New York Islanders 2022 Winter Olympics Projections
Friday was a big day for the NHL. The league, in collaboration with the NHL Players’ Association, announced an agreement with the International Ice Hockey Federation that will allow players to represent their respective countries in Beijing at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. So, which players on the Islanders have the best shot of heading to the Olympics?
Let’s go over the options below!
Richard Panik
I bet you were not expecting Panik to top this list. However, the newest Islander will most likely be suiting up for Team Slovakia, a squad that has not missed the Olympics since splitting from Czechoslovakia. They finished fourth in Vancouver’s 2010 Olympics, but 11th in the last two Games.
Panik was traded from the Capitals to the Red Wings in April and from the Red Wings to the Islanders in July. The 30-year-old had four goals and nine assists in 48 games this season – 36 with the Capitals and 12 with the Red Wings.
Mathew Barzal
The best player on the Islanders has a legitimate shot to make Team Canada at the 2022 Olympics, where he could be joining Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon in a star-studded lineup that will be favored to take home the gold.
Barzal scored 45 points in 55 games last season, the 16th highest total amongst Canadian forwards in the NHL. His generational skating abilities should help the powerhouse squad and be enough to earn him a spot, however, anything can happen.
Semyon Varlamov
Andrei Vasilevskiy will be the starting goalie for The Russian Olympic Committee, but behind him, the competition is wide open.
Currently, Varlamov will likely be the backup – over Igor Shesterkin and Sergei Bobrovsky – after two successful seasons with the Islanders. His .914 save percentage in 2019-20 and .929 save percentage in 2021 have led his team to consecutive NHL semifinal appearances.
Adam Pelech
People are starting to notice that perhaps the best defensive defenseman in hockey plays on Long Island and his last name is Pelech. His rise to the top of the NHL world should be enough to earn him a spot at the Olympics for Team Canada.
Pelech is in the 97th percentile in Wins Above Replacement and the 99th percentile in even-strength defensive WAR since the start of the 2018-19 season, according to TopDownHockey. He has ranked second on the team in total ice-time in the 49 postseason games the Islanders have played in over the last three seasons.
Anders Lee
The captain of the Islanders may have trouble making Team USA at the Olympics. Lee, as well as fellow Islanders forward Brock Nelson, could come up just short when head coach Mike Sullivan is deciding who will make the trip to Beijing in 2022.
Lee tallied 12 goals and nine assists last year before suffering a season-ending injury. He is expected to be ready for the beginning of next season.
