When the Islanders were forced into the Noah Dobson situation, Mathieu Darche inherited a mess with no easy answer. Dobson’s numbers had slipped from 70 points in 2023-24 to 39 in 2024-25, but his asking price stayed high - over $10 million a year - and Darche wasn’t buying at that number or for the term Dobson wanted. The standoff ended on the day of the 2025 NHL Draft, when Dobson was sent to the Montreal Canadiens.
That deal brought back two first-round picks, 16th and 17th overall, plus Emil Heineman. Montreal used those picks on Kashawn Aitcheson and Victor Eklund, while Heineman arrived as the piece many saw as the add-on.
But Heineman is a lot more than a throw-in.
The 2020 second-round pick of the Florida Panthers has already been moved around plenty. He was part of the Sam Bennett deal from Florida to Calgary, then later went from Calgary to Montreal in the Tyler Toffoli trade before being shipped again to the Islanders. By the time he got to New York, he had already been traded three times.
Last season was his first full 82-game run with the Islanders, and he made it count. He finished with 22 goals and nine assists for 31 points, good for third on the team behind captain Bo Horvat, who had 31, and Matthew Schaefer, who had 23.
Heineman carried that momentum into this season and gave the Islanders an early jolt in their opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. New York struggled to generate much of anything offensively, but Heineman broke through late in the third period with a short-handed goal - the team’s first of the season. His speed up the ice helped create the play, putting him on the other side of the crease for Horvat’s finish.
Heineman is now in a contract year, which makes this season even bigger for him. He’s 24, still developing, and there’s a clear opportunity here to cash in if he keeps producing. After what he showed last year and what he flashed in the opener, the Leksand, Sweden native looks like a player who could take another step forward fast.
In Other News...
Islanders Bring Back A Beloved Home Opener Moment Fans Will Remember
The Islanders are set to open their home schedule with a familiar and heartwarming face in the spotlight. Dominick Critelli, a 105-year-old World War II veteran and decorated Army staff sergeant, will return to UBS Arena to perform the national anthem before the game against the Devils, bringing back the kind of pregame moment that tends to linger with a crowd long after the puck drops.
Critelli already left a mark on Islanders fans once, when he played the anthem on his saxophone before a game last December and drew a memorable reaction inside the building. He still practices the instrument every day, and this latest appearance gives the home opener a personal touch that fits the kind of connection the Islanders have tried to build with their fans at Nassau Countys successor in Elmont. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders New-Look Lineup Just Delivered A Much-Needed Boost
The Islanders got the kind of response they were looking for in their home opener, rolling past the Devils 6-0 and giving a new-look lineup an immediate lift. Simon Holmstrom, Brayden Schenn, Bo Horvat, Victor Eklund, Ondrej Palat and Casey Cizikas all found the net, a balanced scoring outburst that suggested there may be more depth here than the early chatter around the roster change. It was the sort of start that can settle a building quickly and give a team some much-needed confidence.
Ilya Sorokin made sure the result never got away from New York, turning away New Jersey chances while the Islanders kept adding to the lead. The Devils had looks on the power play, but nothing they tried broke through, and the night ended with the kind of all-around performance the Islanders have been searching for as they try to make this reshaped group feel a little more settled. There was also a milestone baked into the win that fit the mood perfectly, even if it almost got lost in the scoring parade. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Fans Just Got An Emotional Reminder Of A Beloved Voice
Howie Rose has been part of New York sports for so long that his voice feels tied to the seasons themselves, and recent days brought one of those quiet reminders of just how much he has meant to the Islanders community. After recently calling the final Mets game of his broadcasting career, Rose is preparing to move with his wife to Florida on Monday, closing another major chapter in a New York run that stretched across generations of fans.
The Islanders recognized Rose for his long run behind the microphone, and several former and current players and colleagues took the chance to reflect on the way he covered the team and connected with people around it. For a fan base that grew up hearing him on television, the moment carried a familiar mix of gratitude and sadness, the kind that comes when a beloved voice is still very much present but about to become part of memory. [Read more 🡒]