The New York Islanders have continued to lose games at the beginning of the Patrick Roy era, but the biggest flaw in the organization cannot be ignored. The lack of star talent and difference-makers is obvious throughout the lineup.
When at the top of their games, Mathew Barzal and Ilya Sorokin are superstars without question. Bo Horvat, who the Islanders acquired ahead of last year’s trade deadline, and Brock Nelson have been two steady top-six centers for the team. Noah Dobson, who leads the team in ice time this season, has had a breakout season on the score sheet. And when healthy, Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech have shown they can be dependable first-pairing defensemen. But the rest of the lineup has its flaws.
What’s Going On?
But outside of those players, nobody else stands out, and the lack of difference-makers is killing the Islanders. Lou Lamoriello is responsible for being the architect of the organization. Since the 81-year-old took the job as general manager and president of hockey operations, he has failed to bring in game-changing talent. He even lost home-grown superstar John Tavares for nothing and traded Devon Toews for pennies. Two other big names that Lamoriello whiffed on were Johnny Gaudreau and Artemi Panarin in free agency, both of whom signed with rival teams.
Instead, Lamioriello has given out big contracts to either underachieving players or nonsuperstars. Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who count $12 million combined against the cap, individually are barely on pace to score 30 points this season.
Plus, bottom-tier players, including Scott Mayfield and Pierre Engvall, have multiple years left on their contracts, both of which combine for $6.5 million against the cap. In comparison, the Islanders could have signed Vladimir Tarasenko for only a $5 million cap charge and filled a goal-scoring need on the wing.
In total, 10 Islanders under contract have no-trade clauses – making it tougher to clear cap space. And to make matters even worse, The Athletic has ranked the Islanders’ prospect pool dead last out of 32 teams. It’s a result of decisions to trade first-round picks and prospects while trying to contend in the last few years.
“The Islanders have a couple handfuls of B-minus prospects (which gives them maybe a little more depth than a couple of the other teams ranked at the bottom right now), but their pool is seriously lacking on upside and unlikely to produce more than depth pieces,” Scott Wheeler of The Athletic wrote.
“Theirs is the only pool in the league without a top-100 prospect.”
(From ‘New York Islanders are No. 32 in 2024 NHL prospect pool rankings,’ The Athletic, January 30, 2024).
What Do the Islanders Do About It?
It’s a complete mess on Long Island. While it was the right move to move on from Lane Lambert, it’s hard to just point the finger at coaching. Roy, who has only been the Islanders coach for four games, has one win. While Roy and his new team adjust to his coaching style, it’s unrealistic for them to become contenders overnight. It will take some time.
But one thing the Islanders cannot do again is trade a first-round pick unless they’re getting a promising young player that could be a big part of the future. Too many future assets have been sacrificed. Going into the All-Star Break, the Islanders sit five points out of the final wild-card spot. It might be best to do nothing ahead of the trade deadline and hope Roy gets the Islanders going on a run instead of trying to salvage another season.
But if things get worse, then the Islanders should sell. Matt Martin, Cal Clutterbuck, Mike Reilly, and Sebastian Aho will all be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season. However, these types of players will only likely fetch mid or late-round draft choices.
Regardless, the Islanders will need to address their personnel issues in the offseason. Can they clear cap space and add a star in free agency or via trade? In the last two seasons, three different head coaches have been behind the bench for the team. It’s time to hold the front office accountable for the roster and pipeline that’s been assembled. Maybe the right move is to start a rebuild – but 81-year-old Lamoriello may not be the right guy for that.
So Islanders owner Jon Ledecky will have a decision to make and the direction he wants his franchise to take between now and the end of the season. But nothing good comes out of fighting for a playoff spot every year and not having any exciting young players to look forward to. The Islanders are stuck in mediocrity, and the front office should face the heat of the blame.
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