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New York Islanders Need To Emulate Conference Winners To Return To Glory – Hockey Writers –

The Stanley Cup Finals are scheduled to begin on June 8 at Amerant Bank Arena in Florida. The Edmonton Oilers took down the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals and will begin the series on the road against the Florida Panthers who took down the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals. With the Oilers and Panthers square off, the New York Islanders can learn from the four teams that played for a spot in the Stanley Cup Final.

Guards’ Ability to Control High-Danger Areas

After defeating the Islanders in five games in Round 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes fell to the Rangers in six games in Round 2. It was a tale of two for the Hurricanes who won Game 4 away from the sweep. the Islanders and a Game 4 loss to the Rangers. The difference between how the Islanders and Rangers played against the Hurricanes is clear, and the Islanders need to emulate parts of the Rangers’ strategy to find success next season.

Related: Can Islanders and Penguins Trade Pageau for Rakell?

Historically the Islanders have been a disciplined, structurally sound team. The front core played a constant forecheck, preventing opponents from entering the attacking zone. From there, the defense will force shots from the perimeter, limiting scoring opportunities. However, this past season, especially in Round 1, the Islanders struggled to prevent Carolina from getting more dangerous scoring opportunities, and in the end it was their downfall.

Barclay Goodrow of the New York Rangers and his teammates celebrate his overtime goal and win against the Florida Panthers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)

In the first three games of Round 1, the Rangers have held Carolina to 1.09, 3.47, and 1.78 expected goals at even strength 12 times, according to Money Puck. As the series progressed, the Rangers continued to dominate the most dangerous areas. The difference between the Rangers and Islanders can be attributed to better coaching, improved physicality, or just better defensemen, so the Islanders need to solve this problem going forward.

No Precious Contracts

Breaking down the Islanders roster, one of the many glaring issues is the team’s lack of high-profile contracts. Aside from Noah Dobson’s $4 million regular annual value (AAV) deal that expires after the 2024-25 season, none of the contracts stand out as good for the team. The same could not be said for the remaining teams in the 2024 Playoffs.

The Rangers have 28 goals and 57 points in Alexis Lafreniere making $2.325 million, and 2022 Vezina Trophy winning goaltender Igor Shesterkin making just over $5.65 million. The Stars are paying star Jason Robertson $7.75 million and franchise defenseman Miro Heiskanen $8.45 million. The Panthers are paying Sam Bennett $4.425 million and Carter Verhaeghe is paying just over $4.15 million. The Oilers paid Zach Hyman $5.5 million, Evan Bouchard $3.9 million, and Ryan Nugent Hopkins $5.125 million.

This is not to say that these teams don’t have bad contracts, as they all undoubtedly do, but they have high quality contracts that they need to complete. Sure, the Rangers paying Jacob Trouba $8 million is a bad deal, but this extra money can be found because the team is getting value elsewhere. For Islanders, all contracts are either fair value or overpay.

Lack of Youth in Islanders

Perhaps the thing that annoys the Islanders the most is the lack of youth in this team, so watching the teams that are left in the competition getting success from the best players has been painful to watch. The Rangers are led by 22-year-old Lafreniere, while the Stars have seen Wyatt Johnston, Thomas Harley, and Logan Stankoven step up when it matters most.

Unfortunately for the Islanders, there is no way to resolve this issue. No team is going to give up a budding young star, and they don’t have the assets necessary to trade a draft pick for one of these valuable assets. And, even if the Islanders somehow find top talent in the draft, they may not see the ice for the first three or four seasons.

Of course, the Rangers and Stars failed to achieve their goal, and one of the Panthers and Oilers will eventually succeed. However, there can only be one Stanley Cup champion per season despite multiple teams qualifying. Therefore, the Islanders need to learn from the best teams in the NHL to improve and give themselves a real chance to win the Stanley Cup next season.

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