Islanders: 5 Christmas gifts for players on the 2021 roster

It’s the season of giving so here are five gifts for five different New York Islanders players.

Christmas will be here in three days. To get uncharacteristically in the spirit of giving*, I’ve decided to give five gifts to five different players on the New York Islanders roster.

(*I’m not the biggest fan of Christmas.)

For those of you that aren’t patrons, this is a sneak behind the curtain to what you missed this offseason. On December 10, Matt and I recorded a podcast where we gave five different gifts to five different Islanders players in preparation for the x-mas period.

Here’s what I gifted to five players and why (as well as an honorable mention).

Anders Lee: A rifle sight for his stick

Look, I know this isn’t a practical gift in the literal sense. Putting a sight on Anders Lee‘s stick is certainly illegal and won’t actually help, because as we know, players don’t stare down the shaft of their stick before they shoot the puck.

But the sentiment is clear; I want Anders Lee to be able to convert shots to goals more frequently. Specifically on the power play where the former 40 goal scorer had an abysmal 7.14 shooting percentage.

Nick Leddy: Camo cover for his beard

Nick Leddy draws all of his power from his beard. In the bubble, Leddy was in inspired form for the Islanders. This year, with Devon Toews gone, Leddy will step back into the Isles top four. They need him to be like he was in the playoffs.

But as we know, Lou doesn’t allow facial hair in the regular season. So to trick the GM, I’m giving Leddy a face covering that looks like he’s clean-shaven.

Casey Cizikas: Force field

If I could contract Elon Musk to do something for me it would be to develop a force field for me to give to Casey Cizikas this Christmas.

Cizikas plays a hard style that typically results in him missing a few games. With Cizikas gone for a portion of the year in 2019-20, Barry Trotz changed the way the Isles played and it worked terribly.

The New York Islanders need Casey Cizikas to stay fit and healthy for the entire season. This force field should ensure that happens. Now to create a force field.

Noah Dobson: Stick that never breaks

In 2019, playing for Team Canada, Noah Dobson had his stick snap in half as he attempted to fire a wrist shot into a wide-open Finnish net for the OT winner in the quarter-finals. Finland recovered the puck and immediately went up the ice and scored, eliminating Canada.

To prevent that from ever happening again, I’m giving Dobson a stick that will never break. How it stays intact forever is for the engineers to figure out.

Anthony Beauvillier: A puppy

Anthony Beauvillier likes to have fun, right? What’s more fun than a puppy? I had one (he’s ten now) and I can confirm that he was and still is an incredible amount of fun.

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Honorable mention: Oliver Wahlstrom gets a fair shot

When I mean a fair shot I don’t just mean anywhere on the roster, I want Wahlstrom to get a shot in the top six in a primarily offensive role. He’s probably not ever going to be great defensively, and that’s fine. His offensive abilities should make up for that.

Hopefully, Barry Trotz and to an extent Lou Lamoriello see to it that Wahlstrom gets a chance to do what he does best; put up goals.