Islanders face many organizational questions heading into offseason

Anders Lee, uncooked and actual within the wake of the Islanders’ season ending on Friday night time, didn’t equivocate.

Sure, he believes this core of gamers can nonetheless contend for the Stanley Cup.

“I don’t know why it wouldn’t,” Lee advised The Publish. “That is simply part of our journey. This actually f–king sucks. We gotta dwell with it and be taught from it. And are available again stronger.”

Following a 2-1 overtime loss to the Hurricanes that noticed their season finish with a six-game loss to Carolina within the first spherical of the playoffs, although, the Islanders have a collection of questions concerning the group’s future to confront.

First, concerning common supervisor Lou Lamoriello.

And second, regarding the roster.

It’s not recognized whether or not Lamoriello, who turned 80 in October, has signed a contract to remain on as president and common supervisor for the Islanders subsequent season.

It’s, nonetheless, extensively believed all through the league that the deal he initially signed when employed in 2018 was for 5 seasons — in different phrases, set to run out on the finish of this season.

Lamoriello twice received the NHL’s GM of the 12 months Award with the Islanders, in 2020 and 2021 however has come below growing scrutiny over the workforce’s struggles the final two seasons.

Requested early this month whether or not he had mentioned a contract extension with possession, he replied with a diatribe concerning the distinction between “widespread data” and “info.”

“Clearly,” he mentioned, “none of what’s occurring with [the contract].”

No matter whether or not Lamoriello stays on, the query in entrance of the Islanders this summer time is whether or not to tinker solely across the edges or to make a tectonic shift within the core of the workforce.

Pierre Engvall, Hudson Fasching, Zach Parise, Scott Mayfield, Parker Wotherspoon and Semyon Varlamov are all set to enter unrestricted free company, although in Parise’s case, whether or not or not he returns possible comes all the way down to a choice on retirement.

However gamers who’re nonetheless below contract, equivalent to Josh Bailey (who was a wholesome scratch for the whole lot of the first-round loss), Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin — who make up an vital a part of the management core — could possibly be candidates for buyouts or trades ought to the Isles determine the bottom-six must look completely different.

And, with Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal below contract long run, will the Islanders try to commerce one in every of their top-nine facilities — Jean-Gabriel Pageau or Brock Nelson — and put roster sources elsewhere, or preserve Horvat and Barzal arm-in-arm on the highest line?

The Islanders usually are not about to embark on a whole teardown, the cost-benefit evaluation of which doesn’t compute of their favor proper now.

However after staying the course final offseason, the identical questions are very a lot at play this time round.