Islanders 2026-7 Season Preview: Lots of Opportunity, but They Might Miss Playoffs Again
The Islanders might be the most fascinating team in sports. They may miss the playoffs again this season, but with several controversies and a raft of prospects to soon join 2025-6’s first overall pick, Matthew Schaefer, this promises to be an exciting season.
Several things are going for the team as we move into a new season. There are many potential big moves. The team faces at least one big challenge and has one important outstanding question. How do you think the Islanders will do this season?
Islanders 2026-7 Season Preview
Islanders 2026-7 Opportunities
The team has a strength in goaltender Ilya Sorokin. He must be spelled, so he does not tire down the strech, like he did the past two seasons. If Semen Varlamov and Vitack Vanejack (newly acquired) can make about 15 starts each, Sorokin could win the Vezina Trophy. He is that good.
Matthew Schafer is a cornerstone defenseman around whom the team can build. He is a left-shot defenseman, and the team has a lot of those, but that is not his problem. The biggest question for him, who will turn 19 on September 5, is whether the team will name him captain. Longtime captain Andres Lee signed with Utah, so the team needs a captain. He said he does not want the captaincy. It will be interesting to see what the team does for him.
The team does have other good players, like Bo Horvat and Mat Barzal. However, one of their biggest stories relates directly to a weakness. They are slated to have $40.6 million in salary cap space after this season. Moreover, they could trade veterans like Kyle Palmieri, who are on expiring contracts, or other veterans who could help contenders. The Islanders have never signed a big free agent, maybe all the money, and the presence of Schafer will attract one.
Islanders 2026-7 Challenges
This year will again be punctuated by several bad contracts that are going to prevent the team from making needed moves. There are free agents like longtime Islanders Casey Cizikas, and awful contracts, like the $6 million they are going to pay Palat, Ondrej, that hang like a millstone over the team. Add to that, they need to sign Schafer to a long-term contract after this season, and the salary cap and contracts for this team will be a major story.
The team is also challenged by its horrible special teams. The team ranked third from last in the league last season. This is pathetic, and par for the course for the team over the last decade plus. This must improve, because in hockey a team must take advantage of its man-up advantages.
Finally, the team was burdened by its lack of defensive structure. The team allowed far too many high-danger chances last season. Goaltender Ilya Sorokin saved them on multiple occasions. The team had a free-wheeling style that got head coach Patrick Roy fired with four games left in the season on Easter Sunday. New head coach Pete DeBoer is charged with implementing more defensive structure.
Conclusion
The Islanders will probably accumulate about 93 points in the new 84-game schedule and probably just miss the playoffs. However, they have a lot of prospects who will debut over the next two seasons. Their debuts can be facilitated by the departure via trade of veterans. Trading away veterans would not only expedite the debuts of fascinating prospects, but would also allow the team to accumulate young players and draft picks. The team will be playing this season for next season.
