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2025-26 New York Islanders Predictions and Odds to Win Stanley Cup Finals

by Ryan Cobbett - 9/25/2025

New York Islanders predictions Mathew Barzal

Last season the New York Islanders threw in the towel at the deadline and dealt away some key pieces which resulted in the team missing out on the playoffs after finishing with just 82 points. They finished with a -36-goal differential thanks to little offensive support. Their 12 overtime losses were tied for the most in the Eastern Conference.

The Islanders ranked 28th in the league in scoring as they averaged just 2.71 GF/G while their 12.6% PP% was the second worst mark in the NHL. Their PK% of 72.2% was also the second worst mark in the league giving the Islanders perhaps the worst special teams play in hockey. Bo Horvat led the team with 57 points on 28 goals and 29 assists while he was followed by Anders Lee who totaled 54 points on a team best 29 goals and 25 assists. Kyle Palmieri, Simon Holmstrom, and Brock Nelson were the only other Islanders players to reach 20 goals on the season. Nelson was dealt to Colorado at the deadline after finishing his tenure with 43 points in 61 games for the Islanders.

The goaltending wasn’t the best either as they ranked 20th in goals allowed after allowing opponents to score an average of 3.13 goals per game. Their .900 SV% ranked 15th in the league. Ilya Sorokin, despite playing 61 games, was not the issue. He allowed just 2.71 GA/G on a .907 SV%. His backups were that bad as Marcus Hogberg and Semyon Varlamov combined to appear in 25 games and allowed 3.14 GA/G. The two other goalies to appear in a game for the Islanders were Jakub Skarek and Tristan Lennox who appeared in just three games and allowed six goals on 41 shots against.

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Seasons come and go, so now it’s time to take a look at what we can expect from the New York Islanders in 2025-26:

New York Islanders Key Additions/Losses

The biggest subtraction of the offseason was Noah Dobson who was sent to Montreal in a summer blockbuster deal. Aside from Dobson’s move, the only other significant name that will be absent from this year’s Islanders roster is Mike Reilly who signed with Carolina.

As for the additions, the Islanders have gone all in on the rebuild as they acquired two first round picks and young winger Emil Heineman (18 points) in the deal with Montreal. Jonathan Drouin was brought in to add a veteran presence. Drouin added 37 points last season with Colorado. The Islanders also signed David Rittich to add some goalie depth.

New York Islanders X-Factors

The Rebuild- New York got extremely lucky when they won the lottery and landed the first overall pick. They really bought into their luck with the Dobson move and having three first round picks at their disposal in this past summer’s draft. Matthew Schaeffer was the team’s first pick in the draft while they used their other two first rounders on Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aticheson who are all exciting prospects to follow. The rebuild is far from over and the Islanders front office will need to continue to find some wins along the way in order to return this franchise back to powerhouse status.

New York Islanders Goalie Outlook

Unfortunately for the Islanders, the abysmal group of five in place last season are all back. Sorokin will need to continue to play in the majority of the games as his backups have not proved themselves to be reliable options. Sorokin has seen a slight decline in his numbers over the last two seasons which is alarming for the now 30-year-old goalie. He may be a trade chip that the Islanders dangle at the deadline assuming they are out of the playoff picture. If he is moved, injured, or sees a decline in production then the Islanders’ goalie situation is going to be amongst the worst in the NHL.

Grade: C-

New York Islanders Key Schedule Stretch

The Trade Deadline- Once again, the Islanders are in the midst of a rebuild and the front office needs to find wins in future capital for the time being. Sorokin could bring in a nice return while veteran pieces like Anthony Duclair, Palmieri, Lee, and even Horvat could be names to watch as the deadline approaches. There will be plenty of teams looking for reliable offensive depth in order to make a big push to the playoffs, and the Islanders have no reason to hang onto them as they are years away from winning. The biggest key on the schedule for the Islanders is if they can be considered a winner of the trade deadline.

New York Islanders Notable Odds

Stanley Cup Champions: +10000

Conference Winner: +4500

Division Winner: +2700

To Make the Playoffs- Yes: +210

Vezina Trophy- Ilya Sorokin: +2000

Hart Trophy- Ilya Sorokin: +25000

Hart Trophy- Mathew Barzal: +50000

Calder Trophy- Matthew Schaefer: +1300

New York Islanders Prediction

The Islanders won the draft as far as I am concerned. Their three first round picks could be huge building blocks for the future. However, they must now reset the franchise as they await production from those three as well as the other young skaters in their ranks. Expect the Islanders to sell at the deadline after they fall out of contention. With the impending sale, the Islanders ceiling feels like 80 points. Take the under on the point total and stay away from any futures as they will likely miss the playoffs again this season.

Under 84.5 Team Total Points

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