How the Islanders Can Revive Their Championship Window
The New York Islanders’ first half of the season came to a merciful close on Wednesday, falling to the expansion Seattle Kraken. Despite facing one of the worst teams in hockey with subpar goaltending, New York only mustered 19 shots and zero goals in a 3-0 defeat. After the loss, organizational morale hit a season-low, with coach Barry Trotz calling it the worst game they’ve played under his watch.
The Islanders’ playoff chances are in serious doubt. The Islanders can re-tool, however, if they play their cards right.
The Trade Deadline
Barring a miracle, the Islanders will likely be sellers this season. However, most of the Islanders’ contracts are undesirable. Anders Lee carries a $7 million dollar cap hit and Kyle Palmieri, Josh Bailey, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau each carry $5 million cap hits. The Islanders will likely have to give up additional assets for teams to take on any of their big contacts. Scott Mayfield is a desirable target, considering his $1.45 million cap hit. But the Islanders may want to keep Mayfield around, considering how good he’s been in Ryan Pulock’s absence. They might not have a choice, though.
Despite the big contracts at the top, they have a few rental pieces they can leverage. At forward, Cal Clutterbuck and Zach Parise each have expiring contracts this offseason. They can add grit and experience to a team looking to fill a bottom-six role. Zdeno Chara and Andy Greene can provide experience as a seventh defenseman.
The returns for any of them may not be too much — maybe a mid/late-round pick — but for a team looking to retool for the future, some draft picks are better than losing the player for nothing. However, teams might be seriously interested in Semyon Varlamov. His name has been in trade rumors for a while now, as he’s still a capable 1B on a contender. Moving Varlamov would yield a solid return and would designate Ilya Sorokin as the starting goalie.
Free Agency
If the Islanders are still serious about keeping their championship window open after they shed some salary at the deadline and over the summer, they’ll have to be buyers during free agency.
Their main issue entering this year was scoring, and the headliners on the market can easily help. Johnny Gaudreau and Filip Forsberg are the two marquee forwards available this summer, and the other names are nothing to scoff at either. Andre Burakovsky, Joe Pavelski, and Phil Kessel aren’t too far behind, but Burakovsky may be the ideal player for a team looking to get younger. Add in middle six options Reilly Smith and David Perron, and some fresh blood for the top six is more than available for a retool.
The Islanders will also need to address their defense with Chara and Greene’s contracts up. Some of the big names on that front are Kraken captain Mark Giordano, Hampus Lindholm, and former Islander Nick Leddy. If the Islanders want to keep their championship window open, they should make every effort to sign at least one forward and defenseman from this group.
Future Pieces
Forward Simon Holmstrom and defenseman Samuel Bolduc are two key pieces of the Bridgeport Islanders. Bolduc has had a down year with injuries, but both players have been on Trotz’s radar since training camp. In goal, Jakub Skarek has enjoyed a fine year between the pipes with a 12-8-5 record, 2.76 goals-against average, and a .911 save percentage. In fact, his efforts earned him AHL Goalie of the Month honors for January with a 5-0-2 record, 1.98 goals against average, and .935 save percentage.
Beyond the AHL, the Islanders have their share of talent. William Dufour is a key name to watch, as he is enjoying a 25 goal, 50 point season in just 30 games thus far with the St. John Sea Dogs. In Europe, Ruslan Iskhakov and Eetu Liukas are each enjoying fine seasons, too. However, the major piece abroad is Aatu Raty, enjoying a nice run after joining Jukurit in Finland. While the estimated arrival for these prospects is tough to gauge on international ice, it is encouraging to see the Islanders have some potential pieces for the future.
The Islanders’ plans for the future are fairly uncertain. There may not be a strong market for the Islanders to sell players, and the returns will likely not be much. Also, the team will have to spend lots of money to persuade quality free agents to come to Long Island. However, despite this season’s uncertainty, there is a chance for the Islanders to revive their championship window next year.
Even if the Islanders can’t land major pieces, injecting an aging lineup with youth can provide a jolt. Oliver Wahlstrom and Dobson have provided results, so adding more youth can give some speed and skill to the lineup. Add a free agent or two and the Islanders’ lineup will look better next fall than it does today. This year may have been a setback for the Islanders, but a little bit of roster tweaking can get the Islanders back on their feet next season.
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.
