Dec 4, 2025; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) celebrates his goal against the Colorado Avalanche with left wing Emil Heineman (51) and defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) and right wing Max Shabanov (49) during the second period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Despite missing the playoffs, there was a lot to like about last season for the New York Islanders. Matthew Schaefer blew away even the most optimistic expectations, Ilya Sorokin was one of the league’s best goalies, and they hired one of the game’s most respected coaches in Pete DeBoer. Optimism is overflowing on Long Island, but the front office must be careful to temper that excitement this summer.
Too many NHL teams have accelerated their team-building process at the first sign of success, signing overpriced free agents and trading future assets in a misguided attempt to push the roster over the top far before it’s ready. While the Islanders had a strong season, they’re still far from being a contender, or even just a very good team.
The Islanders were outscored 159-145 at five-on-five this season. They relied on Sorokin bailing them out far too often and lost games when he didn’t, such as when they finished the season 3-7-0 in their last 10 games. They still need multiple additional high-end forwards to give this team real offensive bite.
They’re not going to be able to fix all those problems this summer, or even in two summers. General manager Mathieu Darche and his team need to exercise caution and keep a long-term view. While Schaefer’s immediate impact is exciting, there’s no need to rush the rest of the roster building.
This summer poses an especially dangerous threat to overzealous NHL general managers. The free agency pool is thin, but the rising salary cap means most teams have cap space to play with. That combination could mean huge amounts of cash being thrown at players who haven’t proved themselves at that level. It’s a bidding war the Islanders should try to stay far away from.
The Islanders have the 13th overall pick in this summer’s draft. While a team looking to speed up the rebuilding process might look to trade that selection, potentially along with a bad contract to free up some cap space, it makes the most sense to keep it. The potential of adding a prospect like Tynan Lawrence, Viggo Bjorck, or Ryan Lin is exciting.
By taking a patient approach, young players like Cal Ritchie, Victor Eklund, and Cole Eiserman can all continue to develop. These players will likely be core pieces on the next Islanders contender.
The Islanders are in a much better spot today than they were a year ago. They have one of the best young players in the world, the type of talent an NHL team can go entire generations without ever acquiring. That alone should give fans hope that a contender can be built on Long Island, just as long as management does it the right way.
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