New York Islanders
Pending UFAs – Radek Martinek, Evgeni Nabokov
Pending RFAs - Aaron Ness, Kevin Poulin, Anders Nilsson, Matt Donovan, Calvin de Haan, Casey Cizikas, Anders Lee
Looking to add – The Islanders needed, first and foremost, some stable, quality goaltending. They addressed that need with the acquisition and subsequent signing of Jaroslav Halak. Whenever Halak is healthy, he’ll get the start. He gets injured frequently, so that could mean only 50 starts, but it could also mean 65 or more if he can beat the bug.
Next up, the team could use a full scoring line. Are Ryan Strome and Anders Lee ready to take on those kinds of minutes? If so, and with a healthy John Tavares back, perhaps the Islanders can get by. Thrive even. But it couldn’t hurt to kick tires on a scoring winger such as Mike Cammalleri, Milan Michalek, Marian Gaborik or Jarome Iginla.
Looking at the blue line, with Mark Streit traded, and Visnovsky likely to go soon as well, there is a need for veteran help. Tops on the available list include Matt Niskanen, Andrei Markov, Dan Boyle and Marek Zidlicky.
Ready for full-time – There will be no shortage of players making the jump this season – either for the duration or perhaps they make the jump for good at some time in December or January. Ryan Strome tops my list, as we are all well aware of what his upside is. In fact, you can probably pencil him in for 45 points and feel pretty good about it.
Anders Lee made a big splash when he joined the team on Feb. 27, tallying 10 points in his first nine contests. But he tapered off and managed just four in the next 13. Still, he’s a big (6-foot-2, 225-pound) center with a lot of skill and very little to prove at the American League level. He’ll get looks on the John Tavares line. He could be next season’s Ondrej Palat.
Goaltender Anders Nilsson may in fact be ready for a full-time NHL backup role, and probably performed better than Kevin Poulin down the stretch. However, a Newsday report has Nilsson leaning towards returning to Europe for next campaign.
As already noted, the Islanders have a number of spots open on the blue line and wouldn’t you know it – they have a fantastic crop of defensemen in the pipeline. With Calvin de Haan already proving that he belongs, the team will probably take on one more youngster. Ryan Pulock and Griffin Reinhart are two of the best defensemen outside of the NHL right now and either one of them, maybe both, could make an impact. And you should probably not count out Finnish sensation Ville Pokka, although he would be best served with a season in the AHL first.
Fantasy Outlook: Because the Islanders were recently in the postseason and because they solved their goaltending woes (on paper), and of course, because Tavares is back and healthy…this team is ready to contend for the post-season again. Goals will be plentiful, which is music to a fantasy owner’s ears. A great team to build your keeper squad around. Fantasy Grade: B (last year was B)