The New York Islanders are two weeks away from their 2025-26 season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.
Despite four preseason games remaining, several questions have been answered.
No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer will be making the team — there’s no if, and’s or but’s about it.
He’ll at least start with veteran defenseman Scott Mayfield, who has been communicating tremendously with the 18-year-old, whether it’s during a drill in practice or during a preseason game.
How quickly will Schaefer force head coach Patrick Roy’s hand into playing more minutes?
Islanders Mathew Barzal Makes Bold Prediction About No. 1 Overall Pick Matthew Schaefer
There’s been tremendous hype around the New York Islanders’ No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer, and it’s been well deserved.
It may just come down to Schaefer needing to play higher in the depth chart — maybe with Ryan Pulock, given how much of a game-changer he can be, immediately or soon after.
The Islanders elected to move Mathew Barzal back to center after a few seasons on Bo Horvat’s wing, and so far, so good for No. 13. He looks tremendous in training camp, as going back to center “is like riding a bike”, per Barzal. His chemistry with team captain Anders Lee and Kyle Palmieri is strong.
The Islanders’ top line of Jonathan Drouin and Maxim Shabanov is likely to remain intact over the next two weeks. Still, we need to see a bit more from the European free agent signing, who is working extremely hard to acclimate to the speed of the NHL game.
When it comes to the Islanders’ third line, Anthony Duclair has really impressed in camp. Despite still working his way back from a torn groin, his skating looks sharp, and he looks more like the guy who played the first five games with the Islanders to start last season, not the player who returned too early from the injury. He, alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Simon Holmstrom, is another line that’s sticking.
As for the fourth line, Emil Heineman seems to have won a job. The question is, has Maxim Tsyplakov won the spot to Casey Cizikas’s right?
Tsyplakov is currently day-to-day (maintenance) and, like Heineman, has Marc Gatcomb, Kyle MacLean, and Calum Ritchie breathing down his neck.
Speaking of Ritchie, he looks like a kid on a mission to make this team, whether it’s at center or wing. I think he needs to be a center — Roy certainly agrees — but unless Barzal is moved back to Horvat’s wing or Cizikas is being shifted to the wing, as we saw in 2024-25, Ritchie will likely start in Bridgeport.
As for the defense, the six starters seem to be locked in:
Alexander Romanov-Tony DeAngelo
Adam Pelech-Ryan Pulock
Matthew Schaefer-Scott Mayfield
It seems that Adam Boqvist will serve as the seventh defenseman, but Isaiah George is certainly right there. Ideally, the Islanders don’t want George not playing, as it makes more sense for him to be in Bridgeport playing big minutes than serving as a seventh defenseman.
When it comes to the Islanders’ goaltending situation, Ilya Sorokin is the clear starter, and David Rittich seems poised to be his backup. However, Marcus Hogberg is trying to prove he should be the No. 2, with both looking strong in their first preseason showings, each playing half the game.
Rittich has looked stronger in training camp, but Hogberg impressed a tad more in his preseason slate.
The Islanders face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night before a quick turnaround, hosting the New Jersey Devils on Friday night at UBS Arena.
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