The Analytics Behind Simon Holmstrom's Breakout Offensive Season
The 23-year-old has shown signs that he can be a top-six forward in this league, if he can bring the offense consistently.
Heading into the 2024-25 season, New York Islanders forward Simon Holmstrom was an unknown quantity.
He finished the 2023-24 season with 25 points (15 goals and 10 assists) in 75 games, but the season was a tale of two halves.
Through his first 37 games, he had 11 goals, the third most on the team, and five primary assists.
Eight of those goals came in a 23-game stretch from early November to mid-December.
Yet, Holmstrom scored just four goals in his final 38 games of the season before going pointless in three playoff games.
His hot start and disappointing finish resembled the Islanders' bottom-six struggles that season.
In 2023-24, no bottom-six line combination recorded more than 200 minutes together, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau was the only bottom-six forward to surpass the 30-point threshold.
A restricted free agent, Holmstrom signed a one-year, prove-it deal worth just $850,000, scraps above the league minimum.
In 2024-25, Holmstrom has broken out as one of the team's best two-way forwards.