What happened to the Islanders?

Following two consecutive deep playoff runs, the team finds itself far outside the playoff hunt and has important decisions to make at the deadline.

March 6, 2022

Credit: Newsday

The opening of UBS Arena was supposed to be the start of a magical inaugural season for the New York Islanders. Upon the start of the season, the team looked primed to make good on what many experts dubbed a serious top three Stanley Cup contender. This was also echoed by Las Vegas SportsBook, which placed the Isles as having top three odds to bring the cup back to the Island. Excitement hung in the air following a picture perfect adieu to the Nassau Coliseum capped off by Anthony Beauvillier's Overtime winner against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. However, despite the teams win over the St. Louis Blues this past Saturday afternoon, the team still only finds itself having a record of (21-23-8) good for 50 points. This tally sees the Islanders residing closer to the cellar of the Eastern Conference than the top, as they are eleventh in the conference making them among the leagues biggest disappointments this year. With the Islanders still having what many executives and media members tout as a solid organizational structure and on paper entering the season a solid lineup it begs the question: Why has the team underperformed this much? I detail the major reasons below.

The 13 Game Opening Road Trip

The Islanders began the 2021-22 season on a grueling road trop that took them all over North America. While at the outset perceived as a great bonding experience for the team and a chance to knock out many road games early in the season, the trip quickly turned into a nightmare following a 5-2-2 start that left cause for optimism. However, following this strong start the Islanders lost every remaining game on the trip putting them in an early hole that would only get worse as they returned to UBS ahead of the first game with a 5-6-2 record.

COVID-19 (x2)

The Islanders were further hampered by two separate COVID-19 outbreaks shortly following their road trip. The first one, an Islander team outbreak, likely cost the Islanders four games as half the lineup was out. The likely reason these games were played was because they coincided right around the time the first few games at UBS were slated to be played. However, this meant that we as Islander fans were subject to watching what looked like the Bridgeport Islanders on the ice instead of a professional team product. I went to the Maple Leaf-Islander game during this streak and felt like I had been scammed.

The second COVID-19 outbreak was a league-wide outbreak. While the every other team besides the Islanders were also impacted, it came at a time where the Islanders were starting to get back on track and nearing a hot streak. The Islanders were desperate to develop any sort of continuity, and since the second outbreak nearly followed the first barely payed any games over the span of Thanksgiving-Mid. January.

An aging core and horrendous offensive production

The Islanders age has shown this season. They are the oldest team in the NHL with an average age of 29.65. Following two deep playoff runs, this makes sense. However, it has also become clearly apparent as the overall quality of hockey has suffered as there are clear cracks in the armor. The Islanders "Identity Line" has faced increasing calls to be split up as most people seem to think that it is time to try something different. From an offensive production standpoint, the Islanders rank dead last or bottom five in every main offensive category. The elite teams in the league such as the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers are nearly DOUBLING the Islanders output.

Consider: (Islanders offensive production compared to League Rankings):

Goals: 132 (31st)

Assists: 224 (32nd)

Points: 356 (32nd)

Powerplay Goals: 23 (T-30)

Besides Mat Barzal and Brock Nelson, every Islander forwards' statistics resemble just how offensively challenged the team has been. The dump and chase style of hockey has been exposed more than ever, as the Islanders have lost their physical edge and have struggled to keep up with most of the teams in the league skill wise. The Islanders' Top Nine forwards' stats are as follows:

Mat Barzal (12-25-37)

Brock Nelson (20-10-30)

Zach Parise (7-16-23)

Josh Bailey (3-20-23)

Oliver Wahlstrom (11-10-21)

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (9-11-20)

Anthony Beauvillier (9-11-20)

Anders Lee (14-6-20)

Kyle Palmieri (7-7-14)

Pathetic.

Ryan Pulock Injury

The injury that Ryan Pulock suffered in December was a major blow to the Islanders, as it broke up their Top 2 Defensemen pairing regarding the Pulock-Pelech line. This has had a detrimental domino effect, as the Islanders have increasingly had to thus rely on the likes of 44 year old Zdeno Chara.

Varlamov's Performance

Thank goodness for Ilya Sorokin. Semyon Varlamov, once the Islanders starting goaltender, has been replaced by Sorokin as his best years are likely officially behind him. The 33 year old has struggled in net this season, with a sharp regression representative by a stat line of (3-11, 2.76 GAA, .912 SV %).

Looking Ahead

The Islanders management has their work cut out for them, as they will have to find a way to shed what appears to be some very poor contracts going forward. The team must get younger, and address problems at the deadline and offseason that include backup goaltending, forward depth, and a couple back-end Top 6 defensemen. The team will have to decide between tearing it all down and starting a full-blown rebuild or retooling for a Stanley Cup run next year.