New York Islanders season preview
It seems that every team around them got better, but the New York Islanders are essentially the same exact team that they were in 2022-23. This team will be competitive, but they don’t pose much of a threat. Ilya Sorokin put this group on his back last season, and they will go as far as he takes them, but I think the Islanders may miss out on the playoffs.
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Offense
The Islanders struggle most with scoring goals, especially on the man advantage. New York finished with the third-worst power play in the entire NHL (15.8%), and as a whole, this team was averaging less than three goals per game. A full season with Bo Horvat could help the Islanders, but he didn’t necessarily tear it up once he got to Long Island (7 G, 9 A, 30 GP). Mathew Barzal missed some time due to injury last season, so that didn’t help their case, but the Islanders need more from him if they want to be considered elite. The Islanders’ offensive ceiling is the middle of the pack in the league.
Defense
Thankfully for the Islanders, their defense hasn’t really been an issue, but there is certainly room for improvement. With that said, they didn’t do anything this offseason to strengthen their blue line, so this core is going to rely on Sorokin to bail them out most of the time. New York had the fifth-best goals against per game in the NHL (2.65) and the ninth-best penalty kill (82.2%), but those impressive numbers are mostly thanks to Sorokin. This group allowed the sixth most high-danger chances per 60 (13.42), so there is a ton of cleaning up to do.
Goaltending
The Islanders might have the best goaltending tandem in the NHL with Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov. Sorokin handles most of the work as he got 60 starts last season, but Varlamov had a strong showing in the 22 games in which he got the nod. He earned 11 wins and skated to a .913 save percentage with a 2.70 goals-against average. The success of this team lies in the goaltenders.
Player To Watch – F Ilya Sorokin
Sorokin has played himself into the conversation for the best goalie in the NHL. He was a Vezina Trophy finalist last season as he skated to a .924 save percentage with 2.34 goals against average while having a league’s third-best +38.7 goals saved above expected. Sorokin has a ton of pressure on him going into this season because this team’s destiny falls on his shoulders, but it appears that he doesn’t crumble under pressure. Taking Sorokin to win the Vezina could be a very safe bet.
Outlook
As of right now, the Islanders are favored to miss the playoffs at -130 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Not many people have faith in this group, and for good reason. Unless Sorokin is inhuman, I don’t see this team reaching the postseason.
