With the Islanders missing the playoffs for the second time in seven years, Noah Pedrazzoli checks in on the vibe around Islanders Country.
An Introduction
On April 12th, the New York Islanders were officially eliminated from playoff contention in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. With the season coming to a close in a 6-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Islanders find themselves at the precipice of an interesting yet hectic offseason. Time to take a look at the good and the bad from the final stretch of the season.
Good Vibes
While it was a disappointing season, the Islanders could be given a mulligan (to an extent) for the string of injuries the team sustained throughout the year.
Amidst the injuries though, the development of Simon Holmstrom reached new heights as he achieved a 20-goal season and notched 45 total points. He could be poised for a promotion to the top six next year.
Maxim Tsyplakov, while not posting as many goals as hoped from the KHL star, was still adapting to the pace of the NHL and displayed flashes of brilliance through his creativity on the ice. His physicality provided a level of excitement and youthful energy the Islanders could profit from for years to come pending an extension.
In addition, veteran Anders Lee had a resurgent season leading the team with 29 goals. Kyle Palmieri put up 24 goals in his second consecutive healthy, 82-game season. And Bo Horvat flirted with 30 goals once again after notching 28 (down from 33 last season).
Rookie Maxim Tsyplakov opens the scoring at Scotiabank Arena 🚨 pic.twitter.com/xmwdDGRPz0
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 22, 2024
Maxim Tsyplakov sets up his own scoring play and pots one vs. the Leafs!
“Maxim Tsyplakov, while not posting as many goals as hoped from the KHL star, was still adapting to the pace of the NHL and displayed flashes of brilliance through his creativity on the ice.”
While the inconsistencies of the bottom-six contributed to the failures of the season, the Islanders have potentially found a staple on the fourth line in pleasant surprise Marc Gatcomb. Gatcomb will have very large shoes to fill as the Islanders bid goodbye to another member of their legendary fourth line with Matt Martin likely concluding his incredible career.
On the defensive side, Alexander Romanov took another step in his development emerging as a young leader on the backend. While injuries kept him out of 18 contests, he posted a stat line of 4-16-20 through 64. Had he remained healthy, those number would have paced him for a career high 25-point season. He also averaged the most minutes of his five years in the league by logging 22:18 minutes per game. His continued progression will likely earn him a nice raise in contract negotiations this summer.
Another bright spot on defense was callup Isaiah George. He put himself on the radar by performing admirably in 33 games until it was determined he would need more seasoning in the minors as the injuries continued to mount.
Tony DeAngelo also proved he could be still part of an NHL top-6 by posting 19 points in 35 games with the Islanders after being brought over from the KHL. It will be interesting to see if he has a future with the team.
Bad Vibes
There’s no avoiding it: injuries decimated the Islanders lineup. Between Mat Barzal (only 30 gp) and Anthony Duclair (44 gp) up front, and essentially the entire opening night defensive group, this team was constantly on the mend.
From that starting group on defense, only Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock eclipsed 70 games played at 71 and 74 respectively. Beyond that though, Alexander Romanov (64 gp), Adam Pelech (60), Mike Reilly (18), and Scott Mayfield (66) all missed significant time.
This ushered in mixed results of a patchwork defense that included DeAngelo, Scott Perunovich, and Adam Boqvist.
But injuries or not, the Islanders’ season had a variety of factors leading to their shortcomings. They will have a lot of gaps to fill during the upcoming offseason, ranging from their over-dependence on Ilya Sorokin to the upheaval of the defense corps and the roster carousel on the bottom-six.
One reoccurring issue plaguing the Islanders is their special teams. The Islanders finished 31st in the league with a 72.2% penalty kill success rating; the only team worse was the Detroit Red Wings at 70.1%. As for the power play, the Islanders were ranked 31st with a 12.6% success rate in front of the Anaheim Ducks (11.8%).
The special teams have been a significant obstacle that both Patrick Roy and his predecessor, Lane Lambert, have failed to solve. While penalty kill specialist JG Pageau has been a reliable staple on the unit, the Islanders need to provide more effective structure and personnel to provide goal scoring on the man-advantage and defensive responsibility on the penalty kill.
Ilya Sorokin has come under some fire since signing his $8.25 million AAV, 8-year extension. While some criticism may be warranted, the overreliance on Sorokin to carry the inconsistent roster in front of him has certainly contributed to his struggles.
To provide the star netminder with some relief, two factors need to be addressed: adding further depth to the bottom-six and the defensive corps, and grooming a potential backup due to Semyon Varlamov’s age and injury history. With Varlamov expected back for training camp, the Islanders should still consider having a suitable replacement at the ready should his return not go as planned.
And of course there is the issue of Anthony Duclair. After taking leave towards the end of the season after some scathing post-game comments from head coach Patrick Roy, Duclair’s status remains in question. Will he get a fresh start with the team next season? Or will there be a parting of ways?
Overall Vibe
On April 22nd, the New York Islanders announced they would not be renewing Lou Lamoriello’s contract and will be undertaking a new path. Another season plagued with injuries and inconsistent play has resulted in the Islanders missing the playoffs for only the second time in general manager Lou Lamoriello’s seven-year tenure.
Patrick Roy’s second season with the team was turbulent and riddled with instability, and the constant injuries and roster movement proved challenging for success on the ice. The departure of Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche had JG Pageau assuming the role of second-line center, which proved to be fruitful in spots, but the Islanders could’ve used consistent goal scoring in the top six to propel them over the top.
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The Vibe Check meter resets to 1 due to the uncertainty of both the roster and the front office as the Islanders embark on an intriguing off-season.
Through the draft lottery, the Islanders will have a chance to attain a top-10 pick, potentially unlocking a future star for the franchise. A pick of that caliber could skyrocket their seemingly shallow prospect pool, as they would have another high-end talent to complement Calum Ritchie and Cole Eiserman. Both players have been bright spots in the Islanders’ organization after a turbulent season for the big club.
Once a new general manager is introduced, the Islanders will have to decide what to do with Patrick Roy. And should they decide to let him go for a fresh start behind the bench, that is yet another position they need to fill.
Either way, whomever does end up in charge will have to coordinate on a vision to bring in talent through free agency, trades, or a combination of both.
A good portion of the team’s $28.3 million in cap space will be gobbled up by contract extensions for players like Holmstrom, Romanov, and Dobson. And decisions need to be made on players like Palmieri, Reilly, DeAngelo, and Perunovich, but there should still be room to add talent after pens go to paper.
If changes are coming to this team, a proper approach would be for management to continue to retool the roster in an effort to get younger, faster, and more dangerous in the upcoming 2025-2026 season.
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