New York Islanders 2015-16 Season Primer

Looking at the New York Islanders heading into this season – outlook, potential lines, roster, top prospects, draft history, stats and season schedule.

New York Islanders

2014-15 Record: 47-28-7, 101 points (3rd Place in Metropolitan Division)
2014-15 Outcome: Lost in Eastern Conference Quarter-Final to Washington

Total Cap Hit: $65,299,642
Total Salary: $68,824,167
Cap Space: $6,100,358

Source: General Fanager

In: Taylor Beck, LW (Trade-Tor), Tom Nilsson, D (Trade-Tor), Matt Finn, D (Trade – Tor), Christopher Gibson, G (Trade – Tor), Louis Leblanc, RW/C (FA – Ana), Ben Holmstrom, C (FA – Car), Bracken Kearns, LW/C (FA-Europe), Justin Florek, LW (FA – Bos), James Wright, LW/C (FA-Europe), Joe Whitney, LW (FA – NJ), Thomas Greiss, G (FA – Pit), Carter Verhaeghe, C (Trade-Toronto),

Out: Michael Grabner, RW (Trade – Toronto), Alexandre Mallet, LW/C (FA-Minors), Kent Simpson, G (FA-Minors), Harry Zolnierczyk, LW (FA – Ana), colin McDonald, RW (FA – Phi), Brett Gallant, LW (FA – CBJ), Dustin Jeffrey, C/LW (FA – Ari), Aaron Ness, D (FA – Wsh), Kael Mouillierat, C (FA – Pit), Matt Donovan, D (FA – Buf), Michal Neuvirth, G (FA – Phi), Griffin Reinhart, D (T – Edm), John Persson, LW (FA-Europe),

Source: Sports Forecaster

Offseason Changes:

The New York Islanders made significant roster upgrades after missing the playoffs in 2014. They added goaltender Jaroslav Halak, forwards Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin in free agency last summer, and addressed their blueline problems on the eve of the regular season with trades for Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy.

The influx of veterans along with a group of talented young forwards helped New York make the playoffs for the second time in three years under head coach Jack Capuano, but the Islanders lost a hard fought first round series to the Washington Capitals in seven games.

GM Garth Snow concentrated on getting his own free agents locked up this summer, re-signing forwards Anders Lee and Brock Nelson and extending Boychuk and Leddy for seven years. External moves were limited, replacing backup goalie Michal Neuvirth with free agent Tomas Griess, swapping 2012 lottery pick Griffin Reinhart to Edmonton for a first and second round draft pick and sending oft-injured forward Michael Grabner to Toronto for Taylor Beck and four minor leaguers.

The biggest change for the organization is their departure from the Nassau Coliseum (their Long Island home since entering the NHL in 1972) in favor of the Barclay Center in Brooklyn.

Outlook for the 2015-16 Season:

The Islanders are a team coming of age after years of finishing out of the playoffs and stockpiling high first round draft picks. The core group is led by center John Tavares, who enters his seventh NHL season as one of the league’s top scorers.

Tavares finished with 86 points, just one point behind Jamie Benn in the race for the Art Ross Trophy.

The trio of Lee (25 goals,16 assists), Nelson (20 goals, 22 assists) and 2011 top pick Ryan Strome (17 goals, 33 assists) thrived in their sophomore seasons and will have to continue to progress along with veterans Kyle Okopso, Frans Nielsen, Josh Bailey and Kulemin to equal an offense that finished 3^rd in the NHL with 252 goals.

New York needs Grabovski to stay healthy and be in the lineup to take some pressure off of Tavares, as the veteran center registered only 19 points and missed 31 games with concussion issues.

19-year-old Michael Dal Colle could make a serious bid for a roster spot after scoring 124 regular season and playoff points for the Memorial Cup winning Oshawa Generals last season.

Boychuk and Leddy give the Islanders a pair of veteran blueliners with Stanley Cup experience who can handle more than 20 minutes per night, to go along with the defensive-minded Travis Hamonic, Calvin De Haan and Thomas Hickey.

2013 top pick Ryan Pulock had 17 goals with the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers last season and could make the club on the bottom pairing, but the Islanders may look to add a veteran blueliner prior to the season that would allow the 20-year-old more development time.

Halak gave the Islanders some much-needed stability in goal after years of chaos with Rick DiPietro, Evgeni Nabokov and Dwayne Roloson between the pipes. The 30-year-old Slovakian registered a career-high 38 wins in 59 games and will have to reach similar totals for New York to make the post-season for a second year in a row.

Trending Up:

Lee earned a four-year, $15 Million extension this summer after finishing second to Tavares in goals. Strome will be just as motivated to put up significant numbers to get a big raise next summer.

Trending Down: 

Grabovski has suffered multiple concussions in Toronto, Washington and New York. After scoring just nine goals in 51 games, the Isles must be concerned about how much they will get from the 31-year-old in the remaining three years of his four-year, $20 Million contract.

Trade Deadline Outlook:

The Islanders have around $7.5 Million in available cap space. Snow should have plenty of maneuverability at the trade deadline to add a rental defenseman or an experienced forward down the stretch.

If New York struggles unexpectedly or sees enough progress in youngsters like Strome and Dal Colle, they could entertain moving pending free agents Okposo and Nielsen to obtain future assets.

Playoff Chances: Bubble

Prediction: 3^rd in Metro

Written by Michael Augello, who can be found on twitter @MikeInBuffalo

Islanders: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule

Potential line combinations, defensive pairings, and goalies.

Anders Lee – John Tavares – Kyle Okposo
Brock Nelson – Frans Nielsen – Ryan Strome
Nikolai Kulemin – Mikhail Grabovski – Josh Bailey
Matt Martin – Casey Cizikas – Cal Clutterbuck
Kirill Petrov – Alan Quine

Nick Leddy Johnny Boychuk
Calvin de Haan Travis Hamonic
Brian Strait Thomas Hickey
Scott Mayfield

Jaroslav Halak
Thomas Greiss

Islanders: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule

Some top New York Islanders prospect lists heading into the season.

* Different sites have different guidelines for who is a ‘prospect.’

1. Michael Dal Colle:  Left Wing – 6’3” / 184 lbs – Dal Colle had some hits and misses throughout the season. He was hopeful to make the Islanders out of camp, but it was not a huge surprise that he was returned to junior to physically develop some more. It was a huge surprise that he was cut from the Canadian WJC team and missed out on a chance to win Gold in his own back yard in Toronto. It was no surprise that he dominated in junior posting career best in goals with 42 and points per game despite being limited to just 56 games due to injury. Dal Colle lead a power house Oshawa Generals to an OHL Championship scoring 25 points in 16 playoff games and then another five points in four Memorial Cup games leading the Generals to a Memorial Cup Championship. The question going forward for Dal Colle is where will he play this year? If he fails to make the Islanders he is too young still to play in the AHL. Will he have anything to gain from another season in the OHL?

2. Ryan Pulock: Defence – 6’2” / 212 lbs – Pulock may have made the Islanders out of junior to start last season, but a groin injury in training camp derailed that and he started his pro career in the AHL. In the end, it may have been the best thing for him as he gained valuable experience and confidence in the AHL playing in 54 games and scoring 17 goals and 29 assists. He has good size and has a deadly shot, which he unleashes on the power play which would help the Islanders right away. He needs to shore up some defensive liabilities still, but is a strong candidate to start the year in Brooklyn.

3. Matthew Barzal: Centre – 5’11” / 175 lbs – Barzal had been projected as a top ten pick, but a combination of size and injury likely caused him to fall down to 16 where the Islanders traded up to select him. Barzal started the year strong, earning a spot on Team Canada at the U-18 where he won bronze. He missed two months with an injury limiting him to 44 games for Seattle in the WHL. He still was able to score 12 goals and record 57 points. He had a strong finish to the season scoring 39 points in the last 24 games. He will return to Seattle for another year looking to bulk up and possibly play for Team Canada at the WJC.

4. Anthony Beauvillier: Left Wing/Centre – 5’10” / 173 lbs – Beauvillier had a breakout season in his draft year, seeing his point totals jump from 33 in his rookie season, to 94 in his sophomore year. He may be small, but has plenty of skill and is an exciting player to watch. Words that have been used to describe him include dynamic, ultracompetitive, and relentless. He has drawn comparisons to players such as Robby Fabbri and Nick Merkley. He needs more time in the QMJHL and perhaps some seasoning in the AHL, placing him a few years away, but he will make an impact when he arrives.

5. Josh Ho-Sang: Right Wing – 6’0” / 166 lbs – Ho-Sang is a highly contentious player. There are few who doubt his skill level, vision and skating ability, but there are many who doubt his maturity, attitude, and defensive and teamwork abilities. After only 11 games in Windsor, where he scored 19 points, he was traded to Niagara where he joined Carter Verhaeghe and Brendan Perlini to form one of the best lines in the OHL. In his 49 regular season games, he produced 62 points and in 11 playoff games he produced 16 points. Despite his offensive prowess and ability to score highlight reel goals, he was not able to crack Team Canada for the WJC. He was not even invited to try out for team Canada last summer, but this summer he was. It will be very interesting to see if he is out of Team Canada’s dog house and has earned a roster spot. That decision will be very telling for projecting his future and if this very talented young man has begun to mature. He will be back in Niagara this year for his fourth year in junior and the Islanders and Team Canada will be keeping a close eye.

Islanders: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule

A look at the New York Islanders drafting from 2010 to 2015.

Islanders: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule

New York Islanders 2014-15 player stats.

Islanders: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule

A look at the New York Islanders 2015-16 schedule.

Islanders: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule