Even with all those question marks on the roster at the end of last season’s surprising run to the second round of the playoffs, the Islanders managed to remain almost an identical team.
The club was able to re-sign three of their four big pending free agents, locking up captain Anders Lee, along with forwards Jordan Eberle and Brock Nelson. The one who got away was goalie Robin Lehner, a Vezina Trophy finalist who turned his personal and professional life around and then was oddly pushed out the door with an ultimatum laid out by team president Lou Lamoriello.