What Islanders Need Most From Kyle Palmieri

Once Kyle Palmieri got over the injury hurdle in mid-January, he played the way the New York Islanders envisioned when they signed him to a four-year deal in 2021. Now it's about staying healthy for his line to stay effective.

There were a few turning points for the New York Islanders throughout the 2022-23 season that allowed them to make the postseason. 

One was the Pierre Engvall acquisition, which came 10 days after Mathew Barzal sustained a lower-body injury, one that would keep him off the ice for the final 23 games of the regular season. 

There's no denying Engvall's importance to that line and New York, which is why he was given a seven-year extension worth $21 million on Jul. 1. 

The other was a healthy Kyle Palmieri, who, alongside Engvall and Brock Nelson, put the Islanders on their back to get into the playoffs and was no question their best line in the first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Engvall was able to be that missing piece because Palmieri was playing the way the Islanders expected when they inked him to a four-year deal worth $20 million before the start of the 2021-22 season. 

Following a seven-goal, two-assist postseason performance in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoff run, Palmieri struggled mightily out of the gate in his first full season with New York. 

Through 25 games, Palmieri had just one goal and six assists before suffering a lower-body injury, which kept him out of the lineup for over a month.

After no goals in five games upon his return, Palmieri finally started to pick things up.

In the remaining 40 games of what was quickly a lost season, Palmieri potted 14 goals with 12 assists, a 29-goal, 25-assist pace in a full 82-game slate.

The Islanders missed the playoffs that season for a plethora of reasons.

Despite the firing of Barry Trotz that summer, Lamoriello made no improvements to his forward group, relying heavily on certain players, like Palmieri, to live up to their contracts.

While not as slow of a start to the 2022-23 season for Palmieri as we saw the year prior, the Smithtown native had no goals through the club's first six games with just one assist.

Through 20 games, Palmieri had six goals with three assists. 

Like the previous season, health got in the way as Palmieri suffered an upper-body injury against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 21 in Game No. 20, missing 10 games with what appeared to be a head injury. 

Palmieri's return was short-lived as he suffered yet another head injury in his return to the lineup out in the Arizona desert, missing another 17 games. 

The 33-year-old returned to the lineup in Toronto on Jan. 23, and from then on out, Palmieri looked like the player the Islanders envisioned. 

"Obviously, you want to get back. We're all competitors here," Palmieri said after finally returning to the lineup. "You want to get back as soon as possible. But at the same time, you want to be smart. I wanted to get back and stay back."

Palmieri kicked off his return with a five-game point streak (1G, 4A), with three goals and six assists over his first 10 games back. 

The chemistry between Palmieri and Nelson was strong, and things went to another level when first-year head coach Lane Lambert placed Engvall on their line on Mar. 15. 

From then until the regular season ended, 13 games, Palmieri scored six goals with six assists, ending his season with 16 goals and 17 assists in 55 games.

Palmieri potted two goals and three assists in six postseason games, tying Nelson for the team lead with five points.

Palmieri wasn't much help on the power play, which was third-worst in the league at 15.8 percent and just 1-for-18 in the postseason. 

However, Palmieri did score the Islanders' lone playoff power-play goal in Game 3 which served as the game-winner in a 5-1 win for the Islanders' first win of the postseason and first-ever at UBS Arena. 

The Islanders have not added any new members to help the power play, and as of now, John MacLean hasn't been relieved of his duties. So, that means the Islanders will need to see Palmieri's five-on-five game leak into special teams, as he's the most lethal long-distance shooter the club has. 

But power-play discussions are for another day. 

A healthy Palmieri was scoring, showing off his playmaking ability, crashing the net hard while playing a responsible brand of hockey in his own zone.

Seeing him back in the lineup showcased how much of a weapon he can be on a nightly basis and how much he's missed on both sides of the puck when he's out.

"Obviously, it was tough going through that stretch there and being out," Palmieri said during his end-of-the-season presser. "But fully healthy now and looking forward to having a good summer."

Although Palmieri and his linemates shouldn't have to be the only line producing this upcoming season, with a healthy Mathew Barzal back alongside a settled-in Bo Horvat, they will still be relied upon heavily.

And the only way that line continues where they left off is if Palmieri can stay healthy. 

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