Why the New York Islanders Will Be Surprise Stanley Cup Contenders This Season

Start spreadin’ the news; the New York Islanders are going for the Cup.

You’ll want to be a big part of hockey in New York this season. Bolstered by a great offseason, the Islanders will be the surprise Stanley Cup contenders in the NHL this year.

After its first playoff appearance in five seasons in 2012-2013, New York stumbled out of the gate last year, finishing last in the Metropolitan Division with a 34-37-11 record.

Ownership made sure that wouldn’t happen again this year.

For the first time in a long time, the Islanders made a huge splash in the offseason, acquiring big-name players to add to an already talented roster.

Sinatra would be proud. 

Goaltending at the Top of the Heap

The championship path for New York starts with the acquisition of goaltender Jaroslav Halak, a position that has been of dire need to the Islanders for years. The team finished 28th in the league last season in goals against at 3.18 a game.

The 29-year-old Halak is a proven performer, winning the William M. Jennings Award for best team goaltending tandem along with Brian Elliot while with the St. Louis Blues in the 2011-12 season. For that season, Halak finished 26-12 with a 1.97 goals-against average, .926 save percentage and six shutouts.

“He is obviously a goalie that has a track record of playing at a high level,” New York general manager Garth Snow told the New York Post's Brett Cyrgalis. “I see a goalie who is confident, technically sound, and relies on his athleticism when needed.”

New York acquired Halak’s rights from the Washington Capitals for a fourth-rounder earlier this year, signing him to a four-year, $18 million contract.

With Halak, the Islanders also get an outstanding playoff performer, another huge need.

If there was one thing that ended the Islanders’ last playoff stint two seasons ago, a six-game loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was the poor goaltending of then-starter Evgeni Nabokov. The scary truth of Nabokov’s playoff performance reads a 4.44 goals-against average and a brutal .842 save percentage.

Halak surged into the NHL stratosphere with a dazzling playoff performance as a member of the Montreal Canadiens in 2010, ironically shutting down the heavily favored Penguins in the process. Here’s a video of some of the great saves made by Halak in that series.

Free Agency Never Sleeps

New York's work in NHL free agency further built the team into legitimate contenders this year.

Teams knew the duo of Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin would be a package deal. The best friends had expressed interest in playing with each other that offseason, and with the same agent, it was more than a probability it would happen. Luckily for the Islanders offense, it did.

"It's like fishing. You put your line in the water and you hope for some nibbles," Snow said, according to Newsday's Arthur Staple. "We got two big bites today."

Kulemin and Grabovski figure to be staples in on the second and third lines and puck-possession hogs, which should improve New York’s 20th-ranked five-on-five Corsi percentage (49.4) a season ago.

They’ll also bolster a unit that’s returning superstar John Tavares from a season-ending knee injury suffered playing for Team Canada at the 2014 Olympics and emerging star Kyle Okposo. The Islanders finished in the middle of the pack, 17th, with 2.63 goals a game last year.

Keith Gosse/ The Canadian Press

Kulemin, 27, is an excellent two-way winger and can play the third wheel on a scoring line if needed. His 30 goals in 2010-11 on a line with Grabovski with the Toronto Maple Leafs were a tease to fans for every season after. Though he scored just nine a season ago, his two-way play makes him a valuable part of any lineup.

Grabovski, 30, will center the second line and look to keep healthy after missing 24 games a season ago with the Capitals with an injured ankle. He’s a proven scorer with three 20-goal seasons in his career. His veteran leadership and goal scoring ability should provide support for his young linemates, Ryan Strome and Brock Nelson.

Trades That Melt the Blues Away

Snow made a twilight deal before the season started to shore up a defense expected to go into the season with youth and inexperience. New York’s GM landed veteran defenseman Johnny Boychuk from the Boston Bruins and Nick Leddy from the Chicago Blackhawks.

They’ll join a group which includes all players under 26—Thomas Hickey, Matt Donovam, Travis Hamonic and Calvin De Haan.

“This is going to be a great team and people shouldn't take us lightly anymore,” Boychuk told the New York Post's John DeMarzo. “They've done some good things and I think it’s going to be a good challenge for any team to come in and play us.”

Leddy is a talented 23-year-old who began his career with the Blackhawks at 19. Chicago traded its young defenseman for cap reasons. His expanded role with the Islanders should open up the ice for a team known for its speed and tenacity that gave teams fits two seasons ago.

Both players bring Stanley Cup experience. Leddy won it with Chicago in 2013, while Boychuk won it with the Bruins in 2011.

Boychuk, or as he was called “Johnny Rocket” in Boston, has a blistering shot and a history of big-game goals, scoring six tallies in the 2012-13 postseason. His shot should improve a New York unit that finished 17th on the power play a season ago. His stay-at-home tendency should help Halak behind the net.

A young team with a bright future ahead, the Islanders will put it all together to be a legitimate Cup contender this year. Led by MVP contender John Tavares, improvement in free agency and via trade, New York is poised to make its last season at the Nassau Coliseum a memorable one.

Start spreading the news.