"The NY Islanders head into the 2025-26 season with a renewed sense of hope. After a sour 2024-25 season, the Isles have seemingly turned over a new leaf. GM Mathieu Darche looks like the real deal. The once-barren prospect pipeline is now flush with high-end prospects. That pipeline begins with Matthew Schaefer. Whether Schaefer plays this season or not will have no bearing on his future."
"But what if things go south? What if injuries or inconsistency wreak havoc? What if there's a disaster that derails the NY Islanders' season much the way it did last year? If such a nightmare scenario unfolded, would it prompt Islanders' management to pull out the plunger and blow everything up? Unfortunately, that's a real possibility. At the end of last season, much of the chatter surrounding the Isles was an inevitable rebuild."
The NY Islanders enter 2025-26 with renewed hope after a poor 2024-25, buoyed by GM Mathieu Darche and a replenished prospect pipeline. Matthew Schaefer is positioned as the franchise defenseman of the future regardless of immediate NHL play. The current roster could return to playoff contention, though injuries or inconsistency could derail progress. A second disappointing season could prompt management toward a rebuild, using veteran contracts and assets to accumulate picks and prospects. The arrivals of Calum Ritchie, Daniil Prokhorov, Isaiah George, Matt Maggio, and Alex Jefferie make a young lineup feasible.
Read at Eyes On Isles
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]