In my last article for NHL.com, I shared how I believe the New York Islanders lineup when the puck drops Oct. 10 against the Utah Hockey Club to start the 2024-25 season.
It’s the end of July. Nothing is set in stone and in two months, when training camp begins, things could look very different.
However, I wanted to explain my decision to put Hudson Fasching in the lineup instead of Simon Holmstrom because that seemed to be the biggest complaint with the lineup.
Both Holmstrom and Fasching were left out of the lineup under coach Patrick Roy, fighting each other for playing time.
For Fasching, the inconsistency in his decision-making sometimes left him on the outside looking in. For Holmstrom, it was his battle mentality that was missing.
A full training camp under the Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender will be beneficial for both players, who have a lot to prove this season.
What mattered for the lineup predictions was how I believed the new fourth line would play.
Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck are still unrestricted free agents, and the Islanders have $50,000 in cap space available. If you include Oliver Wahlstrom in the lineup, the Islanders will be over the cap by $950,000.
Kyle MacLean and Casey Cizikas provide speed and energy and will likely be tasked with getting up front and fighting along the boards, nothing new for the Islanders’ fourth line.
While Fasching may not have the speed to keep up with MacLean and Cizikas, his battle mentality and courage certainly help the other two.
Holmstrom may have the best foot speed and long reach given his bat length; we just haven’t seen enough of him yet to fit the fourth line mold.
If the Islanders hadn’t signed Europe’s top free agent, Maxim Tsyplakov, Holmstrom would probably be in my lineup as a third-line right winger. Pierre Engvall has reportedly moved back to the second line on the left in hopes of rekindling his chemistry with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri.
But the Islanders signed Tsyplakov, which moves players to better positions.
Related: Where Could Maxim Tsyplakov Fit in the Islanders’ Roster?
What’s in the Islanders’ best interest is to see Holmstrom, their 23rd overall pick in 2019 who just signed a one-year contract (RFA), beat out Fasching for the final power forward spot.
Holmstrom has shown his defensive capabilities, but lacks the offensive consistency that would propel him to a top-six spot in the NHL and, as we mentioned, the lack of grit that bottom-six NHLers need.
Fasching, while a tremendous story in 2022-23, followed by a down year with some injuries in 2023-24, was not a great prospect for the Islanders, serving more as a depth signing for Bridgeport.
Related: Brother-Inspired Fasching Islanders: ‘Every Day Is a Privilege’
It’s been a long time since the Islanders’ prospect group turned a first-round pick into an everyday player.
Listen, playing on the fourth line could force Holmstrom into situations where he HAS to increase his battle mentality, which could bode exceptionally well for the 23-year-old.
He played on the Islanders’ penalty kill — worst in the NHL at 71.5 percent — and scored the second-most shorthanded goals in the league with five, but all of them came in the first half of the season.
If you asked me today who the best option on the Islanders’ fourth line is, given his skill set, it would be Fasching.
The Islanders signed some depth pieces, one of which is Liam Foudy, who, given his foot speed, could certainly earn a job.
While we don’t have official start dates for Islanders training camp, it is expected to begin in mid-September with prospects arriving in Long Island a week early.
BEST STORIES
Related: Islanders MSG Broadcast and Media Team Earn New York Emmy Nominations
Related: Patrik Laine Outside Player Assistance Program, Inquiring About Pricing and Islanders
