ELMONT, NY -- New York Islanders [http://thn.com/isles] No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/islanders-matthew-schaefer-etches-name-in-history-books-yet-again-in-home-opener-vs-capitals] has spoken glowingly about the leadership group since arriving on Long Island. However, after another game where the 18-year-old was the club's best player despite a 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/winnipeg-jets], head coach Patrick Roy [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/islanders-alter-lines-ahead-of-game-against-winnipeg-patrick-roy-s-reasonings] is looking for the veterans to take a page out of the Schaefer script. "What I love about his game? He's got no hesitation," Roy said postgame. "He's going in. And you know what? I don't give a damn. He could make a mistake. I don't care. He keeps playing, and that's what we were saying to all our D. No hesitation, guys, come on. Play. And I feel like he's been fun to watch, fun to watch." For a second straight game, Schaefer has led the Islanders in minutes played. After recording 26:04 minutes in a 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/capitals-head-coach-spencer-carbery-on-islanders-this-is-a-much-more-dynamic-team] on Saturday, Schaefer played 26:35 minutes on Monday, leading the team with 12 shot attempts. He impressed the heck out of Jets head coach Scott Arniel. "I just made the comment to management that I'm glad he's in the East," Arniel said. "The kid is dynamic. Boy, can he skate. I've seen some young guys step into this league. There's a guy in Colorado who kind of has that same kind of poise and ability to move. He is dynamic. I saw a video and watched him on TV last year. But to see him live, man, man oh man, he can jump. He can skate, and he has some tools. I'm glad he's in the East." Two-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Toews was blown away, too. "He had the puck a lot tonight. He’s influencing the game. Pretty crazy to see a kid at his age, not having played much last year, to go No. 1 and step in and look as comfortable as he does now," Toews said. "Obviously, he has tremendous skill and speed as well. He had some flashes out there where you think you’ve got position on him, and he’s jumping around you. Incredibly patient and poised with the puck. No doubt he’s a special player, and he showed it tonight." Now, it's clear that not all of the Islanders can play like Schaefer. Very few in the league can. And, the "no hesitation" only works if the defense is strong enough to get back into their structure, with their transition defense a cause for concern early on. Schaefer tells us all the time how much he loves playing hockey, and you can tell on each and every shift. He's trying to make an impact every time his feet hit the ice, using his skill sets to create something out of nothing. Again, not many can do what he can do, but they can all play with that edge and passion that the youngster has been playing with since probably the first time he ever laced them up. This is not a knock on the effort of Schaefer's teamamtes because effort doesn't seem to be a problem. However, there's no question that, in all three zones, hesitation has been evident -- and it's been costly. Schaefer plays a free brand of hockey. He's not thinking. He's just reacting, and that's what Roy wants to see. He wants to see the other blueliners, who, during the Lou Lamoriello-Barry Trotz era, were told to play a certain way, a calculated way. It's a hard mold to break, something that Lane Lambert tried to do, and then Roy when he first took over. It might be an impossible task for some of the defensemen and forwards, mentally and physically. But for the first time since Trotz left, the general manager and head coach are in sync with how they want their players to play, and Schaefer fits that ideology to a tee. Now, playing freely doesn't mean playing with no structure. It's just more about reading and reacting rather than calculating -- trusting your instincts. When reaction and feeling are prioritized over calculating with an emphasis on slowing the game down, that's when the best teams in the league are at their best. Having a player like Schaefer makes the Islanders' dream of being a Stanley Cup contender at some point a reality. And if other players, regardless of age and experience, can start to play that way, the Islanders will win hockey games. You can bet on it.
