NY Islanders' Biggest Question Mark Heading Into Training Camp

What is the biggest question mark for the New York Islanders heading into training camp right now?

Apr 9, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders head coach Peter DeBoer speaks to the press following the team’s 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As the offseason has gone a bit quiet in the NHL, the New York Islanders will be starting to prepare for the regular season with training camp right around the corner. However, they will have some important questions to answer before the start of the 2026-27 campaign. 

Following what has been a bit of a quiet summer for the Islanders, the team will be hoping to be a bit improved compared to last season. New York didn’t do much to the roster in terms of improving, but the hope will be that young players developing and veterans coming back from injuries will solve a lot of their problems. 

With the season expanding to 84 games this year, everything has moved up a bit, and training camp is shockingly almost here already for New York. With a new era starting for the team, there will be no shortage of things that need to be addressed. 

Training camp is quickly approaching and arguably the biggest question mark for the Islanders is what the right side of the defense is going to look like. 

Defense on the Right Side

Apr 12, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) carries the puck against the Montreal Canadiens in the third period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alexander Wohl-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While New York has no shortage of talent on the blueline, a lot of that talent is on the left-hand side. Currently on that side with the returning Alexander Romanov, it has become a bit crowded. 

The quick emergence of Matthew Schaefer into a star player in the league has propelled him to the first pair. While Adam Pelech has been a very good player for a long time for New York, he is now behind Schaefer on that side. 

Furthermore, with some talented left-handed defensemen who are prospects as well, the Islanders will have some decisions to make soon. Due to the surplus of talent on that side of some young players perhaps close to being ready for a role in the NHL, there is a possibility that Schaefer could move to the right-hand side. 

This would be a little bit of a bold move, but a talent like him should be able to handle it. If that ended up being the case, it would slide Ryan Pulock down to the second-pair, likely with Romanov, and Tony DeAngelo would move to the third-pair. If that ended up being the case, Scott Mayfield would be the odd man out of the lineup. 

Overall, while the defensive pairings and positions are certainly a big question right now, it is one that Peter DeBoer will be able to figure out before the start of the season.