Why the NY Islanders Will End Their Playoff Drought This Season

Here's why the New York Islanders will be able to end their playoff drought this season.

Apr 9, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders head coach Peter DeBoer speaks to the press following the team’s 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As the offseason gets set to wrap up soon, the New York Islanders will be getting ready for the start of training camp and the regular season soon after. However, how good this team will be is an interesting question. 

In the first year with Mathieu Darche running the front office, the Islanders were able to exceed expectations. It felt like this was a team that was going to be doing a bit of a rebuild, but a great draft pick in 2025 helped change their fortunes. 

With a chance to make the playoffs last year, the Islanders were aggressive at the trade deadline, but the moves unfortunately didn’t work out, and New York struggled down the stretch. 

Even though the Islanders missed the playoffs, the team showed that they are close, and the expectation will be for them to challenge for a spot this coming year. Here is why they might be able to achieve that goal. 

Why Islanders Will Make Playoffs

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

Even though the team didn’t make any major moves this offseason to improve, there are reasons to believe that they will be better. Having a full year with a coach like Peter DeBoer should help get the most out of this roster, and that will be a positive. 

Furthermore, there were some key players like Kyle Palmieri and Alexander Romanov out. Palmieri can be a 25-goal scorer when healthy, and that fills a major need for the Islanders. Also, Romanov being back will further improve what should be a really strong blueline for New York. 

What will likely really make or break the year for the Islanders is going to be the development of some of their young players. Matthew Schaefer is heading into his second year with the team, and his taking another step up could be a massive jolt for the team. 

Schaefer totaled 59 points last year, and there is a reason to believe that he could come close to a point-per-game player in his second year and challenge Barzal for the most points on the team. 

While Schaefer taking a leap will be important, so too will be the development of guys like Victor Eklund, Calum Ritchie, Simon Holmstrom, and Emil Heineman. All four of these players are either 25 years old or younger, and how good this group can be will determine a lot for the Islanders. 

Overall, with the Metropolitan Division seemingly being a bit open, that will also help the Islanders’ chances. The expectation under DeBoer will certainly be to make the playoffs, and there are enough reasons to be optimistic about it.