The 2021-22 season for the New York Islanders was a forgettable one. Coming off the Stanley Cup Playoff Semi-Finals loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Islanders had something to prove last year. They needed to prove that they weren’t a fluke, weren’t a circumstance of shortened seasons, and prove they had what it takes to get to the Stanley Cup Finals and reach the top of the mountain for the first time in 39 years.
They did the exact opposite, missing the playoffs for the first time in four seasons under head coach Barry Trotz.
There is plenty of room to speculate about the Islander’s shortcomings. You can point fingers at a 13-game road trip to begin the season or two separate COVID-19-related outbreaks, and you can go as far as saying that General Manager Lou Lamoriello standing pat at the trade deadline was the decisive dagger. The fact at the end of the day was that despite the circumstance, the Islanders didn’t get the job done.
The summer was not friendly to the orange and blue either. The Islanders would trade their 13th overall pick to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defensemen Alexander Romanov and their only large-scale move through the summer. Lamoriello would also lose out on free agents such as Johnny Gaudreau, who signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Nazem Kadri, who signed with the Calgary Flames. Oh, and he missed every other UFA as well, quite literally. The only UFA signing Lamoriello would make this summer was signing KHL forward Nikita Soshnikov to a one-year deal. Soshnikov comes in with previous NHL experience from the Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues while also having AHL experience with the Toronto Marlies and San Antonio Rampage. Additionally, on October 4th, Lamoriello would like up pending RFA Mathew Barzal to an 8-year, $73.2 million contract extension through the 2030-31 season and $9.15M AAV.
So, with the lack of offseason additions, what do the Islanders need to do to get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Here are the five keys to the Islander’s success in 2022-23
photo credit: Bruce Bennett – Getty Images
- Special Teams
The Islander’s special team’s units haven’t been overly disappointing, but they haven’t been the greatest. The penalty kill has far and away been their brightest spot, finishing 4th in the NHL last year. Though they had a 21.7% success rate on the power play, that number will need to increase for the Islanders to progress.
photo credit: Dennis Schneidler – USA Today Sports
2. The Kids
Players such as Oliver Wahlstrom and Kieffer Bellows desperately need everyday playing time and a sense of stability within the lineup. Wahlstrom was consistently getting third-line minutes, whereas Bellows consistently found his way to the press box. Defenseman Noah Dobson has proven to be one of, if not the best defenseman on the roster, so there isn’t much to worry about from him. As per the roster reveal on Monday, Robin Salo has cracked the lineup as the 6th defenseman, with Aho being the 7th. We got a glimpse of Salo and what he is capable of during the Islander’s COVID woes last season, so it will be interesting to see him on a full-time basis alongside Scott Mayfield, who is expected to be ready to go for Thursday’s opener.
photo credit: Associated Press
3. Lane Lambert
After being named the head coach, Lane Lambert went out of his way to make it known he wanted the kids to get playing time. He backed this up by letting Aatu Raty and William Dufour head back to Bridgeport and giving Zach Parise the minutes. Yes, I understand we aren’t just going to send Parise to Bridgeport. But there is no reason for Parise to get playing time over young and upcoming talent, especially after saying that the likes of Raty and Dufour are “closer than expected” to the NHL. Lambert and Co. believe they have the roster capable of getting the job done, so all we can do is hope he is right.
photo credit: Brad Penner, USA Today Sports
4. Mat Barzal
It’s safe to say that Barzal has been, well, underwhelming for the last number of seasons. His best season came from his rookie year, putting up 85 points (22G, 63A) and not having more than 62 points in a season since then. $9.15M is a lot to offer a player coming off a 59-point campaign, but it is undoubtedly safe to say that we know what he can be capable of, and we hope this investment will pay off the stretch. One would expect that Barzal would become more of a “shoot first” player, as it is hard to argue that he boasts one of the most dangerous shots in the game today. Combine that shot with his speed, and Barzal could become that 40-goal scorer Islander fans are desperate for him to become.
photo credit: Jacob Beekman
5. Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov
The goaltending for the Islanders has been the literal glue of the foundation for the franchise since the “new regime” stepped in. Sorokin and Varlamov are without question the least of anyone’s concerns going into the 2022-23 campaign, but they will be a tremendous hand in how far this team can go. Sorokin is coming off a 26-18-8 season that saw him with a 2.40 Goals Against Average, and a .925 save percentage should be expected to carry a heavier weight compared to the 52 appearances made last season, as it is clear he is the true number one for the Islanders moving forward to the distant future. As long as this goaltending tandem can keep the Islanders in those close games, the orange and blue can be headed for a run into the playoffs.
