The New York Islanders had a tough season in 2023-24, capped by a quick playoff exit at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes. Head Coach Patrick Roy came on board during the season and provided a spark that got the Islanders to the playoffs. The Islanders' offseason featured a big addition with Anthony Duclair. Team captain Anders Lee spoke at Da Beauty League reflecting on last season and looking ahead to next year.
“Last year we had a lot of ups and downs and a tumultuous season. I think that’s the exciting part, that we get to go after this thing again and start with some new faces. It’s a great opportunity.” Lee said to Jessi Pierce at NHL.com. “When Patty came in, he came in with an intensity and focus and an energy that was just really infectious throughout our group. I think we took that and ran with it, and now we get to start the season off with him in a fresh start. [We get] a full offseason for everyone to get settled in and for him to put us through camp and get us ready to go.”
The Islanders responded well to Patrick Roy's hiring, going 20-12-5 in the final 37 games. In the first 45 games under Lane Lambert, the team won 19 games. A full season under Roy and a big offseason acquisition set the Islanders up for another playoff appearance in 2024-25.
Islanders offseason recap
The New York Islanders needed to improve after the end of last season. They needed to finish the season on a nine-game point streak just to make the playoffs where they lost to the Hurricanes. A full season of Roy will certainly help but they needed to add reinforcements for 2024.
The one move the Islanders made when free agency opened was signing Anthony Duclair. The winger inked a four-year deal to join the Islanders and brings the goal-scoring the team needs. He scored 20 goals between the San Jose Sharks and Tampa Bay Lightning last season.
The Islanders did not get the offensive output out of Oliver Wahlstrom they hoped when they drafted him in the first round. Wahlstrom and the Islanders are headed to arbitration next week and his future is up in the air, according to Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. The team has tried to use him in a goal-scoring role but he has not thrived. Placing Duclair in his role will help the Islanders this season.
The biggest hope for the Islanders is that goaltender Ilya Sorokin returns to form. Sorokin posted his highest goals-against-average and lowest save percentage of his career in 2023-24. He lost his starting job to Semyon Varlamov, who soared down the stretch. Now, he starts a massive extension that makes him the fifth-highest-paid goalie in the league. In 2022-23, he finished second in Vezina trophy voting and fell to eighth last year. The Islanders will be successful if Sorokin gets back to form.
Anders Lee's quote should get Islanders fans excited. The team did not give fans much reason to be excited in the first half of the season last year. With their new coach and a new face in the forward unit, the Islanders are ready to compete in the Metropolitan Division.
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