NY Islanders Receive Disappointing Offseason Grade So Far

The New York Islanders did not receive a strong grade for their efforts so far this offseason.

Nov 22, 2025; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders General Manager Mathieu Darche speaks with fans at a pre-game event prior to the game against the St. Louis Blues at UBS Arena. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the offseason continuing for the New York Islanders, the team will be hoping to see some improvements heading into next season. 

Coming off a year in which the team was better than anticipated, the direction of the Islanders is a bit of an interesting one. Right at the end of the season, they fired Patrick Roy and hired Peter DeBoer. This move came as a major shock, but it also has changed some of the expectations for the team. 

However, while the team might have played last season, they also overachieved a bit. Matthew Schaefer and Ilya Sorokin both had amazing campaigns, and replicating that will be challenging. Now, with cap space being limited, it was going to be hard for the Islanders to make meaningful moves this offseason. So far, that has proven to be true, and New York might not be better as of now than they were last season. 

Shayna Goldman of The Athletic (subscription required) recently graded the offseason for the Islanders so far and gave them the disappointing mark of a C+.

New York Doesn’t Move the Needle

Dec 23, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Islanders center Anders Lee (27) plays the puck in front of Buffalo Sabres goalie Anders Nilsson (31) during the second period at Barclays Center. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Due to the team lacking cap space, making major moves in free agency this offseason was always going to be a challenge for the team. However, there were some notable players that were traded so far, and some of them could have helped the Islanders quite a bit. 

This was a team that really needed a top-six forward who could put the puck in the net, but they saw some logical targets sign elsewhere. Furthermore, while they didn’t make a splash in the trade market, they also saw their captain Anders Lee leave in free agency. 

The veteran forward signed a three-year deal with the Utah Mammoth, and the Islanders seemingly weren’t willing to come near the three years that he received from them. While it may not have been perfect this offseason, the addition of Matias Maccelli could be a great addition for the team. He is a young player that has a very high upside, and they got him for a reasonable number. 

Overall, while it might not have been a great offseason for the Islanders, this is a team that is looking toward the future. The team is expected to have a lot of cap space next summer, and that is when they might look to get aggressive. There is still a lot of time to go to make improvements, but New York might be mostly done at this point.