The Islanders may be looking at Matthew Schaefer a little differently this year, and the idea starts with where he lines up on the blue line.
Peter DeBoer said he’s grown more open to the possibility of Schaefer playing the right side, even though the defenseman shoots left. For a lot of players, that would be a simple question of staying on the natural side and keeping things tidy. Schaefer, though, doesn’t fit neatly into that box.
DeBoer explained to TSN that the more video he studied from last season, the more he noticed Schaefer drifting to the other side on his own. That tendency stood out enough to make a switch feel less like a stretch and more like a natural next step.
“The other part of that is, he is such a rover,” DeBoer said in an interview with TSN. “We've been talking about maybe playing him on the right side this year.”
What DeBoer saw on tape was a player already spending plenty of time there without being asked to. “He ended up on the right side, you know, probably 30% of the time last year, starting on the left, just because of how he was playing the game and where he was jumping into and the spots he ended up in.”
That’s the real hook here. Schaefer’s game isn’t built around staying parked on one side and waiting for the puck to arrive. He moves, he roams, and he finds openings.
That kind of style gives the Islanders some room to think creatively. If shifting Schaefer to the right side helps with pairings or gives DeBoer more options with the lineup, there may be little reason to treat it as a major adjustment.
“I don't think it's a big transition for a guy like that to switch sides either,” DeBoer said.
In other words, this may not be a dramatic new experiment so much as a formal recognition of what Schaefer was already doing.
In Other News...
Islanders May Have Found A Late Pick Who Fills A Real Need
The Islanders used a late pick in the 2026 NHL Draft to address something they can always use more of: a right-shot defenseman with some size and a reputation for doing the work the right way. Vladimir Dravecky, 18, spent last season with the Brantford Bulldogs and the Czechia U20 team, and the sense around him is that he brought enough steady play and effort to make himself worth a look well beyond where he was taken.
He still has a development path ahead, but the next stop should help sort out what comes next. After rookie and training camp, Dravecky is expected to head to the OHL's Guelph Storm after Brantford and Guelph completed a trade, giving him a new setting to keep building on the kind of profile that made him appealing to the Islanders in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Prospect Got Unusual Summer Help For A Big North American Test
Daniil Prokhorov spent part of his summer in Stamford, Conn., getting ready for the biggest North American challenge of his young career. The Islanders prospect trained with strength coach Ben Prentiss alongside players such as Chris Kreider, a setup that gave him more than just on-ice and off-ice work as he gears up for his first full season in North America after limited action last year.
Prokhorovs adjustment has gone beyond hockey, too, with the summer group helping him settle into the language and rhythm of life here. What makes the setup stand out is the kind of support he found around him, and how far his day-to-day communication has come as he heads into a season that should tell the Islanders much more about his progress. [Read more 🡒]
Isaiah George Is Making The Islanders Roster Battle More Serious
Isaiah George is back at rookie camp for the Islanders, and this time the assignment feels a little different. The 22-year-old defenseman is taking part in his fifth such camp, but after logging 37 NHL games over the past two seasons, he is no longer just another young player trying to get noticed. Injuries and coaching preferences have slowed his rise at times, yet the new staff, including Pete DeBoer, has made it clear George is in the conversation for a more permanent NHL role.
For the Islanders, that makes the coming roster battle more than routine September competition. George has enough pro experience now to push for a real opening on the blue line, and the confidence he has received from the new coaching group suggests he will get every chance to prove he belongs. The next step comes at main camp, where his path to a regular spot will start to take shape. [Read more 🡒]