Secondary scoring options like Ryan Strome have alleviated the pressure on John Tavares

Secondary scoring options like Ryan Strome have alleviated the pressure on John Tavares

Last year: 47-28-7, third in the Metro Division. Lost to Washington in seven games in Round One.

Key additions: Thomas Greiss, Matt Barzal

Key subtractions: Griffin Reinhart, Tyler Kennedy, Lubomir Visnovsky, Michal Neuvirth, Colin McDonald, Matt Carkner, Eric Boulton

Offense: The Islanders’ fourth-ranked offense returns every key contributor and could see significant jumps in production from young forwards like Ryan Strome, Anders Lee and Brock Nelson. It’s a testament to the team’s depth up front that the extended absences of projected key contributors Kyle Okposo and Mikhail Grabovski didn’t cripple the attack last season. The Islanders are finally not completely reliant on superstar John Tavares to create offense and are equipped to roll multiple scoring lines. In some ways, their lineup construction is similar to the Lightning’s, with Tavares and Steven Stamkos drawing the attention of opposing shutdown pairs, allowing a secondary line of talented youngsters to rack up points by the bundle.

Defense: The slam-dunk acquisitions of Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk last summer allowed the Islanders to trade Reinhart for Barzal and Anthony Beauvillie. That may turn out to be a tremendous deal, but it also stripped the Islanders of one of their promising blueline prospects. Even with Boychuk and Leddy, New York still ranked just 23rd in goals allowed and a woeful 26th on the penalty kill last year.  Leddy, Boychuk and Travis Hamonic are as solid as they come in a top-three, but there are questions behind them. Thomas Hickey had a breakout season and Calvin de Haan also made major strides, but the Islanders would really be in great shape if a prospect like Ryan Pulock or Scott Mayfield could secure a major role. If not, the Isles may have to move a promising forward at some point to find the final piece on defense.

Franchise direction: The Islanders made their big acquisitions last offseason, when they brought in veteran pillars Leddy, Boychuk, Grabovski, Nikolay Kulemin and Jaroslav Halak. Those additions combined with the quick emergence of several of New York’s talented youngsters rapidly accelerated the Islanders’ path to contention. Lately the club has focused on signing key players to extensions, starting with Leddy and Boychuk in the spring and followed by Lee and Hickey this summer with Brock Nelson soon to follow. The Islanders were decimated by injuries during the postseason, or else they might well have outlasted Washington and set up a date with the Blueshirts in the Conference Semifinals. The front office still has some tinkering to do, but it makes sense for the Islanders to enter the season with a healthy roster intact and take a wait and see approach on where upgrades are needed. With the young core locked up, this is a team that’s poised to be in the race for the Metro Division crown for the foreseeable future.

More offseason recaps: Penguins, Devils

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