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NHL Mailbag: New York Islanders, solving the Central, what ifs, and more

By Dave Stevenson

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 03: Tom Kuhnhackl #14 of the New York Islanders pushed the puck up the ice against the Carolina Hurricanes in the second period of Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena on May 03, 2019 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 03: Tom Kuhnhackl #14 of the New York Islanders pushed the puck up the ice against the Carolina Hurricanes in the second period of Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena on May 03, 2019 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images /

The Islanders

The New York Islanders have been suspiciously quiet this summer. What are your thoughts on them? 

I’m a bit surprised at how inactive the New York Islanders have been this offseason. You’d think they would be all over any forward who can score goals, seeing as how they finished 21st in the league last season in goals. Over the past five seasons, the lowest any Stanley Cup champion has ranked in goals scored is 16th.

Yet the Islanders have added zero forwards who will make an impact on offense. While they brought back Brock Nelson, Jordan Eberle, and Anders Lee, they had them last year. You know, when the Islanders finished in the bottom 10 in the NHL in scoring goals.

Last year, they relied on their elite goaltending. Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss were up to the task. And guess what? It looks like the Islanders will have to rely on their goaltending again. This time, they’re relying on Semyon Varlamov, who lost his starting job to Philipp Grubauer a few months ago.

Ranking The Goaltending Of The Metropolitan Division. light. Related Story

Mitch Korn is a wizard with goalies. Barry Trotz gets the most out of his guys. It’s unfortunate general manager Lou Lamoriello and the Islanders ownership group aren’t giving them more to work with. Oliver Wahlstrom could provide a spark, but he’s far from a sure thing.

Even with their success last season, the Islanders are battling for relevancy in the state of New York. The Rangers signed Artemi Panarin and traded for Jacob Trouba. Meanwhile, the Devils have added Jack Hughes and P.K. Subban. It’s time for the Islanders to pony up.

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