2026-27 Islanders season predictions, best bets, odds: Matthew Schaefer to shine in sophomore campaign

Despite the emergence of Matthew Schaefer, the presence of Ilya Sorokin and the hiring of Pete DeBoer, the Islanders come into the 2026-27 campaign with muted expectations.Oddsmakers have pegged the Isles as the biggest long shot in the Metropolitan Division, and they are tied with the Red Wings for the longest odds in the Eastern Conference.The betting market is far from infallible, and there is almost always at least one NHL team that flips the script each season, but it’s pretty easy to see how the bookmakers got to this conclusion.While the Islanders have some impressive pillars in place with Schaefer, Sorokin, Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal,and emerging talents like Simon Holmstrom and Cal Ritchie, they didn’t bring in any supporting pieces in the offseason.It seemed an odd choice to essentially stand pat, especially since the team made some “win-now” moves at the trade deadline just a few months ago.This offseason looked like a prime opportunity for Mathieu Darche to find a way to clear space for new blood by moving out veterans on long-term deals, but the second-year general manager instead preached a message of “wait ’til next summer.”It was an odd choice since only a couple of players will be out of contract, and the Islanders were not that far off from being a playoff team in 2025-26 despite terrible special teams and questionable coaching.Had the Islanders decided to be a touch more aggressive in the summer and re-shape their blueline and added another impact forward (or kept Anders Lee), you could see a path to contention.Instead, the Islanders’ game plan seems to be counting on DeBoer to get the most out of this unbalanced roster.

There is certainly a chance that does happen — it wasn’t too long ago when another elite coach, Barry Trotz, turned the long-shot Islanders into a contender in his first year — but the market is not convinced.If you are bullish on the Islanders’ chances to upset the odds, there are a number of ways to back t...