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Every article, I try to include a poll question for readers to vote on, then review the results from the week’s polls every weekend. Here are this week’s poll results and my thoughts on how they turned out.



QUESTION: Of these three prospects, who do you think is most likely to join the Islanders next season?

(Votes: 264)

Bellows: 75%
None of them: 11%
Aho: 11%
Koivula: 4%

This is where I stand too. Bellows looked pretty good in his limited stint in the NHL and with a spot on the wing (or even two) clearly open on the third-line, Bellows could be a great fit. He was putting up great numbers with Bridgeport to end the year and could really help to add some secondary scoring for the Islanders. I don’t think it’s that unlikely that we’ll see Aho start the year as a spare in the NHL but Bellows certainly remains the most likely to join the roster.



QUESTION: What would you prefer the Islanders do to create cap space?

(Votes: 271)

Trade Leddy and get back only draft picks and/or prospects: 58%
Give up assets to get Boychuk’s contract off the books: 42%

I’m not saying these are the only ways for the Islanders to clear cap space but they certainly are two of the more realistic ones. As mentioned in the comments, Josh Bailey is another option, as an aging player with a $5M AAV. That said, even if Bailey lacks consistency, the Islanders can’t lose a top-six forward, as they already have enough trouble generating offense and obviously won’t have the cap space to replace him. Giving up Leddy is a possibility, even if it means losing some of the offense that comes with him, as Boychuk’s contract would likely need to be packaged with significant assets.



QUESTION: Were you happy about the Islanders selecting Samuel Bolduc with their second-round pick last year?

(Votes: 95)

Yes: 96%
No: 4%

There’s not much to talk about on this one. A 91-4 vote speaks for itself and Bolduc is a promising young prospect. He’s got the size and can also play on the power play, so hopefully he has a smooth transition to professional hockey next year.

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