The Islanders’ training camp picture is already coming into focus, and the real traffic jam is on the wings.
New York sits in that awkward middle ground where two ideas can live at once: the veterans are trying to keep the team in the playoff conversation, while the younger players are pushing hard for real NHL roles. Pete DeBoer and Mathieu Darche are the ones who have to sort out which direction gets priority - stay older and keep the window open, or lean into a roster built around Matthew Schaefer.
That’s not a simple call, either. Schaefer is a 19-year-old who breaks the usual timeline for when a team expects to lean on a player for big minutes, and the Islanders can still contend with him in the mix.
But prospects such as Victor Eklund and Cole Eiserman could also nudge the team toward a slight step back in the short term. That may be the right move for the future, even if the organization has been hesitant to go that route before.
The wing spots are where the crunch really shows up. Anthony Duclair, Kyle Palmieri, Ondrej Palat, and Pierre Engvall are in line for four of those jobs, with Duclair and Engvall currently projected to start on the fourth line.
Simon Holmstrom and Matias Maccelli are penciled in for the third line, and that’s where things get interesting, because those could have been openings for Eklund and Eiserman. Add Calum Ritchie to the mix, and the Islanders suddenly have a young trio that could compete for three of the four middle-six wing spots.
Palmieri, Ritchie, Maccelli, Holmstrom, Duclair, Palat, Mathew Barzal, and Emil Heineman are the straightforward wing names for opening night. For Eklund and Eiserman, the challenge may not be proving they belong as much as figuring out who they can actually bump out.
If both young wingers force their way onto the roster, Pierre Engvall looks like the most obvious casualty. He’s in the fourth year of a seven-year contract given out by Lou Lamoriello, and after sitting out the entire 2025-26 season, his deal makes him a tough sell for other teams. That could leave him back in the AHL, just as he was in 2024-25.
Maccelli is a different case. Darche brought him in on a $2.25 million deal, and that contract can just as easily make him the 13th forward if the younger players win jobs. The Islanders could have avoided that wrinkle by not making the signing, but as it stands, the cap hit is manageable even if he’s sitting in the press box.
So the opening is there. Eklund and Eiserman have a path to make this team more dangerous on the Island this season. Now it comes down to whether they seize it, and whether the GM and head coach are willing to hand it to them.
In Other News...
Islanders Rookie Finale Left Scouts With More To Sort Out
The Rookie Showcase wrapped up with the kind of edge both teams hoped to see, giving the Islanders one last chance to evaluate young players before training camp opens. For New Jersey, defenseman Seamus Casey stood out with his poise and positioning, while goalie Jakub Malek came up with key stops when the game turned into a skills test, the sort of moment that can matter as much as any regular-season rehearsal.
For the Islanders, the larger takeaway was less about the final result than the sorting that still has to be done. This event is built to help prospects make their case for camp spots, and a close, competitive finish only sharpened the evaluation process. Some of the names on the ice helped their stock, but the real question now is which players did enough to carry that momentum into the next stage. [Read more 🡒]
Victor Eklund Is Giving Islanders A Real Opening Night Decision
Victor Eklunds first year in the organization has already given the Islanders something to think about as opening night approaches. The 2025 first-round pick spent his season in the Swedish Hockey League before coming over to Bridgeport, and the early returns have only added to the sense that his path is moving faster than expected.
Eklund flashed quickly in the AHL after joining the Islanders affiliate, then got a brief look with the big club in his lone NHL game. Now the question is no longer whether he belongs in the mix, but where the best place is to keep building him up, with New York weighing whether he starts in the NHL or goes back to Bridgeport for more development. [Read more 🡒]
Bo Horvats New Role Signals A Bigger Islanders Identity Shift
Bo Horvat has officially been handed the spotlight as the 16th captain in Islanders history, a move that says plenty about where the organization wants its identity to go as it gets ready for the 2026-27 season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs. For a team that has long leaned on structure, responsibility and veteran steadiness, naming Horvat to the role gives that mission a clearer face and a more defined voice.
Head coach Peter DeBoer also made clear this is not being handled as a one-man job, with Ryan Pulock and Kyle Palmieri set to support the group in the same way they have before. The leadership structure is expected to be broad, with familiar names such as Mat Barzal, Adam Pelech and Matthew Schaefer part of the mix, which leaves the Islanders with an interesting blend of established core pieces and new voices as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]