2 Islanders players no longer worth defending

The Islanders need to turn a new page. Please, for the sake of the fanbase, Mr. Lou Lamoriello, stop trying to salvage the situation. Stop, hold up, wait a minute….he’s gone? He’s actually gone? Oh, okay, well that changes things. Anyway, let’s get on with the article. 

This team wasn’t short in experience, with an average age of 29.7, but they looked every bit as dysfunctional as some of the worst in the NHL. So why keep doing this only to end up as a fringe contender at best year after year?

No, Mr. New General Manager, the best thing you can do right now is to start moving ineffective and older players, so you can make room for younger talent. That needs to augment itself this offseason, starting with the two players mentioned below. One of them looked like a free agent bust and most fans will say he deserves to continue his career elsewhere. 

The other had played on Long Island for a few years, but his production started to backslide this season. Plus, he’s heading near career twilight mode and he carried a rather large contract. So, it shouldn’t take too much thought to cut ties with him, too. Who are these two players and why are they no longer worth any Islanders fan going to bat for them?

Anthony Duclair

Man, I wish this one would’ve worked out. Anthony Duclair looked primed for a bounce-back season when he came to Long Island following some stellar showings in Tampa. And before that, he made the most out of an awful situation in San Jose. 

While injuries didn’t help Duclair in New York, he looked ineffective when he suited up to play, logging a meager seven goals and 11 points in 44 games. Even worse, he finished the season with a minus-15 rating and never looked comfortable at any point. 

Strange, since Duclair is one of the NHL’s ultimate journeymen these days and seemingly fits into any lineup. But, there’s always an outlier, and that was the case on Long Island. It won’t surprise me when Duclair’s playing in another uniform next season. 

Kyle Palmieri

While Kyle Palmieri finished third on the team with 48 points and has been an absolute ironman, he’s heading into his age-34 season next year and his productivity dropped with increased ice time. Not a good combination and it foreshadows a continued drop in production as the Islanders should look to get younger. 

Palmieri also finished with a team-worst minus-17, and he wasn’t anywhere near as physical this time around as he was in 2023-24. At this stage in his career, Palmieri would be a great fit for a contending team if he could sidle in as a depth scorer, but it would be pointless to keep him on anyone’s top six. 

He’s too old to be a long-term solution, and smaller, less lucrative contracts should be in his future. Palmieri was also in the final season of his contract, which should make Lou Lamoriello’s successor’s job regarding his future rather straightforward.