NHL: New York Islanders fantasy players’ projections for 2022-23

As part of its “32 in 32 series,” NHL.com has revealed fantasy projections for New York Islanders players.

This series qualifies players based on characteristics such as previous regular season and Stanley Cup Playoff success, injury history or concern, power-play usage, expected line combinations, and even age, contract situation, and overall upside for this season, among others.

Moreover, the projections were created in a partnership of NHL.com with Pete Jensen and Anna Dua, and the totals below are safe estimations that can be used as a basis for decision-making in any fantasy league.

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Rankings

The following players are listed in order of their current NHL.com top 250 rankings:

Ilya Sorokin – With a 28-point prediction. Sorokin has a save percentage of.925 in the NHL, trailing only Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers (.935). Sorokin should be considered a top-five fantasy goalkeeper option under new coach Lane Lambert, who replaces Barry Trotz and remains part of an exceptional tandem with Semyon Varlamov, a potential 2023 unrestricted free agent.

Noah Dobson – A 55-point forecast. With 51 points in his first NHL season, he tied for 15th place overall and set a career-high. He scored 13 goals, which put him in a tie for ninth place overall, along with 38 total assists and 22 power-play points, which put him in a tie for eighth place overall. He also has a total of 190 shots on goal. Last season, he was perhaps the biggest breakout defenseman, and Dobson, who led all Islanders skaters in power-play points and shots on goal, might take another step if Lane Lambert’s team offense improves.

Mathew Barzal – With a 72-point projection. In 2017-18, Barzal set an NHL rookie record with 85 points. He did not, however, have more than 62 in any of the previous four seasons under Trotz. Last season, Barzal led the Islanders in assists with 44 in 73 games. Barzal, the Islanders’ No. 1 center, is entering his contract season and is said to be a potential restricted free agent in 2023.

Brock Nelson – 61-point forecast. Last season, Nelson developed a connection with left flank Anders Lee, but he could reach a higher gear if his other frequent linemate, wing Anthony Beauvillier, comes out under Lambert. He had NHL career highs in each of those statistics last season, leading the Islanders in goals with 37 goals and power-play goals (11). He is also known for sharing the team lead in points (59) with Barzal.

Semyon Varlamov, Oliver Wahlstrom, Anders Lee, Anthony Beauvillier, Alexander Romanov, and Aatu Raty are also other players worth considering in the NYI fantasy rankings.

It is worth mentioning that the Islanders have had a fairly quiet offseason after failing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017-18. Nevertheless, general manager Lou Lamoriello expressed optimism in “getting back at it and maybe proving everybody wrong.”

“In our case, at this point, internally is where we have to get better,” Lamoriello asserted.

“We did add, in my opinion, a top-five defenseman, a left-hand shot we needed, and we feel very good about that. We have to compete against ourselves more than worry about what the other people are doing.”