In my latest for NHL.com, I shared how I believe the New York Islanders lineup when the puck drops on Oct. 10 against the Utah Hockey Club to kick off their 2024-25 season.
It's the end of July. Nothing is etched in stone, and in two months, when training camp is underway, things could look a lot different.
However, I did want to explain my decision to put Hudson Fasching in the lineup over Simon Holmstrom because that seemed to be the biggest gripe with the lineup.
Both Holmstrom and Fasching found themselves out of the lineup under head coach Patrick Roy, fighting with one another for playing time.
For Fasching, inconsistency in his decision-making at times left him on the outside looking in. For Holmstrom, it was his battle mentality that was lacking.
Related: Islanders Simon Holmstrom & Battle Mentality: A Needed Improvement Heading Into 2024-25
A full training camp under the Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender will be beneficial for both players, who have a lot to prove this season.
What it came down to for the lineup predictions was how I believe the new-look fourth line will play.
Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck are still unrestricted free agents, and the Islanders have $50,000 in available cap space. If you include Oliver Wahlstrom on the roster, the Islanders are over the cap by $950,000.
Kyle MacLean and Casey Cizikas provide speed and energy and will likely be tasked with getting in on the forecheck and battle along the boards, nothing new for an Islanders' fourth line.
Although Fasching may not have the foot speed to keep up with MacLean and Cizikas, his battle mentality and grittiness certainly help the other two.
Holmstrom may have the better foot speed and a long reach, given his stick length; we just haven't seen enough yet from him to fit that fourth-line mold.
If the Islanders hadn't signed European top free agent Maxim Tsyplakov, Holmstrom would likely have been in my lineup as the third-line right winger. Pierre Engvall would have gone back to the second-line left-wing spot in hopes that he could rekindle his chemistry with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri.
But the Islanders did sign Tsyplakov, which moves players down in the lineup into better spots.
Related: Where Could Maxim Tsyplakov Fit In Islanders Lineup?
What's in the Islanders' best interest is seeing Holmstrom, their 23rd overall pick in 2019, who just inked a one-year deal (RFA), beat Fasching out for the final forward spot.
Holmstrom has showcased his defensive capabilities but lacks the offensive consistencies that would land him a top-six NHL spot and, like we mentioned, a lack of grittiness that bottom-six players in the NHL need.
Fasching, albeit a tremendous story in 2022-23, followed by a down-year with a few injuries in 2023-24, wasn't a top prospect for the Islanders, serving more as a depth signing for Bridgeport.
Related: Islanders Fasching Inspired By Siblings: 'Every Day Is A Privilege'
It's been too long since the Islanders' prospect pool developed a first-round pick into an everyday player.
Listen, playing on the fourth line could force Holmstrom into situations where he HAS to raise his battle mentality, which could bode exceptionally well for the 23-year-old.
He played on the Islanders' penalty kill—the worst in the NHL at 71.5 percent—and scored the second-most shorthanded goals in the league with five, but they all came in the first half of the season.
If you asked me today who the better option on the Islanders' fourth line was, given their skill sets, it would be Fasching.
The Islanders did sign a few depth pieces, one of which is Liam Foudy, who, given his foot speed, could certainly win a job.
Although we don't have the official start dates for the Islanders' training camp, it's expected to start in mid-September, with prospects coming to Long Island a week prior.
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