Islanders season ends with early signal as Peter DeBoer reassigns four players
Photo credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
Victor Eklund is headed down by Peter DeBoer as the New York Islanders officially close their season at 91 points.
It ended quietly. No clinch, no late push. Just a line in the standings and a quick set of transactions.
Eklund, Isaiah George, Liam Foudy, and Calum Ritchie were all reassigned to Bridgeport within hours.
That timing says everything. DeBoer didn't wait for exit meetings to start shaping his roster.
The Islanders finished 43-34-5. Close enough to stay in the race, not strong enough to survive it.
They ended sixth in the Wild Card picture. The gap wasn't massive, but it was real.
Calum Ritchie's numbers sum up the fine margins. He posted 30 points in 65 games but went -14.
Islanders season ends as Peter DeBoer sends four down in early roster move
This wasn't about sending prospects for playoff reps in the AHL. This was a clear separation move.
Victor Eklund got just one NHL game and recorded 1 point. Efficient, but not enough runway to evaluate further.
Isaiah George held his own with a +1 in 4 games. Still, DeBoer is looking for certainty on the blue line.
Liam Foudy didn't get on the scoresheet in his single appearance. That kept him on the outside.
These are depth decisions, but they reflect a larger issue. The Islanders ran out of internal answers.
Up front, Mathew Barzal carried the offense with 72 points in 81 games. He drove the pace most nights.
Bo Horvat chipped in 31 goals in 68 games, giving them a reliable scoring touch down the middle.
After that, production thinned out. Too many nights where the bottom six didn't tilt the ice.
Defensively, the group couldn't lock games down. The Islanders finished with a -8 goal differential.
That number shows how tight things were. One bounce here, one missed assignment there, and it adds up.
In goal, Ilya Sorokin handled the heavy load with 55 games and a .906 save percentage.
He gave them stability in the crease, but the defensive coverage in front of him slipped too often late.
This is where DeBoer steps in. These demotions are less about the players and more about standards.
He's drawing a hard line on who pushes the pace and who gets pushed down the depth chart.
Bridgeport now becomes a proving ground again, not just a holding spot between call-ups.
For the Islanders, the offseason starts now. And it starts with fewer gray areas.
DeBoer made that clear the moment the season ended.
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