Kyle Palmieri had an unexpected career season in 2023-24

The NY Islanders had mixed results from players who returned from the 2022-23 season. Mathew Barzal bounced back tremendously thanks to having Bo Horvat by his side. Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov each broke out in their age 23 seasons. On the other hand, Ilya Sorokin had the worst statistical season of his career. Pierre Engvall and Scott Mayfield also provided little optimism their 7-year contracts were warranted. Suffice it to say, that when half the roster flourishes and the other half struggles, the result is a .500 hockey team.

2023-24 NY Islanders Player Report Card: Kyle Palmieri

*Read our previously Published player report cards: Sebastian Aho | Mat Barzal | Samuel Bolduc | Casey Cizikas | Cal Clutterbuck | Noah Dobson | Pierre Engvall | Hudson Fasching | Simon Holmstrom | Bo Horvat | Anders Lee | Kyle MacLean | Matt Martin | Scott Mayfield | Brock Nelson | JG Pageau

Out of all the returning players, the one who improved the most from last season to the current is right-winger Kyle Palmieri. Last season, Palmieri was limited after missing time in December of 2022 due to an upper-body injury. In 55 games, he scored 16 goals with 17 assists splitting time between the Isles' second and third lines.

The most integral reason the Isles comeback was the performance of Kyle Palmieri

Coming into training camp, there was no real expectation for Palmieri to bounce back. At 32 years old, evaluators expected more of a decline due to the injuries Palmieri has suffered each of the last two seasons. As a streaky player who scores his goals in bunches, the expectation was 15-to-20 goals from Palmieri in 2023-24. Lane Lambert also had to decide whether the right-winger was best-suited playing with Brock Nelson or J.G. Pageau, each of whom he's had prior success with.

In his 14th career season, Palmieri could not have proven evaluators more wrong. In 82 games played, the 32-year-old tied for a career-high of 30 goals with 24 assists. Palmieri's 54 points recorded was second to only his 2015-16 total of 57 points. Furthermore, Palmieri was much more aggressive on defense after Patrick Roy took over. He blocked 42 shots with 89 hits, the most since Palmieri played for the New Jersey Devils.

The reason Palmieri's season was so tremendous is not just the stat line; he played his best brand of hockey when the Islanders needed it most. In the middle of March, the Isles were 7 points out of a playoff spot. They trailed all of the Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings, and Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference standings.

The most integral reason the Isles made a comeback was thanks to the performance of Palmieri heading into April. In the final 7 games of the season, Palmieri scored 6 goals with 4 assists. His game-winners against the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens were the most memorable. Oh, and let's not forget his hat trick on March 2nd against the Boston Bruins.

Palmieri did not only elevate his own game but improved the performances of those around him as well. Nelson finally found a stable linemate with Palmieri, with each of them combining for 64 goals. The Isles' second line was also the most consistent even though they never had a true top-six left-winger. Given his expectations and clutch performances down the stretch, Palmieri deserves all the accolades for helping the Islanders clinch their fifth postseason berth in six seasons.

Final Grade: A