The New York Islanders were officially eliminated from playoff contention following a 4-2 loss at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs, marking an unfortunate end to a season with high hopes and a string of seasons with significant growth and potential. Following back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference Final, falling to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning, general manager Lou Lamoriello continued with small adjustments and changes during the 2021 offseason. Compounded by a difficult early schedule and bouts with COVID-19, what worked the previous three summers fell short during the 2021-22 season. Now, with playoff hopes dashed, they can begin looking ahead to an offseason of change, on and off the ice.
Related: Islanders Need to Help Barzal Develop Into a True Superstar
Lamoriello has a lot of questions to consider this offseason. From moving players and contracts with big price tags, opening up salary cap and roster space, to finding replacements and upgrades to take the team to the next level and complement existing core pieces, we may see the most significant changes to the roster in his time with the team.
Goaltending Solid for Islanders
Between the pipes, discussions and arguments are cluttering timelines across social media about what the Islanders should do moving forward. Ilya Sorokin continues to shine despite the Islanders’ poor play overall this season, sparking Vezina Trophy talk that likely won’t come due to the team not making the playoffs. Sorokin’s partner, Semyon Varlamov, has one year left at $5 million, understandably drawing attention as not only a cap dump but an asset to a team looking to upgrade in net.
The issue is, can the Islanders afford to give up such a critical one-two punch in net? While Sorokin continues to grow into a true number-one goalie, Varlamov’s numbers aren’t anything to sneeze at, and more than enough to be a backup to Sorokin for at least another season. We saw firsthand how valuable the two-goalie system was during the last two playoff runs, and in a league where every point counts in the regular season, having both goalies able to win you games during an 82-game grind is imperative. The Islanders also lack an even remotely-capable replacement, at least not heading into the 2022-23 campaign. A safe bet would be to run this duo back again and re-evaluate after next season. Perhaps Varlamov comes back on a team-friendly deal to continue his run as Sorokin’s backup?
Islanders Need to Upgrade the Backend
Despite Noah Dobson’s incredible season in the offensive zone, there’s a noticeable drop in play from the Islanders’ top pair, Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock, to Dobson and 45-year-old Zdeno Chara. The need to find a solid defender to give Dobson the latitude he needs to thrive on offense is nearly as critical as finding an upgrade to the team’s first line.
The choices on the unrestricted free agent market won’t excite anyone, which points to an equal or greater chance Lamoriello seeks to do so in a trade. Jakob Chychrun‘s name was thrown around as someone the Islanders could target, or a player like him locked up for a few years, but would that be a good match next to Dobson? That’s a good question. It leaves the door open for another one of Lamoriello’s patented “I never would have thought of that” moves. The difference this time is that it cannot simply be an interesting choice; he needs this one to land in order to keep fans on his side.
This isn’t the only offseason obstacle the Islanders have on defense. The third pair, which currently consists solely of Scott…
Read More: With Islanders Eliminated, Team Must Look to an Offseason of Change