Islanders Schaefer just the star NHL needs

If there was anyone who could have spoiled Auston Matthews’ record-breaking game on Saturday, it was 18-year-old Islanders phenom Matthew Schaefer.

Matthews, a former first-overall pick, became the Maple Leafs’ all-time goal-scoring leader. That’s no easy feat to accomplish, especially in today’s NHL. But then, it was Schaefer who ended the night with the OT winner.

The electrifying performance for the current first-overall pick gave Islanders fans, and the NHL at large, a glimpse of what the Schaefer era could expect in Long Island. For Isles fans, it was something the team hadn’t seen in a long time, a very long time.

Schaefer has hit the NHL by storm in his rookie season, giving the NHL just the star it needs. Simultaneously, Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, other first-overall picks, look poised to take over as the new rising stars of the NHL.

Sure, Bedard and Celebrini will have to wait for Matthews, Connor McDavid, and Nathan MacKinnon to gradually fade into the sunset, much like Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby are now.

But when you really think about it, there hasn’t been a superstar blueliner in the league for a long time. While Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes are the top two elite blueliners in the game right now, they don’t have that star quality that Schaefer has shown this season.

Schaefer is a perfect specimen of what superstar athletes ought to be. He’s mature beyond his years. Personal tragedy and adversity have carved a grounded persona in him. And he’s a warrior. The Islanders’ rookie played through a bout of the flu on Saturday night, arguably putting up his best performance of the season.

Ah, to be 18 again…

And yes, the Islanders have tried their best to build an environment where Schaefer could succeed. But then again, Patrick Roy hasn’t exactly babied him. The Isles’ coach has done what any responsible parent would do. He has gradually given Schaefer increasing responsibility. It’s like a dad giving his son the keys to the car. Every time he drives without getting into a wreck, the dad gives him a longer leash. Eventually, the dad lets the son keep the car because he’s shown that he’s ready for the responsibility.

That’s where we’re at with Matthew Schaefer. The Islanders could be ready to give him the keys to the franchise. He’ll be the face that the Islanders and the NHL have longed for: A superstar defenseman who can do it all. Sure, his defensive game needs polishing. But again, Schaefer is only 18.

Matthew Schaefer could become the first truly great defenseman since Nicklas Lidstrom. If anything, he’s more like Bobby Orr. Perhaps something like Paul Coffey in his Oilers heyday. Maybe someone like Ray Bourque. Whoever you’d like to compare Schaefer to, the 18-year-old’s impact on the NHL boils down to one thing: The NHL hasn’t had a marketable face on the blueline like Schaefer.

And it had to happen in Long Island. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but this generation of Islanders teams could harken to that great dynasty of the early 80s. That dynasty was the reason why I became an Islanders fan. And it’s Matthew Schaefer, the reason why my fancy for the Isles remains as strong as ever.