Five questions for the Islanders to answer in training camp

The Islanders enter the seventh season of president/general manager Lou Lamoriello’s regime and their first full one under coach Patrick Roy, having been eliminated in the first round of the postseason two straight times and having failed to win a playoff series since 2021.

Lamoriello, though, continues to trust his core players and did not make major changes in the offseason.

With training camp starting on Thursday, here are five pressing questions before the Islanders open their regular season against Utah at UBS Arena on Oct. 10:

1. When will Ilya Sorokin skate with the team?

It’s not as vital for the franchise goalie to be ready for the first day of training camp as it is for Sorokin to be available for Game 1. Roy reported on Monday that Sorokin underwent offseason back surgery. Lamoriello previously said it was an injury suffered during offseason training and that Sorokin might miss the start of camp, though he had no exact timetable. So much of the Islanders’ chances for success rest on Sorokin, 29, who is entering the first season of an eight-year, $66 million deal. He was the Vezina Trophy runner-up in 2023 but slumped to a 25-19-12 mark with a bloated 2.99 goals-against average and a subpar .909 save percentage last season. Roy started Semyon Varlamov in four of the five playoff games and pulled Sorokin from his Game 3 start.

2. Where do free-agent signings Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov fit?

The most likely scenario is the speedy Duclair, who signed a four-year, $14 million deal, complementing center Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal on the top line and contributing to the power play, and the big-bodied Tsyplakov, fourth in the KHL last season with 31 goals, solidifies a bottom-six role and potentially earning time on special teams. Tsyplakov could compete for a spot on second-line center Brock Nelson’s wing. How quickly he transitions to the smaller North American rink will determine that, but he showed good physicality during prospect camp and said he enjoys playing at the net. Duclair, joining his ninth team, has played up and down the lineup throughout his 10 seasons and has surpassed 23 goals only once.

3. What are the other positional battles?

With Robert Bortuzzo signing with Utah, the Islanders need a seventh defenseman. After playing 34 games last season, still-developing blueliner Samuel Bolduc must show growth to remain on the roster. Oliver Wahlstrom, the 11th overall pick in 2018, played only 32 games last season and must show he can be more than just a sharpshooter on the wing. Longtime fourth-line center Casey Cizikas finished last season as a top-line wing. Where does he fit with Kyle MacLean doing well in his old spot? Wings Hudson Fasching and Julien Gauthier are among those trying to earn consistent playing time. It’s likely that only one will earn a roster spot.

4. Can Matt Martin make the team?

The longtime fourth-liner did not receive a contract in the offseason as an unrestricted free agent and will attend camp on a professional tryout offer. He struggled through last season, his 12th with the Islanders and 14th overall, with four goals, four assists and 43 penalty minutes in 57 games. He dressed for only three of the five playoff games. Martin, 35, likely is not an every-game player anymore. The Islanders, however, don’t necessarily have anyone else on the roster so adept at sticking up for teammates or the daunting size Martin possesses that can temper opponents. The question: How much do the Islanders value that element?

5. Will the penalty kill improve?

In short, it had better. The Islanders finished last in the NHL on the penalty kill at 71.5% — the Hurricanes led the league at 86.4% — and, not surprisingly, assistant coach Doug Houda was not retained. Instead, former Devil Tommy Albelin was hired to run the unit. It probably will take fresh eyes to revitalize and restructure the unit, given that many of the penalty-killers will be the same. Cal Clutterbuck, who remains an unrestricted free agent and will not return, was one of the Islanders’ key penalty-killers, and his presence will be missed. But Tsyplakov has played in that role in the KHL, and a stronger season from Sorokin will go a long way, too.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.