The NHL season is here, and for the Islanders that means the start of another strange, messy, fascinating ride through the 2026-27 campaign and its expanded 84-game grind.
This is a team with a lot to sort through right away. The roster includes a Calder-winning defenseman who looks like a future Norris candidate for years to come, a goalie who can still be Vezina-caliber even if his best days may be behind him, a 38-year-old backup trying to work his way back with two partial new knees, and a collection of veterans who figure to be phased out over the next few years as younger players take over. That’s the broad shape of it, and it leaves plenty of room for the usual question hanging over this group: how is this supposed to work?
There is also real hope baked into the opening picture. Matthew Schaefer and Victor Eklund are both in the mix, and both are part of the next wave the Islanders are hoping will eventually pull this roster out of its current middle ground.
Tonight, the season begins in Toronto.
Eklund is now wearing No. 38, which he wore in Sweden. He’s also one of the players being counted on to be part of the future.
The Islanders are also handling the leadership structure a little differently this season. Bo Horvat is the new captain, and the team will use four alternate captains, with different players wearing the letter at home and on the road. That doesn’t necessarily change anything on the ice, but Schaefer did get an A, which at least lines up with the idea that he’ll eventually be a key figure in this next generation.
The bigger-picture adjustment is about the coach and the system. It’s going to take time for the Islanders to get used to what Pete DeBoer wants from them.
Elsewhere around the league, opening night produced a little bit of everything: the defending champions raised their banner and lost to the previous champions, the Leafs dropped their home opener to the Canadiens, and the Oilers - with Tristan Jarry in net - gave up five goals on the first 20 shots in an overtime loss to the Canucks. Edmonton got a very favorable call to help force overtime, and Evan Bouchard’s hat trick ended up meaning something after all.
In Other News...
Islanders Reveal Peter DeBoers First Opening Night Line Combos
The Islanders are set to open the 2026-27 season on the road against the Maple Leafs, and with Peter DeBoer taking over behind the bench, the first projected lineup gives an early look at how the new coach wants things to look. Ilya Sorokin is slated to start in goal, with Bo Horvat, Simon Holmstrom and Kyle Palmieri among the forwards penciled into the opener, while the defensive pairings and extra skaters were arranged after recent practices.
Palmieris place in the group is a notable one as the Islanders head into opening night with a few moving parts still worth watching. The lineup also suggests there may be more to sort out among the bottom six than first glance indicates, and Anthony Duclairs placement on the fourth line adds another layer to the early-season picture as DeBoer settles on his first combination choices. [Read more 🡒]
Mathew Barzals Setback Wont End The Season Islanders Fans Want
Mathew Barzals latest knee setback is a familiar and frustrating development for Islanders fans, especially with the season approaching and his role once again in doubt. After the same issue kept him out for most of the 2024-25 campaign, the expectation is that he will begin this year on the sideline, leaving New York to manage early-season plans without one of its most dynamic players.
Still, Barzals outlook is not as bleak as the injury news suggests. His past performance trends point to a player whose impact can swing the Islanders offense if he gets back to full health and into a heavier workload, and the conversation around him now is less about whether the talent is still there than whether the body will cooperate long enough to let it show. For a team that needs him at his best, that uncertainty hangs over everything. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Face A Brutal Metro Reality Few Fans Wanted
The Islanders are heading into the 2026-27 season with a group that looks awfully familiar, even after a summer that saw Anders Lee leave and Matias Maccelli arrive in free agency. Kyle Palmieri, Alexander Romanov and Ryan Pulock are back after injury absences, and young Victor Eklund has cracked the roster, giving the team at least a few fresh faces around a core that still looks largely intact.
For all of that, the early outside view is hardly flattering. The changes were modest, the roles are still being sorted out, and there is enough uncertainty around the lineup to leave the Islanders projecting as a team with more questions than momentum. In a division that rarely offers much room to hide, that kind of lukewarm outlook is exactly the sort of reality fans were hoping to avoid. [Read more 🡒]