Inside look at New York Islanders

NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, the New York Islanders.

The New York Islanders were reveling. The odds of winning the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery on May 5 were 3.5 percent until the last of the four-ball sequence in the first draw unveiled a circular crest with an "NY" over a map of Long Island, giving them the right to select No. 1 for the first time since taking John Tavares in the 2009 NHL Draft and fifth since joining the NHL for the 1972-73 season.

The pick was Matthew Schaefer from Erie of the Ontario Hockey League, the first defenseman they selected No. 1 since Denis Potvin in the 1973 NHL Draft and one who has energized the organization.

"The emotions came out of him," general manager Mathieu Darche said. "To be honest with you, the emotions came out of a lot of us in the draft room. His personality is off the charts, and his talent is obviously undeniable. He's a guy you can build an organization around."

Darche, hired to replace Lou Lamoriello on May 23, joked about how he had more first-round picks in his first month with the Islanders (three) than six years as an executive of the Tampa Bay Lightning teams that won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021 and reached the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. Forward Mathew Barzal told "The ForePlay Pod" he called teammate Casey Cizikas the night of the lottery to extol how winning it changes the entire direction of a franchise.

What's changed is a refurbished front office and roster coming off a 35-35-12 season, nine points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

Noah Dobson, who was a pending restricted free agent defenseman, was traded to the Montreal Canadiens on June 27 for forward Emil Heineman and two 2025 first-round picks used to select forward Victor Eklund (No. 16) and defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson (No. 17). Other newcomers include forwards Jonathan Drouin and Maxim Shabanov from Traktor of the Kontinental Hockey League.

The momentum got going with a simple luck of the draw.

"I think the way it all happened, balls coming up out of nowhere a little bit, it brought some life to our offseason," captain Anders Lee said.

The Dobson trade created an opening for Schaefer, who turns 18 on Sept. 5, to break training camp this season and anchor the defense with Alexander Romanov, a 25-year-old entering the first season of an eight-year contract he signed July 1, a tantalizing proposition for players and fans. Schaefer signed his entry-level contract Aug. 4, one month after he got a standing ovation when introduced for the annual Blue and White Scrimmage, his first game since a season-ending broken clavicle sustained at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship on Dec. 27, 2024.

"There's been some hope restored and there's a direction with youth involved, and really talented youth," Islanders television analyst and retired NHL forward Cal Clutterbuck said.

Drouin signed a two-year contract to help revive a 31st-ranked power play (12.6 percent). Barzal is healthy from two upper-body injuries that limited him to 30 games and is projected for return to center next to Simon Holmstrom, a 24-year-old who signed a two-year contract after an NHL career-high 45 points (20 goals, 25 assists) in 75 games. Starting goalie Ilya Sorokin is two years removed from a Vezina Trophy nomination and went 30-24-6 with a 2.71 goals-against average, .907 save percentage and four shutouts last season after rehabbing from back surgery. He faced 1,695 shots on goal, third-most in the NHL behind Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers (1,751) and the Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy (1,716).

The Metropolitan Division could be wide open, and the Islanders hope to seize it.

"That's where we expect to be," Lee said. "We're not happy with anything that happened with those results last year. There's a lot of excitement from us as a team. We're all looking forward to just getting back on the ice, getting together as a group and taking this in a new direction. We're in a spot (where) we did everything we could to become better."

The Islanders are better equipped for a postseason bid, many thanks to good fortune against long odds.

"I definitely think this team can be in the playoffs this season," Darche said. "That's what I want the players' mindset to be when the season starts."

NHL.com deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman contributed to this report