. Likewise, Scott Mayfield is getting a chance to bounce back next season despite a disastrous 2023-24 season that made a buyout this summer possible.
The young defensemen, on the other hand, are playing elsewhere. Sebastian Aho signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins while Robin Salo is back overseas. The hope that youth will be added to the lineup rests on some prospects who are still at least a season away, assuming they aren’t ahead of the development curve. It’s clear the Islanders are leaning on veterans over youth to improve the defense and the hope that the unit will look better next season, starting with a full season of Reilly.
Reilly Was the Best Option
Despite being a waiver claim, Reilly emerged as one of the top defensemen on the Islanders last season. In only 59 games played, he had 2.0 defensive point shares and 57 blocked shots while also contributing six goals and 18 assists on the offensive end of the ice. He was great in the defensive zone, and the Islanders needed him to round out the unit, and he was able to do just that.
Looking ahead to next season, Reilly remains the glue of the defense. He plays the second or third pair, preventing it from falling apart when the star defensemen aren’t on the ice. While his offensive production isn’t anything special, he’s a reliable player on the defense, and with a full season’s work, he’ll allow the unit to play at a high level throughout the season.
The Bet on a Mayfield Bounce Back
There are two ways to look at last season and how everything went wrong for Mayfield. Either he was hurt and never recovered from the early season injuries and played through them regardless, making him look like a liability and the medical staff incompetent. Or Mayfield is starting to decline, and at 31 years old, he will never be the same as he was early on in his career. If that’s the case, Lamoriello has to be the one to blame for signing him to a seven-year deal in the 2023 offseason, knowing he was only getting worse.
The first option for how the season played out is the more optimistic view, the glass-half-full one, if you will. If Mayfield needed time to recover and having him on the long-term injured list was the best option, then it’s safe to assume he can bounce back. He has a full offseason to recover and return ready to play defense at a high level, even in a third-pair role.
Mayfield’s return to form will go a long way for the Islanders. He’s a shot-blocking, gap-sound, and bigger-bodied defenseman who, even as a slower option, is disciplined and doesn’t allow easy scoring chances. The big if is that he is healthy, and if he is, then he can once again be a key part of the defense, something he’s been throughout his career.
The Hope That Prospects Will Be Ready
The next wave of young defensemen will take time to develop before they are ready for the NHL. The two names to watch come from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft in Calle Odelius and Isaiah George, who have yet to play in the American Hockey League (AHL).
The two prospects will get the invite to rookie camp and will likely start next season with the Bridgeport Islanders with the hope that they are ahead of schedule and could join the NHL roster by the end of the season. If they do, they can take the Islanders’ defense to another level. George and Odelius are fast skaters who can open up the offense at the blue line, something this team needs. If either one of them can replace Mayfield on that third pair, it would be a trade-off that the team would be willing to take.
Islanders Still Have Room to Improve Defense
The Islanders need their version of Brent Burns. Essentially, they need a defenseman who is great on the offensive end and can add a spark, especially on the power play. The Carolina Hurricanes rolled the dice when they acquired the 37-year-old from the San Jose Sharks in the 2022 offseason, and the move gave them an edge throughout the season and the playoffs. The Islanders saw firsthand in the First Round in 2023 and 2024 as Burns created scoring chances from the blue line to allow the Hurricanes to advance in both matchups.
Heading into next season, the Islanders have their top four set with Noah Dobson, Alexander Romanov, Ryan Pulock, and Adam Pelech leading the way. Add in Reilly and Mayfield and that’s the starting lineup. That said, having a two-way player who can open up the offense would go a long way and change the dynamics of this team.
The question of where they can find this type of defenseman is tricky, considering all the buyouts are in the rearview mirror, and there aren’t a lot of players who fit this bill available. Still, it’s all about Lamoriello taking a risk on a defenseman with high upside. Torey Krug, for example, has declined in recent seasons with the St. Louis Blues, but the skill on the offensive end is still there, and in a trade where the Islanders won’t need to take on the entirety of his contract, he could be a worthwhile addition.
How do you think the Islanders can improve the defense? Let us know in the comments section below!
