By Antoine Mathieu, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine
QUEBEC CITY, QC. — As a fan of Game of Thrones, you know nothing Jon Garth Snow!
2014-15 EASTERN CONFERENCE predicted standings
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Boston Bruins
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- New York Rangers
- Montreal Canadiens
- New Jersey Devils
- Washington Capitals
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Detroit Red Wings
- New York Islanders
2013-’14 summary: New York Islanders
Regular season record of 34 – 37 – 11, 79 points, 14th East, missed the playoffs.
The New York Islanders are in a very tricky situation this year. One of the conditions in the deal that brought in Thomas Vanek last October was that the Islanders had the option of deciding which year the first round pick would be: 2014 or 2015. Considering that they had the fifth overall pick at last year’s draft, their GM Garth Snow, decided to keep their 2014 pick. With that in mind, NYI have no choice but to be competitive this season. To ensure their success, Snow made some significant moves to his roster.
He started off by acquiring the rights of Jaroslav Halak a couple weeks before free agency and the two parties were able to strike a deal. Halak should be a clear upgrade over a 36-year-old Evgeni Nabokov and an unproven Kevin Poulin. The Isles also signed two former teammates in Nikolai Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski. Snow also traded for Dan Boyle’s rights but failed to sign him because Boyle wanted to sign with a contender.
Three of the main problems for the Islanders last year were their goaltending, running into injury troubles and their defense. New York had some pretty terrible goaltending last season. Their top net minder, Nabokov, had .905 save percentage which put him 64th in the league in that category. His 2.74 goals against average isn’t exactly any better. It’s worth mentioning that they also signed Chad Johnson to a two-year contract. Johnson was one of the league’s top back-ups last season; this will most likely mean that Poulin won’t see any time in the NHL next year. Halak should give the Islanders a much better chance at competing for a playoff spot next season.
But I’m still skeptical on Halak’s ability to be a solid NHL starter. As we’ve seen during his stint with the St. Louis Blues, the second he starts to get too many starts, he either gets injured or his stats take a hit. The most games he’s played in a season is 57 and that was when the Blues had a washed-up Ty Conklin as his back-up instead of Brian Elliott. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that his save percentage that year was .910 which is .007 lower than his career average. To his defense, it was also prior to the coaching change of Davis Payne to Ken Hitchcock.
It’s also worth pointing out that Halak is one of the types of goaltenders who shine in an environment where he sees a lot of action. His best stretch in the NHL was when the Canadiens’ defense was a mess and was allowing 40+ shots a game. Considering the group of defenseman that the Islanders have, I’m sure he’ll face a lot more shots than during his time with the Blues. I expect Halak to play between 50 and 55 games for him to be truly at his best.
The Islanders only had one player play all 82 games this season, which says a lot about the amount of injuries they had. And it’s not like only their worst players were affected, everyone from John Tavares, Evgeni Nabokov, Lubomir Visnovsky all the way to Michael Grabner, Kyle Okposo and Travis Hamonic. It’s astounding that 37 different players suited up for the Islanders this year! To give you an idea of how bad it got at one point, they had 10 rookies in their line-up in a game against Tampa Bay. The signings they made will add depth to their roster in case the injury bug hits them again this season.
The last problem on Long Island is one they weren’t able to fix this off-season. Their defense is either old or very young, there’s no middle ground. Lubomir Visnovsky used to be one of the league’s top offensive defenseman, “used to be” is the key phrase here. The 38-year-old, who is only three seasons removed from a 68 point season, has struggled to remain healthy since joining the Islanders. Due to a pretty bad concussion, he only played 24 games for New York last year. He’s still a top four defenseman in my mind but he’s one injury away from calling it a career.
But let me get something straight, it’s not because their defense is young that it’s a bad thing. They’re just more prone to making rookie mistakes that can cost the Islanders important points. Travis Hamonic is a solid number three defenseman who can play defensive minutes against other team’s top lines. Last season, he and Andrew MacDonald were counted on by their coach Jack Capuano with both players logging over 25 minutes a game on average. Hamonic still has untapped potential offensively and it will be interesting if he’ll ever produce big points.
Calvin de Haan was one of the Islanders’ bright spots last season. The 23-year-old who played most of his season with the Oshawa Generals, was once regarded as a ‘bust’ at the start of last season but he quickly brushed off that label with his solid play. The defender who was picked 12th overall in the 2009 draft should continue to progress and his two-way game will be welcomed by the Islanders.
Griffin Reinhart is another defender that the Islanders picked fairly high in his respective draft year. The British Columbian was selected one spot behind Alex Galchenyuk in the 2012 draft. After completing his junior hockey career with the Edmonton Oil Kings, Reinhart is expected to be in the Islanders’ line-up next season. He will bring some size to a blue-line who already has some (Hamonic, Brian Strait, De Haan and Thomas Hickey.)
If Garth Snow had signed a top four defender (someone like Matt Niskanen), I would have been more inclined to put them closer to a wild card spot. After Visnovsky, Hamonic has the most NHL experience with 252 NHL games. In comparison, Montreal has four defenders with more experience than Hamonic. I’ll give him kudos for trying to sign Boyle which would have been a terrific fit but that’s the problem with free agency, even if you toss a boatload of money at a player, he might not want to sign with your team.
The Islanders’ offensive group is far from perfect though, they have their fair share of question marks. Michael Grabner had a pretty disappointing year. It’s looking more and more like his 34 goal season in 2010-11 was a fluke. Even if he doesn’t score 30 goals, Grabner can remain a solid role player with his amazing speed and ability to kill penalties, he should be a good third line player for them next season.
Another player that scored 30 goals in 2010-11 who hasn’t come close to those numbers ever since is Nikolai Kulemin. The 28-year-old signed four years with the Islanders this summer. I’m a pretty big fan of Kulemin and I think he can somewhat bounce back with New York and his buddy Grabovski. Toronto’s head coach was far from his biggest fan and made him play tough defensive minutes in his last two seasons with the Leafs. I think he’s a better player offensively than the 16 goals he’s scored in the last two seasons but I don’t know how much offense to expect from him. I think he can produce 45 points while bringing solid two-way play.
Ryan Strome is expected to complete the Kulemin-Grabovski duo. The 21-year-old who’s coming off an excellent season in the AHL (49 points in 37 games) will look to build off his 37 game stint with the Islanders last year. There’s no doubt that management and fans have high expectations for the winger who was selected 5th overall in the 2011 draft. Strome is a slick playmaker and has produced everywhere he’s been. I think the two veterans will mentor him very well.
Just like Strome, Josh Bailey was another prospect that fans had high expectations for. The 24-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance but they’re too far apart. The Bowmanville native just came off the best season of his career (38 points), but many are wondering what his ceiling is. He finished the season strong (nine points in eight games) but it’s not the kind of production that was expected of him when they drafted him ninth overall back in 2008. Most people will say that he was rushed into the NHL and that’s why his offensive game hasn’t translated to the next level, which I believe is a fair assumption. Hopefully Bailey can build from his playoffs in 2012-13 and his strong finish last season and turn into a top six player for them. If he doesn’t, he’ll most likely be traded in a change of scenary trade.
Bailey will most likely play on the third line with Frans Nielsen who’s one of the most underrated guys in the NHL. The Danish forward is coming off a 58 point season and is one of the league’s top defensive forward. With the addition of Grabovski who will most likely play on the second line, I expect his point totals to go down but Nielsen will bring tremendous depth to their team. At $2,750,000, he is one of the biggest steals in the league.
Talking about steals, John Tavares and Kyle Okposo are two other amazing deals signed by yours truly Garth Snow (guess he’s not that horrible after all!). I expect Tavares to fully recover from his knee injury and for him to be one of the few players in the league to reach the 100 point plateau. John Tavares is in my opinion, along with Taylor Hall and Steven Stamkos, the future of the NHL.
Considering that the Islanders have to be better than in recent years, I expect Jack Capuano to be the first coach to be fired this season. His record during his tenure with the team is under .500 (118-120-39) and he’s failed to make the playoffs in four of the five seasons he’s been coach. With their first round pick on the line, the Islanders can’t afford to have a coach making brutal decisions behind the bench and I think this will be his last season with the Islanders. Guy Boucher would be a tremendous fit for their organization in my opinion.
The Islanders have some solid bottom sixers who bring toughness and grit to the team. Matt Martin, Cal Clutterbuck, Casey Cizikas and Colin McDonald all bring elements that teams are looking for on their third or fourth line Martin and Clutterbuck are among the best in terms of body checkers year after year. These players will allow the team to roll four lines that can play defensively and chip in the occasional goal here and there.
I think these were all good moves but I’m not sure if it’s good enough to them to make a run for the playoffs. They will have a lot of young players, especially on defense, so I see this as a transitional year for them. Let the kids like Brock Nelson, Anders Lee, Ryan Strome, Calvin de Haan and Griffin Reinhart play in the NHL and learn with their mistakes. The Islanders have the tools to be one the NHL’s next dynasty à la Chicago Blackhawks, there’s no need for them to rush anything. It took the Blackhawks four seasons before making the playoffs in 2008-09. The Islanders’ time will come.
Quick facts about the Islanders:
- They’ve only made the playoffs twice since the 2004-05 lockout.
- The Islanders haven’t had a 100 point scorer since Pierre Turgeon in 1992-93.
- NYI was the third worst team in terms of goals allowed last season.
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