The New York Islanders enter the quiet part of the 2026 summer with 13 clear NHL forwards, with multiple players pushing for roles elsewhere on the depth chart.

Many expect Victor Eklund to compete for and win a job in the opening-night lineup, but that's far from guaranteed.

The 2026-27 Islanders will not be significantly changed, but a tidal wave of change is bubbling beneath the surface.

Next summer, the Islanders have four pending unrestricted free agents at forward-Kyle Palmieri, Casey Cizikas, Ondrej Palat, and Kyle MacLean.

Matias Maccelli, signed to a one-year, $2.25 million deal, is an RFA, but if the year doesn't go well, he would almost certainly be headed to the UFA market once again.

Simon Holmstrom and Emil Heineman are restricted free agents.

So, as it stands, the Islanders have seven forwards under contract for the 2027-28 season, which becomes eight if you include Eklund.

That number also includes both Anthony Duclair and Pierre Engvall, who remain candidates for a trade as soon as this summer.

That's a wide-open forward group for a crop of young, skilled players to barge right into.

Conveniently, Hamilton's going to be chock-full of those youngsters learning the ropes.

Cole Eiserman, Daniil Prokhorov and Quinn Finley -- Danny Nelson after he finishes his senior season at Notre Dame -- are all very popular names to be the "next" forward to break through after Eklund, with Hamilton first.

One name consistently passed over is Daylan Kuefler, but Kuefler is the closest of them all.

The Islanders originally selected Kuefler, 24, in the sixth round of the 2022 NHL Draft, and he's gone on to become an extremely steady pro for Bridgeport despite multiple injuries.

His skill set translates perfectly to the bottom six, with the potential to become a strong third-line shutdown winger who plays with speed and an edge.

It would not be shocking at all to see Kuefler play NHL games this season, as he's already played 105 AHL games to date.

The Islanders and general manager Mathieu Darche intentionally left the door wide-open for these young forwards to grab hold of roster spots.

Defensively, the Islanders will be open for business soon, too.

After the 2026-27 season ends, the Islanders will be able to trade any of their five NHL defenseman not named Matthew Schaefer.

After seeing Darnell Nurse go for positive value, with Morgan Rielly likely to follow, the Islanders can absolutely bank on getting good returns for any of their defensemen, with each one signed to cheap deals under the rising cap.

On the left side, both Adam Pelech and Alexander Romanov could fetch massive hauls.

Teams called this summer on Romanov, likely hoping to get him for a discount after he did not play another game following a season-ending shoulder injury in November.

Romanov's full no-trade clause kicks in on July 1, 2027.

With Isaiah George ready to push for a roster spot now, Kashawn Aitcheson joining Hamilton, and Malte Gustafsson behind them, the importance of the Islanders having flexibility with their defenseman becomes heightened.

This summer of 2026 will be looked back upon as a prelude to the Islanders' future, one led by Schaefer and the young core behind him.

That core is going to have every opportunity to succeed and explode onto the scene.