The collapse in the Stadium Series game on Feb. 18 in a lot of ways summarized how this season has gone for the New York Islanders. The team showed up for two periods of action and played well, building up a 4-1 lead 25 minutes into the game. During the early phases of the game, this was the Islanders team that looked capable of not only making the playoffs but a deep playoff run.
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Then came the collapse. The New York Rangers scored twice to wrap up the second period and added two goals in the final five minutes of regulation to force overtime. The inept defense was on full display by the Islanders and the penalties continued to cost them as they allowed three goals when they were shorthanded. They earned a point but it certainly didn’t feel that way when Artemi Panarin scored the overtime-winning goal, giving the Rangers the 6-5 win.
The Islanders have had plenty of tough losses this season and this defeat was far from the worst considering how many leads this team has squandered in the final period of action. This loss however was the most significant. They collapsed to the rival Rangers in front of a national audience and more importantly, left points on the board. The Islanders can’t afford to keep losing games and this defeat has them at 22-18-14 and in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division. The trade deadline is a few weeks away and for a team hoping to make a push for the playoffs, the losses are becoming costly.
In the grand scheme of things, the loss, which is their third in a row, was a reminder that the Islanders desperately need to retool their roster. The recent game displayed a few bright spots and how they can contend, but the weaknesses stood out and general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello must address them if the Islanders hope to become a Stanley Cup contender down the road.
A Retool Starts with the Core
The five-goal performance from the Islanders and how they found the back of the net was fitting. How so? Because most of the production came from the star players or the core building blocks on the roster. Brock Nelson, Bo Horvat, and Mathew Barzal all found the back of the net while Noah Dobson distributed three assists. Those four skaters lead the Islanders in points and it was no surprise to see them stepping up and carrying the team against the Rangers.
It’s been the story of the season. The Islanders are carried by their star players and the drop in production on both ends of the ice happens after that. It leaves the team with a great top line, a strong second line, and two lines that are non-existent on the offensive end of the ice, and similarly, they have a great top pair but struggled defensively otherwise.
The Islanders must build around their core, something they’ve struggled to do with Lamoriello as their GM. He’s kept the roster intact but hasn’t been able to build off the strengths of the stars on the roster. Sure, Barzal and Horvat have formed a great connection on the top line (and credit Lamoriello for making the trade last season) but Nelson is being tasked with carrying his line without much help. Likewise, all the production at the point comes from Dobson as he has more points (58) than the rest of the defensive unit combined (52). The bottom line is that the Islanders need skaters who complement their stars. Kyle Palmieri has done so to a point as a reliable shooter on the Nelson line and Anders Lee has stepped up as a finisher, albeit, with inconsistent play, but the team otherwise lacks those players.
As a result, the best avenue for the Islanders to contend is to move some players around. They don’t need a teardown, a firesale, or a rebuild (or any other words that panicked fans might use for a struggling team like this one), they just need to move some furniture around, metaphorically speaking. For Lamoriello, it starts with finding a few skaters to move on from one way or another.
Islanders Must Move On From Mayfield
In the offseason, it would be crazy to suggest that the Islanders would have to buy out a seven-year contract. Scott Mayfield was signed to a long-term deal and the hope was that he would remain a key part of the defense and age gracefully. At 31 years old, there were questions about a decline but his style of play, notably with disciplined, gap-sound defense, was one that would allow him to age well.
Fast forward to this season and Mayfield’s been a liability. The loss to the Rangers was a case in point as he took three penalties to help the opposition come back and win the game. Throughout the season, he’s taken too many penalties with his 35 penalty minutes being second-most on the team behind only Lee, and his mistakes are proving costly considering the Islanders have one of the worst penalty-killing units in the NHL. On top of that, he’s not the same defenseman he used to be. He’s lost a step and isn’t keeping up with opposing skaters and it’s forcing him to try to gain an edge elsewhere. That edge, as a slower skater, is holding on to opponents or trying to slow them down with hits or by hooking them with the stick, all of which result in penalties.
Lamoriello was lucky when it came to Josh Bailey, another Islanders veteran who had a significant decline. He didn’t need to buy out his contract as he traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks for a second-round selection in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Lamoriello won’t be as fortunate with Mayfield. The defenseman has become a weak link on the roster and the question is what happens next.
The immediate solution can come from head coach Patrick Roy. He can limit Mayfield’s role and even leave him out of the lineup as a healthy scratch, something Bailey was at the end of his tenure with the Islanders. A defenseman who is a liability shouldn’t be taking shifts late in a close game yet that’s what happened against the Rangers and it resulted in a tripping penalty from the veteran. The long-term solution is something Lamoriello must address and if there isn’t a rebound from Mayfield, a buyout is both the best option and the only one.
Islanders Need a New Identity Line
There are two reasons the Islanders must move on from the fourth line as it’s currently constructed. The first is age. Casey Cizikas is 32 and still playing at a high level as a two-way center yet Cal Clutterbuck is 36 and Matt Martin is 34 and both skaters are pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs). The line is an older one and has become one-dimensional. When they are on the ice, it’s for their forechecking and the occasional fight. Martin had only 6:36 of ice time in the recent game and his highlights started and ended with his fight against Rangers prospect Matt Rempe in the first period.
The Islanders need younger skaters to step up on the fourth line and become the next forecheckers on the forward unit. Presumably, Clutterbuck and Martin won’t re-sign in the offseason and it will require Lamoriello to search for those who are waiting in the wings.
The fourth line also must change and find more offense. The bottom-six has struggled to provide the Islanders with goals and there must be a change in how Lamoriello approaches the “Identity Line”. This team easily wins the recent game if one of their fourth-line skaters finds the back of the net. None did.
So, who can replace Clutterbuck and Martin? Hudson Fasching and Julien Gauthier have played on the third and fourth lines this season and both skaters add a forechecking presence to the forward unit. That said, they are underwhelming on the offensive end of the ice to put it lightly. Fasching, who signed a two-year contract this offseason, has three goals and five assists in 29 games played while Gauthier, who was sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL) earlier in the month, has five goals and four assists in 27 games.
Then some prospects come to mind, the handful of skaters who have stood out on the Bridgeport Islanders. Kyle McLean was brought up earlier in the season and played six games while Cizikas battled injuries. William Dufour and Matthew Maggio are the team’s top two prospects and if they join the NHL roster, they might start on the fourth line. Ruslan Iskhakov isn’t the skater that comes to mind to replace Clutterbuck or Martin down the road considering his size (he weighs 170 pounds) but he’s been the top scorer on the AHL team. If the Islanders want to pivot and become a more offensive-minded team, the shift can start there. Ishkakov, Dufour, and Maggio would give them a new-look line and add a much-needed youthful presence to the roster.
Other Changes That Could Happen
It’s hard seeing the Islanders being aggressive at the trade deadline and eagerly adding skaters and at the same time, it’s nearly impossible to envision Lamoriello trading away players and selling either. That said, the team needs to move on from some skaters, and the roster must look different by the end of this season and by the start of next season.
Oliver Wahlstrom was given a chance to find a role under Roy, who after he was hired, moved the promising winger around on the forward unit. He failed to deliver and at this point in his career, he needs a new setting to see his career take off. He has a high upside and could become a reliable scorer at the NHL level, just not with the Islanders.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau is an intriguing skater for the Islanders to trade. He centers the third line and is one of the best two-way forwards on the team but is starting to decline and Lamoriello must move on from him while he still can. Pageau could field a decent return in a trade and if the team receives a prospect for him, they can return next season with a younger and stronger roster.
The Islanders already made their coaching change with the hopes of injecting life into the team and turning the season around. The Roy hiring hasn’t done that but he’ll remain the coach of this team moving forward. The problem is the roster and with that in mind, the fans can and should expect some movement. The Islanders have a strong core in place but not much else is going right. Lamoriello must build around that core or another GM might be doing so instead.