Rules:
That got me thinking. What on earth will the Islanders look like on opening night for the 2030-31 season?
To do a prediction like this, it requires some creative liberty. The first and easiest rule, the current contract.
As of right now, there are only four players on the entire roster signed through 2031 or later. They are: Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, Alexander Romanov, and Ilya Sorokin. For exercise purposes, we will assume all four remain in New York for the entire duration of their contracts.
The next rule will be the 2026 NHL Draft. I will use the 2025 NHL Draft’s Original Pick Locations to determine where the Islanders will draft.
Who they select will come directly from The Athletic’s Way-Too-Early 2026 NHL Mock Draft, I will take a prospect still on the board, considering the top prospect available and the Islanders’ organizational needs. Most importantly, I will take the player best suited to Mathieu Darche’s draft map he used this year. The Islanders do not own a 2026 second-round pick, so that will not be factored in.
I will then do the same for 2027, but push the Islanders’ pick to later in the first round to align with the clear, improving trajectory of the team. Beyond that, any draft picks in 2028 or later, along with any non-first-round picks from 2026 onward, will not be factored in.
Finally, free agency and trade rules. I will not be bringing on any free agents, solely due to the impossibility of projecting that. This will be based entirely on the Islanders’ existing roster, prospects, and future draft choices.
Here’s the silly, but fun prediction:
