NYI Hockey Now

The season begins in Matthew Schaefer days (48 days).

With a lot of excitement surrounding the year, when push comes to shove, the whole thing could be decided entirely based on the success (or failure) of two key players.

Why the Islanders' Season Could Be Decided By Two Key Players There are 48 days until the New York Islanders' season begins. All of the Islanders' business, including signing Matthew Schaefer to his entry-level deal, is done. Islanders' General Manager Mathieu Darche already told fans publicly he does not plan on extending any PTOs for training camp. The roste...

Alright fans, jury duty is finally finished for this guy. Now I can get back to this:

August Mailbag Part Two: Ritchie's Arrival & Pageau's Future, Holmstrom's Potential

August Mailbag Part Two: Ritchie's Arrival & Pageau's Future, Holmstrom's Potential The dead of summer is slowly trickling away. Here in New York, the recent stretch from the Yankees and Mets have not exactly helped the summer float away for those interested. As for me, and where I've been these last two weeks? Grand Jury Duty. Wholly unexpected and unplanned, obviously, and it lef...

That was fun. Here's part one of your mailbag in August, highlighting potential move over the next 12 months.

August Mailbag Part One: Possible Additions, Big Game Hunting & More Never let anyone tell you that the New York Islanders don't have one of the strongest and most dedicated fan bases around. On a hot August weekend, I put out a mailbag and received enough questions that we'll have another part to this mailbag. Let's dive right into your questions and get you answers...

The Dog Days of August are fully settling in. The season starts in 68 days.

I've decided to open up the mailbag for any and all questions here:

August Mailbag: Submit All Your Questions Here This is the longest part of the hockey summer, and it isn't particularly close. All business is done, except PTOs and last-minute UFA contracts to get handed out before training camps open in roughly 6–7 weeks. For the New York Islanders, I wouldn't expect any PTOs, except maybe for a veteran defe...

Sign of the Times: Two Major Podcasts Host Barzal & Martin

Sign of the Times: Two Major Podcasts Host Barzal & Martin The dog days of summer continue to trickle by, especially in this awful heat. I swear, a couple more days of 90+ degree days, and we'll all melt away. Following Maxim Tsyplakov's two-year contract extension, the New York Islanders' summer is over. There may be some minor updates here and there, but....

Good morning, fans.

Here's a small news roundup, along with a debate centered around Engvall and Gatcomb.

Islanders Slapshots: Tsyplakov Arbitration Date, Engvall or Gatcomb July is finally almost over, folks. The New York Islanders' summer of change is all but over. Still, there's some business to attend to, but nothing too scary at this point. Maxim Tsyplakov Arbitration Date Set: The headline first. PuckPedia revealed arbitration dates for each remaining RFA, with ar...

Before the announcement of his child, I wrote a quick story on the and Tsyplakov ahead of arbitration opening this week.

A deal may be all but done, but Tsyplakov asked for a pause to focus on family ahead of his child's birth (Congrats, Maxim).

Thoughts on Tsyplakov & the Islanders Ahead of Arbitration Window Opening Tomorrow The dead of summer is a real thing, folks. The New York Islanders' season begins in 82 days, and mostly everything's set in stone. Some news trickles in here and there. The looming story right now is that of Maxim Tsyplakov and Matthew Schaefer, both of whom remain unsigned. Tsyplakov, 26, will be s...

The 2025-26 schedule is here.

The most daunting stretch easily comes in January, when NYI will head on the road for seven straight, taking on in this order: NSH, MIN, WPG, EDM, CGY, VAN, and SEA. All seven games take place in just 13 days.

Islanders Release 2025-26 Schedule; Long Road Trips a Big Key Is it October yet? We're officially just 85 days away from the return of New York Islanders' hockey following the release of the 2025-26 schedule. The Islanders return to 7 p.m. home starts after years of 7:30 starts. Of the team's 41 home games, a gargantuan 13 are afternoon games, including five a...

Russell's Roundup: 2025 Draft Picks Signing; Latest Trade Buzz

Russell's Roundup: 2025 Draft Picks Signing; Latest Trade Buzz It's officially the dead of summer. Make no mistake, things are still fizzling in the NHL, but things are closer to a simmer than a boil. If you drive about 400 miles west from Long Island, you'll hit Pittsburgh. There's the home of essentially the entirety of major trade talk right now. You want Er...

The inked Victor Eklund to a three-year, entry-level deal.

Eklund himself said he plans on playing 2025-26 in Sweden, and this won't change that.

MORE:

Eklund Inks ELC, First of the Islanders' 2025 Draft Class The New York Islanders' 2025 Draft Class has its first signee. The organization inked F Victor Eklund to a three-year, entry-level deal. The Islanders drafted Eklund, 18, with the 16th overall pick in the 2025 Draft, a complete and total steal in that position. A consensus top-ten talent, Eklund ran...

The own a top prospect system in the NHL. The only team with more than three players in the top 35 drafted prospects? NYI, per The Athletic today. NYI has five, the rest have three or fewer.

That stockpile only grows in 2026. One name to watch:

One 2026 Draft Prospect the Islanders Should Keep An Eye On Summer vacations find themselves well underway across the NHL. While small matters of business remain active, the big news is finished. On Wednesday, the league will unveil its 2025-26 Schedule. Today, the league unveiled a triple-header for opening night. For the New York Islanders, all that seemin...

All debate and uncertainty for the roster has been (rightly) centered around the forwards.

What about the defense? There are some key decisions to make.

Is the Islanders' Opening-Night Defense Already Set in Stone? While all the excitement and drama of the summer for the New York Islanders may be over, the roster drama is just beginning. The forward group is extremely clogged, setting up an extremely intriguing training camp. Those same forwards also dominate the talking points thus far in the summer. That dis...