EP Rinkside 2023 NHL Prospect Pool Rankings: No. 30-ranked New York Islanders

After taking a decent-sized step forward in last year's EP Rinkside prospect pool rankings, the New York Islanders have fallen straight back to near the bottom of the league.

It's difficult to lay much of the blame at the feet of the team's amateur scouting department. They haven't had a lot to work with. The team hasn't picked in the first round since 2019, and they've only made six selections total in the first three rounds since 2020. On top of that, they traded one of their best prospects, Aatu Räty, to the Vancouver Canucks in the Bo Horvat trade.

This is the result of years of contention and a stubborn, almost desperate attempt to keep their window open as age and inefficient spending threatened to slam it shut. Say what you will about this strategy, but the Islanders aren't going down without a fight.

Now, their system as currently constructed got a slight boost from some savvy picks in June's draft, but the overall picture remains bleak. There's a distinct lack of upside in this system after the first few names and not many sure bets.

Without further ado, let's take a look at what they've got.