The New York Islanders’ 50th anniversary season was quite the whirlwind. The 2022-23 season marked the first for new head coach Lane Lambert who was chosen to succeed Barry Trotz. Out of the gate Lambert’s team struggled and led many to believe this was the beginning of the end for this core.
However second-half acquisitions coupled with much-improved play got the Islanders back in the playoff picture. They eventually clinched the top wild card spot but were ousted in six games by the Hurricanes in the first round.
Here is a closer look into some of the biggest stories from the 2022-23 Islanders season.
There were a pair of new faces that contributed to this year’s team. First off was the offseason’s lone acquisition in Alex Romanov. The 23-year-old defenseman’s inaugural season with the team was a tale of two halves. He opened the season with some considerable struggles turning over the puck and getting caught out of position.
But as the season went along he began to cut down on his self-imposed errors and found a much sturdier defensive game. And one thing that was never an issue for Romanov was his physicality. He more than made his mark as a heavy hitter with 198 total hits, ranked 30th in the NHL and second on the Islanders behind Matt Martin.
The other new face was Hudson Fasching, who was a great story this season. Before joining the team he had only played in 39 games and had just three NHL points to his name as a depth player.
As an Islander, some injury struggles gave him an extended chance in the lineup and he made the most of it. In 49 games he put up 10 goals and nine assists and came up incredibly clutch for the team a number of times throughout their stretch run. He was a surprising source of quality production and earned himself an everyday role with the team’s middle six with a two year contract extension.
The acquisition of Bo Horvat was very much a surprise given the team had struggled leading up to the trade. However, there was no doubt the Islanders needed a goal scorer in the worst way. Getting a 31-goal scorer in Horvat should’ve been the solution to their problems.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t. He only put up seven goals and nine assists as an Islander and only got two postseason points. It was a fairly disappointing start to Horvat’s tenure but hopefully, better days are ahead for him.
On the other hand, the deadline-day acquisition of Pierre Engvall wound up being an incredible value for the Islanders. He was a much-needed source of speed and wound up fitting in quite well with the team’s system. Engvall put up five goals and four assists in 18 games played to help them clinch a postseason spot. After such an effective stint with the Islanders, they’ll more than likely try to retain the 26-year-old long-term.
On offense, there was no Islander better than Brock Nelson. Take away Horvat’s goals that were mostly scored with Vancouver and Nelson led the team in every offensive category. His 39 assists and 75 total points were career highs for the center. Additionally, his 36 goals were just one shy of tying his career-high 37 goals from last season. Nelson has blossomed into an elite source of offense for the Islanders and got rewarded for it with his first All-Star selection this season.
Also worthy of mentioning is the production that came from Zach Parise this year. He was already a beloved player for his hard work every shift and his versatility. But this season he added a little extra by putting together a 21-goal performance. He added 13 assists for a total of 34 points on the season.
That kind of production from a 38-year-old player is extremely impressive and was a crucial aspect to the Islanders’ success. If this was Parise’s last professional season, he went out with quite a bang.
Last and certainly not least was the play of Ilya Sorokin. He put together a dominant season with a 2.34 GAA, .924 save percentage and an NHL-leading six shutouts. Simply put, without Sorokin this team would’ve been dead to rights very early on. His work in net single-handedly guided the Islanders to a number of wins throughout this season. If not for Linus Ullmark, Sorokin would probably be the leading candidate for the Vezina Trophy.
The Islanders achieved a big goal in returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. Yet even with that accomplishment it still feels like there was more to be desired. They played a close series with the Hurricanes and had a great chance to win. The final score in three of their four losses were decided by just one goal.
Such a close set of games leaves a ton of questions to think about. Could the Islanders have won game one if they scored a power-play goal? What if the officials called the high stick penalty against the Hurricanes in overtime of game two? Would anything have changed if the Islanders got just one more regulation goal in game six?
The main point is that this was a series the Islanders could’ve had. It was a frustrating way to go out for a core with a clear closing window of contention. Not to mention how wide open the Eastern Conference became with how the other first round series wound up playing out. Next year is never a guarantee and this year’s missed opportunity stings a lot.
Featured image courtesy of NHL.com
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