Islanders season preview: Aiming for playoff return with No. 1 pick Schaefer

The 2025-26 NHL season starts Oct. 7. Leading up to the season opener, NHL.com is identifying six things to watch for each team. Today, the New York Islanders.

Last season: 35-35-12, sixth in Metropolitan Division; missed Stanley Cup Playoffs

Coach: Patrick Roy (third season)

Biggest challenge

Getting special teams back on par. The Islanders were 31st (12.6 percent) on the power play last season, down from 19th (20.4 percent) in 2023-24. The penalty kill was next to last (72.2 percent) after being last (71.5 percent) the season before. Jonathan Drouin, signed to a two-year contract July 1, had 12 power-play points (three goals, nine assists) in 43 games for the Colorado Avalanche, which would have tied defenseman Noah Dobson, since traded to the Montreal Canadiens, for the Islanders lead. Assistants Ray Bennett and Bob Boughner replace John MacLean and Tommy Albelin to run the man-advantage and PK, respectively. "I think last year if our power play and our penalty kill would have been better, we would have probably made the playoffs," Roy said Sept. 15. "We made some changes in the offseason and I'm very excited about those changes."

How they make the playoffs

Ilya Sorokin elevating his game in his age-30 season with a full training camp after back surgery delayed his debut last season until Oct. 14. He's entering the second of an eight-year contract after going 30-24-6 with a 2.71 goals-against average, .907 save percentage and four shutouts in 61 games (60 starts) while facing 1,695 shots on goal, third-most in the NHL behind Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers (1,751) and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning (1,716). Sorokin will have to do it playing a condensed schedule because of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 in February and being backed up by David Rittich, 33, and/or Semyon Varlamov, a 37-year-old who hasn’t played since Nov. 29 because of a lower-body injury. The Islanders can contend in what might be a wide-open Metropolitan Division if a healthy Mathew Barzal can help an offense that averaged 2.71 goals per game (tied with Boston Bruins for 27th). Barzal is projected for a return to center after he was limited to 30 games last season, and none after Feb. 1, because of injuries.

Most intriguing addition

Matthew Schaefer was the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, and the 18-year-old defenseman made it clear his goal is to play for the Islanders and not return to Erie in the Ontario Hockey League. He dazzled on the ice and handled attention with aplomb at development camp in July and is recovered from a broken collarbone sustained while playing for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship on Dec. 27. If Schaefer breaks camp with New York, he'll debut against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 9, and two nights later play his first home game against Alex Ovechkin and the reigning division-champion Washington Capitals.

Biggest potential surprise

Maxim Shabanov made a big impression at rookie camp and opened training camp on the first line with Drouin and Bo Horvat. The 24-year-old native of Chelyabinsk, Russia, signed a one-year contract July 2 after playing three seasons for Traktor in the Kontinental Hockey League. He had 67 points (23 goals, 44 assists) in 65 games last season and 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 21 playoff games to help Traktor reach the Gagarin Cup finals. "He kind of pops off the page at you," said Rocky Thompson, coach of Bridgeport, the Islanders’ American Hockey League affiliate. "He definitely has a skill set that obviously, in my opinion, looks like it could translate to the NHL."

Ready to contribute

Schaefer is the first defenseman chosen No. 1 by New York since Denis Potvin in the 1973 NHL Draft, and the trade that sent Dobson to the Canadiens on June 27 created an opening to play immediately. Schaefer had 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 17 games last season and signed a three-year, entry-level contract Aug. 4. "The most important thing I noticed is that for his age, I don't see a big difference between him and already NHL players," defenseman Alexander Romanov said. "It looks like he already has NHL experience."

Fantasy sleeper with EDGE stats

Shabanov, F: After averaging more than a point per game in the KHL last season, he could compete for a top-six role alongside Horvat and/or Barzal in his rookie season. Shabanov joins an Islanders offense that ranked seventh in the NHL in high-danger shots on goal (642) last season but was below the League average in high-danger shooting percentage (19.2 percent), per NHL EDGE stats. -- Chris Meaney

Projected lineup

Jonathan Drouin -- Bo Horvat -- Maxim Shabanov

Anders Lee -- Mathew Barzal -- Kyle Palmieri

Anthony Duclair -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Simon Holmstrom

Maxim Tsyplakov -- Casey Cizikas -- Emil Heineman

Alexander Romanov -- Tony DeAngelo

Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock

Matthew Schaefer -- Scott Mayfield

Ilya Sorokin

Semyon Varlamov

David Rittich