NY Islanders' Matthew Schaefer Predicted to Accomplish Impressive Feat

What will year two look like for New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer?

Apr 11, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) shoots the puck in the second period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alexander Wohl-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Even though it has been a bit of a quiet summer for the New York Islanders, this is still a team that will be hopeful to contend for a playoff spot this coming season. In order to do so, they will need their young star to continue to improve. 

Following many years of success, the Islanders elected to make some changes with their roster and front office due to various reasons. Mathieu Darche took over as the new general manager and will be looking to lead New York into a new era. 

Since taking over, there has been a focus on the future, and the drafting and development of some of their young players has been impressive. However, the Islanders did get a little bit lucky in the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery. 

New York landed the first overall pick and selected defenseman Matthew Schaefer. He was able to make the team right out of camp and had one of the best rookie seasons of all-time for a blueliner. 

Now, expectations for the young skater are going to be through the roof heading into next year. However, even though he was fantastic as a rookie, there is reason to believe he could be even better. 

Adam Gretz of Bleacher Report recently wrote about some bold predictions for all of the teams in the league. For the Islanders, it was that Schaefer would score 30 goals. 

30 Goals Doesn’t Seem Unrealistic

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

Last year, the 18-year-old totaled 59 points on 23 goals and 36 assists. That amount of production for a rookie defenseman is unheard of, and the sky appears to be the limit. 

Considering he was able to do this as a rookie, there is a legitimate reason to believe that he could be even better going forward. 

For the Islanders, they were in need of a star player like Schaefer to come in and turn things around. That has fortunately been the case, and what looked like it was going to have to be a rebuild for a few years has instead turned into them being a playoff contender. 

When looking at what he might accomplish in year two, there is certainly a scenario in which he reaches the 30-goal mark. Schaefer is going to play a massive role on a power play unit that will hopefully be better under Peter DeBoer, and that could help him reach that mark. 

Overall, as one of the best young players in the entire NHL, the sky is the limit for Schaefer.