Christian Arnold
Call it a Christmas miracle or call it common sense prevailing. Whatever it was, the New York Islanders and the rest of the NHL are a mere 24 days from the start of the 2020-21 season and just 14 days away from the start of training camp.
Things are going to move pretty fast from here on out and there are plenty of questions that will be facing the Islanders as they open camp and the regular season. The most glaring one at the moment is the contract status of star forward Mathew Barzal.
Here are five questions facing the Islanders as they return to play for the 2020-21 season.
What’s the deal Mathew Barzal?
This has been a question for Islanders fans since New York was eliminated from Eastern Conference Finals in September. What we know right now is that New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello and Barzal’s agent have been in “constant communication,” according to Pierre LeBrun. My feeling has always been that once an agreement was in place that the two sides would move to finalize a deal quickly after.
https://twitter.com/EverydayIsles/status/1340580354948784134
Training camps open Jan 3 and restricted free agents have until Feb. 11 to sign new deals to be eligible for this season. I doubt it reaches that point and I’m standing by my prediction that firm start dates will finally mean movement on the negotiations.
The consensus is that Barzal’s new deal with the Islanders will be two or three-years for somewhere around $7 million.
What does divisional realignment mean for the Islanders?
Well, it’s no secret that the Metropolitan Division was already a pretty tough one for the New York Islanders. Add the Boston Bruins into the mix and boy does it get even tougher.
The top four teams in the division will make the playoffs under the 2020-21 season agreement. For the Islanders to be one of those teams it will be a battle through all 56 games this year. As I detailed a few weeks back, Boston will not help the Islanders hopes of making the postseason.
Boston has had the Islanders number, with a record of 15-3-1 against New York dating back to January 27, 2014. The New York Rangers are also poised to take another step in the right direction after nearly leapfrogging the Islanders in the standings last season and the Buffalo Sabres are sure to improve.
The Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins will all be among the top four teams in the East Division as well.
All of that said, the Islanders dispatched Washington and Philadelphia in the postseason over the summer, so they have shown they can compete against the best in the league.
Who will play on the third line?
There aren’t going to be many surprises when it comes to the New York Islanders lineup when the puck drops on Jan. 13. The only question marks are on the third line and who plays alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Will prospects Oliver Wahlstrom or Kieffer Bellows get a chance to make the opening night roster?
Wahlstrom has been playing overseas in Sweden during the pandemic and will likely be in pretty good shape once camp opens in a few weeks. Bellows should certainly be in the conversation as well considering the way he progressed as well during the AHL season last year.
If Islanders coach Barry Trotz was looking for a more experienced presence on that line, Michael Dal Colle has carved out a role for himself. While the former first-round pick has been hindered by where he was selected, Dal Colle has developed into a solid bottom-six forward that can play in both ends of the ice.
Dal Colle appeared in 53 games last season for the Islanders and had four goals and six assists.
Ross Johnston, who appeared in 32 games last season, Leo Komarov, Austin Czarnik and Dmytro Timashov could also be options on that line.
How much will Ilya Sorokin play?
New York Islanders fans have waited a long time to see Ilya Sorokin in an Islanders jersey. They may not get to see it in person during the 2020-21 season, but Sorokin will finally put on the orange and blue for the COVID-19 shortened season. Now the question is how many games will the goaltending prospect get.
It would have been something the Islanders needed to deal with if this was an 82-game season, but the shorter schedule means that any start has that much more meaning for the team. Semyon Varlamov will get a majority of the starts during the 56-game schedule.
Sorokin will need time to adjust to the NHL game and the smaller North American rink, but I’d expect the 25-year-old goalie to play somewhere between 10-15 games this season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kjEOf5VBEI
How Will Noah Dobson Handle His New Role?
When the Islanders decided to trade Devon Toews to help with their cap issues, they also gave defenseman Noah Dobson a vote of confidence. The 20-year-old defenseman was essentially promoted to a regular on the Islanders’ blue line and will have increased responsibilities.
Now, Dobson performed well in Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Lou Lamoriello said he would not have made the Toews trade if he didn’t feel confident the Islanders could fill the hole.
“Noah Dobson we feel is ready to take the next step. We’ll have to just wait and see,” Lamoriello told reporters in September.
The Islanders are likely going to pair him with Andy Greene, who is expected to be re-signed before the season starts, to help mentor him a bit more.
