The New York Islanders may look younger than they did a year ago, but the numbers still say this is one of the NHL’s oldest teams.
That’s the strange split for this group heading into next season. The organization has clearly started to tilt toward a new era, with Matthew Schaefer emerging as the kind of rookie defenseman who can change a franchise’s direction, Cal Ritchie proving he belongs after spending almost the entire season in the NHL lineup, and Isaiah George taking another step forward. The prospect pool also looks deeper than it has in years.
At the same time, the Islanders have lost some familiar faces along the way. Brock Nelson was dealt at the 2025 trade deadline, captain Anders Lee left for Utah in free agency, and longtime fan favorites Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck have moved into front office and broadcast roles when they’re not showing up in the club’s viral schedule release video.
Still, the age chart hasn’t caught up with the vibe shift.
According to PuckPedia, New York enters next season with an average roster age of 30.0, tied with the Vegas Golden Knights for the sixth-oldest team in the league. Only the Kings (31.0), Panthers (30.9), Avalanche (30.6), Maple Leafs (30.3), and Golden Knights are older.
That’s the reminder here: the Islanders have added elite young talent, but the foundation is still built on veterans. Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal, Brayden Schenn, Casey Cizikas, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Kyle Palmieri, Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock and Ilya Sorokin remain the core of the roster. Schaefer and Ritchie are already regulars, but they’re doing it inside a group that still leans heavily on experience.
The hopeful part for Islanders fans is that this could be the last stage of that old structure.
Schaefer is already tracking toward superstar status. Ritchie has locked himself in as an NHL regular. George is expected to get a real chance to stay all season, and Victor Eklund, Cole Eiserman, Danny Nelson and Kashawn Aitcheson aren’t far away.
So yes, the Islanders still show up as one of the NHL’s oldest teams on paper. But for the first time in a long time, they don’t really feel that way.
In Other News...
Islanders May Be Waiting Too Long To Trade One Veteran Center
The Islanders have spent the offseason weighing how to squeeze more flexibility out of a roster that still has a few useful veterans attached to meaningful cap hits, and the conversation around Jean-Gabriel Pageau fits right into that larger puzzle. His recent performance and the likelihood of a reduced role have made him a logical name to watch, especially for a team trying to balance present competitiveness with a cleaner path forward.
What makes the timing interesting is that the market may be friendlier now than it will be later, when a player with his profile is more clearly slotted into a smaller role. If New York decides to act while there is still demand, the payoff could be more than just financial breathing room, with the chance to add future assets and give the front office more room to maneuver as it reshapes the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Pete DeBoer Just Named The Islanders' Path Back To The Playoffs
Pete DeBoer did not spend much time sugarcoating the Islanders path back to relevance. In a TSN interview, the new head coach pointed to two areas that have to improve if the club is going to get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs: a power play that lagged badly last season and a defensive structure that allowed too many dangerous looks against.
For DeBoer, the encouraging part is that neither problem feels permanent if the roster is right and the details sharpen up. He said quick turnarounds are possible in the NHL, and from the Islanders perspective that matters because last seasons miss was not framed as a talent shortage so much as a team that left too much on the table in the key moments that decide games. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Interest In Patrik Laine Says Plenty About Their Offseason
Patrik Laines unsigned status has become one of the more notable offseason lingerers, and the Islanders name surfacing in the conversation says plenty about how teams are weighing his fit. A fully healthy Laine still brings obvious upside, especially on the power play, where his finishing ability can change the look of a unit in a hurry. But with the market slow to develop and only a few clubs even loosely tied to him, the question has shifted from talent to how much a team is willing to commit for that kind of specialized scoring.
For the Islanders, the fit is complicated by a forward group that already looks crowded, which makes any real pursuit harder to see. The Kings have been the other club most credibly linked, though even that remains murky, and the longer Laine stays on the market, the more this starts to feel like a test of patience as much as roster need. What remains unresolved is whether a team will eventually step up with more than a low-risk look and give him the kind of opportunity his track record suggests he can still justify. [Read more 🡒]