NY Islanders Make Multiple Roster Moves Regarding Their Young Talent

The New York Islanders have made multiple roster moves, most of which are regarding key young players.

Sep 22, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers right wing Eeli Tolvanen (17) and New York Islanders defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson (37) battle for control of the puck in the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the start of the regular season right around the corner, the New York Islanders have made some roster moves regarding some of their young talent. 

There were some mixed results for the Islanders in the preseason, and what this team will be during the 2026-27 campaign is still yet to be determined. On Saturday night in their tune-up against the New Jersey Devils, the Islanders struggled once again and lost by a score of 4-1. 

In the loss, the team didn’t have their star defenseman Matthew Schaefer, but even with him in the lineup, they likely wouldn’t have won this one. While it is just the preseason, the final two games the Islanders were outscored by 10-2. 

Fortunately, despite sitting against the Devils, Schaefer is expected to be fine, and it was just precautionary to hold him out. As the future of the franchise, being safe with him is certainly important. However, the team also was able to showcase a lot of other young talent during camp and the preseason. While the roster isn’t set yet, they did make a decision on three of their young players. 

Islanders Assign Trio to AHL

#Isles assign Isaiah George,Kashawn Aitcheson and Cole Eiserman to Hamilton (AHL) and place G Vitek Vanecek on waivers for the purpose of re-assignment to Hamilton.

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) September 27, 2026

New York has made the decision to assign their talented prospects Isaiah George, Kashawn Aitcheson and Cole Eiserman to the AHL. Of the three, George was certainly the one who the team was hoping would make the roster coming out of camp. 

One of the reasons why the team elected to move Schaefer to the right side of the blueline was to give George a spot. However, he obviously didn’t do enough to win the job, and he will be starting the year in the AHL. 

Furthermore, while Aitcheson was impressive this offseason, he is still very young, and not rushing him makes sense for New York. Eiserman is another player who was able to showcase what he can do in camp and the preseason. The shot that the talented winger has is certainly good, but this is a crowded forwards room, and he could still use some development. 

With the start of the season right around the corner, the Islanders will likely have their roster set soon. New York will still have some decisions to make, but also, in the moves they have made, they have waived Vitek Vanecek to get him to the AHL. 

Overall, these are some significant decisions made by the team, and the roster is starting to take shape for the Islanders.