The days are getting colder. The sun is setting earlier. Hockey season is almost here, and the New York Islanders have a lot of roster questions to answer before the puck drops at UBS Arena on Thursday.

Will Ilya Sorokin be healthy? Who will be the seventh defenseman? Will Matt Martin make the team? Is Oliver Wahlstrom’s time on Long Island coming to an end?

While nobody knows for sure what the roster will look like when the dust settles next week, here is my prediction for what the lineup will look like on opening night.

Forwards:

Anthony Duclair—Bo Horvat—Mathew Barzal
Maxim Tsyplakov—Brock Nelson—Kyle Palmieri
Anders Lee—Jean-Gabriel Pageau—Simon Holmstrom
Kyle MacLean—Casey Cizikas—Julien Gauthier
Extras: Matt Martin, Pierre Engvall

Lou Lamoriello has a lot of tough decisions to make before the regular season gets underway, but perhaps his most pressing matter is deciding which forwards will round out the roster.

Hudson Fasching is dealing with a lower-body injury and has been skating on his own. After a breakout first season on Long Island, he was less impactful last year, and his roster spot is in jeopardy. It is unlikely he would be claimed on waivers, so I think Fasching starting the season on injured reserve or in Bridgeport is likely.

Matt Martin, who is attending training camp on a professional tryout offer, is a prime candidate to take Fasching’s spot. While many fans would likely prefer to see a younger player make the team over a 35-year-old, Martin is the only true enforcer currently in the organization. Considering how loyal Lamoriello is to his guys, don’t be surprised to see Martin at UBS Arena on Thursday.

Julien Gauthier is another player on the bubble, but he has shown enough in camp to earn a spot on this team. Gauthier was surprisingly waived in February and spent the second half of the season in Bridgeport. But he is an NHL player. He has elite speed, good hands and adds a dynamic element to the bottom-six. Not only do I think he will make the team, but I believe he will be in the opening night lineup ahead of Pierre Engvall.

Engvall signed a seven-year, $21 million contract extension last July, a deal that was probably five or six years too long. Entering his third season on Long Island — he was acquired from the Maple Leafs prior to the 2023 deadline — it is clear that Engvall has a lot of work to do if he wants to play every night. There is a good chance the speedy winger starts the year on the bench, and that is what I think will happen.

With Engvall, Gauthier and Martin rounding out the forward core, that leaves out Oliver Wahlstrom. The 24-year-old has had some great moments on Long Island — his beatdown of Tony DeAngelo stands out — and he is clearly beloved by his teammates. But he has never been able to earn the trust of his head coach, whether that is Barry Trotz, Lane Lambert or Patrick Roy.

During the offseason, Lamoriello said he was not going to give Wahlstrom away for free, but there are not really any other options. It is very unlikely another team will trade for him.

Lamoriello might try to waive the 2018 first-round pick just before the season when other teams have finalized their rosters, in hopes that he does not get claimed. But either way, don’t expect Wahlstrom to be playing many games for the Islanders this season.

Defensemen:

Alexander Romanov-Noah Dobson
Adam Pelech-Ryan Pulock
Mike Reilly-Scott Mayfield
Extra: Samuel Bolduc

There is much less controversy on the back end. The top-six is set, and the only debate is who will be the seventh defenseman.

Grant Hutton has gotten a lot of playing time this preseason, but Samuel Bolduc is six years younger, has appeared in 33 more NHL games and has a higher potential.

Lamoriello and Roy probably hope Bolduc and Hutton do not need to see the ice much this season. And if everyone stays healthy, that should be the case.

Alexander Romanov and Noah Dobson are quickly emerging as one of the most underrated back end duos in hockey. Ryan Pulock said last week that he and Adam Pelech “briefly spoke about getting [their] swagger back,” something that would do wonders for the Islanders. Mike Reilly is returning on a one-year deal to play with Scott Mayfield, who is healthy after getting ankle surgery earlier this year.

The defense is not perfect for the Islanders. But Roy does not need perfect — he just needs good.

Goaltenders:

Semyon Varlamov
Marcus Hogberg

There is a big name missing from training camp, and that is of course Ilya Sorokin.

Eyebrows were raised last month when Elliotte Friedman speculated on his podcast that Sorokin was “battling something.” A few days later, Lamoriello told the media that Sorokin suffered an upper-body injury over the summer and could miss “could miss a day or two” of training camp. Then, Roy inadvertently revealed to the media at a charity golf outing that Sorokin underwent offseason back surgery.

Sorokin has not skated with his teammates at camp and appears to be dealing with a pretty serious situation. While I have no inside information, I think it is very reasonable to assume that Sorokin starts the year on long-term injured reserve. This would explain Lamoriello coming into camp over the salary cap and would give Sorokin ample time to recover from his procedure.

Back injuries are no joke, and there is not one player, coach or fan who would be upset if Sorokin makes sure he is 100% healthy before returning to game action.

With Semyon Varlamov coming off one of the best seasons of his career and Marcus Hogberg returning to North America to serve as the team’s third goalie, the Islanders are in good shape to survive a short absence by Sorokin.

Featured image courtesy of Danny Wild/Imagn Images

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