Your
New York Islanders finished the 2014-15 season with 101 points, going 47-28-7
in 82 games. This was the team’s most wins since 1983-84 (50).
Several players had career seasons per Eric Hornick:
John
Tavares established career highs in both goals (38) and points (86) and led in
several statistics including goals, assist, points, pp goals, OT & gwgs to
name a few and came within hours of an Art Ross trophy.
Brock
Nelson went 20-22-42, establishing new highs in all three categories. And along
with Ryan Strome (50pts) and Anders Lee (41pts) showed a glimpse of what is in
store for New York with regards to home grown talent.
Josh
Bailey established a new career high in points (41) and took another step
forward & Nikolay Kulemin showed how a well-rounded forward who works hard
can have an impact, especially in the SHG (3) category.
Frans
Niesen had 43 points in 78 games playing his reliable brand of hockey.
Casey
Cizikas established new career highs in goals (9) and points (18) and Matt
Martin matched career highs in both goals (8) and points (14). Along with
Cal Clutterbuck, the trio was the darling of the NHL, being called the best “4th
line in hockey.” They were the energy source and the bane of opposing
teams whenever they were on the ice.
Travis
Hamonic established new career high in assists (28), points (33), matched a
career high in goals (5). He showed that he could be a top shut down, NHL
D-Man.
Thomas
Hickey established a new career high in assists (20) and matched a career high
in points (22).
Johnny
Boychuk established new career highs in goals (9) assists (26) & points
(35) & Nick Leddy established a new career high in goals (10) and matched a
career high in points (37). Both were Mammoth additions prior to the
start of the season for the improved Isles blue line and brought a veteran
presence and improved stability in front of their net.
Jaroslav
Halak established a new career highs in games (59), minutes (3550) & wins
(38) and gave the Islanders a chance to win on most nights. He was
a clear reason for the improved season.
Calvin
de Haan missed some time with injury, but had his share of time off as a
healthy scratch. Sources tell me his attitude may have hampered his
ability to flourish and achieve his potential a top NHL defensemen.
Brian
Strait saw far more playing time than he should have in my opinion and while he
improved after missing time for “personal" reasons, he wasn’t the kind of player
the Isles should have relied on. I would rather see a younger player
learn from his mistakes than a mediocre, declining vet struggle to keep up with
his game.
Injuries
were a factor in some of the teams struggles this season. Michael Grabner
and Mikhail
Grabovski struggled to find their game while Kyle Okposo was knocked off his as
a result of injuries during the season. Tyler Kennedy missed game action
in his limited time with the Isles and may not have had the impact management
expected when acquiring him before the deadline. Eric Boulton seems to have
found a backup role with the team and based on his leadership and presence in
the locker room, may have found himself a spot somewhere in the organization
when his playing days are over.
We
know the Chad Johnson experiment didn’t work out as planned and the Michal
Neuvirth (1-3 with a .881Sv% & 2.94 gaa in 5 games) trial may be over which
leaves a question as to who will back up Jaro Halak next season.
If eligible, Michael Dal Colle & Josh Ho-Sang are guys that can
push for a spot out of camp and may be able to make a splash like the guys
named Neslon, Strome or Lee.
Griffin Reinhart & Ryan Pulock will get a look in
camp and Scott Mayfield has been developing nicely and looked solid in his
limited playoff showcase along with Matt Donovan who has played his last game
for the Islanders. I am among those who contend Dono never got a fair
shot to crack the lineup.
So
the Islanders were 25-14-2 on home ice, equaling their most home wins since
1984-85. They went 831-610-224 in 1,665 regular season games all-time at
the Coliseum. On the road, the Isles finished the season with a 22-14-5
record. The Isles have won at least 20 road games in consecutive seasons
for the second time in franchise history (1981-82 and 1982-83).
Their
special teams were the ebb and flow of the season. Their PP started well
and spiraled downward quickly to include a dismal 0 for 14 in their playoff
series against the Caps. Their PK was able to improve respectably, but still
fell short by the end of the season.
Despite
finishing their playoff appearance with another first round elimination at the
hand of the Washington Capitals, General Manager Garth Snow said there would be
no changes by him on the team’s coaching staff.
Capuano and his coaches have fallen short with another early playoff
exit this season and still have a lot to prove in my eyes,
but the core team is pretty good and only needs a few tweaks. A few key prospects look very promising and
should generate some pressure in training camp for veterans to open next
season. While I am not convinced Capuano and crew made consistent
adjustments where they needed to be made throughout the year, sources tell me of
his full command of the room and that the
improvements realized this season, with a better squad, may have been enough in
Snow’s eyes to keep them around.
Next
season the Isles will open the 2015-16 campaign in Brooklyn and
start a new chapter in the team’s storied history. I am optimistic and
hopeful that they will be able to correct the shortcomings from last season and
take another step back to respectability.
"There ain't no island left for Islanders like me." -- Billy Joel.
Isles
Notes:
The
U.S. Men’s National Team posted a 3-0 victory over the Czech Republic in the
bronze medal game at the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation Men’s World
Championship. Brock Nelson had 5 & 2 for 7 points in 8 games while
Anders Lee had an assist in 5 games played. This is the first
international medal awarded to both players.
Nikolay
Kulemin had 1 & 7 for 8 points in 9 games for Russia and finished with a
Silver Medal. Its Kulemin’s 3rd international medal.
Congratulations to Isles prospect @MDalColle71 and the @Oshawa_Generals on winning the OHL
Championship. Dal Colle was tied for second place in OHL playoff scoring
with 31 points.
Islanders
head amateur scout Trent Klatt is leaving the Islanders organization to coach
high school hockey per the Duluth News Tribune.
