Five questions facing the Islanders heading into training camp
Plenty of questions surround the Islanders as they enter their second full season under coach Patrick Roy and the first of general manager/executive vice president Mathieu Darche’s tenure seeking their first playoff series victory since 2021.
But perhaps the biggest is whether the transition from Hall of Famer Lou Lamoriello to Darche truly means these are the new-look Islanders or the team will continue to skirt the edge of NHL mediocrity, having missed the playoffs in two of the last four seasons?
That will be a developing answer. But here are five more immediate questions as the Islanders open training camp on Thursday:
1. What role(s) will Matthew Schaefer earn?
The No. 1 overall pick, who just turned 18 on Sept. 5, will be given every opportunity to make the opening-night roster and it would be a shock if the defenseman wasn’t in Pittsburgh with the team on Oct. 9 considering the excitement and interest he’s brought to the Islanders. The real question will be how judiciously the Islanders proceed with the elite-skating, mature-beyond-his-years Schaefer. He’ll likely start on a third pair with either Adam Boqvist or Scott Mayfield to minimize his initial exposure. But Schaefer will have the chance in training camp to prove he deserves power-play time with his strong passing skills and on-ice vision.
2. Will Semyon Varlamov participate?
The goalie, now 37 and entering the third season of a four-year, $11 million deal, missed the final 57 games last season with a knee injury that required surgery in December as he went just 3-4-3 with a 2.89 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage. There have been several starts-and-stops in Varlamov’s recovery and no indication whether he’s close to being able to rejoin his teammates, though he is skating. It certainly seems like way more than just a precaution that Darche signed veteran backup David Rittich to a one-year, $1 million deal when the free agent market opened on July 1. But Rittich went just 16-14-2 with a 2.81 GAA and an .887 save percentage for a strong Kings’ team last season.
3. Is Mathew Barzal a center or wing?
Roy said he intends to open training camp with Barzal back at center, in between Anders Lee and Kyle Palmieri. That’s Barzal’s natural position and, until Bo Horvat was acquired from the Canucks on Jan. 30, 2023, it was hard to conceive of using his elite skating and playmaking skills elsewhere. But Barzal has grown comfortable on Horvat’s wing and with the chemistry the two have developed. Plus, the defensive responsibilities are more straight forward playing wing, something else that worked well for Barzal, who is coming off right knee surgery and missed the final 31 games last season. The Islanders are deep at center with Horvat, Barzal, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Casey Cizikas, Kyle MacLean and rookie Calum Ritchie, acquired from the Avalanche in the Brock Nelson trade.
4. Can Maxim Shabanov earn a spot on the top line?
Roy is going to start camp with the 24-year-old former KHL standout, signed to a one-year, $975,000 deal, on Horvat’s wing along with free agent signee Jonathan Drouin. Asking the 5-9, 167-pound Russian, who had 23 goals and 44 assists in 65 games last season for Traktor Chelyabinsk, to immediately log top-line minutes with the associated defensive responsibilities as he acclimates to the smaller North American rinks and more physical NHL game may seem like a lot. And perhaps it will prove to be. But Shabanov’s strong wrist shot, skating and passing skills plus his willingness to check were readily evident during the Islanders’ rookie camp.
5. Who winds up in the bottom six?
There’s forward depth for Roy to formulate two strong checking lines to go with two scoring trios. But, assuming Pageau and Simon Holmstrom form the core of the third line, there’s going to be strong competition for the rest of the bottom-six roles. Cizikas and fellow energizer Emil Heineman, acquired from the Canadiens in the Noah Dobson deal, will almost certainly have two of those spots. That leaves former regulars such as MacLean, Maxim Tsyplakov, Anthony Duclair (who is better suited to a top-six role), Pierre Engvall and Marc Gatcomb competing for playing time. That will become more complicated if a rookie such as Ritchie or Matthew Maggio shows they’re ready.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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