Isles Den Podcast
The Isles Den Podcast is an independent New York Islanders show hosted by Jack (@IslesDen).Live postgame editions after every Islanders game, on air within about 40 minutes of the final horn, plus a weekly episode year-round covering all things Isles and the NHL. An honest fan perspective from someone who's lived through the highs, the rebuilds and everything in between. Watch on YouTube or listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
HOLMSTROM SHINES and Barzal Returns! | A Disney Like Ending To The Isles Trip
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Southern California sweep complete, and Jack was in the building for both games. The Islanders dropped 5 on the Kings for their first win in Los Angeles since 2018, then hung 6 on the Ducks at a rocking Honda Center, pushing their record to 9-6-4 as Ryan Pulock, Matias Maccelli and finally Mathew Barzal all made their returns to the lineup.
Simon Holmstrom made Jack throw his hat onto the ice with a hat trick in Anaheim, part of a five point burst that has the doubters, Jack included, owning...
Victor Eklund Has Arrived... | Isles Fall In Shootout Heartbreaker
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Another point, another heartbreaker. The Islanders fell 3-2 to the Sharks in a shootout that felt like it would never end, their fourth straight loss, dropping them to 7-6-4. Ben Hutton opened the scoring off a nice Simon Holmstrom feed, but a Logan Stanley turnover gifted one back, Tyler Toffoli tied it with a soccer header off Adam Pelech's face, and Yaroslav Askarov shut the door from there.
The bright spots are real, though. Victor Eklund is the real deal: six goals through his first 17 NHL games...
Moral Victory or Devastating Loss?! | Isles Fall To The Cup Champs In The Final Minutes
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Was tonight a moral victory or devastating loss?
The Islanders went toe to toe with the defending Stanley Cup champions at UBS Arena, shorthanded and starting their backup, and had a point in hand until William Carrier was left all alone in the crease in the final minutes of a 5-3 loss to the Hurricanes.
We covered the latest injury news, weighed in on the fisherman jersey discourse, and answered a loaded mailbag that closes with the Nikita Kucherov bombshell out of Tampa.
There...
Isles Continue To Survive Despite Missing Key Players...
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It was a banner night in Nashville. The Islanders beat the Predators 4-3 in a shootout for their first win at Bridgestone Arena in nine years, Matthew Schaefer became the first player in NHL history to play every second of a five minute overtime, Semyon Varlamov picked up his first NHL win since 2024, and Brayden Schenn buried his 300th career goal on a beautiful feed from Ondrej Palat. At 6-4-2 without Mathew Barzal, Cal Ritchie and Matias Maccelli, you have to be happy with where this team sits, and...
Statement Win For the Islanders In Toronto!
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Coming to you Sunday morning after the Islanders stunned the Maple Leafs 4-1 in Toronto.
It was a statement win that should make every fan proud, but one that came at a cost, with both Cal Ritchie and Matias Maccelli leaving the game.
The stars are carrying this thing to another level. Bo Horvat is playing the best hockey of his Islanders career, scoring the game-winner, setting up Simon Holmstrom, and turning whoever lands on his wing into a producer.
Matthew Schaefer continues to...
A Hopeful Start To The Season...
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First things first: the Bo Horvat panic was for nothing, he didn't miss a game while Frank Nazar got a two game suspension for the hit.
The Islanders sit at 3-3 without Mathew Barzal. Today we covered the heartbreaking 5-3 loss to the Lightning, the bounce back 3-2 win over the Canucks, and opened up the mailbag to answer all of your submitted Islanders questions.
The Tampa game gave us the play of the NHL season so far... Matthew Schaefer crossing up Anthony Cirelli, (a perennial...
Islanders October Outlook After Frank Nazar's Hit on Bo Horvat...
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The New York Islanders bounced back from Tuesday's loss at Madison Square Garden with a mature 4-1 win at UBS Arena over the Chicago Blackhawks at UBS Arena to even the record at 2-2. Sadly, the biggest takeaway from the night is unfortunately the health of Bo Horvat, who took a hit to the head from Frank Nazar while scoring the empty netter and is now being evaluated.
On the bright side, Ilya Sorokin leads the NHL in saves above expected and looks like the best goalie in th...
Short Term Pain For Long Term Gain | Islanders vs. Rangers Postgame
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Jack wasn't planning on recording tonight, but after the Islanders fell 3-2 to the Rangers in game three of the season, there were too many takeaways to sit on — both positive and negative.
On the bright side, Victor Eklund and Cal Ritchie continue to look like foundational pieces, with Ritchie outwaiting Shesterkin to tie the game and Eklund showing a level of grit you don't expect from a rookie. Ondrej Palat and Brayden Schenn have been two of the biggest surprises of the young season, Matias Maccelli picked up...
Great Signs From Pete DeBoer's Islanders...
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Joined by Brandon. (@Brandon266946), we recapped the Islanders statement 6-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils during the Isles home-opener on Saturday.
We also discussed how Victor Eklund and Calum Ritchie are impressing already early on this season, while touching on the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs from Wednesday. They delve into Pete DeBoer's strategies, and the overall dynamics of this team as they navigate the early part of the season.
Playoff hopes, prospect pipeline, and coaching impact carried us through a very positive podcast...
Hockey Is Back! | Islanders vs. Maple Leafs Takeaways
Welcome back to the Isles Den Podcast. Hockey is officially back!
Today Jack shared all of his takeaways from the New York Islanders season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs, a game where the Isles came up just short on the scoreboard but left plenty of reasons to be impressed. We kicked things off with a reaction to Pierre LeBrun's new article on Mathieu Darche before getting into the on-ice takeaways.
Cal Ritchie and Victor Eklund both looked good in their first game action of the season, Emil Heineman buried an excellent goal, and Jack...
Can The Islanders Be A Surprise This Season?
Welcome back to the Isles Den Podcast for our annual season preview show!
Today Jack shared his takeaways from the preseason matchup with the Rangers where Kashawn Aitcheson and Matias Maccelli impressed, graded Mathieu Darche's offseason, and laid out the blueprint for how this team can surprise people under new head coach Pete DeBoer before answering all of the New York Islanders questions from you guys!
Fans were wondering how the Mathew Barzal injury shakes up the opening night lineup, if Victor Eklund has already locked up a roster spot, and if Simon Holmstrom can...
Big Bets & Hot Takes
Welcome back to the Isles Den Podcast for Episode 12! Before you listen, this is not the type of betting you are thinking of. It's reference to some players the franchise has high hopes for that I find to be less bullish on.
There was a little more to talk about now than a usual August thanks to the New York Islanders innovative idea of an exclusive fan made jersey contest, we have more to talk about than usual for a hockey podcast in August. We touched on the polarizing jerseys, some x-factor players for next season like S...
What Will We Learn About The Islanders Under Pete DeBoer?!
Welcome back to the Isles Den Podcast, featuring Eric!
In the dog days of summer, we got a little creative by reacting to an AI powered predictive model of how the New York Islanders roster will perform under new HC Pete DeBoer.
There were two players comparisons for each players: One being how their upside might look, and their "floor." For example: Simon Holmstrom's ceiling out of formerly coached Pete DeBoer players was William Karlsson, and his floor was Nathan Horton.
The google document of all the answers and logic...
Offseason Mailbag: Does Victor Eklund Start In The NHL?
Welcome back to the Isles Den Podcast for Episode 10. Today out of appreciation for the loyal listeners we ran a mailbag from X and Reddit where Jack answered all the New York Islanders submitted questions and comments.
Fans were wondering if Mathieu Darche was done for the offseason, if Kyle Palmieri can bounce back, whether or not this team will be aggressive if things go south next NHL season and if this team can surprise some experts to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2027. We had some fun discussions like who I think was the...
Isles Den Episode 9 | Free Agent Frenzy
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In this episode, Jack and Data Dom break down the opening day of NHL free agency and Mathieu Darche's first moves of the summer. He reacts to the Islanders signing Matias Maccelli, Vitek Vanecek, and Matthew Kessel, and dives into the bigger storyline of the day:
Captain Anders Lee heading to the open market after the two sides couldn't close the gap on a new deal. The conversation covers what Lee's potential departure means for the locker room and the franchise's direction, whether Darche...
Isles Den Episode 8 | Islanders Perspective Of This Insane NHL Offseason...
Welcome back to the Isles Den Podcast!
Today we have a NY Islanders Beat Reporter Stefen Rosner from The Elmonters as a special guest to discuss the New York Islanders plans for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, Mathieu Darche's offseason goals, a look at who's still on the NHL Trade Market and a brief Q&A.
Chapters:
00:50 The Islanders miss out on Jordan Kyrou 05:00 Is the market underrating the next season's NYI team?14:15 Do the Islanders upgrade through the NHL Trade Market, Free Agency or stand pat?41:15 Q&A110:12 Mathieu Darche...Isles Den Episode 7 | An Interesting Offseason Begins...
Welcome back to the Isles Den Podcast!
In this episode, Jack discusses trade talk, the Islanders roster, and the Stanley Cup-winning Carolina Hurricanes. He shares his thoughts on players he's willing to move, potential trade targets, and the Islanders cup contention timeline. The conversation also covers the asking price for Jordan Kyrou, the need for player protection, and the Isles approach to building a young roster. The conversation covers a range of topics including player contracts, power play struggles, potential trade targets, and the NHL draft. It also delves into the Islanders' playoff prospects, the GM's decision-making...
Isles Den Episode 6 | How Bold Will Mathieu Darche Get This Offseason?
Jack is back with Episode 6 of the Isles Den Podcast to share some thoughts on some of the recent hockey news this week.
The offseason is nearing, the NHL rumors are thriving and New York Islanders GM Mathieu Darche has some big decisions to make for the franchise regarding the Draft, Trade and Free Agency Markets.
NYI team captain Anders Lee seems to be heading to a new team this summer, Mathew Barzal's name is being discussed around the league in trade talks, is Dylan Larkin a good fit for the...
Isles Den Episode 5 | Islanders Draft and Prospect Talk FT. Mark!
Welcome back to the fifth episode of the Isles Den Podcast!
Jack and Mark previewed the 2026 NHL Entry Draft coming up in June and discussed the current state of New York Islanders prospects.
Mark gave high-level analysis of all the popular names in the pipeline like Cole Eiserman, Victor Eklund, Kashawn Aitcheson and more! We talked about the NYI needs moving forward and how they should be focused on game-changing forwards as well as Right-Shot Defensemen.
Enjoy!
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Draft Content06:17 Evaluation of Defensive Prospects23:10...Isles Den Episode 4 | FT Data Dom!
Welcome back to the fourth episode of the Isles Den Podcast! Dom and I discussed the usual Season Recap topics!
Talking points:
Season expectations and team performance were not aligned, leading to disappointment.The firing of the coach and the impact of specific players on the team were significant topics of discussion. Player contracts and potential tradesImpact of coaching on team performance Player performance and impact on the teamTeam statistics and performance in the playoffsUpcoming draft and free agencyChapters
00:00 Season Expectations and Projections06:26 The Collapse of the Islanders14:46 Analytics...Isles Den Episode 3
Welcome back for your weekly Isles Den Podcast Episode! Last week Jack sat down with Thomas (@PalffyNYI16 on X), the first ever follower of Isles Den to discuss the LONG time season ticket holder's thoughts on the 2025-26 season.
We discussed:
Sorokin's exceptional performance and the Islanders' goaltending issues were key factors in the team's season.Fan engagement and vibe shift at games were notable aspects of the Islanders' season.The conversation highlighted the reasons for the Islanders' collapse and discussed underrated and most improved players. Assessment of trades and their impact on team...Isles Den Episode 2 | Season Recap FT. Phil & Eric
Welcome back for another Isles Den Podcast episode, this time Jack is joined by some familiar faces we saw all season long on the live streamed postgame show series on YouTube!
Eric and Phil are the first of a few more guests coming on to share their perspective on the 2025-26 New York Islanders season.
Below are the questions I asked their opinion's on, and we discussed plenty more:
What were the realistic expectations heading into the year, and how far off were the actual results?
...
Isles Den Episode 1 | Beginning At The End
Welcome to the the first episode of the Isles Den podcast! We covered a comprehensive review of the 2025-26 New York Islanders season, discussing player performances, coaching decisions, and potential offseason moves. The host shares insights, opinions, and answers fan questions, providing a detailed analysis of the state of the NY Islanders.
Takeaways
Islanders' 2025-26 season review: What went well and how they missed the playoffsUnforgettable season from Matthew SchaeferWhy this was a Vezina Trophy deserving season for Ilya SorokinCoaching decisions and evaluating player performances, why we should be excited about the change from...