4 Islanders players who shouldn’t return next season

Hudson Fasching was a serviceable stopgap on Long Island

Hudson Fasching is another forward on the lower lines who has been serviceable, but as with the other three players on the list, the time has come to find someone who boasts more scoring potential. In 40 games this season, Fasching four goals and 11 points, 26 blocks, 39 hits, and a solid 17 takeaways, showing us his defensive game remains his strength as far as basic stats go. 

But he provides no special teams value, and at 5-on-5, his numbers have tanked across the board. His Corsi For is down from 51.8 to 44.9; the Isles have a scoring percentage of just 7.2 when he’s on the ice - with just 13 goals compared to the 33 they had with him out there last season. 

Further, the Islanders have allowed 21 goals at 5-on-5 with Fasching, just one fewer than the 22 they allowed last season when the winger played in 49 contests. At even strength, those metrics haven’t looked any better, and they are even worse when you factor in just a 90.5 on-ice save percentage. 

Serviceable is the best way you can describe Fasching’s play, but it was by no means warranting a new contract. New York’s best bet is to find yet another lower liner more capable of adding some offense and playing more consistently defensively. Fasching will not be an unrestricted free agent like the others, so in this case, the Isles would need to trade him. 

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)