Welcome to the Off The Island Podcast, hosted weekly by David (@TuckonSports), Phil (@philzfactz) and Jack (@IslesDen).
We will be streaming on Spotfy, Apple and YouTube discussing all things New York Islanders and NHL.
Welcome back to the Off The Island podcast!
Dave and Jack were joined by Stefen Rosner of The Elmonters to break down the Islanders’ 4-3 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild and what’s starting to look like a real identity for this team.
The headline is Matthew Schaefer. We spent a good chunk of the episode on just how unprecedented what he’s doing is, and why it’s getting hard to find comparisons for a player his age.
We also got into Bo Horvat’s start to the season, which has been nothing short of unreal, and what it means to have your captain carrying the load the way he has.
Lastly, we talked about Pete DeBoer’s system and the buy-in we’re seeing from this group. The structure is showing up in the results, and the players clearly believe in it.
Big thanks to Stefen for joining us — go give him a follow and check out his work at https://www.theelmonters.com/ (https://www.theelmonters.com/)
Chapters
00:00 Off The Island Intro (we're one man short)
05:00 Where this team was two years ago vs. the 102-point pace now
10:00 Victor Eklund's tenacity and the Heineman-Schenn-Eklund line
15:00 Stefen Rosner on the buy-in and how it compares to the Roy era
20:00 Mayfield, the seven-defensemen lineup and the fourth-line message
25:00 Aitcheson, Prokhorov and why prospects need to fail first
30:00 Eastern Conference playoff picture: who's real and who fades
35:00 The Dylan Larkin standoff and where he ends up
40:00 Bo Horvat is playing the best hockey of his career
45:00 Judging players for what they aren't instead of what they are
50:00 Does Darche pay Holmstrom? Barzal expectations
55:00 Appreciating a generational player while it's happening
60:00 Nothing phases Schaefer, and a fire alarm wraps us up
Enjoy!
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16 Oct 2026
6: Ups and Downs | Isles vs. Sens Postgame Reaction
Welcome back to the Off The Island podcast!
Phil, Dave and Jack broke down the Islanders’ 2-1 shootout loss in Ottawa and where this team sits at 3-3-1.
Semyon Varlamov gave the Isles every chance to win it and we gave him his due. Matias Maccelli keeps making his case with another goal.
On the other side, we talked about the young guys hitting a wall. Cal Ritchie and Victor Eklund both had quiet nights, and Simon Holmstrom is still searching for his game. We got into how much patience these guys deserve.
We also made it clear that Matthew Schaefer is elite, and that led us into the blue line conversation — what Adam Pelech’s trade value actually looks like right now, and where Ryan Pulock fits going forward.
Enjoy!
Chapters:
00:00 Off The Island Intro
00:30 Semyon Varlamov
04:00 Victor Eklund and Cal Ritchie Analysis
20:00 Matthew Schaefer is ELITE
24:30 Adam Pelech Trade Value
30:00 Ryan Pulock
33:00 Simon Holmstrom
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8 Oct 2026
5: OTI: Early Season Thoughts On The New York Islanders
Welcome back to the Off The Island podcast!
Phil, Dave and Jack discussed the first 3 games played of the New York Islanders season. The reactions are all over the map after the 6-0 win over NJ, to the less eventful losses vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers.
The topics range from Cal Ritchie and Victor Eklund giving the fans a reason to be excited, while also acknowledging Alexander Romanov’s devastating injury, Bo Horvat’s linemates struggling early in the season, and how this lineup looks with a Mathew Barzal return on the way.
Chapters:
* 00:00 Off The Island Podcast Introduction
* 00:15 Alexander Romanov Injury News
* 02:45 Does Mathieu Darche make a trade to replace Romanov?
* 03:48 Analyzing The Islanders Salary Cap Situation
* 06:00 Positive Mathew Barzal Injury Update
* 07:50 Do we Barzal and Horvat together on the top-line?
* 08:50 Which player gets healthy scratched when Barzal is healthy?
* 10:00 Islanders vs. Rangers Game Recap: Schenn, Palat, Ritchie and Eklund continue to impress!
* 27:54 How do the Islanders lineup defensively with Romanov injured
* 31:00 Any chance we see Kashawn Aitcheson this season?!
* 36:00 NHL News And Updates
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2 Oct 2026
4: OTI: Islanders vs. Leafs | Post-Game Reaction
Welcome back to Episode 4 of the Off The Island Podcast hosted by Dave, Phil and Jack.
We started with the Mathew Barzal injury timeline. The knee that flared up in training camp kept him out of the opener, and we talked through what the Isles look like without him and what a realistic return date might be.
We dug into the Mathieu Darche article where he confirmed the Islanders were in on Kirill Marchenko and said he's still looking to add offense. "It might look like we didn't do much this summer, but it's not because we didn't try." We gave our take on that and whether a bigger swing is coming.
We recapped the loss to Toronto and what stood out to us from opening night.
Lastly, we got into Brayden Schenn getting dropped to the fourth line and what Peter DeBoer's quick hook says about how he's going to run this group.
Enjoy!
17 Sept 2026
3: Isles Training Camp Preview
Welcome back to Episode 3 of the Off The Island Podcast hosted by Dave, Phil and Jack.
We kicked things off with the big news: Bo Horvat has been named captain of the New York Islanders. We gave our thoughts on what the "C" means for Bo and left our thoughts on the move.
We shared what stood out to us from Rookie Camp and which young players caught our eye as training camp gets closer, and broke down the potential Simon Holmstrom contract extension and how it fits with the trends we're seeing across the NHL on these kinds of deals.
We also debated whether Matthew Schaefer could slide over to the right side, and what that would mean for him and the Isles' blue line.
Lastly, we closed it out with a Q&A and answered your questions. Thanks to everyone who sent one in, and keep them coming!
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:15 Bo Horvat named New York Islanders Captain
06:10 NYI Rookie Camp, Victor Eklund and Cole Eiserman impress
14:00 What does Simon Holmstrom's contract extension look like?
26:53 Matthew Schaefer will be great no matter what side of the defense he's playing
Enjoy!
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9 Jul 2026
2: Off the Island | More NHL Offseason Chaos...
Welcome back to Episode 2 of the Off The Island Podcast hosted by Dave, Phil and Jack.
We recapped some NHL news and of course discussed our New York Islanders offseason to date. We left our thoughts on Mathieu Darche selecting defenseman Malte Gustafsson in the first round, 13th overall of the 2026 National Hockey League Draft.
We spoke about the upside and potential for the Isles regarding the Matias Maccelli 1-year $2.25M contract.
Lastly, just an around the horn discussion on the first year of Mathieu Darche's GM tenure. What we liked and how we hope to see him proceed moving forward. This crazy NHL offseason might start to quiet down, but if not we will be here.
Enjoy!
Topics:
00:40 Anaheim Ducks Match Five-Year Offer Sheet for Leo Carlsson
02:10 NHL Salary Cap and GM Strategies
10:20 Does Alex Killorn to the Islanders make sense?
11:10 Malte Gustafsson
18:00 Did the Buffalo Sabres get worse this offseason?
20:00 The Sharks sign Jacob Trouba and acquire Darnell Nurse
21:12 Do you like how the Islanders offseason is going?
27:45 Comparing Mathieu Darche and Lou Lamoriello
37:00 The Islanders improvement in player development
45:00 Way too early Islanders 2026-27 projection
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23 Jun 2026
1: Off The Island Episode 1
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