Darche's Belief In Isaiah George Adds Another Layer To Islanders' Defensive Puzzle
Mathieu Darche made it clear Isaiah George will have every opportunity to make the Islanders. What does that mean for others on the blue line?
When New York Islanders general manager Matheu Darche drafted Malte Gustafsson, he was well aware that he was adding another name to an ever-growing list of left-handed defenseman.
He also knew that the right side of his prospect pool was pretty barren.
I asked Darche, following night one of the 2026 NHL Draft, about how you balance wanting to fill a positional need and taking the best player available:
“It’s funny because we debated [Friday] morning. Yesterday, we had our meetings, and during the meeting we debated. By the end of the day, your needs might change by the time these guys are ready to be contributors in the NHL, and even if you have a lot of lefties, well, you know what? If you need something else at some point, there are assets too, and it’s even better because they’re already drafted, already pro. So I believe in a theory, and again, most strong teams that draft well, you take the best player available.
“Obviously, we got Matthew Schaefer, who’s an outlier, to have that impact right away. Most of these kids, they take at least a year, if not two, three, and by that time your needs might be completely different. So you take the best player available, and then at one point, if we have too many lefties, well, it’s a good problem to have. That means we have assets to acquire something else that we need.”
Here’s what the Islanders’ left side looks like:
While Gustafsson told us at the podium that he doesn’t play the right side, there may have been a language barrier because it appears he has played the right side in the past.
I’ll ask him again at development camp because that certainly impacts things. But for now, let’s take what Gustafsson told us as the truth. Maybe he’s played the right side before, but is simply more comfortable on the left.
Regardless, Gustafsson is returning to the SHL for the 2026-27 season, so his impact on the Islanders’ roster is still years away.
What may impact the Islanders much sooner is Isaiah George.