The New York Islanders miss the playoffs after a dismal offensive showing—can a pivotal offseason set the franchise back on a winning trajectory?
Gil Martin breaks down the Islanders’ struggles, from a power play in crisis to concerns about leadership under Anders Lee, Bo Horvat, and Brayden Schenn. With Peter DeBoer behind the bench, defensive habits improved slightly but scoring woes and a lack of depth persisted. Key issues include Ilya Sorokin’s heavy workload, Bo Horvat’s late-season scoring drought, and the pressing need for roster upgrades. The episode explores options for resting starters in the season finale, possible AHL call-ups, and what it’ll take for GM Matthew Darsh to build a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Tomas Johnsson’s legacy as a standout Swedish defenseman is also celebrated in the Islanders’ “birthday of the day.”
Will strategic moves this summer transform the Islanders into consistent playoff threats, or are more tough seasons on the horizon?
All this and more on today’s Locked On Islanders Podcast with Gil Martin.
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28 Comments
Yea so the scumy owner fires the coach who took’em to the dance when nobody including fans like yours truly thought they would be anywhere near the finish line with 8 games left. But as soon as they started to get sloppy and gave up teo unwarranted goals the coach rightfully laid into them to wake them up..it happens every day in every walk of life especially Pro Hockey given the way coaches are fired twice as much and as fast as other sports..so a handful of millionaires on the team laid down because Patrick hurt there precious feelings ,they lost 4 in a row which put them on the fence as far as a playoff spot and the horrible inappropriate decision was made to fire Patrick on Easter morning no less just to show his lack of class or maybe it was religion and they hired Deboer so that “MAYBE“ they wouldn’t lose All of there last 8 games in a row. ..well that paid off because when the Hurricanes are done beating this listless team into the frozen ice on Tuesday nite they will have netted 1 less loss on the season losing ONLY 7 of the last 8 games and not all 8 leading up too the end of there hope and change season and should get them ready for there spring, summer and fall golf outings…and should at least in the mind of the scumy owner vindicate his classless decision.
trotz showed you CAN win with defense and light scoring but now 5 yrs later p&p have gotten slower so to cover up for them, the whole team suffers. pulock is in the leage 13 yrs and hasn't sniffed at being an all star so stop touting him as great. he has a 100 mph shot but , HELLO, you can't shoot through the goalie. he doesn't score. pelleck has been an all star once and has never been that good again. that's it for both of them . THEY ARE DONE. THERE'S TOO MANY PEOPLE ON THIS TEAM THAT PLAYED WELL ENOUGH TO GET THEIR CONTRACT THEN RELAX
You talk about a few years of playing bad hockey; this was one of those years, which i think every fan signed up for. Instead Darsche made DUMB trades for aging vets and slower players with term. Those moves set this team back years. Barzal and pelech are now pointed to as trade pieces. Instead of building around them, we look to trade them? This team will be lost for years without them. All for palat and schenn. What a mess.
Your top players choked the last ten games there is nothing to say no scoring bad power play and penalty killing its the players not the coach
gonna have to move on from barzal…the only piece of the core that will yield anything of value in return…guy is a zero on the power play anyway, turns puck over time after time after time….obviously can move lee but he's FA and now won't get anything for him, duclair gotta go, move from pelech maybe can get something for him…but it wont be much . other than that idk what pieces we have to move, that's the problem. hopefully eiserman, eklund and acheson all ready and effective. but we are in some trouble…maybe gil , next video give some opinions and answers as to what you feel needs to happen and who needs to be traded
Barzel horvat Lee where were they
Was never the coach.learn to play the game
the D has been an issue for 4 years. did anyone forget all the late period goals and game collapses just last year? the opposition steps up it's game and the isles head for the locker room
For this last game – I say we SIT plenty of guys – at least 6 of them
Gil. This team just prior to and after the Olympic break played sloppy and uninspired defense. Sorokin was overused. The roster on this team is not going to improve. AT least we're going to have to wait years to find out whether we're going to improve. If Darche re signs Lee then u know this team is going backwards in time to the 90s and 200s when they were an act in futility on the ice. What Lou L did to this team borders on incompetence
The team played beyond their capabilities especially after losing Romy and Palms. They crumbled in the Last 20 games. This team lacks the fire 🔥 power and speed to truly compete. We certainly need more Size n grit as well. We must add Eklund and Aitcheson to this lineup! It is not easy to change Lou’s long term contracts in one season. It will take patience and time. Schaefer and Sorokin were exhausted the last 15 games as they were over played. There are obvious players that need to go but will not be easy with NTC ‘s
Time for heads to roll. When an 18 year old is leading the way there is a problem.
Disappointing end to what was a fun rollercoaster season. Future seems bright. Thanks for your coverage all season
Good morning team! Gil, disappointing weekend. That's the best way I could put it. The team definitely knew what was on the line, and they couldn't respond. I hate to say we still have a long way to go, but we do still have a long way to go. In the beginning of the season, I felt the team still didn't have what it takes to make the playoffs this year. We did have a pretty good season, in my eyes. Even having a chance to make the playoffs at the end there, I call that a good year. We now have to use this off season to build and build and build a team that not only has a chance to make the playoffs, but will be leading the way into it. Am I being a bit more optimistic than I should, I think so too, but that's what a fan hopes for. The term, there's always next season is what keeps us going. I'm hoping to enjoy the journey as we get there. Everyone, have a great day! See you all again tomorrow, if you're here. If not, see you next season. Until then.. Let's Go Islanders!
I disagree with most comments here. Darche made low cost “upgrades” at the deadline. People are acting like we took this big swing and still missed the playoffs. We never expected to be this close at the beginning of the season.
Good franchises never blow it up and rebuild! You retool while remaining competitive, preferably with youth, until you find the right mix. The trap the Islanders have fallen into is trying to always retool with declining veterans. We already have a solid team with youth on the way. Eklund and Eiserman probably make the team out of camp next year. Aitchison the year after. By that point the team will look totally different. All three of Darche’s picks look like early home runs.
Realistically, for the next 5 year window you already have 8 forwards (Barzel, Horvat, Richie, Holmstrom, Pageau, Heineman, Eklund, Eiserman), 5 defensemen (Schaefer, Pulock, Pulock, Romanov, Aitchison), and a goalie to be excitedly about. The young players develop how you hope, you lure a 1st line goal scoring wing here finally in free agency, you’re a cup contender. The only question is can you find that goal scorer without trading from your youth core which would defeat the point.
When you're 24th in a league in offense, at least for now, the personnel is what it is,(this season) coach to your personnel meaning if you're 24th in the league in offense your identity should be defensive because you don't score a lot. Yes the personnel needs to be upgraded but there are plenty of teams that realize their offensive deficient and that's why their defensive teams and our defense of personnel is an amazing again another reason to clamp down structurally before the last four games when Roy was here obviously we the wide-open perspective didn't work even offensively because again you can only get us up tp 24th so all that "" wide open style just resulted in more high danger chances and more goals against because on top of that I could easily argue that the style didn't take us "" up to 24th in the league in scoring from last year, it was the addition of Barzal for the whole year instead of 30 games and Richie and Schaefer's 23 goals, juice etc. Still they were in the playoffs and most of that was third in the Metropolitan division and even a little bit seconds for 105 days so obviously even with this roster they had some staying power and there were stretches during the year where they beat the cream of the crop consistently and they lose too really bad teams that doesn't speak to personnel that speaks to effort and coaching which is the coaches job to ensure.(But we don't have to deal with that anymore) And we were nearly undefeated on road trips and again they were in the playoffs for 105 days. But as Clutterbuck said and it was a really good example it took Martin St. Louis three years to establish that identity in Montreal that identity left us with trotz and it needs to be rebuilt in addition to the structural issues, and it sure as shit isn't gonna take only four games as you alluded to Gil. I don't think and hopefully it doesn't take anywhere near that time for the Islanders because I do believe we have a foundation already, hopefully we're ready to rock with some upgrades next year and can be a factor in the playoffs.
I understand that we are one and 1-2 but those losses were against some really good teams that are also playing better than what the standings indicate because they didn't have great starts to the year and they are peaking up the right time if we gave up 15,16 and 20 shots or whatever it was most of the year we would be in the playoffs plus our goalie would've been better because he would've been fresher and less high danger chances. and at least some of those very bad losses that we had like against Chicago would've have been wins.
Either way the teacher is bright we got someone good young talent coming for next year. But as you said the personnel does need some upgrading and hopefully Darche does that. Plus a new PowerPlay coach and just so smart and structure offensively on the power-play would help tremendously again upgrades needed but even with what they have now Horvat Barzal Richie who seems like a really good power-play player, Holmstrom Heineman even JG and Lee plus Schaefer there's enough there not to be last or almost last they could be 20th in the league and that would've made a huge difference. also makes the office overall not 24th but a little bit more towards the middle, while not compromising defense.
Most of the issues on offense, is a complete lack of speed. A sniper wouldn't hurt either.
The shortie, in a MUST WIN GAME, is inexcusable. I love Schaefer, but he needs to work on picking his spots. Sadly he is the main offense so its not fair to bash him, but the observation is still true.
This is going to be the off season to remember. Last off season Darche made a great move by trading Dobson. Then he did a Lou move at the deadline and traded away draft capital and made the team older and slower. (didn't think we could get any slower) So now we have to hope he realized he screwed up and he embraces the youth movement. There are players that have limited no trade clauses so it may be hard, but it has to be done. I really don't like buying out contracts but everything has to be on the table.
Picks Picks Picks. There is no reason for 4-5 guys on this roster right now, to be gone. Mayfield, Soucy, Lee, Palat, Duclair, MacLean, Palmieri, maybe even Pulock/Casey can bring you back some high picks.
Without getting into the details that everyone already knows, like you said, the talent level on the roster is not up to par. I’d sooner see a dismantling and complete multi-season rebuild rather than another season of the team that’s currently on the ice.
I agree they came up small when they had golden opportunities right in front of them and teams near them on top of that losing left and right had they beat Ottawa the picture would've been completely different and instead of being on the brink of elimination and now eliminated they would've been on the brink of the playoffs. And maybe yesterday goes differently.
I agree with you 100% about the staged fight I think it was stupid.
Gm Gil. As you said 24th in scoring and bottom in high danger shots. 2 things that were a problem pattern was the passing and shot accuracy. Passes were behind guys, in their skates, half hearted pokes, or passed to other team or to no mans land half the time and not solid tape to tape. The other thing was how many shots completely missed the net. I’d say an unusual amount and often it was from like 5 ft. You can’t unsee this stuff once you notice. The net is the same size and same place since your like 10 yrs old how do you miss so much. One last night was like 6 ft over the net, almost a shot f/o the crease. These 2 things can improve that a bit for starters..
Most of you are not going to agree with me if not all of you because I guess Sorokin is considered a vezina winning caliber type goalie but he needs to learn where the middle of the net is
even on some of the shots that don't go in some of the shots that hit the post or go wide there is massive amounts of the net to shoot at the players are just missing and some of those acrobatics wouldn't be as tough acrobatic if he wasn't so far out of position
his athleticism saves him so he's covering up for some of that but his positioning is horrific a lot and I didn't see that when Trotz was there he needs that fixed the coaching I don't know how receptive he is the coaching I get these got his friend there to coach him but he hasn't deal with being pulled well I don't know how receptive he is coaching. There's no way they don't see that and they should be bringing it up.
Despite what people are saying and I know they count shots differently now but it's not just his stats they're considerably off even this year was a good year for him he's not the goal as he was when Lambert when they were making the playoff runs I know one of them wasn't him in the playoffs, and when Lambert was third in the vezina voting. I think that's why he does better with shots that are closer in and he can line his athleticism and the position doesn't get as exposed. It saves above expected or a ton but he also lets up a lot of weak goals especially for someone supposedly of his caliber and I think that that's completely wrong but I'm just not on as high as others and bad goals are a freaking momentum killers for your team that happened in the last two or three years but it's last season quite a bit.
Yes he saves the really difficult ones but he lets him too many, maybe way too many, easy and really easy ones especially for an elite goalie. and this is not just when he's playing a ridiculous 10 or 15 games in a row.
Doesn’t matter who the coach is, this roster isn’t going to go far. Hopefully Darche learned from all his mistakes or the islanders are truly screwed
Weaknesses- pp, goal scorers, structure. Barzal barzal barzal. 10M salary. Until the Isles realize he is a huge part of the problem, and he sb traded, this team cannot win.
Gil, do you agree that Barzal is a huge problem and he sb traded?
So funny that of all teams to get mathematically eliminated by, it happens to be the Habs. Thanks so much for Dobson!!! We love him!!
Two weeks ago seemed like pretty sure thing to have home ice advantage in first round .
Unbelievable .