hockey

New York Islanders: Predicting the 3 big RFA contracts

by
Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders

The New York Islanders have to re-sign their “big 3,” and they need to be re-signed soon. This “big 3” will not be a cheap resign. Each of those three players is crucial to the Islanders’ success now and in the future. The deals will most likely be completed soon. No one has any idea what the negotiation status for all three players currently is because Lou Lamoriello doesn’t let anything slip. But, for the sake of argument, let’s imagine what these deals would look like.

Three potentially big RFA contracts for the New York Islanders:

Mat Barzal

The franchise player, the golden boy, the fastest player in the NHL. Mat Barzal deserves a hefty contract right now due to his recent play. Do I think Barzal could be playing better? Definitely, but he’s only 23 years old, which is scary. I think this deal will be a bridge deal. What do I mean by this? A bridge deal is almost like a “prove that you deserve all our money” deal. So, instead of a 7-8 year deal, I believe it will be a 3-4 year deal. So, when the deal is over, Barzal can cash in on big money. Right now, due to cap concerns, the Isles can’t throw all their money at Barzal. But, Barzal knows this by now and will take a discount to help the team win. Final deal: 4 years, $8 million.

Ryan Pulock

The best defender needs a new contract, and he earned big money. The fact that Pulock isn’t an all-star is absolutely mindblowing. Ryan Pulock deserves at least $5.5 million. But, Pulock will probably get more than that. I think Pulock will get around 5-6 years. No reason to let Pulock possibly leave in 3 years. Isles must sign their best defender for a long time. Final deal: 6 years, $6.5 million.

Devon Toews

The Islanders have a growing star here in Devon Toews, and they need to lock him up for a little while longer. Toews doesn’t deserve big money yet, but he has earned a decent contract. I’m thinking around $3.5-$4 million, and that’s a little generous. The number of years will be around 4. I think it’s a solid bet that Toews’ deal will get done first. Final deal: 4 years, $3.5 million.

New York Islanders: Predicting the Qualifying Offers

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New York Islanders, Devon Toews

New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello has recently stated that 1 or 2 players won’t receive a qualifying offer. The Islanders currently have ten restricted free agents. And for the sake of simplicity, I’ll say Mat Barzal, Devon Toews, and Ryan Pulock will all get a qualifying offer. Lou Lamoriello has also said that Joshua Ho-Sang has already received a qualifying offer.

So, with that all being said, out of the six remaining RFA’s, who will the Isles keep?

Resigned

Without a doubt in my mind, Sebastian Aho will receive a qualifying offer. Firstly, he got pulled up for the playoffs. Secondly, he has decent trade value, could be able to move Ladd with Aho in the trade. Grant Hutton will also receive a qualifying offer. Lamoriello likes him, and it’s his decision.

Next is Mitchell Vande Sompel, he has to be brought back. He’s been with the Tigers for three years, and his passing is exquisite. Cannot let Vande Sompel leave without compensation. Finally, I have Parker Wotherspoon edging out Kyle Burroughs. There’s one simple reason for this, Wotherspoon is more offensive-minded than Burroughs. This league is becoming an offensive defenseman heavy league. The Isles could have another one if they just make one correct move.

Released

I see Lamoriello releasing the other two RFA’s on the team. First is Kyle Burroughs. He’ll probably find his way onto another AHL team, but he won’t return to Bridgeport. There are too many players that are better than him, no reason to keep onto more depth. Linus Soderstrom is the other player who will not receive a qualifying offer from Mr. Lamoriello. A 4th round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Soderstrom hasn’t reached expectations. Now with Ilya Sorokin being the goalie of the future. And Christopher Gibson surpassed him. And Jakub Skarek is developing correctly. So, keeping Soderstrom is not necessary.

New York Islanders: Matchup Analysis with Tampa

by
New York Islanders, Johnny Boychuk

The New York Islanders are in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 27 years. That means for Islander fans who are between the ages of 1-27, this is the most exciting moment of your lives. It’s by far the best team they’ve put on the ice since the dynasty. Also, this team has the best coach the NHL has seen since the dynasty. I mean, if you match up this year’s team and the dynasty’s team, there’s a lot of parallels. But, the Islanders aren’t playing against the dynasty teams; they’re playing Tampa Bay. The Tampa Bay Lightning is an up and down team for sure. Many years with deep runs, early exits after being the best team in the regular season, and one year ended with them just missing out on glory. How well do the Islanders match up with Tampa?

Forwards

I believe that Tampa is more talented on the forward side of the spectrum. Tampa has forwards like Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, and Yianni Gourde. This Tampa forward group is insanely gifted and can put up a bunch of points, but are they better together than the Islanders?

Yes, I’m talking about chemistry, something that every team needs to win. The Islanders’ second and fourth lines have the best chemistry I’ve ever seen. Tampa is currently missing their best centerman, Steven Stamkos, but that hasn’t stopped them from gelling as a group. Long time players like Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat have kept the chemistry in check. I think this could go down the middle, but talent-wise the Lightning are the better forward group.

Defenseman

I don’t care if the other team has Roman Josi, Victor Hedman, Drew Doughty, and John Carlson; the Islanders are a better defensive team. Especially when the Islanders defenseman is jumping up, they’re dangerous. On the other hand, the Lightning defenseman jumps up too often. And the Islanders have the speed to make the Lightning pay. If Anthony Beauvillier gets through a defensive pinch, it’s a 90% chance that’s a goal. The Lightning have more known names in their defensive group, but names don’t mean anything in the Playoffs.

Goalies

Andrei Vasilevskiy, that’s really all there is to it. He’s been one of the best goalies of the 2010s. When he’s on fire, there’s not much you can do. And the Islanders are somehow cycling through goalies, and they’re in the final four. It shows you the power of Barry Trotz.

New York Islanders: Simon Holmstrom on Loan

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New York Islanders, Simon Holmstrom

The New York Islanders selected forward, Simon Holmstrom, with the 23rd pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. It was a controversial pick, as most thought he’d fall to the second round. But, he was injured for most of 2018 with hip surgery, a broken thumb, and a concussion. Holmstrom recorded decent stats in the SuperElit Hockey league. Most recently, Holmstrom scored seven goals and had 13 assists in 21 games for HV71 in 2018. Holmstrom would play for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers this year and record eight goals and seven assists in 46 games. As of today, Holmstrom has been put on loan to Vita Hasten in the Swedish league.

Loaned off

Simon Holmstrom was by far the youngest player on the Sound Tigers at just 18 years of age. Due to COVID-19, the AHL season wasn’t supposed to start until December 4th. Loaning off Holmstrom to Sweden, whose season starts September 11th, gives Holmstrom more of a chance to develop quicker. Head coach Barry Trotz calls Holmstrom “a really intelligent kid.” Barry Trotz also gave Holmstrom an extended look during training camp earlier this year. And AHL head coach Brent Thompson talks about how excited he is to coach Holmstrom in the future. Holmstrom is on loan for now, but the Islanders can choose to recall him soon.

Learning Curve

Simon Holmstrom has a long way to go before he cracks the NHL roster, but he’s on the right track right now. Not too many players come in as a late first-round draft pick and play immediately. There’s a learning curve for all NHL players, and Holmstrom is experiencing this curve right now. The AHL is not some league for only developers; the AHL is a league full of veterans, young, good prospects, and up-and-down NHL players. Holmstrom will have to find his footing in the Swedish league on more time before coming back over.

The Future

The future is very bright for the first-round pick. The Islanders have the best coach in Hockey, and really good assistant coaches like Lane Lambert. If Holmstrom listens to his coaches and follows the system, he will be a mainstay in the NHL for a long time. I predict 18 goals and 12 assists for Holmstrom in the Swedish league. Although he’s not a tremendous goal scorer, he makes a ton of smart decisions in the neutral zone. Holmstrom won’t score 30 goals, but he’ll create good offense for the rest of his line. Heads up Islanders fans, the winger you’ve all been clamoring for may be coming soon.

New York Islanders: Greiss or Varlamov for Game 3?

by
Thomas Greiss, New York Islanders

The New York Islanders have a real lineup decision for the first time in 5 months. Should Semyon Varlamov or Thomas Greiss get the start in the net? Varlamov got blown up in game 2 but has been solid during the bubble. Greiss is the fresher goalie, even though he just fought off 20+ shots in game 2. This decision is the biggest decision Barry Trotz has had to make in his entire tenure with the Islanders. Game 3 is a gamechanger in many ways. Whoever wins not only takes a 2-1 lead in the series but rolls with tons of momentum into game 4. Who’s the better choice to lead the Isles to a 2-1 series lead?

Why Semyon Varlamov Should Start

Semyon Varlamov is one of the best goalies in all of the bubble. If you take away this game, he had a 1.50 GAA with a .941 save percentage. Sadly, you can’t just forget about a game like this. Varlamov was beaten stick side three times and put the team in a hole very early on. Even though he had a bad game, Varlamov left the game around 6-7 minutes into the game, so he’s a fresh body for game 3. Varlamov is most likely ready to go back out there and show that his past performances weren’t flukes. The team and the fans respect and feel comfortable when “Varly” is in the net.

Why Thomas Greiss Should Start

Thomas Greiss was nothing short of excellent today, even though the Islanders came up short. Greiss’ only mistake of the game, wasn’t even his fault, it bounced off Anders Lee and sadly went in. Greiss is also a fresh body, even though he just played basically a full game. Thomas Greiss is a veteran goalie with a ton of playoff experience. There’s no reason for Greiss not to play other than Varlamov being the more talented goalie.

Conclusion

Whoever Barry Trotz chooses, the team must deliver tomorrow. There is no excuse to lose to the Flyers. The Islanders have and will continue to be the better team.

New York Islanders: Did Losing Game 4 Benefit the Islanders?

by
New York Islanders

Last year the New York Islanders got swept by the Carolina Hurricanes after sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Islanders were a game away from sweeping the Capitals this year. If the Isles won game 4, they would be the first team to officially make the second round. The first round is still going on, it either ends today or on Sunday. Rest is the enemy of a team that’s hot. The Islanders would’ve had at least five days of rest in between rounds if they swept. Isles fans saw how sloppy the team was after their elongated rest. I believe the Islanders will benefit from winning in 5 games.

The Benefits

This Islanders team is hot right now. Hotter than they’ve been in a while. For the first time in years, the Islanders are finally cup contenders. Players like Anthony Beauvillier, Josh Bailey, and Semyon Varlamov are on fire. Beauvillier has six goals and three assists during the playoffs.

Josh Bailey has recorded two goals and eight assists during the playoffs. These are some impressive performances for some unsung heroes. Speaking of unsung heroes, Semyon Varlamov is boasting a 1.59 GAA, and a .935 save percentage and most recently pitched a shutout. These players will continue to stay hot. Players like Anders Lee, Jordan Eberle, and Mat Barzal will be able to find their rhythm. The Islanders need that first line to get hot. There’s a ton of benefits to lack of rest.

The Negatives

This team isn’t currently beaten up. Cal Clutterbuck is the only Islander with a confirmed injury, and he was a game-time decision yesterday. Just because there isn’t a confirmed injury doesn’t mean everyone is 100%. The playoffs are tough on everyone, especially the old bodies like Andy Greene. The Islanders will only have around three days to rest and recover. It’s not a long time, but it’s not a short time either. Three days should be enough for everyone to get healthy and ready to eliminate the Flyers/Bruins.

Conclusion

The Islanders will benefit from losing game 4. They still have enough time to rest and recover, but they haven’t been off the ice long enough to lose their hot streak.

New York Islanders: 3 Keys to Win Game 5

by
Alex Ovechkin

The New York Islanders will play the Washington Capitals on Thursday in game 5 of the series. The Islanders are just coming off of a game 4 to forget. Other than the first 10 minutes of the first period, the Capitals dominated the Islanders. The Islanders weren’t getting shots on net; they were taking bad penalties, and not converting on the power play as per usual. If the Isles want to put the series to bed now, rather than give the Capitals hope, they need to accomplish three important tasks.

Covering Ovechkin

If you take away Ovechkin from this series, the Capitals would only have four goals and would’ve been swept already. There’s something so simple, yet difficult in covering one guy. Especially on the power play, the Isles cannot leave Ovechkin open. All Ovechkin ever does is go to the left faceoff circle and take a one-timer. I don’t care if your name is Carey Price, or Darcy Kuemper, or in this case, Semyon Varlamov, you cannot stop every shot from Ovechkin. Also, if there’s a 2v1 opportunity for the Capitals with Ovechkin, the defensemen must cover Ovie. Everyone would rather see Ovie pass to Tom Wilson and Varlamov make a stop, then Ovie ripping a wrister from 15 feet out.

Converting on the Power Play

The New York Islanders power play is one of the worst I’ve ever seen. How can you possibly go 1/19 on the power play in this series alone?  The Islanders are averaging around five power plays per game, and only converting on .052% of them.

Something must change in either the personnel or just the system of the power play. If Tom Wilson is going to board Scott Mayfield and almost destroy his collarbone, the Isles have to make the Caps pay for it. There’s no reason why this power play shouldn’t work either. There’s talent everywhere, Ryan Pulock can take a booming slapshot from the point. Jordan Eberle can walk in on any defender and go backhand to the toy department. Anders Lee can tap in basically anything, as long as he doesn’t fall. Mat Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier can split the defenders on entries, Pageau and Nelson can win any faceoff. The list goes on and on. There is no excuse for the power play not to score.

Staying Disciplined

The Islanders cannot allow the Capitals to get power-play chances.

New York Islanders: The Two most Important Players to the Playoff Run

by
J.G. Pageau, New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are up 2-1 over the Florida Panthers for two reasons right now. These two players have shown how unstoppable they can be. They’ve demonstrated excellent skating, outstanding forechecking, the ability to get pucks on the net, and score. They aren’t the players you’re thinking of, though. It is not Jordan Eberle or Matt Martin. I’m talking about Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anthony Beauvillier.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau

Jean-Gabriel Pageau has been the best player out of both teams in this series. He is by far the best deadline pick up by any team in the NHL. Pageau does so much more than just score. Pageau pesters the opposing team in the offensive/neutral zone and creates opportunities for other players. He also goes right into the slot even though he’s normally the smallest guy on the ice. Pageau is one of the only players on the Islanders that looks like he wants to score. Pageau also brings feisty energy to the hard-hitting Islanders team. Brian Boyle is around 8 inches taller than Pageau, yet Pageau was willing to laugh in his face and throw a fake punch. Pageau is the best player on the Islanders currently, and it could be that way for a long time.

Anthony Beauvillier

Anthony Beauvillier is the second fastest skater on the Islanders. I need to see him and Mat Barzal race. Nevermind that, but the way Beauvillier has progressed after the 4-month layoff is insane. Beauvillier used to be unreliable, and it looked like he would never reach his potential. Out of nowhere, Anthony Beauvillier explodes out and becomes one of the most impactful players on the ice. His forechecking and his chip and chase game is unmatched. Beauvillier also tries to get the puck on net more, and that only means that other players get to score off his rebounds. He’s the most dangerous player on the Islanders powerplay, which is either good or bad depending on how you look at it. Beauvillier has really come into his own during the playoffs.

Conclusion

If the Islanders didn’t have Beauvillier or Pageau, they wouldn’t be up in the series right now. Almost every impactful play has come from one of the two players. The Islanders should be thanking their stars for these players.

New York Islanders: 3 Players who Surprised against the Rangers

by
Derick Brassard, New York Islanders

The New York Islanders beat the New York Rangers 2-1 last night in an exhibition match. The two teams have been off for four months, and some players like Adam Pelech have missed even more time. Obviously, with such a long layoff, there was some expected sloppiness in both team’s play. Despite this, the Islanders played Islanders’ hockey and controlled mostly the entire game. There were three players in particular who looked like they missed zero time at all, and surprised every Islander fan.

Three New York Islanders’ players who stood out:

Derick Brassard

Derick Brassard was a solid winger on the 2nd line at the beginning of the year and fell off near the end of it. Brassard looked like a changed man out there. His energy was at an all-time high; he was making good passes at the right time, and created chances for other players. Brassard can bring veteran leadership to the playoffs, not like the Islanders need that though; they’re the oldest team in the playoffs. I’m excited to see what Brassard can do on Saturday.

Noah Dobson

Noah Dobson had the best performance of his life last night, too bad the game was somewhat meaningless. Dobson was brilliant on his own end last night. I compared his play this season to a defenseman that cared more about playing offense than defense. Dobson proved me wrong last night, he disrupted the Rangers’ energy completely and was solid on the boards. Barry Trotz will have a hard decision of whether to play Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk or Noah Dobson and Adam Greene on Saturday.

Seymon Varlamov

Seymon Varlamov stood on his head last night. I’ve never seen Varlamov play so well in his entire life. He didn’t let up so many rebounds, he was fast from pipe to pipe, and he had that fantastic three-shot kick save. I’m usually very nervous when the other team gets a clean shot on Varly, but that just wasn’t the case last night. Varly stopped everything in his way. Varlamov will obviously get the nod on Saturday.

Conclusion

The New York Islanders looked amazing against the Rangers last night. This was just an exhibition game, so don’t look too far into the result, even though the Islanders won. The Islanders have a big test on Saturday, the Panthers may not be an elite team, but you cannot rule out any team. The real test will be the players dealing with the pressure that the play-ins bring.

New York Islanders: Is Time Running out for Cal Clutterbuck?

by
New York Islanders, Cal Clutterbuck

Cal Clutterbuck was traded to the New York Islanders on June 30th, 2013, for a 3rd round pick and Nino Niederreiter. For the last seven years, Islander fans have watched Clutterbuck become a staple of the best 4th line in the league. But, his glory days are fully behind him now. Clutterbuck isn’t the hard-hitting instigator who can snipe the toy department in crunch time that he used to be. Clutterbuck was injured most of this year with an unfortunate skate laceration to the wrist, and that won’t affect my judgment of his play. I just don’t see the real Clutterbuck anymore. I believe this is the end of the road for #15 on the island.

Salary Cap Issues

The Islanders are in some serious need of cap space relief. General manager Lou Lamoriello has to make some serious moves to retain stars like Mat Barzal, Ryan Pulock, Devon Toews, Ilya Sorokin, and Adam Pelech. Clutterbuck made 3.5 million dollars for the 19′-20′ season, and his cap hit will decrease to 2.5 million dollars for the next two years. $2.5 million doesn’t seem like a lot, but the Islanders need every thousand upon millions of dollars that they can get. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to move Clutterbuck’s contract to a contending team and getting a 3rd or 4th round pick back.

Developing Prospects

The Islanders have many NHL ready prospects, but no space for them to actually play. The Islanders need a place in the lineup for Kieffer Bellows, Oliver Wahlstrom, Otto Koivula, and Simon Holmstrom (when the time comes). The New York Islanders need new blood, fresh, young, fast, exciting young blood. These young players have abilities that this version of Cal Clutterbuck can’t offer. There’s only so many years a prospect is going to wait their turn to play patiently. Clutterbuck, if moved, has to be moved as soon as possible.

The Counter Argument

Cal Clutterbuck has an insane amount of chemistry with linemates Matty Martin and Casey Cizikas. Clutterbuck was also an assistant captain during the 2016-2017 season. Though this doesn’t matter, Garth Snow made him assistant captain, not Lou Lamoriello. Also, it’s very possible the Islanders let Matty Martin walk this free agency. Lamoriello may look to get rid of Clutterbuck as well.

Conclusion

Cal Clutterbuck’s time with the New York Islanders is possibly over. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lamoriello decides to make Clutterbuck take a pay cut. These decisions will be made over his play in the playoffs. Clutterbuck is synonymous with the Islanders in the 2010s.