Mathieu Darche still has one glaring issue left to solve before opening night

As the offseason rolls on, the New York Islanders still have a glaring issue that needs to be addressed ahead of the start of training camp. General manager Mathieu Darche needs to find a way to address the lack of a scoring winger within the organization’s top-six.

Islanders lack a scoring winger

Down the middle, the Islanders have a setup most teams would love to build around. Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat give New York a legitimate top-two center tandem capable of controlling play, driving possession, and creating high-danger chances. They also have a solid defense core built around young phenom Matthew Schaefer. Unfortunately, the problem is their flanks.

After Anders Lee tested the market and later signed with the Utah Mammoth. The Islanders are left without a dynamic scorer or winger outside of Brayden Schenn, who could also slot in as their third line center. They have young wingers that could fill that role, but at this point in their career, it’s likely not going to happen.

It makes sense why Darche has avoided making a panic move. Handing out bloated, long-term deals to middle-tier free agents is a quick way to trap an organization in salary cap hell. Preserving roster flexibility remains a clear priority for this front office. Even so, heading into training camp with this current crop of wingers leaves the top six looking dangerously incomplete.

The most obvious choice would be to move Barzal to the top line on the wing alongside Horvat to start the season. Which leaves Schenn to fill the void down the middle on the second line. Aside from that, Darche could look at free agent forward Patrik Laine, who could sign for a buy-low, high-reward contract that is bonus-laden due to his injury and missed time last season. He could fit into the lineup alongside Barzal or Horvat, and if they can find a way to unlock him, he could be a 30-40 goal scorer on a line with one or both centers. 

One thing is clear: Darche doesn’t want to make a panic move and get his club into a bad situation with Schaefer’s contract due in two seasons. Which makes Laine the best forward option, or they look internally.

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