New York Islanders assistant general manager Evan Gold told Jeff Marek on Tuesday that this is a team in transition. His boss, GM Mathieu Darche, could not disagree, but was quick to point out what he believes the true definition of that word is, because it could easily scare a fanbase.
“Transition doesn’t mean that you’re not thinking about today, also,” the second-year general manager said on Wednesday while helping the Islanders organization construct a new playground at the Cross Island YMCA in Bellerose. “Yes, we have some younger guys coming. We’re trying to incorporate some young guys, whether it’s this year right away, whether it’s halfway through the year, whether it’s next year. But in the last two years, we’ve replenished our prospect pool. The last two drafts, we drafted four times in the top 17.”
Three of those selections, left-winger Victor Eklund (19), along with defenseman Malte Gustafsson (18) and Kashawn Aitcheson (19), should make a push to make the NHL club out of training camp. Forward Cole Eiserman also stood out last season at Boston University and could make the jump.
“We’re excited about those guys,” Darche said. “Those guys need time also. We don’t want to rush it. The goal is not for them to play quickly in the NHL; it’s for them to play a long time in the NHL. So some of them might come to camp and show us that they belong right away. And if not, maybe halfway [through the season].”
Regardless of when the call-ups come, they figure to join a core that is centered around Matthew Schaefer — the defending Norris Trophy winner as the NHL Rookie of the Year after wowing in his first season — and while that suggests an upcoming showing of playoff-less hockey, Darche is keen on changing the Islanders’ perception.
“Our goal this year is to still make the playoffs,” he said, nodding to the established veterans that still dot the roster.
Kyle Palmieri, who averaged 27 goals per year from 2023 through 2025, has a clean bill of health after tearing his ACL last season. So is defenseman Alex Romanov, who Darche said is 12 pounds lighter and looks “as good as I’ve seen him” on the ice.
Backup goaltender Semyon Varlamov miraculously is also back in the fold, overcoming what was initially believed to be a career-threatening injury that required double knee surgery.
Add in a full season of head coach Pete DeBoer, who was brought in when Patrick Roy was fired with four games to go in the regular season last year, and Darche is sure that this team can make it over the finish line and into the playoffs rather than sputtering down the stretch and falling short as they did in the spring.
“I think we’re a playoff-contending team, and go from there,” Darche said. “We have Palmieri coming back, Romanov coming back, [Pierre] Engvall coming back, Pete DeBoer for a full season. I want us to be in the playoffs, but keeping an eye on the medium and long term also. To be a sustainable playoff team, you can’t just patch every year and just bring one player. You have to build it. But the good thing is we have some solid veterans that can keep us relevant, keep us fighting for the playoffs as we incorporate [the young guys].”
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