Today is December 31st, 2019, the final day of the 2010s. There are many things that we can associate the 2010s with: the rise of social media (including the rise and fall of Vine), the term Millenials, superhero movies, memes, and some of sports greatest failures being turned around: the Chicago Cubs winning the 2016 World Series, Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals finally getting their first Stanley Cup, and Spain winning their first-ever World Cup.

Another thing that comes with the end of a decade is the “Decade in Review” articles, as well as the “Top (insert number here) (insert topic here) of the Decade” articles, and they come in many different forms. For instance, there are ranked lists, unranked lists, tiered lists, etc. For this article, I will not be ranking the Top 15 Players of the Decade for the Islanders, but I will be listing them off. The reason for that is so everyone can appreciate the decade that was for Islanders hockey and look forward to the decade ahead! In the comments below, you can debate the rankings of this group of players, if there are any other players you may include, or just share your lists!

*Note: All of their statistics will be from their Islanders career, from 2010-11 season, onwards.

Honorable Mentions:  Anthony Beauvillier, Jordan Eberle, Nikolay Kulemin, Ryan Strome, Casey Cizikas, Cal Clutterbuck, PA Parenteau, Thomas Hickey, Travis Hamonic, Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, Mark Streit, Robin Lehner

Forwards:

John Tavares: 2009-18
Accomplishments: Alternate Captian (2011-13), Captain (2013-18), Five-Time All-Star (2011-12, 2014-18), All-Rookie Team (2009-10), All-Star First Team (2014-15)
Statistics: 587 Games, 248-319-567, 285 PIM, -27
As expected, the first player that will be discussed is the captain, John Tavares. Tavares’ tenure in the blue and orange spanned the majority of the 2010s, aside from his rookie season. The boos will stop, eventually, and everyone will realize that Tavares is not only the best player of the decade for the Islanders but one of the best Islanders of all time. With 621 points, he is more than 100 points ahead of the second-highest scorer of the decade for the Isles, and he has done so with more than 100 games less than the man in second place. That man also makes the list, and he is a fan favorite that goes by the name of…

Josh Bailey: 2008-Present
Accomplishments: Alternate Captian (2018-present), All-Star (2017-18)
Statistics: 693 Games, 125-271-396, 193 PIM, -39
Josh Bailey. Is it not surprising that the once-disliked Bailey is on this list? He is the player to suit up in Islanders colors the most in the 2010s, and he is the only player that played every season this decade with the team. Bailey used to be considered a scapegoat of the Islanders early in the decade when he was a younger player, but he has evolved into a fan favorite the past few years. Bailey has had an elite second-half of the decade, known for countless secondary assists, marvelous overtime goals, and for revitalizing this.

Kyle Okposo: 2007-16
Accomplishments: Alternate Captian (2009-2016)
Statistics: 375 Games, 100-173-273, 238 PIM, -35
The next former Islander to be featured is a player that had one of the best fights of the decade for the Islanders, but more importantly, he produced night in and night out, especially in the playoffs. Kyle Okposo is one of the most important players of the decade for the Islanders, putting up first-line numbers during his time here. Okposo has had a tough time staying healthy since he signed with the Buffalo Sabres, dealing with multiple concussions and other injuries that have made it hard for him to produce at the level that the Sabres expected when they signed him. Okposo will always be remembered as one of the most clutch players to wear the blue and orange.

Brock Nelson: 2012-present
Statistics: 517 Games, 137-133-270, 191 PIM, +7
Returning to the current Islander squad, we now will focus on Brock Nelson. Nelson has spent his entire career to date with the Islanders, making his debut in the 2012-13 Playoffs, and since then, he has been a regular on the squad. He ranks fifth in games and sixth in points and has been a staple in the top six over the past few years, especially during his breakout season last year that allowed for him to get his brand new contract last offseason. Also, Brocktober is a thing, and it has spread to the locker room.

Frans Nielsen: 2006-2016
Accomplishments: Alternate Captian (2010-11, 2013-16)
Statistics: 440 Games, 95-178-273, 88 PIM, -5
One of the best Danes in NHL history, Frans Nielsen was consistently the best defensive forward for the Islanders during his tenure with the team. Number 51 set a standard for what it was to be a third-line center that had to fill the job on the second-line since there was no set second-line center on the team. Nielsen left the same offseason as Okposo, signing a six-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings, and despite his lack of production, he has still shown to be the veteran leader a team needs during a rebuilding year. The Great Dane will always be a fan favorite on Long Island.

Anders Lee: 2012-present
Accomplishments: Captian (2018-present), Rookie of the Month (2014-15)
Statistics: 462 Games, 163-117-280, 291 PIM, +16
When Anders Lee was named captain, nobody expected it since the new Islanders brass said that it was highly likely that the Islanders would not have a captain in the year following the departure of John Tavares. Well, they made the right choice. Lee ranks seventh in games played and third in points during the decade despite only becoming a regular in 2014-15. His impact on the Islanders and in the community stretches much further than what he shows on the ice. For example, the Anders Lee Kancer Jam has become a well-known fundraiser around the league, and it has now become much more with Lee even doing a joint fundraiser with Kevin Shattenkirk last year. Lee signed a seven-year deal this past offseason and will continue to wear the “C” and the number 27 during his tenure with the Islanders.

Matt Moulson: 2009-15
Statistics: 222 Games, 88-87-175, 40 PIM, -9
After being acquired by the Islanders prior to the 2009-10 season, Matt Moulson spent the majority of his four years on Long Island playing on Tavares’ left-wing. Moulson was a dominant force on the first line, averaging almost .8 points per game in the blue and orange and becoming a fan favorite. Obviously, the way Moulson went out was not the way we expected, being traded in the Thomas Vanek trade, which definitely did not work out for the Islanders. Despite that, Moulson was one of the most dominant Islanders of the early 2010s.

Mathew Barzal: 2016-present
Accomplishments: Rookie of the Month (2017-18), All-Rookie Team (2017-18), Calder Trophy Winner (2017-18), Two-Time All-Star (2018-20),
Statistics: 203 Games, 56-124-180, 106 PIM, +4
The youngest player on the list, Mathew Barzal is one of the league’s budding superstars. “The kid who won the Calder” spent the first year of his career with Tavares and thrived, but has had to show that he is not reliant on other players when Tavares left the Islanders. After putting up 85 points in his rookie season, his totals dropped slightly in his sophomore campaign, but not enough to trademark it a “sophomore slump”. He is on slightly below a point per game pace this season but is still on pace for his second-straight all-star appearance and a big payday this offseason as he is a restricted free agent.

Michael Grabner: 2010-2015
Accomplishments: Rookie of the Month (2010-11), All-Rookie Team (2010-11)
Statistics: 297 Games, 90-54-144, 50 PIM, -7
Michael Grabner had an interesting route to the Island. The Vancouver Canucks traded him to Florida during the 2010 offseason, and then Florida waived him prior to the season, and the Islanders claimed him. The speedy Austrian winger spent five seasons in the middle-six for the Islanders and produced when he needed to. He should have won the Calder in 2010-11 and had an injury-plagued end of his Islanders tenure in 2014-15, but since then, he has resurrected his career with the Maple Leafs, Rangers, Devils, and Coyotes. The short-handed monster was one of the most dynamic players of the decade for the Islanders.

Matt Martin: 2009-16, 2018-present
Accomplishments: NHL Hits Leader (2011-2016)
Statistics: 525 Games, 51-53-104, 719 PIM, -39
You cannot make a list of the best players of the 2010s for the Islanders without including at least one member of the Identity Line. In this case, let’s include the player who has the third-most games played this decade for the team behind Bailey and Tavares, and lead the league in hits for a span of five seasons. Despite his two-year hiatus with the Maple Leafs, Matt Martin will go down as one of the most passionate players in the team’s history. There has been a change in his game this year, only being sent to the box once for a minor, and despite his role on the ice diminishing, his role in the locker room is growing.

Defenseman:

Nick Leddy: 2014-present
Statistics: 431 Games, 43-164-207, 99 PIM, -33
The first of two defensemen the Islanders acquired on October 4th, 2014, Nick Leddy has been everything that the Islanders could have asked for, if not more. Leddy ranks third in games played this decade for a defenseman, first in points, and this season, he became the sixth defenseman to record 200 points as a New York Islander. Despite his green-jacket -42 in the 2016-17 season, he has been solid defensively during his time as an Islander and will be known as one of the better offensive defensemen the Islanders have had in recent memory. One more thing that Leddy has going for him is

Johnny Boychuk: 2014-present
Statistics: 376 Games, 35-95-130, 131 PIM, +48
Johnny Boychuk. The elder statesman of the two defensemen the Islanders acquired on that day, Boychuk has been a steady, two-way defenseman since he joined the Islanders on the same day that Leddy did. Boychuk has dealt with multiple injuries the past few seasons, but when he is on the ice, he has made an impact on both sides of the ice. His +49 rating is the best for an Islanders defenseman this decade and it is 14 better than the second-highest plus-minus which is Thomas Hickey. Boychuk is a leader, on and off the ice, and is now wearing the “A” that is traditionally worn by Cal Clutterbuck, who is currently sidelined indefinitely following wrist surgery.

Calvin de Haan: 2011-2018
Statistics: 304 Games, 12-69-81, 118 PIM, +26
Calvin de Haan was a strong presence on the second pair during his time with the Islanders, traditionally playing next to Travis Hamonic. de Haan was known for being a strong shot-blocker, which lead to the tendency for him to get injured. His Islanders tenure ended with one of those injuries, blocking a shot against the Los Angeles Kings that resulted in a season-ending injury. The Islanders chose not to bring him back, so he signed with Carolina, who then dealt him to Chicago, where he is now out for the rest of the season after having shoulder surgery. de Haan was always underappreciated for the work he put in during his time on the Island, but the CarpLad is one of the best defensemen of the 2010s for the Islanders.

Goaltenders:

Thomas Greiss: 2015-present
Accomplishments: William M. Jennings Trophy (2018-19)
Statistics: 96-58-13, 2.68 GAA, .916 SV%, 10 SO
What many people do not realize about Thomas Greiss is that he has been an Islander for half the decade. Greiss is now in his fifth season with the New York Islanders, and he has the most wins out of any goalie this decade with 96 and has the second-most shutouts with ten. One other notable thing Greiss did was lead the Islanders to their first playoff series victory in 23 years, and he did it in dominating fashion. Greiss has made some amazing saves with the Islanders over his five years, and there has not been a night where the “Greiss-er!” chant hasn’t been yelled during a Greiss start. Thomas Greiss is easily the best goaltender of the decade for the Islanders, and they may have never won the playoff series without him.

Jaroslav Halak: 2014-18
Accomplishments: All-Star (2014-15)
Statistics: 88-65-19, 2.69 GAA, .913 SV%, 12 SO
The second goaltender that is on the list is a goalie that launched himself towards the top of some of the Islanders’ record boards during his time in the blue and orange. Jaroslav Halak introduced himself to Islanders fans with his spectacular 2014-15 campaign which put him atop the Islanders single-season wins leaderboard with 38, along with being one shy of Chico Resch’s single-season shutouts record: Halak had six, while Resch had seven. Obviously, Halak got screwed over a little bit halfway through his four-year deal with the introduction of the three-goalie system featuring himself, Greiss, and J.F. Berube, and the result of that was Halak getting waived and sent to Bridgeport. Aside from that, Islanders fans can appreciate what the Slovak did for the team in the four seasons he was here, and he has dominated with Boston the past two seasons since he departed.

Do you agree with the players listed? Do you have any different opinions? Leave a comment below!
Thank you, everyone, for a great 2019, and make sure to keep following what is going on with the website and on both Instagram accounts, @drive4five and @fight4first! Happy New Year!

SEF