Notebook: Clean Out Day

As the New York Islanders cleaned out their lockers on Sunday and Monday after missing the playoffs for a second straight year, there was a consistent message as each addressed the media.
"We have a good team and not to be in the playoffs is disappointing," Johnny Boychuk said. "We are a good team and we just let up too many goals. We scored enough, but there just wasn't any defense."
The Islanders led the league in goals against per game (3.57), which offset a potent offense that averaged the seventh-most goals per game (3.18).

"Offensively our team had a wonderful season and we just weren't that complete group that we needed to be and that we knew we had, but just didn't put together," Anders Lee said. "There's a bit of hollowness in that for sure. We didn't expect to have this kind of ending when we set out at the beginning of the year. As we went throughout the season there was a long time where this didn't seem like a possibility. It fell away a little bit and we weren't able to get back on track."

The Islanders had a 40-goal scorer in Lee, two 80-point players in Mathew Barzal (85 points) and John Tavares (84), a 70-point season from Josh Bailey and a 25-goal, 59-point campaign from Jordan Eberle. Having those offensive pieces made the premature end to the season sting.
"If we gave up one, we gave up three in a short period of time," Thomas Hickey said. "I think that's going to come as the team matures. We talked about in our meeting the amount of odd man rushes we gave up; you're not going to win like that and it's not fair to your goaltenders. It's a five-man thing, backing each other up all over the ice and being smarter at important times."
Each player took responsibility for the result at the end of the season and the main takeaway was to look inward, work on the details in their defensive game and use the hollow feeling at clean out day as motivation over a long summer.
"I think sometimes when you have a disappointing season like this everyone wants to blow it up and start over fresh," said Andrew Ladd, who said he expected more of himself after a 29-point season. "But we have some exceptional pieces in that room and some exceptional character that I believe can become a contending team."

INJURY UPDATES:

Calvin de Haan:
The Islanders were dealt a big blow to their back end in December, when defenseman Calvin de Haan dislocated his shoulder against the LA Kings.
The injury sidelined de Haan, a reliable shot blocker and defensive defenseman, for the rest of the season. De Haan underwent surgery in January, which included a bone donor for pieces of new bone in his shoulder.
De Haan described the recovery as long and harrowing, saying he was grateful when he was able to use his arm normally again to do basic tasks like opening doors or driving. The 26-year-old pending free agent said he's able to pass and shoot again, so his offseason training won't be hampered by the injury. He'll be ready to go for the start of the 2018-19 season.
Nikolay Kulemin:
Nikolay Kulemin, who had been sidelined since mid-November, was close to returning as the Islanders wrapped up their season.
The Russian forward was ahead of schedule in his recovery from an upper-body injury, which was originally estimated to keep him out for six months. Kulemin was a full participant in practices during the last week of the season and figured he could have played had the Islanders made the postseason - five months after his surgery.

Johnny Boychuk:
Johnny Boychuk had dealt with a nagging injury since the start of the 2017-18 season and now that the New York Islanders season is over, the defenseman will undergo a procedure.
Boychuk didn't reveal what his injury was, but said that surgery was scheduled for Monday and that he expects to be 100% in June. The 34-year-old said he had played through the ailment during the season and would have continued to do so had the Isles made the playoffs.
"Since the beginning of the year it's been around and I'm happy that I'm going to get it fixed and get back to normal," Boychuk said during his clean out day interview. "I wanted to try to play until I needed to get it done and tomorrow is the day to do it."
Boychuk finished the season with 18 points (6G, 12A) in 58 games.
Casey Cizikas:
Casey Cizikas missed the final seven games of the Islanders season, dealing with upper-body soreness and stiffness, but said he's feeling good as he heads into the offseason.
Cizikas felt the lingering effects of a high hit from Tom Wilson in the Isles home-and-home series with the Washington Capitals and was held out to heal up in the final two weeks of the season.

ISLES WANT TAVARES TO STAY:

John Tavares' future was a popular topic among the media scrums over the past two days. Tavares addressed it with the media and said his desire was to stay, but he wanted - and earned - some time to think about his decision.
The Islanders players said they would give the captain his time and space to make that decision, but made their preference known that they'd like the five-time all-star to be back in blue and orange.
Alternate Captain Andrew Ladd:
"I think he knows how guys feel about him and that they want him to be a part of this moving forward. He's got to do what's best for him and his family and his future. He's a pretty calculated guy, he'll address everything that needs to be addressed and make that decision."

Defenseman Johnny Boychuk:
"I've been wearing his JT shirts around the locker room, so hopefully doing my part. I just tell him what I feel. You're teammates and friends and he's a big part of our team, but you have to let him know you want him to stay and we do. He's our leader and you just let him go about the way that he wants to do it."
Defenseman Thomas Hickey on whether or not Tavares' contract status weighed this season:
"Not one bit. Not on me. I don't think it weighed on John either… It's as much of a distraction as you let it be. It didn't bother me, didn't effect me at all and clearly didn't effect John the way he played. I think if you're a guy that's going to let that situation bother you then you don't have the mental wherewithal to play in the NHL if someone else's situation is going to bother you. It wasn't an issue."
General Manager Garth Snow:
"We want him to retire as an Islander. Our goal is to have John Tavares hoist the Stanley Cup in an Islanders jersey and retire an Islander."

BARZAL ON CALDER RACE:

With 85 points (22G, 63A), Mathew Barzal had a remarkable year. The 20-year-old led the Islanders in points and tied Bryan Trottier's record for most rookie assists in a season (63). Barzal had three five-point games in his first year and has a good chance at being named the NHL's rookie of the year in June.
Barzal said it was impossible not to think about the race for the Calder Trophy in the second half of the year, given how much he was asked about it, but said it would mean a lot to win the award.
"It would be special to win it," Barzal said. "A pretty cool group of guys have won that, some Hall of Famers. If I could be even in that conversation right now, that's pretty special."
Denis Potvin (1974), Bryan Trottier (1976), Mike Bossy (1978) and Bryan Berard (1997) are the Islanders who have won the Calder.