In Elmont, the New York Islanders will roster the 2022-23 Isles for the coming campaign.
Ilya Sorokin #30 of the New York Islanders watches the puck sail high over the goal.
That’s how confident and comfortable the organization is with the players they had last season.
“When you look at the roster, you’re talking about the stability,” assistant general manager Chris Lamoriello said. “That’s what we feel the strength is. The Islanders are always going to be a team that should be able to play different styles, play different opponents, be successful with different styles and different opponents.”
The Islanders made it to the playoffs last season, but were bounced in the fist round by the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Isles re-signed goalie Ilya Sorokin to an eight-year deal in the off season, locking up their Vezina candidate from the last season.
The number two goalie in net for New York will be Semyon Varlamov who signed a four-year deal in July.
“I think my dad said it many times,” Chris Lamoriello said. “He likes to build teams from the net out and we feel very fortunate that these two players (Sorokin and Varlamov) are with us, they signed long term and they’re a huge part of our present and our future. When you start with those two goaltenders, you know that every night you’re going to have a chance to win.”
The stalwarts of the roster, Mathew Barzal, Kyle Palmieri, Oliver Wahlstrom, Cal Clutterbuck, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Simon Holmstrom, Adam Pelech, and Noah Dobson will be back, and presumably healthy after a difficult season with injuries last campaign.
“It’s going to be similar faces,” New York’s Brock Nelson said. “Unknown right now with Zach, but a lot of guys coming back that we’ve had for a while, so I think everyone has a lot of belief and confidence that we have what it takes to go out there and go further.”
Two forwards from the Bridgeport Islanders of the AHL are expected in the lineup this season.
Ruslan Iskhakov, 17 goals and 51 points in 69 games, and William Dufour, 21 goals and 48 points through 69 games, are both slated for the new season in Elmont.
“You look at his (Iskhakov) statistics and I think it’s evident, his talents, and they’re not just on the power play, they’re 5-on-5,” Lamoriello said. “One of the things that is so impressive about him is his attitude. He comes to the rink every day with a smile on his face, great enthusiasm, great energy. Now it’s just acquiring all those other things that a National Hockey League player needs to be able to do to play 82 games and a seven-game series.”
Defenseman Samuel Bolduc, 10 goals and 35 points in 56 games in Bridgeport, iced 17 games for the big club last season. With all the injuries, his services were required in Elmont. He manged two goals and three points.
“I think that he hit the ground running,” Islanders assistant general manager Chris Lamoriello said. “He also knew that some of the stress he went through wasn’t necessarily anything he did or anybody else did wrong. It’s just part of what happens sometimes in hockey, and that’s where he showed maturity and really handled it well.”
One issue for the Isles is getting Bo Horvat better adjusted to the system and his linemates. His acquisition from the Vancouver Canucks at the trade deadline was a plus, but not nearly what New York had hoped for.
Barzal may be expected to move out of his comfort zone at center to accommodate Horvat for the benefit of the team.
That fix may pay dividends on the power play where the Islanders were woeful, ranked 30th in the NHL last season.
Chemistry is the key for the Islanders headed to the new season. The team has opted to roll with last season’s roster with the hope that blending Horvat into the mix will be the answer to a second playoff spot this season and a deeper run beyond the first round.
A healthy Sorokin in net, and a healthier skater corps will make that possible.
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