Big changes are coming for the New York Islanders. The main focus is on their new head coach, but they are also considering recalling their top prospect.
Addressing the Islanders media regarding the firing of Patrick Roy and the hiring of Peter DeBoer, general manager Matthew Darche did not rule out recalling top prospect Victor Eklund.
"We're looking at everything," Darche said. “Every day we want to have the best roster we have [on the ice]"
As his season in Sweden ended, on March 26, Eklund was reassigned by the Islanders from Djurgården of the SHL to the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey League. Since then, he has recorded six assists in four games while showing exceptional offensive creativity.
“It was really fun,” Eklund said. "I wanted to play as soon as possible because I was so excited."
Eklund's brief sample of AHL success comes off the back of a solid SHL season in which he scored six goals and 24 points in 43 games as a 19-year-old.
Now, the Islanders have tightened their belts after falling out of playoff position as a result of a four-game slump and a 3-7-0 record in their last 10 games.
Thus, Roy is out, and DeBoer is in, as Darche is not going to let the season he is having go to waste by acquiring Brayden Schenn at the 2026 NHL trade deadline.
The Islanders are out of playoff position with 89 after they were eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday. The Flyers have a game in hand on the Islanders, so Darche and company, and sidelining Eklund with four games left in the season and the Stanley Cup playoffs on the line, will speak volumes about the confidence the Islanders organization has in Eklund.
The Islanders drafted Eklund in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft with the first of back-to-back selections they received from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Noah Dobson.
