The New York Islanders still have room to make noise this summer, even after the draft and the opening wave of free agency have come and gone. With the top names off the board and just $4,222,917 in cap space per PuckPedia, Mathieu Darche and the Islanders may need to keep shopping the bargain aisle if they want to add another layer of competition before camp.
That search points toward a different kind of free agent market: the so-called project player. Peter DeBoer is bringing back a full roster, and that means there will be real battles just to get into the lineup on a nightly basis.
For a team in that spot, useful depth can matter just as much as splashy signings. Among the names still out there, Patrik Laine, Vladimir Tarasenko, Michael Bunting, and David Perron stand out.
Tarasenko and Perron are the veteran types trying to show they still have more to give. But Bunting and Laine feel like the more natural fits for what the Islanders may be chasing now: competition, upside, and players who can force their way into bigger roles.
Michael Bunting is the cleaner fit on paper. The 30-year-old left winger has nearly 500 NHL games under his belt, but his path has gotten bumpy since he left the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency for the Carolina Hurricanes. Since that move in 2024, he has played for two teams in each season, including last year, when he began in Nashville and finished with the Dallas Stars.
Bunting hasn’t hit 20 goals since his Toronto run alongside top-end talent, but he has still been a steady source of grit and scoring touch, landing in the 14-19 goal range year after year. He just finished a 3-year deal with an AAV of $4.5 million, and this summer may not bring much more than a one- or two-year contract.
There was already league chatter about Bunting as an Islanders target before Darche brought in Ondrej Palat from the New Jersey Devils, and that interest likely hasn’t gone anywhere. He also makes sense as a player looking for a bigger role and more minutes.
Of course, the Ontario native will try to maximize his market first, so this could take time. If the summer drags on, Long Island starts to look like the kind of landing spot he may have to consider.
Laine is the bigger swing. He’s only 28 and no longer attached to the massive $8.7 million AAV that once came with his name, but he’s also not the 30-goal force he was in Winnipeg. His best season remains the 26 goals he scored in 2021-22.
After time in Columbus, Laine has spent the last two seasons in Montreal, though injuries have limited him to 54 games. All 20 of his goals in 2024-25 came last season.
At 6-foot-5, he brings size and soft hands, and his power-play track record is the real calling card. Fifteen of those 20 goals came with the man advantage, and he already has 85 career power-play goals.
That matters for an Islanders team that has struggled on the power play for years. Laine comes with obvious questions about health and attitude, but if he were willing to take a one-year “prove it” deal, the upside could be hard to ignore, especially with Mathew Barzal in the mix.
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 🡒]
Islanders Forwards Carry One Massive Burden Into Next Season
The Islanders late-season fade last year was about more than just a cold stretch, and the forward group is now carrying most of the weight for what comes next. With the club projected to sit above $101 million against the cap, a huge chunk of that money is tied up in the forwards, and the pressure lands squarely on the biggest names in the room, from Mathew Barzal to Bo Horvat to Ondrej Palat.
That makes the composition of the top nine especially important as training camp approaches. Horvat, Emil Heineman, Kyle Palmieri, Barzal and Matias Maccelli are all expected to factor into the lineup in meaningful ways, with some coming off injuries and others fighting to carve out larger roles, so the Islanders are not just trying to score more - they are trying to make sure the expensive parts of the roster actually fit together. [Read more 🡒]