The Islanders are back in familiar territory: no captain, a leadership hole to fill, and a decision that will say plenty about where the organization wants to go next.
The last time New York faced this exact situation, it came with real drama. John Tavares left for the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency in the summer of 2018, and the team entered camp without a clear voice at the top. Then, just hours before opening night, Barry Trotz made it official after talking with players and staff: Anders Lee would wear the "C."
Now Lee is gone, and the Islanders are once again searching for the right name to put on the sweater.
This time around, though, the list of candidates is a lot healthier. Bo Horvat has already been a captain with the Vancouver Canucks.
Brayden Schenn is wearing that role for the St. Louis Blues right now.
Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock are longtime Islanders who have earned real standing in the room. And in some corners, there’s the idea that Matthew Schaefer is already the face of the franchise.
That kind of leap has been tried before, and it didn’t go well. The Islanders pushed too fast with teenage defenseman Bryan McCabe in the late 1990s, and the lesson there is pretty clear: leadership usually has to arrive on its own.
That’s what makes Horvat the cleanest fit.
He’s done the job before. He has respect around the league and in the locker room. And with five years left on his contract, he brings something the Islanders badly need at the top: stability.
The Islanders need a captain. Bo Horvat looks like the obvious answer.
In Other News...
Islanders Finally Took A Chance On A Player They Wanted Badly
The Islanders have been circling Matias Maccelli for a while, seeing him as the kind of player who could make sense in their system long before he ever hit the market. When he finally became available, they moved quickly enough to bring him in on a one-year deal worth $2.25 million, a modest commitment for a player they clearly believe has more to offer than his current resume suggests.
For a team that has spent enough time looking for the right fit rather than the loudest splash, this is the sort of swing that can make sense. It is low-risk on paper, but the real appeal is what Maccelli might become in an environment the Islanders think can bring out more of his game, which is why the next question matters so much: whether this was simply an opportunistic add or the first step in a better fit finally paying off. [Read more 🡒]
Former Islanders Fan Favorite Just Landed A Deal That Will Sting
Ross Johnston is getting another chance to cash in on the skill set that made him such a useful role player in New York. The veteran forward, now 32, has spent the past three seasons with the Ducks after his run with the Islanders, and his game has long been built around bringing size, edge and enough reliability to help a lineup beyond the scoring touch.
The part Islanders fans will notice is how much his market has changed since he left Long Island. A new deal of this length and price point says there is still a real appetite for what Johnston offers, even if the fit is likely to be in a narrower, lower-line role. For a player who once gave the Islanders valuable two-way minutes, it is the kind of move that stings a little because it confirms he still has enough around the league to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Just Added A New Blue Line Wild Card
The Islanders have quietly added another layer to their blue line depth, bringing in a player with a mix of NHL mileage and a strong rsum everywhere else he has played. The move gives the club a fresh look on the back end, and it comes with the kind of low-risk upside teams often chase when they are trying to round out a defense corps.
Matthew Kessel arrives with 99 NHL games from his time with the St. Louis Blues, plus experience in the AHL and NCAA. He also helped the University of Massachusetts win the NCAA championship in 2021, a background that suggests the Islanders are betting on a defenseman who has already seen plenty of different levels and could still have something to prove. [Read more 🡒]