The NY Islanders could move on from a blue line mainstay this season

For the first time in what seems to be a long time, the NY Islanders are extremely deep on defense. Heading into the season, the defensive core will look the same for the most part, but there is organizational depth, especially on the left side of the blue line.

Alexander Romanov is inked in for the opening night roster, but the third spot will come down to a decision after training camp, with the two likely candidates being Matthew Schaefer and Isaiah George.

The NY Islanders could move a defenseman

While the right side isn’t as deep, Mathieu Darche and Patrick Roy certainly have options, outside of Tony DeAngelo, Scott Mayfield, and Ryan Pulock. Adam Boqvist signed a one-year extension, while Ethan Bear was signed in the off-season.

With all the options available, is there a chance we could see a mainstay along the blue line traded before the deadline?

Scott Mayfield’s contract, while lengthy with five years remaining, comes with a relatively low cap hit at only $3.5M. Still, it may be hard to sell another GM on a deal with this length of term remaining, but teams do typically look to add some size to gear up for a playoff push. Not to mention, Mayfield does have a full no-trade clause.

Perhaps the most likely candidate who would bring the most back in return is Adam Pelech. Pelech has been a rock for the Islanders since entering the league, but with three seasons left on his deal at $5.75M, he could draw interest from multiple organizations.

With a 16-team no-trade list, Darche would have options regarding moving Pelech, to further develop the prospect pool, as it seems the Islanders are more geared to make a run during the 2026-27 season rather than this season.

With some of the young prospects at the point in their development where they can potentially contribute at the NHL level, moving on from a current defenseman could be in the best interest of the Islanders moving forward.