Puck Prose
Fansided

New York Islanders: Top 3 bold predictions for 2020

By Dave Stevenson

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 31: Brock Nelson #29 of the New York Islanders celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals in the first period at Capital One Arena on December 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Geoff Burke/NHLI via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 31: Brock Nelson #29 of the New York Islanders celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals in the first period at Capital One Arena on December 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Geoff Burke/NHLI via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
new york islanders
Photo by Mark LoMoglio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images /

The New York Islanders have a lot of promise heading into 2020. How will 2020 go for the Isles?

Entering 2020, the New York Islanders are once again among the best teams in the NHL. For the second straight season, they have proven everybody wrong (myself included). I thought they would be a wild card team, but thus far, they’re overachieving once again. The Islanders enter 2020 in third place in the Metropolitan Division.

This year should be a fun, and important, one for the Isles. While their Stanley Cup window is open, it likely won’t be this wide open again for a while. Mathew Barzal is comically underpaid and that’s probably not going to be the case after this season. Same with defensemen Ryan Pulock and Devon Toews (who has been brilliant).

What does 2020 have in store for the Islanders? Let’s take a gaze into our crystal ball, as we give our top three bold predictions for the Isles.

3. Adam Pelech Will Be Missed

The Islanders recently got some very bad news. Defenseman Adam Pelech will be out for the rest of the season. Pelech has been one of the Islanders best defensemen, even if his boxcar stats aren’t that impressive. In 38 games, he has nine points.

However, Pelech has played quite well in a shutdown role and has been their most reliable defenseman. Losing him is a significant loss and it’s one the Islanders will likely need to look outside the organization to account for. Here are some of their options.

MikeGreen

Head coach Barry Trotz is familiar with Mike Green, as he coached the Detroit Red Wings defenseman during his first season with the Washington Capitals. Green is not having a very good year, but he could probably be had for a cheap price.

ZachBogosian

The New York Islanders lost their best chance to add Zach Bogosian when the Buffalo Sabres traded Marco Scandella to the Montreal Canadiens. However, if the Sabres continue to struggle in the playoff race, they might be willing to trade him.

SamiVatanen

Sami Vatanen of the New Jersey Devils would be a nice addition to the Islanders. However, he could be a bit pricey.

Home/New York Islanders