Islanders Pressure Points
Pete DeBoer's biggest challenge isn't eliminating pressure on the Islanders—it's redistributing it.
Pressure is a privilege.
That’s a phrase New York Islanders’ Calder Trophy-winning defenseman Matthew Schaefer said early and often during his first NHL season.
In sports, words mean nothing. Play and production mean everything.
Some players thrive under pressure. Others fold.
Looking back at the Islanders’ 2025-26 season, pressure was everywhere.
Schaefer, at just 18 years old, logged top-pairing minutes while quarterbacking the power play, all while learning what it meant to be an NHL player and living far from home.
Ilya Sorokin, a Vezina finalist, was asked to be nearly perfect because of the Islanders’ defensive-zone struggles.
Patrick Roy entered the season coaching for his future with a new front office in place.
Once Lou Lamoriello was dismissed, everyone inside that dressing room understood change had arrived.
Now it’s Pete DeBoer’s turn.
Mathieu Darche didn’t overhaul the roster this summer. Instead, he handed DeBoer largely the same group and tasked him with getting it back to the playoffs.
That starts with redistributing the pressure across the lineup instead of allowing it to fall on the same few shoulders.