Stability alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau a need for Islanders in 2021-22

The New York Islanders fanbase voiced their opinion this offseason on which star general manager Lou Lamoriello should bring in to play alongside Mat Barzal. As of now, no one of that caliber has been acquired, with bringing back players and adding depth pieces being more of the move. 

The depth of the Islanders has allowed head coach Barry Trotz to have faith in all of his lines. The number of the line (Line 1, Line 2, etc.) has no bearing on the minutes each lines receives per game. 

That being said, just as it is essential to find a suitable linemate for Barzal, there is equal importance to solidify players alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau this season.

This past season, Pageau has seen a revolving door of linemates. The injury of Anders Lee and others played a significant role as the depth of the team was tested heavily.

It seemed that Pageau got the short end of the stick when it came to decisions, which shows how much trust there is that Pageau can be effective with anyone by his side. It was not an easy campaign by any means though.

The most stable line partner Pageau had this past season was rookie Oliver Wahlstrom, who played 364 minutes to his right during the 2020-21 campaign. 

Take into consideration that Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac were acquired a few days before the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline limiting their games played with Islanders and Pageau. Leo Komarov played more on the top line than his usual third-line role with Pageau when Lee went down with a season-ending injury in early March.

In his first “full season” with the Islanders, Pageau scored 14 goals in 54 games (.26 goals per game), a step back from the 0.39 goals per game we saw in 2019-20, split between Ottawa and New York.

While a hand injury towards the end of last season affected his abilities to be his usual self, the lack of consistency regarding linemates never allowed him to find his game this past season. Not to mention, his first “full season” in a defensive-minded system had bearings on just how much offense he would bring to begin with.

The importance of solidifying linemates for Pageau this season is a must if the Islanders want to continue to exceed expectations and finally get to where they want to go.

With Jordan Eberle gone and no star brought in, it seems like Palmieri is the prime candidate to slot in on the top line. That being said, Pageau should get Wahlstrom alongside him for a second season, which will only add to the chemistry that was able to be built last season.

We all are aware of the saying, “it takes two to tango”. But in hockey, it takes three.

To his left, Pageau should be alongside a grizzled veteran in Zach Parise, more often than not. Sources told NYI Hockey Now back in late July that Parise has already signed a deal with the Islanders after being bought out by the Minnesota Wild earlier this offseason.

Now this line has different elements that should equate to success. Wahlstrom is the purest goal scorer on this line, as he showed in his rookie season, while Pageau and Parise both bring a defensive-minded approach. Parise loves to crash the net hard, which may lead to rebound goals following Wahlstrom’s hard wrist shots. Pageau has no problem going to the front of the net and doing what he can to distract opposing netminders and use his hand-eye coordination to deflect teammate shots.

Despite a struggle for ice time in 2020-21, Parise is only a year removed from a 25-goal campaign. Parise is looking to prove many wrong and showcase that he still has what it takes at 37 years of age to be a formidable player in the NHL. That bodes well for Pageau.

Wahlstrom seemed to get more confident as his rookie season progressed, and alongside Pageau, he could produce big numbers.

Like most Islanders, Pageau is streaky. When he is hot, he is unstoppable, and when he is not, he becomes non-existent. Pageau put together four streaks of seven or more games without a goal, getting to as high as nine this past season. He went six games without a goal earlier in the postseason run, before not registering a goal in the Islanders final nine postseason games.

The hand injury is undoubtedly the main reason why, but we know that the lack of minutes with consistent linemates played its part as well.

The Islanders line configurations will not be finalized until after preseason, which is less than a month away. It is then up to Trotz to determine what the best fits are on the third line alongside Pageau before the season kicks off on Oct 14.