The New York Islanders are heading into their first full season with head coach Patrick Roy. The offseason additions of Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov should add more goals to the Islanders' attack. Ilya Sorokin leads the Islanders' goaltending, which should be one of the best units in the league. Last year, those groups struggled which led to a rocky start and an unfortunate ending. Those lead the biggest concerns heading into the 2024-25 season.
The Islanders need a vintage season from Ilya Sorokin
The team is built around their star goaltender Ilya Sorokin. He came to North America at 25 years old and immediately became one of the best goalies in the league. Sorokin finished in the top six in Vezina Trophy voting in his second and third seasons, was a second-team All-Star, and signed a massive contract extension before the 2023-24 season began.
He then put together his worst season of his career in 2023-24. In 56 starts, he put up his worst save percentage, goals-against average, and goals saved above expected. By the end of the season, Semyon Varlamov became the starting goalie and took that role into the playoffs.
The concern is that Sorokin continues to be the 2023 version of himself as opposed to the prior years. If Sorokin continues to put up the numbers he did a year ago, the Islanders do not have a Stanley Cup window. Even though those numbers were above average and it landed him an eighth-place finish in Vezina voting, he needs to be better.
Scoring numbers must increase with new additions
The Islanders ranked 22nd in goals per game in 2023-24. Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin combined for 11 goals in 139 games and have not re-signed with the team. Replacing their roster spots with Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov should increase that ranking.
Goal scoring has been a problem for the Islanders for the entire Lou Lamoriello era. The Islanders have not finished higher than 20th on the goals-per-game leaderboard since the 2017-18 season, the last before Lamoriello and Barry Trotz were hired. Oliver Wahlstrom, Derrick Brassard, Anthony Beauvillier, and many other wingers have been given the opportunity but have not been able to crack the code.
Duclair will be a fantastic addition to the top line. His speed combined with Barzal's speed on the other wing and Bo Horvat's stellar play in the middle will make a great top line. Tsyplakov is the biggest question mark on the team and fans should be concerned that he will not add to the scoring punch.
Will the Islanders' defenseman revert to Trotz levels?
On the flip side, the Islanders have been known for defense in the Lamoriello era. Last season, they did not live up to that reputation. They allowed the 13th most goals in the league in 2023-24 which caused the firing of Lane Lambert and necessitated a winning streak to make the playoffs.
Part of that stat comes from Sorokin's struggles, but that's not the entire reason. The defenseman struggled to provide the same value as they did in the peak Trotz seasons. Adam Pelech developed into one of the best defenders in the league under Trotz but could not provide the same value last year. He posted a minus rating for the first time since 2017 and missed 24 games due to injury.
Pelech is not the only one who needs to be healthy and productive. Scott Mayfield underwent season-ending surgery after a tough start and Ryan Pulock posted his lowest assist total since 2018. This core is locked up long-term and for a lot of money. The team cannot afford to find a new top-shelf defenseman with their current cap situation and needs these players to step up.
The Islanders have two concerns that they did not have going into last year. The play of Ilya Sorokin and the defensive core was not a problem under Barry Trotz but fell apart under Lane Lambert. With Patrick Roy now in the fold for an entire season, both of those problems should be fixed and set the Islanders up for another deep playoff run.
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