The 2019-20 New York Islanders are looking a lot like … the 2018-19 Islanders.



While that team took strides forward, it still had notable flaws. The question throughout the year was whether their defense and goaltending could do enough to make up for some of their offensive woes. But there was only so much the Islanders could do to elevate their offense in-season, and many figured finding upgrades in that area would be high on their 2019 offseason checklist.



Instead, the Islanders missed out on free agent Artemi Panarin, took on higher salaries with a few contract extensions for their mainstays and made a change in net — although that was the highlight of last season.



Using The Athletic’s Arthur Staple’s projected lineup, as well as Sean Tierney’s WAR lineup creator that features data from Evolving-Hockey and Emmanuel Perry, the Islanders are projected to have an 82-point season. The data predicts that their forward group will...