Matthew Schaefer cracked the lineup, but don’t call him the Islanders’ savior yet

It was a foregone conclusion that Matthew Schaefer was going to earn a spot on the New York Islanders. The 2025 first-overall pick was arguably the best playmaker in this year's NHL Draft, and his preseason didn't disappoint.

But Islanders fans need to understand that Schaefer probably won't be a an elite points producer in Year 1 of what will be a long, successful NHL career. So don't be disappointed if he finishes with something closer to 45-50 points (which isn't bad for a rookie defenseman), a negative rating in the plus-minus, and is responsible for leaving netminder Ilya Sorokin on an island early on.

NHL defensemen routinely take longer to develop, and if you want proof, look no further than the previous blueliner drafted No. 1 overall, Owen Power of the Buffalo Sabres. Like Schaefer, Power has the natural ability to put up elite play in all three zones, but his performance since he first took the ice in 2022 has been above average, at best.

This isn't saying Schaefer will be another Owen Power, who will always be second fiddle to Rasmus Dahlin in Buffalo. Unlike Power, Schaefer will be the focal point of the Islanders' blue line, and he'll be a 70-plus-point scorer at some point later in the decade.

The Islanders don't need saving

If you want more good news, it's not like Schaefer has to step up and save a floundering franchise. The Islanders weren't your typical bottom-of-the-barrel team picking No. 1 overall. They have goal-scoring talent in Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, and Jonathan Drouin, and they will help transform what has been an anemic scoring unit on Long Island.

Toss in seasoned veterans like Anders Lee, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Kyle Palmieri, and Casey Cizikas, up-and-comers like Simon Holmstrom, Emil Heineman, and the Isles have a forward group capable of putting up points.

The supporting cast of defensemen

Alexander Romanov is an up-and-comer on the blue line, while Scott Mayfield could be the perfect veteran to pair up with Schaefer. You also can't forget about Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech, two other veterans who Schaefer can team up with.

With such an experienced blue line that also includes Tony DeAngelo, every single one of those vets will quicken Schaefer's development, and could even lead to him snagging the Calder Trophy. That's one reason Islanders fans, even if they should proceed with caution regarding their optimism, can rest easy.

They have a future face of the franchise drafted No. 1 overall who won't be expected to lead a bad hockey team like the NHL universe has seen from Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini over the past two seasons.

Overall, Schaefer finds himself in a much better position than his predecessors drafted in that same slot, so while we won't see him break any records early, we could see his production increase faster than expected.