Welcome back to Episode 2 of the Off The Island Podcast hosted by Dave, Phil and Jack.
We recapped some NHL news and of course discussed our New York Islanders offseason to date. We left our thoughts on Mathieu Darche selecting defenseman Malte Gustafsson in the first round, 13th overall of the 2026 National Hockey League Draft.
We spoke about the upside and potential for the Isles regarding the Matias Maccelli 1-year $2.25M contract.
Lastly, just an around the horn discussion on the first year of Mathieu Darche’s GM tenure. What we liked and how we hope to see him proceed moving forward. This crazy NHL offseason might start to quiet down, but if not we will be here.
Enjoy!
* 00:40 Anaheim Ducks Match Five-Year Offer Sheet for Leo Carlsson
* 02:10 NHL Salary Cap and GM Strategies
* 10:20 Does Alex Killorn to the Islanders make sense?
* 11:10 Malte Gustafsson
* 18:00 Did the Buffalo Sabres get worse this offseason?
* 20:00 The Sharks sign Jacob Trouba and acquire Darnell Nurse
* 21:12 Do you like how the Islanders offseason is going?
* 27:45 Comparing Mathieu Darche and Lou Lamoriello
* 37:00 The Islanders improvement in player development
* 45:00 Way too early Islanders 2026-27 projection
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sorry man Id rather not be picking outside of the top 10 every year. dont waste Schaefer prime years.
Thankgod darche did little I don’t trust him not to get fleeced guy is way over his head guys
1. Schaef should move to the right side. He will produce more offense from there and he has the speed to compensate for it being his offhand.
2. Eklund AND Aitch should start this season on the roster. No clue why people are saying Aitch "needs" more time. He is 2 years older than Schaef was his rookie year, and Schaef missed most of his 17yr old season…..Aitch was Defensive player of the league and was SPECTACULAR!!! No reason to assume he isnt pro-ready.
You play them now to give them time to adjust to the pro game while team expectations are low and so is their pay.
3. Id look to trade Barzal. Ive never been a fan. Soft, skates in circles, afraid to skate behind the net, Stalls our PP, defende sucks, face offs suck…..AND HE IS NOTTTTTTTT FAST. This is one of the biggest lies in the NHL. Barzy is in the 63rd percentile in speed. He is great in speed competitions….not games.