Islanders Mailbag: Coaching Staff Changes, Nemec Buzz & Trade Talk
Free Friday is here. From Simon Nemec rumors and Brayden Schenn debate to Elias Pettersson chatter and Islanders offseason plans, Stefen Rosner answers your latest Islanders' questions.
With the season in the rearview mirror, Free Friday is shifting into offseason mode—with a weekly New York Islanders mailbag where your questions take center stage.
And don’t get it twisted: just because the games have stopped doesn’t mean things are slowing down here.
From exclusive interviews and insider intel to in-depth columns and behind-the-scenes access, The Elmonters isn’t going anywhere—keeping that Islanders pulse alive all summer long.
Before we get to your questions, a few things are worth noting.
The Islanders and assistant coach Ray Bennett mutually parted ways Thursday morning, with Bennett joining Spencer Carbery’s staff in Washington. That leaves the Islanders searching for a new power-play coach, and if he’s available, Steve Spott would make plenty of sense given his close ties to Pete DeBoer — similar to the Barry Trotz/Lane Lambert dynamic.
We also saw conflicting reports about Simon Nemec, with one reporter claiming the pending RFA had requested a trade, while another disputed it.
Regardless, Nemec’s unhappiness with his role has been a recurring storyline, and the 22-year-old would undoubtedly help the Islanders.
The Islanders checked in on Nemec last summer, and with New Jersey now under new management, it feels like a situation worth revisiting — potentially even involving the 13th overall pick.
Ok, now to your questions. Thanks to all who submitted.
Happy Free Friday!
Rosner: If we are being realistic, no one is acquiring a 35-year-old player who is coming off a torn ACL. Also, the Islanders, if they want to compete for a playoff spot in 2026-27, don’t have the luxury of moving a goal scorer. That being said, Palmieri is entering the final season of his two-year extension worth $4.75 million annually, with his full no-trade clause turning into a 16-team modified no-trade clause on July 1. He could be moved for future assets at the 2027 NHL Trade Deadline.
Rosner: With the Islanders failing to qualify for the postseason, the Brayden Schenn trade doesn’t look great right now. I get that. That said, Schenn did post 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 19 games and played a noticeable role in helping Calum Ritchie, something that should continue moving forward.
You’d also hope that under Pete DeBoer, Schenn — along with several other forwards — will be stronger in their own zone/tracking. The first-round pick that was moved, Colorado’s selection, is going to land somewhere between 29-32 overall.
While Jonathan Drouin’s contract was on Mathieu Darche, he also moved on from a player who still had another year left on his deal. Was it an overpay? Sure, but most deadline deals end up being overpays when it’s a seller’s market.
And while everyone wants the Islanders to get younger, play the prospects, and add more scoring, you still need legitimate veteran depth. If Anders Lee isn’t returning, maybe Schenn settles into a third-line role while No. 16 overall pick Victor Eklund gets an opportunity in the top six right away.
I just think this is a move that deserves more than a 19-game sample before we fully judge it.
Rosner: I understand the optics, but to the best of my knowledge, Chris Lamoriello will still be Hamilton’s general manager when the Hammers open the doors for their inaugural season. He remains under contract, and while it was certainly notable that he wasn’t at Hamilton’s press conference, I do believe he was present for the Trenton IronHawks affiliation announcement, so he’s around. While not asked in your question, it’s worth sharing that assistant general manager Ryan Bowness is remaining with the club after he was a finalist for the Vancouver Canucks general manager position. He also interviewed for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ gig.
Rosner: While you can never have enough depth, the Islanders aren’t really in the market for more middle-six forwards right now. With Kyle Palmieri returning from a torn ACL, the additions of Brayden Schenn and Ondrej Palat, Jean-Gabriel Pageau signing a three-year extension, Pierre Engvall (hip and ankle surgery) expected to be healthy for training camp, Anthony Duclair still under contract, and Victor Eklund having a strong chance to make the team, the forward group is already crowded.
That’s not to say the Islanders can’t move on from one or two of those players and upgrade in that area with someone like Victor Arvidsson or Mason Marchment. But overall, their cap space should be focused on landing a true top-six goal scorer and/or upgrading the blue line.
Rosner: Honestly, growing up, the orange alternates were my favorite sweater. I wouldn’t mind seeing them bring some variation of that back. I saw the Fisherman leak from the other day. While I can’t confirm those will be the jerseys, when the Islanders released the Fisherman Reverse Retros a few seasons ago, they did extremely well from a marketing/merchandise sales perspective, so it wouldn’t shock me. I’d go so far as to say that half of UBS Arena was wearing those jerseys, and they were a favorite amongst the younger crowd.
Rosner: Darche is going to do his due diligence on every player who could be available. That’s his job. But Pettersson’s contract is brutal given what has been, in my opinion, an epic fall-off — regardless of the reasons behind it. He’s owed $11.6 million annually through 2032. While Pettersson was absolutely someone the Islanders were interested in a few years ago, and he is still close with Bo Horvat, I’d put the chances of them pursuing him now at basically zero.
Before the Canucks made their GM change, the asking price for Pettersson reportedly started with an NHL-ready top-six center. With new GM Ryan Johnson and the Sedin twins making it clear the organization is heading toward a rebuild, I’d imagine that ask has changed quite a bit.
Danny Nelson could probably interest Vancouver as part of a bigger futures package, but I don’t see the Canucks having much interest in Alexander Romanov coming off shoulder surgery. On the Islanders’ side, I also don’t think there’s much appetite to move a player they just signed to an eight-year extension last summer.
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