Emil Heineman's Islanders Impact: Scoring & Defense

0:00On March 31st, Emil Heinemann has been the breakout story for the New York Islanders this season. This 24-year-old Swedish winger got to the team through a wild tray path drafted by Florida, flipped to Montreal and the Sam Bennett deal, then to Calgary for Tyler to Foley, and finally landing with the aisles in the Noah Dobson swap. In 74 games, he's lit the lamp 21 times, with 9 assists for 30 points, sitting third on the team in goals behind Only Bo. Horbat and Matthew Schafer, his scoring looks solid and fans wonder if it's sustainable. Heinemann's shooting at 12.6%, which is highly wide but down from his 15.6% with Montreal last year. That suggests room to grow, especially at even strength where he's close to 20 goals without much power play help. Digging into the analytics, there are some red flags on defense. He's minus 7, with a goals against per 60 of 2.36, but his expected goals against jumps to 3.07.

1:00His goals for percentage hovers around 45% at 5 on 5, meaning the team's outscored when he's out there. Still, at his age, NHL reps should sharpen that up. Heinemann's already a big piece, chipping in nearly 10% of the islanders 216 goals. The front office deserves props for spotting his upside as a depth score, who props up the stars like Barsal and Serokin. If he shores up those defensive gaps and keeps developing, Heinemann could push the aisles deeper into the playoffs, turning from key support into A. Real difference maker down the stretch. I'm Corey with The Story, and you've been listening to NHL News today, AI Power Team Coverage.