In the 2025-2026 NHL season, the New York Islanders exceeded the expectations of most fans. After selecting number one in the NHL Draft, the Islanders were expected to be in the midst of a retool.
Despite expectations, the Islanders finished January with a 30-20-5 record, holding a playoff spot at third in the Metropolitan Division.
Even though the Islanders were off to a successful start to the season, injuries and depth issues were holding them back from a better record. General Manager Mathieu Darche and head coach Patrick Roy experimented with different lines and roster moves after facing key injuries.
Although the Islanders did not fall apart, the depth and lineup stability became an issue. To fix it, the Islanders traded with two interdivision rivals, the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers, to fix this issue.
Islanders Key Injuries
The Islanders have been missing key players throughout the season. Forward Bo Horvat has missed time in 2025 due to injuries, including one coming right before a seven-game road trip. The Islanders finished that road trip with a 3-3-1 record, but looked sloppy and lost to teams toward the bottom of the NHL record-wise. With Horvat healthy, he could have fixed the team’s sloppy play as the team’s top performer.
Another injury came in December, when goalie Ilya Sorokin was placed on the IR, forcing him to miss a handful of games. As a result, the injury would force backup David Rittich to start seven straight games. While Rittich held his own, he had a few tough losses on back-to-backs. If Sorokin were healthy, he usually would play one game, and Rittich would play the other.
Despite the injuries, Horvat and Sorokin returned and were still making an impact upon their return. The Islanders would soon lose a few key pieces for an extended period of time, causing major depth issues.
In November, defenseman Alexander Romanov took a hit from Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen, crashing into the boards and sidelining him for 5-6 months with a shoulder injury.
Romanov was a productive defenseman for the Islanders, providing the team with defense and stability on the penalty kill. Because of the injury, Darche would call up a series of defensemen from the AHL team in Bridgeport. Marshall Warren, Travis Mitchell, Cole McWard, and Isaiah George all saw some time in the NHL due to Romanov’s injury.
Later in November, the Islanders would lose a top-line forward for the entirety of the season when Kyle Palmieri would tear his ACL in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers after a collision along the boards, while still assisting on a goal in the process.
The Islanders would call up Marc Gatcomb to fill in on the roster, but were still missing Palmieri’s top-line veteran presence on the team. Although the team was still finding success, Roy was stuck changing the lines repeatedly. He would keep taking players in and out of the lineup every other game. With other minor injuries within games, adding to the other big injuries, there was little to no stability in the lines.
Trading For Stability
The lack of stability in their lineup was something proving to cost them games throughout the season, with some players in and out of the lineup, and others struggling to find a role. The Islanders went to the trade market to look for replacements. Rather than calling up young, unproven players, Darche would look for reliable veterans to fill the team’s needs via trade.
The first of the two trades came on Jan. 26, when the Islanders would acquire defenseman Carson Soucy from the New York Rangers in exchange for a 2026 3rd round pick. This trade would be the fourth time these franchises have traded with each other in their history.
Soucy is a 6’4″ physical defenseman who shines on the defensive side and excels on the penalty kill. After losing Romanov, the Islanders were looking for a player who could fit that role. Trading for Soucy allowed the Islanders to fill that role for a reasonable price. With this addition, the bottom defensive pairing remains stable without having to rotate players, a big change for the team.
A day later, the Islanders would make another trade, trading forward Maxim Tsyplakov to the New Jersey Devils for forward Ondrej Palat, a 2026 3rd round pick, and a 2027 6th round pick.
Tsyplakov was struggling to find a role with the Islanders, having only one goal and one assist in 27 games. Despite a solid rookie season, he was unable to stay in the lineup, resulting in his departure.
Palat, similar to Tsyplakov on the Islanders, was struggling with New Jersey this season. With a change of scenery, Palat adds a veteran presence in the locker room. Palat is also a valuable performer in the playoffs, being a two-time Stanley Cup Champion.
Darche worked with Palat when he played for the Tampa Bay Lighting when he won his two Stanley Cups. A reunion and change of scenery could be what he needs to return to the player he was years before.
Immediate Impact On the Island
The Islanders played in two games after acquiring Soucy and Palat, playing a back-to-back against the Rangers. In these two matchups, both Soucy and Palat were able to make key contributions right away.
In the first of the two games, on the power play late into the first period, Palat found himself alone in the center of the ice, where he found the back of the net, scoring his first goal as an Islander, opening up the scoring.
Later in the game, with the second period winding down, Palat would get an assist on an Emil Heineman goal, to extend the lead to 5-2, which would be the game’s final score.
In the second game of the back-to-back against the Rangers, Soucy would take a wide-angle shot and put it past Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick for his first goal as an Islander. Soucy’s goal would open up the scoring, eventually leading to a 2-1 win by the Islanders.
The win would result in the Islanders sweeping the season series with the Rangers for just the third time in franchise history.
Post Trade Outlook
After making these trades, the Islanders’ lineup has stability, trading for guys to fill in and replace Palmieri and Romanov. While both of those players are extremely valuable to the team, trading for Soucy and Palat ultimately makes the team better than it was before the trades.
The Islanders currently sit seven points out of first in the division and two points out of second in the division. With these trades, Mathieu Darche is showing signs that they are willing to go all in to make the playoffs. The Islanders are still active, looking to make more moves before the Trade Deadline. By adding more pieces, the Islanders could make a splash for themselves on their road to the Stanley Cup.
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