"We've got a couple of young guys that are making some big strides," Trotz said. "We're just going to have to sort that out. They all bring little different things and they're all also in different development or career phases. We're going to let it play out. I was impressed with a lot of guys. There's not a lot of give. There's some backside pressure, which is really good when you have that."
And as competition for players vying for remaining spots cultivates a positive backside pressure, which Trotz noted, the returning core of the Islanders defense is embracing that challenge while also establishing even higher expectations for themselves individually and as a unit, this season.
"I'm extremely confident in our group," Pelech said. "I think everyone back there feels the same way. Losing guys like [Toews] and [Boychuk] is going to be tough, but when you lose guys like that, everyone has to step up. [Dobson] is going to play a bigger role this year. We're all confident and excited for him to see how his game grows. We all know how good of a player he can be. For all of the other guys, we all need to step up to fill the void that those two guys left."
The Islanders backend will have a slightly different look to it this season in regards to pairings and regulars in the lineup, but the nightly product will hopefully be the same. The Islanders pride themselves and have rightfully earned the reputation as one of the hardest teams to play against in the league, finishing top-10 in goals-against per game in each of the past two seasons.
Competing against the likes of high-scoring offenses like the Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins, who all ranked in the top-10 for goals for per game last season, only further stresses the importance of the Islanders' defense to be at its best.