Looking at New York Islanders plans to get younger this summer

The New York Islanders plan to get younger this summer. That’s the line GM Lou Lamoriello has towed since the trade deadline. It’s not a bad thought, but what Lamoriello hasn’t fully addressed is how he plans to make the Isles a younger team.

Lamoriello got the ball rolling by moving Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for 20-year-old Calum Ritchie. Ritchie’s a good player, there’s no question about that. But he’s not going to make a significant impact right away.

Lamoriello has also shot down rumors about a rebuild. He’s told the media that he’s not inclined to go through a 10-year process, tearing the roster down and starting over.

That’s something I feel most fans agree with. There are simply too many good players on this team to tear everything down. Players like Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal, Anthony Duclair, Noah Dobson, Ilya Sorokin, and Alexander Romanov could well make up the core of a revamped Islanders.

So, that situation means a retool. That retool would involve moving some players out, and bringing in younger players who could contribute right away, allowing the team to remain competitive for the foreseeable future.

The big question is: Who stays and who leaves?

Some names immediately pop up such as JG Pageau, Anders Lee, and Pierre Engvall. Engvall, while hardly old, hasn’t lived up to expectations. While he’s played well of late, the talk is the Isles will buy him out in the summer. We shall see.

As it stands, the Islanders could use another center, a top-four blueliner, and one or two middle-six wingers. If Lamoriello can address that during the offseason while getting younger, the Islander could look radically revamped next season.

The New York Islanders should target depth as part of their retool

Amid everything that has gone wrong this season, the biggest issue has been depth. The ridiculous rash of injuries that befell the club early in the season exposed the team’s lack of depth.

In particular, blue line depth is something the Islanders must look at heading into next season. Lamoriello deserves credit for successfully navigating the waiver wire. Adam Boqvist and Toney DeAngelo have been serviceable pickups. But the Isles can’t merely rely on players other teams don’t want.

Ultimately, a retool for the Islanders must target depth. The Isles need at least eight, solid NHL defensemen. Having players like DeAngelo and Boqvist as seventh and eighth defensemen is an upgrade over Grant Hutton and Dennis Cholowski this season.

Also, center depth is a must. The Isles would do well to target a second-line center in free agency if possible. Otherwise, targeting solid middle-six centers is something the Isles must do. Preferably, looking at centers who could move to the wing, if necessary, would be nice to have.

There’s no question that Lamoriello will have his work cut out this summer. He’ll surely be looking to make some waves at the NHL Draft in June. If the Islanders don’t make the playoffs, we could see Lamoriello be active even sooner.

But if the Isles do make the playoffs, offseason moves will likely be based on how well players perform in the postseason. Either way, this offseason looks to be one of the most entertaining in recent history.