35-35-12 82 points (6th Metro, 12th conference, 23rd overall)
2.71 GF/GP, 27th; 3.13 GA/GP, 20th
12.6 PP%, 31st; 72.2 PK%, 31st
Key losses: D Noah Dobson, F Matt Martin, F Cal Clutterbuck
Key additions: F Jonathan Drouin, F Maxim Shabanov, F Emil Heineman, D Matthew Schaefer
Expected lineup:
Anders Lee– Matthew Barzal – Kyle Palmieri
Jonathan Drouin – Bo Horvat – Simon Holmstrom
Maxim Tsyplakov - Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Maxim Shabanov
Anthony Duclair – Casey Cizikas – Pierre Engvall
Alexander Romanov – Tony DeAngelo
Matthew Schaefer – Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech – Scott Mayfield
Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov
David Rittich
PP1: Bratt – Hischier - Meier – J Hughes -Hamilton
PP2: Noesen – Mercer – Gritsyuk – L Hughes – Nemec
5x5:
The Islanders offense, not particularly good in 2023-24 (2.99 GF/GP, 22nd), was nearly the worst in the league last season. The drop in terms of net goals was only 12 tallies, some of which was due to the trade of Brock Nelson to Colorado at the deadline. Recognizing the issue, management brought in a pair of forwards in Drouin and Shabanov to try and improve the deficiency.
Defensively, the Islanders were just about flat in terms of goals against. The penalty kill went from 71.1 to 72.2 per cent effectiveness, going from worst in the league to next to worst in the league. New York moved up from 11 in the draft to first, selecting Schaefer, but dealt Dobson, which could adversely affect their overall defensive effectiveness.
Injuries limited Mathew Barzal to just 30 games last season. If healthy, he and Bo Horvat, who slides down a line, gives the Islanders a solid 1-2 pairing in the middle. Barzal missed the second half of the 2024-25 campaign after undergoing surgery on his kneecap, and he also missed time earlier in the year due to an upper-body injury. If he can remain on the field, Barzal should score close to a point a game. Horvat, whose production has dropped off since arriving on the Island, could end up in the 60-point range.
The configuration of the top-nine will be a work-in-progress. Jonathan Drouin and Maxim Shabanov, who excelled in the KHL, should fill two of those spots. Kyle Palmieri, who inked a two-year, $9.5 million contract to remain with the Islanders in May, will slot into one position, possibly joined by Simon Holmstrom, who tallied 20 markers last season.
Captain Anders Lee rebounded last season to tally 29 times and post 54 points. The other wing will be Maxim Tsyplakov or Anthony Duclair, who was limited to 44 contests last season. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, in the final season of the six-year, $30 million contract he signed with the Islanders in February of 2020, is slated to be the third-line center.,
On the blue line, Tony DeAngelo should replace Noah Dobson on the power play, If first overall pick Matthew Schaefer makes the team, he likely will run the second unit. The remainder of the unit, Alexander Romanov, Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield are defensive defensemen who won’t contribute much offensively. If Adam Boqvist is in the starting lineup, he will add a little bit on other end of the ice.
PP
The power play plummeted from 20.4 (19th) in 2023-24 to just 12.6. next to last in the league. The loss of Barzal certainly did not help the team’s performance but that was not the sole reason for the decline. Across the board, including the system deployed, the Islanders were horrific, augment by the loss of Nelson at the deadline.
The trade of Dobson takes away a point shot. But the addition of Drouin and return of Barzal should help the man advantage. DeAngelo should man a point with Horvat in the bumper spot. The fifth spot will go to either Lee, Palmieri or Shabanov. The second unit will consist of two of those three along with Duclair. Either Schaefer or Pulock, and his booming slap shot, will man one of the points with the fifth spot going to Holmstrom or Duclair.
All stats courtesy of naturalstattrick.com, moneypuck.com, hockeyviz.com, allthreezones.com, hockey-reference.com, eliteprospects.com unless otherwise noted.