5 things we learned about the Islanders so far this offseason

The post-July 4 through Labor Day stretch tends to be relatively quiet for NHL teams, the occasional transaction, arbitration hearing or protracted contract negotiations aside.

That’s a good thing for the Islanders and general manager Mathieu Darche, who has worked round-the-clock pretty much daily since being hired on May 23.

Restricted free agent forward Maxim Tsyplakov elected to file for arbitration after not accepting his $897,750 qualifying offer. Otherwise, Darche’s roster construction for September’s training camp is essentially completed.

Darche traded defenseman Noah Dobson to the Canadiens on the eve of the NHL Draft after a contract impasse, getting two first-round picks and energetic bottom-six wing Emil Heineman in return. He went with convention and selected defenseman Matthew Schaefer first overall, highlighting a class of nine picks overall. He signed speedy top-six wing Jonathan Drouin and KHL standout Maxim Shabanov via free agency and re-signed defensemen Alexander Romanov and Tony DeAngelo.

And Darche set up a development camp, now open to the public, in the summer.

Here are five things we’ve learned about the Islanders over the past two weeks:

1. Mathieu Darche stayed disciplined

The salary cap rose by $7.5 million to $95.5 million, and Darche noted before the free-agent market opened on July 1 that both players and their agents were excited. At the same time, Darche cautioned he had to stay disciplined and not saddle the Islanders with hefty contracts that would cause issues in future seasons.

Romanov agreed to an eight-year, $50 million deal and his $6.25 million annual average value is on the cheaper side if he’s a consistent top-pair defenseman. No other player received more than a two-year deal, with Drouin’s two-year, $8 million pact being the most expensive.

And importing backup goalie David Rittich for a one-year, $1 million deal is good insurance in case Semyon Varlamov is still not fully recovered or available after knee surgery last December.

Darche gave the Islanders flexibility for next offseason, when the cap is expected to rise another $9 million and Anders Lee ($7 million) and Jean-Gabriel Pageau ($5 million) come off the books.

2. Matthew Schaefer is the real deal

OK, perhaps that’s premature considering Schaefer doesn’t turn 18 until September and has yet to show his skills against NHL competition.

Still, his natural aplomb through a heavy media schedule leading up to and through the draft and then during Islanders’ development camp and his obvious elite on-ice skills bode well for his sustained success as a top-level NHL player.

His puck-handling and skating – his edge work reminded some of Mathew Barzal’s elite skill – put him head and shoulders above the other prospects during the week-long camp.

Schaefer’s stated goal is to be in the Islanders’ opening-night lineup.

That seems realistic, even if the Islanders wisely will be cautious with their prized prospect.

3. Upcoming competition

Darche’s personnel moves have set up what should be a very competitive training camp.

The intention is to slide Mathew Barzal back to center, so Calum Ritchie, 20, a key return in the Brock Nelson trade, will have to push to crack the lineup, as the organization hopes he will. Drouin, Shabanov and Heineman make it a crowded group to earn a spot among the top-12 forwards. Marc Gatcomb, Tsyplakov, Kyle MacLean, Pierre Engvall and perhaps Anthony Duclair will need to stand out from the group to earn ice time.

Nothing will be a given for Schaefer, either.

Coach Patrick Roy said he plans to run this training camp a little differently than his first with the Islanders last year. He intends to work on special teams much more this time around.

4. Fans liking the access

The Islanders ushered in a new era of being more open to the public in hiring Darche. Predecessor Lou Lamoriello worked hard to keep distractions to a minimum to his players, meaning very little fan access to practices or camps or in-season meet-and-greets.

The long lines and packed stands at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow for development camp – three practice days and an intrasquad scrimmage – showed how much the fans appreciated the chance to interact with the prospects.

It’s also likely fans will get a chance to see some sessions at September’s training camp.

5. A nod to Lamoriello

Any praise to Darche or the organization’s turn toward more public openness should not be seen as a slight to Lamoriello’s methods.

Rather, these two weeks showed the organization owes a debt of gratitude to the Hall of Fame executive, who, along with former coach Barry Trotz, instantly changed the culture in a positive way when they were hired in 2018.

The high standards Darche and the organization now seek to reach and maintain are the exact ones Lamoriello initially set.

And while Lamoriello’s contract was not renewed, assistant GMs Steve Pellegrini and Chris Lamoriello have seamlessly transitioned to working under Darche and apparently will remain with the Islanders. That reflects well on Lou Lamoriello as well.