For most of the 2025-26 season, the Islanders were in possession of a playoff spot.
And then came a slump at the worst possible time.
The Islanders lost 10 of their final 14 games and ending the season on the outside looking in when it came to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It was a finish to the season that was hard to fathom given how well they played for much of the season.
And the feeling still bothers the players who have returned for this coming season.
“It’s brutal,” said defenseman Scott Mayfield. “When you have a playoff spot for over 85% of the season, or whatever it was, and then to miss out on it, you’re sitting at home watching those games in the first round and second round and you feel like you failed in a certain way. For us, we had a spot and we just let go of it the last little bit.”
Mayfield has seen a plethora of ups and downs since he made his NHL debut during the 2013-14 season.
The 33-year-old blueliner, a second-round pick in 2011, played his first full NHL season in 2018-19, the first of three straight trips to the playoffs under General Manager Lou Lamoriello and Head Coach Barry Trotz including back-to-back trips to the NHL’s final four in 2020 and 2021. But since then, the Islanders have made the playoffs just twice over the last five seasons. Patrick Roy guided the Islanders to the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, but he was let go with four games to go last season and was replaced by Peter DeBoer who begins his first full season as Islanders Head Coach.
It’s a fresh start for the Islanders with a coach that has a history of success. DeBoer led the New Jersey Devils and San Jose Sharks to the Stanley Cup Final and took the Sharks, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars to the Western Conference Final a total of six times.
That’s quite a resume now behind the Islanders bench.
“Yeah, and just knowing the teams that he’s coached and what they’ve been able to do,” said Mayfield. “I think there’s that comfort level. As we get into it more, it’s going to be a little bit more of the details and a little bit more of the standards that he wants. I think definitely getting a taste of it at the end of the season helps.”
The Islanders are into week two of an abbreviated training camp thanks to the NHL’s new schedule. There are now only four pre-season games and there’s now an 84-game regular season. The Isles’ pre-season schedule began with Sunday’s 2-1 loss in New Jersey and continues Tuesday night against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Then, there’s back-to-back home games against the Rangers and Devils this Friday and Saturday before the regular season begins on September 30th in Toronto.
That’s right…a regular season game in September.
“It’s learning quick and it’s playing quick,” said Mayfield. “It’s definitely different, but it will also be different when game one rolls around and it’s in September. I don’t think it affects the conditioning or anything like that. Guys come in ready. The way the offseasons are now, you train so hard in the offseason that day one you’re ready hitting the ice hard.”
And so far, there are good vibes around the Islanders.
After last season’s disappointment, the Islanders have turned the page and are focused on getting off to a good start under DeBoer and getting back to the playoffs after a two-season absence.
There seems to be a breath of fresh air in Islanders Country.
“I think we’re all really excited,” said the 33-year-old Mayfield, one of the longest-tenured current Islanders with 615 career games.
“When you have new staff, a new head coach, and stuff like that, it’s a little bit more in camp to get a fresh slate to work with and they’re trying to figure out everything they want to see. It’s a little more learning and it’s a little more trying to figure out the system and stuff like that.”
One of the reasons why there is so much excitement around the Islanders organization is that there has been an infusion of youth into the team, especially 19-year-old defenseman Matthew Schaefer who won the Calder Trophy last season as the NHL Rookie of the Year.
But that’s not all.
Forward Victor Eklund, one of the Islanders’ three first round picks in 2025, made his NHL debut this past April in the regular season finale and is pushing for an opening-night roster spot. With Mat Barzal’s status for opening night in question as he is sidelined with inflammation in his knee, the door could be open for Cole Eiserman to make the team. The 2024 first-round pick scored in both rookie games against the Devils, this past Friday’s training camp scrimmage, and in Sunday’s pre-season game in New Jersey.
Throw in defensemen Kashawn Aitcheson, another first-round pick in 2025 and Isaiah George, along with forward Cal Ritchie and forward prospect Daniil Prokhorov, and the future looks very bright for the Islanders.
“We, for sure, have a good prospect pool,” said Mayfield. “They look great. It’s fun having the good young guys putting pressure on for spots. A healthy competition is good in camp and it makes everyone raise their games so it’s good to see.”
And the more everyone raises their games, the better chance the Islanders will have to punch their ticket to the playoffs this season.
With a short time to go before the regular season begins, the Islanders have a fire burning in them to make sure they don’t end this season with the same feeling as this past spring.
“Everyone has that hunger in them,” said Mayfield. “You don’t have to worry about that with this group which is nice. We know what we left out there last year and we’re excited to get it going now.”
In a little over a week, the Islanders will get it going for real north of the border in Toronto.For most of the 2025-26 season, the Islanders were in possession of a playoff spot. Then came a slump at the worst possible time.
For most of the 2025-26 season, the Islanders were in possession of a playoff spot. Then came a slump at the worst possible time.
