2025-26 New York Islanders Bold Predictions

We are only a couple weeks away until the puck drops on the New York Islanders 2025-26 season. It will be the 53rd season in the Islanders’ history. With the new season, a sense of optimism surrounds the current state of the team and its future. As we get closer to the opening game, here are some bold predictions for this year’s team.

2025-26 Islanders Bold Predictions

Bold Prediction #1: Barzy Reaches New Heights

Mathew Barzal is one of the league’s bright stars. He is the best player on his team and has been for most of his career. He remains the X-Factor for the Islanders this coming season. If this team wants any chance of making the playoffs, they will need him healthy and performing at the top of his game. After a frustrating season that was cut short due to injuries, health is the main goal. Last year, in total, he was limited to just 30 games, producing just 20 points (six goals, 14 assists). Coming off a kneecap surgery, he will look to bounce back this season and put up the stats we are used to seeing. We think he will in a big way and in a career-high setting. That career high for points sits at 85, all the way back in 2017-2018, his rookie season.

His move back to his natural position of centre should allow for this to happen. This is the position he played when he had that great rookie campaign. With him moving back up to the top line at even strength and on the power play, his ice time will be there for him. Also, working in his favour is playing with linemates he is familiar with. He is slated to be flanked by Anders Lee and  Kyle Palmieri. Two guys whom he has chemistry with and both have had 30-goal seasons in the past. With these factors working in his favour, we predict he will finish with 90+ points this season and could even flirt with a 100-point season. That is something that an Islander hasn’t done since the great Pierre Turgeon back in 1992-93.

Bold Prediction #2: Jonathan Drouin Scores 30 Goals

Going into this offseason, the Islanders knew they needed more goal scoring reinforcements. They went out and acquired just that in Jonathan Drouin. The former third-overall pick in 2013 has never scored 30 goals in a year, only reaching 21 back in 2016-17. However, he is in prime position to hit that mark this season. The reason is that he is playing in a top-six role with an elite playmaker in Bo Horvat. With Horvat’s passing ability, he should be able to find him in good positions to score. When Drouin gets chances, he tends to capitalize with shooting percentages of 15.0 and 19.6, the last two seasons, respectively. Drouin will also get the chance to skate on the top power play next to Horvat and Barzal, who will be able to feed him the puck. His 125 career power play points can help a unit that finished 31^st last season at 12.6%.

Bold Prediction #3: Matthew Schaefer Wins the Calder Trophy

After the Islanders traded Noah Dobson away to the Montreal Canadiens, they needed to fill that hole on the blueline. They hope number one overall pick Matthew Schaefer will be that kind of player. The 18-year-old should make the team right away. Despite only playing 17 games in the OHL during his draft year he was still taken as the top pick. The 22 points in those 17 games showed he can control the play and pace of the game from the backend, he doesn’t require a lot of time and space to create. His great speed paired with his offensive creativity, should allow him to have immediate success at the NHL level.

The only thing that would hold him back will be ice-time, playing on the third pairing next to Scott Mayfield. On the one hand, playing next to a physical veteran like Mayfield should help him in the defensive zone early in his career. However, if Schaefer does impress, head coach Patrick Roy could move him up to give more ice time. If Schaefer can do enough to earn Roy’s trust and even find his way onto the power play, the potential to rack up points as a quarterback on the blueline is real. His teammates and coaches have raved about him and his ability. Now he has to go out and prove it. We think he will and take him the Calder Trophy this year.

Bold Prediction #4: Ilya Sorokin Wins the Vezina Trophy

Ilya Sorokin has shown his Vezina potential in years past as the backbone of this team. He has been a finalist for it before back in 2022-23. Last season, he turned in another quality showing going 30-24-6 with a .907 save percentage and a 2.71 goals-against average. Thus proving, yet again, he is among the NHL’s elite goaltenders. He is the most important player on the team, not just now but for the future. His $8.25 million a year for the next seven seasons proves that fact. One thing working for him this year is the addition of a real backup goalie behind him in David Rittich. This will allow Sorokin to get extra rest and keep him fresh all year. If the Islanders want to get back to the playoffs they will need elite play from their franchise goalie. Sorokin his proved time and time again that he is that. However, this season he takes it to the next level and brings home some hardware in the process.

Closing Thoughts

If any of these predictions end up coming to fruition, the Islanders could find themselves in the playoffs. After missing last year, mainly due to a laundry list of injuries. Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, Noah Dobson, Anthony Duclair and Mathew Barzal all missed significant time with injuries. If the team can stay healthy, along with the upgrades they’ve made to the team, playoffs are definitely in the question. In a tough division and Eastern Conference it won’t be easy and some players will have to play a little over their head. However, they have made the playoffs in five of the last seven seasons so they have what it takes to make it back.