NHL Mailbag: Reviewing NY Rangers rebuild, New York Islanders, and more
Islanders
Q: Do you think the New York Islanders are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders? If not, when do you see them getting in that category?
No.
Before New York Islanders fans get mad, let me explain. To me, “Stanley Cup contender” means a team who, if they won the Stanley Cup, I wouldn’t be surprised. There aren’t 16 Stanley Cup contenders. To me, there are nine.
- Lightning
- Capitals
- Penguins
- Maple Leafs
- Flames
- Golden Knights
- Sharks
- Predators
- Jets
Even in a best-case scenario where Robin Lehner channels his inner Dominik Hasek, I can’t see the Islanders beating the Capitals, Penguins, Lightning, or Maple Leafs (don’t overreact to one game in December) in a seven-game series.
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To win the Stanley Cup, you’ve got to play a strong 200-foot game. The Islanders have their defense figured out. But I’m not sold on their offense. Even if they added Matt Duchene, that probably wouldn’t be enough.
To answer the second part to your question, that depends. The Islanders have some cap space to use next offseason. Are they going to use it to re-sign Lehner and add someone like Erik Karlsson, Matt Duchene, Mark Stone, or Artemi Panarin? If the answer to that question is “yes”, that would probably propel them much closer to the conversation. I’d lean towards the 2021-22 season as being the one where they become serious Stanley Cup contenders.
The Islanders have some very nice prospects and young players. Now it’s up to Lou Lamoriello to surround them with the right core of veterans. And Barry Trotz’s job to make sure Josh Ho-Sang never sits in a press box or plays in the AHL again.