New York Islanders Season Preview: 2023-24

Heading into their 10th season in the EHE, the New York Islanders and their fans have become all too familiar with longer-than-expected offseasons.

That tends to happen when your team makes the playoffs just four times in nine tries, with only a single trip out of the first round to show for it. 

No surprise then, that Islanders players and staff had their sights set squarely on the future as they arrived for training camp ahead of the 2023-24 EHE campaign.

At the team's season-opening availability, team captain Nathan MacKinnon batted away questions about the franchise-best 54 wins and 114 points his squad amassed in 2022-23, and whether those achievements were the sign of a team moving in the right direction. 

"Last year is over, nobody here is even thinking about that stuff really," said MacKinnon. "We didn't even get close to our ultimate goal and that's all that matters."

"The only sign we're interested in is wins."

Longtime Islander and fellow face of the franchise Mitch Marner echoed those sentiments.

"We don't feel that we're entilted to anything because of what we did in the past. Our one goal is to win a championship. Anything else is just a step along the way to that goal."

That attitude was clearly reflected on the ice, as the atmosphere was businesslike in the extreme during the team's week-long camp at the Northwell Health Ice Center. Shaking off the rust was less of a priority than shooting for perfection, as every drill and scrimmage saw players battling to one-up their teammates—or themselves.

Indeed, if there's a motto for the Islanders in 2023-24, it would seem to be the inverse of that old chestnut "It's not the destination that matters, it's the journey."

No, for this extremely talented team, and their loyal but restless supporters, the destination is everything.

FORWARDS

There's an argument to be made that, top to bottom, the Islanders aren't as deep at forward as they were in 2022-23; indeed, it will be hard to top the productivity of a group that posted the fifth-highest single season goal total in EHE history with 302 tallies.

Nevertheless, the Isles still boast elite talent at the top of the lineup, and an exceptionally strong top 9 overall. And beyond just the skill available, Head Coach Mike Sullivan should be able to count on the chemistry that developed among his forwards last season. The grit and production of Tomas Hertl and Andrei Svechnikov, for example, (who combined for 74 goals and 166 points in their first season on Long Island) should again free up MacKinnon and Marner to operate at 100-point form.

Further down the lineup, newcomer Jonathan Marchessault will be motivated to be a difference-maker after spending two years on the rebuilding Montreal Canadiens, while Joel Eriksson Ek and Jared McCann have found another gear in their mid-20s. Bolstered by emerging star Matt Boldy and the elite two-way presence of Nick Paul, this is a group that should be a threat every night.

DEFENSE

Considering how many roster changes General Manager Kyle Phillips has made during his two years at the helm, it's shocking that, since 2021-22, the only change to the team's top seven amounts to Mikey Anderson taking an everyday role on the bottom pair and Simon Benoit sliding into his spot as the 7th defenseman. It will be interesting to see if that continuity works in the Islanders' favour.

In any case, the blueline is still constructed with an emphasis on two-way play: Erik Karlsson and fellow Swede Rasmus Dahlin are among the league's elite offensive defensemen, and their scoring flair will be balanced by dependable veterans Ryan McDonagh and Vladislav Gavrikov. Gustav Forsling, meanwhile, will once again be the Swiss Army knife of the group with his two-way game.

Much like the forwards, this is a defense corps that is set up well to be a problem for their opponents all season long. 

GOALTENDERS

With Sergei Bobrovsky returning on a two-year deal in the offseason, and Stuart Skinner taking another step up the organizational ladder, goaltending will be another area of stability for the Islanders.

Whether that's a good thing remains to be seen, however, as Bobrovsky's numbers dipped during his second season on the Island, with a GAA. that jumped from 2.36 to 2.78 and a Sv% that tumbled from .923 to .910. And the less said about his playoff performance against the Philadelphia Flyers, the better.

Nevertheless, Bobrovsky has mostly performed well since his arrival from San Jose, and with a safety net in rising star Skinner, the Islanders' crease should be in good shape over 82 games.

All told, the Islanders again have the look of a legitimate Cup contender, at least on paper. But as the team and their followers know all too well, looking good on paper doesn't amount to much when the bullets start to fly—especially in a loaded Metropolitan Division.

If nothing else, the Isles should be in the thick of the playoff race right to the end. Whether they can once again contened for a top seed in the Conference, or even the President's Trophy, is a bigger question.

No matter what happens though, another long summer could mean big changes on Long Island.

Marc-Andre Dore

Cup contender again this year for sure.. but still in the toughest EHE division though. The real season begins 82 games from now ;)

New York Islanders Season Preview: 2023-24

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