New York Islanders Mid-Season Player Grades

The Fourth Line & One More

There was an extra skater for the Islanders that played over my 100 minutes of ice-time cut off. So there are four players on this fourth line.

Andrew Ladd obviously makes this line, but he actually comes out at the absolute worst. Remember, this was based on production and not simply my opinion. I hope the next half of the season is better for him. Becuase for the contract the Isles gave Ladd, they desperately need him to produce.

Ryan Strome might be a little relieved to see Capuano go. These numbers aren’t what was expected of his. Nor what we even saw from Strome in his first year. Maybe Weight tweeks what Strome will be asked to do on the ice. Maybe this is what Strome needed to get to where he was just two years ago.

Shane Prince has the lowest Corsi-differential on the team. Being in the fifth percentile, 95% of the league has a better Corsi-differential. Combine that with average production and Prince lands in the bottom tier of this ranking. Which is about right. Prince is a fine player, but let’s not make illusions that Prince is very much a role player.

Alan Quine is a good penalty killer, a great “I’ll-do-anything-for-you” player. But he’s not exactly adept at putting the puck in the net. He’s come up big for the Islanders in the past. Scoring timely goals in clutch situations. Over the course of a season Quine will give the team everything he has, it just won’t push the needle in the production department.

Was there any doubt that Andrew Ladd would rank at the bottom of this ranking? The bust of the 2016 free agent class has been lights out terrible for the Islanders. He has no production to speak off. He takes undisciplined penalties. And is a net-negative in terms of possession for the Islanders. With the contract the Islanders gave him with seven years at $5.5 million per year and with a straight no-move clause, the Isles need him to right the ship.