We are here again for part eight of the best New York Islanders by jersey number series. The last part featured the best from numbers 62-75. That list was a mixed bag, including a few good players for the team and made a lasting impact. Most of the players featured however were only on there because they were the lone wearer for that number.
This list will have a lot of the same as the last. A handful of players got on the list because they were the only ones to wear the number. There are not a lot of accolades for these players as the talent takes a dip as you get into the higher numbers. Nobody has been able to add to any of these numbers since Lou Lamoriello took over as GM in 2019. As long as he is in charge we will not see any of these high numbers being worn for the Islanders anytime soon. Some numbers don’t have any wearers, so this list is 77-88. Numbers 76, 78, 83, and 85 have never been worn in the Islanders history.
Best New York Islanders By Jersey Numbers: 77-86
#77- Pierre Turgeon
The 2023 hall of fame inductee was traded to the Islanders in 1991 from the Buffalo Sabers. He would go on to play four years for New York. Including the best year of his career in the 1992-93 season. He set career highs in goals (58), assists (74) and points (132). His performance would help lead the team to the Conference Finals where they would lose to the eventual Stanley Cup winning Montreal Canadians. In that same season, Turgeon was awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. This award goes to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability. In the four seasons with the Islanders he played in 255 games scoring 340 points (147 goals 193 assists).
Honourable mention: Alexei Zhitnik (Defenceman): Two seasons 89 games 40 points (seven goals 33 assists).
#79- Alexei Yashin
The only player to wear this number in Islanders history. He was traded to the Islanders on draft day in 2001 and they immediately re-signed Yashin to an enormous ten-year, $87.5 million contract. It did get reduced however by the new NHL CBA signed in 2005 but still a gross overpay for too long of a deal. Yashin’s point totals saw a decline when he came over to New York but he was still a solid player in his time. He was even named captain before the 2005-06 season. His teams made the playoffs in four of his five seasons as an Islander. He didn’t stick around to see the end of his 10 year deal as he was bought out in 2007 after just five. In the five years he played in 346 games scoring 290 points (119 goals 171 assists).
Honourable mention: None.
#80- Kevin Weekes
Before he became a likable NHL Network analyst, he was a journeymen goalie in the NHL for 11 years. In those 11 years Weekes played on seven different teams, one of those being the Islanders. He played on the Island for just one season in the 1999-2000 season and it wasn’t a great stint. However, he is the only Islander to wear this number so he makes the list by default. In the one season he held a 10-20 record with a .902 save percentage and a 3.51 goals against.
Honourable mention: None.
#81- Miroslav Šatan
One of just two players to wear this number for the Islanders. Šatan came over to the team through free agency in 2005, he led the Islanders in goals that season. He was a steady point producer for the Islanders in his short time there. He was an iron man everywhere he went in his 14 year career. In 2007 he missed a game for personal reasons ending a streak of having played in 305 consecutive games. It was the fourth longest active streak at the time, and was the second time he had played over 250 consecutive games. In his three seasons with the Islanders he played 243 games scoring 166 points (78 goals 88 assists).
Honourable mention: Justin Dibenedetto (Centre): One season eight games one point (Zero goals one assists).
#82- Martin Straka
The only Islander to wear this number in team history. Straka was a former first round pick in 1992 by the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 1995-96 he came to the Islanders for a cup of coffee playing in only 22 games. He went on to have a long career in the NHL and memorable moments for other teams. He didn’t do anything notable in his brief time on the Island, however. In the one year he played in 22 games scoring 12 points (two goals 10 assists).
Honourable mention: None.
#84- Mikhail Grabovski
Another number with a lone wearer. The German forward came over to the Islanders during free agency in 2014 he signed a four-year, $20 million contract. He was a productive player for some good teams in 2014 to 16. However his tenure in New York was largely affected by injury, he had a lingering concussion ruling him out for the entirety of the 2016–17 season. This robbed him of his health, and eventually forced him into retirement in 2019 but he hadn’t played since 2015-16. In his two seasons with the team he played in 109 games scoring 44 points (18 goals 26 assists).
Honourable mention: None
#86- Nikolai Kulemin
It would only make sense to end the list with yet another lone jersey number wearer. It also makes sense this would be the next player up as Kulemin and Grabovski were basically a package deal in the 2014 free agency. The Islanders ended up with both of them. The two are friends and were former line mates with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His first season with the team was the best he had scoring 31 points in 82 games. After that his production fell off barley scoring over 20 points in his final three seasons with the team. A shoulder injury ended things 13 games into his 2017-18 season. In four seasons he played in 248 games scoring 79 points (37 goals 42 assists).
Honourable mention: None
In Conclusion
In the 77-86 range of numbers you will find a lot of players who were only here because nobody else wore the number (Martin Straka, Mikhail Grabovski, Kevin Weekes). They didn’t provide a whole lot in their Islanders tenures but they were at one point a part of the family. Once an Islander always an Islander no matter what they did or didn’t do. This list also featured a handful of great players in the team’s history that did a lot on the ice and earned their way onto the list (Alexei Yashin, Miroslav Satan, Pierre Turgeon). Regardless of the impact, any player who can make it all the way to the NHL deserves recognition and respect. This concludes the best Islanders from the numbers 77-86.
Main Photo Credit: Robyn George / The News-Press / USA TODAY NETWORK
