New York Islanders: 3 Bold Predictions For 2022-23 Season

The New York Islanders had one of the more bizarre offseasons as the team was linked to a number of free agents and nothing materialized. General manager Lou Lamoriello stood his ground and in the end was left empty handed from the free-agent market. Expect to see some in-season adjustments from the hockey club, let's jump into three bold predictions on Long Island:

Goaltender Semyon Varlamov Gets Moved

Not the boldest of takes, as Semyon Varlamov is a pending free agent who has been linked to trade rumors for almost two seasons. Varlamov carries a $5 million cap hit and heads into the 2022-23 season coming off a fine season where he posted a .911 save percentage and 2.91 goals against average in 31 games. Ilya Sorokin is the goalie of the future on Long Island, look for general manager Lou Lamoriello to turn his rental into some assets.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau Traded Early on This Season

With training camps getting started in a few weeks, one player to watch as a trade candidate is Jean-Gabriel Pageau.

The Islanders are paying him $5 million against the cap and this is the first season of his contract with the Isles where he can be traded without his approval. His full no-trade clause has now turned into a 16-team no trade list so the potential just went way up. Pageau scored 18 goals in 77 games last season. Certainly someone to watch as Lamoriello is expected to tinker in season.

Islanders Miss Playoffs in 2022-23

After missing out on the last wildcard spot in 2021-22 by 16 points, it's going to be the same story this season for the Islanders. They didn't improve their hockey club at all over the offseason and missed out on a couple big-name additions. New coach, no matter, the Islanders will find themselves back in the draft lottery next summer.

Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports