The New York Islanders are in the business of proving people wrong.
They did just that last year when they took a team that was expected to finish near the bottom of the conference and advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
It was the byproduct of having a sturdy foundation at the top as general manager Lou Lamoriello and head coach Barry Trotz got the most out of a team many people wrote off in their first season with the organization.
What will they do as an encore?
Whatever it is, they’re not in the business of tweaking.
The Islanders are returning much of the roster from last season — the key departures being goaltender Robin Lehner and forward Valtteri Filppula.
They missed out on signing Artemi Panarin, retained the likes of Brock Nelson, Jordan Eberle, and captain Anders Lee, replaced Lehner with Semyon Varlamov, and added Derick Brassard via free agency to the third line.
Their lack of action over the summer has seen many national hockey pundits — just like last year — count the Islanders out of the playoff race in 2019-20 following a 103-point campaign.
With their status as contenders up in the air, Metro takes a look at some of the most important things to watch for this season:
Where will the scoring come from?
After striking out on Artemi Panarin in the offseason, the Islanders’ quiet summer confirmed that Mathew Barzal will still be the main source of playmaking within the Islanders’ roster.
He struggled at times with that role last season in Trotz’s defense-first system. After recording 22 goals and 63 assists (85 points) in his Calder-winning rookie season two years ago, Barzal posted a 23-point drop in production under Trotz (18 G, 44 A, 62 points).
He will remain the Islanders’ first-line center given his off-the-charts skating ability and skill with the puck. But for an Islanders team that needs to find more goals, Barzal will be looked upon as the man to facilitate that improvement.
Meanwhile, Lamoriello made it clear that he’s going to keep the Islanders’ forward core together for a little while longer.
The Islanders brought back free agents Jordan Eberle, Anders Lee, Brock Nelson, and Anthony Beauvillier — players that have proven to grasp and thrive under Trotz’s system.
Like Barzal, however, there will be added pressure to boost their goal-scoring totals.
After putting up 34 and 40 goals in each of the previous two seasons, Lee scored just 28 times in 2018-19. The big-bodied Lee —who makes a living cleaning up the garbage in front of the net — must rediscover that domineering presence to throw off the opposing goalie.
Eberle scored just 19 goals last season, his lowest total since 2012-13. A monster first-round against the Penguins in the playoffs restored his value as he scored four goals in four games when he was reunited with Barzal.
He’s expected to stay with Barzal this season, which could see him flirt with the 30-goal mark once again.
While Nelson will be asked to repeat his career-high 25 goals from last year, Anthony Beauvillier must exhibit some consistency on the Islanders’ middle lines. While he put up 18 goals, he scored just twice during a 27-game stretch from Dec. 20-Feb. 21.
A new platoon
With Robin Lehner joining the Blackhawks, the Islanders brought in veteran Semyon Varlamov to join Thomas Greiss in hopes of retaining a Jennings-winning platoon.
Greiss is coming off a career year in which he posted a .927 save percentage and a 2.28 goals-against average. He’ll likely be the No. 1 goalie while Varlamov provides that 1A option.
The 31-year-old Varlamov has been solid over the last two seasons, posting a .915 save percentage and a 2.78 goals-against average.
Enter Dobson
The NHL’s reigning best defense remains intact with one key addition.
Two-time Memorial Cup winner, 19-year-old defenseman, and top prospect Noah Dobson made the big club out of camp.
The two-way blueliner is projected to be a first-pairing defenseman in no time but at the time, he’s expected to slot alongside Nick Leddy. That could mean veteran Johnny Boychuk becomes the seventh defenseman after Lamoriello decided to waive Thomas Hickey, who is back in the AHL with Bridgeport.
Projected lines
Anders Lee – Mathew Barzal – Jordan Eberle
Michael Dal Colle – Brock Nelson – Josh Bailey
Anthony Beauvillier – Derick Brassard – Leo Komarov
Matt Martin – Casey Cizikas – Cal Clutterbuck
Ryan Pulock – Adam Pelech
Devon Toews – Scott Mayfield
Nick Leddy – Noah Dobson
Thomas Greiss
Semyon Varlamov
2019-20 predictions
95 points
3rd in Metropolitan Division
Lose in first round to Carolina Hurricanes
