Previewing the 2026-27 New York Islanders’ Forward Group

Last season, the New York Islanders suffered a late-season collapse and were ousted from the playoff race after a promising season. One reason was the lack of offense: the team scored the eighth-fewest goals in the league, with 229.

The Islanders’ current financial situation is a mixed bag. Heading into the season, they are in a tough salary cap situation.

According to PuckPedia, the Islanders have a projected cap hit of over $101 million, with $54.5 million, or 52% of that, coming from forwards. The largest comes from Mathew Barzal ($9.15 million), Bo Horvat ($8 million), and Ondrej Palat ($6 million).

In addition, the current core is not getting any younger, ranking tenth-oldest in the league with an average age of 29.4, fourth in the Eastern Conference.

Much of the forward depth chart from last season, minus the departures of longtime captain Anders Lee and the free-agent acquisition of Matias Maccelli, is still intact as of this writing.

Let’s take a look at this organization’s forward pipeline in the NHL.

In the NHL

Bo Horvat

Horvat had another successful season with the Islanders, scoring a team-leading 31 goals and earning 57 points in 68 games. He also represented Canada at the Milano Cortina Olympics, where he scored two goals and secured a silver medal. Following Lee’s departure, Horvat is seen as a leading candidate for the captaincy.

Emil Heineman

In his first season with the Islanders, Emil Heineman achieved a career-best year. The Swede played all 82 games and scored 22 goals with 31 points. Drafted in the second round by the Florida Panthers in the 2020 NHL Draft, Heineman joined the Islanders from the Montreal Canadiens in the Noah Dobson trade on June 27, 2025.

Heineman is a candidate for a permanent spot in the top six and will be counted upon to produce more in 2026-27.

Kyle Palmieri

Kyle Palmieri played 25 games and recorded 12 assists for 18 points before tearing his ACL during the game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 29. Given the positive news about Palmieri’s rehab, the expectation is that he will return to training camp in full health.

Mathew Barzal

The Islanders’ first-round pick of the 2015 NHL Draft played his first full season in two seasons and was the point leader for the squad last season with 19 goals and 53 assists for 72 points in 81 games. At age 29, Barzal has three years left on his eight-year contract signed in 2022 and looks to remain healthy in the coming season as a top-six forward.

Matias Maccelli

Maccelli was the Islanders’ first prominent free-agent acquisition this offseason, coming from the Toronto Maple Leafs. A fourth-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in the 2019 NHL Draft, the Turku, Finland, native has played 295 NHL games with Arizona, Utah, and Toronto, recording 169 points (51 goals, 118 assists). The expectation for Maccelli is to compete for a top-six spot in training camp, but he is considered a depth forward in the top nine.

Casey Cizikas

One of the elder statesmen on the Islanders’ squad, 35-year-old Casey Cizikas, is entering the final year of his six-year contract signed back in 2021. A depth forward, the fourth-round pick of the Islanders in the 2009 NHL Draft has been a workhorse for the organization, playing 978 NHL games in 16 seasons.

Anthony Duclair

During the 2019-20 season, NHL veteran Anthony Duclair had an impressive year, earning an All-Star selection. In his second season with the Islanders, he achieved his most productive season. He scored 12 goals and provided 15 assists, totalling 27 points in 62 games. This marked his highest point total in a single season since he played for the San Jose Sharks and Tampa Bay Lightning in 2023-24.

Considered one of the bottom-six forwards, and with the rise of prospects in the system, Duclair is on the bubble to make the team for the coming season. At the free-agent press conference on July 1, general manager Mathieu Darche stated that Duclair will compete for a spot in training camp. He has a 16-team no-trade clause as of July 1.

Brayden Schenn

A 16-year veteran with 1,102 NHL games, Brayden Schenn came to the Islanders on March 5 as a key component of the potential playoff run last season. In 19 games with the Islanders, the 2019 Stanley Cup champion tallied 11 points and will be counted on to provide a veteran presence in the top six. He currently has a contract through 2028.

Calum Ritchie

Calum Ritchie came to the Islanders from the Colorado Avalanche at the 2025 Trade Deadline and became one of the franchise’s rising talents. In his first full season in pro hockey, he showed promise with 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points in 65 games and had his first postseason experience in Bridgeport, scoring a goal in Game 2 of the Calder Cup Playoff opening-round series versus the Hershey Bears.

Pierre Engvall

Pierre Engvall missed the entire 2025-26 season with an ankle injury, in addition to the hip injury suffered in the previous season. The 2018 Calder Cup champion appeared in 181 games in two-plus seasons with the Islanders.

Ondrej Palat

Ondrej Palat was acquired from the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 27 and made an immediate impact in his debut against the New York Rangers, scoring a goal and an assist in the 5-2 win. A seventh-round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2011 NHL Draft, Palat is a 15-year veteran with 902 games across Tampa Bay, New Jersey, and, currently, Long Island.

Simon Holmstrom

Drafted by the Islanders in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft, Simon Holmstrom started his professional hockey career with AHL affiliate Bridgeport in 2019 and spent three seasons with the primary farm team, appearing in 138 games in that span. In the past three seasons, he has played no fewer than 75 games per year. He is in the final year of his two-year contract signed in the 2025 offseason.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau

The durable forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau has missed only 28 games from 2020 through last season, and averaged 15 goals and 36 points per season with the Islanders in that span. A reliable top-nine forward, Pageau is currently under contract through the 2027-28 season.

Final Thoughts

From a financial standpoint, this group is top-heavy, with multiple players possessing no-trade and no-move clauses, greatly limiting the Islanders’ ability to make short-term moves. But after the upcoming season, there will likely be relief of the cap, with the projected cap space of over $41.6 million in the 2027-28 season.