As the Islanders have endured a tailspin in the homestretch of the 2021 NHL season, things have become concerning in the organization. Questions are emerging if they can truly compete with Washington, Pittsburgh or Boston in the first round. The big deadline adds in Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac have not lived up to the billing, the big stars have gone quiet and the team’s playoff positioning has slipped. However, along with on-ice concerns, some issues behind the bench have existed with Barry Trotz and his coaching staff, primarily concerns of overcoaching.

After adding the aforementioned players, Trotz has needed to make some difficult decisions with his lineup down the stretch. However, despite some controversial moves to bench or play certain players, they have not worked out as the offense has sputtered. Also, the team has looked deflated with very little attention to detail in game, leaving the goaltending out to dry at points. Although Trotz leads a very disciplined system, he hasn’t been able to figure out the team’s issues, and the Islanders’ playoff positioning is falling down the stretch.

However, with this issues, it may seem like Barry Trotz may be coaching too much to solve the Islanders’ issues. The main area to see this idea is in their lineup. With the arrivals of Palmieri and Zajac, the question mark was where they will fit into the puzzle. However, the two haven’t been able to find a consistent home, as they have been juggled around the lineup to find some kind of momentum. Zajac, so far, has been almost everywhere in the forward core, including playing Mathew Barzal’s wing, being a third line winger, or even sitting in the press box. Palmieri, although billed to be the Anders Lee replacement, never got to Barzal’s line consistently, being moved around regularly in the middle-six.

In addition, the roster questions have also extended to the players that were here before. A primary example has been Oliver Wahlstrom’s role as of late. The Islanders’ rookie has enjoyed a breakout campaign with significant strides on offense and two-way play, but he had cooled off before the home stretch. However, despite being a vital piece to their offense this season, Trotz has used that stretch to discipline his young player by making him sit in the press box.

The issue with sitting Wahlstrom isn’t the fact that he is a rookie. He is only 20 and will continue to improve, but what surprises many is he is scratched for Leo Komarov. Komarov, 34, is simply not a top-line player at this stage in his career.

A similar issue exists with defenseman Noah Dobson, as well. Although he has the tendency to make mistakes and turnovers, he is still a young defenseman with room to grow down the line. However, Trotz has occasionally made the decision to bench him for Braydon Coburn, a guy who is good for depth, but not a regular role. Add further roster shaking every game in order to find the lineup that works, a lack in adjusting the power-play style, and a few games where the Islanders look out of sync, and Trotz may be doing too much to fix the issues.

Barry Trotz can’t make overcoaching part of his plan. He needs to let the players that got them to this point play and not micromanage the roster unless things go awry.

Matthew Page

I am a first year student at Hofstra University and an avid Islanders fan. I have been writing for Drive4Five since March 2020. My family has been season ticket holders for the team since 2016, and hockey is my favorite sport. As I expand my knowledge in the field of Journalism, I am writing to express my love for the Islanders and the NHL.