For the last 21 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 22nd annual review will appear here on DobberHockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are what I take into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

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Gone – Cal Clutterbuck, Matt Martin, Sebastian Aho, Robert Bortuzzo, Ken Appleby, Ruslan Iskhakov

Incoming – Anthony Duclair, Maxim Tsyplakov

Impact of changes – For a team that had very low roster turnover relative to other teams, Duclair is a significant add. Duclair turned up the heat down the stretch with 13 goals and 23 points in his last 21 games. Most of that was as a rental in Tampa Bay, but he also finished with a bang with eight points in his final four games with San Jose. He could be a first-line option for the Isles beside Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, since Anders Lee is on the decline and Pierre Engvall does not have a high scoring upside. Duclair could even challenge for top power-play minutes.

Tsyplakov is a 25-year-old undrafted free agent who the Islanders quietly signed out of the KHL in April. He scored 31 goals in 65 games, which was fourth in the league in goals. He also finished sixth in league in hits, which could make him of interest in bangers leagues. Right now he is an unknown for fantasy purposes, so 35 points might be a reasonable expectation entering the season. If he can climb into the top-6, he will have a much better chance of making a fantasy impact.

Clutterbuck and Martin are both unsigned at the time of writing, so losing them will impact the Islanders physically. Both are at least 35 years old and haven't been that effective recently beyond providing toughness. 

Ready for Full Time – The Islanders are solidified in their current roster construction, and their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport isn't exactly brimming with talent. So don't expect a prospect to jump onto the Islanders in 2024-25 and make a major impact.

Two forwards who could receive a cup of coffee at the NHL level this season are William Dufour and Matt Maggio. Dufour finished with 116 points in his final season in the QMJHL while starring in the Memorial Cup for Saint John. His scoring fell from his first AHL season (48 PTS in 69 GP) to his second AHL season (25 PTS in 55 GP), but the lack of talent in Bridgeport in 2023-24 seemed to affect his numbers. Maggio was an OHL scoring star for Windsor, but he did not have an easy time in his rookie AHL season (27 PTS in 61 GP). Dufour and Maggio will have better odds of making the Isles in 2025-26.

Fantasy Outlook – As mentioned above, the Islanders are standing pat with a roster that made the playoffs but was knocked out by Carolina in five games. The Islanders didn't incur any major losses, but they did not improve their roster significantly either, so they may remain in their current state as a bubble playoff team.

Even though the Isles are not considered a desirable team for players fantasy-wise, they have several decent options that will be rostered in many fantasy leagues. The top unit of Barzal and Horvat has managed to click since Horvat was acquired from Vancouver. It helps that Horvat is strong defensively, which allows Barzal to play his game and create offense. Horvat was able to secure his third consecutive 30-goal season in his first full season on Long Island, while Barzal had his first point-per-game season since his rookie campaign of 2017-18.

Brock Nelson has also been consistent with three consecutive 30-goal seasons of his own. However, he is on the final year of contract and could be traded if Isles are out of the playoff race. Kyle Palmieri, who has formed a solid connection with Nelson, is in the same boat contract-wise. That could result in larger changes for the Isles next summer.

Noah Dobson is quite possibly the Islanders' most valuable fantasy asset, as he has taken his offense to a whole new level on a team that is not amazing offensively. Dobson is only 24 years of age, so it's possible that he has an even higher gear. Beyond Dobson, the Isles don't generate a whole lot of offense from their blueline.

Expect Ilya Sorokin to grab the starter's job again, even though he was often on the bench down the stretch and in the playoffs. The Islanders were simply riding the hot hand with Semyon Varlamov. Sorokin still has elite potential, so fantasy teams shouldn't give up on him yet. However, if Sorokin struggles, Patrick Roy won't hesitate to turn to Varlamov again. The Islanders faced the fourth-most shots per game of any team (32.6 SA/GP), which is one area that they could improve on as a team.

Fantasy Grade: B- (last year was also a B-)

Check out the rest of the Dobber team previews here.