For the last 22 years (12 with The Hockey News) we have reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 23rd 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!

Gone:  Noah Dobson, Scott Perunovich, Samuel Bolduc, Matt Martin, Mike Reilly

Incoming: Jonathan Drouin, Emil Heineman, Maxim Shabanov, David Rittich, Ethan Bear, Matthew Highmore

Impact of Changes: It's clear that the Islanders are trying the faster "retool" method as opposed to the longer "rebuild". Yes, they lost a key piece in Dobson, but that was when they already knew they had his replacement Matthew Schaefer penciled in for the top pick of the draft. The Isles struggled offensively, and they'll be using this season to gauge how effective KHL's prize free agent Shabanov can translate his skilled, high-flying game to the NHL ice.

Drouin is a very productive player – or rather, he was, when he was alongside Nathan MacKinnon. Can he bring similar production alongside Mathew Barzal? We'll have to see. But the first step would be his staying healthy. Drouin is a member of the Band-Aid Boys list (as is Barzal, for that matter). In a perfect world, Drouin stays healthy and Shabanov translates his game beautifully to North America. Such an outcome would solidify this as a retool and not force a full-on rebuild.

Heineman is a third-line player who has shown a lot of signs that he can be a top-sixer. His season was interrupted after getting hit by a car (!), and that broke up the momentum he was building, but he has sneaky-good value. His IPP of 69.2 was one of the higher numbers on Montreal's roster and indicative of his being too skilled for his linemates. However, with Drouin, Barzal, Shabanov, Anders Lee, Bo Horvat, Kyle Palmieri, Maxim Tsyplakov, JG Pageau, the emerging Simon Holmstrom and Anthony Duclair in the fold, Heineman will need injury luck and fortitude to move up the depth chart.

The signing of Rittich signals that the Isles are still uncertain about Semyon Varlamov's injury future. Rittich provides a solid option to starter Ilya Sorokin when the latter needs a rest.

Ready For Full Time: Shabanov has a top-six spot already penciled in and he will get first dibs when it comes to the Barzal line. The 24-year-old had 67 points in 65 KHL games. He is undersized at just 5-8, so success isn't a guarantee. But it's the best option the Islanders have had since, well, Barzal. Likely a boom-or-bust pick: Nikita Gusev or a lesser Artemi Panarin. But the team will do whatever it can to ensure that it's the latter.

On one hand, Schaefer was the first overall pick and first overall picks pretty much always play in the NHL right after being drafted. On the other hand, he missed most of last season with a broken collarbone. Does he go from that…to an NHL job? That's quite a shock to the system and certainly a big ask. But if he sticks, he'll be impactful. He'll run the second power play and likely top 30 or 35 points right off the hop.

Other prospects to watch out for include Calum Ritchie, Adam Beckman and Cole Eiserman. Ritchie made the Avalanche last year but was sent back to junior after seven games. Now that he's eligible for the AHL, he'll likely start the season there. But you should see him for games here and there, as the Isles groom him to eventually be a staple in their top six.

Beckman at one time seemed like he was on the fast track to the NHL with strong two-way play and leadership. But things went sideways in Minnesota's system and he's since bounced around in New Jersey's system and finally to the Islanders. The Isles liked him enough to re-sign him to a two-way deal. At 24, he's still young enough to work his way into the NHL, but on the flip side – time is running out.

The sniper, Eiserman, is playing another year with Boston University, but you could see him join the Islanders after the NCAA season is over. He's already considered one of the best pure goal scorers outside the NHL.

Fantasy Outlook: This is a team that, for fantasy purposes, I haven't liked for a long, long time. They don't score and keep hiring defense-first coaches. The system has worked in the sense that every three or four years they squeak into the playoffs and then go to the second or third round. But fantasy owners have shied away from these players for the most part.

But things are starting to look different now. The antiquated system appears to be on the outs, beginning with former GM Lou Lamoriello. Bringing in huge skill and small size in Shabanov is a bit of an about-face. We'll see how Coach Patrick Roy integrates him into his coaching style. The selling of some of their older players and bringing in a prospect like Ritchie is a nice step forward. This is still a team where I'm not building my dynasty squad around, but I can now see a day – maybe as early as midseason – where that will change.

Fantasy Grade: C- (Last year: B-)