Islanders 30 in 30: Bailey, Prospects, Expectations in Focus

It's time for the Islanders to get their day in NHL.com's annual team-by-team August previews. Today you'll find overviews and summer recaps on assorted topics and a lot of familiar themes including:

1. Playoff Appearance: Both Inspiring and Disappointing:

"What makes it sting more is how well we played," Tavares told NHL.com. "The opportunity we had, I think we felt we really had them on the ropes. We outshot them a bunch of games and had a lot of pressure. You could say some of that inexperience came in.

2. Six Questions (Captaincy -- wink, wink -- Prospects, Nabokov, Okposo, Replacing Streit, Expectations):

"I would never say never to any of those [prospects vying for jobs]," Capuano told NHL.com. "It's a situation that as we go through camp, Garth and myself and the coaches will sit down and we'll evaluate every day and after every game and see where we are.

3. Josh Bailey X-Factor for Second Line (and on his 5-year extension):

"I wanted a long-term deal, but I think the fact that Charles and Garth and the whole coaching staff wanted to do that as well … I think that was key to the whole thing. I think they're in the driver's seat to a certain extent when it comes to that...

Capuano: "But he's another guy that came into the organization as a center and he's just played much better on the wing, for whatever reason."

4. Offseason Moves: Subtle Changes (and fantasy hockey impact):

General manager Garth Snow continued to be patient, looking for low-risk additions who could add value without drastically altering what the Islanders have built around Tavares.

5. Top 10 Isles Prospects:

Rationale for each is in the link. Here is how nhl.com orders them:

1. C Ryan Strome
2. d Griffin Reinhart
3. C Brock Nelson
4. d Ryan Pulock
5. d Matt Donovan
6. W Anders Lee
7. d Ville Pokka
8. g Anders Nilsson
9. d Scott Mayfield
10. C Johan Sundstrom.
    

(View the entire nhl.com 30 in 30 series here. The Isles are one of the last teams covered, so there's plenty to sift through on them and other teams.)

Thoughts on the coverage, the ranking, the timeless discussion fodder topics?