Dobber's offseason fantasy hockey grades – NY Islanders

For the last 12 years over at The Hockey News, I have reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them. Now that I am no longer with THN, my 13th annual review will appear here on DobberHockey. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey.

Enjoy!

Gone – Colin McDonald, Matt Donovan, Michal Neuvirth, Griffin Reinhart, Eric Boulton, Matt Carkner, Tyler Kennedy, Lubomir Visnovsky

Incoming – Thomas Greiss

Impact of changes – Stay the course. And as well they should. This young team is deep at all positions, with top prospects on the way at the forward and defense. And the Islanders can take their time with those prospects because the rebuilding was done patiently and thoroughly. Now they are set up to run a steady conveyor belt of prospects into the lineup year after year, the way Detroit has done it so well over the past two decades.

So you'll see a lot of the older players and/or spare parts being let go, and the rest of the team will move forward. Assuming those rumors of re-signing Visnovsky are untrue…

Ready for full-time – This is the year I would consider acquiring Michael Dal Colle in two of my three keepers. He's not ready for the jump this season, but in 2016-17 he will be. And I knew that was the kind of wait I was looking at, which is why I had no interest in him last year (I don't like waiting more than a year on prospects, because far too often one year becomes two…which implies that two can easily become three). So keep this in mind about Dal Colle and any other first-round pick in the foreseeable future.

(Scouting report on Dal Colle here)

Kirill Petrov looked as though he was a KHLer for life, but the Isles finally got the big power forward to come across, hinting that he had a strong shot at making the big club. As things stand today, Petrov would be the 14th forward unless he leapfrogs frequent healthy scratch Michael Grabner and an injury strikes one or two others in the top 12. Look for him to perhaps play half a season, post modest points (10 to 15 in 40 games) and surprising penalty minutes (maybe 40 or 50?).

(Scouting report on Petrov here)

Defenseman Ryan Pulock is still a season away, or maybe just a half-season. He needs further developing in the AHL before making the jump. But he is one of the Isles' top prospects. He'll be 21 in the fall and is coming off of a 17-goal AHL season.

(Scouting report on Pulock here)

Defenseman Scott Mayfield is discussed a lot in fantasy circles, but he could be an asset in PIM leagues. He had 173 of them for Bridgeport last season. Drafted 34th overall in 2011, he could be the next ready option on the blue line, as he played two playoff games for the big club back in April.

(Scouting report on Mayfield here)

Fantasy Outlook – Deep team. High-scoring team. Two full lines. Deep pipeline with even more gems. Decent puck-moving defensemen. Solid goaltender. Did I miss anything? I would have no problem owning seven or eight Islanders on any of my keeper league teams. And in fact, I encourage it.

Fantasy Grade: A (last year was B)

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