New York Islanders: 5 burning questions for 2018-19 season

4. Figuring out the bottom six

Having depth is almost always a good thing. Injuries happen and players struggle. It’s nice to have guys you can rely on. However, sometimes you have depth in less than optimal areas. Such is the case with the New York Islanders and their group of bottom six forwards.

In today’s NHL, you’ve got to have three skilled lines. If the Islanders’ strategy this offseason is a sign of what’s to come, it appears they’ll be kicking it old school by going with a more traditional checking line as their third forward line and a hard-hitting line as their fourth.

Valtteri Filppula was signed to a one-year deal. If he’s a second-line center candidate, that’s alarming. Filppula struggled mightily last season with the Philadelphia Flyers but is still a decent option as a third or fourth line center.

Leo Komarov is a decent defensive forward, but he brings very little to the table on offense. He’ll help address the Islanders’ penalty kill and defensive woes, but that’s about it. It’s also fair to question how much having a guy like Komarov is going to help defensively when the blue line is still a mess (more on this later).

Matt Martin is a fan favorite and is a decent fourth liner. But the Islanders have too many of those types of guys. Trotz will certainly have options, but that might not be a good thing. The Islanders have some exciting young forwards like Josh Ho-Sang and Kieffer Bellows. Those guys need playing time. If a veteran grinder takes away playing time from a young player, that’s not good for a team who won’t outright say they’re rebuilding, but in reality, are rebuilding.