The mere fact that Patrick Roy guided the Islanders into the playoffs with a late, late-season winning push is almost in the miracle department. We should not conclude that he came out Of the woods in New York, far from it.
• Read also: Elimination of the Islanders: “I feel like we deserved better” – Patrick Roy
Eliminated in five games by the Hurricanes, Roy’s troops struggled, but we felt the rivals in the driver’s seat.
The Islanders only lost the last game by more than two goals and in that case the Canes’ sixth goal was scored into an empty net.
In short, they were in the game, they fought hard, but they were never able to score more than three goals in a match. Their attack lacked punch and was controlled, which meant that they were never able to cause the surprise hoped for by many Quebec fans who lined up behind Patrick Roy.
A tough defense
Without taking anything away from Roy, on the contrary, the scenario that materialized was quite predictable.
Of all the teams that qualified for the playoffs, his Islanders had the second-worst goal differential at -17. Only the Capitals, a team at a crossroads, did worse at -37.
Patrick Roy made no secret when accepting the position that his main challenge was going to be to take on the defensive game. The Islanders did better in this regard under his leadership, but the ace of his brigade, Noah Dobson, remains above all recognized for his offensive flair.
Even more demoralizing, their penalty kill was the least effective in the league this season (71.5%) and in the playoffs, the success rate of 66.7% was even worse.
With a record of 20-12-5 in the regular season, Patrick Roy accomplished a lot despite landing in a situation that was not all rosy.
Hands tied
Photo credit: MARTIN ALARIE / AGENCE QMI / LE JOURNAL DE MONTRÉAL
General manager Lou Lamoriello has given big contracts to players who are not producing up to expectations.
Anders Lee is the valiant captain, but at 8.95 million for 37 points, we saw a better investment. Jean-Gabriel Pageau has heart to spare, but at 5 million per year for the next two seasons, it is not ideal.
Matthew Barzal had his best offensive production since his rookie year in 2017-18, but he didn’t exactly carry the team to the playoffs with two goals.
The Islanders have their heads stuck in the salary cap and it’s not like Roy and Lamoriello will be able to improve the situation by calling out Cizikas.
Since they are in the middle of the pack, they could have been both buyers and sellers at the trade deadline, but they did not have free rein. No less than 10 of their players hold no-trade clauses.
Such clauses are not an absolute obstacle when it comes time to conclude a transaction, but they do complicate negotiations.
Few bright hopes
If at least the team had a deep bank of top prospects, the Islanders might think the short-term future looks bright, but that’s not the case. This is where it hurts the most.
The Islanders’ most recent first-round pick was forward Simon Holstrom… in 2019. In his first real full season this year at age 22 (he played 50 games last year), he was limited to 25 points.
Last year, the Islanders only had five draft picks. Same thing in 2022.
The Hockey News, in its evaluation of the prospect banks of each of the 32 teams, considers that that of the Islanders is one of the “least impressive in the league”.
Journalist Scott Wheeler, from The Athletic site, is even more scathing by ranking the Islanders dead last. He says the group “seriously lacks potential and will likely produce nothing but depth players.” He didn’t rank any Islanders prospects on his top 100 list.
Not easy
In short, it is legitimate to wonder if it would not have been preferable for the Islanders to implode and improve their situation in the draft rather than qualifying for the playoffs on a buttock.
Obviously, you only need to know Patrick Roy a little to know that he is hyper competitive and that he would not have appreciated if his team was going down the drain.
All the same, looking at the squad in place, the empty bank of hopefuls and the rather lukewarm atmosphere at the brand new UBS Arena which is too often empty, we cannot help but say to ourselves that unless there are drastic changes, Patrick Roy is condemned to do a lot with a little.
And it would have been so captivating to see him behind the bench of a team that has a future ahead of it, in a hot market like him for hockey.
