The Grocery List: The Blueprint for Long Term Contention

The New York Islanders have missed out on Kirill Marchenko after it was released that General Manager Mathieu Darche was in the running for the Russian winger. With the Toronto Maple Leafs stealing him away, the Islanders are left with a few acquisitions from the offseason to contend after missing the playoffs for the past two seasons. But were the Islanders really a Marchenko away from contention? In order to establish a contending team for the long term, here is a small grocery list that Mathieu Darche and his team should consider.

Bo Horvat’s Successor

Recently being named the 16th captain of the New York Islanders, Bo Horvat has been a remarkable and excellent Islander after being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks during the 2022-2023 trade deadline period. Since his acquisition, Horvat has held the throne as the Islanders’ first line center and has led by example on the score sheet and the face-off dot. But with his age progressing alongside his production, should the Islanders consider seeking his potential successor?

While this year’s upcoming free agency class is filled with talent as well as their accompanying rumors, such as Connor McDavid potentially leaving Edmonton for good, the Islanders, however, are likely not in the running to take advantage of the situation. With the franchise potentially entering the 2027 free agency period with $40 million in cap space, most of that capital is likely going to be used on Matthew Schaefer’s first long-term extension. Besides, the only eye-catching free agents at the center position that fit the Islanders’ timeline would be Pavel Zacha and Morgan Frost, which doesn’t exactly scream needle pusher. 

Instead, the Islanders could turn to the upcoming draft in which Alexis Joseph and Milan Sundstrom headline the prospect class. Joseph is currently the standout center prospect, being a 6'4" power forward who is recently boasting a 60-point season. He’s a powerful skater who weaponizes his size, attacks the middle of the ice, and has the offensive potential to develop into a top-six center. With his current projection being drafted at 4th overall, the Islanders would have to considerably fumble the season away but it is still a valid contingency plan to have on the shelf.

Milan Sundstrom is another center prospect worth scouting, in which the 6'2" Swede has produced 32 points in 16 U18 games and another 20 points in 12 games at the U20 level last season. NHL European scouting director Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen described him by stating “Sundstrom is a big, smart, and skilled forward who can score goals or set up chances for his teammates…..a real monster.” Currently projected at 6th overall, the hybrid goal scorer and playmaker could produce dividends for a young center corps currently composed of Cal Ritchie, Danny Nelson, and Kamil Bednarik.

A Partner for Matthew Schaefer

Following Noah Dobson’s departure from the franchise during the final countdown before the 2025 NHL draft, the New York Islanders were blessed with the opportunity to draft their next franchise cornerstone in Matthew Schaefer. During his rookie season, Schaefer produced 23 goals and 36 assists for 59 points. Additionally, Schaefer averaged an astounding 24:41 minutes per game, which has made him a foundational piece for General Manager Mathieu Darche to build around. As a result, should they want to build towards contention, a key piece to this puzzle would be finding Schaefer a reliable partner.

Matthew Schaefer has recently found himself on his right-hand side, adding to his valuable skillset, as he can comfortably play on his left and right sides, where he has been partnered with Adam Pelech. While the partnership has begun to gel over the past two games, the Islanders could begin exploring the trade market should the season progress in a positive direction. Two such players come to mind in Filip Hronek and Simon Edvinsson. 

Starting with Hronek, the Czech right-handed defenseman is a 28-year-old two-way defenseman who specializes in maintaining a sphere of influence on both ends of the ice. Traded to Vancouver during the 2022-2023 NHL season, using the first-round pick they acquired from the Bo Horvat trade, Hronek has been paired up with a prior superstar defenseman in Quinn Hughes and could potentially find himself alongside another franchise cornerstone in Matthew Schaefer. Hronek is coming off of his best season in which he posted 8 goals and 41 assists for 49 points in 82 games. While Vancouver is performing admirably, despite being projected as a bottom-five team this year, the Islanders could potentially monitor Vancouver' s rebuild and conduct business accordingly. A potential trade package could include some draft capital, such as a second and third-round pick, alongside an NHL-ready player such as maybe Emil Heineman, and finalized by a young defenseman such as Isaiah George, who might welcome a change of scenery. 

Simon Edvinsson is a Swedish right-handed defenseman who prides himself on his two-way prowess and uses his towering size to establish his dominance over the play. Edvinsson is a 6 '6” behemoth who is also a graceful skater and puck-carrier. His current best statistical season was during his full first season in the league, where he posted 7 goals and 24 assists for 31 points in 78 games. Additionally, he followed up his best season with another remarkable performance during last year’s campaign, where he produced 9 goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 72 games played. While his point production remains admirable but not as eye-catching, his +/- rating is a site to behold, in which he led the team at +12 during the 2024-2025 season and was then the runner-up to his defensive partner, Moritz Seider, in which he posted another +12 rating to Seider’s +15. 

With the Red Wings and Edvinsson at a standstill during their contract dispute, the Islanders could sweep in and propose an arrangement. While Edvinsson was a former 6th overall pick, it could be argued that the Red Wings have lost a good deal of leverage due to the publicity of this matter. Looking at Detroit’s center depth, the Islanders could send a prospect in Danny Nelson, accompanied by some draft capital such as a second round pick for this year as well as their 2028 second round pick, with Isaiah George to round out the package, who could definitely have his chance to start for a Red Wing team that could use any help they can get on the blueline.

Preparing for Dimitri Gamzin’s Arrival

Ilya Sorokin is the New York Islanders’ franchise netminder and one of the cornerstones to the franchise’s ability to compete. Sorokin is currently backed up by his understudy in Semyon Varlamov, in which the Russian dynamic duo has been an envy of the NHL, as it has given the Islanders the ability to deploy a competent and dominant goalie tandem to take on the league’s most potent offenses. But with Varlamov recently recovering from devastating injuries and his age creeping up behind him, the Islanders should prepare to roll out the red carpet for Sorokin to tutor the heir to the Islanders’ crease in Dimitri Gamzin. 

Dimitri Gamzin was a fourth-round pick in 2024 and has developed into one of the most intriguing goaltending prospects, not only for the organization but across the league overall. He posted a 1.49 goals-against average and a 0.938 save percentage in 40 KHL games for CSKA Moscow in 2025-2026, leading the Russian top professional league in goals-against average and in shutouts with 8. As a result, it can easily be argued that he should be prepared to assume the mantle of not only Ilya Sorokin’s apprentice but also the future of the New York Islanders’ goaltending. 

The Islanders have something that many teams struggle to find in competent goaltending in both the top league and in their prospect pool. Gamzin clearly highlights the organization's ability to scout top-tier goaltending talent, in which, similar to Sorokin, Gamzin could become the crown jewel of the Islanders’ future in-between the pipes. The Islanders are currently playing the long game, the correct approach, in which they are expecting his arrival for the 2029-2030 season (KHL contract expires on 5/1/2028).

If Matthew Schaefer is the building block to the New York Islanders’ blueline, then Dimitri Gamzin is the clear future of the franchise’s goal-crease. After outlining that the Islanders need to find a clear successor to not only the center position but potentially the offense overall, especially to lead both promising wingers in Victor Eklund and Cole Eiserman, the Islanders can confidently relax that they have their goaltending future secured, which is a luxury that many teams across the league cannot afford to boast about.

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