NY Islanders Incorrectly Get Bad Placement in NHL Power Rankings

The New York Islanders recently received a poor placement in the NHL power rankings.

Apr 3, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; Philadelphia Flyers forward Trevor Zegras (46) and New York Islanders fordward Mathew Barzal (13) battle for a puck during the third period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alexander Wohl-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With a month to go before the start of the season for the New York Islanders, a quiet offseason has resulted in some mixed expectations for the franchise. 

The Islanders are coming off a 91-point season, and with a new era in New York with Mathieu Darche entering his second season and Peter DeBoer entering his first full one, the expectation is going to be that New York takes a step forward. 

For the Islanders, after falling apart a bit toward the end of the season, the goal for the team should undoubtedly be to get in the playoffs. The Eastern Conference did see a bit of a logjam toward the wild card race last year, and a bad stretch resulted in New York missing out. 

However, despite being a playoff contender last year, the team didn’t do much to make upgrades. The cap situation for the team wasn’t great following a couple of questionable additions at the trade deadline that didn’t work out. That certainly had an impact on how they were able to attack the summer, but there is still reason to believe that this will be an improved squad. 

Lyle Fitzsimmons of Bleacher Report recently released an NHL Power Rankings with a month before the start of the season. For the Islanders, they came in ranked 24th, which would put them as a potential Top 10 pick. 

Ranking is Concerning

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

Seeing the Islanders being ranked 24th coming into September is a bit concerning considering what many hope will be the year they snap a little playoff drought. 

While it would have been good to see the team add more than just Matias Maccelli this offseason, they will have some key players returning from injury as well. 

Getting a healthy Kyle Palmieri should be a major boost to their top six. Scoring has long been an issue for the Islanders, and if healthy, the veteran winger should be able to score over 20 goals. 

Furthermore, with the return of Alexander Romanov as well, the blueline for New York looks like it can be a major strength. 

While the team might not have added a lot, getting players of that caliber back and healthy could be seen as the offseason additions. 

Overall, with a star on the rise in Matthew Schaefer and one of the best goalies in the league in Ilya Sorokin, the Islanders are going to be a very capable team next year. As a playoff hopeful, a ranking of 24th feels a bit low, but New York will have plenty of time to move up.