3 players the New York Islanders should still sign for 2023-24
The New York Islanders were a postseason team last season. They barely made it but they made it. It is going to be a battle for them to get back in this season but they are going to certainly try.
As the Florida Panthers showed everyone in 2022-23, all that matters is getting into the dance. Anything can happen from there.
As of right now, it isn’t crazy to say that the New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, and Pittsburgh Penguins are better than the Islanders on paper right now.
Luckily, the games aren’t played on paper. There are also a few more moves that they can make ahead of the 2023-24 season. They could still sign one of these three players before the season starts:
Zach Parise is someone that the New York Islanders need back this year.
The New York Islanders had a bargain with Zach Parise in 2022-23. He isn’t the superstar that he was in his New Jersey Devils/Minnesota Wild days but he is still a very solid player.
In his age-38 season, he played in all 82 games. In those 82 games, Parise scored 21 goals and had 13 assists for 34 points.
Clearly, he can still score goals as 21 of them don’t grow on trees. He doesn’t make players around him better anymore which is why he only had 13 assists but there is still tons of value there.
The Islanders should be trying very hard to bring him back. Obviously, at 39, retirement is on the table but the fact that he hasn’t yet does speak volumes.
If he decides to come back to the NHL, the Islanders should be begging him to come back there. He can help them be a playoff team again.
Patrick Kane is an interesting option for the New York Islanders right now.
The New York Islanders are looking to add some depth to their team still. There are a bunch of players that they could consider for that role on the team.
Obviously, having someone like Patrick Kane in a depth role sounds crazy but we might be getting there at this point.
Kane is recovering from some hip surgery right now but he will be looking for a new team soon enough.
We don’t know what his price range is but if the Islanders can afford it, they should think about it while their window is still open.
Kane was traded by the Chicago Blackhawks last season to the New York Rangers. There, he hoped to win the Stanley Cup for the fourth time but they lost to the New Jersey Devils in seven games of the first round.
Now, Kane would look good on the other New York team. In addition to his incredible talent, he has tons of playoff success and could very easily help a new team get much better.
Tomas Tatar on the New York Islanders would surely be something interesting.
The three New York area teams are represented on this list with Tomas Tatar joining Zach Parise and Patrick Kane.
They are also the only three remaining free agents that had 20 goals or more last season. Tatar was magnificent as a member of the New Jersey Devils.
Having a good player like him in the bottom six (and sometimes top six) made a world of difference for the Devils. He showed he can play in all situations in all different roles.
A team like the New York Islanders might be the perfect fit for him if he can’t return to New Jersey.
Now, he’ll never see time with a center as good as Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier on the island but they still have good players that can feed him.
If the Islanders added a versatile forward like him, making it back to the playoffs becomes a tad bit more likely.