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The New York Islanders didn't have the best time last year. While they did make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, New York faced some adversity getting there. And in the playoffs, the Islanders could not overcome their first-round opponent. They lost to the Carolina Hurricanes, ending their season prematurely.
For the most part, the Islanders are unchanged from last season. They dipped their toes in the market, especially on the trade front. New York had an interest in winger Alex DeBrincat, for example, before DeBrincat was traded to the Detroit Red Wings.
The Islanders kick off their preseason campaign on Tuesday. And it's quite the matchup, as they'll face their intrastate rival New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. On October 14, the Islanders begin their regular season at home against another intrastate rival in the Buffalo Sabres.
Before all of that, though, it's time to take a bit of a bird's eye view of this team. This is a complete 2023-24 NHL season preview for the New York Islanders ahead of their preseason opener.
Running it back
As mentioned earlier, the Islanders are largely unchanged from last season. In fact, they added just two players this summer — Julien Gauthier and Karson Kuhlman. They also lost two players in Josh Bailey and, as of now, Zach Parise. This creates quite an interesting projection for New York.
On one hand, this team should have no issues understanding the system the coaching staff has put in place. And the coaching staff knows who needs to take a step and who is already excelling. On the other hand, unless drastic improvement comes from within, the team isn't better than they were last season.
So the emphasis for the Islanders and their coaching staff has to be on internal player development. If this group plays the way they did last season, the team could miss the playoffs altogether. And if that happens, changes must be made next summer.
Defensive decline?
New York, as with many Lou Lamoriello teams, are known for their defensive structure. And during most of Lamoriello's time on Long Island, this has proven true. However, this past season saw the team play a bit below their standard level.
Sure, the team had some exceptional metrics. In fact, the team ranked fifth in goals against per game. That said, the team's defense wasn't entirely responsible for that. New York ranked 19th in 5v5 expected goals against per 60 a year ago. Their goals against numbers are more of a reflection of the play of star netminder Ilya Sorokin.
The Islanders certainly weren't bad defensively, but they'll need to be better. That will also have to come through internal player development. Especially given that neither Gauthier nor Kuhlman are exactly known for their defensive prowess. It'll be interesting to see how New York fares defensively this upcoming season.
Expectations high for Barzal, Horvat
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The Islanders made a major trade back in January to acquire Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks. After the trade, they awarded the 28-year-old forward with an eight-year, $68 million contract extension. However, the initial return on investment wasn't great, as Horvat scored just seven goals and 16 points in 30 games. Furthermore, he scored just two points in six playoff games.
This season, the pressure has to be on for Horvat. His shiny new extension is officially kicking in, meaning he is due $8.5 million for the next eight years. He certainly isn't alone in this, either. Mat Barzal is making north of $9 million this season, and yet he posted just 51 points this past season.
Both of these players are being paid like superstars. There's certainly nothing wrong with a player producing 50 points a season, but those are contributions to expect from someone making $5 million. Horvat and Barzal are making up 21.2% of New York's cap this season. There's no two ways about it: these two need to step up their games this season if they don't want to end up as an albatross down the line.
Roster bubble candidates
Outside of Gauthier and Kuhlman, who were signed as depth pieces, there is one other forward to keep an eye on in terms of the roster bubble. Hudson Fasching played 49 games last season and chipped in 10 goals. However, the 28-year-old faces increased competition for a bottom-six role this upcoming season.
Defenseman Sebastian Aho finds himself on the roster bubble, as well. The team has a younger, more promising option in Samuel Bolduc who will compete for a third-line role during the preseason. Aho has some NHL experience under his belt and is a solid player when he is on the ice. He could certainly retain his spot in the starting lineup, but it won't be an easy feat to accomplish.
Final roster projection
Forwards: Anders Lee, Mat Barzal, Bo Horvat, Pierre Engvall, Brock Nelson, Kyle Palmieri, Oliver Wahlstrom, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Hudson Fasching, Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas, Cal Clutterbuck
Defensemen: Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, Alexander Romanov, Noah Dobson, Scott Mayfield, Samuel Bolduc
Goalies: Ilya Sorokin, Semyon Varlamov
