Five Reasons Why Islanders Will Make 2023 NHL Playoffs
The Islanders missed the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but that doesn’t mean that will be the case in 2023.
Earlier this month, I listed five reasons why the Islanders missed the 2022 NHL playoffs. Here are five ways the Islanders make it back next season.
5. Continue Late-Season Success
The Islanders were a different team in 2022 than they were in late-2021. The team was 7-4-0 in January, 5-5-2 in February, 10-6-1 in March and 5-3-0 in the first half of April (the Islanders lost six of their last eight games of the season). That .594 points percentage is something the Islanders can certainly build on.
Even though Islanders fans didn’t want to believe it, they were out of the playoff race by the end of November. A poor start is incredibly hard to recover from. Starting next season strong will be crucial. The team proved it can win. With some tweaks to the roster and a new head coach galvanizing the roster, the Islanders can definitely make its way back.
4. Find a Partner for Noah Dobson
I think that this should be a higher priority than signing/trading for an elite goal-scorer. Dobson, who scored 50 points in his first full NHL season, only has room to grow. Finding a puck-moving, left-handed defenseman who can play beside him would do wonders for the team. That player would finally replace Nick Leddy, who the Islanders were clearly missing this season.
In the shortened 2021 season, the Islanders had 426 points from defensemen. That was 12th best in the league. This year, they dropped to 20th. Finding a defenseman who can drive offense will help the team’s offense rebound from an awful year.
The Islanders can bring Leddy back this summer. He’s more familiar with the team than other potential targets, which a new head coach would likely appreciate.
Looking at the trade market, there are some teams in cap crunches that might be inclined to sell. Matt Grzelcyk, Nicolas Hague and Gustav Forsling are names that stand out. Mark Giordano, Nikita Zadorov and Ben Chariot are free agent options that might fit.
3. Improve Goal Scoring
The Islanders’ forwards have to be better than they were this year. Kyle Palmieri, Oliver Wahlstrom and Anthony Beauvillier all could’ve and should’ve been 20-goal scorers. Unless the Islanders are convinced they’ll rebound, they need to bring outside help.
The two main free agent targets to solve this problem are Filip Forsberg and Johnny Gaudreau. Hopefully, the Islanders can land one of these gems, but it’s far from guaranteed.
The Islanders are hoping what they saw from “forget the first half” Palmieri wasn’t a fluke. 14 of his 15 goals came on or after Feb. 20. They also have to hope that Wahlstrom takes another step in his development (more on that next). Realistically, however, the team’s cumulative play throughout the season showed they need at least some outside help. Even a depth signing — someone who can be a lock for 15 goals in a middle-six role — should help.
2. Young Guns Step Up
Wahlstrom and Keiffer Bellows were disappointing this year. Putting Trotz’s questionable coaching tactics aside, fans expected them to produce much more than they did, even in limited roles. Wahlstrom got his chance to play with Mathew Barzal and hardly produced anything on the scoresheet. Bellows was streaky, but couldn’t earn a consistent spot in the lineup.
That will have to change next year if the Islanders want to get back to the playoffs. The team is old, and without significant changes, it’s not getting any younger. It only has about two more years left in its Stanley Cup window, and some would say that’s a generous estimate.
Wahlstrom needs at least 45 points next season, and Bellows should pot roughly 30. Not to mention, Beauvillier needs a rebound season of his own. Maybe Aatu Raty and Robin Salo prove during their AHL playoff run that they’re ready to make the jump to the NHL, too. Zdeno Chara, Andy Greene, Matt Martin, Kyle Palmieri and Josh Bailey were all veterans that held the team back this year. The Islanders need some productive young blood — quickly.
1. Continued Dominance in Goal
This was the Islanders’ main strength this season, and that’s what could propel the Isles into the playoffs next year.
The Isles’ goaltending prowess started when Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss won the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2018-19. Semyon Varlamov continued the Isles’ success in net from 2019 to 2021. Now it’s Ilya Sorokin’s turn.
Sorokin had the fourth-best goals against average (2.40), second-best save percentage (.925), and second-most shutouts (seven) in the NHL this season. That’s impressive considering his team didn’t make the playoffs and finished with a -6 goal differential. Sorokin will have to replicate, and even improve on, those numbers next season.
Semyon Varlamov will also have to rebound into a reliable backup. His 17 losses hurt the team this season. Hopefully, a full offseason to train and recover will help him.
The Islanders’ consistent success in goal over the past four seasons should give them confidence that the team is an offensive jolt and one defenseman away from returning to the playoffs.
Born and raised on Long Island. Isles fan since 2009. Studying journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park.
