Islanders Need to Resist the Urge to Overplay Matthew Schaefer

For the New York Islanders, a new season means new hope. A chance to wash away the bitter taste of the 2025-26 collapse. However, they cannot be so caught up in the potential to correct their mistakes that they damage their future. Specifically, they need to be very careful with Matthew Schaefer and avoid overusing their budding star defenseman early in his career. They need to proceed with the intention of protecting their star asset.

Schaefer is coming off one of the best rookie seasons of anyone in the salary cap era, following his 23-goal campaign. The unanimous Calder Trophy winner has a tough encore ahead, given the standards he set for himself. The Islanders now need to resist the urge to treat the phenom like a stallion on the blue line this season. There will be a time for it, but the 19-year-old needs to physically develop before that comes.

Superb Start

Schaefer’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders this season, and for good reason. As the 2025 first-overall pick, the weight of expectation was enormous as a rookie. He did that and more, becoming the record holder among 18-year-old defensemen in goal scoring. However, it isn’t just the game-breaking offensive upside that makes this young man so beloved. He is a complete player, which is a rare trait for someone so young.

Defensively, of the five Islanders defensemen to play 75 or more games, Schaefer was fourth-best in expected goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (xGA/60) with 2.96 xGA/60, according to Natural Stat Trick. Yes, that’s second from the bottom, but he was also only 0.04 xGA/60 behind Ryan Pulock for third. In terms of actual goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (GA/60), Schaefer was third with 2.28. Yes, that’s quite the discrepancy, but it’s the same across the team, largely thanks to Ilya Sorokin’s heroics.

If you want to talk about his entire skill set, Schaefer had a goals share (GF%) of 55.12. That means the Islanders scored 55.12% of goals while Schaefer was on the ice. Only two defensemen on the roster had a GF% over 50, meaning the Islanders scored more than they gave up with those players on the ice: Schaefer and Pulock. Doing this as an 18-year-old sent his stock sky-high, and rightfully so.

Overuse and Management

One side effect of being so good is that Schaefer played more minutes than any other Islanders defenseman. Only five defensemen played more than 1,000 minutes last season for the Islanders. Schaefer finished the season with more than 2,000 minutes. He had the fifth-highest ice time of any defenseman in the NHL. That trust from coaches reflects his talent. However, the risks associated with that much ice time are incredible.

Let’s put a pin in the traditional injury risks. Those apply to everyone who ever steps onto NHL ice. In a sport as physical as hockey, broken bones and impact injuries are unfortunately common. That shouldn’t be the concern. It’ll be the soft-tissue injuries. In a condensed 2025-26 season, there were more injuries than usual. Teams like the Florida Panthers lost almost 600 man-games to the injury bug. With a new extended schedule, that number of injuries is far from guaranteed to decrease.

For the Islanders specifically, the last thing they need is a career-altering or even a moderately serious injury to their premier defenseman. While this team isn’t in a position to contend, playing him as much as he was under Patrick Roy is asking for trouble. The Islanders were in a playoff race for most of last season, so there is some method to the madness, but if that isn’t the case, the Islanders need Schaefer healthy. He is the beacon for a brighter tomorrow.

Continued Development

The other aspect is that Schaefer needs to keep growing. He’s got the talent to be one of the best defensemen in the world, if you don’t already consider him one. The best way to do that is to give him significant minutes, but also time to reflect on the mistakes he is making before they become bad habits embedded in his game. This is particularly important under a new head coach with a different defensive system, like Pete DeBoer.

None of this means Schaefer cannot handle the high workload. It simply means he is the Islanders’ prized possession, and risking him in extreme situations would be ridiculous. Rest and development are as important for him as scoring another 20 goals. The Islanders need to consider these factors moving forward to ensure the team’s future is brighter than its present.