New York Islanders 2014-15 Season Primer

The New York Islanders are the fourth team in the Metro division that we are taking a closer look at leading up training camp.

Use the below Tabs to view Islanders info for this upcoming season, as well as some numbers from last year.

2013-14 record: 34-37-11, 79 points
Where they finished: 8th in the Metropolitan; 14th in the East; 26th in the NHL

Player Salaries: $57,663,875 (26)
Cap Payroll: $58,743,518
Bonuses: $2,900,000
Buyouts: $2,204,000
Cap Space: $10,256,482
Forwards: $35,788,833 (16)
Defensemen: $14,950,685 (8)
Goalies: $5,800,000 (2)
Source: CapGeek.com

In: Chad Johnson G, Cory Conacher LW/RW, David Leggio G, Harry Zolnierczyk LW, Jack Skille RW/LW, Jaroslav Halak G, Mikhail Grabovski C/LW, Nikolai Kulemin RW/LW, T.J. Brennan D

Out: Dan Boyle D, Evgeni Nabokov G

2014-15 Team Outlook:

Coming off a 2012-13 season in which the Islanders not only made the playoffs for the first time in six years, but almost beat the Penguins in the first-round, New York expected 2013-14 to be yet another step forward for their franchise, but unfortunately it wasn’t.

Instead the Islanders saw themselves miss the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years and back in a familiar spot in the standings, near the bottom.

Much of the Islanders struggles last season were due to injuries with key players Evgeni Nabokov, Lubomir Visnovsky, and most importantly, John Tavares, all missing time.

This offseason general manager Garth Snow went out on the free agent market and acquired depth, a lot of depth, to try and protect his team from flat-lining if injuries arise this season. The results, at least on paper, appear to be good.

On offense, the Islanders are loaded with talent, both in terms of youth and veterans. CapGeek suggests that the Islanders have 16 NHL forwards, although the actual number is even higher when you take into account the likes of Mike Halmo, Jack Skille, and Harry Zolnierczyk, who are listed as non-roster players on the site but all have NHL experience. Leading the way offensively one the first-line will be the dynamic duo of centre John Tavares and winger Kyle Okposo, with the other winger likely to be either Brock Nelson or Josh Bailey. Another duo will make up most of the second-line, with newcomers and former Maple Leafs, Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin re-uniting, along with Michael Grabner or possibly Nelson/Bailey. Centring the third-line will be the Frans Nielsen at centre with likely Bailey on his wing, as well as young Ryan Strome on the other wing. The fourth-line figures to see the likes of Casey Cizikas at centre with Colin McDonald and Cal Clutterbuck on his wings. Other forwards looking to make the roster will be veterans Cory Conacher, Eric Boulton, Matt Martin, Skille, and Zolnierczyk, along with prospects Anders Lee (14 points in 22 games for New York last year), Halmo, Sebastian Collberg, and rookies Michael Dal Colle and Josh Ho-Sang.

Defensively, the Islanders will roll out a similar group as last season, unless one of their plentiful defense prospects makes the jump to the NHL. On the first-pairing could see Visnovsky and Travis Hamonic, with Thomas Hickey and Calvin de Haan making up the second.  Visnovsky and de Haan could swap place. The third-pairing is totally up for grabs, with veterans Brian Strait and Matt Carkner going up against AHL standouts Matt Donovan (21 points in 27 games for Bridgeport Sound Tigers last year) and T.J. Brennan (72 points in 76 games for the Toronto Marlies last year, won the Eddie Shore Award as the best defenseman in the AHL) for the last two spots. Prospects Griffin Reinhart, Scott Mayfield, and Ryan Pulock will also be trying their best to fight their way into the line-up, although a full season in the AHL might be what’s best for them.

In net, the Islanders are going ahead with a totally new, and much improved tandem. In as the new number one goalie is Jaroslav Halak, who’s rights the Islanders acquired from the Washington Capitals before signing him to a four-year, $18 million contract. Halak, who posted a 2.25 goals against average and a .921 save percentage in 52 games between St. Louis and Washington last year, is a significant improvement over Nabokov (2.74 goals against average and a .905 save percentage last season) and should help bring stability back to the Islanders crease. Backing up Halak will be former Bruin Chad Johnson, who posted a sparkling 2.10 goals against average and a .925 save percentage through 27 games with Boston last season. Behind Halak and Johnson, the Islanders also signed goalie David Leggio, who has posted quality numbers throughout his AHL career, and still have Kevin Poulin, who appeared in 28 games for the Islanders last season, serving as the team’s backup.

The Islanders improved more than any team in the East this offseason. Solidifying their offense with the likes of Kulemin and Grabovski, while also rebuilding the goalie position, has made them look like a true playoff team. Mix that in with the fact that most of the young forwards still can reach another level and it could be a really good season for the Islanders. The defense-unit is less than impressive, but with cap space and young players as trade chips, the Islanders could be a team to watch for this season on the trade market. Expect the Islanders to make the playoffs in 2014-15 somewhere between the sixth and eighth seed.

Written by Greg Stamper, who can be found on twitter @g_stamp91.

The depth chart listed below was taken from NHL.com’s 30-in-30. 

FORWARDS
Brock Nelson – John Tavares – Kyle Okposo
Michael Grabner – Mikhail Grabovski – Nikolai Kulemin
Josh Bailey – Frans Nielsen – Ryan Strome
Matt Martin – Casey Cizikas – Cal Clutterbuck
Colin McDonald – Eric Boulton

DEFENSEMEN
Calvin de Haan – Travis Hamonic
Lubomir Visnovsky – Thomas Hickey
Matt Donovan – Matt Carkner
Brian Strait

GOALTENDERS
Jaroslav Halak
Chad Johnson

Forwards POS HT WT DOB BIRTH PLACE
Josh Bailey L 6′ 1″ 194 2-Oct-89 BOWMANVILLE, ON, CAN
Eric Boulton L 6′ 0″ 225 17-Aug-76 HALIFAX, NS, CAN
Casey Cizikas C 5′ 11″ 189 27-Feb-91 TORONTO, ON, CAN
Cal Clutterbuck R 5′ 11″ 206 18-Nov-87 WELLAND, ON, CAN
Cory Conacher C 5′ 8″ 180 14-Dec-89 BURLINGTON, ON, CAN
Michael Grabner R 6′ 0″ 186 5-Oct-87 VILLACH, AUT
Mikhail Grabovski C 5′ 11″ 183 31-Jan-84 POTSDAM, DEU
Nikolai Kulemin L 6′ 1″ 225 14-Jul-86 MAGNITOGORSK, RUS
Anders Lee C 6′ 2″ 225 3-Jul-90 EDINA, MN, USA
Matt Martin L 6′ 3″ 206 8-May-89 WINDSOR, ON, CAN
Colin Mcdonald R 6′ 2″ 214 30-Sep-84 WETHERSFIELD, CT, USA
Brock Nelson C 6′ 3″ 196 15-Oct-91 WARROAD, MN, USA
Frans Nielsen C 6′ 1″ 180 24-Apr-84 HERNING, DNK
Kyle Okposo R 6′ 0″ 216 16-Apr-88 ST. PAUL, MN, USA
Ryan Strome C 6′ 1″ 188 11-Jul-93 MISSISSAUGA, ON, CAN
John Tavares C 6′ 1″ 205 20-Sep-90 MISSISSAUGA, ON, CAN
Defensemen HT WT AGE DOB BIRTH PLACE
TJ Brennan 6′ 1″ 213 25 3-Apr-89 WILLINGBORO, NJ, USA
Matt Carkner 6′ 5″ 234 33 3-Nov-80 WINCHESTER, ON, CAN
Kevin Czuczman 6′ 2″ 209 23 9-Jan-91 PORT ELGIN, ON, CAN
Travis Hamonic 6′ 2″ 209 23 16-Aug-90 ST. MALO, MB, CAN
Thomas Hickey 6′ 0″ 184 25 8-Feb-89 CALGARY, AB, CAN
Brian Strait 6′ 1″ 205 26 4-Jan-88 WALTHAM, MA, USA
Lubomir Visnovsky 5′ 10″ 192 37 11-Aug-76 TOPOLCANY, SVK
Calvin De Haan 6′ 1″ 187 23 9-May-91 CARP, ON, CAN
Goalies HT WT AGE DOB BIRTH PLACE
Jaroslav Halak 5′ 10″ 186 29 13-May-85 BRATISLAVA, SVK
Chad Johnson 6′ 3″ 205 28 10-Jun-86 SASKATOON, SK, CAN

A look at the New York Islanders top prospects heading into this season. Each source may use different classifications as to if a player is deemed a prospect or has graduated on from a prospect.

Rk NHL.com ESPN
Corey Pronman
Dobber Prospects Hockeys Future The Hockey News
1 Griffin Reinhart Michael Dal Colle Ryan Strome Ryan Strome Ryan Strome
2 Ryan Pulock Griffin Reinhart Michael Dal Colle Griffin Reinhart Griffin Reinhart
3 Anders Lee Ville Pokka Griffin Reinhart Michael Dal Colle Michael Dal Colle
4 Ville Pokka Sebastian Collberg Ryan Pulock Calvin de Haan Ryan Pulock
5 Michael Dal Colle Ryan Pulock Anders Lee Ville Pokka Anders Lee
6 Scott Mayfield Joshua Ho-Sang Joshua Ho-Sang Ryan Pulock Joshua Ho-Sang
7 Sebastian Collberg Adam Pelech Adam Pelech Anders Lee Ville Pokka
8 Joshua Ho-Sang Anders Lee T.J. Brennan Joshua Ho-Sang Sebastian Collberg
9 Linus Soderstrom Scott Mayfield Kevin Czuczman Sebastian Collberg Linus Soderstrom
10 Adam Pelech Taylor Cammarata Ville Pokka Adam Pelech Scott Mayfield

* Dobber Prospects – Prospects based on relevance in a fantasy-hockey keeper league, not actual talent on the ice.

New York Islanders Draft History from the past five years

2014 Draft
Rd. Draft # Player Pos. Team Ht. Wt.
1 5 Michael DalColle C/LW Oshawa (OHL) 6′ 2″ 179
1 28 Josh HoSang C Windsor (OHL) 5′ 11″ 160
3 78 Ilya Sorokin G Novokuznetsk (RUS) 6′ 2″ 167
4 95 Linus Soderstrom G Djurgarden Jr. (SWE) 6′ 3″ 187
4 108 Devon Toews D Quinnipiac (ECAC) 5′ 11″ 175
6 155 Kyle Schempp C Ferris State (WCHA) 6′ 0″ 178
7 200 Lukas Sutter C Red Deer (WHL) 6′ 0″ 209
2013 Draft
1 15 Ryan Pulock D Brandon (WHL) 6′ 1″ 210
3 70 Eamon McAdam G NTDP-18 6′ 2″ 180
3 76 Taylor Cammarata F U of Minnesota 5′ 6″ 160
4 106 Stephon Williams G Minnesota St. 6′ 1″ 195
5 136 Victor CrusRydberg C Linkoping (SWE) 5’11” 198
6 166 Alan Quine F Peterborough (OHL) 5′ 11″ 172
7 196 Kyle Burroughs D Regina (WHL ) 5’11” 182
2012 Draft
1 4 Griffin Reinhart D Edmonton (WHL) 6′ 3″ 200
2 34 Ville Pokka D Karpat Oulu (Fin) 6′ 0″ 192
3 65 Adam Pelech D Erie (OHL) 6′ 1″ 198
4 103 Loic Leduc D Cape Breton (QMJHL) 6′ 5″ 194
5 124 Ryan Culkin D Quebec (QMJHL) 6′ 1″ 174
5 125 Doyle Somerby D Kimball Union HS (MIN) 6′ 4″ 232
6 155 Jesse Graham D Niagara (OHL) 5’11” 170
7 185 Jake Bischoff D Grand Rapids HS (MIN) 5’11” 178
2011 Draft
1 5 Ryan Strome C Niagara (OHL) 6′ 0″ 175
2 34 Scott Mayfield D Youngstown (USHL) 6′ 4″ 175
2 50 Johan Sundstrom C Frölunda (SWE) 6′ 2″ 196
3 63 Andrey Pedan D Guelph (OHL) 6′ 4″ 200
4 95 Robbie Russo D USA U-18 (USHL) 6′ 0″ 180
5 125 John Persson LW Red Deer (WHL) 6′ 2″ 200
5 127 Brenden Kichton D Spokane (WHL) 5’10” 175
7 185 Mitchell Theoret C Niagara (OHL) 6′ 1″ 210
2010 Draft
1 5 Nino Niederreiter LW Portland (WHL) 6′ 1″ 205
1 30 Brock Nelson C Warroad (MN HS) 6′ 2″ 205
3 65 Kirill Kabanov LW Moncton 6′ 2″ 173
3 82 Jason Clark F Shattuck-St. Mary’s 6′ 2″ 180
5 125 Tony Dehart D Oshawa 6′ 2″ 187
7 185 Cody Rosen G Clarkson 5’11” 180
Player GP G A P +/- PIM PP SH GW S S%
Kyle Okposo 71 27 42 69 -9 51 5 0 4 195 13.8
John Tavares 59 24 42 66 -6 40 8 0 4 188 12.8
Frans Nielsen 80 25 33 58 -11 8 5 2 0 167 15
Thomas Vanek 47 17 27 44 4 34 5 0 2 137 12.4
Josh Bailey 77 8 30 38 -8 26 2 0 1 98 8.2
Michael Grabner 64 12 14 26 -10 12 0 3 2 137 8.8
Brock Nelson 72 14 12 26 -10 12 3 0 1 132 10.6
Andrew Macdonald 63 4 20 24 -19 34 2 0 2 72 5.6
Thomas Hickey 82 4 18 22 5 34 0 0 0 96 4.2
Cal Clutterbuck 73 12 7 19 -9 50 0 3 1 172 7
Colin Mcdonald 70 8 10 18 -22 34 0 0 0 96 8.3
Travis Hamonic 69 3 15 18 2 68 2 0 0 134 2.2
Ryan Strome 37 7 11 18 -1 8 4 0 1 89 7.9
Matt Donovan 52 2 14 16 -9 26 1 0 0 86 2.3
Calvin De Haan 51 3 13 16 -7 30 1 0 1 71 4.2
Casey Cizikas 80 6 10 16 -12 30 1 0 1 79 7.6
Matt Martin 79 8 6 14 -11 90 0 0 3 120 6.7
Anders Lee 22 9 5 14 3 14 2 0 0 68 13.2
Lubomir Visnovsky 24 3 8 11 -1 10 2 0 1 34 8.8
Pierre-Marc Bouchard 28 4 5 9 -9 12 1 0 1 51 7.8
Matt Moulson 11 6 3 9 3 6 5 0 0 28 21.4
Brian Strait 47 3 6 9 -14 14 0 0 0 40 7.5
Peter Regin 44 2 5 7 -10 18 0 0 0 53 3.8
Eric Boulton 23 2 2 4 0 88 0 0 0 21 9.5
Matt Carkner 53 0 3 3 -10 149 0 0 0 50 0
Radek Martinek 13 0 3 3 4 4 0 0 0 12 0
Aaron Ness 20 1 2 3 -13 10 0 0 0 23 4.3
Kevin Czuczman 13 0 2 2 -5 14 0 0 0 24 0
John Persson 10 1 0 1 -4 6 0 0 0 16 6.3
Johan Sundstrom 11 0 1 1 0 6 0 0 0 13 0
Mike Halmo 20 1 0 1 -1 32 0 0 0 25 4
Brett Gallant 4 0 0 0 0 17 0 0 0 3 0
Justin Johnson 2 0 0 0 -1 7 0 0 0 0 0
Scott Mayfield 5 0 0 0 -3 7 0 0 0 7 0
Goalie GPI GS MIN GAA W L OT SO SA GA SV%
Evgeni Nabokov 40 39 2254 2.74 15 14 8 4 1085 103 0.905
Kevin Poulin 28 26 1625 3.29 11 16 1 0 820 89 0.891
Anders Nilsson 19 17 1101 3.11 8 7 2 0 548 57 0.896

Performance and Usage Charts for the New York Islanders from last season, from Extra Skater.

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