Will the Islanders be contenders or pretenders in 2026?

The New York Islanders are hanging tough in the Metro Division this season. Even after a 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night and a 3-2 shootout loss to the Sabres on Saturday night, the Isles are still in a playoff spot.

That’s no indictment of the Islanders. It’s the reality of every NHL season. Teams go through ups and downs. It’s the clubs that go through more ups than downs that make it to the postseason.

But as the calendar winds down on 2025 and turns to 2026, it’s a legitimate question to ask: Will the Islanders be contenders in 2026? A December 19 piece by James Mirtle in The Athletic seems to think so.

In the piece, Mirtle pointed out three teams that have begun to fade after strong starts. First, the Seattle Kraken are 1-9-0 in their last 10 and look poised to sink this season. Also, the Chicago Blackhawks, who surprised just about everyone this year, now find themselves 3-10-2 in their last 15. Losing Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar won’t help, either.

Lastly, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Who seemed rejuvenated and poised for one last hurrah, don’t really seem to be getting much traction of late. They are on an eight-game skid and are taking on water fast.

Meanwhile, Mirtle made a brief shoutout to the Islanders by writing:

“Hang in there, Islanders and Sharks!”

Yes, that’s the operative term at this point. The Islanders are hanging in there. The loss of Bo Horvat hasn’t been easy. If not for the injection of star power from Matthew Schaefer, the Islanders might not have the oomph they’ve got this season.

Yes, there’s still a long way to go in this season. We’ve yet to reach the halfway mark. But you would have to think this Islanders team is playing up to its capability. The goaltending has been there. So, has been the defense. It’s scoring that’s failed the Isles at times.

Perhaps a deal or two after the New Year could add a little more firepower to the club. We shall see. In the meantime, the Isles should give the Metro Division everything it can handle. Hopefully, the Islanders and the Sharks will be the two teams that hang on to make the playoffs as pretenders fall by the wayside, one at a time.