The season of drainage for the islanders, miserable, and sometimes dysfunction finally comes to an end, with the 35-35-12 record (the worst record of seven seasons with Loumoliello as general manager demanding answers.
On Saturday’s locker clean-out day, when reporters last ask players before they get home in the summer, they will begin to clarify the club’s instructions for the next few months.
Also, general manager Loumoliello and head coach Patrick Roy are expected to remain available at some point, if not on Saturday with players the following week.
Here are five of the biggest questions for the islanders.
Will Loumoriello and Patrick Roy be in charge?
The first and biggest question is the ownership question.
Lamoriello has been in charge of running hockey since 2018. Roy is the team’s third head coach under his guidance.
The fan base has been lean with general managers and a roster that’s been so scarce this year, with the islanders missing out on the playoffs for the second time since Lamoriello took over.
As for Roy, he fires the head coach a year after the team suffered so many injuries.
Still, given the way the islanders have finished the season, the way special teams (particularly the power plays) perform throughout the year, and the public demeanor of Roy against some players, including Anthony Duclair, there are questions as to whether he is moving forward or whether he is the right person.
Roy and Lamoriello presented a united front in public, but there was speculation throughout the season throughout the league, and the two weren’t getting along well in private, adding another element to the mix.
How far are Matt Balzar and Semion Balmov apart in the rehabilitation process?
Balzal had surgery in February on what is believed to be broken left patella. The nature of Vallamov’s lower body injury is unknown, but he played the last day after Thanksgiving and made a set in January.
First and foremost, neither of them has been answered whether they are ready for next season. It seems he may not be the case, especially with Vallamov.
If Varlamov is a question mark, it will have a big impact on the offseason for the islanders as they will need to find a backup netminder.
It is also unclear for Barzal whether KneeCap’s injuries could affect his skating, his biggest weapon in his game.
If the islanders can’t trust him to be the same, it adds yet another issue this offseason.
Where does Anthony Duclair think about it?
Put another way, would Anthony Duclair want to finish the last three years of his contract with the Islanders?
And do the islanders want Duclair to end the final three years of his contract with them?
Duclair spent the last eight games of the season in a personal absence after Roy questioned his efforts after being called his play “God Awful” and lost to Tampa on April 1.
It was Doclair’s miserable first year on Long Island. He suffered a gro caliber injury five games ago and rushed back before Christmas, never looking like himself.
Given the nature of his absence, it is unclear whether he is still on Long Island, so it is not clear that he will be speaking to reporters on his breakup day.
If so, he has a lot to answer.
Where is Noah Dobson?
This summer, it looks easy, but if there’s one negotiation you can go to Haywire, it’s Dobson.
The defensive man’s production fell 31 points between 2023-24 and 2024-25, but the salary cap means he can still seek $8 million north per year.
Dobson also changed its agent in February and will be subject to arbitration.
He is a restricted free agent, but as the cap rises this summer, the environment helps to provide the seats.
And while Lamoriello dismissed this when asked last summer, it’s interesting that the islanders didn’t push to complete the expansion before the season, compared to how they handled the long-term deal between Barzal and Ilya Sorokin.
Smart Money recognizes that everyone here is a defensive man of between $8.5 million, and he has been subject to a medium to long term extension, with no drama.
But that’s not a stone-like guarantee.
Will Pierre Enval or Scott Mayfield be a victim of the offseason?
The NHL’s buyout window hasn’t been open for several more months, so it may be technically wrong to have this as a farewell day question.
Still, after Lamoriello promises to change this summer at its post-trade deadline press conference, the potential acquisitions of Engvall and Mayfield will help determine the scope of that change.
Engvall finished the year strongly, but was unable to drive the team out of training camp, spending most of the season in Roy’s kennel, swinging between healthy scratch and bottom six.
Mayfield was frequently healthy scars after returning from his injury in late February, with Tony Dengero playing his everyday role.
Both remained in five years of trading, with Mayfield having a hit of $3.5 million per year and Engvall at $3 million.
If acquired, these cap hits will shrink to $1.66 million at Mayfield and $1 million at Engvall until 2035.
The cap is set to rise on a massive scale over the next three seasons, which suddenly looks feasible for the islanders.
