The New York Islanders have had 561 players don the blue and orange in the regular season over the franchise’s 47 seasons. The numbers on these players’ backs have been ingrained in the memories of fans. The question now is, who was the best to wear each number? I have answered that question in this series inspired by the NHL’s “Who Wore It Best” series. Starting from the top, the Islanders have never had a player wear 97-99 so our list begins at 96. Unlisted Islanders numbers have never been worn.

96: Pierre-Marc Bouchard 2013-14

The highest number worn by a blue and orange player was done so by one man for 28 games in the 2013-14 season. After 10 seasons in Minnesota, the former eighth overall pick was signed by the Islanders as part of John Tavares’ revolving door of wingers. He split time between Long Island and Bridgeport, putting up nine points in 28 games with the big club in his final NHL season.

94: Ryan Smyth 2007

A deadline acquisition from Edmonton in 2007, Ryan Smyth helped the Islanders reach the playoffs in dramatic fashion. He finished the regular season with 15 points in 18 regular-season games with New York plus four points in five playoff games. Smyth refused to re-sign after the season and left for Colorado, leaving that season the only one with a 94 on the back on an Islanders jersey. Luckily, neither of the two players or first-round pick made a significant impact with the Oilers.

93: Doug Weight 2008-11

Before coaching the Islanders, Doug Weight was the only player to wear 93 and a captain. After signing as a part of the 2008 free-agent class, Weight notched 64 points in 107 games over three seasons before announcing his retirement in 2011. He won the King Clancy Trophy after his final campaign.

92: Vladimir Malakhov 1994-95

After changing his number from 23 prior to the 1993-94 season, Malakhov posted 16 points in 26 games before being traded to Montreal as a part of the trade the shipped Pierre Turgeon out and brought in Kirk Muller, Mathieu Schneider and Craig Darby. He had a long NHL career, winning the Stanley Cup in 2000 with the Devils.

91: John Tavares 2009-2018

First-overall pick, captain and face of the franchise for a decade, John Tavares almost single-handedly brought the Islanders to relevancy. He finished as a Hart Trophy finalist twice and scored big goals, including to end the Islanders’ 23-years playoff series win drought. Despite how fans may feel about him, Tavares will forever be an iconic Islander and one of the best to ever don the blue and orange.
However, this is no disrespect to Butch Goring, the player with his number 91 in the rafters. While Goring was impactful and a big reason why the Islanders won four Stanley Cups, Tavares was a slightly better player.

89: Mike Comrie 2007-09

New York was one of six stops in Comrie’s ten-year NHL career. He played 117 games with the Islanders after signing as a free agent in 2007. Comrie put up 69 points before a February 2009 trade sent him to Ottawa.

88: Brandon Davidson 2018

Acquired from Edmonton for a 2019 third-round pick in February of 2018, Davidson only played for 15 games as an Islander. He had a goal and an assist before signing with Chicago as a free agent the next season. He was the first, and only, 88 in Islanders history.

86: Nikolai Kulemin 2014-18

Best remembered for scoring the game-winning goal in the last game at Nassau Coliseum before it closed the first time, Kulemin was loved by Islander fans for his personality. The only 86 in team history played in 248 games over four seasons with 79 points before leaving for Russia in 2018.

84: Mikhail Grabovski 2014-16

Kulemin’s fellow Russian best friend, Grabovski also had a charisma that stole Islanders fans’ hearts. His career was unfortunately derailed due to concussions and New York made a trade with Vegas with the condition to pick him in the expansion draft. His 109 games and 44 points are the only by an Islander wearing 84.

82: Martin Straka 1996

Out of his 954 career NHL games, Straka spent 22 as a member of the Islanders. Acquired as a piece in the trade that sent Wade Redden to Ottawa, Straka grabbed 12 points with the Islanders before being placed on waivers less than two months later. He was claimed by the Panthers, ending the only run by an Islander wearing the number 82.

81: Miroslav Satan 2005-08

Satan was productive in the three seasons with the Islanders. He put up 166 points in 243 games before leaving as a free-agent to win a Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh. Most notably, he scored the game-tying and game-winning goals in Al Arbour’s final game against those Penguins in November of 2007.

80: Kevin Weekes 1999-00

One of three goaltenders to play for the Islanders, Rangers and Devils, Weekes had a short stint on the Island but was a part of two massive deals. After being a part of the deal the saw Felix Potvin head west to Vancouver, Weekes played in 36 games posting a .902 save percentage and 3.51 goals-against average. The only 80 in Islanders’ history was part of a haul that included four total draft picks including the first-round pick in 2000 used to select Raffi Torres.

79: Alexei Yashin 2001-07

Acquired in exchange for Bill Muckalt, Zdeno Chara and the first-round pick used to select Jason Spezza, Yashin was a captain for the Islanders during his tenure. Over his five turtlenecked seasons, he put up 290 points in 346 games before leaving for Russia although his 10-year,  $63,997,944 contract remained on the books through the 2014-15 season after a buyout in 2007.

77: Pierre Turgeon 1991-95

The biggest what-if in Islanders history surrounds Pierre Turgeon. After sealing the Washington Capitals’ fate in the first round of the 1993 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Turgeon was blindsided by Dale Hunter while celebrating, causing him to separate his shoulder and miss the entire second round, in which the Islanders upset the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins, and part of the conference finals where he, not at 100%, couldn’t lead the Islanders past Montreal. He had 340 points in 255 games after being acquired in the Pat LaFontaine deal but Islanders fans will always wonder what could have been in 1993 had Turgeon not been cheap-shotted. He was sent to the Canadiens late in the 1994-95 season in the aforementioned Kirk Muller trade.

75: Brett Lindros 1994-95

The only 75 in team history was the ninth overall pick in the 1994 NHL Draft. He played 51 games over two seasons, amassing seven points, before, tragically, losing his career to a concussion in November of 1995.

72: Anthony Beauvillier 2016-18

Beauvillier wore 72 in his first two seasons in the NHL before switching to 18 when Lou Lamoriello came to town. He put up 60 points in 137 games with his original number and narrowly beat out Mathieu Schneider for this spot.

71: Mark Katic 2011

The only 71 in team history had an uneventful 11-game NHL career amassing just one assist late in the 2010-11 season. He left for Germany in 2012.

John Smark