Is the Islanders 7th defenseman already in the system?
As the calendar creeps closer to September and the start of training camp for the upcoming 25/26 NHL season, questions abound as to the defensive lineup for the Islanders. Currently, the Isles have six returning defensemen under contract, so that leaves the team having to choose who will be the seventh defenseman to make the club out of camp. The Isles top four will most likely be Tony DeAngelo, Alex Romanov, Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech barring any injuries. That leaves a questionable pairing of Scott Mayfield and Adam Boqvist to fill out the third pair, which isn’t good enough for the team to bounce back after a disappointing season. Adam Boqvist proved he can be valuable on the power play, contributing six of his 14 points while man-up for the season. Mayfield, on the other hand, led the team with a +18 last season (+28 for his career) and averaging 17:00 a game. So, who’s the odd man out?
Who will challenge for an opening night roster spot?
New York Islanders Development Camp | Bruce Bennett/GettyImages
Currently, the Islanders have 14 defensive players under some sort of contract to start training camp for the 2025/26 season. After the above-mentioned six players, that leaves the Isles with deciding who will be added to the mix to battle for the final spot at defense. The obvious choice is going to be Matthew Schaefer, the soon-to-be 18-year old selected with the first overall pick in this year’s draft. He almost immediately signed an entry-level contract and will get the longest look, so it’s his spot to lose going into camp this fall. Then there’s the Isaiah George project entering year two. His struggles last season are well chronicled, but what if the former 4th round pick shows up mentally prepared to truly battle for a roster spot this season? Lastly, what about a more veteran presence with the likes of Ethan Bear. He’s got 275 games of NHL experience, and even though he was signed as a depth player to Bridgeport, he will have an opportunity to show why the Capitals signed him to a $4.15 million deal just two seasons ago.
Islanders really only have two defensemen that are safe going into camp
Dallas Stars v New York Islanders | Bruce Bennett/GettyImages
So the Islanders have six returning players at defense under contract, but that doesn’t mean their jobs are a lock. Alex Romanov just signed an eight-year extension and former NHL castaway Tony DeAngelo played so well last season, the Islanders resigned him for the upcoming season. If young guns Schaefer and George show that they are NHL ready out of camp, what will GM Mathieu Darche do? Given that Schaefer will at least get the NHL minimum eight-game look to see if he really is the franchise player the Islanders are hoping for, what if a dark horse emerges to stake a claim for NHL minutes? Schaefer most likely will play alongside stay-at-home defenseman Adam Pelech to start camp. Considering then a possible combination of Adam Boqvist and Ryan Pulock for the third pairing, that leaves the 30-year old Scotty Mayfield and his $3.5 million cap hit the odd man out. If they were to move Mayfield, the Isles would most likely have to eat some of the salary or they could just buy him out (ala Rick DiPietro). It’s also no secret that the Isles shopped Pulock at the trade deadline last season. Then there’s the injury issue with Pelech, which has plagued him for the past several seasons. That means going into camp, the Islanders have seven players fighting for five spots. Hopefully, the competition will bring out the best in these athletes and give the Isles options. Either way, it’s going to be interesting and fun to see how the Islanders defense pans out going into this season and beyond.