At the halfway mark of our 2025 Summer Series, one thing has become abundantly clear. Although the Metropolitan Division may be down as a whole, the Columbus Blue Jackets still face many challenges within their own division. The New York Islanders are no exception.
Although the Blue Jackets finished seven points higher in the standings, the two teams are a lot closer than people may realize. Add in that the Islanders hired a new general manager in Mathieu Darche and had the first-overall pick in Matthew Schaefer and you have a team that is feeling refreshed and revived entering 2025-26.
Welcome to Part 5 of our series comparing the Blue Jackets to the teams in their division and around the Eastern Conference. The Islanders made some other notable changes on their roster. They too believe they can compete for a wildcard spot.
Just like when we thought the Blue Jackets and New York Rangers would fight for a playoff spot, we believe the Islanders can too. The difference as you will see is they need a little more to go right. They definitely have key players that are good enough to be a difference maker in crunch time.
Forwards
Let’s start with the biggest factor up front. The Islanders played most of crunch time last season without star forward Mathew Barzal. He suffered a broken kneecap after blocking a shot against the Tampa Bay Lightning in February.
The Islanders offense was expected to take a massive hit. It did. In their final 30 games of the season without Barzal, they scored just 80 goals. They also allowed 109 goals. In other words, they were outscored by almost a goal per game since the injury happened.
Over 82 games, the Islanders 2.66 goals/game would have been fourth-worst in the NHL only ahead of Anaheim, Nashville and San Jose. Yes, Barzal is that important to them.
With Barzal expected to be ready to go this season, that will change the way they are viewed as compared to how last season ended. His two best seasons in the NHL saw him reach 20 goals and 80 points. In between those two seasons, he missed significant time. It’s paramount for him and the Islanders to ensure he stays healthy.
As for the rest of the forwards, the Islanders have a combination of returning veterans and some new faces. Bo Horvat and Jean-Gabriel Pageau will join Barzal down the middle giving the Islanders…
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