Thursday night's matchup with Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers was a special one for New York Islanders rookie Matthew Schaefer. If the first four games of his NHL career are any indication, the 2025 first-overall pick is well on his way to being one of the top offensive defensemen in the league. On Thursday night against McDavid, he became the youngest player in NHL history to record a point in each of his first four games, and he accomplished the feat without even playing on the top powerplay unit.
Hockey fans are starting to fall in love with the smooth-skating, offensively dynamic defenseman. He might be only 18, but he adds an exciting element to the Islanders, which they desperately needed. Fans are tuning in to the team's game to see the star rookie, marking the first time in a long time that the Islanders have become a must-watch event.
Once Head Coach Patrick Roy starts giving Schaefer more opportunities, his game will become even more appealing. A new role for Schaefer could be coming soon, according to Islanders' reporter Stefen Rosner.
“I think we all know it's only a matter of time before [Schaefer's] playing on the [top] power play on a regular basis.” Roy told reporters post-game, and it's hard to argue with the logic.
There were questions before training camp about whether Schaefer would be ready to make the leap. He played just half of a junior season in his draft year before breaking his collarbone at the World Junior Championships. It wouldn't have been a massive surprise if the Islanders sent him back to the Ontario Hockey League to get some more reps after playing so little last season.
The good news is that Schaefer is playing plenty in New York. He started with 17 minutes in his debut, and then tallied two consecutive games with over 26 minutes. Roy scaled him back a bit with just 17 minutes against the Oilers, but it likely won't be long until Roy is relying on Matthew Schaefer again to be the team's backbone on defense.
