Matthew Schaefer has completely modified the trajectory of the Latest York Islanders franchise, however the NHL rookie of the 12 months’s emergence was not enough to bring playoff hockey back to Long Island in 2025-26.
The Isles missed the postseason for a second straight time, firing Patrick Roy late within the campaign and replacing him with Pete DeBoer behind the bench.
Now, general manager Mathieu Darche will likely be trying to make a few moves to get his roster back into the conversation. It’s a skinny free-agent pool this summer, and star forward Mat Barzal has already been rumored to be on the block.
Together with that, captain Anders Lee may not be back after The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the player and club remain far apart in contract talks that will keep the pending unrestricted free agent on Long Island.
The Hockey News’ Russell Macias added five more names Darche could potentially be willing to hearken to offers on as Latest York tries to make up ground within the Metropolitan Division in 2026-27: Anthony Duclair, Adam Pelech, Pierre Engvall, Ondrej Palat and Casey Cizikas.
The Isles must unencumber cap space, as they’re working with just $10.6 million, per PuckPedia. Schaefer can also be going to be due for a large raise as soon as next summer.
4 of the players Macias mentioned are forwards, and two of them are scheduled to change into unrestricted free agents in July 2027. It might make sense for the Islanders to explore getting value for Palat ($6 million AAV) and Cizikas ($2.5 million AAV), although each are coming off disappointing offensive seasons.
Duclair has one additional season remaining on his contract, but he struggled in 2025-26, recording just 27 points in 62 games. After being healthy scratched multiple times through the season, it’s fair to ponder whether he’ll remain a part of the Islanders’ long-term plans. His no-trade clause also converts to a 16-team no-trade list on July 1.
Engvall missed your entire campaign resulting from hip and ankle surgeries, making him a difficult player to judge on the trade market. He has 4 years remaining on a contract carrying a $3 million cap hit.
Pelech likely possesses the best trade value of the group after putting together one other strong defensive season on the blue line. The veteran defenseman has three years remaining on a contract value $5.75 million annually.
If the Islanders are genuinely willing to listen on Barzal, it might signal that few players on the roster are completely untouchable as Darche evaluates ways to reshape the team heading into next season.
Matthew Schaefer has completely modified the trajectory of the Latest York Islanders franchise, however the NHL rookie of the 12 months’s emergence was not enough to bring playoff hockey back to Long Island in 2025-26. The Isles missed the postseason for a second straight time, firing Patrick Roy late within the campaign and replacing him with Pete DeBoer behind the bench.