UNLEASHED: Peter DeBoer IMPACTS Islanders Future – Matthew Schaefer, Bo Horvat Ready to Shine

0:00It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. What's up everybody? This is Ross Jackson, one of the hosts of the Lockdown Podcast Network, and if you haven't heard yet, we started a club and we would love for you to join. It's called the Everydayer Club, and one of the things that you get as a member is an ad-free version of the podcast that you're listening to right now. It works with whatever podcast app you already used, same episodes every day, just no ad. There's also a member's only group chat for fans of your team, plus a lot more. You can check it out by tapping the Everydayer Club link in the show notes. The New York Islanders made a major change when they brought in Peter Dubor to take over as head coach, but which players will benefit most from this change and how will that impact the team? We'll talk about that next.

1:02Your Lockdown Islanders, your daily podcast on the New York Islanders, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Gilmorton here, welcome everybody to the Friday edition of the Lockdown Islanders Podcast. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. I want to thank everyone who makes Lockdown Islanders, your first listen every day. Don't forget to subscribe on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode. We have got a lot to discuss on today's show. We will lead with this who benefits the most from Peter Dubor taking over as the islanders head coach. Obviously, there are changes the dust has settled a little, and we're going to break that down. We'll talk more about Cole Eiserman and his timeline to join the team and we continue our player by player analysis of the New York Islanders with Cal Richie.

2:03Peter Dubor coming in as the new head coach of the New York Islanders, who does this help and who does it not benefit so much? I think this is an important question as we move forward into what the team is going to look like and how they're going to approach things, all of this critical to whether or not the islanders will have success next year and how much. We know the team is limited somewhat by the poor roster construction that Lulamorello introduced and that unfortunately Matthew Darsh re-emphasized late in the season but ultimately

3:04this team has to figure out who is going to fit into the Dubor system and who is not. I'm going to start with two players that I think Islander fans will appreciate and feel like it's very good news that these players will be among the biggest beneficiaries under this coaching change. One is obviously Matthew Schaefer because Schaefer wants his elite defenseman and we've seen it with Miro Heiskenen and we've seen it with Brent Burns. He wants them to be able to jump into the play offensively. Now he had, Schaefer had that ability obviously under Patrick Law but I think the fact that the team will be playing a more structured defense behind Schaefer will benefit Schaefer.

4:08It will allow him to take some more chances. He'll have a better idea as to what, you know, when he can take those chances and the fact that if he does, there will be some players behind him who really can, you know, cover for him when he makes those moves. So I think Matthew Schaefer benefits a lot. To a lesser extent, I think assuming he's back, Tony DiAngelo also will benefit DiAngelo another player who really does skate, step up into the play and is effective when doing that. So I think again, as a secondary offensive defenseman, Tony DiAngelo will benefit if he

5:08can also improve his defensive game at least positionally. I don't want to see DiAngelo get into hot water because he's not back checking adequately and not doing the things he needs to do in his own zone, which as every day or snow has been something that has been an issue for DiAngelo on and off mostly on throughout his career. I think the player who may also benefit the most is Ilja Sirokin and whoever the Islander's backup goalie is, if Varly is healthy, if Riddick is back, if they bring in another backup goalie next year, some combination of those things, because even if they plan to try Varly, I don't know if they can guarantee his health. So I think Sirokin and the goalies in general will benefit from this change.

6:10Why? Because one thing that the Boer likes to do is play a structurally sound defense and emphasizes that transition from defense to offense. I don't have to tell Islander fans who have been watching this show and who have been watching this team really for the last few years, how much of an issue transitioning from defense to offense, getting the puck out of the zone has been for the New York Islanders. And clearly, cutting down on those high danger chances allowed. I think will help Ilja Sirokin. And it's two ways, number one, it makes Sirokin's job easier.

7:17And if he's facing, if the Islanders go from near the bottom of the league in high danger chances allowed to average and under the Boer, they could even be better than average. But let's just say they get to like 16th, which is right in the middle in the NHL in high danger chances allowed. The fatigue factor, the stress factor, the workload reduction for Ilja Sirokin and other Islanders goalies would be significant. And if you reduce the workload and the stress level, maybe instead of him starting 50 games, he can give you a 55 because he's in a better place both physically and mentally. So I think that is a critical component of what Peter De Boer is going to add to the

8:21mix for the New York Islanders. As far as other players who I think could benefit, Bo Horvat, I think very well could benefit, Simon Holmstrom could, if and again, it's if he is willing to dedicate himself to the system and allow himself to play the way that De Boer wants him to play both offensively and defensively. I don't think it's unrealistic that we will see more productivity from Simon Holmstrom under Peter De Boer. Guys who I think could be in for some rude awakenings though, guys who may have issues.

9:26If again, if we don't know the full roster at this point, I think Horvat will benefit, Holmstrom will benefit. Emil Heinemann could very well benefit, Anthony Duclair, maybe not so much. I think Duke, if the criticisms that Patrick Wah has had about Duclair and the way he doesn't go to the net, doesn't back check consistently, the things he doesn't do, I think that if he keeps on playing the same way, we're going to have issues. And whether he's still a New York Islander when the season starts and the fall remains to be seen, but ultimately, ultimately, I don't think Duclair is a great fit. And then I think guys like Kyle McLean and maybe Mark Gatcom who I happen to like may

10:29not be as good a fit in this system, the way that Duclair runs it, he is less of a dump and chase kind of a coach and more of escape the puck in, pass the puck in, kind of a guy. So we'll see again, how all of that plays out. But it is going to be very interesting this off season. And once we get to training camp. The off season, it's going to be interesting to see if Matthew Darsh is able to add some players, maybe at the request of Peter De Boer, who are De Boer types. And maybe you look to the Dallas stars who were his last coaching stop to add a player or two from that roster, who knows what it's like to play under De Boer and who played well under De Boer. And does he, is he able to bring in a couple of guys who would benefit from playing under

11:34De Boer and is he moving out some of the guys who probably don't benefit from the system that Peter De Boer runs and we will continue to update this story and this angle as the off season progresses, players are moved on from or resigned and how everything kind of breaks down when we start to really see what the roster construction for next season is going to look like. It's critical, it's subtle. But I think I'll just sort of finish this segment with this thought. The fact that you're two best players who right now are Ilja Sirokin and Matthew Schaefer and you could argue the order for whatever you want to do, but the fact that those two players were both at the top of the list for players who would benefit under De Boer

12:39is extremely encouraging when you start looking ahead to next season and what this new coaching staff and new coaching system could mean for the New York Islanders. We have got a lot more to get to on today's show. Cole Eiserman, we've gotten a look at him in Bridgeport. What's his timetable? What have we learned from Eiserman's appearance? We'll talk about that plus we continue our player by player analysis of the Islanders with Cal Richie and for our Islanders birthday of the day, a player known as the Great Dane who the Islanders could use if only for his shootout skills. Let's see if you can guess who this popular Islander was. He played with the team from the mid to late 2000s to the mid 2000 teams. All that coming up on today's Locked On Islanders podcast.

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15:42I like how convenient it is too. It's just a small portable shot that I can grab whenever I need a little pick me up. It's become my go-to when I want something sweet without going overboard. So bring on the sweetness with Cotton Candy 5-hour energy shots available online now at 5-hourenergy.com or Amazon. Don't forget to check out the every day or club for ad free episodes and access to a group chat with me and other listeners of Lockdown Islanders. Just tap the link in the show notes or go to Lockdown Islanders dot supercast dot com for more information. Let's talk a little Cole Eiserman. I think it's important we've gotten a glimpse of Cole Eiserman and maybe what he's capable of doing. We know that he is the most skilled goal scorer right now in the Islander's organization

16:46and in their prospect pool. And after another solid season at BU, not as good as his other season statistically, but he was injured. The team wasn't as good around him. Still 18 goals in 32 games, not bad. He went down to Bridgeport and played 12 games for Bridgeport. Had two goals, nine points, so seven assists, two penalty minutes, yeah, the plus minus a minus four far from ideal. But here's the good news. First of all, in the last eight games of the regular season, he scored nine points. All nine of his points came in those last eight games, two goals, seven assists in eight games. He had a point scoring streak, which is really good. But here's the thing that I liked.

17:47If you watched footage of what Eiserman did in Bridgeport and hopefully continues to do, if Bridgeport can extend their season with a win on Thursday night, we'll talk about that certainly on Monday's show. He is being physical at times, which you like to see. He is throwing his six foot, 200 plus pound frame around. Had a big hit in game one of the series against the Hershey Bears against Jalen Leipin. And I hope I'm pronouncing that right. That was a beautiful hit. And I think the fact that, yes, he has nine points in his last eight games, but seven of them were assists was definitely a good sign.

18:52I am less worried about Cole Eiserman's ability to get shots on goal, to put the puck on the net. He's scouting believes that he will not have difficulty scoring goals now, whether that's 25 goals a year, 30, 40 more. We don't know that we still have to see and hopefully it's 30 or more consistently. But the fact that he is also setting up teammates, because in college, he didn't always do that as much as maybe you would have preferred. He had 25 goals and 11 assists in 2024, 2025, 18 goals, 10 assists in 2025, 2026 at BU. The fact that he is able to also set up teammates and that in 12 games in Bridgeport, he had seven assists, whereas in 32 games at BU, he had 10.

19:58I think that speaks well to the fact that his game is not just, hey, I can shoot the puck. There are still things to work on. The minus four plus minus obviously is a little bit of a concern if you are looking at what he can contribute to this team. No doubt about that. And what he does away from the puck is still going to have a major impact on how ready he is to start playing in the NHL. I still believe based on what I've seen and based on what I've read and people I have spoken to, Iserman starts the next season in what will now be Hamilton of the AHL. And then the question is how well does he adapt, how well does he play, how well does he do, not just the things we think he's good at like scoring, but how well is he positionally,

21:06does he back check, does he do the other things, is he coachable? So far, he looks to be doing the things you want him to do, but he's got to do them consistently, game in, and game out, and for the long haul. And then obviously how healthy are the islanders, how are some of the players on the big club doing? But I could see, Cole Iserman coming up to the big club mid season maybe sometime between American Thanksgiving and the all star break. That would be sort of my optimistic forecast and if he's struggling a little bit more or if the team is doing better, whatever, if it's a slower process than we would like, maybe the same way that we saw, you know, excuse me, Iserman step up and play the last 12 games

22:09for Bridgeport this year, maybe he plays the last five, seven, whatever it is, games for the big club next year on Long Island, we'll see, but I think it's realistic to expect that if things go well for Cole Iserman, he will be a New York Islander at some point, even if it's just a few games as an injury replacement. I think he will make his NHL debut regular season NHL debut, but in the second half of the 2026, 2027 season, we'll see how it all plays out, but some encouraging signs and some work to be done from Cole Iserman. We have got more to get to on today's show, Cal Richie, how did he do on our player by player analysis and what will his role be? We're going to talk about that coming up next on today's Lock on Islanders podcast.

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24:10Today's episode is also brought to you by game time. There's nothing like play-off hockey live, the intensity, the rivalries, the crowd. It's just different when you're in the building playoffs or some of the best moments in sports and being there in person is something every fan should experience. Game time makes it incredibly easy to find tickets even for those high-demand play-off games in just a few taps. And with the game time guarantee, you know you're getting 100% authentic tickets delivered on time at the best price. The app is super easy to use, you could find tickets fast and the pricing is all in. So what you see is what you pay, there are no surprise fees. One of my favorite features is the view from your seat, you get a panoramic view from your seat. So you know what to expect before you buy the tickets and that really makes you feel at ease. The zone deals are awesome. You pick the section, game time picks the seats and you save. So take the guesswork out of buying tickets with a game time, download the game time app,

25:14create an account and use code locked on for $20 off your first purchase. Games apply again, create an account and redeem code locked on, L-O-C-K-E-V-O-N for $20 off, download the game time app today, last minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed. We continue our player-by-player analysis of the New York Islanders with the one and only Cal Richie, one of the up and coming players on this Islanders roster and again, Cal Richie, 6 to 200 pounds, he is 21 years old, just turned 21 in January. This was his rookie season, he had only played seven NHL games prior to this year, played in 65 games with the New York Islanders after starting the season down in Bridgeport.

26:1613 goals, 30 points, a minus 14 plus minus 22 penalty minutes, five of his 13 goals came on the power play as did six of his 17 assists, his shooting percentage, 16.5, he had 79 shots on goal in the 65 games, that is a number you want to see increase and he averaged 13.5, a little less than 13.5 minutes on ice per game, only 17 hits, I think that's a number you want to see more of 34 blocked shots, so a blocked shot a little more than every other game and I think the good thing that we saw from Cal Richie was that as the season went on, his play got better, his confidence grew by the end of the season, his performance

27:21on the power play was very, very good, he still has work to do defensively, improving in that area, he's responsible but he needs to be better, I think the whole team kind of needed to be better compared to last year, the grade I'm giving Cal Richie is a B minus. If I was to grade the first half of his season it would probably be a C, if I graded the last six to eight weeks of the season it'd probably be a B plus, so I go with B minus with the arrow pointing up, whereas yesterday for example I did JG Pazzo, gave him a B but I think the arrow was kind of pointing down as far as his future physicality and offensive contributions, I think Cal Richie, given a full season, given power play time which he has to earn obviously, given the way his game has been developing is capable of a 20 goal

28:24season, this coming year with the right line mates, if he fits in well to Peter DeBoer's system and I think he will, where he plays next year though is going to be interesting and every day or no, the Islanders have a surplus of centers, natural centers, you've got Richie, you've got Bohorvat, you've got Matthew Barzal, you've got Braden Shen, you've got JG Pazzo, you've got Casey Sisekis, now it may very well be that Richie continues to play the wing which is where he played more after the Islanders acquired Braden Shen, he did seem to learn from Braden Shen which was encouraging, let's see whether he plays center or wing, I get the feeling he'll play both at various times but his development is crucial because the Islanders need their younger players to step up and be the future of this team

29:31and the sooner that future begins the better. Time now for our Islanders birthday of the day and well today is the 42nd birthday of former Islanders center Franz Nielsen, Nielsen the great day as his nickname was 6186 pounds, a third round pick of the Islanders in 2002, played in the Swedish elite league before joining the Islanders organization in 0607, stayed with the team through the 2015-2016 season and then finished his career with the Detroit Red Wings for five seasons and one year with the Berlin Polar Bears in Germany, played in 925 career NHL games, 167 goals, 473 points, 166 penalty minutes, add four goals 10 points

30:33in 24 playoff games, always was a big Franz Nielsen fan responsible two way center, great on the third line elite in shootouts he had a patented backhand move, one of his better games as an Islander, October 25th 2014 Islanders hosting the Dallas stars at the old barn, Anders Lindbach, is the goalie for Dallas Chad Johnson the goalie for the Islanders and in this game with the Islanders trailing in the third period Franz Nielsen our Islanders birthday of the day scores his second goal of the year Nikolai Kulemon and Mikhail Gorbowski get the assist, that pulls the Islanders closer and then six minutes a little less than six minutes later Nielsen

31:35scores again Gorbowski and Kulemon again with a Gorbowski and Kulemon with the assist and then that puts the Islanders up by a score of six to four and in the closing seconds Nielsen gets an empty netter to complete his only hat trick as an Islander Islanders win the game by a score of seven to five for Franz Nielsen three goals he was a plus two in this game he had six shots on goal and was on the ice for 16 minutes and change and yeah Franz he potted the game winner in this game Franz Nielsen a great two way center for the New York Islanders for more or less a decade he is our Islanders birthday of the day don't forget to check out the every day or club you will get add free episodes of locked on Islanders plus access to a group chat with me and other hardcore

32:40Islander fans who listen to this show so tap on the link in the show notes or go to locked on islanders.supercast.com for more information if you have a question a comment maybe a topic you'd like us to discuss on a future episode email us at locked on Islanders at gmail.com if you'll leave your first name and where you're from we're happy to mention you on the show only discuss whatever's on your mind you follow the show on X at locked on Isles you could follow me Gil Martin on X at ice wars NYR vs NYI we'll keep you up to date on all things islanders all year long and it's always great to talk islanders hockey with you game time or anytime I'm Gil Martin I've been covering the islanders for two decades and I wrote the book ice wars on the history of the islanders rivalry with the Rangers from 1972 till the modern era so glad you could join us to talk a little islanders hockey today every dayers we're back Monday we will update you on bridge port

33:45hopefully they're still alive by then we will continue our player by player look at the islanders from this season with the one and only Kyle pal Mary so make sure you join us for that until then have a great weekend everybody stay safe and of course let's go islanders