One reckless fire sale could quietly erase the Islanders’ most promising future

The New York Islanders might be in the NHL's most hopeless situation, and if the constant losing keeps up, there could be whispers of a potential fire sale that could make waves through Long Island, perhaps even before the league takes a break for the Olympics. 

It makes sense at first, considering the Isles' recent track record as a team that has been in steady decline. But after you give it some serious thought, it actually makes next to zero sense, and it could even leave the team worse off as far as the 2025-26 season goes. 

Not that the Isles shouldn't make a few trades and "sell" before the deadline. Regardless, they need to keep stockpiling their prospects pool and inject talent around youngsters and seasoned vets like Matthew Schaefer, Simon Holmstrom, Jonathan Drouin, and Mathew Barzal. 

That's a solid core, but the Islanders would be best off if they traded some talent away, called up more young players like Calum Ritchie, and systematically kept pushing out the vets. This would give the Isles more of a retooling, as opposed to a rebuilding, approach.

New York Islanders don't need to sell off all their older assets in one sitting

One of the older teams in hockey, with an average age of 29.3, fire sales are often what happens when teams land in the Isles' position, as an older organization that's well past its prime and needs an influx of young talent before they start winning again. That's why a complete teardown seems logical, and in some cases, it is. 

If there wasn't young talent to build around on Long Island, then yeah, dismantle the team, win the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes, and don't think twice about it. But there's no way they should trust cast-offs to help players like Schaefer reach their full potential early, especially if they have a chance with the players they have to still bottom out and possibly take the top pick again.

With veteran leadership, and the Islanders have a lot of it, Schaefer will be on the fast track to transforming into one of the league's best blueliners. He wouldn't get that same help with rentals skating into Long Island and wearing the uniform for a portion of the season before they make their next stop. 

One model of consistency the Islanders can follow

Look at the St. Louis Blues of the Central Division. While the Blues haven't looked as sharp to open the 2025-26 season, a slower, more methodical retool played in their favor when they snuck into the 2025 playoffs. 

Doug Armstrong didn't need to tear the team to the bare bones and start from scratch. It just took logical steps to insert young talent when it was ready for the NHL while scouring other prospect pools to bring even more good players into the organization.

Here, Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche could turn what could be a four-year project, at least, into one that would last roughly two seasons. Go with a less dramatic retool, and watch the Islanders become a relevant team again faster than you would otherwise think.