Yesterday, I put out an article evaluating the performance of all New York Islanders forwards at the All-Star break. Sticking with the same theme, today, we're looking at Islanders' defensemen.
JOHNNY BOYCHUK- meeting expectations
The regression could be much, much worse. He’s 36 years old and is still able to play more than 20 minutes a night when called upon. He’s not shooting as much as normal and as everyone knows I wasn’t a fan of him playing instead of Dobson but he’s still an effective penalty killer and the fact alone that he’s still a contributing member of the team at this age is impressive.
NOAH DOBSON- meeting expectations
Dobson’s been an underused asset. He can still take a bit more adjusting to the game and at times he can get knocked off the puck easily, especially in battles behind the net but he’s rarely a liability. He’s already very comfortable with the puck and already has the ability to make plays once the Islanders are set up in the offensive zone. I can’t really say he’s surpassed expectations because honestly, I expected if he was going to make the team he would’ve played a lot more by now. But considering expectations were high, Dobson has been good and looks like he’s going to be great down the line.
NICK LEDDY- meeting expectations
Leddy had to take on top pairing responsibilities which is no easy task. He’s done a good job staying true to his offensively-charged game and will still carry the puck or lead a rush but he does it without compromising the defensive stability that he focused on last year. He’ll be relied on more for the rest of the year with Pelech out and I think he’ll be up to the task.
SCOTT MAYFIELD- surpassing expectations
Without a doubt, one of the best contracts in the league. Mayfield has always been good in his own end but this season we’ve got to see a bit more of an offensive side from him. He’s shooting more and is on pace for the highest point total of his career. He’s become key to the penalty kill and even played 24 minutes against the Rangers in the last game before the break. In my opinion, this year he's shown his value to the Islanders even more.
ADAM PELECH- meeting expectations
He wasn’t really surpassing expectations because at this point we already know that Pelech is very sound defensively. He’s used a ton and was solid once again before the injury.
RYAN PULOCK- meeting expectations
He’s playing 22 minutes a game and while he hasn’t taken the huge step offensively that some may have been anticipating, he’s been very good. Pulock has emerged as the top all-around defenseman on the Islanders– he’s able to play in all situations and is valuable both offensively and in his own end.
DEVON TOEWS- meeting expectations
After coming out of the gate flying, Toews has cooled off a bit. He hasn’t been creating the offense he was to open the season but more importantly, he’s been less reliable defensively. There have been more turnovers and he’s been out of place more than we’re used to seeing from him. Overall it’s still been a decent year for him and three points against Washington looks good but he’s only been ‘okay’ for the last little while in my opinion.
Part three, looking at New York's goaltenders, will be out tomorrow. Thanks for reading!
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OTHER ISLANDERS ARTICLES FROM JANUARY
Evaluating all Islanders' forwards at the All-Star break
A stretch of games to forget
Jordan Eberle is due to break out of his cold streak
What Adam Pelech's injury means for the Islanders
SHORT READ: Wahlstrom/Pivonka and Team USA eliminated from World Juniors
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