NHL Preview 2019-20: New York Islanders

This year again, I will twin-post with my Collectibles Blog and write about a player who is related to my Preview post here. Today, it's young forward Anthony Beauvillier.

GM: Lou Lamoriello (since 2018). 9/10
Coach: Barry Trotz (since 2018). 10/10

2018-19 record: 48-27-7, 103 points, 2nd in the Metropolitan Division, 4th in the Eastern Conference. Eliminated in Round 2 of the playoffs.

Departures: Robin Lehner (G), Dennis Seidenberg (D), Luca Sbisa (D), Valtteri Filppula (C).

Arrivals: Semyon Varlamov (G), Jared Coreau (G).

Top forwards: Mathew Barzal (65-70 points), Anders Lee (60-65 points), Jordan Eberle (50-60 points), Beauvillier (50-55 points), Joshua Ho-Sang (40-45 points), Josh Bailey (40-45 points), Brock Nelson (40-45 points), Casey Cizikas (15-20 goals, 30-35 points), Andrew Ladd (10 goals and 25 points).

Must-improve forward: Ladd even got some AHL time last season, where he had 5 points in 2 games to show he wasn't washed-up. He needs to regain his composure in the NHL and show he can at least be a third-liner and a leader.

Top defensemen: Nick Leddy (45-50 points), Johnny Boychuk (30-35 points), Thomas Hickey (30 points), Adam Pelech (15-25 points), Ryan Pulock (20-25 points).

Goalies: Varlamov (85/100), Thomas Greiss (80/100).

Top rookies: Kieffer Bellows (19, RW, 2016 first-round draft pick), Sebastian Aho - not that one - (23, D), Noah Dobson (19, D, two straight Memorial Cups), Otto Koivula (21, C), Oliver Wahlstrom (19, D).

Analysis:
Barry Trotz is the best coach in the NHL. He rallied his team behind the departure of star and captain John Tavares to lead them to second place in their division and, even more impressively, from the last-place team defensively to first overall.

We'll see with Varlamov in net if his system was most responsible for Lehner's rise as a Vezina runner-up or if Lehner also had a say. I expect a slight drop-off - not because Varlamov's not able to bring it, but because now opposing teams will better know what to expect of this team and will be better prepared; I still expect the Isles to finish around 5th overall defensively.

They're lucky to play in the Metropolitan Division, because the top teams got slightly worse and there are no longer any bad teams in there - just no perfect ones. It'll be dog-eat-dog all season in the Metro, and I'm confident that when all is said and done, the Isles will be among the last teams standing.

Prediction: 2nd in the Metropolitan Division.

NHL Preview 2017-18: New York Islanders

GM: Garth Snow (since 2006). 8.5/10
Coach: Doug Weight (since 2017). 8/10

2016-17 record: 41-29-12, 94 points, 17th overall, tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning right outside the playoff picture.

Departures: Ryan Strome (RW), Travis Hamonic (D), Jean-François Bérubé (G), Mikhail Grabovski (C).

Arrivals: Jordan Eberle (RW), Seth Helgeson (D).

Top forwards: John Tavares (70-80 points), Eberle (50-60 points), Anders Lee (45-55 points), Joshua Ho-Sang (40-50 points), Josh Bailey (40-45 points), Brock Nelson (40-45 points), Anthony Beauvillier (30-35 points), Andrew Ladd (20 goals and 40 points), Mathew Barzal (20-30 points).

Must-improve forward: Ladd was awful for the first half of the season, taking forever to get adapted to his new team and puzzling head coach Jack Capuano along the way. Upon Capuano's firing, he hit his stride, which should continue this season as he takes on more of a leadership role with this young group.

Top defensemen: Nick Leddy (45-50 points), Johnny Boychuk (30-35 points), Calvin De Haan (25-30 points), Dennis Seidenberg (20-25 points), Thomas Hickey (20 points), Adam Pelech (15 points), Ryan Pulock (10-15 points).

Goalies: Jaroslav Halak (86/100), Thomas Greiss (80/100).

Top rookies: Barzal (20 years old, C, 2015 first-round draft pick), Ho-Sang (21, RW, 2014 first-round draft pick, had his moments when called up last year), Pulock (23, D, 2013 first-round draft pick), Michael Dal Colle (21, LW, 5th-overall draft pick in 2014), Kieffer Bellows (19, RW, 2016 first-round draft pick).

Analysis:
Off-ice issues keep surfacing for the Isles, but GM Snow keeps finding ways to improve his roster every season through savvy trades (Leddy, Halak, Boychuk, Eberle) and sometimes even a decent free agent signing (Ladd, for example). He has also drafted well (Tavares, Beauvillier) and boldly (Ho-Sang), and whenever his draft picks do not pan out to his liking, he always finds a suitor in Edmonton who will take them (Strome, Griffin Reinhart) out of his hands.

He's not adverse to making season-impacting mistakes, though, as can be attested by the Bérubé situation last year that was mostly responsible for Halak spending half the season in the AHL, until he was needed to win all 7 of the Islanders' last 7 games - he won six of them, and Greiss surrendered too many goals in the other for Halak to save the day.

Still, when it comes to ranking GMs, he's in the top-5 for bang-for-your-buck trades and definitely #1 for entertainment value. He is never content to just sit on his laurels and watch a season unfold without stamping it with his distinct signature.

That is why I see the Brooklyn-based team finishing with the top Wild Card spot in the East. Well, that and the roster he's assembled, led by Tavares and Halak in contract seasons.

Prediction: 4th in the Metropolitan Division, first Wild Card in the Eastern Conference.

No Respect

Pat Lafontaine, the one guy who kept the late-80s New York Islanders from becoming the present-day Islanders (i.e. ''a joke'')  any sooner, is now being written out of their 40-year history.

Read the story: it's both sad and frustrating.

The main reason seems to be because he disagreed with team owner Charles Wang over the dismissal of Neil Smith as GM, and the appointment to the position of Garth Snow, who was the team's back-up goalie at the time. But this is going over the line.

I mean, I've seen classless moves by sports organizations (hello Bob Gainey-era Montréal Canadiens), even saw the Habs treat hero Guy Lafleur like a second-class citizen after forcing him to retire only to see him re-emerge with rivals Québec Nordiques. But never did they insult their fans by leaving him out of their history, be it videos of his achievements or on the sacred Wall Of Fame in the locker room.

We're talking Hall OF Famer, still lives in the region and supports kids' organizations and team charity events... and to think he played his junior hockey in the Habs' backyard...