In many ways, this feels like the last ride for this current iteration of the New York Islanders. This is a team that's been chasing the high of nearly reaching the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back playoff runs for two seasons now. Since that 2021 Stanley Cup semifinals loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Islanders have changed coaches, handed the reins to an all-world netminder, and…not much else, really.

Failing to build on last season's one-and-done postseason appearance will raise serious questions about the Islanders' identity and ceiling moving forward. GM Lou Lamoriello has demonstrated an ability to keep this roster's core together — without a deep playoff run in 2023-24, it will be prudent to ask if that's wise roster building.

Let us now sim the 2023-24 NHL season in our mind and tell you what happened in the Isles' world. Here are four bold Islanders predictions for the upcoming season.

4. Bo Horvat hits the 40-goal mark 

Bo Horvat's career-high in goals is the 38 he scored last season — he potted 31 with the Vancouver Canucks and seven with the Isles after his January trade. The center was showing impressive chemistry with Mat Barzal until the latter suffered a knee injury in late February that forced him to miss the team's final 24 regular-season games. With Barzal out, Horvat slumped the rest of the way.

Now, Horvat and Barzal will get training camp to work together before the regular seasons starts. If they build on what looked like a good thing in a small sample last season, Horvat should have a career year.

Bonus prediction: playing on Horvat's wing will return Barzal to the 70-point club, a figure he hasn't hit since his first full NHL season in 2017-18.

3. Presenting 20-goal scorer Pierre Engvall

There were plenty of snickers when the Islanders inked Engvall to a seven-year contract this offseason. Seems like a lot for a guy who has topped out at 17 goals and 35 points in his best NHL seasons.

But much like Horvat, a full offseason should help Engvall. Unlike Horvat, Engvall's first season with the Islanders was overall successful. The winger played well on a line with Kyle Palmieri centered by Brock Nelson. Engvall scored five goals in just 18 games with the Islanders, an impressive rate. If this line picks up where it left off last season, Engvall's individual numbers will benefit.

2. Ilya Sorokin captures his first Vezina Trophy

Not bold enough? Sorokin's Vezina win is a foregone conclusion for many who follow the NHL, but correctly predicting who will win an award that's announced in June is tough enough. The Russian goalie has lived up to the hype for the Islanders so far, finishing sixth in Vezina voting in his first full season as a starter and placing second last year.

Sorokin led the NHL in shutouts (six) in the 2022-23 season in 62 games, and had the league's third-best save percentage. Sure, he is aided by the Islanders' defensive-minded system, but make no mistake: Sorokin is a superstar. Now it's time for the hardware to match.

1. Islanders miss the playoffs

It was pretty optimistic up until now, wasn't it Islanders fans? But sadly, we'll end on a downer. This prediction is born from a feeling of stagnation around this team. It feels like each season, the NHL gets faster and more uptempo and the Islanders plod along. Head coach Lane Lambert has opened the offense up a bit since taking over for Barry Trotz, but it still feels like the Isles don't have the speed or nearly enough scoring to be real contenders.

The power play was a mess last season. No significant reinforcements were brought in this offseason, so all progress must come from players already on the roster. This team barely qualified for the playoffs, but are largely running it back, while other teams in their division take big swings to raise their ceilings. And the prospect pool is unimpressive to boot.

There is too much pressure on internal candidates to raise their games, there is too much pressure on Sorokin to steal them wins, and it just feels like “stay the course” is a strategy that should've been 86'd by now. Failure to qualify for the playoffs this season might be a wake-up call for the organization's future. Maybe that's the silver lining in all of this.