The New York Islanders and head coach Doug Weight must focus on consistency in 2017-18
The New York Islanders didn’t have the best start to the 2016-17 season. Going 17-17-8 in their first 42 games, the Isles decided it was best to part ways with head coach Jack Capuano and move on with assistant coach Doug Weight leading the team.
They were clearly motivated after the change in leadership, going 24-12-4. But in a brutal Metropolitan Division, coming back from an average start to the season was a tough hill to climb. Even though they got tremendous value from veteran players like Jason Chimera, Dennis Seidenberg, and Andrew Ladd, in 2017-18, they will have to rely heavily on the Islanders young talent.
Last season, the Isles were 22nd in the league for goals allowed, which was surprising for their defensive group. But with the reset button pushed and with a new head coach for a full season, Nick Leddy and company will have a fresh slate to give their team a better chance to win by keeping the puck out of their net.
In the final six games of the season, the Islanders went undefeated and they will look to continue that trend going into this season. That success starts with defense.
The Defense Needs To Fight
Moving on from Travis Hamonic was a bold move, but getting a first and a couple second round picks may be worth it if guys like Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield can step up and soak up some more minutes.
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One major change the Isles need to change is their third period effort. The Isles lost over 20 games by one goal, showing that they need to focus on playing a full 60 minutes. Their offense needs to come up with more opportunities as well, but not being able to finish is a trend nobody wants to be a part of.
With Dennis Seidenberg and Johnny Boychuck in their mid-thirties, Islanders fans have to ask how much they have left in the tank. Good thing there are some young studs on the team ready to take on bigger roles. Calvin de Haan and Thomas Hickey are two guys that have some experience who will be asked to do a lot more this season with Hamonic gone.
An advantage the Islanders have is that they have some guys on the back-end that can really skate the puck up well. But if they do, forwards need to cover them and not leave the defense vulnerable. In close games, defense needs to stay home and let their young guns up front do what they need to do to get a win.
Get Eberle The Puck
It’s pretty shocking the Edmonton Oilers were willing to part ways with former number one overall pick Taylor Hall when they traded him to the Devils for defenseman Adam Larsson. It was just as mind-boggling when they traded 2008 first round pick Jordan Eberle to the Islanders for forward Ryan Strome.
Eberle has played on an Oilers team that had so much talent but never seemed to put everything together well. He can be lethal on the rush and the power-play, and can also play a leadership role.
Isles captain John Tavares had 260 shots last year which led the team by a lot. If Eberle can find a way to help add production, the team depth would be better spread out across the top two lines.
Eberle will be very important moving forward with the Islanders who is signed for another two years at $6 million per year. With Josh Bailey and Brock Nelson‘s contracts up at the end of this year, it will be close to see if the Islanders have the money to resign Eberle to a long-term deal or not.
New York Islanders
Determine a Franchise Direction
It’s obvious John Tavares’ contract situation is and will dominate the news feeds of Islander fans until something is done about it. The standoff between the two parties doesn’t do any good for anybody involved. If money is an issue, negotiate until a solution is found. The Islanders are in a decent position to get a ton of assets for JT if he decides to move on. Otherwise, pay the man! Having a top center in the league isn’t cheap, so put up or shut up.
Being an average team does you no good. To be successful, you need to be ready to compete for a cup, or tear it all down. The Isles have a lot of nice pieces now and are probably a few moves away from competing.
Just look at what Dallas did this offseason. Some are even calling them a Stanley Cup contender with the additions of Radulov, Hanzel, and Methot. If the Islanders resign Tavares and see some development from guys like Josh Ho-Sang, they may surprise some people at the end of the year.
Next: Islanders Season Preview
It’s clear that John Tavares gives the Islanders everything he’s got every night, but the guy wants to win. If there is any sense of disconnect in the vision between the players and front office, doubt starts to set in. And the last place you want the feeling of doubt is in your captain.
Hopefully Tavares can resolve this issue before the season starts and we can start talking about the playoffs, because that scenario isn’t that far from reality.