Islanders lament they lost their identity in missing playoffs

Casey Cizikas of the Islanders controls the puck with =c42 defending him during an Islanders game against the Capitals on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Elmont. Credit: Dawn McCormick
Ouch. Sometimes the truth hurts.
Defenseman Scott Mayfield, who may or may not be a part of next season’s Islanders depending on whether he’s asked to waive his no-trade clause, was asked at Saturday’s breakup day what needs to change after the team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2022.
“We just need to find our identity again,” Mayfield said. “Find that path of what we are. We’re built a certain way to play a certain way, and I think we need to respect that.
“We’ve got to find that identity. Everyone’s got to look in the mirror.”
Bo Horvat and captain Anders Lee said the Islanders (35-35-12) needed to be more consistent in all facets. Kyle Palmieri said the power play, which finished 31st in the NHL at 12.6% (26 of 207), needed to build momentum rather than sap it.
“It’s incredibly hard not to let it bleed into the rest of your game and draw momentum away from our bench,” said Palmieri, a pending unrestricted free agent who remains very hopeful that a new deal is forthcoming.
Casey Cizikas said that whatever the group looks like when training camp opens in September, the Islanders should be motivated by anger.
“Yeah, I think so,” he said. “Missing the playoffs stinks, there’s no other way around it. It’s embarrassing. It’s brutal watching teams play in the Stanley Cup playoffs while you’re sitting on your couch at home and wishing you were there. This feeling, it’s not good. It stinks. I hope guys do what they need to do this summer and get back. We have one goal in mind and that’s the same as every other team, and that’s to win the Stanley Cup.
“We believed at the start of this year that we had it in this group. At times, we showed that we could do that. But it’s those other times where that kind of got away from us, those few losing streaks or we gave up leads late. Those come back and bite you in the butt.”
Notes & quotes: Horvat and defenseman Noah Dobson said they would consider playing for Team Canada in the IIHF World Championship in Sweden and Denmark from May 9-25. Both noted that it would be a good showcase for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Simon Holmstrom is a possibility for Team Sweden . . . Defenseman Alexander Romanov said he missed 10 of 11 games from Oct. 26-Nov. 16 after breaking cartilage between his ribs . . . Romanov and Dobson are pending restricted free agents with arbitration rights. Both said they might consider either a shorter bridge deal to being a UFA or a long-term deal now. “I just want to sign a new deal with the Islanders,’’ Romanov said. “I really love this place.” . . . Defenseman Mike Reilly said the heart procedure he underwent in November was similar to the one the Penguins’ Kris Letang had this past week to close a small hole in his heart. Reilly, 31, is a pending UFA who said he definitely wants to continue playing, preferably with the Islanders.
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