NY Islanders Not Addressing Key Area This Offseason Could Haunt Them

Will the New York Islanders regret not addressing a key need this offseason?

Feb 26, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of a New York Islanders logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during the third period at Bell Centre. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the offseason continuing on, the New York Islanders could be mostly done with their major moves. However, they didn’t address one area that seemed to be their most pressing this offseason. 

Coming into the summer, the Islanders were a bit handcuffed in what they were going to be able to accomplish. With some bad contracts on the books, New York was never going to have a ton of cap flexibility this summer. Fixing that is a goal of general manager Mathieu Darche, and the plan will be for them to be in a much better spot next summer. 

However, with the team seeking to get better, they would have likely had to work the trade market in order to do so. The Islanders seemed hesitant to give players deals for longer than one year, and that resulted in them losing Anders Lee to the Utah Mammoth on a three-year deal. 

While it wasn’t a super busy period in free agency, they did have a need to get some help in the scoring department. Unfortunately, that was a need that wasn’t addressed.  

Islanders Not Adding Scorer Could Haunt Them 

Mar 26, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal (13) controls the puck in the first period against the Dallas Stars at UBS Arena. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Coming into the summer, a clear need for the team was to get some help in the scoring department. New York is no stranger to needing help in this area, and it continues to be an issue. 

Last season, it was Bo Horvat who was the only 30-goal scorer for the team. However, the Islanders only had two other players reach the 20-goal mark, and that was defenseman Matthew Schaefer and forward Emil Heineman. 

Furthermore, even though Lee is 35 years old, he still scored 19 goals last year, which was as many as Mathew Barzal. When looking at players that the team needs to be a bit more aggressive in terms of trying to put the puck in the net, Barzal is certainly one of them. 

He is one of the best skaters in the league and an excellent playmaker, but sometimes he needs to be a bit more aggressive when it comes to shooting. With the team lacking natural goal scorers around him, it is Barzal who will need to focus on trying to help in that regard. 

While the addition of Matias Maccelli was a strong move for the franchise, he is another playmaker on the wing. The Islanders, on paper, could have some trouble putting the puck in the net once again this season, and that could come back to haunt them.