Kyle MacLean has had a tremendous effect on the Islanders this season, playing a vital role in them making the playoffs.
Kyle MacLean has had a tremendous effect on the Islanders this season, playing a vital role in them making the playoffs.
RALEIGH, NC -- The New York Islanders qualified for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs for many reasons.
Semyon Varlamov elevated his play down the stretch, winning four straight to close out the season.
Kyle Palmieri's consistency since Patrick Roy walked through the doors, especially his two empty-net goals, along with 17 others in the 37 games, played a critical role.
But one player that may have had the most under-the-radar effect was the play of rookie Kyle MacLean.
Recalled for a game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 19, with Casey Cizikas out injured, the son of Islanders power-play coach John MacLean didn't stand out -- which was a positive.
He was filling lanes correctly, he was getting in on the forecheck, and making the quick plays needed.
MacLean ended up staying on the roster for the next six games, scoring his first career NHL goal on a breakaway out of the penalty box against the Toronto Maple Leafs before being sent back to Bridgeport.
"I think he has a future with us. No doubt in my mind," Roy said after MacLean got sent down on Feb. 6. "I mean, it'll be up to the organization to decide when he's ready or not. But I think he does have a future with our team.
"He played really well. I felt like he was very reliable. I mean, he played really well defensively. I guess there's no better feeling than leaving with a goal in your back pocket. I think it brings a lot of confidence to your game, and I'm sure he's going to Bridgeport with other good things in his mind."
Roy was correct, as MacLean was recalled for a game against the St. Blues on an emergency recall with Cizikas hurt again and was sent down for a game with Cizikas ready before he was back up with the big club on Feb. 26.
"He's done a solid job [filling the Cizikas role]," Cal Clutterbuck told The Hockey News. "He's a really good, really good player. I think the lesson for a lot of young kids out there is if you're not going to be the Mat Barzals of the world, you want to play the game properly and hard, and you'll find a place for sure."
And on the NHL roster, he stayed, which allowed Roy to try new things with his lines.
First, Brock Nelson was moved from the second-line center position to the top line alongside Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal.
It was a threesome that played an integral in the Islanders' six-game winning streak from Feb. 26 to March 10.
But, when the losses started to pile up, with the Islanders counteracting their six-game winning streak with a six-game losing streak, Roy tried different things., ultimately settling for Cizikas on the wing with Horvat and Barzal.
With that as the top line, the Islanders went 8-0-1 to end the season, getting into the playoffs as the third seed.
In their playoff-clinching win against the New Jersey Devils last Monday, MacLean potted the final goal in a 4-1 win:
Roy had a lot of decisions to make when he took the job on Jan. 20 but keeping MacLean in the lineup was an easy one.
And the ONLY reason Roy was able to go with that lineup configuration that he settled with after trials and errors was because of the trust he had in MacLean to be a strong defensive forward.
"He's stepped up in a big way and has done a lot of great things, not only offensively but defensively," Horvat said. He's playing hard and finishing his checks, and he's kind of been all around, an up-and-down forward who fits in really nicely with the way Clutterbuck and Martin play, too.
"He's been great for us."
In 32 games with New York, MacLean has four goals and five assists, averaging 10:05 minutes per game and winning 42.5 percent of his draws.
Now that the Islanders are in the playoffs, Roy will need MacLean doing exactly what he's been doing.
If he's needed on the penalty kill, he'll have to make sure he's positionally sound against the Hurricanes, whose power play ranks second-best in the NHL at 26.9 percent.
MacLean will also have to do his best in the face-off dot, the one area he needs to improve upon.
Outside of special teams, the Islanders will need to put pressure on the Hurricanes defense, which is where MacLean and his linemates need to be effective.
"It's a pressure team," Roy said on Saturday morning. "It's a team that will put a lot of pressure on us from all three zones, so we're gonna have to be ready. We're gonna have to have that transition and play fast. If we play fast. We give ourselves a chance."
It's a team effort once the puck drops at 5 PM ET on Saturday for Game 1, and it will be MacLean's first taste of playoff hockey.
The 24-year-old has earned the chance to suit up and if he does what he's done all season for New York, he'll be just fine.