Did the NHL leave anyone off?
As the NHL continues to announce Quarter Century Teams for all of its clubs, the New York Islanders were in the spotlight on Friday. The league announced the Islanders' First and Second Teams for the initiative, with names like John Tavares and Mathew Barzal among the headliners.
Across each unit are five skaters, three forwards, two defensemen, and a goaltender. In the lineup for the First Team are forwards Tavares, Brock Nelson, and Josh Bailey, defensemen Nick Leddy and Adam Pelech, and goaltender Ilya Sorokin.
On the Second Team were forwards Anders Lee, Frans Nielsen, and Mathew Barzal, defensemen Kenny Jonsson and Ryan Pulock, and goaltender Semyon Varlamov:
Among the breakdown, seven of those players are active Islanders, and four have since ended their NHL careers. Tavares and Leddy are both active for the Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues, respectively, with the former making the Maple Leafs' Quarter Century Second Team.
The Islanders also have their share of fingerprints on other Quarter Century Teams. Names around the league include:
- Dennis Seidenberg (Boston Bruins, Second Team)
- Thomas Vanek (Buffalo Sabres, First Team)
- Semyon Varlamov (Colorado Avalanche, Second Team)
- Chris Osgood (Detroit Red Wings, First Team)
- Roberto Luongo (Florida Panthers, First Team and Vancouver Canucks, First Team)
- Zach Parise (Minnesota Wild, Second Team, and New Jersey Devils, First Team)
- Andy Green (New Jersey Devils, Second Team)
- Jordan Eberle (Seattle Kraken, First Team)
The NHL will continue to announce Quarter Century Teams throughout the remainder of January. All players nominated for each club will be put up for fan voting for a league-wide team that will be announced in February.
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