The Islanders are betting that Logan Stanley’s size can change the look of their own end.
After a season in which New York spent far too much time defending around its crease, the club added the 6-foot-7 defenseman on a one-year contract, with Mathieu Darche and Peter DeBoer believing his physical presence can help clean things up in front of the net. The issue was plain in the numbers: the Islanders finished 30th in the league, allowing 858 high-danger chances at 5-on-5 according to Natural Stat Trick.
DeBoer made the team’s priority clear after Stanley’s first practice.
"We have to get better around our net," DeBoer said yesterday after Stanley's first practice with the team. "There's no secret to that.
We were 30th, I think, in high-danger chances given up around our net. We've got the ability now to ice a pretty big, heavy defense back there."
Stanley, who stayed unsigned through the summer, trained in the offseason with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, his hometown team and the junior organization he spent a season with. That’s also the same franchise DeBoer coached for seven seasons before moving on to the NHL.
Last season, Stanley played for the Winnipeg Jets before being traded to the Buffalo Sabres. It was the most productive offensive year of his career, as he finished with 9 goals and 17 assists.
He may not be the flashiest addition, but Stanley brings something the Islanders clearly want more of: size, force, and a willingness to scrap when needed.
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 🡒]