The 2024 calendar year was filled with ups and downs for the New York Islanders. The year started with a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on New Year’s Day and is ending with a matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins on New Year’s Eve. Between these two games, the Islanders have gone through quite a lot. At the 2023 Trade Deadline, General Manager Lou Lamoriello made a big splash, landing Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat on January 30th. However, two weeks later, the Islanders lost star forward Mat Barzal for the season in their February 18th matchup against the Boston Bruins.
Despite Barzal’s injury, the team finished the season 4th in the Metropolitan Division and earned the first wild card spot in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, their run fell short, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the playoffs. Heading into the offseason without a first-round pick and minimal cap space, the Islanders made no significant moves to the roster. The only relevant move was sending Josh Bailey to the Chicago Blackhawks. Besides this, the Islanders’ only other roster move was adding Julien Gauthier to the roster.
Islanders Have 3 Rookies on Roster in 2024
The first bold prediction for the Islanders in 2024 is they will have 3 rookies become full-time NHLers at some point this calendar year. With the Ilya Sorokin extension kicking in this summer, the Islanders will be tight to the cap, again, even with the salary cap expected to rise to $87.675 million next season ($4.175 million increase from 2023-24 season). As a result, expect some notable prospects to push for roster spots out of camp.
Ruslan Iskhakov
The without-a-doubt favorite to become a full-time NHLer for the Islanders this year is 23-year-old center Ruslan Iskhakov. Iskhakov, a 5-foot-8 center from Moskva, Russia, currently has nine goals and 23 points in 28 games for the Islanders’ AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders. Leading the team in points, he has shown his ability to lead an offense at the professional level on North American ice. With the NHL roster lacking offense and speed from the left side, Iskhakov could be a valuable call-up for the Islanders this season as the team prepares for a playoff push. After all, the Bridgeport Islanders currently sit last in the AHL standings with 20 points, so Iskhakov’s loss will not be important to the AHL team’s performance. Additionally, he has yet to play an NHL game, so he is in line to receive a cheap contract again this offseason as a restricted free agent.
Calle Odelius
Calle Odelius, the Islanders’ 2022 2nd-round pick, is a 6-foot-1 left-handed defenseman from Nykvarn, Sweden. He will be 20 years old at the start of next season and is currently injured with a foot injury he obtained while on loan with Djurgårdens IF of the HockeyAllsvenskan league. In 10 games, he recorded four assists and no goals. However, he has never been known for his offensive production. He plays like he is a 10-year NHL veteran, making calculated decisions in his own end and always prioritizing the defensive aspect of the game. Djurgårdens Head Coach Johan Garpenlöv has relied on Odelius to pick up big minutes, using him against opponents’ top lines as well as on the penalty kill and powerplay.
Related: Islanders Prospect Report: Bridgeport, WJC and More
With defenseman Sebastian Aho hitting the unrestricted free agency market this summer, the left side of the Islanders’ third defensive pair will be looking for potential suitors. Besides Samuel Bolduc, whom Head Coach Lane Lambert has shown a hesitancy to trust, and Robin Salo, whom the Islanders have yet to play in the NHL this season despite their injuries, the Islanders’ next-best in-house option appears to be Odelius. At the very least, the Islanders will likely play Odelius in Bridgeport next season, leaving him as the first defenseman to be called up if the Islanders’ defense suffers an injury.
William Dufour
If the name William Dufour sounds familiar to you, it is likely because you have already seen him play in the NHL. Although it was only one game, Dufour was an in-season call-up for the Islanders last season for an injury. Playing just over six minutes, he was back in Bridgeport as fast as he had left. However, he may be back in the NHL before you know it. The 6-foot-2 right-wing fits the exact mold of hockey that the Islanders play; he is big, throws his body around, and is not afraid to get in the dirty areas. Dufour has been on fire as of late, having five goals and seven points in his last five games in Bridgeport, making a strong case to be called up to the NHL.
With Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin in the final year of their contracts, Dufour could easily be a cheap option to fill in on the Islanders’ fourth line to start the 2024-25 season, if not sooner. Additionally, Dufour will be just 22 years old at the start of the 2024-25 season, providing some much-needed youth to this aging lineup.
Islanders Stand Pat at 2024 Trade Deadline
The second bold prediction for the Islanders this calendar year stems from a similar idea as the first bold prediction: a team close to the cap ceiling cannot make any big additions. Lamoriello has shown a hesitancy to move players who he signed to long contracts, and with almost all of the Islanders’ current core either having a no-movement clause or being signed by Lamoriello himself, there will not be many ways for this roster to shed cap. So, with the trade deadline approaching and the team only expected to have around one million dollars in cap space by the deadline, a quiet few days may be in store for Islander fans.
With Lamoriello already acquiring Mike Reilly via waivers and Robert Bortuzzo via trade, he may not be able to find any other trade partners that will leave the roster under the $83.5 million cap ceiling. This would not be the first time that Lamoriello stood pat at the trade deadline while at the helm of the Islanders. At the 2019 trade deadline in his inaugural season with the Islanders, Lamoriello famously stood pat, not making a single trade in the 2019 calendar year.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau Scores 30 Goals In 2024
The third and final bold prediction is that Jean-Gabriel Pageau will dominate the third line and score 30 goals in the 2024 calendar year. In Lamoriello’s first big move as General Manager of the Islanders, he traded away the team’s first and second-round selections in the 2020 Entry Draft for then-Ottawa Senators center Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Since then, Pageau has been the Islanders’ third-line center and has 49 goals and 122 points in 242 games while also leading the penalty-kill unit. While it is debatable if the trade was worth it for the team. Pageau has become a staple of Islanders hockey, initiating himself with the team in his debut against rival New York Rangers with a goal and fight against now-Rangers captain Jacob Trouba, who laid a questionable hit on former Islander Michael Dal Colle.
Now entering 2024, Pageau will be hoping to increase his offensive production. After scoring 24 goals in 60 games for the Senators before the trade, Pageau has now failed to reach 20 goals in a season as an Islander. However, his scoring ability has not gone away. Rather, he is just getting unlucky. Through a combination of getting robbed by goalies and having his linemates being a revolving door, Pageau continues to struggle to get settled. According to moneypuck.com, which is an NHL Analytics website, Pageau had 18.7 expected goals last season and has 6.7 expected goals this season. Together, that is 25.4 expected goals since the start of the 2022-23 NHL season. However, Pageau has just 17 goals in this span.
With the breakout of 22-year-old Simon Holmstrom upon us, Pageau has finally gained chemistry with a winger who looks to be around for the long haul. Pageau has earned quite a bit of trust with Holmstrom, who leads the league in short-handed goals (five). A significant factor contributing to this success is Holmstrom’s penalty kill partnership with Pageau, who has recorded five primary assists on the penalty kill this season.
Julien Gauthier is making a compelling case for the Islanders’ third-line right-wing position, showcasing his skills with two goals in the team’s 5-1 victory over Washington on Friday (Dec. 29). With this performance, it looks like fans will be seeing a whole lot more of Gauthier, at least in the coming weeks. In the same game, Pageau notched two goals and two primary assists, signaling a potential surge in his offensive production and positioning himself for a dominant 2024.
As the Islanders sit tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference and tied for second in the Metropolitan Division, 2024 looks to be another eventful year for the team. With the team sitting comfortably in a playoff spot, fans can only hope that this roster can maintain its recent success and stay healthy in preparation for another playoff run.