Islanders preview: Mathew Barzal takes the Tavares torch

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The Islanders are going to do what they can to forget about John Tavares, but the gaping hole left by the departed captain is too big to ignore.

After a long, drawn-out and mismanaged process, Tavares left the Isles to sign a free-agent deal with his hometown Maple Leafs this summer. It was part of a massive personnel turnover that included the firing of longtime general manager Garth Snow and neophyte head coach Doug Weight. Co-owners Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky brought in the legendary Lou Lamoriello to run all hockey operations, and Lamoriello hired Barry Trotz to be the head coach coming off his Stanley Cup win with the Capitals.

But Lamoriello and Trotz couldn’t keep Tavares, even with the new arena at Belmont Park on track to open for the 2021-22 season. The team will split its home games this season between the “renovated” Nassau Coliseum and Barclays Center, and they’ll do what they can to forget that their best player left them high and dry.

Offense

The on-ice product now revolves around the reigning Calder Trophy winner, 21-year-old Mathew Barzal. The supremely talented center will be getting tougher matchups this year and is going to need the help of his presumptive linemates, Anthony Beauvillier and Josh Bailey. Brock Nelson, 26, is on a one-year deal and looking for a big payday, as are wingers Jordan Eberle and Anders Lee. As far as net-front players, especially on the power play, Lee is about as good as they come. With the way Andrew Ladd has played since signing his huge contact two seasons ago, the fact he’s starting the season on injured reserve might not be the worst thing.

More offense is going to be expected from the reunited line of Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck, trying to be more of a third line rather than “the best fourth line in hockey.” If any significant offense could be squeezed out of veterans Leo Komarov or Valtteri Filppula, it would be a boost.

Defense

The Islanders are coming off one of the worst defensive seasons in their history, having given up the most goals in the league last season. They did hardly anything to change the personnel on the back end, and hoping that 34-year-old Johnny Boychuk could save them by returning from offseason knee surgery is a pipe dream.

The team desperately needs Nick Leddy to be the version of himself he was two years ago and not the one who posted a historically bad minus-42 rating last season. Thomas Hickey is steady if unspectacular, while tryout Luca Sbisa earned himself a contract with a good training camp. Youngsters Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock both need to take the next step in being full-time NHL players, while it seems inevitable Devon Toews is going to be playing an important role with the big club soon enough.

Goaltending

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Much like the defense, there were big questions about the Islanders goaltending situation last season that didn’t really get addressed.

Thomas Greiss had a very difficult first season after signing his three-year, $10 million deal. His 3.82 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage were worst and third-worst in the league, respectively, among goalies who played 20 or more games.

The team did take a low-risk shot on Robin Lehner, the veteran who has shown glimpses of talent in the past but has struggled recently both on the ice and off with what he described as mental-health issues that led to substance abuse. If either player can establish himself as a No. 1, it would be a surprise, but one the Islanders need badly.

Coaching

One thing Trotz has made clear since taking over behind the bench is that the Islanders are going to be far more organized, especially in their own end. Where Weight wanted his team to be offensively creative and to play fast, Trotz is going to be more conservative. That’s the way he ran things during his 15 years in Nashville, along with his four years in Washington.

He also commands immediate respect in the locker room, with a career of success that finally culminated in the Capitals’ victory in June. That makes it quite a bit easier for the players to immediately buy in to whatever he is saying, which should accelerate the transition to new systems and style.

Most important offensive player

Barzal. It’s going to be all eyes on Barzal every night, and he is going to have to learn how to play against the toughest matchups and use his linemates more rather than trying to do everything himself.

Most important defensive player

Leddy. If Leddy can bounce back from his catastrophic 2017-18 campaign, he can settle things down on a back end that is a big question mark.

Most important rookie

Toews. The 24-year-old defenseman is coming off serious shoulder surgery, but his preseason showed he is ready for the NHL spotlight.

Key coaching decision

Getting the most out of Barzal. If it takes juggling linemates or occasionally double-shifting him to get a preferable matchup, or limiting his ice time so as not to run him into the ground, Trotz is going to have to figure out how to maximize his best player.

Prediction

Unless Lehner or Greiss turns into an All-Star, and unless Lamoriello is able to swing a trade for a top-pair defenseman — both cases being extremely unlikely — the Islanders are going to struggle to keep pace in a cutthroat Metropolitan Division. More likely is that Lamoriello trades a couple of assets at the deadline for picks and prospects and the Islanders miss the playoffs for the third straight year.