The New York Islanders did plenty of their heavy lifting before the offseason ever really got going. By the time the summer settled in, the roster had already been reshaped by a late-season coaching change, a few polarizing trades, and a clear bet on veterans to keep the team afloat.
The biggest swing came near the end of the season, when the Islanders fired Patrick Roy and brought in Peter DeBoer in an effort to rescue their playoff push. That move followed the additions of Carson Soucy, Ondrej Palat, and Brayden Schenn - three deals that stirred plenty of debate.
Soucy arrived from the Islanders’ rivals across town, while Palat carries a $6 million cap hit and is projected to land on the fourth line. Soucy is no longer on the roster.
Schenn is the one who could end up mattering most. He’s expected to center the second line, and the Islanders are counting on him to handle a major role this season.
That comes with some pressure, especially on a team where several veterans still occupy important spots and some drop-off feels inevitable. Schenn has already moved away from the 25-goal seasons that marked his peak, and he can’t be one of the players who slides further.
If he can still deliver 20 goals, though, he becomes a huge piece of the puzzle. That’s even more true if he’s skating with Mat Barzal. The Islanders need Barzal to be at his best if they’re going to stay in the playoff race, and if he isn’t, the math gets ugly fast.
For Schenn to help unlock Barzal, DeBoer will need to build chemistry between the two and keep them together as much as possible. That includes using them on the power play, where Schenn’s faceoff work can make a real difference.
His shot may not have the same pop it once did, and his skating isn’t a strength, but Schenn still brings a steady game in almost every area. He can help at both ends, and that kind of reliable production tends to hold up. Goals count the same whether they come in bursts or trickle in over time, as long as the total adds up.
In a lot of ways, Schenn looks like the kind of player the Islanders want. He’s still technically in his prime, even if some parts of his game are slipping. And under a new coach, he has a real chance to put together a strong season.
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 🡒]