New York Islanders make right call in bringing back Patrick Roy

New York Islanders must provide Patrick Roy with pieces to contend

Last season, the New York Islanders were ominously quiet during the offseason. The only major signing was Anthony Duclair. Duclair entered the season with high hopes, which turned into a nightmarish, injury-plagued campaign.

This season, the Islanders cannot afford to have another quiet offseason. They’ve already lit up the NHL by winning the NHL Draft Lottery. Regardless of who they take with that pick, the Isles won’t be seeing that player make an immediate impact this upcoming season.

As such, the team needs to prioritize the right pieces for Patrick Roy to mold the team into a contender. That includes focusing on forward depth, getting another top-six center, and building up blue line resilience.

Let’s keep in mind that injuries were essentially what derailed the Islanders’ season in 2024-25. That is why Mathieu Darche must focus on building depth. Of course, Lou Lamoriello was a master of surfing the bargain bin.

But that’s not the way contenders are built. If we look at teams like the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, or Carolina Hurricanes, they have depth players who could easily be regulars on any other team.

Think of Brad Marchand playing on the Panthers’ third line or Jeff Skinner not being good enough to make the Oilers’ regular roster.

That’s what the Islanders will need to look for this upcoming season.

The Isles have a projected $26.5 million in cap space this summer, according to PuckPedia. A portion of that cap hit will go toward re-signing Simon Holmstrom, Maxim Tsyplakov, and Marc Gatcomb. There’s also Kyle Palmieri who could return.

Then, there are the big contracts that need immediate action: Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov.

When we factor those contracts into the mix, the Isles will be lucky to have a few bucks left over to add depth pieces. So, it will be a challenge to find the right pieces for a puzzle that’s nearly complete.