After posting elite totals in his first three NHL seasons, Sorokin has posted a 2.86 GAA and .908 SV% in 117 combined appearances over the last two seasons (55-43-18); a steep decline from the 2.34 GAA and .924 SV% in his previous 136 games (70-46-18). Although still a talented netminder, Sorokin's recent stats are likely more aligned with what can be expected in the 2025-26 season. Still, the Islanders enter their season-opening matchup on Thursday as -127 road favourites against a Pittsburgh Penguins team coming off a 3-0 opening-night victory over the New York Rangers.

The Islanders signed Bear to a one-year contract in the offseason to provide some depth on their blueline, but he will need to wait to make his team debut as he will be sidelined for a few weeks on Injured Reserve. The 28-year-old Bear spent the entirety of the 2024-25 season in the AHL, tallying 46 points (10G / 36A) in 62 games with the Hershey Bears. He has 67 points (17G / 50A) in 275 career NHL games.

Coming off offseason surgery, it's unclear when Varlamov will return to action, but he will start the 2025-26 campaign sidelined on the Injured Reserve. The 37-year-old netminder was limited to only 10 games last season (3-4-3), posting a 2.89 GAA and .889 SV%, due to various injuries.

Engvall continues to recover from offseason hip surgery and is not expected to be ready for opening night, so expect him to start the season on IR. Once healthy, Engvall will likely once again be battling for playing time in the Islanders' bottom-6.

Ritchie was acquired before last season's trade deadline as part of a deal that sent Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche. The 20-year-old Ritchie has not yet made his regular-season debut with the Islanders and will likely have to wait a while longer, as he will likely not be ready for their season opener next week.

Lee is expected to miss the majority of training camp with an upper-body injury, but is still likely to be ready for the start of the Islanders' Regular season on October 9th vs. Pittsburgh. The Islanders' 35-year-old captain will be expected to play a large role in New York's offence yet again this season, after putting. up 29 goals, 54 points and 233 SOG in 82 games played.

Prokhorov was the Islanders' 2025 2nd round pick (42nd overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with New York. The 18-year-old Russian winger improved his draft stock in 2024-25 after a solid 20-goal, 27-point campaign with MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg (MHL) across 43 games played. He is expected to remain in Russia with Dynamo Moskva (KHL) on loan for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Schaefer was this year's first overall selection in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Islanders on Monday. The 17-year-old missed the majority of the 2024-25 season due to a serious collarbone injury but still managed to go first overall in the draft due to his five goals and 22 points in 18 games with Erie (OHL). He is expected to be a key part of the Islanders' future for years to come.

New York and Maxim Tsyplakov avoided arbitration on Friday after they announced a two-year contract extension worth $4.5 million ($2.25 million AAV) for the Russian forward. The 26-year-old made his NHL debut last season after signing out of the KHL and succeeded in his first taste of the big leagues with 10 goals, 35 points, and 39 PIMs in 77 games played. He is expected to take on a bigger role in his second season with the Islanders in 2025-26.

Gatcomb split the 2024-25 season between the AHL and NHL. During his time with the Islanders, he had nine points (8G / 1A) and 149 hits in 39 games. He'll be a fringe roster player for them in 2025-26 and could end up back in the AHL to begin the season.

The biggest KHL target of the offseason is off the board after New York announced Wednesday that they have come to a one-year, entry-level agreement with Maxim Shabanov. The 24-year-old Russian forward is coming off a sensational season with Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL) where he had 23 goals and 67 points in 65 games played. He is expected to make an impact with the Islanders right away.

Heineman was acquired as part of the Noah Dobson trade and signed a two-year extension with the Islanders. Heineman adds a little bit of offence to New York's bottom-6, but more than anything, brings physicality and penalty killing prowess. Heineman was on pace for 13 goals, 11 assists and 229 hits over 82 games last season.

Highmore has quietly been an effective depth player in his career and will hope to continue that trend on a one-year, two-way contract with the New York Islanders. The undrafted 29-year-old has 35 points (14G / 21A) in 187 career games. He scored six points (2G / 4A) in 41 games with the Ottawa Senators last season.

Holmstrom had a breakout 2024-25 season, scoring 45 points (20G / 25A) in 75 games, earning himself a two-year contract extension with the Islanders worth $3.625 million. The 24-year-old produced at an extremely impressive rate to end the season, with 22 points (10G / 12A) in 30 games from late January to early April.

After falling out of favour with the Montreal Canadiens, Drouin took an opportunity with the Colorado Avalanche to rediscover his scoring prowess alongside Nathan MacKinnon and did just that. In 122 games with Colorado over the previous two seasons, Drouin scored an impressive 93 points (30G / 63A) after playing on back-to-back team-friendly one-year deals with the team. He joins the New York Islanders on a two-year $8 million contract.

Bear will join his fourth organization in five seasons after signing a one-year deal worth $775,000 with the Islanders on Tuesday. The 28-year-old defenceman last appeared in the NHL in 2023-24 after spending last season in Hershey (AHL) where he had 10 goals and 46 points in 62 games played. He is expected to compete for one of the Islanders' final roster spots in training camp.

After two successful seasons backing up in Los Angeles, David Rittich will join his sixth NHL team after signing a one-year contract with the Islanders on Tuesday. The 32-year-old appeared in his most games (34) since 2019-20 last season, but struggled mightily as shown by his .886 SV% and 2.84 GAA. He is expected to provide goaltending depth if Semyon Varlamov is unable to go to start the season.

After a successful return from the KHL mid-season in 2024-25, Tony DeAngelo has earned himself a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the Islanders ahead of the 2025-26 season. The 29-year-old will likely take on a bigger role this season after Noah Dobson was moved out of town last week and is expected to occupy the top powerplay in his absence. Across 35 games in 2024-25, he had four goals, 19 points and a -11 plus/minus.