NY Islanders Have To Address Imbalanced Defensemen

The New York Islanders have some work to do with their blueline.

Dec 23, 2024; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Isaiah George (36) controls the puck in the third period against the Buffalo Sabres at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The New York Islanders didn’t make too many moves with their roster this offseason, which left some fans disappointed.

After just falling short of the playoffs in the 2025-26 season, there were some hoping they would make an aggressive move or two to put the team over the top. Alas, they are hoping for the return of several key veterans, such as right winger Kyle Palmieri and defenseman Alexander Romanov, who represent upgrades for the roster.

That, along with expected improvement from young players on the roster, is what the Islanders are selling for the upcoming campaign before they have a massive amount of cap space to use next offseason.

While the roster looks set for the most part, there is still one major issue looming over this roster: imbalance at the blueline. A right-shot defenseman is still needed to round out this depth chart ahead of training camp.

Islanders could have too many left-handed defensemen on roster

Nov 8, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov (28) at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bringing back Tony DeAngelo on a two-year contract was a nice move by New York. When he was out of the lineup at the end of the season, the team’s performance fell off. He will help balance things out, but there could be an overabundance of left-handed shooting defensemen on the roster.

Matthew Schaefer is locked into a top-pairing role as a lefty. Romanov, who was a top-four defenseman before his injuries, is also left-handed. As is Adam Pelech, who was one of five players to average more than 20 minutes of ice time per game during the 2025-26 season.

Where things will get difficult for head coach Peter DeBoer is if Isaiah George makes the team. He is another left-handed defenseman, and the Islanders aren’t going to put him on the NHL roster without having a clear-cut plan on getting him on the ice.

Islanders have some young defensemen moving through system

Jan 2, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Canada defensemen Kashawn Aitcheson (2) controls the puck against Slovakia during the second period in the quarterfinals of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship at 3M Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Not blocking youngsters from making and contributing to the NHL roster is a top priority of general manager Mathieu Darche; it is what was used to make some of the roster decisions he did this offseason.

George is going to be given every opportunity to make this roster, but his addition would require the front office and coaching staff to figure out how to balance things along the blueline. In an ideal world, a lefty wouldn’t have to play on the right side, but that could be the predicament New York finds itself in early in the season.

It will be one of the biggest storylines to keep an eye on once training camp gets underway in September. A trade to alleviate the logjam could eventually occur, especially with Kashawn Aitcheson and Malte Gustafsson also being in the organizational pipeline on the defensive depth chart.