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

By Dave Stevenson

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 23: Anders Lee #27 of the New York Islanders celebrates his first period goal with teammate Mathew Barzal #13 aganst the Winnipeg Jets at Barclays Center on December 23, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 23: Anders Lee #27 of the New York Islanders celebrates his first period goal with teammate Mathew Barzal #13 aganst the Winnipeg Jets at Barclays Center on December 23, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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New York Islanders
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2. The blueline

A huge reason the New York Islanders struggled last season was their blueline. They were heading downhill even before the season-ending injury to defensive stalwart Calvin de Haan. After losing him, the Islanders went from merely below average to abysmal. They allowed 2,918 shots against, the most in the NHL.

Nick Leddy is a stud but is likely miscast in his current role as a No. 1 defenseman. He’s a very good number two or number three, but he has yet to prove he’s a true number one. Johnny Boychuk is starting to show his age, though he’s still quite serviceable. His decline, though, is worrisome long-term.

Thomas Hickey is a solid defenseman but doesn’t bring too much to the table on offense. This isn’t much of an issue if you have guys who can move the puck. Unfortunately, the Islanders have too many guys who can’t move the puck like Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield.

Ryan Pulock has shown a lot of potential and did quite well last season. He could be ready for a top-four role. Pulock has a lot of similarities to Carlson, who thrived under Trotz. Maybe having a coach like him will help him realize his true potential.

Devon Toews and Sebastian Aho are both minor-league options who might be able to contribute. However, it appears the Islanders will have mostly the same group of blueliners that they had last season. Is that good enough?

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