3 difficult decisions Islanders will need to make this offseason

The New York Islanders are entering a pivotal offseason under new general manager Mathieu Darche as they look to rediscover the identity and direction of their franchise.

Moving on from former GM Lou Lamoriello in May was the first major decision the Islanders made this offseason, and it will likely represent the first domino to fall in a series of decisions that could potentially shape the future of the franchise. Here are three more decisions the organization will need to make this offseason as they enter what they hope will be an era of contention.

3 difficult decisions Islanders will need to make this offseason

What to do with the first overall pick

As a congrats-on-your-new-job gift, Darche has been rewarded the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL Draft in his first offseason as GM of the Islanders. What he does with that pick will be of paramount importance. The Islanders are in need of a shake-up at the AHL level, and the addition of top prospect Calum Ritchie in the Brock Nelson trade was a good first step in that direction. Adding some more star power at the draft this year can help jumpstart a youth movement on Long Island.

The Islanders will presumably select defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the consensus top player in the 2025 draft class, at No. 1, but it's far from guaranteed. The organization is also high on top forward prospect Michael Misa and spent a lot of time with him at this year's scouting combine. The Islanders need to add some scoring to their lineup; now, they just need to decide whether they want to do that via the draft or explore other avenues.

How to prioritize RFA signings

Whether the Islanders take Schaefer at No. 1 overall will likely play a role in their restricted free agent negotiations this summer, given that they have a pair of pending RFAs on the blue line in Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov. Presumably, the Islanders will make an effort to keep both – especially considering that they only have four defensemen signed to one-way deals for next season – but they have decisions to make regarding the length of deals they want to pursue.

Dobson was looking like a prime long-term extension candidate after his 70-point campaign in 2023-24, put he took a step back in 2024-25 and now looks more suited for a bridge deal. Signing Dobson to a max extension would be a risk for obvious reasons, but so too would signing him to a bridge deal with the chance to lose him in unrestricted free agency in two years. A long-term deal with a lower cap hit would make sense, who managed 20 points in a season in which injuries limited him to just 64 games.

Whether to enter the Mitch Marner sweepstakes

With the Islanders seemingly committed to avoiding a teardown and full rebuild, they should seriously consider throwing their hat into the Mitch Marner ring – even at his hefty projected price tag of $12-14 million annually.

Dynamic, two-way forwards of Marner's caliber don't come available often, so the Islanders may be wise to leverage their ample cap space in a bidding war to land a player who could help get them closer to their goal of being perennial playoff contenders.