It has been more of the same for the New York Islanders. The team loses a few games, looking flat and without hope, then has a dominant win against a Stanley Cup favorite. This inconsistency has grown grey hairs throughout the fanbase, but how can we avoid it for the rest of the season?
While the Stanley Cup is not out of the question, it is highly unlikely. MonePpuck has given the Islanders a 10.9% chance of making the playoffs, and it is hard to be optimistic heading into the final weeks of the season. However, we can get excited for what could be an eventful offseason, and what better way to do that than to evaluate each player’s performance in this final stretch?
Islanders Forwards
The Islanders’ forwards have had a season unlike any other. The top line has dominated, and almost everyone else has struggled. A team known for its boring, slow-paced style that relies on its depth has transformed into an unpredictable core of underperforming, aging forwards.
Mathew Barzal
This has been a career year for Mathew Barzal, who is set to score over 20 goals and push 90 points for the first time. Finishing the season at over a point-per-game pace would be a success, but he should be striving to reach the 25-goal and 90-point mark.
Bo Horvat
In his first full season as an Islander, Bo Horvat has impressed. While he is likely to hit 30 goals, moving forward, he should focus on even-strength scoring. While he has been a tremendous help on the power play, which has historically struggled, he has just 15 even-strength goals this season.
If he can score 25 even-strength goals this season, he will help establish that top line for next season.
Brock Nelson
It’s been another season of relying on Brock Nelson’s incredible wrist shot. One of the few consistent scorers on the roster, he is on pace again to push the 40-goal mark. While this feat would require 13 goals in the remaining 23 games, crazier things have happened. Even finishing the season in the 34-38-goal range would be a success.
Anders Lee
This season has been a rough one for the Islanders’ captain. Despite playing on the top line and as the net-front presence on the top power-play unit for most of the season, Anders Lee has just 15 goals on 27.6 expected goals, according to MoneyPuck. He has had no lack of opportunity but has yet to take advantage. If he can start capitalizing on his high-danger chances, he will alleviate a lot of the pressure on his back heading into next season.
Kyle Palmieri
Kyle Palmieri is just two goals and one point away from breaking his single-season highs as an Islander. If he can stay healthy and finish the season at the same pace, he will show that he can be a reliable middle-six forward for the team moving forward. While his $5 million cap hit is high, there is value in his game.
Pierre Engvall
This has been a bad season for Pierre Engvall. He joined the team at last season’s trade deadline and put up five goals in 18 games. Then, he earned a seven-year contract and has seven goals in 53 games this season. While he isn’t a 20-25-goal scorer, he needs to find the back of the net more often. If he can reach the 10-goal mark on the season, there will be some optimism as he finishes the first year of his deal.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Jean Gabriel Pageau has also underperformed this season. A hard-working player who does his job well should be seeing results, but he is not. With the recent line shuffling that has seen Nelson move to the top line, Pageau has been promoted to second-line center. Now, he has no excuse and must take advantage of this increase in ice time. Scoring five goals and 10 points to end the season is not out of the question and should be obtainable for the former 25-goal scorer.
Simon Holmstrom
Simon Holmstrom has dominated on the penalty kill this season, but that has been about all he has done well offensively. Defensively, he is great. He does not just score goals on the penalty kill, but he is also a reliable defender.
Related: New York Islanders 2024 Trade Deadline Preview
Offensively, he lacks finish. He has a great shot, but rarely utilizes it. His goal to finish the season is not about scoring goals, but rather shooting more. Players with great shots should shoot, and he is no exception.
Oliver Wahlstrom
If Oliver Wahlstrom is still on Long Island past the Mar. 8 trade deadline, he will struggle to stay in the lineup. The former top prospect has struggled, and it is hard to imagine he will be with the team next summer. As a restricted free agent this summer, he should be playing for his next contract and an opportunity to earn an NHL job next season when he gets his chance in the lineup.
Islanders Identity Line
It is only fitting to group these three players together in what is likely their final run. Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas, and Cal Clutterbuck have formed the identity line for the Islanders for most of the past decade and have been one of the most formidable lines in hockey. With Martin and Clutterbuck both up there in age and on expiring contracts, their futures are unclear. So, they should enjoy what could be their final games as NHLers or as Islanders.
Kyle MacLean
Depending on when you read this, Kyle MacLean may be in the NHL or with the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey League (AHL). However, one thing is certain, he has been a lot of fun to watch in the NHL. At just 24 years old, MacLean still can improve, and he may be in line to become the Islanders’ next fourth-line center or left-winger. If he can establish himself as an NHLer, he will be a very exciting player to follow heading into next season.
Defenseman
What a strange season it’s been for the Islanders’ defense. Noah Dobson has established himself as a star, Alexander Romanov has stepped up into a massive #2 role, and the rest of the core has either underperformed, been hurt, or both.
Noah Dobson
Dobson has been one of the best defensemen in the NHL this season, and it has been fun to watch. Moving forward, he should have two goals. First, develop his two-way game. His offensive talent has always been there, but his defensive game has struggled at times. While he has grown tremendously this season, finding more consistency in his own zone would go a long way.
His other goal should be to keep on racking up points. Raising the bar higher than he could have imagined is a privilege, and he should take advantage. At times, it seems that whatever he does will lead to a goal, so continuing to take advantage of his hot hands will show him that he can be a franchise defenseman.
Alexander Romanov
Like Dobson, Romanov has taken a massive leap in development this season. As a defensive defenseman, it is hard to measure his success, but watching him play makes it plain. While it would be nice to see more offensive production, the lack of offensive talent should be filled elsewhere in the lineup. The only goal he should have is to continue to prove why he deserves to stick around for the long haul.
Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock
Like the identity line, these two have spent most of their careers together. Unfortunately, this season has been brutal for both of them. They have had stints on long-term injured reserve, and both have struggled while on the ice. Heading into the final stretch, they need to regain the chemistry they have together and get to full health before next season. There is no doubt that when healthy, the two are one of the best shutdown pairs in the NHL.
Scott Mayfield
It’s no use beating a dead horse. There is no doubt Scott Mayfield has struggled this season, but it is time to cut him some slack. A player should not have to delete his social media to escape the hate from his fanbase, regardless of his play.
While he has had the worst season of his career, there is optimism that he will be better next season. Mayfield did not forget how to play hockey, he has just made a lot of mental mistakes. Sometimes, they pile up. While it may be hard to expect things to change during this final stretch, a break from the game this summer will go a long way. All he should focus on right now is avoiding mental mistakes and staying out of the penalty box.
Mike Reilly, Sebastian Aho, Samuel Bolduc
This summer, the Islanders will have three defensemen signed for at least five more seasons, as well as two defensemen who will likely be extended long-term. That leaves one spot, the left side on the third pairing.
The Islanders have had three players who consistently rotate in that position, Mike Reilly, Sebastian Aho, and Samuel Bolduc. They are all at different points in their careers, yet they are all expected to fight for an NHL spot next season, either with the Islanders or elsewhere. So, they all need to do whatever they can to get into the lineup and stay.
Reilly has arguably been the best with the Islanders, providing offense at a time when the team needed it. Bolduc is 23 years old, an AHL All-Star last season, and has yet to have a real opportunity at the NHL level. Aho has been with the team the longest and has already proven to be a great third-pairing defenseman when in the lineup consistently. Who earns the role is unlikely to be decided this spring, but their performance down the stretch will have a large impact on where they end up next fall.
Goaltenders
The Islanders have had elite goaltending since Robin Lehner‘s 2018-29 season when he finished third in Vezina Trophy voting. Since then, they have won the William M. Jennings Trophy, signed Russian superstar Ilya Sorokin, and been one of the best teams in net. However, this season, they have struggled.
Ilya Sorokin
The 2023 Vezina Trophy runner-up has had an underwhelming season, but it hasn’t all been his fault. The defensive blunders, late-game penalties, and injuries to the team in front of him have made it an impossible task to perform as well as he is capable of.
The reason why the defense has been so bad cannot be put into a few sentences, but one thing is for sure – Sorokin is not to blame for the team’s increase in goals allowed. Truthfully, there are no goals for Sorokin down the stretch. He just needs to hope for better play in front of him.
Semyon Varlamov
Semyon Varlamov has experienced much of the same, except to a lesser degree. He did suffer a lower-body injury this season, and his two goals to finish the season are to continue his strong play and to stay healthy. If the Islanders can head into next season with an improved defense and a healthy goaltending tandem, they will go right back to being one of the best teams in their own end in the NHL.
For a team that has had as much success in recent years as the Islanders, it is a tough pill to swallow that they will likely miss the playoffs this season. However, there is a lot to look forward to and a lot to assess before next season, so now is the best time to start paying extra close attention.
