The New York Islanders may be 20 days away from their regular season opener, but the conversation around camp has already shifted from Victor Eklund’s push for a roster spot to a much bigger name: Kirill Marchenko.
Elliotte Friedman added fuel to that talk by reporting that the Islanders are “around that,” in reference to Marchenko’s reported availability as a trade chip with the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s not a sign that a deal is close.
In fact, the sense is the opposite. But it does show New York is paying close attention.
Marchenko has turned himself into one of Columbus’ top players over the last two seasons, and his 2024-25 line says plenty about the kind of impact he can bring: 31 goals and 74 points in 79 games. The Blue Jackets don’t have to move him right away, but there’s a catch. If they hold onto him, Marchenko could sign his qualifying offer and then reach unrestricted free agency the following summer.
That timeline is exactly why the Islanders are in the conversation.
This past summer, fans wanted the Islanders to jump into the mix for players like Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch, both of whom ended up with the Washington Capitals. But Marchenko is a different kind of target.
Tuch is 30 and closer to the back end of his prime, while Kyrou is 28 and has shown some inconsistency. The Islanders, meanwhile, are treating this season as a transition year, and the real contention window with Matthew Schaefer still hasn’t fully opened.
That window could realistically arrive in one-to-two years. If that’s the timeline, Marchenko fits it better than the other names fans were chasing. He’s 26, he’s played fewer NHL games, and he should still be in his prime when the Islanders are ready to push harder.
That makes him an appealing piece for a team trying to balance the present and the future at the same time.
The price tag would not be small, though it should get more manageable the closer the calendar gets to July 1 next year. Even so, no one is treating this like something that’s about to happen immediately. That matters for New York, especially because the Islanders have been clear they don’t want to move any of their top prospects.
This season is also their first full year with most of their top young players in the organization, which gives the front office a real chance to evaluate what it has before deciding whether to deal from that group. And if Columbus is serious about keeping Marchenko, the asking price could stretch beyond prospects and into the NHL roster, since the Blue Jackets are likely to want players who can help them win now.
For now, the headline is simple: the Islanders are involved, and Marchenko is on their radar.
What that really says is just as important. New York is looking hard at the kind of player who can grow with the Schaefer window - and the kind who doesn’t fit it.
In Other News...
Islanders Rookie Camp Starts With Real Pressure On A Few Young Names
The Islanders opened rookie camp with a 25-man group that offers a first look at the organizations young depth, and there is a little more at stake than the usual late-summer tune-up. The roster includes 14 forwards, eight defensemen and three goaltenders, with names such as Cole Eiserman, Victor Eklund, Isaiah George and Kashawn Aitcheson giving the camp a mix of high-end talent and players still working through different stages of development.
For a few of those prospects, this is not just about learning drills and soaking up reps. The next week can help determine who keeps pushing toward a real NHL roster conversation, especially for the young players closest to that jump, while one notable absence also stands out as camp gets underway. The Islanders did not include 2026 first-round pick Malte Gustafsson on the rookie roster, leaving another layer of interest around how the club is mapping out its pipeline. [Read more 🡒]
Isaiah George Could Force An Islanders Decision At Rookie Camp
Isaiah George is back at rookie camp for the fifth time, which is a reminder of how long the Islanders have been tracking his progress and how close he may finally be to turning that buildup into something more permanent. He has already skated in 33 NHL games, and there is a real sense around the organization that the young defenseman is no longer just a promising prospect trying to make an impression, but a player with a legitimate path to becoming part of the everyday group.
Pete DeBoer has made it clear that Georges skating and overall style fit what the Islanders want to do, and that kind of endorsement matters when roster spots are still up for grabs. With a chance to compete for a regular role and maybe even push an established player, George is the sort of camp story that can quietly become one of the more important decisions of the preseason. [Read more 🡒]