Islanders need more from these four

It’s been three days since the free agency window has opened and the New York Islanders stand as the line team to not have made a transaction. Isles GM Lou Lamoriello swung and missed on Johnny Gaudreau, this summer's prized free agent, and missed out on plenty of fallback options the longer Gaudreau took to make his decision. If the 2022-23 season started tomorrow and no further transactions come to fruition, the Islanders could be considered a bubble playoff team. However, if they want to really prove that the 2021-22 season was an anomaly, these four forwards need to take a step forward in the 2022-23 season. 

Anthony Beauvillier

Anthony Beauvillier was arguably the Islanders' most disappointing Islander forward in the 2021-22 season. In 75 games, Beauvillier scored 12 goals and 22 assists. The French-Canadian forward has been the topic of conversation to have a breakout season year after year but hasn’t quite delivered. He even went as far as to say that he knows he has to be better:

"I feel like I kind of let my teammates down a little bit. I’m capable of doing much better things on the ice. I know that and everyone knows that."

- Anthony Beauvillier

Beauvillier has stayed relatively consistent in terms of points year after year averaging 31.5 points over six seasons. But the problem the 25-year-old forward faces is staying consistent in a single season, often scoring in bunches and then going missing for weeks on end. The former first-round draft pick in 2015 is capable of being a consistent 20-25 goal scorer collecting at least 50 points. By no means is that first-line material, but Beauvillier possesses the skill enough to keep pace with first-line talent so long as he figures out how to stay consistent game in and game out. 

A more consistent Beauvillier will surely put the trade speculation to rest, solidifying himself as part of the Islanders' core while also helping the Isles forward group improve.