As Matthew Schaefer develops for Islanders, so too are opposing game plans
Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer skates with the puck against the Winnipeg Jets in the third period of an NHL game at UBS Arena on Monday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Sprinkled into every conversation with Matthew Schaefer is the acknowledgement of the hard work yet to come. He said it at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo in early June and after the Islanders selected him first overall later that month in Los Angeles.
Schaefer repeated it through the summer prospect development camp, rookie camp, training camp, preseason and now through his spectacular first three games in the NHL, albeit all losses for the Islanders.
He has certainly held up his end of the bargain in terms of meeting that challenge. But now it could get very interesting to track his learning curve. The rest of the NHL was certainly aware of his immense skills — skating and playmaking in particular — before the regular season started. Now there’s game tape and opponents will begin to game plan specifically for the 18-year-old.
He will have to adjust to the adjustments, starting on Thursday night as the Islanders conclude a three-game homestand against Connor McDavid’s Oilers.
“He’s playing with a lot of confidence,” coach Patrick Roy said after he played Schaefer a game-high 26:35 in Monday’s 5-2 loss to the Jets after using him for 26:04 in Saturday’s loss to the Capitals. Schaefer’s mere 17:15 of ice time in Thursday’s season-opening defeat in Pittsburgh now seems like a misprint in retrospect.
“But you know what I love about his game? He’s got no hesitation. He’s going in. And you know what? I don’t give a damn. He could make a mistake, I don’t care. He’s playing. That’s what we’re saying to all our defensemen, ‘No hesitation guys. Come on. Play.’ ”
Also sprinkled into Schaefer’s conversations before and after being drafted was his unabashed appreciation for how the Avalanche’s Cale Makar plays.
The two-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defenseman is an elite skater who uses his immense speed to rush the puck up ice into the offensive zone and Makar has topped 90 points in each of the last two seasons.
Comparing Schaefer to Makar too early seemed to put undue early pressure on the rookie. Yet that was exactly the comparison Jets coach Scott Arniel made after watching Schaefer speed past his defenders.
“I just made the comment to management that I'm glad he's in the East,” Arniel said. “The kid is dynamic. Boy, can he skate. I've seen some young guys step into this league. There's a guy in Colorado that kind of had that same kind of poise and ability to move.
“I saw some video and watched him on TV last year. But to see him live, man, man oh man, he can jump.”
Added Jonathan Toews, a future Hall of Famer making a comeback with the Jets: “He’s influencing the game. Pretty crazy to see a kid at his age, even not having played much last year, to go No. 1 and step in and look as comfortable as he is now. He had some flashes out there where you think you’ve got position on him and he’s jumping around you. No doubt he’s a special player.”
So now the whole NHL is convinced. Schaefer will have to adjust to that adjustment.
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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