Roster/Rumors/Speculation/Trade Talk - 2025-26: Welcome to the Darche Side

[miscs75]

Sure. Bear is probably looking to be the 7th d man on the Islanders this season. Not saying he’s gonna be but there’s a chance.

He’s ranked elite in NHL 24 so that has to mean something for him. Then again Adam Boqvist is ranked the same thing.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

I kind of sense that if we haven’t dealt anything by Thursday, we are basically not doing anything except explore how we can get our UFAs signed and let’s see what Deboer can do with the group. If that does happen, expect a less than 91pt season probably just around 80-84pts which again will have us on the outside looking in come playoffs.

As far as the active NHL roster is concerned, maybe so.

However, WRT the draft, we may not know what's happening with pick 13 until we're up to bat.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

Runitbacklanders

A new character on The Boys?

 

[TeamKidd]

Some wanted to move Barzal for less.

 

[Lek]

Some wanted to move Barzal for less.

Wow.....

 

[SI]

That is some work there...do not know how you all do that. A lot of pieces to fall the right way for all that to happen, less the draft picks. Certainly would not complain if it happened that way though Lee at 1 year - 1 mil is not happening.

Look at the Benn contract - 1m guaranteed and then easy bonuses that bring it to 3-4m. As long as the team can accrue cap space and not be on LTIR then the team can absorb that bonus $ - there will be some $ that rolls over but with 113 as the cap next year they can take it

 

[SI]

Wow.....

That is an overpay. And it looks like Florida will make a move Hellebyuck - 9th overall + 25th + 2027 2nd and maybe another piece.

And if that is the case all eyes in Islanders nation should be on Kyle Connor!

 

[MJF]

He's staying witht the Ducks. Heard mgmt. got his wife a job in the area.

I’ll cross him off the list.

 

[MikeyMike01]

Feels like the Islanders are under the Lou cone of silence with nothing to report and no chatter. Is that a good thing or there are several changes in the works that need to be kept quiet.

We would think that there would be some chatter that would have leaked out.

Leaks are never a good thing, regardless of who’s in charge or what the plan is.

 

[I am the Problem]

Look at the Benn contract - 1m guaranteed and then easy bonuses that bring it to 3-4m. As long as the team can accrue cap space and not be on LTIR then the team can absorb that bonus $ - there will be some $ that rolls over but with 113 as the cap next year they can take it

I like this Idea for Lee. The reality is that he was overpaid on his last contract due to the team not wanting to lose another player after Tavares situation.

 

[seafoam]

Some wanted to move Barzal for less.

Maybe Botterill doubles down and moves #7 + for him now

 

[Taswell]

Why is that unlikely?

I do think the islander's will be active, and it will be filling RD. It's kind of odd that people think that they won't. The have one hell of a selling point.

For me, it’s a few things. One has to do with his wife. Originally, he wanted to stay in NY because she was in med school. If she found a great gig out in Cali after graduation, maybe they want to stay in Cali. I haven’t kept up with Ducks news, but I know Gudas is set to leave, maybe they want to keep Trouba?

Secondly, teams have a lot of silly money to throw around, more than we do. Price could just become untenable for us.

Third, does he want to go play for a winner? He’d have pretty much his pick of the litter since most teams have the cash to throw and a RD is always appealing.

Finally, I’m not sure our GM sees defense as much of a need as the rest of us do. Feels likely that it’s just re-sign Tony D, add a 7th depth defenseman, and call it a day. I very much anticipate the “We did add to our defense, Romanov is back after missing most of the year” type response.

 

[MikeyMike01]

My 2026 Isles Offseason - TRADE DOWN Version.
Alright, here is my complete blueprint for the 2026 offseason, where we trade down. The goal here was to keep this team competitive (into a heavy, playoff-ready roster) and continue to restock the pipeline with dynamic high-end talent.

I moved out underperforming contracts, traded down to add more picks, and landed a massive fish via sign-and-trade and free agency. Here is the breakdown -

The Trades

• Anthony Duclair to Nashville for a 2026 5th Round Pick (No Retention): Duke still has great speed analytics and put up nearly 30 points in 60 games last year. Nashville has picks to burn and needs top-9 speed. Clear the $3.5M for 2 years completely off the books.
• Maxim Shabanov to Calgary/Vancouver/St. Louis for a 2026 4th Round Pick: Swapping out depth for asset capital.
• The Alex Tuch Blockbuster: Isles trade our own 5th-round pick to Buffalo for the exclusive rights to Alex Tuch. Right before free agency hits, they pull the loophole trigger on a massive 8-year, $84M sign-and-trade ($10.5M AAV). He’s a premier top-six power forward who anchors our top-six line and fits a strong forechecking identity.
• Romanov: Isles ship Alexander Romanov to the San Jose Sharks. He has no trade protection, and to fit Tuch’s contract, a contract had to be moved out. Sharks have the 27th Overall Pick AND the 62nd Overall Pick (via Colorado) - really 61st since Vegas 2nd was forfeited. This gives Isles a 2nd AND another 1st.
• The 13th Pick Trade Down: If Tynan Lawrence, Wyatt Cullen, or Daxon Rudolph do not fall to 13th, then maybe trading down is the best option. The Isles trade the 13th overall pick down to Pittsburgh. In return, the Pens give up Picks 22, 39, and 86 in the 2026 draft.
• The Goalie Flip: Isles pack up that 86th pick from Pittsburgh and the 4th-round pick from the Shabanov deal and send them away to Montreal for Sam Montembeault to anchor our tandem. At some point, Montembault was considered the top goalie for Team Canada.
• The Palat Dance Partner: Isles flip Ondrej Palat straight up for Ryan Graves ($4.5M AAV with 3 years left). Crucial detail: We wait until right after July 1st so Pittsburgh pays its signing bonus before the trade logs. He provides depth and can play both sides… he adds to the cap next season, but the cap goes up to 113 next season. It is probably better to just BUY PALAT OUT! but it sounds like that won't be the case. Having depth on the blueline is key, and they move out Romanov, then Isles will need some security. This all hinges on my belief that Graves is not totally cooked.

DRAFT DAY 2026

• 22nd OA: Maddex Dagenais (C, QMJHL) — 6’4, C
  
  • Contemplated Gleb Pugachoyov, but went with the C. If Novotny somehow falls to 22 - I think I would pick him over Dagenais.
• 27th OA: Preston Mathis (RW, WHL) — Dynamic, game-breaking speed.
• 39th OA: Casey Murtryn (RW, NCAA) - Big Power F
  • Thought about Adam Goljer, RHD here too.
• 62nd OA: Måns Gudmundsson (RHD, Sweden)
• 109th OA: Tim Runtso (RHD, WHL)
• 141st OA: Michael Berchild (LW, USHL/Denver)
  • Thought about Myles Brosnan, RHD - not against picking 3 RHD prospects in this draft.
• 173rd OA: Brian McFadden (RHD)
• 205th OA: Hudson Lohse (LHD) - personal connection.

FREE AGENCY

• Anders Lee: Re-signed to a highly efficient 1-year, $1M contract heavily loaded with incentives (the Jamie Benn special).
• John Carlson: Signed to a 3-year, $21M contract ($7M AAV). He wanted $20M total cash; they give it to him spread over 3 years. It's heavily front-loaded with no trade protection in the final year, making it incredibly movable down the line.

To Hamilton

• Semyon Varlamov: Sent down to Hamilton (AHL). If he proves he's fully healthy, we showcase him for a deadline trade. He has not played a game in 2 seasons. They cannot go into the season relying on that.
• Pierre Engvall: Wiped from the main roster to provide high-end, buried depth in the AHL.

Roster Breakdown

LW	CAPHIT	AGE	C	CAPHIT	AGE	RW	CAPHIT	AGE
HOLMSTROM	$3.65M	25	HORVAT	$8.50M	31	PALMIERI	$4.75M	35
HEINEMAN	$1.10M	24	BARZAL	$9.15M	29	TUCH	$10.50M	29
SCHENN	$6.50M	35	RITCHIE	$0.941M	22	EKLUND	$0.975M	19
LEE	$1.00M	36	PAGEAU	$4.85M	34	CIZIKAS	$2.50M	35
ENGVALL (AHL)	$1.77M	30	MACLEAN	$0.85M	26	GATCOMB	$1.00M	25

LEFT DEFENCE	CAP HIT	AGE	RIGHT DEFENCE	CAP HIT	AGE
SCHAEFER	$0.987M	19	CARLSON	$7.00M	35
PELECH	$5.75M	32	PULOCK	$6.15M	32
GEORGE	$0.839M	23	MAYFIELD	$3.50M	34
GRAVES	$4.50M	30

GOALTENDERS	CAP HIT	AGE
SOROKIN	$8.25M	31
MONTEMBAULT	$3.10M	29
VARLAMOV (AHL)	$1.525M	38

Bonus Overages: $3.5M
TOTAL CAP HIT: $103,139,500
AVAILABLE CAP SPACE: $860,500

THE UPDATED ISLES TOP 12 PROSPECT RANKINGS

1. Viktor Eklund (RW), NHL / Hamilton — Love this kid on the cusp of full-time NHL duty.
2. Kashawn Aitcheson (LHD), Hamilton (AHL) — OHL D-man of the Year. #Unleashtheviolence
3. Cole Eiserman (LW), Hamilton (AHL) — The sniper we have been pining for.
4. Preston Mathis (RW), WHL — Game-breaking top-10 offensive motor.
5. Maddex Dagenais (C), QMJHL — Massive 6'4" natural pivot option down the middle.
6. Danny Nelson (C), NCAA — Rock-solid, highly dependable pro-style matching center.
7. Dmitri Gamzin (G), KHL — Putting up elite numbers against grown men overseas.
8. Casey Mutryn (RW), NCAA — Heavy-hitting, elite net-front playoff weapon
9. Daniil Prokhorov (LW), Hamilton (AHL) — High-energy, elite forechecking beast.
10. Måns Gudmundsson (RHD), Europe — Smooth-skating transition specialist to anchor the right side.
11. Quinn Finley (LW), Hamilton (AHL) - Excited to see how his game translates from college to the Pros.
12. Isaiah George (LHD), NHL - I think he is ready to be the 6th D man on this team.

Honourable Mentions:
Kamil Bednarik (C), Xavier Veilleux (LHD), Tomas Poletin (LW), Jacob Kvasnicka (RW).

I’d rather not trade 26 year old Romanov at $6.25M—just to turn around and sign 35 year old Carlson for $7M until he’s 38.

 

[SI]

I’d rather not trade 26 year old Romanov at $6.25M—just to turn around and sign 35 year old Carlson for $7M until he’s 38.

Romanov cannot run a PP, and Carlson stabilizes the right side even at 35-36.
TDA is going to cost $ and term - not sure that is the way to go, but you need someone like TDA on the right... George is ready and Aitcheson will be ready in a season or 2. And I think moving Romanov before the NTC kicks in is also key.

 

[boredmale]

Personally the defenseman i focus on is Trouba. Basically hope his wife wants back to NY where I think we might have an inside track(given the Devils don't really need RHD and I am not sure he would want to go back to the Rangers)

 

[beach]

Bear and Barzal are best friends.The logic is that keeping Bear makes Barzal happy, and there is not going to be a trade because they want to play together.

I'm sorry but this is ridiculous. And, unless Barzy gets sent to the minors, they're not playing together.

 

[Sparksrus3]

Sure. Bear is probably looking to be the 7th d man on the Islanders this season. Not saying he’s gonna be but there’s a chance.

For him get to a call up the cupboard would have to be pretty - you finish it I can’t do it ..LGI

 

[YearlyLottery]

Romanov cannot run a PP, and Carlson stabilizes the right side even at 35-36.
TDA is going to cost $ and term - not sure that is the way to go, but you need someone like TDA on the right... George is ready and Aitcheson will be ready in a season or 2. And I think moving Romanov before the NTC kicks in is also key.

I was originally against trading Romanov, but at this point I am willing to roll the dice on guys like George and Warren.

It is not like we can get rid of Mayfield.

I also do not know the likliehood we can get rid of Pulock/Pelech either.

 

[SI90]

I might cry

 

[periferal]

Some wanted to move Barzal for less.

Really? I didn't see anyone calling for that. Name names.

 

[periferal]

I might cry

...Because you're so happy Brady got his freedom from Florida?

 

[SI90]

...Because you're so happy Brady got his freedom from Florida?

I wanted him on the isles. But we can’t afford to give up that package. Don’t have the team to make that gamble

 

[Glorydays22]

I might cry

we might have to trade Barzal with these crazy prices....we can get 2 TOP end prospects and 2 1st rounder for Barzal

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

Romanov cannot run a PP, and Carlson stabilizes the right side even at 35-36.
TDA is going to cost $ and term - not sure that is the way to go, but you need someone like TDA on the right... George is ready and Aitcheson will be ready in a season or 2. And I think moving Romanov before the NTC kicks in is also key.

Regarding TDA, I could easily be proven wrong, but between his past and the fact that this franchise was the one to pick him up off the scrapheap and give him a real job again, one he really did take the bull by the horns with, I don't think he wants or needs the money enough to "seek market value".

I think he'd happily stay here on a very fair and reasonable contract.

 

[miscs75]

Tkachuk-Bennett-Tkachuk is going to be an all time rat line.