The Islanders’ 2024-25 season is starting in just one month! They’ll be aiming for a second straight postseason appearance after finishing third in the Metro last season. Ahead of that 2024-25 season, the Islanders have several questions facing them as a team.
Can Kyle Palmieri Have Another High Scoring Season?
Kyle Palmieri had his healthiest and most productive season as an Islander last year. Playing in all 82 games for the first time in his Islanders tenure, he hit the 30-goal plateau and had a 54 point season. Of those 30 goals, 15 of them were scored over the final two months of the season. Having him emerge as an elite, secondary scoring threat played a huge role in the team’s successful playoff push.
The team would be in great shape if Palmieri was able to recreate that success, but that’s not a certainty. Before last season, Palmieri never had a 20-goal season with the Islanders, with his previous high being 16 goals. He’s also had his fair share of injury struggles, leaving some room to wonder if he can play a full season again. Whether or not Palmieri can recreate last year’s success will be one of the major x-factors for this year’s Islanders team.Â
What Will Maxim Tsyplakov’s Rookie Season Look Like?
In one of their first big moves of the offseason, the Islanders signed Maxim Tsyplakov from the KHL. The 25-year-old winger was highly sought after by NHL teams after scoring 31 goals in 65 games in his most recent KHL season. After choosing to come to the Islanders, general manager Lou Lamoriello definitively told reporters that Tsyplakov would be playing at the NHL level.
As for his role, he’s been projected to start on the second line along with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri. Additionally, in a recent interview, Tsyplakov expressed his capability of playing on both sides of the Islanders’ special teams units. He also alluded to that specific role being a reason he chose the Islanders over some of his other suitors. The team seems to be really high on Tsyplakov’s ability, and Tsyplakov seems excited about his fit on the roster. The only thing that remains to be seen is how quickly he’ll make an impact while playing at a new level.
Who Will or Won’t Be on the Final Roster?
Although most of the Islanders roster is set in stone, there are still some key uncertainties. The team is currently sitting over the cap total and will have to part ways with a player to become cap compliant. It was widely believed that Oliver Wahlstrom would be traded to account for this, but there’s been no news on that front for months. With that in mind, it seems fair to question if the Islanders are still intending to go in that direction. Regardless of whether it’s Wahlstrom or not, someone from last year’s team will have to be a cap casualty.
There’s also the new story of Matt Martin’s presence. Martin was signed to a PTO after a summer where many believed his time as an Islander was over. While a PTO is far from a guaranteed roster spot, it leaves the door very much open for a return. The status of a potential Martin return and its impact on the roster will be one of the lingering storylines throughout training camp and preseason.
Featured image courtesy of NHL.com
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