The New York Islanders came up short in their bid for a postseason berth this season. The Isles have been treading water near the playoff bubble for a while and it’s clear that something needs to change for them to find the next level. GM Mathieu Darche has had a full season at the helm now and it’s time for him to start putting his stamp on the roster.
Matthew Schaefer’s first NHL season was a resounding success. However, as we noted in the March Metropolitan Division Notebook, the Islanders roster is veteran laden. There are far too many players in the latter stages of their careers holding down roster spots, so Darche will have to combat the team aging curve just to continue to tread water, let alone level up the roster.
To increase the challenge for Darche, There aren’t many expiring contracts on the books, so he’ll have to explore other avenues if he intends to shapeshift the roster over the summer. Over 40% of the Islanders cap space is committed three years out, locking in a number of veterans for a long time. 16 no move/no trade clauses also limit the options that Darche has to move players out, potentially limiting returns on the trade market if he decides to explore it.
The Islanders have a slightly above average prospect pipeline, so there is some potential that they could offset the aging effect on their veteran heavy roster with incoming youngsters. Picking first overall in 2025 was a big boon to the pipeline though, and Matthew Schaefer is a large reason why their pipeline looks better than average. They’re going to need more though, which makes Darche’s deadline moves to spend futures for veteran depth concerning. If it becomes a theme with similar move this summer, the Islanders may be stuck in the mushy middle for a while.
