On and off the ice, the New York Islanders went through a lot of change on and off the ice. From a change in the general manager to a very eventful summer, let’s take a look at the offseason and give a look at what the Islanders could be this upcoming season.
Off the Ice
Soon after the end of the regular season, the Islanders announced that Lou Lamoriello would not return as the President and General Manager. At the time, this was a bit of a shock, Lamoriello had been the head of the organization since he joined them in 2018, and the search for a new General Manager was on. After about a month-long interviewing process with no shortage of candidates, including Mark Bergevin, Ken Holland, and Jarmo Kakalianen among others. The candidate that emerged was then Tampa Bay Lightning Assistant General Manager Mathieu Darche, who quickly put his plan into action.
The Coaching Staff
Mathieu Darche gave Patrick Roy a chance to do something Lou Lamoriello did not, and that is choose his coaching staff. On June 9th, the Islanders announced the hirings of Ray Bennett, an assistant coach in Colorado who will run the power play. To help the penalty kill, they hired Bob Boughner, who was most recently a coach with the Detroit Red Wings, but has a great coaching resume winning multiple CHL Memorial Cups. Both categories in which the Islanders were among the worst in the league last season, there should be some noticeable improvement in both by bringing in better coaches than what they previously had.
The Draft
The first major piece of the Mathieu Darche era came during the NHL Draft Lottery. The Islanders had the 10th best odds of winning the first overall pick, at just 3.5%. In the live drawing, the Islanders won the lottery and the 1st overall selection in the draft. On the morning of the draft, the Islanders traded Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens, in exchange for the 16th and 17th overall picks in the draft, as well as young forward Emil Heineman who we will talk about more later. The Islanders selected Matthew Schaefer first overall, which was not a shock. The real shock came in the later picks. Darche tried to move back into the top 10 to acquire Long Island native James Hagens, who was selected by Boston. So he pivoted, and kept the pick, and got two more players that were rated as top 10 players in the draft, Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson, which boosted the Islanders future even more.
New Faces On the Roster
G David Rittich
With the injury issues of Semyon Varlamov, and the struggles of Marcus Hogberg, the Islanders needed a capable backup. David Rittich is a capable backup goaltender who will probably play 20-25 games while backing up Ilya Sorokin, and at just a $1 Million price tag, it is a fine signing for the Islanders.
LW Jonathan Drouin
At the opening of NHL free agency, there was not much known about what Mathieu Darche wanted to do, but he made multiple splashes that improved the Islanders forward core. Starting off with Jonathan Drouin. Drouin played with Colorado last year, in an injury abbreviated season, was just under a point-per-game pace. Darche brought Drouin in to put on a line with Bo Horvat, mainly because Drouin is an excellent playmaker which will pair well with Horvat’s goal scoring ability. This also facilitated separating Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal, the latter of which moved back to the center position.
RW Maxim Shabanov
With a late push, the Islanders signed the most touted international free agent of the cycle for the 2nd consecutive season, after signing Maxim Tsyplakov in 2024. Shabanov is a highly skilled, but smaller forward who could provide some offensive juice down the lineup. Initially, he was slated to be a top 6 forward, playing alongside Jonathan Drouin and Bo Horvat, however, during training camp Patrick Roy decided to move him down. Shabanov has never been an amazing defensive player, so he put Shabanov on the third line alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau, which I think will be helpful for him to adjust to the NHL game.
RW Emil Heineman
Acquired in the Noah Dobson trade, Heineman was expected to be a bottom-six forward for the Islanders this upcoming season, but this will not be the case. Heineman had a fantastic training camp, and will find himself on the Islanders top line alongside Drouin and Horvat. Heineman plays a sound defensive game and has a very heavy shot, which is what will also get him time on the Islanders second power play unit. The Islanders definitely see a much higher ceiling in Heineman than Montreal did, and even if this big swing on the first line fails, he will definitely have a future on the Islanders in a different role. He plays with a level of competitiveness that Darche covets. I am very high on Heineman this upcoming season.
D Matthew Schaefer
We arrive at the 1st overall pick, Matthew Schaefer. After Schaefer was drafted, there was much speculation around where he was going to play this season, whether he went to the collegiate level, back to the OHL, or if he was going to go to the NHL. These questions were quickly answered during training camp, as Schaefer looks like he could be an immediate game-changer for the Islanders. His skating ability is as advertised, and defensively he looked fantastic in the preseason. Schaefer will slot in on the bottom pair next to Scott Mayfield, and I think there is a world where Schaefer wins the Calder Trophy this season.
Predictions
With Opening Night being Thursday night, here are a few predictions with how I feel the Islanders will fare this season.
- Emil Heineman has 20 goals
- Jean-Gabriel Pageau is traded at the trade deadline for a First Round Pick
- Matthew Schaefer has 40 Points
- Calum Ritchie plays a big role down the stretch
- Anders Lee does not record 20 goals
- Record Prediction: 35-42-5 (75 Points)
Projected Lines and Pairings:
Drouin-Horvat-Heineman
Lee-Barzal-Palmieri
Shabanov-Pageau-Holmstrom
Duclair-Cizikas-Tsyplakov
Romanov-DeAngelo
Pelech-Pulock
Schaefer-Mayfield
Sorokin
Rittich
BS Reports 
Leave a comment