GDHQNHL15_4pg-New York Islanders 1

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New York EASTERN CONFERENCE ISLANDERS METROPOLITAN DIVISION Kyle Okposo Offense If the Islanders are to get back into the playoffs – they have missed six of the last seven years, including last season – and make their final season in Uniondale a memorable one, they have to improve over last year’s 16th-place showing in goals scored. Of course, if the team wasn’t 28th in goals allowed, there wouldn’t be quite the need for a giant increase in goals. A healthy John Tavares is a good place to start. He was active for only 59 games last year but still scored 24 goals. He suffered a partially torn MCL in the Olympics and never returned to the lineup. He didn’t need surgery is ready to go and should again be one of the league’s best scorers. He’ll work again next to Kyle Okposo, who led the Isles with 27 goals last year, a career high. Though his production has been a bit erratic, he has the potential to be a steady producer every season. The third man on whom the Islanders can rely is center Fans Nielsen, who also had a career year last year, registering 25 scores. Perhaps he and Okposo thrived because Tavares was out, but each provides some fortification. So do newcomers Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin—or so New York hopes. The two combined for 59 goals when they played together in Toronto in 2010-11 and are likely to occupy the same line. Neither has come close to that type of production in the ensuing three seasons, but the hope is that they will provide complementary scoring assistance. Key Additions: C Mikhail Grabovski; LW Nikolai Kulemin; G Jaroslav Halak; G Chad Johnson; D T.J. Brennan; LW Cory Conacher Key Subtractions: G Evgeni Nabokov; LW Thomas Vanek; D Andrew McDonald Strengths: Roster depth at almost every position Weaknesses: Penalty kill, defense, goaltending Gregory Shamus/NHL/Getty Images


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