New York Islanders

New York Islanders

The 1992-93 NHL season saw the New York Islanders at something of a curious point in their franchise's existence. Nearly a decade removed from their peak dynasty years, most of the players from that era had either moved on to other teams or retired leaving the team in search of a new identity. What remained afterwards was a collection of players who, outside of one superstar, would not be mistaken for a dynasty cup winning team but were scrappy and determined enough to make one of the biggest upsets in NHL playoff history and make a deep run to the 1993 Eastern Conference finals. Thus, the SNES version of NHL 94 sees the Islanders personify this identity and bring forth enough to be a competitive team despite lacking in some respects.

Forwards

Hogue-Turgeon-Thomas

Benoit Hogue is an interesting case as his attributes make him a pretty effective player on his own and one who may have enough to be the centerpiece of a line if it weren't for the presence of Turgeon. While Hogue is a lighter middleweight at 196 lbs, his strong skating and shooting accuracy give him several different ways to contribute offensively and make up for any lack of two-way presence. Hogue gets the recommendation for the left side mainly so he can utilize his speed for strong forehand dekes but he is a very credible one timer threat and able to score from most places on the ice. In the end, he can be practically as effective on his offhand and so the decision of where to slot him mainly goes to user preference.

Possibly the most unheralded superstar in SNES NHL 94, Pierre Turgeon was the centerpiece of the package the Islanders received in exchange for Pat LaFontaine roughly a year and a half or so earlier. Turgeon rewarded the Islanders brass with consistency and strong offensive numbers for several seasons until he was frustratingly & confusingly traded away. On SNES, Turgeon's 212 lb weight, and strong awareness, agility, speed, and shot power/accuracy make him a dynamic weapon in all facets of the game. He is equally effective at playing a physical defensive game as he is lighting the lamp with quick strike dekes and laser precise one timers. No matter the situation, Turgeon has the goods to excel, the ability to singlehandedly take over games, and the will to carry the Islanders on his back and drag them to victory.

The 3rd Forward spot is a bit tougher but Steve Thomas brings forth just enough positives to the table to receive a recommendation. While he is very light and at times a liability on the ice, "Stumpy" does have some fight in him and does occasionally surprise with the delivery of a big & timely hit. Thomas' main asset is that his skating ratings are adequate enough for him to keep pace with Hogue and Turgeon and provide the Islanders with some symmetry and ability to push the pace of the game. Thomas, however, has only average shot ratings and is not a strong finisher at long distances or on one timers. He'll mainly only contribute to the scoresheet with dekes and assists but if he can do that while keeping himself out of trouble when entering the offensive zone, then he's doing his job and adequately supplementing the skills and punch of Hogue & Turgeon.

The Islanders bench Forwards, while not very deep, do provide a few options and one in particular that brings an intriguing, and at times very effective, alternate line suggestion:

Turgeon-King-Hogue

Derek King's overall rating is significantly less than that of Hogue and Turgeon but this doesn't tell the whole story. A deeper look at the player reveals shot ratings equal to Turgeon and a similar 212 lb frame. In short, King does possess the ability to be physical at Center Ice and maintain a similar defensive consciousness as Turgeon. Offensively, King is equally adept at lighting the lamp on one timers and especially at long distances. His stickhandling is also a slight upgrade from Thomas and ensures the Islanders keep an adequate pass receiver on the ice at all three forward positions. While King's speed is a concern, moving Turgeon to the Wing maintains the Islanders ability to push the pace of the game on the outside and Turgeon and Hogue are more than capable of scoring off the rush on their own. The benefit also is that King can slip in behind the defense who are very focused on either winger. From there, if King has a lane to shoot, he will usually bury his chances with deadly precision. Simply put, King's presence gives the Islanders three great shooters and another layer to their offense that plays right into the hands of finesse players & one timer fiends. Yes, some patience is required with Derek King but he is another player cut from the mold of Simpson or Tocchet who can surprise the unsuspecting and play well above his overall rating at times.

Elsewhere, the options are limited but there is Ray Ferraro or Dave Volek in the event of game ending injuries. Both players are lighter and not supremely skilled shooters which will hurt the Islanders at both ends of the ice. But both are competent enough skaters and stickhandlers and would be effective enough at maintaining the Isles ability to transition the puck up ice. From there, it would be a matter of continuing to lean on Hogue or Turgeon to primarily handle the offensive workload as neither Volek or Ferraro can be counted on to maintain the same standard for shooting and one timers.

Defense

Malakhov-Kurvers/Lachance/Kasparaitis

Now for the weak point of the Islanders... The defense group is simply lacking and not one that can reliably contribute offensively. The key to succeeding with such a lacking group is to be very conservative defensively and construct the D pair with shot & goal suppression as the primary focus. Thankfully, Vladimir Malakhov fits this role well enough given his 220 lb frame and decent enough awareness ratings. However, his skating and stickhandling ratings are merely average and so he will not be one to regularly go on his own offensive excursions ala Zalapski, Iafrate, Bourque, etc... For Malakhov, the name of the game is simply being physical, causing turnovers, quickly retrieving the puck, and looking to make a quick & solid breakout pass to the Forwards. Anything more than that and Malakhov can quickly become a liability for the Islanders.

For the #2 D-man, there are several options but not necessarily in a positive sense. The issue for the Islanders is that the remaining D-men are all very average and have very similar attributes to one another. And because none of them stand out, it makes the decision of who to start become one leaning towards gut feeling and intuition. With this in mind and the mission of shot & goal suppression at the forefront, either Tom Kurvers or Scott Lachance would appear to be the team's best option. Both are very average across the board with no true signature trait setting either apart from one another. Neither player will be making any regular end to end rushes or putting defenses on their heels in the offensive zone. However, both players weigh 204 lbs and can be somewhat effective at protecting the slot and causing turnovers. The difference between the two is mainly in athleticism and defensive awareness. Kurvers is the slightly better skater while Lachance has slightly higher defensive awareness. These differences are only subtle though and still don't necessarily present a clear argument for one player over the other. There's always a chance that either player struggles to maintain puck control or is inconsistent with their defensive zone positioning which leads to dangerous chances for the opposition or goals against. In those moments, it becomes a matter of properly timing any substitutions or quickly pivoting to another player from the bench to try to minimize the damage. However, the remaining bench players are similarly average with only Darius Kasparaitis seemingly being decent enough to fit the bill. The caveat is that Kasparaitis is slightly lighter at 196 lbs but has a bit more base agility. So at times he may be a more effective puck carrier but he still has an average stickhandling rating and can't necessarily be counted on in the Islanders transition game. The story is similar with players like Jeff Norton (albeit with even lower stickhandling) and thus, the issue persists that there is no clear #2 D-man that the Islanders can consistently lean on. Expect at least an uphill battle with the Islanders D corps but if it can be worked around, a player should consider that a victory in and of itself.

Conclusion

An underrated but spectacular superstar in Turgeon, a diverse & skilled group of supporting Forwards, and a very mediocre group of defensemen places the Islanders firmly in the mid-tier in SNES NHL 94. However, in the hands of a skilled player, this team has enough to do a lot of damage and be very successful despite its shortcomings. TheProfessor proved this to be true in his recent Spring 2025 SNES A Classic Championship season with the Islanders and thus, the team is still deserving of a look from coaches when deciding on a team for a classic season.

Edited June 26Jun 26 by Oilers442
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