Islanders Season Preview

With the New York Islanders season getting underway Saturday night, I will be giving my season preview for the Islanders and where I believe they finish to end the regular season, as well as previews for every line and defensive pairing. As well as storylines to watch for as the season progresses.

First Line: Mathew Barzal-Bo Horvat-Simon Holmstrom

Coming into this season, the pairing of Barzal and Horvat is likely to click almost instantly. There are some differences to last year though. Barzal moved to the left wing spot, and throughout training camp was praised for the strength and utilization of his speed and his shot. If Barzal can pot 25+ goals along with his normal assist numbers, the first line should be very consistent. And this full season move to the wing is going to cause havoc for opposing defensemen, leading to more breakaways and likely more points for Barzal. At the center spot, Bo Horvat is expected to play very good as well. Getting an 8 Year extension before hitting the ice for the Islanders, Horvat is expected to be a 35+ goal two-way player. Barzal and Horvat if they produce how they are expected could be the driving force of this team. The newcomer to the top line? 2019 first rounder Simon Holmstrom. Holmstrom saw quality NHL minutes last year before a knee-to-knee injury sidelined him, and he was not the same for the rest of the season after that. In training camp, Holmstrom showed off a much improved shot, and I think he could be the perfect complimentary player to Barzal and Horvat. Holmstrom could provide 15+ goals and around 40-50 points whilst being an excellent defensive forward.

Second Line: Pierre Engvall-Brock Nelson-Kyle Palmieri

Dubbed the “Perfection Line” by some, the Islanders second like looks to continue its elite production over the course of a full season. Pierre Engvall signed a 7 year $21 Million contract in the off-season to remain on Long Island. Engvall, back when he was with Toronto potted 15+ goals in a bottom 6 role with less skilled forwards than he has now. Paired with Nelson and Palmieri, Engvall could be good for 20+ goals and around 50 points. Engvall has a very well rounded game, as he is a fantastic skater, and also a good defensive player and can slow down the pace of a game when needed. If we want to talk about breakout players, we need to talk about Brock Nelson. Nelson has recorded more than 35 goals in each of his last two seasons, including a career high point total last year with 75. Nelson is a stable scorer on that second line, and he has slowly emerged as one of the better goal scorers in the NHL. And his production can not go unnoticed. Without Nelson, the Islanders do not make the playoffs last season. Though he missed some time last season, Kyle Palmieri is projected to have a solid season with the Islanders. Though Palmieri has missed some time with injury over the last few years, when he is on the ice the impact is always there. Palmieri can always be relied upon, and he always shows up in the biggest of moments. Palmieri is a player who is very consistent when healthy, and that is a key for the Islanders this season.

Third Line: Anders Lee-JG Pageau-Hudson Fasching

This third line is not one that was expected heading into training camp, but I think this is the best third line the Isles could put out right now. Anders Lee, the Islander Captain has been a consistent offensive player. However that is going to have to change if he is to play with Pageau and Fasching, two great defensive forwards. Lee’s main knocks are his skating and defensive liabilities. If that can slightly change, this third line could be the Isles go to line to shut down an opposing top line. At the center spot, JG Pageau has been a fantastic player for the Islanders since his acquirement from the Ottawa Senators in 2020. Pageau along with being a solid offensive player and playmaker, is a great all around player. He is very good defensively and on the penalty kill, and he is a guy that you would want taking a faceoff at a big spot in a game. Pageau is a very impactful player on this team, and his presence was missed in the brief time he missed with injury last season. On the other side, Hudson Fasching was one of the best stories for the Islanders last season. Ever since his initial call-up with the Buffalo Sabres during the 2015-16 season, Fasching had never seen a season in which he played more than 11 games. Until last year, injuries opened up a roster spot and Fasching came up and proved he could be an NHL regular. His brightest moment? A late 3rd period goal against the Buffalo Sabres who he will face yet again on Saturday night. Fasching flashed some good offensive skills and playmaking in addition to being a great defensive forward. After signing a two-year contract to return, there is anticipation for Fasching to take another step forward.

Fourth Line: Matt Martin-Casey Cizikas-Cal Clutterbuck

A familiar sight for Islanders fans, the fourth line containing Martin, Cizikas, and Clutterbuck. For the better part of a decade, and besides Martin’s 18 month long vacation with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the “Identity Line” has been a huge part of what the Islanders have been able to accomplish. This line can give you essentially anything you want out of an NHL line besides consistent offense, which is okay given that they are only playing about 10-15 minutes a night. If it stays healthy, I believe this is their last year. As Martin and Clutterbuck are both pending UFAs after the season. The Islanders do have in-house solutions if any were to get hurt. The aforementioned Hudson Fasching, as well as free agent pickup Julien Gauthier. For this line, it is all about health. And we will see how it plays throughout the course of the season.

Defensemen Pair 1: Adam Pelech-Noah Dobson

This top pair of defensemen if going to be interesting to watch this season. As whenever we saw Dobson paired with Pelech last year, we always saw the best out of him. Though Dobson had some severe defensive shortcomings last season, he can make it up by being the quarterback of the first powerplay unit. Dobson is still young, only 23, still has plenty of room to improve into a great offensive defenseman. As Adam Pelech, he just needs to stay healthy. If he can stay healthy over the full season than the Islanders having nothing to worry about. Pelech is a very good defensive defenseman, and as long as he’s on the ice, this pairing should not be an issue for head coach Lane Lambert to run out every night.

Defensemen Pairing 2: Alexander Romanov-Ryan Pulock

Last season, we saw Romanov flourish in the second half when he got minutes with anybody besides Noah Dobson, that’s not a knock on Dobson, but playing with Pulock is a much better fit because of how they compliment each other. Romanov was brought in to be a puck moving defenseman, and there is a world where he can get to that point, but right now he’s still developing and playing next to Ryan Pulock should be very beneficial for him. As for Pulock, he’s been one of the Islanders most consistent players over the last few years, and he will be the quarterback of the second powerplay unit, should be a great opportunity for him to show off his elite shot while accumulating some points on the man advantage.

Defensemen Pairing 3: Sebastian Aho-Scott Mayfield

There is one word to describe this pairing: consistent. Last Year Aho had a breatout season and got a full seasons worth of playing time. And he showed his value on both ends. By the end of the season, Aho was quarterbacking the second power play unit and looked comfortable while doing it. If Aho can remain consistent, this pairing could be very good. As for Scott Mayfield, who signed a 7-year deal in the offseason to remain on Long Island, he just needs to do what he’s done for the last 7 years, play some solid hockey, and then come up big in the Playoffs. This 3rd pairing would probably be a first or a second pair on most teams, and that goes to show the good depth the Islanders have at this position.

Goaltending: Ilya Sorokin, Semyon Varlamov

The Islanders have what many consider to be not only the best starting goalie, but also the best duo. Sorokin is considered one of the best netminders in the world. Ever since coming over from Russia’s KHL in 2020, Sorokin has established himself as one of the best goalies in the world, which also earned him an 8-year extension which kicks in for the 2024-25 season. As for Varlamov, he re-signed in free agency on a 4 year deal, though 35 years old, he has been very effective in the games that he has played, this is probably the only area of this team that nobody has any worry about.

Season Storylines:

There are a few things to watch for this season. Mainly the Islanders power play success. Which ranked 30th in the NHL last season just ahead of the lowly Flyers and Ducks. If the Islanders power play can be average, this team should have zero issues making the playoffs, which I expect them to weather it be a top 3 division finish or a Wild Card spot.

I will also be very excited to see how the top line performs over a full season, Barzal and Horvat are very good compliments to each others games and if it hits, the Islanders are going to be scary. Because they would have the one thing those teams that went to the Eastern Conference Finals did not have. Scoring.

Lastly, where they finish in the standings. I have the Islanders finishing with a 46-26-10 Record finishing with 102 points, and third place in the Metro division. The Islanders have the best roster they have had in a while, and I am very excited for how it pans out.