Islanders Anthony Beauvillier finds his role at the NHL level

If there’s one thing we’ve known about Anthony Beauvillier it’s his lack of consistency. The New York Islanders late first-round pick from 2015 had a rough start to his NHL career.

Making his NHL debut the next season after being drafted, Beauvillier put up 24 points in 66 games under Jack Capuano/Doug Weight. Talk about a tough go for a first-year player as he tries to learn his place in the NHL.

After that first year, Beau struggled to find his form and role at the NHL level. He was sent down to the AHL for a brief moment in his second NHL season as struggles plagued him through the first half of that year.

New York Islanders Anthony Beauvillier finds his role

The one thing that stuck out about Beauvillier’s play over his first three years in the NHL was “consistently inconsistent”. It’s why he was offered a two-year $4.2 million bridge deal after his ELC expired. The Islanders had no idea what he was.

Was Beauvillier a 60 point top-six player at the NHL level? Or was he something less? No one had any idea what he was because of that inconsistent play.

That play has stabilized over the past two years with a 0.57 points-per-game two seasons ago and 0.60 points-per-game last season. That’s a 0.58 Pts/G over the last two years. It’s not quite a 60 point pace but closer to 50 points a year. Which is something of a middle-six winger.

I’m sure under the right circumstances, Beau could push that to 60 points (maybe more?). But what he is is now clear. Beauvillier has stabilized into a middle-six 40-50 point player in the NHL. And a beast in the playoffs.

Beauvillier is as productive over the last two years as guys like Pavel Zacha, Alex Iafallo, and Kevin Hayes. Iafallo just signed a four years $16 million deal with the Kings this past April. That seems to be the deal Beauvillier is destined to receive from the Islanders now that his bridge deal has expired.

(Zacha is on the last year of his bridge deal while Hayes is a center and is quite overpaid for what he delivers. So there’s no sense comparing those players to Beau.)

Almost double what he was receiving last year. And a worthy raise for a player who’s finally found some consistency to his game.