The New York Islanders need to reverse the trend of their last three seasons. The franchise went from its best non-dynasty era run from 2019-21, with consecutive trips to the semifinals, to mediocrity. The scramble of the last two seasons to simply get into the playoffs, only to be quickly escorted out each time by the Hurricanes, means that this first full season with Patrick Roy behind the bench has to bring positive changes.
Advertisement I think they’ll accomplish many of those goals this season. But whether the Islanders can get back to being a playoff threat is still a long shot given the teams that still patrol the top of the Metropolitan Division. Here are 10 bold predictions for the Islanders this season: Ilya Sorokin makes fewer than 50 starts The news of Sorokin’s offseason back surgery was worrisome, as was him missing the majority of training camp.
He wore down under the strain of overuse and terrible team defense last season, so this season has to be a bounce-back for the Isles’ No. 1 goalie. Roy and Lou Lamoriello also have to balance his workload.
This all leads to a solid season, but a cautious one in which Sorokin makes 48 starts. Semyon Varlamov gets to 300 wins and plays unsung hero The Islanders have the luxury of a very capable safety net behind Sorokin, and Varlamov, who has been preparing to be the starter indefinitely during camp, will get a bigger workload than he’s had the last three seasons. He needs 14 wins to get to 300 and he’ll get th.
