New York Islanders: Which Players Really Benefit from the Lockout?

While most NHL teams tend be hurt by the lockout, the younger teams actually have an opportunity to benefit.

Older players seem less likely to head overseas or to other leagues to play during the lockout, which creates opportunities for younger players to stay in shape and gain confidence in lower-pressure situations in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the American Hockey League, as well as veterans who can come into training camp in shape from play in international leagues.

With such a young team, the Islanders can certainly benefit being many of their players are able to return to the AHL or Junior's.

Let's take a look at which players gain the most from the lockout. 

Nino Niederreiter

Nino Niederreiter, the highly touted fifth overall draft pick didn't have the most ideal rookie season. Slowed by a concussion handed out by Mark Fistric, he seemed to struggle to find any rhythm and confidence in his 55 games in the NHL.

Once nearly a point-per-game player in the Western Hockey League, time in the AHL is probably exactly what Niederreiter needs to get back on track.

Some already have began calling him a draft bust, but I disagree. He simply was unable to develop any confidence last year in the NHL.

But after having experienced the speed and style of play in the NHL, Niederreiter knows exactly what he needs to work on.

He's fifth in points in the AHL (albeit in only two games), as he's shown the powerful and effective style of play that earned him the high draft selection. 

He may spend the whole season in the AHL, and that might serve him best. I'd at least let him stay with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers for 15 to 20 games before bringing him back up.

Rick DiPietro

What can be said about Rick DiPietro? 

He headed to Germany for the remainder of the lockout, and that is probably the best thing for him. If he can manage to stay healthy, more playing time and less pressure to live up to such high expectations should do wonders for him.

DiPietro hasn't played a full season's worth of games since 2007-2008, and his numbers in the games he has played haven't been exactly stellar.

There was serious talk during this offseason about either offering him an amnesty buyout or having him spend time in the AHL with the Sound Tigers to get healthy and regain his consistency.

It seems this will be a make-or-break season for DiPietro. It's apparent he'll be the backup to Evgeni Nabokov. If he can't turn it around, who knows what the future will hold for him, but it probably won't involve the Islanders. 

Michael Grabner

A Calder Cup finalist and one season removed from a 34-goal season, Michael Grabner struggled last year to finish on most of his break-away scoring attempts.

While his 20 goals and 32 points were solid, they were far removed from the 52-point season he had in his rookie year.

Most dismiss it as a sophomore slump, but this season will determine whether the five-year contract he signed last season was worth it. Regardless, if he scores 34 goals again, he's still a staple of the Islanders' offense.

Grabner is playing for the EC Villacher club (EC VSV), he's nearly a point per game player right now, and with any hope he'll transfer his success to the NHL>

I think we'll see him return in top form next season.

Ryan Strome and Griffin Reinhart

Perhaps the most promising of the Islanders' prospects, Strome, a center, and Reinhart, a defenseman, will have an opportunity in training camp to make the team and a nine-game tour of the NHL to see if they are ready. If not, both will be returned to juniors for more seasoning.

Both will benefit from having some playing time prior to showing up for the Islanders training camp, Reinhart is playing for the Edmonton Oil Kings of Western Hockey League, Strome for the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League.

It will quickly be apparent if they are ready for the speed of the NHL game, and it seems like general manager Garth Snow is committed to making sure they are ready and are not rushed as many fans thought was the case with Josh Bailey and Nino Niederreiter.

As top-five draft picks, a lot is expected of them in the future. Whether they make the Islanders this season is solely up to them. 

Marty Reasoner

More is at stake for Marty Reasoner than perhaps anyone else on the team.

With the Bridegport Sound Tigers full of prospects ready to make the jump, if he performs as poorly as he did last season, he'll quickly find himself out of a job.

He may be an awesome face-off man, but the Islanders have other prospects capable of producing much more than that in terms of points and goals, something the Islanders struggled at times with last season.

If anyone on the Islanders can be classified a draft bust, it just might be Reasoner. He was drafted 14th overall and has only produced 261 points in nearly 767 professional games. 

A lot is on the line here, and Reasoner better find a way to turn it around. It's probably safe to assume that if one of the younger players outperforms him in the training camp, he will find himself in the minors.

Mark Streit

Streit had a rough start last season. He struggled until the last few months of the season to regain his former style of play that we all were expecting of him.

He is perhaps one of, if not the best swing-defenseman in the NHL and a huge part of the Islanders defense and offense as well. 

At the moment, Streit is playing with John Tavares for SC Bern in the National League A in Switzerland, and it only takes a quick search to find clips of him turning defenders inside-out with the stats to match. 

With his shoulder healed and his confidence growing in NLA, Streit should come back with a complete performance this season. 

Other Mentions

Josh Bailey and Kyle Okposo didn't play anywhere during the lockout, though both could have benefited from it.

Okposo was a healthy scratch a few times early last season and didn't find his rhythm until late, which is a bit unfortunate seeing as if he had contributed throughout the season it might have helped the Islanders out of a few slumps.

Bailey has some of the best hands in the league, but he lacks the confidence to use them at times. He seemed to play better as a winger and might stay there permanently for this season

It could be argued that neither had particularly bad seasons. Okposo broke the 20-goal for the first time in his career and finished with 45 points and Bailey finished with a decent 32 points.

Neither player is at risk of losing his roster spot, but both are definitely expected to step it up.