NY Islanders Predicted To Have Multiple Prospects in Lineup by Next Season

There is a lot of intriguing young talent working its way through the New York Islanders prospect pipeline.

Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Victor Eklund is selected as the 16th overall pick to the New York Islanders in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Islanders didn’t do a ton to shake up their roster this offseason for a few reasons, one of them being the massive amount of cap space the team is projected to have next summer.

Early projections have the Islanders being about $40 million under the salary cap, giving general manager Mathieu Darche ample flexibility to upgrade the roster around franchise cornerstone defenseman Matthew Schaefer.

Another reason the team didn’t bring on too many pieces, as they signed forward Matias Maccelli and goalie Vitek Vanecek to one-year deals, was to ensure the younger players who are working their way through the system wouldn’t be blocked at the NHL level should they prove ready for a spot on the team.

The readiness of the prospects is something that Stefan Rosner of The Elmonters was asked about in a recent mailbag. He was asked to look into the future and predict which players would be on the roster by the end of the 2027-28 season.

Islanders have a lot of intriguing young talent nearing NHL

Jan 2, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Canada defensemen Kashawn Aitcheson (2) controls the puck against Slovakia during the second period in the quarterfinals of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship at 3M Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“By the end of the 2027-28 season, I expect Victor Eklund, Cole Eiserman, Danny Nelson, Kashawn Aitcheson and Malte Gustafsson to all be in the Islanders’ lineup,” Rosner wrote.

Prospect ranking lists vary depending on the outlet, but those five players are unanimous top 10 players in this system heading into the 2026-27 season, and there is no reason that should change by the end of the 2027-28 campaign.

Eklund made his NHL debut in Game 82 of the 2025-26 campaign and will push for a real role in training camp this year. He was one of three first-round picks the team made in 2025, along with Aitcheson and Schaefer.

Eiserman could also get a look during camp in a few weeks, and it would not be a surprise if he is part of the roster this upcoming spring. Gustafsson, the team’s first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, will be overseas for one more year before making the move here.

Islanders already have next wave emerging on roster

Feb 26, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New York Islanders center Calum Ritchie (64) skates against the Montreal Canadiens during the third period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While New York fans are assuredly happy about those players working their way through the system, there are others already on the roster who are giving a glimpse into what the future will look like on Long Island.

Cal Ritchie was promoted this past season and is set for an expanded role this winter as a center. Schaefer, who will be 19 years old, is one of the best building blocks in the NHL at the blueline.

Defenseman Isaiah George, who is considered a top 10 prospect right now, is also going to be given every chance to make the roster out of training camp this fall.

These are exciting times for the Islanders, who also have an excellent goaltending prospect, Dimitri Gazmin, whose deal with CSKA Moskva in the KHL runs through 2028. That is likely why he isn’t predicted to be on the NHL roster at that point as a backup to Ilya Sorokin.