The New York Islanders entered the offseason with clear goals for each position group. Forwards needed a top-six forward and multiple bottom-six forwards, the defense needed to get healthy, and goaltending needed to forget about last season. While the defense and goaltending issues were addressed, the forward core still needs to add a top-six forward.
Islanders Need Another Scorer
The Islanders’ real issue is a lack of a fourth true offensive threat. The team had just three forwards score north of 55 points last season. The Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers had four, the Presidents Trophy-winning New York Rangers had five, the Stanley Cup-runner-up Edmonton Oilers had four, the Western Conference regular season winner Dallas Stars had five, and the 2023 Vegas Golden Knights had four en route to their Stanley Cup victory.
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Of course, there is no winning formula to winning a Stanley Cup, but there is a strong correlation between successful teams and having deep forward cores. In fact, the last Stanley Cup-winning team to have less than four 55+ point forwards in the regular season was the 2019 Stanley Cup-winning St. Louis Blues (2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons prorated to 82-game production given shortened seasons).
The Islanders have defenseman Noah Dobson who had 70 points last season, but that does not deter the team’s need for a fourth 55+ point forward. Mat Barzal, Bo Horvat, and Brock Nelson are very strong, but there is a significant gap between the three of them and the second tier of Kyle Palmieri, Anthony Duclair, and Anders Lee. By adding a fourth forward with a 65+ point upside and a 55-point floor into the forward core, the Islanders would become true Stanley Cup contenders.
Who Fills the Need?
The first and most obvious candidate to fill this need is Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets. Not much needs to be said about Ehlers given his popularity among Islanders fans this offseason. The 28-year-old winger has been in trade rumors following his 25-goal, 61-point performance. With just one year left on his $6 million salary, the Jets may be willing to part ways at the right price.
The Islanders would need to shed salary to make a deal work, but Lee, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Ryan Pulock, and Scott Mayfield are candidates to be shipped. As well, the Jets could retain salary to make a deal work, and the Islanders have nearly all of their future draft capital to put up the appropriate value.
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