New York Islanders Daily: Valtteri Filppula’s Surprise Start

New York Islanders center, Valtteri Filppula has gotten off to a hot start and his teammates compare him to a former Islander.

Through the first three games of the season, one of the biggest surprises for the New York Islanders has been Valtteri Filppula. He has three points (2 goals, 1 assist) in the team’s first action this week.

Many questioned this move when he was brought in because analytics Valtteri Filppula isn’t that great. He’s coming off a 33 point season with the Flyers so the thought that he would slot right in on the third line.

He’s essentially the fourth line center because the Martin – Cizikas – Clutterbuck line acts as the Islanders third line. Some of Filppula’s teammates paid him some compliments due to his fast start. Especially Matt Martin:

"“As a player, we all know he had his years in Detroit, and I don’t know if you remember Frans Nielsen around here, but we always used to joke that they were carbon copies of each other”"

I think the Frans comparison is a little bit of a stretch, but he’s essentially a poor man’s version of Nielsen. The Islanders really have missed him since he left for Detroit, and for right now at least Filppula is serving the role as the two-way center.

Regardless, Filppula’s start to the season is one of the biggest surprises this season has offered us after three games.

Isles Tweet of the Day

https://twitter.com/NYIslanders/status/1050156398682746886

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