New front office, same uphill climb for Islanders’ 2026 playoff bid

With a new front office heading things up on Long Island, the New York Islanders have a new hope. But it doesn't mean they're gonna get far with their current crop in 2025-26. Right now, the Isles have the top-end talent, but depth and health is the big question.

Players who were supposed to be key contributors last season like Anthony Duclair and Matthew Barzal suffered injuries that kept the Isles from being anything more than a patchwork group half the time. Others, like Noah Dobson (now with the Montreal Canadiens) took a step back.

Dobson looked like a long-term chess piece just two seasons ago, but now, the Isles have his successor in Matthew Schaefer. Or, eventual successor, since Schaefer'll need a learning curve before anything.

Still, it's hard to like the Isles as anything more than a middle-of-the-road team, and they'll need magical seasons from players like Tony DeAngelo and Adam Boqvist on the blue line, comeback campaigns from Duclair and Barzal, and for newcomers like Schaefer and Jonathan Drouin to play up to scratch.

New York Islanders have talent, but are they deep enough?

It should go without mentioning that Ilya Sorokin will keep this team in games. But will the seasoned veterans of the group, like Bo Horvat, Kyle Palmieri, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Anders Lee, Ryan Pulock, and Adam Pelech, be enough?

That's the burning question the Isles will need to answer, and if they all turn in solid campaigns with a couple of overachievers in there, then I like their chances. If not, it's going to be a tough climb in a Metropolitan Division that's stronger than it looks.

While the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers look like the bottom-feeders, we figured out last season the Columbus Blue Jackets are about a year ahead of schedule. If they put forth the same effort this season, then the Jackets just became a problem for the Isles.

Their cross-town rivals, the New York Rangers, are the ultimate wild card. Presidents' Trophy winners in 2024, the Blueshirts couldn't enjoy anything near a repeat campaign in 2025. But there's still enough talent there that they could sneak in as a wild card team in 2026.

A wild card is the Islanders most realistic option in 2026

The New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes, and Washington Capitals are the dominant trio in the Metro, and they all look like shoo-ins to repeat in 2026. That said, the Isles will compete hard with the Rangers for one of those two wild card spots if they get everything together.

Flip over to the Atlantic Division, and they'll also contend with the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and possibly even the Detroit Red Wings. So, if they plan on finding success in the regular season, those are the teams they'll have to beat every time they skate onto the ice to play them.

Should the Isles stay healthy, win most of their games against top wild card contenders, and see production out of their older players and newcomers, a playoff appearance is neither farfetched nor out of the question.