New York Islanders fans remember the day all too well. On July 1, 2018, captain John Tavares signed a seven-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, his childhood team. Since then, the Islanders have made the Eastern Conference Final twice, bringing a new identity to the Islanders, while the Maple Leafs have just one playoff series win to show for it. The success of the franchise has brought back hope to a fanbase that has been stuck in the trenches for quite a while. However, their success since that monumental day has not translated to everyone.
While centers Brock Nelson and Casey Cizikas stepped into their new roles, both having career-best seasons since Tavares’ departure, 2018 Calder Trophy winner Mathew Barzal has yet to repeat his offensive production from his rookie season, which ended with 22 goals and 85 points, including 27 points on the power play. Barzal has since failed to achieve the 20-goal mark or amass 20 points on the power play.
His overall performance hasn’t been subpar, showing improvement as a well-rounded player. However, a series of unfortunate circumstances, including bad luck, injuries, and insufficient support on his line, have contributed to a decline in his point production. This downturn can be attributed, in part, to the pressure of being thrust into the role of the franchise’s focal point after just one season and going head-to-head against opponents’ top stars.
After Tavares joined Toronto, Barzal embraced his pivotal role, solidifying his status as the Islanders’ franchise player by inking an impressive eight-year, $73.2 million contract extension in October 2022. This commitment ensures he will be an Islander for the better part of the next decade. Now, in his first season under that contract, Barzal is on pace to break multiple career highs.
Barzal’s Move to Wing
After playing center his entire career, Barzal was forced to the wing with the Islanders’ acquisition of Bo Horvat in January 2023. Despite playing together for just a few weeks before being injured, it was evident that there was a connection between the two. Horvat, who was in the midst of his career-best season as a pending free agent, was a no-brainer for head coach Lane Lambert to play down the middle.
With a career 53.7% win rate from the face-off circle, Horvat is the exact type of player that any coach wants at center. He is responsible defensively and can play big minutes, averaging over 19 minutes a night in six consecutive seasons with the Vancouver Canucks before being shipped out. For Barzal, it was the first time in his career since losing Tavares that he was on a roster with another forward who could keep up with him offensively. Now, he was playing on the same line with one.
Barzal’s move to the wing opened up his game, allowing him to have another option to pass to – a two-time All-Star with a nearly 14% career shooting percentage. Additionally, Horvat’s defensive capabilities allowed Barzal to take more liberties with the puck and be more aggressive in the neutral zone to create offensive opportunities. Horvat’s presence on the ice alone has enough impact on opposing defenses to no longer solely focus on Barzal but draw some attention to other skaters.
Islanders’ Power Play No Longer Bottom of the League
Before this season, talking about the power play would be a surefire way to anger Islanders fans. The numbers speak for themselves. The team finished with a 15.77% success rate in the 2022-23 season, 3rd worst in the league. As of Dec. 31, the Islanders sit 10th in the league with a 23.47% success rate despite their recent struggles – a stark difference from the bottom-three power-play unit from last season. This success must be attributed to the addition of Horvat to the top unit. His five power-play goals in 34 games this season would rank T-3 among all Islanders skaters last season, showing just how poor the team performed on the man advantage.
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Horvat has taken the power play to the next level by adding another threat around the net. His presence in the dirty areas allows for his linemates Barzal, Kyle Palmieri, Noah Dobson, and Nelson to find more open ice for themselves. With Barzal’s top-of-the-league skating ability with the puck, paired with his vision, he is now able to create more opportunities with this open ice, find passes to open shooters, and lead the unit to an overall rise in production from last season. His 13 points on the power play this season have put him on pace to outperform his rookie season total (27). Through the team’s newfound success, expect Barzal to continue to rack up points on the man advantage.
As the team finishes up the first half of the season in a couple of weeks, the fanbase can finally be confident that the boring, low-scoring hockey that the team has been known for since Tavares’ departure is finally gone. The addition of Horvat has cemented the top six as one of this roster’s strengths, creating a ripple effect that has benefited everyone in the forward core. While no fan is going to try to convince you that Horvat’s presence has done as much for the franchise as Tavares did, the similarities between the two are strong, with both taking the offensive burden off of Barzal’s shoulders while simultaneously boosting his production.