Projections: Top 6 Forwards

With the season right around the corner, each week for the next few I will be projecting the roster I expect to break camp for the Islanders.  Today I will be starting with what I expect to be their top 6 forwards:

1) Bo Horvat

40 goals

30 assists

70 points

Yes this would be a career high in both goals & points should Horvat reach these.  If you look back to last season, if not for injuries he likely would've eclipsed these numbers.  So this season, with health being the key I don't see these numbers being out of reach for him.

2) Kyle Palmieri

20 goals

25 assists

45 points

Palmieri is a tricky one coming off major knee surgery.  Unfortunately for the Islanders, they don't have the luxury of allowing him to come back slow.  Especially after Anders Lee departed to Utah, Palmieri returning and playing like the player he was capable of before the surgery will be key for the Islanders this season.

3) Victor Eklund

20 goals

20 assists

40 points

This may come as a surprise to some, but I fully expect Eklund to make the team out of camp.  He certainly didn't look out of place in his one NHL game last season and looked very good for Bridgeport, I expect him to continue building on that.  With him in the NHL I expect him to get top 6 time as well as power play.  With those things being the case I think these are realistic and attainable stats for him.

4) Mathew Barzal

22 goals

55 assists

77 points

Last season was a tremendous rebound season for Barzal after missing a significant portion of the prior season with injury.  He led the Islanders in points & assists with 72 and 53 respectively.  I expect him to break camp on a line with Ritchie & Brayden Schenn.  If the Islanders want to achieve the success they think they are capable of, Barzal will have to have a season like this or they could be in some trouble.

5) Cal Ritchie

20 goals

23 assists

43 points

Something that needs to happen for the Islanders this season is young players need to take the next step in their development.  Right at the top of that list is Ritchie who was acquired from Colorado at the trade deadline in the 2024/2025 season.  He had a solid rookie year especially down the stretch when a lot of production from other players dried up.  His greatest impact was probably his playmaking ability on the power play where he made some great passes.  They need him to continue building on that this season!

6) Brayden Schenn

20 goals

20 assists

40 points

Schenn is a polarizing figure among fans because of the trade deadline deal that brought him here from St. Louis.  Looking back, I think we over paid for him and signing Pageau soon after was questionable but its done hes here so lets get to it.  Schenn's best attribute for me is his physical play, something that we lacked tremendously with the recent retirements of Matt Martin & Cal Clutterbuck.  The concern with Schenn is his two way play.  In 3 of the last 4 seasons he has +/- ratings of -22, -27, & -28.  With the addition of Peter DeBoer and more defensive oriented systems that should help but man that really needs to see improvement this season.

Islanders Sign Gustafsson To 3 Year Entry Level Contract

Earlier today, the Islanders announced they had signed 2026 1st round pick Malte Gustafsson to his three year entry level contract.  Gustafsson was selected 13th overall by the Islanders in the NHL draft last month.

In post draft interviews, Gustafsson said he plans to go back to Sweden to play next season but could come over after that.  Some have started to speculate that he could potentially follow a similar track to Victor Eklund who came over after his Swedish season ended at the end of the season and is now poised to make the NHL squad this fall.

Some questioned the Islanders pick of Gustafsson because he is another left handed defenseman.  However, at 6'4 and as smooth a skater as he is they don't grow on trees.  I am excited to see him progress this season and see what he can bring to the table in North America.

Islanders Sign Maccelli, Others As Free Agency Opens

On Wednesday, NHL Free Agency opened and the Islanders surprised me with their amount of activity.  The biggest signing of the day for them was of course forward Matias Maccelli who they signed to a 1 year deal worth 2.25 million.

Maccelli, previously with Toronto, had 39 points in 71 games last season.  His career high was a couple seasons ago when he had 57 points (17 goals, 40 assists) with Arizona.  Maccelli is more of a playmaker then a goal scorer and will make some passes that make you say wow how did he see that?  Given some of the crazy contracts thrown around on July 1, getting Maccelli on a 1 year deal seemed like a fine bit of work by Darche to me.

In addition to Maccelli, the Islanders also signed goalie Vitek Vanecek to be insurance for Semyon Varlamov and some depth players including Matthew Kessel and Mitchell Chaffee.

Islanders Captain Lee Set to Hit Free Agency As Market Opens Tomorrow

According to multiple reports, Islanders captain Anders Lee is expected to hit the open market when free agency opens tomorrow at noon.  Stefan Rosner has reported that the Islanders were only looking to give Lee a one year contract but he wanted at least two years.  

Lee has been a contributor to the Islanders lineup for 14 seasons now dating back to the 2012/2013 season, including the last 8 as captain.  Lee has wrote the book on consistency during his time here in terms of production.  He is a 9x 20 goal scorer, 2x 30 goal scorer and in 2017/2018 hit 40 goals.  There may have been some seasons we went into with a lot of question marks but one thing you could always count on was Anders Lee would have somewhere between 20-30 goals.  A bulk of which would be scored from the dirty area right in front of the net.  Once John Tavares did the Judas act off to Toronto, it could've led to dark days for the organization.  Lee was chosen to be the captain once Tavares left and you just got the sense it wasn't in his DNA to be woe is me and wallow in it.  That mindset and way thinking reverberated throughout the organization and because it wasn't in his DNA it wasn't in the teams either.  This led to probably the best 5 year stretch the team has had since the dynasty including the two eastern conference final runs around COVID.  Not only has Lee been a fantastic captain but his work in the community has been second to none.  What he has done with his Jam Kancer initiative specifically is just remarkable.

With all the good, time doesn't take it easy on anyone and Lee is now 35 years old and will be 36 when the season starts.  The Islanders have missed the playoffs for 2 years in a row now and collapsed down the stretch last season after holding a playoff spot for much of the season.  I remember being at the Coliseum when Lee scored his first NHL goal against Winnipeg,  With that being said, as much adoration as I have for Lee, given the situation the team is in now moving in a new direction makes a lot of sense.

The Islanders reportedly have not completely closed the door yet on a reunion with Lee but if this is the end, Thank You For Everything Captain!

Islanders Decline QO's On Shabanov, Gatcomb

Last night was the deadline to make your restricted free agents qualifying offers around the NHL.  The Islanders surprised some, not by who they extended offers to but who they didn't.  Among the group that was not given qualifying offers by the Islanders were forwards Max Shabanov & Marc Gatcomb.

First, Shabanov, he was a very highly thought of free agent coming over from Russia last summer.  The Islanders actually beat out a handful of teams to sign him.  While Shabanov did show some flashes including a 5 point game, he was never really able to get going here finding himself in the press box almost as much as in the lineup.  Stefan Rosner said on X that he woudn't be shocked if the Islanders continued talking to Shabanov about a new deal.  I personally would not lose sleep over him donning a new jersey next season.

While Shabanov not being given a qualifying offer was not a huge shock to me, Marc Gatcomb not getting one was pretty surprising.  Sure Gatcomb is never going to be one to line up the score sheet, but that isn't the role he plays.  He chips in a few goals and plays with energy, not sure what else you expect from a 4th line player.  If they are opening that spot to put a more skilled player in there and totally rework the 4th line wings alongside Casey that would be one thing but if they are just going to acquire another checker I don't really get it.