Following a big win over the Washington Capitals and with the decade coming to a close, I thought it could be fun to take a look at the top New York Islanders players of the decade. Here are my top-10 Islanders of the 2010s (and let me know where I went wrong in the comments).
Honourable mentions: Travis Hamonic, Frans Nielsen, PA Parenteau, Ryan Pulock
MATHEW BARZAL Kicking things off is the face of the franchise. The 2018 Calder Trophy winner is already far and away New York’s best forward in just his third NHL season. He’ll help to usher in a new era of talent over the next few seasons and will be the Islanders’ poster boy for a long, long time.
THOMAS GREISS This may be an odd addition for some but Thomas Greiss has been in the crease for almost exactly half of New York’s games throughout the last five seasons. In that time, he holds a very solid .916 save percentage and he’s on pace to complete another good season again this year.
ANDERS LEE The Captain. He started his NHL career on Long Island and that’s likely where he’ll finish it, based on the length of his contract. He was a top-15 player in goals over the last three seasons and rarely misses a game.
BROCK NELSON The exciting part about Nelson is that it seems like he’s only now realizing his potential, even though he’s in his eighth year with the Islanders. Nelson’s game improved dramatically last season and he’s continued the trend this year as well.
KYLE OKPOSO Despite his time with the Buffalo Sabres not going according to plan, for many years, Kyle Okposo was a key piece for the Islanders. In his final three seasons in New York, Okposo produced at a pace of at least 65 points per 82.
MARK STREIT Mark Streit was quietly one of the most offensively productive defensemen at the start of the 2010s. Despite only playing with the Islanders for two seasons this decade, he outscored most forwards on the team in both years.
JOHN TAVARES After kicking things off with the current face of the franchise, it’s fitting to wrap up this article with the former face of the franchise. From the time he was drafted first overall by the Islanders, John Tavares was New York’s star player for nearly a decade. While many will still harbour bad feelings towards the former captain after his departure, Tavares’ 621 points with the Islanders made him one of the franchise’s best players in recent memory.
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OTHER ISLANDERS ARTICLES FROM DECEMBER Brock Nelson has been the Islanders' biggest surprise Ilya Sorokin: What we know Islanders should steer clear of deadline rentals Beauvillier's development is key for Islanders Piero Greco deserves credit for New York's success in net Game Recap (Game 24): NYI vs CBJ