Throughout the entirety of the 2019-2020 NHL season, the New York Islanders have been one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league. While this would normally be a major concern, the Islanders have largely been able to maintain their elite defensive play and exceptional goaltending from last season making the problem seem less serious then it may be on other teams. Recently, however, the Islanders’ defense has been totally exposed by teams that are closer to the bottom of the league, such as the Ducks, Blackhawks, Predators, and Blue Jackets. If the Islanders seek to truly compete for a Stanley Cup this season and into the future, they must figure out their scoring troubles and start winning more games by multiple goals.
One major issue with regards to the scoring problem that hasn’t been brought up much is the disappearance of production from players like Josh Bailey and Jordan Eberle.

Eberle, who was signed to a five-year, $27.5 million contract during the offseason, was expected to be one of the team’s top point producers. Instead, Eberle has regressed significantly with only three goals and 14 assists in 28 games. While Eberle has the excuse of missing time with an injury, his production needs to pick up sooner than later.
Bailey, who had 16 goals and 40 assists last season, and was second on the team in points, has arguably regressed more than Eberle. Bailey sits at eight goals and 15 assists on the season thus far, making him on pace for significantly fewer points than previous years. Bailey must step up and start producing more immediately. Having the second-most points on the team last season, to having the fifth so far this season has been a major any team-wide production.
Even with multiple players having down years, the Islanders still have been able to win, but winning 2-1 or 3-2 every game isn’t going to cut it in April and May. If the Islanders truly want to compete for and win the Stanley Cup, it is time for Lou Lamoriello to finally step up and make a trade. It is clear that the Islanders lack any major scoring aside from Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson. For instance, a team like the Boston Bruins has three players with more goals then Barzal, our leading scorer. In my opinion, Lou should target players like Mike Hoffman or Chris Kreider. Hoffman is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and maybe a little easier to acquire than Kreider, who is also a UFA at the end of the year but is on the Rangers.

While both of these players haven’t exactly had the best seasons of their lives, Barry Trotz and the Islanders coaching staff has shown time and time again they have the ability to bring production back to almost any player, even Valtteri Filppula, so don’t be surprised if any acquisition the Islanders make this year could do the same.

David Lazar