Empire Writes Back
Fansided

New York Islanders vs New York Rangers: Five Players to Watch

By Nick Ziegler

Apr 7, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy (2) controls the puck against New York Rangers left wing Rick Nash (61) during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy (2) controls the puck against New York Rangers left wing Rick Nash (61) during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
New York Islanders
New York Islanders /

Jason Chimera

One of the newest Islanders is forward Jason Chimera. At 37-years-old, Chimera is going to be a veteran leader on this team, but he can still perform on the ice. Despite being an older player, Chimera can still skate extremely well, which was a priority of the Islanders this offseason.

With the Washington Capitals last season, Chimera was able to have one of the best seasons of his career, as he totaled 20 goals and 20 assists. If Chimera produces close to what he did with the Capitals last season, it will go a long way to helping replace the scoring lost in free agency.

One of the interesting developments heading into the game on Thursday was that Chimera practiced on the first line with John Tavares and Andrew Ladd. While lines frequently change during a season, it is interesting to Chimera on the first line.

Chimera was able to average just over 14 minutes per game last season, but that is noticeably less than the 20 minutes per game Tavares logged last season. Finding chemistry for Tavares will be key early on in the season for the Islanders after seeing Okposo leave in free agency. Due to Chimera being a veteran, he should be able to play well with the talented Islanders’ captain.

Home/New York Islanders