Today, writers at HockeyBuzz are looking at the biggest need for each NHL team.
While other teams may have multiple needs to address, I think this is a pretty applicable question for the New York Islanders, based on the fact that the Islanders do actually have one specific need when it comes to upgrading their lineup.
The Islanders are one of the league’s top defensive teams and while Barry Trotz can certainly take credit for the system he’s implemented since taking over, you have to recognize the defense group as well. Ryan Pulock is an excellent blend of offensive upside and defensive reliability. Then Adam Pelech has been effective on the team’s top pairing, while Nick Leddy has been better in his own end over the last two seasons and Scott Mayfield is reliable as well. Noah Dobson projects as a future top-four defenseman at minimum, while Andy Greene would be a solid member of the bottom pairing next season, if he’s brought back. Even with the loss of Devon Toews and Johnny Boychuk, the team’s defense group is still a strength.
Then in net, Semyon Varlamov is coming off a strong season, while Ilya Sorokin looks to be one of the most exciting goaltending prospects over the last few years. The Islanders don’t have anything to worry about between the pipes, especially given how much the netminders are helped by the team’s defensive structure.
That leaves one key area of need and it should come as no surprise that it falls within the team’s forward group. More specifically, the Islanders need a legitimate top-line winger.
New York still has trouble scoring at times and adding a high-end, offensive winger would go a long way for the team. Mathew Barzal makes for a legitimate top-line center, while Brock Nelson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Casey Cizikas give the team relatively strong depth down the middle. However, the top-six wingers, in Josh Bailey, Anthony Beauvillier, Jordan Eberle and Anders Lee, don’t quite cut it to drive the team’s offense. If Barzal had someone on his level to play with on New York’s top line, you can imagine how dangerous it could be.
The Islanders also lack a strong third line and adding another top-line winger would give the team the opportunity to bump one of their wingers down to the third line, giving the team some better secondary scoring. Especially given that three of the four wingers listed above are at least 30 years old, the team could really use an upgrade on their top line in the near future.
The problem with addressing this need is obviously New York’s cap situation. The team still needs to re-sign Barzal and likely Greene, along with potentially Derick Brassard and Matt Martin as well. Even if you don’t include those last two names, there’s very little room remaining. If the Islanders were to look to add someone via trade, it would mean continuing to sell off future assets, which probably isn’t an ideal route to go with multiple of their better forwards now in their 30s.
So while it’s clear the Islanders’ most pressing need comes in the form of a top-line winger, we probably shouldn’t expect any key additions in the near future.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Do you agree that a top-line winger is the Islanders' biggest need?
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