Islanders Eye Playoff Push in DeBoer’s First Full Season Behind the Bench

The New York Islanders enter 2026-27 with a familiar pressure point: turn more of their chances into power-play goals, take some workload off Ilya Sorokin, and find enough scoring around a younger core to stay in the Metropolitan Division race. The season opens Sept. 29, and Peter DeBoer begins his first full campaign behind the Islanders bench after a 43-34-5 finish left the club sixth in the division and outside the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Special teams remain the first item on the board

The Islanders were still in third place in the Metropolitan as late as April 4 last season, but a power play that never found traction helped sink their postseason bid. New assistant Rocky Thompson has been handed the assignment after joining the staff May 5. Ray Bennett, who had run the unit for one season after taking over from John MacLean, departed that role May 21.

• New York placed 30th in the NHL on the power play last season at 16.5 percent.
• It had ranked 31st in 2024-25 at 12.6 percent.
• The Islanders have not finished higher than 19th on the man advantage since 2023-24.

Center Bo Horvat said the club has to cut down on the search for the perfect look. “We need to simplify it instead of overcomplicating it,” Horvat said. “It does not always have to be the pretty backdoor pass. Sometimes the goal has to be ugly.”

Sorokin needs more support in the crease and in front of it

Sorokin supplied elite work last season, finishing second behind Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy in Vezina Trophy voting. He led the League with 452 high-danger saves and posted an NHL-best .864 high-danger save percentage. When opponents put at least 30 shots on him, Sorokin went 16-6-0.

That level of goaltending gives New York a chance every night, but the Islanders need to defend more cleanly and reduce the burden on their No. 1. Sorokin’s 229 starts from 2022-26 rank fourth in the NHL, making Semyon Varlamov’s health especially important. Varlamov is expected to participate in training camp after missing the end of the past two seasons with injuries to both knees; his most recent NHL appearance came Nov. 29, 2024.

• Vitek Vanecek was signed to a one-year deal July 1 as additional depth in net.
• The 30-year-old went 5-13-3 in 22 games, including 19 starts, for the Utah Mammoth last season.
• Vanecek posted a 2.93 goals-against average and an .883 save percentage.

The blue line will also be watched closely around Matthew Schaefer. The defenseman turned 19 on Sept. 5 after a record-setting rookie season and became the unanimous Calder Trophy winner. The Islanders will need him to keep progressing while also dealing with a Metropolitan Division that includes the reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.

Maccelli adds depth, while two prospects push for NHL work

Matias Maccelli arrives as a potential playmaking answer deeper in the forward group. The 25-year-old signed for one year on July 1 after putting up 14 goals and 25 assists in 71 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His higher offensive ceiling showed in 2023-24 with the Arizona Coyotes, when he recorded career highs of 17 goals, 40 assists and 57 points.

From 2022 through 2024, Maccelli totaled 106 points in 146 games, a production level that would have placed third among Islanders forwards over that stretch. His 25 power-play points in that period would have matched Kyle Palmieri for third on the club.

“He moves the puck and creates plays, which is what we wanted,” general manager Mathieu Darche said. “We’re excited to have him.”

Eklund has a real camp opportunity

Victor Eklund, selected one spot before defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson in the 2025 NHL Draft, has a legitimate opening to make the Islanders out of camp. Eklund, who turns 20 on Oct. 3, produced six goals and 18 assists in 43 games for Djurgarden last season, placing fourth among Swedish Hockey League players aged 20 or younger.

• Eklund picked up an assist in his NHL debut, a 2-1 home loss to Carolina at UBS Arena on April 14.
• He logged 15:30 in that game, with two shots and two hits.
• His nine-game AHL run produced three goals and seven assists.
• In NHL EDGE tracking from his debut, Eklund’s 62.40 mph average shot speed sat in the 95th percentile among forwards.
• His 43.0 percent even-strength offensive-zone time ranked in the 88th percentile.

Darche said Eklund will decide the matter through his own performance: “His play will show us.” The winger could compete with Cole Eiserman, Calum Ritchie and Palmieri for a top-six role or first-unit power-play time. Eiserman, the No. 20 pick in the 2024 draft, had two goals and seven assists in 12 AHL contests last season. Palmieri is back from the knee injury that ended his season Nov. 28. Eklund is also the younger brother of Ottawa Senators forward William Eklund.

Aitcheson, meanwhile, turns 20 Monday and is likely to open his professional career with Hamilton in the AHL. But the No. 17 selection in 2025 could force an earlier call if he carries over what he did with Barrie in the Ontario Hockey League. His 28 goals last season set Barrie’s single-season record for a defenseman, and his 171 points across four seasons are the most by a blue liner in franchise history.

Darche also values Aitcheson’s edge. “He has some swagger,” the general manager said. “After delivering big hits, he is willing to answer for them and defend himself. You do not see as many players like that as you did 25 or 30 years ago. He is a rare type.”

Projected Islanders lineup

The opening-night checklist is clear: a productive power play, dependable relief behind Sorokin, and enough early impact from Maccelli, Eklund and the emerging young group to keep the Islanders in a difficult division from the first puck drop.