NHL Preview 2024-25 83 SportsForecaster.com

Forwards

Mathew Barzal [C/RW]

  • Age: 27
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 187
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYI 80 23 57 80 -4 34 1.00
Career 559 143 341 484 16 270 0.87
Forecast 81 24 52 76 - - 0.94

Becoming a full-time winger last year helped him hit a career high in goals and reach the 80-point mark for the first time since he won the Calder Trophy in '17-18. Few players skate as well or have the puck on their sticks as much as Barzal. That is especially true on the power play, where he could help his numbers by shooting more.

Casey Cizikas [C/LW]

  • Age: 33
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 195
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYI 70 10 13 23 -2 22 0.33
Career 927 117 152 269 1 443 0.29
Forecast 76 8 12 20 - - 0.26

Previously the ''Identity Line'' center, Cizikas ended '23-24 with a new identity–top-line left-winger! That helped him finish with his best offensive totals in five years. Cizikas still has chops as a checker, penalty killer and face-off man (five straight seasons winning at least 53%), but he also showed that he can score a little.

Anthony Duclair [LW/RW]

  • Age: 29
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 197
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
SJ/TB 73 24 18 42 -8 34 0.58
Career 637 157 166 323 24 213 0.51
Forecast 77 22 20 42 - - 0.55

The 29-year-old Duclair is the definition of a streaky scorer; when he is hot, he is really hot. His speed lets him create scoring chances, and he has the pace and skill to drive play when he is engaged. But he does not offer much help away from the puck if he is not scoring, and he neither blocks many shots nor dishes out many hits.

Pierre Engvall [LW]

  • Age: 28
  • Ht: 6-5
  • Wt: 214
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYI 74 10 18 28 4 18 0.38
Career 380 65 70 135 24 107 0.36
Forecast 78 9 12 21 - - 0.27

The 28-year-old Engvall has been more of an analytics darling than a point producer for most of his time in the NHL, a trend that continued last season. The Swede was an occasional healthy scratch at various points of 2023-24, although he also showed some flashes on offense. Signed through 2027-28, Engvall is not going anywhere soon.

Simon Holmstrom [RW/LW]

  • Age: 23
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 202
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYI 75 15 10 25 2 14 0.33
Career 229 45 43 88 -5 30 0.38
Forecast 79 16 12 28 - - 0.35

The 23-year-old Holmstrom showed real promise and maturity in his first full NHL season. He tied for second in the NHL with five shorthanded goals and seven points while a man down. His offensive numbers may have been better if he saw more power-play ice time, but he remains valuable because he is always in good position defensively.

Bo Horvat [C]

  • Age: 29
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 215
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYI 81 33 35 68 -1 39 0.84
Career 843 286 304 590 -67 285 0.70
Forecast 82 34 36 70 - - 0.85

Horvat's third straight 30-goal season was accompanied by a career high in assists in '23-24. He also tied for the NHL lead with three overtime game-winning goals. The 29-year-old has a very good shot, knows how to find openings in the defense and has improved as a playmaker in the last few seasons. He is dangerous on the power play.

Anders Lee [LW]

  • Age: 34
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 235
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYI 81 20 17 37 2 68 0.46
Career 871 295 228 523 19 523 0.60
Forecast 80 19 16 35 - - 0.44

New York's captain hit the 20-goal mark for the eighth time in '23-24, but his overall play and ice time declined. He has made his living by getting to the front of the net, but the pounding he has taken over the years appears to be taking a toll. Lee is an exemplary leader and won the 2024 King Clancy Award for off-ice charity work.

Kyle MacLean [LW/C]

  • Age: 25
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 184
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYI 32 4 5 9 5 11 0.28
Career 129 9 13 22 -14 48 0.17
Forecast 74 9 11 20 - - 0.27

The son of Isles assistant coach John MacLean does not have his dad's scoring touch, but he may carve out an NHL role as a fourth-line forward after spending most of the last four seasons in the AHL. He does the little things squads love from a role player: competes hard, throws his body around, brings grit and adds a little offense.

Brock Nelson [C]

  • Age: 33
  • Ht: 6-4
  • Wt: 205
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYI 82 34 35 69 -5 28 0.84
Career 949 311 295 606 26 338 0.64
Forecast 82 32 31 63 - - 0.77

Nelson's best offensive campaigns have come after his 30th birthday; he is one of just 10 NHLers who scored at least 34 tallies in each of the past three seasons. The Minnesota native owns an excellent wrist shot that he gets off quickly. Nelson is nimble around the net and has developed enough strength to maintain position in front.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau [C/RW]

  • Age: 31
  • Ht: 5-10
  • Wt: 180
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYI 82 11 22 33 -8 13 0.40
Career 819 165 213 378 14 260 0.46
Forecast 78 10 16 26 - - 0.33

The feisty pivot and penalty killer struggled offensively for much of the '23-24 campaign, finishing with his lowest full-season goals total since '14-15. His average ice time was below 16 minutes for the first time in nine years. Pageau continues to excel in the face-off circle (at least 55% for the fifth straight season in '23-24).

Kyle Palmieri [RW/LW]

  • Age: 33
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 185
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYI 82 30 24 54 -16 26 0.66
Career 925 276 269 545 -25 443 0.59
Forecast 71 18 21 39 - - 0.55

A healthy Palmieri is a productive Palmieri: he played all 82 games in 2023-24 and reached the 30-goal mark for the first time since '15-16. Nineteen of his goals came in 37 games after Patrick Roy became head coach of the Islanders. The veteran right-winger was very productive on the power play but also saw time on the penalty kill.

Maxim Tsyplakov [RW/LW]

  • Age: 26
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 210
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
KHL 65 31 16 47 12 35 0.72
Career 97 11 25 36 -2 39 0.37
Forecast 80 17 14 31 - - 0.39

The 26-year-old Russian forward was a middling performer for six seasons in the KHL before breaking out in 2023-24, finishing fourth in the league with 31 goals (after never scoring more than 10). Tsyplakov is an extremely late bloomer whose blend of size (6'3'', 190 pounds) and speed could earn him a top-nine winger role in the NHL.

Defensemen

Goaltenders

Samuel Bolduc

  • Age: 23
  • Ht: 6-4
  • Wt: 220
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYI 34 2 3 5 -4 6 0.15
Career 52 4 4 8 0 8 0.15
Forecast 69 3 6 9 - - 0.13

He has gone from a promising prospect in the AHL to an organizational depth defenseman who has not always looked comfortable at the highest level. Bolduc stands 6'4'' and weighs 220 pounds, though he does not play with enough physicality. He has decent mobility and a solid point shot. Bolduc must overcome the limitations in his game.

Noah Dobson

  • Age: 24
  • Ht: 6-4
  • Wt: 200
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYI 79 10 60 70 12 36 0.89
Career 416 54 194 248 -5 132 0.60
Forecast 81 14 55 69 - - 0.85

No Islanders defenseman since the legendary Denis Potvin put up 60 assists in a season until Dobson achieved it in his breakthrough '23-24 campaign. The 24-year-old looked more poised with the puck, quarterbacked an improved power-play unit and was better in the defensive zone in '23-24. Fatigue did appear to take a toll on him late.

Scott Mayfield

  • Age: 32
  • Ht: 6-5
  • Wt: 220
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYI 41 0 5 5 -7 35 0.12
Career 563 28 100 128 27 508 0.23
Forecast 76 2 14 16 - - 0.21

In 2023-24, Mayfield tried to play through a fractured ankle suffered in game 1 of the regular schedule. He did the best he could until late February, when the Islanders shut him down and he underwent surgery. In between, Mayfield also suffered an upper-body injury that forced him to miss eight games. Hockey players are tough, folks!

Adam Pelech

  • Age: 30
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 205
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYI 58 1 15 16 -2 27 0.28
Career 590 27 137 164 88 241 0.28
Forecast 68 1 18 19 - - 0.28

Injuries have been a huge issue for Pelech, who missed more than 20 games for the third time in five campaigns in '23-24. The Isles have not been the same squad defensively during his lengthy absences recently; he is an excellent shutdown defenseman who makes life uncomfortable for opponents, and he is usually a stabilizing presence.

Ryan Pulock

  • Age: 30
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 215
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYI 58 5 14 19 3 12 0.33
Career 590 53 175 228 65 109 0.39
Forecast 75 5 18 23 - - 0.31

Best known for his booming slap shot, Pulock has missed at least 24 games in two of the past three seasons. His shot should be even more lethal if he hit the net more often. The veteran rearguard is reliable in his own end, can play both special teams and eat up plenty of minutes when healthy. He is also blocks shots (149 in '23-24).

Alexander Romanov

  • Age: 24
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 209
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYI 81 7 15 22 23 20 0.27
Career 369 17 67 84 26 163 0.23
Forecast 80 5 17 22 - - 0.28

The 24-year-old is sanding down the rough spots to his game, reducing his mistakes in his own zone and adding some offense to his resume. His seven goals last season were one more than he had scored in his first three years combined. He was second on the Isles in blocks, fourth in hits and was the runaway leader in plus/minus rating.

Ilya Sorokin

  • Age: 29
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 190
'23-24 GP W L OT SO GAA Sv%
NYI 56 25 19 12 2 3.01 0.908
Career 273 135 97 38 25 2.57 0.916
Forecast 58 26 - - 3 2.99 0.915

He was under siege for much of last campaign and it showed. Sorokin saw too many high-danger chances among the 1,821 shots he faced, the second most in the NHL (in just 56 games). He was dragging by the end of '23-24 and lost the starting job. Both Sorokin's 3.01 goals-against average and .909 save percentage were career-worst marks.

Semyon Varlamov

  • Age: 36
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 215
'23-24 GP W L OT SO GAA Sv%
NYI 28 14 8 4 3 2.6 0.918
Career 621 289 232 71 41 2.65 0.916
Forecast 26 12 - - 1 2.94 0.908

The 36-year-old's hot streak down the stretch last season carried the Islanders to an unlikely playoff berth. He is no longer capable of carrying a starter's load, and he tends to miss chunks of an NHL season with injury. However, he can still carry a squad for short stretches, and there are not many better backup/tandem goaltenders.