Islanders' season might focus on Matthew Schaefer's development
New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer skates against the New York Rangers during the first period of a preseason NHL hockey game at UBS Arena on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Any hype surrounding the Islanders as they come off their second playoff miss in four seasons centers around Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 overall pick whose effortlessly brilliant skating could one day make him one of the NHL’s top defensemen and whose engaging personality and preternatural maturity belie the fact that he just turned 18 last month.
In many ways, this Islanders’ season, which opens on Thursday night in Pittsburgh, is about Schaefer developing into what both he and the organization expect.
Yet, naturally, Schaefer dispels the hype factor with aplomb.
“Honestly, I don’t really think about that stuff,” Schaefer said. “I have high expectations for myself personally. I know what level I can be at and I know how hard I can work. The big thing is I’m 18 years old but the age doesn’t matter. I just want to go out there and play my game.”
Schaefer is expected to start the season skating with gritty veteran Scott Mayfield on the Islanders’ third pair.
But Schaefer will likely earn time on a power-play unit that must be better. And his ice time will increase if he shows himself capable of handling the speed and physicality of the NHL as he makes the difficult jump directly from Canadian junior hockey.
“I think he’s just been really consistent within the room and on the ice,” captain Anders Lee said. “He’s coming with a work ethic and he’s coming trying to learn and get better and he’s open to all of that. He’s a much more mature 18-year-old than a lot of us have seen before.”
“I just want him to learn,” said coach Patrick Roy, whose continued employment may be strongly linked to Schaefer’s development. “I want him to go out there and play free. I want to see when he makes a mistake, how he’s going to bounce back. That tells me a lot and that’s the personality he has.”
Of course, there are other important factors after the Islanders finished 35-35-12 and nine points out of a playoff spot in Roy’s first full season.
Improved special teams’ play is of utmost importance after both the power play and the penalty kill ranked 31st in the 32-team league. It’s why Roy and new general manager/executive vice president Mathieu Darche — whose tenure in May got off to a rollicking start when the Islanders won the NHL Draft Lottery despite just a 3.5% chance to do so for the right to draft Schaefer — brought in former Avalanche assistant Ray Bennett and former Sharks coach Bob Boughner to run the power play and penalty kill, respectively. It’s the first time Roy has been able to handpick all of his assistant coaches.
“More work needs to be done,” Anthony Duclair said after the power play went 3-for-17 through a 2-2-2 preseason. “We need some more looks out there. We’re going to keep practicing before the season starts. But I’m sure this year special teams is going to be huge for us.”
Duclair’s renewed health as he enters the second season of a four-year, $14 million contract is also a key factor. He was signed to be a top-six wing but a groin injury five games in hampered his productivity. The same is true for Mathew Barzal, entering the third season of an eight-year, $73.2 million deal and coming off season-ending knee surgery.
Roy is moving Barzal back to his natural center position despite the chemistry he’s had playing on top-line center Bo Horvat’s wing.
Darche signed free agent wings Jonathan Drouin and Russian rookie Max Shabanov to improve productivity both five-on-five and on the power play and acquired wing Emil Heineman and his quick shot and energy from the Canadiens in the Noah Dobson deal. He could rotate in and out of a top-six role, too.
“We’ve just got a lot of good guys that are competitive,” Barzal said. “Anytime you have good spirit in the locker room, that goes a long way.”
So should having the No. 1 overall pick. Not that Schaefer is buying into the hype.
3 KEYS TO ISLANDERS' SEASON
1. Schaefer’s development
The Islanders were able to bring their last, best defense prospect, Noah Dobson, along judiciously when he made the jump from junior hockey to the NHL in 2019. They may not have that luxury with No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer. The defense corps and power play sorely need his speed, elite skating and playmaking potential. New general manager Mathieu Darche and coach Patrick Roy will be careful with the 18-year-old. But there’s no easing him into the lineup if the Islanders have a real chance of success.
2. Sorokin’s stamina
No. 1 goalie Ilya Sorokin played one short of a career high with 61 appearances last season, starting for long stretches after Semyon Varlamov suffered a season-ending knee injury. At times, Sorokin looked like an overworked goalie so the Islanders need to be able to trust new backup David Rittich to properly pace Sorokin.
3. Fewer injuries
There’s no telling when — or even if —Varlamov will be able to play this season. Beyond that, the Islanders need a fully healthy Mathew Barzal, also coming off knee surgery, to be an elite skater and Anthony Duclair, whose first season with the Islanders was wrecked by a groin injury, to be productive. Defenseman Adam Pelech has not played more than 61 games in any of the last three seasons.
Beat Writer’s Prediction
39-35-8 (86 points), fifth in Metropolitan Division. Second straight playoff miss and their third in five seasons
Darche had a strong offseason to invigorate the franchise with future hope. But he likely needs one more offseason to make the team younger and faster and more of a true playoff contender.
Andrew Gross has covered the Islanders for Newsday since 2018.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
More Islanders
