With the 2026-27 season set to open Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the New York Islanders have their roster in place for Opening Night.
The group comes together after a relatively quiet summer for New York. The Islanders did not make a lot of additions, though they did land Matias Maccelli.
At the same time, captain Anders Lee signed a three-year deal with the Utah Mammoth, leaving the roster with a different look as the season approaches. Even after spending much of last year in the playoff race, the Islanders are not being viewed as one of the conference’s stronger teams heading into this campaign.
For now, the club is carrying 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders to begin the year. There is one important wrinkle, though: Mathew Barzal has an injured non-roster designation. The hope is that he will be back soon, and once he is ready, he can be added to the lineup.
Between the pipes, there were no surprises. Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov will handle the goaltending duties to start the season. Varlamov’s return gives the Islanders the backup option they want behind Sorokin.
On defense, the opening group is also fairly straightforward. Matthew Schaefer is set to anchor the blue line, while recent additions Logan Stanley and Matthew Kessel, along with Scott Mayfield, are among the notable depth pieces to make the cut.
Up front, the biggest name to crack the roster is top prospect Victor Eklund. The Islanders are high on what he can offer, and his presence on the Opening Night roster stands out as a strong sign of confidence.
That confidence will matter because New York is not expected to light it up offensively. Eklund could give the lineup a needed jolt, but the bigger roster question is what happens once Barzal is ready to return. It is tough to see Eklund being sent to the AHL, which could leave the Islanders needing to place a veteran on waivers.
In Other News...
Mathew Barzals Status Just Put Islanders Fans On Opening Night Watch
Mathew Barzals status has become one of the Islanders early camp storylines, and for good reason. The center has missed the preseason after not passing his physical at the start of training camp, leaving the team to manage his recovery while keeping an eye on the start of the regular season. Even so, the setup is not as ominous as it first sounds, because the Islanders still have a path to getting him back into the lineup quickly once he is ready.
Barzal is currently designated as injured non roster because of a left knee injury, a label that keeps him off the active group for now but does not close the door on a fast return. He is eligible to play the same day he is placed on the roster, which is why opening night now feels like the date to watch. For the Islanders, the hope is straightforward: have one of their most important players ready when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Forward Group Sends A Clear Message About Opening Night
The Islanders locked in their opening-night roster before the 5 p.m. deadline, and the shape of the forward group says plenty about where things stand heading into the new season. The club officially carried 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goalies, with 19-year-old Victor Eklund earning a spot out of training camp and giving the lineup a fresh look right away.
Matthew Barzals status is the other part of the picture, as he is listed as Injured Non-Roster and does not count toward the 23-player limit. There is still no timeline for his return, which leaves the Islanders with a little more uncertainty in the short term even as they head into opening night with their roster set. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Enter The Season With One Debate Fans Cant Ignore
The Islanders wrapped up their preseason with a few final roster calls that helped clarify the shape of the group heading into opening night. Logan Stanley was signed, while Cole Eiserman and Kashawn Aitcheson were assigned to Hamilton, a reminder that the club is still sorting through its depth even as it moves from exhibition mode to the regular season under coach Pete DeBoer.
New York also closed the preseason with a loss to New Jersey, so the focus now shifts to how the lineup pieces fit once the games count. Bo Horvat, Ryan Pulock, Matthew Schaefer, Kyle Palmieri, Alexander Romanov and Semyon Varlamov are all expected to play key roles, but the bigger question around the Islanders remains how the roster settles after those last decisions and what it means for the tone of the season ahead. [Read more 🡒]