Why NY Islanders Might Regret Not Making Major Upgrades

Will the New York Islanders regret not making a big splash?

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 are coming off a good campaign, and the future is bright for the team. However, the team didn’t do much to get better this summer. 

It has been an interesting early part of the tenure for new general manager Mathieu Darche. The new leader of the front office didn’t inherit a great situation from the Islanders, but landing the first overall pick who ended up being Matthew Schaefer changed the outlook for the team quickly. 

It isn’t often that a player can come in and play as well as the new face of the franchise for the Islanders, and his success resulted in them performing much better overall than expected. 

Due to their surprising success, Darche made a couple of surprising moves ahead of the trade deadline to try and help get the team into the playoffs. However, the additions of Brayden Schenn and Ondrej Palat did not work out well and, with both under contract for this coming season, are seen as not the most ideal contracts for the team. 

Since New York had limited cap space and free agency wasn’t the best to begin with, improving through that avenue felt unlikely. However, with a lot of good prospects, the team could have looked to be more aggressive on the trade market. 

Islanders Might Regret Not Landing Upgrades

Apr 9, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) reacts after scoring a goal in the second period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As the team gets set for next season, what they will be able to accomplish is a bit uncertain right now. There is reason to believe that they could be better with Schaefer heading into year two and the development of some of their other young talent. 

Furthermore, getting players like Kyle Palmieri and Alexander Romanov will also help the team improve. In free agency, the team didn’t have a lot of cap space to work with, but the signing of Matias Maccelli could be a great one at a very reasonable price tag of $2.25 for one year. 

While Maccelli is a great value addition, he isn’t going to be a needle mover, more than likely to the degree the Islanders need. New York is a team that has struggled in the scoring department for many years, and landing a top-six caliber forward would have helped them improve quite a bit. 

Overall, while the timeline for the team to contend should still be a long one with Schaefer being so young, the Islanders do have the prospects available to make a major move if they see fit.