With solely two additions to their NHL roster this offseason, the New York Islanders face vital uncertainty of their ahead core. The signings of Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov by means of free company have bolstered the group’s scoring expertise and strengthened their depth. In consequence, head coach Patrick Roy can have difficult choices to make throughout coaching camp and preseason to make the group critical Stanley Cup contenders.

Islanders’ Lineup Certainties

The Islanders have six forwards who’ve all however assured positions within the lineup. The primary line can have Bo Horvat centering Mat Barzal on the suitable wing, the second line can have Brock Nelson centering Kyle Palmieri on the suitable wing, and Jean Gabriel Pageau would be the third line’s heart. From there, Casey Cizikas is more likely to be the fourth line’s heart, though Roy did experiment with him on the wing final season. Whereas an elevated position for Cizikas is feasible, with a completely well being roster, it is extremely, most unlikely he leaves the fourth line.

From there, the Islanders have three forwards who’re going to be lineup regulars. Duclair, Pierre Engvall, and Anders Lee have all established themselves as worthy NHL wingers.

Associated: Islanders Signing Maxim Tsyplakov Reveals Organizational Change

That leaves three lineup spots up for grabs. Simon Holmstrom might be within the lineup extra instances than not as a consequence of his two-way sport and youth. Hudson Fasching and Kyle MacLean each had sturdy stretches final season as soon as given constant roles within the lineup. Oliver Wahlstrom is without doubt one of the most expert gamers within the Islanders’ group, however his inconsistencies and weak skating have saved coaches from trusting him in a top-six capability. Lastly is Tsyplakov, whose position with the Islanders may vary wherever from being on the primary line within the NHL to the primary line within the AHL.

Supreme Ahead Strains

Given the uncertainty of the lineup, there’s a world the place every thing clicks, and the Islanders roll out one of many stronger ahead cores within the NHL. On this iteration of a lineup, the Islanders might be maximizing each Duclair and Tsyplakov’s most admirable qualities, lastly including a priceless and constant third-scoring menace to every of the highest two traces. If that’s the case, it could look one thing like this:

When Duclair was signed, the fast expectation from followers was to see him on the primary line with Horvat and Barzal. This makes quite a lot of sense as a result of Duclair is a speedy, shifty winger with a powerful wrist shot. Nevertheless, on this “best” world, he’s higher suited to play alongside Nelson and Palmieri.

Duclair would make extra sense on the second line as a result of he performs an analogous model of hockey to Engvall however with extra offensive upside and consistency. Engvall shined as a speedy winger subsequent to Nelson, and Duclair would complement that line by including a third-scoring menace with a 25+ aim upside.

Moreover, regardless of this being a “dream” situation, there needs to be skepticism concerning Tsyplakov’s match alongside Nelson. This isn’t to say Tsyplakov is a nasty participant, as a result of he’s not, however it’s understanding the truth that each play very related kinds of hockey. They each have fast, deadly wrist pictures, are common skaters by way of velocity however transfer very effectively, prefer to drive towards the middle of the ice and know how one can put rebounds at the back of the web with their fast palms. Due to this, Tsyplakov makes extra sense on the primary line.

If Tsyplakov can translate his sport to the NHL, he could be a replicated Nelson however on the primary line. And as Islanders followers know, Nelson shined throughout his brief stint alongside Barzal and Horvat final season. In 13 video games, the road tallied 9 objectives and gave up simply 4. Given Tsyplakov’s related playstyle to Nelson, the primary line may see related success over a full 82-game season.

From right here, the underside six will see a little bit of a shakeup. The third line would kind one of many quickest traces within the league. For the Islanders, this may be very priceless, particularly because the group has been on the slower aspect in latest seasons.

The fourth line is actually the “additional” gamers left over, however Cizikas and Fasching’s stable defensive play final season left them as dependable choices on this position. Whereas paying Lee $7 million for the fourth line is a troublesome tablet to swallow, it’s wanting like his spot within the lineup is fading, particularly if Tsyplakov could make a right away affect within the prime six. Nevertheless, having a powerful aim scorer on the fourth line is rarely a nasty factor.

Sensible Ahead Strains

Whereas the “best” ahead traces are nice in idea, loads has to go proper for them to work out. Given the Islanders usually draw back from flashy choices, they’re more likely to resort to related line mixtures to final season with only a few adjustments. If that’s the case, they might look one thing like this:

These traces would put collectively the plain pairing of Duclair, Horvat, and Barzal, in addition to hold Lee within the prime six. Given Lee’s nice analytics, Roy is unlikely to surrender on him after one dangerous season. It could not be nice to lose Engvall’s velocity within the prime six, however neither Nelson nor Palmieri are quick skaters, so Lee would slot in effectively.

There are many causes to place confidence in Tsyplakov, however few counsel he’ll safe a top-six position straight out of coaching camp. Thus, he might want to show himself. Moreover, as probably the most potent scoring menace on the third line, he may deal with a scoring weak spot the Islanders had final season, making his addition to the lineup substantial regardless of the restricted position.

The fourth line would comprise probably the most “boring” gamers on the Islanders. This isn’t to say any of those forwards are dangerous, however slightly all of them make minimal errors. Contemplating the group would lastly have a powerful prime six, having a reincarnated model of the “id line” could possibly be a pleasant addition. Holmstrom and Fasching wouldn’t present the physicality Cal Clutterbuck and Mat Martin did, however they might shine defensively, permitting Roy to ship them on the ice at any time when he wished his prime two traces to relaxation.

Contemplating there’s a prolonged coaching camp and preseason forward, hypothesis will flip to affirmation as soon as Roy publicly exhibits how he’ll make the most of his new additions. Nevertheless, one factor is for positive, and that’s the Islanders have gotten extra gifted, so it’ll finally come right down to the gamers on making this season completely different than the final.