Islanders still have plenty of roster questions after NHL Draft, but those could be answered soon
Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche speaks to the media at UBS Arena on Nov. 22, 2025. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
How successful the Islanders were during this weekend’s NHL Draft will take several seasons to fully assess. But how next season’s roster will be assembled will become much clearer in the next few days.
The free-agent market opens on Wednesday, and the Islanders still could complete a swap or two after not being able to do so during last week’s leaguewide trade frenzy. Plus the window to buy out contracts remains open until Tuesday.
But on Saturday, the focus was on the four picks the Islanders made in the fourth through seventh rounds on the second day of the NHL Draft at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
The Islanders took two righthanded defensemen, Lincoln Kuehne and Vladimir Dravecky, with their day’s first two selections, then finished by taking Russian center Artyom Matyuk in the sixth round and Western Michigan right wing Robert Cowan in the final round.
Swedish defenseman Malte Gustafsson, a lefthander, was selected with the 13th overall pick on Friday night. All five draft choices will attend the Islanders’ development camp at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow starting on Monday.
“The draft, especially in the later rounds, when people ask you are you happy with your draft, you say, ‘I’ll tell you in five years,’ ” general manager Mathieu Darche said. “I trust fully our scouts because most of these players, the general manager hasn’t seen them play. The later you get in the draft, you kind of cluster the players that are similar, and that’s where you might go a little bit of need.
“We were able to pick a few needs like a right-shot defenseman, one a defensive guy [Kuehne from Arizona State] and one an offensive guy [Dravecky from Brantford of the Ontario Hockey League]. We were looking at goalies, too. It didn’t quite fall into our pick, but we have a couple of invites at camp that are in the same ballpark as guys that were drafted late.”
Dravecky played at Brantford for Jay McKee, recently hired as the coach of the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Hamilton, Ontario.
“Dravecky is high-skill, high-ceiling,” Darche said. “I told the scouts at that point when you’re getting to the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh round, let’s go with higher-ceiling guys.”
But none of these players will impact next season for the Islanders as they try to return to the playoffs after falling short two seasons in a row.
Captain Anders Lee is the Islanders’ most prominent unrestricted free agent, along with defensemen Carson Soucy and Adam Boqvist. Soucy is not expected to return and Darche confirmed that he already has informed Boqvist that he won’t be offered a contract. This is to create roster space for Isaiah George, 22, to potentially make the team out of training camp.
Goalie David Rittich also is a UFA, but Darche repeated the hope that Semyon Varlamov, who has not played since Nov. 29, 2024, and has had two partial knee replacements, can play 25 to 30 games as Ilya Sorokin’s backup.
Darche acknowledged the need to sign another goalie but added that Rittich, coming off a one-year, $1 million deal, isn’t necessarily the first option.
“Everyone knows I want to be back,” Rittich said during the Islanders’ breakup day on April 15.
Fourth-liner Marc Gatcomb and seldom-used Russian import Max Shabanov are restricted free agents with arbitration rights, but Darche said final decisions on qualifying offers have not been made.
The Islanders have approximately $6.2 million in salary-cap space under the $104 million ceiling with Lee, 35, coming off a seven-year, $49 million deal.
Darche can clear salary if he is able to trade forward Anthony Duclair, who has two seasons remaining on a four-year, $14 million deal, or Pierre Engvall, who has four seasons left on a seven-year, $21 million deal after being injured all of last season. Either could be a buyout candidate.
“Everything is on the table at all times,” Darche said. “You’re not going to do a buyout just to do a buyout, but if an opportunity comes and you need to do a buyout, you’ll do it. But am I sitting here today telling you I’m buying out someone in the next two days? I can’t tell you that.”
Several prominent players were involved in trades last week and there could be more leading up to free agency.
The Blue Jackets may have to move scoring wing Kirill Marchenko or Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski. High-scoring Stars wing Jason Robertson and Red Wings center Dylan Larkin could be moved. Teams reportedly have called Darche about Mathew Barzal’s potential availability, though the Islanders have not signaled that.
“Depending on what happens internally with our players, from Anders to Shabanov and guys like that, we’ll see what’s out there on Wednesday,” Darche said.
Darche did make a minor trade Saturday, acquiring the rights to right-shooting defenseman Ryan Healey, 22, of the Wild for future considerations. Healey, who played four seasons for Harvard after being drafted in the fourth round in 2022, will become a free agent on Aug. 15 if he does not sign a deal with the Islanders.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
