NHL rumors: 5 Islanders not named Mat Barzal who could be on trade block

Matthew Schaefer has completely changed the trajectory of the New York Islanders franchise, but the NHL rookie of the year’s emergence was not enough to bring playoff hockey back to Long Island in 2025-26.

The Isles missed the postseason for a second straight time, firing Patrick Roy late in the campaign and replacing him with Pete DeBoer behind the bench.

Now, general manager Mathieu Darche will be looking to make a couple of moves to get his roster back into the conversation. It’s a thin free-agent pool this summer, and star forward Mat Barzal has already been rumored to be on the block.

Along with that, captain Anders Lee might not be back after The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the player and club remain far apart in contract talks that would keep the pending unrestricted free agent on Long Island.

The Hockey News’ Russell Macias added five more names Darche could potentially be willing to listen to offers on as New York tries to make up ground in the Metropolitan Division in 2026-27: Anthony Duclair, Adam Pelech, Pierre Engvall, Ondrej Palat and Casey Cizikas.

The Isles need to free up cap space, as they’re working with just $10.6 million, per PuckPedia. Schaefer is also going to be due for a massive raise as soon as next summer.

Four of the players Macias mentioned are forwards, and two of them are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in July 2027. It would make sense for the Islanders to explore getting value for Palat ($6 million AAV) and Cizikas ($2.5 million AAV), although both are coming off disappointing offensive seasons.

Duclair has one additional season remaining on his contract, but he struggled in 2025-26, recording just 27 points in 62 games. After being healthy scratched multiple times during the season, it’s fair to wonder whether he’ll remain part of the Islanders’ long-term plans. His no-trade clause also converts to a 16-team no-trade list on July 1.

Engvall missed the entire campaign due to hip and ankle surgeries, making him a difficult player to evaluate on the trade market. He has four years remaining on a contract carrying a $3 million cap hit.

Pelech likely possesses the highest trade value of the group after putting together another strong defensive season on the blue line. The veteran defenseman has three years remaining on a contract worth $5.75 million annually.

If the Islanders are genuinely willing to listen on Barzal, it would signal that few players on the roster are completely untouchable as Darche evaluates ways to reshape the team heading into next season.

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