The Islanders begin training camp with their first on-ice sessions Thursday, bringing the same head coach, the same staff and — mostly — the same players who suffered a first-round loss to the Hurricanes in last season’s playoffs.
No one outside of their dressing room classifies the Isles as a serious Stanley Cup contender, but their belief in their own capabilities is still very much intact — and was backed by general manager Lou Lamoriello’s retention of every player on an expiring contract this summer.
It has been two years since they won a playoff series, but thanks to the trade-deadline additions of Bo Horvat and Pierre Engvall, the roster is more talented than it was last year at this time.
Nationally, there is not much attention being paid to the Isles, but that is just how they like it.
Here are the stories to follow as training camp gets underway.
Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat together again
In the seven regular-season games they played together last season, Horvat and Barzal were electric together. But there is only so long you can cite a seven-game sample before it starts to sound ridiculous, especially when Barzal’s playoff return alongside Horvat fell flat.
Coach Lane Lambert can, and presumably will, move pieces around throughout the season. Maybe the best combination ends up having Brock Nelson or Jean-Gabriel Pageau on the wing.
But understandably, the Islanders want to see Barzal and Horvat work together. The potential is massive, and they should have a full training camp together to hone their chemistry.
Who replaces Zach Parise?
This could also be phrased as, “What does Oliver Wahlstrom look like following a major knee injury?” On paper, Wahlstrom is the best fit to slide into Parise’s spot, and should be motivated to prove himself on a one-year deal that might represent his last shot to establish himself as an Islander.
So far, though, Wahlstrom’s potential has mostly been just that — on paper. Despite moments of excellence, he has not put it together and produced for a full season.
Julien Gauthier is another option for Parise’s spot, as is Simon Holmstrom, but neither player has shown the kind of NHL scoring ability that Wahlstrom has. This should be his spot to lose, and if he can unlock his potential, he is talented enough to make the Islanders forget all about Parise.
The sixth defense spot
It is unlikely that training camp yields a definitive starter between Sebastian Aho and Samuel Bolduc for the final spot on the blue line.
Bolduc is young, talented and acquitted himself well in 17 NHL games last season. But there isn’t much reason to rush his development unless Aho takes a step back. Especially if the Swede continues to be dependable in his own end and gives the Islanders a better chance to win most nights.
It feels like a reasonable expectation for Bolduc to play 30-40 games this season, between others being banged up and nights when the coaching staff wants to give him a shot. But training camp will give an idea as to what exactly the split between the two will look like.
Attempts to improve the power play
Lambert said he would take a more active role in overseeing both special teams units, but that was as far as he went on potential changes when he spoke Monday.
“There’s a couple little things that we need to see,” he said. “We have some players we have to take a look at in certain situations.”
It is hard to imagine things staying exactly the same after a year in which the power play was consistently awful and ranked 31st in the league. Exactly what changes, and how big those changes are, isn’t yet clear.
The last year of the Identity Line
As much as Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck have defined this era of Islanders hockey, this season could be their swan song.
Martin and Clutterbuck are 34 and 35, respectively, and both in the last years of their contracts. Clutterbuck has missed significant time with injuries for each of the last two seasons.
The trio figures to play together on opening night and for much of this season, but beyond that, it’s an open question.
