Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Scott Mayfield (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/d5f12354-d507-452b-80dd-cffc4791e1d3.jpeg] Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Scott Mayfield (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images) Despite flirting with a Stanley Cup playoff spot, the New York Islanders look more like pretenders right now. The Islanders lost seven of their last 10 games, and they’re currently on a five-game winless skid that included a 5-3 defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/islanders-fall-short-of-comeback-lose-5-3-to-tampa-in-first-game-of-back-to-back] and 6-4 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/islanders-lose-6-4-to-carolina-swept-on-back-to-back] The New York Islanders haven't re-signed pending RFA Noah Dobson yet. What could the next few months look like for him? They now sit three points out of a playoff spot [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/islanders-march-madness] and are behind four other teams in the battle for the second wild-card place. It’s looking like another wishy-washy campaign for GM Lou Lamoriello’s Islanders, and there are very real questions about the direction of this team and past decisions. This is to take nothing away from Lamoriello, a deserving Hockey Hall of Famer who doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. And in fairness, Lamoriello got a 2026 first-round draft pick and top prospect center Calum Ritchie in the trade [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/nhl-trade-deadline-what-to-know-about-the-prospects-and-picks-dealt] that sent veteran pivot Brock Nelson to Colorado at the trade deadline. The Islanders’ future isn’t all bad news. That said, the Islanders currently being on the outside of the playoff picture makes some contracts look pretty questionable. Let’s start with the contract handed out to left winger Pierre Engvall – a $3-million cap hit that runs for another five years [https://puckpedia.com/player/pierre-engvall] and has a 16-team no-trade list. Engvall was already placed on waivers this season, with no takers for him. Engvall has eight goals and 13 points in 53 games. Five of those points came in the past eight games [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/the-historical-aspect-to-pierre-engvalls-first-career-multi-goal-game], but more often than not, the team looks like it could have benefited more from using that cap hit elsewhere. The team was under no pressure to lock up a depth player in Engvall for so many years with protection, but that mistake can’t be undone. Defenseman Scott Mayfield has five years left on his contract with a $3.5-million cap hit, and his playing time has dropped. His plus-13 rating leads the team, which is admirable for a defensive defenseman, but he’s averaging 16:50 of ice time, the lowest since 2016-17, and he’s been a healthy scratch. The 32-year-old still has a full no-trade clause through 2026-26 and a 16-team no-trade list afterward – a lot of protection for someone the team no longer thinks is a lock in the lineup. You could get a young player to play those minutes for far less money than what Mayfield is getting. Center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, meanwhile, has another season left at a $5-million cap hit [https://puckpedia.com/player/jean-gabriel-pageau]. He has 12 goals and 37 points in 70 games this year, which comes after 33 points in 82 games last year and 40 points in 70 games in 2022-23. He’s good in his role, but whether that’s a $5-million role is the question – we don’t think it is. Cap space being used this way contributes to mushy-middle results – not good enough for the team to go on a long playoff run and not bad enough to land a top draft pick, which the Isles have needed for quite some time. NHL Sour Rankings: 2025 Mock Draft For The Bottom 10 Teams [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/24a89343-739d-4074-8d16-e522e2180287.jpeg] NHL Sour Rankings: 2025 Mock Draft For The Bottom 10 Teams The NHL’s playoff picture is coming into focus, which means the bottom-end teams are solidifying their spots in the draft lottery – and the NHL sour rankings. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/nhl-sour-rankings-2025-mock-draft-for-the-bottom-10-teams] Most prospect experts see the Islanders’ talent pipeline ranked near the bottom of the NHL, and they have the sixth-oldest roster in the NHL, according to eliteprospects.com [https://www.eliteprospects.com/league/nhl/teams-physical-stats/2024-2025]. That makes it even tougher for the team to do damage in the foreseeable future. The Islanders have all their draft picks in 2025 and two first-rounders in 2026. That will help further down the line, but right now, they don’t have many youngsters who can slot into the lineup – Ritchie is their only prospect projected to make the NHL in the next two seasons, according to The Hockey News’ Future Watch issue. This summer will be crucial as the Islanders have seven RFAs and five UFAs to deal with. What management does this off-season could be a game-changer – one way or another – for their short- and long-term future. The last thing they need is more long-term contracts with trade protection for players that ensure the team remains in the mushy middle. The short-term pain of choosing a direction and prioritizing a replenished prospect pool is worth it if it means acquiring elite players at the top of the draft and setting themselves up to have a terrific core for a decade or longer. Right now, this team isn’t threatening in the playoffs, the regular season or in a draft lottery. From this writer’s perspective, it will be tough sledding for them for a long time. Lamoriello’s been running the Islanders for seven seasons now, and the team currently has its lowest points percentage since seven seasons ago. There’s legitimate cause for frustration with having next to nothing to show for this group after making the playoff semifinals in 2020 and 2021. What matters most is whether this tough sledding results in a refreshed core a few years down the line or a similar-looking squad. If it’s not the former, it’s just more pretending. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
