You know it is late August when we begin by stating the obvious: The Islanders are going to need injury luck on their side to compete next season.
The Islanders — and 31 other teams.
So why bring this up? Because this time of year, it is a constructive exercise to look at a roster and ask yourself how many players you are absolutely sure will have a great season, barring a freak injury or something extraordinary happening.
Define “great season” however you like, but for the sake of simplicity, let’s set the bar fairly low and say 50 points for a forward, 70-plus games with a five-on-five expected goals rate above 50 percent for a defenseman and a save percentage above .900 for a goalie.