The New York Islanders appear heading to the same place they’ve been the last two seasons. With a 7-7-5 record, they are not a bottom feeder and won’t trade away players at the 2025 Trade Deadline and they look just good enough to sneak into the playoffs as an Eastern Conference wild-card team. The problem is they don’t look good enough to do much more than that and a first-round playoff exit (probably to the Carolina Hurricanes) feels inevitable.
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This season looks familiar, but this team is different. The Islanders look like a different group on the ice and have pieces in place to end the season in a better spot. They look like they will have a better chance of a deep playoff run, even if they barely sneak in. It all starts behind the bench.
Roy’s Control of the Team
The Islanders are starting to play in head coach Patrick Roy’s image. They’ve always had great defense and goaltending but the forwards are also forechecking and defending to allow the Islanders to win low-scoring games. The Islanders allow only 2.95 goals per game and part of the reason why is because of how Roy has his team playing.
It’s not just the defense, but also the discipline and structure. The Islanders don’t allow teams to find easy scoring chances and when they make a mistake, it doesn’t cost them the same way it did in previous seasons. Along with the discipline and structure, the Islanders will on occasion speed things up to win with offense. The Nov. 14 game against the Vancouver Canucks was a great case in point as they moved the puck up the ice and gashed their opponent multiple times in the 5-2 victory.
The offense has struggled, scoring only 2.53 goals per game. However, that’s not because of Roy or his coaching style. The injuries have made the offense hapless at times. It’s also why there’s more optimism for this team in the second half of the season when players start returning to the lineup.
Islanders’ Have a Potent Top Nine
The Islanders discovered a potent top line by default. The injuries to Anthony Duclair and Mathew Barzal forced Roy to pivot and play Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau on the top line between Bo Horvat. The combination has carried the offense with all three skaters creating scoring chances and finding the back of the net.
With that line thriving, the Islanders have a strong top six. That’s also because Brock Nelson’s line has played well throughout the season. Kyle Palmieri has seven goals and nine assists to lead the team in points while Maxim Tsyplakov has been a pleasant surprise as a playmaker on the wing with eight assists.
When Duclair and Barzal return to the lineup, there’s a strong case to be made that Roy shouldn’t and won’t change the top six. Instead, he’ll have the two skaters return and add a depth skater, whether it’s Pierre Engvall or Simon Holmstrom, to that line. That will give the Islanders three potent scoring lines that can take over games and overwhelm teams on the offensive end of the ice.
In previous seasons, the Islanders would end the season with a top-heavy offense and no scoring depth. The roster for the most part is the same but it’s more balanced, especially in the forward unit. If the Islanders finish the season with three lines capable of finding the back of the net, they will make a deep playoff run. They haven’t had scoring depth since the 2020 and 2021 playoff runs but this group can give the Islanders just enough to make a difference.
Islanders Have a Youth Movement
A common criticism of the Islanders is that they have an aging group and not a lot of young skaters to balance out the roster. That’s not the case this season. They still have a lot of core players in their 30s and on the decline but a lot of young skaters have taken over significant roles and are helping the Islanders win games.
The biggest name to do so is Isaiah George, the 20-year-old defenseman who burst on the scene since his Nov. 5 debut and is a regular on the second pair. His play has been a surprise considering he didn’t stand out at the American Hockey League (AHL) level but he’s a great skater and has all the talent to become a great two-way defenseman. George is gaining confidence with each shift and by the end of the season, he will be the defense’s X-factor, especially in a playoff series where he can open up the offense.
It’s not just George. While he’s the youngest player on the roster, the Islanders have a handful of other skaters who are in their 20s making an impact. Tsyplakov, Holmstrom, and Kyle MacLean are helping out the forward unit while Dennis Cholowski has rounded out the defense. Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov have been on the roster for a few seasons but this season, they’ve emerged as the top two defensemen. It’s not just the surplus of younger skaters; it’s that those same players are playing more and are the reason the Islanders are winning games.
Where the Islanders Can Become Cup Contenders
The big thing that will separate this team from the previous two is a move before the trade deadline. This means general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello must buck the trend of staying quiet and make a trade; it’s something that must happen to get this team over the hump. Another elite talent in the top six or a two-way defenseman will go a long way, especially when the Islanders face a top team in the Eastern Conference.
The other key to contention is the top defensive pairing. Specifically, Dobson and Romanov must take it up a notch and carry the rest of the unit. Dobson’s inconsistency has cost the Islanders and he hasn’t been a scoring threat from the point while Romanov has been a great shutdown defenseman but has missed time with an upper-body injury. These two skaters playing at a high level will make this team one of the best in the Eastern Conference.
The Islanders appear stuck in mediocrity and losses to the Seattle Kraken on Nov. 16 and the Calgary Flames on Nov. 19 don’t provide a lot of optimism. However, this team has all the pieces to be one of the top teams. They might not finish with a great record and instead only sneak into the playoffs, but this roster can make a deep playoff run based on how they’ve won games early on this season.
