NY Islanders Understandably Predicted To Not Sign Free Agent Forward

Will the New York Islanders add a free agent to a crowded forwards group?

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. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Islanders have had a mostly quiet offseason, but there is still some time to improve if they do choose to make some moves. 

Coming into the summer, the Islanders had some mixed expectations for what the offseason could look like. Even though the team didn’t have a great cap situation, they do have a plethora of prospects and could have been aggressive in the trade market if they wanted to be. 

However, general manager Mathieu Darche is trying to build up this team for the future, and trading away some of the top prospects that the team is high on right now doesn’t match with that mindset. 

Furthermore, due to the cap space being tight, it also resulted in them not making too many moves in free agency. The Islanders added the talented forward Matias Maccelli on an excellent value contract, but that was pretty much it. 

While most of the free agents have been signed, there are still a couple of players out there who could make an impact for a team. One of them is forward Patrik Laine. Due to injury concerns, he remains unsigned, but has been seen as a potential option for New York. 

Erik Beaston of Bleacher Report recently predicted that despite the Islanders reaching out to Laine, he will end up signing elsewhere before the season. 

Laine Could Help Islanders in Key Area

Oct 16, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens right wing Patrik Laine (92) looks on during warm-up before the game against the Nashville Predators at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While he might not be a perfect fit, with injuries of late being a major concern, Laine could help the Islanders on the scoring front. This is a team that struggled immensely on the power play the last couple of years, and that is still something that the veteran forward could provide. 

In the last three years, Laine has played in just 75 games. However, during that same span, he has scored 16 goals on the man-advantage. With the 2024-25 campaign being the season in which he was able to stay relatively healthy, he totaled 15 power-play goals in 52 games. 

For an Islanders team that ranked 30th in power play percentage, Laine would be able to help improve in that area. However, New York doesn’t have a clear spot for him at forward, and that makes a potential fit a bit tricky. 

Furthermore, if the Islanders would only be interested in giving him a PTO, surely some other team would have a more appealing offer for Laine. 

Overall, while he would help the power play unit, there doesn’t seem like there would be a clear spot for him to step into the lineup, which would surely be something he would want.