Islanders’ sophomore year plan for Matthew Schaefer comes into view
New York Islanders head coach Pete DeBoer outlined a plan to broaden defenseman Matthew Schaefer’s role in his sophomore season, including playing on the right side. The team also faced the departure of longtime captain Anders Lee, who signed with the Utah Mammoth. DeBoer mentioned additional lineup adjustments, such as moving Mat Barzal to center, as part of his offseason strategy.
- ▪Coach Pete DeBoer intends to use Matthew Schaefer on both the left and right sides of the blue line to increase his versatility.
- ▪Schaefer, the Calder Trophy winner, primarily played left defense in his rookie year but saw limited action on the right side late in the season.
- ▪Longtime captain Anders Lee left the Islanders for a three‑year, $16.2 million contract with the Utah Mammoth.
- ▪DeBoer is considering moving Mat Barzal to center to further diversify the team’s offensive options.
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NHL New York Islanders Islanders’ sophomore year plan for Matthew Schaefer comes into view By Alex Mitchell Published July 2, 2026, 11:15 p.m. ET (function() { var overlay = document.getElementById("nyp-player-lcp-overlay"); if (!overlay) { return; } function hideOverlay() { overlay.remove(); } function afterDCL() { requestAnimationFrame(hideOverlay); } if (document.readyState === "loading") { document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", afterDCL, { once: true }); } else { afterDCL(); } })(); See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The New York Post on Google Matthew Schaefer’s getting a shake-up. Islanders head coach Pete DeBoer plans to expand the defenseman’s defenseman Matthew Schaefer’s versatility in his sophomore season by moving the young phenom around the blue line.
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