New York Islanders fantasy projections for 2024-25
New York Islanders fantasy projections for 2024-25
Dobson among top 10 defenseman rankings; goalie tandem still one of League's best
© Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
As part of NHL.com’s 32 in 32 series, the fantasy hockey staff has ranked the top five players on the New York Islanders and identified other preseason draft targets with point and win projections for the 2024-25 season.
1. Noah Dobson, D
NHL.com point projection: 77
He had an NHL career-high 70 points (10 goals, 60 assists) last season and ranked among leaders at his position in points (seventh), assists (60; sixth) and power-play points (24; 10th). Dobson is among the top 10 defensemen in the NHL after the additions of fantasy sleeper forwards Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov to an offense that ranked 22nd in goals per game (2.99) last season.
NSH@NYI: Dobson nets his 10th goal of season
2. Mathew Barzal, F
NHL.com point projection: 84
He had his second 80-point season (23 goals, 57 assists) in the NHL and the highest average ice time of his career (20:08). Barzal set NHL career highs in goals and shots on goal (240), benefiting from a shift to wing and the in-season coaching change from Lane Lambert to Patrick Roy. He could challenge for 30 goals with Duclair potentially on his line with center Bo Horvat.
NYI@SJS: Barzal buries return pass for his 20th of the season
3. Ilya Sorokin, G
NHL.com win projection: 26
His totals in wins (25) and shutouts (two), and his save percentage (.909) and goals-against average (3.01), were the lowest of his three full NHL seasons. The Islanders had the worst penalty kill in the League (71.5 percent), but Sorokin was still tied for fifth in even-strength save percentage (.922; minimum 40 games). With Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov, who thrived down the stretch under Roy, his former coach with the Colorado Avalanche, the Islanders still have one of the best goalie tandems that ranked eighth in team save percentage (.904) last season.
Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin ranked as 5th best goalie
4. Bo Horvat, F
NHL.com point projection: 74
His 33 goals were second on the Islanders and it was his third straight 30-goal season. He set NHL career highs in assists (35) and shots on goal (248) skating mostly with Barzal and could take another step forward in a full season under Roy, making Horvat worth targeting among the top 75 overall players in fantasy redraft leagues.
NYI@CAR R1, Gm2: Horvat rips in a one-time shot from the high slot
5. Brock Nelson, F
NHL.com point projection: 71
He led the Islanders in goals (34) and shots on goal (250) last season and had NHL career highs in shots on goal and power-play points (19). Nelson has been the Islanders’ goal-scoring leader in each of the past five seasons and ranks 21st in the NHL in the category over the past three seasons (107). He’s usually available around the fantasy top 100 overall and could be a draft bargain again.
NYI@CAR R1, Gm5: Nelson goes five-hole to put the Islanders within 1
Other NYI players on preseason draft lists:
Sleeper candidate: Anthony Duclair, F (NHL.com point projection: 59)
Bounce-back candidates: Semyon Varlamov, G (NHL.com win projection: 18); Kyle Palmieri, F (NHL.com point projection: 51); Anders Lee, F (NHL.com point projection: 40)
Breakout candidate: Maxim Tsyplakov, F (NHL.com point projection: 48)
