After a rollercoaster of a 2023-24 season, the Islanders 2024-25 season is just on the horizon. They’ll be aiming for their second straight playoff appearance and a deeper playoff run after getting eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in five games last year. Most of last year’s team will be returning, with Cal Clutterbuck and possibly Matt Martin being the only significant departures. Here’s a preview of some of the biggest storylines ahead of the 2024-25 Islanders season.
After the Islanders were blowing games left and right, head coach Lane Lambert was fired and replaced with Patrick Roy. Taking over the team midseason, the results were a bit of a mixed bag. There were still some massive third period meltdowns and a stretch where the team lost seven out of eight games. But the team improved enough, especially down the stretch, to finish as a playoff team and play a relatively competitive series.
Now Roy will be working towards making even more drastic improvements to the team. The Islanders will have to show more consistency in all sectors, something Roy has been preaching since he’s been hired, if they hope to be playoff contenders again. Given what he accomplished after inheriting a team in rough shape, the expectations are high for Roy in his first full season as head coach. He’ll be seeking another playoff berth and the team’s first playoff series win since Barry Trotz was at the helm.
Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov will be making their Islanders debut in the 2024-25 season. Duclair is a 10-year NHL veteran joining his ninth NHL franchise, best known for his goal-scoring prowess. He’s coming off a 24-goal season and joining the already high-scoring duo of Bo Horvat and Mat Barzal. Duclair and Barzal have quickly started gaining chemistry in the preseason, with Duclair setting up a Barzal goal in a game against the Rangers. His presence should help the Islanders get the goal-scoring depth they’ve been trying to establish over the past few years.
Tsyplakov is a rookie coming from the KHL who is going to be given an immediate chance in the NHL. Both Lou Lamoriello and Roy have been highly complimentative of the rookie, who’s had a pretty strong preseason. He seems like a player who could excel in a number of different roles and be productive on offense. Tsyplakov is tentatively slated to play somewhere within the middle six. His level of production could be one of the biggest x-factors in the Islanders’ success this year.
Last season was a tough one for Ilya Sorokin, who undeniably had his worst NHL season as he lost the starting job down the stretch. Part of it was due to the horrific defensive effort in front of him, but he also gave up a handful of soft goals throughout the season. Now there’s even more concern surrounding Sorokin, as he reportedly had offseason back surgery. Both Lamoriello and Roy have downplayed the severity of his ailment; however, Sorokin has not seen the ice with just over a week before the season begins.
Now this opens up a whole lot of uncertainty about what Sorokin’s season is going to look like. He could very well miss a good chunk of time with the way things are going right now. And regardless of whether or not he’s ready for the opener, one has to wonder if this ailment will impact his play level. Sorokin is one of the Islanders’ most important players and currently one of the biggest question marks heading into the new year. If he struggles or misses time, the team will need either Semyon Varlamov or newcomer Marcus Hogberg to step up.
Featured image courtesy of NHL.com
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