This piece will be another in my series of player profiles, where I’ll give some thoughts on the performance of a member of the New York Islanders this season. This article will focus on Mathew Barzal.

Barzal proved once again this year that he’s far and away New York’s best player. He’s the best skater on the team (and one of the best in the league), his puck control is excellent and he’s still the go-to guy when it comes to carrying the puck through the neutral zone and making zone entries. He had 17 multi-point games this year and drives the majority of New York’s offense when he’s on the ice. I’d say the one thing he needs to do is shoot more. He’s got an accurate shot that can beat goalies from mid-range and he needs to trust it.

As for the numbers, last year, Barzal saw a drop in production, dropping from an incredible 85-point rookie season down to a still very solid 62 points. This season, he was on pace to basically split the difference and score 72 points. I’d say the 70-point range is a good expectation for Barzal going forward. Maybe that increases if the Islanders are able to swing a deal and get him a legitimate top-line winger. But for now, I think that’s about where we should expect his point totals to land from year to year.

Overall, it was another great year for Barzal and really, you can’t expect much more from him, especially this early on in his career with no other legitimate stars up front to play with. Having said that, however, with Nelson’s breakout season, the two made for a nice one-two punch down the middle and now with Pageau in the mix as well, the Islanders should be set for centers for many years. With this having been a contract year for Barzal, it’ll be interesting to see the dollar value that’s attached to him next season. There’s no doubt though that after cementing himself as the Islanders’ star player in just his first three seasons, he’s in for a big pay-day.


Check in tomorrow for a player profile on Anthony Beauvillier.


For more, follow @BenShelley_20 on Twitter.


OTHER ISLANDERS ARTICLES FROM MARCH

Reviewing the season (so far): Josh Bailey

The good and the bad of the Islanders’ season (so far)

Islanders need answers

Islanders have a favourable schedule to end the regular season

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