The New York Islanders finally offered a full-length glimpse of what they look like when all layers of their lineup fire at once - and the result was emphatic. New York overwhelmed the Detroit Red Wings 7-2 on Thursday night at UBS Arena, a fourth straight win that looked nothing like the team that opened the season 0-3. The offense came from everywhere.
Heineman scored two more goals on Thursday night versus Detroit and looks more than comfortable playing alongside Bo Horvat on the Islanders' top line. That's five goals in seven games. The 23-year-old was off to a blazing start with Montreal last season before being in a freak car accident in Salt Lake City. The injury sustained prevented the winger from having a breakout season and made him expendable to Montreal when Darche zeroed in on him to acquire Dobson.
The now-scrapped event had been billed as a Super-Bowl-style "Opening Night" for the NHL's returning Olympians - the league's first full participation in the Games since 2014. It was to bring more than 100 players under one roof for a fan-attended media spectacle before they flew to Milan-Cortina. The league had publicly framed the concept as both a marketing play and a moment to celebrate the global stage NHL talent was returning to.
Through five games, the 24-year-old Swede has averaged just 11:45 TOI - more than five minutes below last year's season average of 16:52. Holmstrom has recorded an assist on opening night, but has been held pointless since, and is a -4 on the season. Perhaps the most discouraging statistic for Holmstrom is his two shots on the season. While some may be worried about his inability to get pucks through towards the net this season, Patrick Roy sees no cause for concern.
The New York Islanders might be in the NHL's most hopeless situation, and if the constant losing keeps up, there could be whispers of a potential fire sale that could make waves through Long Island, perhaps even before the league takes a break for the Olympics. It makes sense at first, considering the Isles' recent track record as a team that has been in steady decline.
The broader answer is that everyone should be headed for the fire escapes. The club hasn't played well defensively, relying far too much on Ilya Sorokin. Plus, the offense just hasn't been there. Yes, we've seen some great moments from Mathew Barzal. We've also seen Maxim Shabanov and Matthew Schaefer look good as rookies. Jonathan Drouin, suspension notwithstanding, has also looked solid. But that won't be enough to get the Isles out of the funk they're in to start the season.
During Lou Lamoriello's tenure with the NY Islanders, a portion of the contracts the former GM gave out involved max-term or close to it. The AAV given out was fair, but as the salary cap continues to rise, many of these contracts can be looked at as steals in their later years. The salaries given out this off-season have been substantially inflated. Today, Jake Walman signed a seven-year, $7M AAV contract with the Edmonton Oilers.
