New York Islanders 2024-25 Forward Lines Could Be Messy – Hockey Writers – New York Islanders

With only two additions to their NHL roster this offseason, the New York Islanders face significant uncertainty in their forward core. The signings of Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov in free agency bolstered the team’s scoring talent and bolstered their depth. Because of this, head coach Patrick Roy will have some challenging decisions to make during practice and the preseason to make the team a strong Stanley Cup contender.

Islanders’ Lineup Certainties

The Islanders have six top players with all but guaranteed spots on the roster. The first line will have Bo Horvat centering Matt Barzal on the right wing, the second line will have Brock Nelson centering Kyle Palmieri on the right wing, and Jean Gabriel Pageau will be the third line center. From there, Casey Cizikas is likely to be the fourth-line center, although Roy scouted him on the wing last season. While an elevated role for Cizikas is possible, with a full health plan, it is very unlikely that he will leave the fourth line.

From there, the Islanders have three forwards who will be regular lineup players. Duclair, Pierre Engvall, and Anders Lee have all established themselves as worthy NHL players.

Related: Islanders Signing Maxim Tsyplakov Shows Organizational Change

That leaves three program spots up for grabs. Simon Holmstrom will be in the lineup more often than not because of his two-man game and youth. Hudson Fasching and Kyle MacLean both had solid challenges last season when they were given consistent roles on the roster. Oliver Wahlstrom is one of the most talented players in the Islanders organization, but his inconsistency and poor swing have made the coaches not trust him in the top six. Last but not least is Tsyplakov, whose role with the Islanders could range anywhere from first line in the NHL to first line in the AHL.

Ideal Forward Lines

Given the uncertainty of the roster, there is a world where everything clicks, and the Islanders field one of the strongest cores in the NHL. In this iteration of the roster, the Islanders will be maximizing both the impressive qualities of Duclair and Tsyplakov, ultimately adding a significant and consistent three-point threat to each of the top two lines. If so, it will look like this:

When Duclair was signed, the immediate expectation of fans was to see him on the starting line with Horvat and Barzal. This makes a lot of sense because Duclair is a quick, versatile winger with a strong wrist shot. However, in this “good” world, he is better suited to play alongside Nelson and Palmieri.

Duclair would make more sense on the second line because he plays a similar style of hockey to Engvall but with more offense and consistency. Engvall has excelled as a speedy winger next to Nelson, and Duclair will complement that line by adding a third scoring threat with 25+ goals.

Additionally, despite this “dream” situation, there should be doubts about Tsyplakov’s fit next to Nelson. This is not to say that Tsyplakov is a bad player, because he is not, but to understand the fact that they both play very similar styles of hockey. Both have a quick, deadly wrist shot, are fast skaters but move very well, like driving straight up the middle of the ice and know how to put rebounds behind the net with their quick hands. Because of this, Tsyplakov makes more sense in the first line.

If Tsyplakov can translate his game to the NHL, he could be a duplicate Nelson but on the starting line. And as Islanders fans know, Nelson excelled in his brief time alongside Barzal and Horvat last season. In 13 games, the line scored nine goals and conceded only four. Given the same style of play as Tsyplakov and Nelson, the starting line could see similar success over a full 82-game season.

From here, the bottom six will see a bit of a shake-up. The third line would form one of the fastest lines in the league. For the Islanders, this could be very useful, especially since the team has been slow in recent seasons.

The fourth line is essentially the “extra” players left, but Cizikas and Fasching’s strong defensive play last season left them as reliable options in this role. While paying Lee $7 million for a fourth line pick is a tough pill to swallow, it looks like his roster spot is disappearing, especially if Tsyplakov can make an immediate impact in the top six. However, having a strong scorer on the fourth line is never a bad thing.

Virtual Lines Ahead

While “good” forward lines are nice in theory, a lot has to go right for it to work. Since the Islanders tend to ignore luxury decisions, they are likely to use the same lineup combination as last season with a few changes. If so, they might look like this:

These lines would include the obvious pairing of Duclair, Horvat, and Barzal, and keep Lee in the top six. Given Lee’s good stats, Roy probably won’t dump him after one bad season. It wouldn’t be great to lose Engvall’s speed in the top six, but neither Nelson nor Palmieri are fast skaters, so Lee could fit in nicely.

There are many reasons to have faith in Tsyplakov, but few suggest he will secure a top-six role in training camp. So, he will have to prove himself. Additionally, as the most potent scoring threat on the third line, he can address the scoring weakness the Islanders had last season, making his addition to the roster a big one despite his limited role.

The fourth line will include the most “boring” players in the Islanders. This is not to say that any of these transgressors are bad, but rather that they all make small mistakes. Considering that the team will eventually have a top six, having a reincarnated version of the “ownership line” would be a great addition. Holmstrom and Fasching wouldn’t give Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin a body, but they would shine defensively, allowing Roy to send them up the ice whenever he wanted his top two lines to rest.

Considering there’s a long training camp and preseason ahead, speculation will turn into confirmation once Roy goes public with how he’ll use his new additions. However, one thing is for sure, and the Islanders have acquired more talent, so it will ultimately come down to the players in making this season different than the last.