2026-27 Campaign Could Be Final Year for NY Islanders Fan-Favorite in New York

Will the 2026-27 campaign be the final year for a long-time fan-favorite of the New York Islanders?

Mar 21, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of a New York Islanders logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during warm-up before the game against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Islanders are coming off a solid campaign last season and will be hoping to once again take a step forward. However, with a new regime taking over, there are likely to be more changes that will be coming. 

As the Islanders prepare for the upcoming season, the team is a bit of a tricky one to try and figure out. New York really didn’t do much this summer to improve their roster, with the most notable addition being Matias Maccelli. 

However, the team is expected to get some good veterans back that missed a lot of time last year, and that could end up making the difference for them. Players like Kyle Palmieri and Alexander Romanov could be difference-makers for the team if healthy, and they could be seen as the additions. 

While this could be enough to get them into the playoffs, the team will also be continuing to think about the future. There are numerous players who will be entering the final years of their contracts, and there’s a good chance that the roster will look a lot different after next season. 

One of the players who is in the final year of his deal is center Casey Cizikas. As one of the veterans on the team, the 2026-27 campaign could be his last with New York. 

Will This Be the Final Year for Cizikas in New York?

Mar 21, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New York Islanders center Casey Cizikas (53) plays the puck against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After seeing the Islanders part ways with their captain Anders Lee, the team is clearly starting to go in a bit of a different direction, with Mathieu Darche and Peter DeBoer putting a roster together that they think is best. 

Darche was pretty clear about not wanting to hand out a multi-year deal for Lee, and that ultimately resulted in him signing with the Utah Mammoth in free agency.

Now, after this season, the long-time fourth line center for the Islanders will be a free agent and at 35 years old now, could be playing his final year for the team. While Cizikas is a fan favorite and the last remaining member of the beloved “Identity Line” for the team, he might not fit in the future plans for the franchise. 

Due to the signing of Jean-Gabriel Pageau, he very well could be slated to move to the fourth line next season, with perhaps the young Calum Ritchie taking over as the third-line center. 

If Ritchie is ready for the role, that would almost certainly result in Cizikas playing in his final year with the Islanders. Seeing him leave would be another tough blow for the fanbase, but if young talent like Ritchie is ready for a bigger role and the team making a commitment already to Pageau, the writing could be on the wall for his future.