The Islanders head into 2026-27 with a forward group that still looks familiar, still carries a lot of weight up top, and still leaves little room for easy maneuvering. Last season’s late collapse exposed the same issue that has been hanging over this roster: the offense just wasn’t enough. New York finished with 229 goals, the eighth-fewest in the league.
That problem lands in the middle of a cap picture that is already tight. According to PuckPedia, the Islanders are projected to carry a cap hit of over $101 million, with forwards making up $54.5 million of that total, or 52%.
The biggest chunks belong to Mathew Barzal at $9.15 million, Bo Horvat at $8 million and Ondrej Palat at $6 million. The group is also aging, ranking tenth-oldest in the league with an average age of 29.4, fourth in the Eastern Conference.
At the center of it all is Horvat, who delivered another strong year by leading the team with 31 goals and 57 points in 68 games. He also played for Canada at the Milano Cortina Olympics, scoring two goals and helping bring home a silver medal. With Anders Lee gone, Horvat is viewed as a leading candidate for the captaincy.
Barzal, meanwhile, finally put together a full season again and led the Islanders in points with 72. He finished with 19 goals and 53 assists in 81 games, giving the club the kind of top-end production it has needed. At 29, with three years left on the eight-year deal he signed in 2022, he is expected to stay in the top six and stay healthy.
Emil Heineman gave the Islanders another bright spot in his first season with the team. The winger played all 82 games and posted career highs with 22 goals and 31 points.
Heineman, who was drafted by the Florida Panthers in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft, came to New York from the Montreal Canadiens in the Noah Dobson trade on June 27, 2025. He looks like a real candidate for a permanent top-six role and should be counted on for more offense.
The Islanders also added Matias Maccelli this offseason, bringing him in from the Toronto Maple Leafs as their first notable free-agent pickup. The Turku, Finland, native has 169 points - 51 goals and 118 assists - in 295 NHL games with Arizona, Utah and Toronto. He is expected to push for a top-six job in camp, though he is projected more as a depth piece in the top nine.
Kyle Palmieri’s status is one of the more important health stories on the roster. He played 25 games before tearing his ACL against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 29, finishing with 12 assists and 18 points. The news on his rehab has been positive, and the expectation is that he will be ready for training camp.
Brayden Schenn arrived on March 5 as part of the push for a playoff run and brought exactly the kind of veteran presence the Islanders wanted. In 19 games with the club, he had 11 points. The 2019 Stanley Cup champion has 1,102 NHL games on his résumé and is under contract through 2028.
Another experienced name in the mix is Ondrej Palat, who came over from the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 27.
He made an immediate splash in his debut against the New York Rangers, scoring a goal and an assist in a 5-2 win. Palat has 902 career games across Tampa Bay, New Jersey and Long Island.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau remains one of the most dependable pieces in the bottom nine. He has missed only 28 games from 2020 through last season and has averaged 15 goals and 36 points per year over that stretch. He is under contract through the 2027-28 season.
Casey Cizikas is another veteran presence, and at 35 he enters the final year of the six-year contract he signed in 2021. The Islanders’ fourth-round pick in the 2009 NHL Draft has played 978 NHL games over 16 seasons and continues to serve as a depth forward.
Simon Holmstrom has steadily carved out a regular role. After starting his pro career with Bridgeport in 2019 and spending three seasons with the AHL club, he has played at least 75 games in each of the last three seasons. He is in the final year of the two-year deal he signed in the 2025 offseason.
Calum Ritchie is one of the younger names with real momentum. Acquired from the Colorado Avalanche at the 2025 Trade Deadline, he put together a promising first full pro season with 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points in 65 games. He also got his first postseason taste in Bridgeport, scoring in Game 2 of the Calder Cup Playoff opening-round series against the Hershey Bears.
Anthony Duclair is in a more uncertain spot. He had his most productive season with the Islanders in his second year with the team, finishing with 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points in 62 games.
That was his highest point total since 2023-24 with the San Jose Sharks and Tampa Bay Lightning. Still, with younger players pushing and the bottom-six picture getting crowded, he is on the bubble.
At the July 1 free-agent press conference, general manager Mathieu Darche said Duclair will compete for a spot in training camp. Duclair also has a 16-team no-trade clause as of July 1.
Pierre Engvall’s situation is different. He missed the entire 2025-26 season because of an ankle injury after dealing with a hip injury the year before. He has appeared in 181 games over two-plus seasons with the Islanders.
The roster math is what makes this group tricky. The top end is expensive, several players carry no-trade or no-move protection, and that limits what the Islanders can do in the short term. The upside is that relief may be coming later: after this season, the projected cap space for 2027-28 is over $41.6 million.
In Other News...
Islanders Just Sent A Strong Message About Barzal And Horvat
The trade chatter around the Islanders has been pretty straightforward: other teams have checked on Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, and the answer has been no. That kind of response matters in a league where even established centers can become available if a front office is willing to listen, and it says plenty about how New York views the two players at the heart of its forward group.
For the Islanders, holding firm on Barzal and Horvat is as much about message as it is about roster construction. It tells the rest of the league that the club is not looking to strip down its core, even as the rumor mill keeps spinning around other Eastern Conference names and front offices wait on their own unresolved situations. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Face A Defining Cole Eiserman Decision This Season
Cole Eiserman already has the kind of resume that keeps Islanders fans watching the development track closely. The 2024 first-round pick split last season between Boston University and Bridgeport, and now the question is how quickly he can turn that pedigree into real NHL value. For a team that has been searching for more skill and finish, the appeal is obvious, but so is the caution: young scorers can only grow if they actually get to play.
Eisermans path this season may depend less on a grand plan than on opportunity. If the Islanders trim veteran ice time, or if the lineup gets shaken by injuries, there should be openings for him to get a longer look. The real test is whether the club is willing to give him enough responsibility to matter, because a brief cameo on the margins would do far less for his future than a steady role that lets him show what he can do. [Read more 🡒]