Outside of this last season, the New York Islanders have been an incredibly competitive team in an extremely tight division. Since 2019, the Islanders have made the playoffs in each of the last four seasons and have made the Eastern Conference Finals twice in that span. Centered around a strong veteran roster but led by star Mathew Barzal, the Islanders can still look to be competitive. But there is just one problem. They didn’t really do much to make themselves more competitive by any means. The Islanders have plenty of cap space with $11 million to play with despite having some RFAs to sign. So what happened?
There was plenty of smoke, but no fire and just a bunch of mirrors. Many had believed due to high amounts of speculation that Nazem Kadri would be the perfect fit on Long Island. The money and the fit made total sense. Unfortunately for the Islanders, Kadri will not be joining the team, as he has reportedly agreed to a seven-year deal as of Thursday, August 18th, with the Calgary Flames. There were rumblings that the Islanders were interested in Kadri and even reports from credible places that he was offered a contract. The potential fit did make sense, too. General manager Lou Lamoriello had been mentioning and trying to hunt for talent to add to their offense. Instead, just like how the Islanders missed out on the Johnny Gaudreau sweepstakes, Kadri chose to sign elsewhere. Another potential free agent that could’ve played for the blue and orange, but ended up not signing. It’s a tough feeling that Islanders fans have become accustomed to, but shouldn’t have been starting a trend with a new arena and a competitive roster.
Kevin Weekes, an NHL analyst and insider, had hinted the Islanders were supposed to make some major moves this offseason. But outside of one move, none of that came to fruition. The Islanders’ NHL roster is still pretty much the same as it was when the disappointing 2021-2022 season came to an end. They only added young defenseman Alexander Romanov who came in a draft-day trade from the Montreal Canadiens. Romanov is a promising young two-way defenseman who improved his results a lot after the coaching change midseason. Romanov can provide solid results on both sides of the ice, with solid play in his own end but shines offensively. With smooth skating, poise, and the ability to make a good first pass, he brings underrated playmaking to the backend for the Islanders. Although he is a nice addition, especially with some of the talent they are looking forward to in their pipeline, Romanov nor the prospects the Islanders have that could step up can really make any marginal change. To be fair, the Islanders this season don’t have to rely on young players to make an immediate impact. But at some point, if they’re going to avoid a rebuild in a few years, they’re going to need some of these prospects who they currently have playing in either AHL Bridgeport, juniors, or abroad to get to the NHL soon and Show up.
Especially for a franchise actively in the hunt for a Stanley Cup.
The Islanders still have three NHL-caliber centers in Brock Nelson, Mathew Barzal, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Lou Lamoriello still has an opportunity to move some pieces around to try and find a high-quality asset to improve the offense that certainly would have been more potent. Adding a scorer to play on the wing with center Mathew Barzal would inject life into an offense that averaged 2.79 goals per game last season, which tied with the Buffalo Sabers for 22nd in the NHL. It is why they were so active to try and get Johnny Gaudreau and Nazem Kadri. With some salary to play with, they could add some low-cost free agents like Phil Kessel or Sonny Milano on shorter deals to add some extra scoring depth. But they still need a pivotal offensive talent to really turn the offense around.
The Islanders built themselves on a defensive identity. Even back when Trotz was still around. The Islanders are a defensive-oriented team that relies on steady goaltending to win hockey games. They still have a veteran roster and an experienced core that they’re trying to build around to chase a Stanley Cup, even after missing the playoffs last season. They are still fully in win-now mode. But that window will only be open for so long.
The Islanders are in a tricky situation coming out of last season and now this offseason. The sense of direction is a little more cloudy with the way information is relayed to the franchise and fans, while also not having a clear path for contention now. The firing of Barry Trotz and promotion of Lane Lambert left many shocked since Trotz was meant to be the proponent of the team’s success as he did when he arrived. Trotz being fired was a major shock to the system when it was announced. Trotz was the major reason the team was so successful in the previous three years and as one of the league’s best coaches it still leaves many scratching their heads. Now he’s gone. It’s easier for a team and fan base to feel confident when a plan or vision is apparent, but sadly that’s never the case with Lamoriello. Closed doors and lips sealed shut have been a staple of Lamoriello’s general manager style regardless of how successful the team is. And now with the team’s cap situation, there is definitely a major issue. Too many long-term deals for aging players who aren’t worth the money and that meant no room to improve the team with a big-time addition like Johnny Gaudreau. With all this in mind, we just have to wait and see what Lou Lamoriello and the front office will do to address the team’s needs and get them to where they need to be. Time is ticking and the team is not getting any younger.
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